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How to Find a Good Tattoo Artist

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Nothing new is happening on the market after I wrote about amputations and magnet implants. The latest thing is called “Brain Piercing”. Unfortunately, I can’t write about it now since I’m still doing some research on the subject, this way I will be able to write an article worthy of all of you. But, I thought my latest experience was exciting, not very extreme, but the most interesting tattoo I’ve got so far. Thinking about the few rejections that I had, I thought many people might go through the same problem. So I decided to make it public Work Reveal.

artist

For the last few years, I have had this idea for a beautiful tattoo. It was supposed to be a line of mirrored phoenixes starting on my neck, following down on my spine down to my tailbone.
Easier said than done, I guess… So, a few months before my 34th birthday, I started to look

for an artist to do the work. As many people know, Brazil is a well-known country in the tattoo industry. We have great professionals down here. So here I am with the project, but because I’m picky about who will tattoo my body, I could only choose a handful of professionals among hundreds. From many portfolios, I thought that only those guys would do a decent job out of my very detailed idea.

Of those five ultra-qualified professionals, none wanted to do the tattoo. All of them told me that it was impossible. And the only one who was going to take the challenge, because I did agree to make the phoenixes a bit larger than what I wanted, had a family problem. As time passed, I became older and had no tattoos.

I’m sure that I do not have to explain my feelings to my tattoo-addicted friends and readers, but for the people who do not have the tattoo “bug”, I can say that it is frustrating. It feels more or less like you have spent months gathering the money to go to your favorite group performance, and exactly on the show day, the band decided to split up for good.

So here I was with the ticket and no show, or better saying, with the drawing and no artist. The other day, while walking on the street, I saw a small tattoo parlor. And being so devoted to getting my body covered with phoenix images, I thought about stopping there for a few minutes to check out his work. The worst that could happen was I would meet

another wannabe. The market is full of them. Most of the tattoo artists around are not that great. After I finish this story, I will add a guide on how to find gold between pebbles. Returning to the tale, I went into the studio, and there was this: please state the obvious: tattoo-covered guy. His name is Flavio Vandroiy. I hadn’t heard about him, but once I was there, I decided to give him a shot. He had a client waiting, so our first contact was brief, but even so, to my surprise, he was very attentive.

Now, if you know a few renowned tattoo artists, you will understand that more and more, the pop star idea is truly affecting our fellas. Boy, most of the time, it feels like they are part of the royalty and are doing you the favor of looking at your face, even if only for five minutes of their precious time. Please note that there are some exceptions; one of them is the lovely Pierre Chapelle, whom, many years ago, I had the pleasure of being tattooed by while I was

living in Montreal. I checked out one of Flávio Vandy’s portfolios on paper and analyzed his work better through his website. The result looked pretty good. Steady and clear lines signed his tattoos. Then I saw a picture of a tiny tattoo full of details; I analyzed it for about one hour, looking at every point. After that, I thought that he would probably do a good job out of my drawing. I sent him an e-mail with the image of my phoenix attached, and after a day, he sent me an honest reply. He told me that the drawing was quite small, but he would take up the challenge.

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Minimize Your E-waste and Save the Environment with These Steps

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Electronic waste, or e-waste generated in 2021, is predicted to be around 57.4 million metric tons. And the volume is expected to increase as the years go by. This number is quite alarming, especially when the impact of e-waste on the environment is considered. Improper e-waste disposal can poison the soil, water, and air. The contamination results in health hazards, such as brain damage, immune system damage, and respiratory and skin disorders. Everyone should reduce their e-waste right now to prevent further environmental damage on a global level.

E-waste

Buy Less

The first step to reducing e-waste is buying fewer electronics. The new models of different electronics can be beautiful. They offer features that sound and look fabulous. But do you need those features? Will you even use them if you have them? Also, the way new electronics are marketed is very persuasive. The ads can make you think that your life sucks because you don’t own the latest gadgets.

You can stop yourself from buying new tech by avoiding the ads altogether. You can also consider reading and watching reviews of the tech you have. For example, check out what tech reviewers said about your current phone when it first came out. This strategy can help you regain your phone appreciation and forget about wanting to buy a new one.

Repair, Not Replace

When a gadget breaks, have it repaired first before you think about replacing it. This strategy will not just help you reduce your e-waste, but it will also help you save money. For example, you dropped your iPhone and cracked its screen, but it still works perfectly. The cost of an iPhone screen servicing is much less than buying a new phone. Repairing is also one form of buying less, a strategy to reduce e-waste discussed earlier.

Donate or Sell Your Electronics

You can also donate or sell your electronics. These are applicable if the electronics are in good working condition. If you don’t know to whom you should present your electronics, ask people from your network. Say you want to let go of your microwave. Ask your relatives and friends if they need one or know someone who needs it.
Meanwhile, if your gadgets are still in good shape, you can sell them online on eBay or Craigslist. Just make sure that you are honest about the condition of each device. Many people like to buy used electronics online to save some money, and selling online will help you reduce your e-waste and give you extra cash.

Recycle

Meanwhile, if your electronics no longer work and can’t be repaired, recycle them. Go online and search for a recycling center near you. Unfortunately, not all electronics can be recycled. Before you take your stuff there, call the center beforehand and confirm what gadgets they accept. You can also ask what you need to do with your electronics to prepare them for recycling. Doing these things will save you time on your trip to the recycling center.

Repurpose

Repurposing electronics is also an option. You can find a new use for a gadget in its entirety or some of its parts. For example, the grills of an electric fan can be repurposed into home decor with the proper tools and accessories. You can use your old phone as a GPS tracker when you drive, which will help you keep off your phone while you go.

Migrate to the Cloud

Many pieces of hardware you own store data: your flash drives, your computer, and even your mobile phone. You may feel compelled to buy a new phone because your current phone’s memory storage isn’t enough anymore. And you don’t want to delete anything because you want to keep your memories with you. But lack of storage isn’t a good reason to buy new gadgets. Use the cloud instead. A cloud subscription usually comes with an annual fee. However, there are free versions that have limited storage capacity, such as Google Drive and Dropbox.

Migrating to the cloud has several benefits, aside from reducing your e-waste. It’s a secure way to store your data. It also reduces your clutter at home since you don’t need to keep flash drives or external hard drives in your drawers. Reducing your e-waste is one of the best things you can do to help save the environment. If you can, encourage others to do it, too, and this collective effort will have a more significant positive impact and lead to better results.

Life Insurance Settlements

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Life insurance settlements have caused a great deal of confusion for broker-dealers in the last 24 months as more and more registered representatives are becoming aware of this controversial wealth management strategy. The life settlement is selling an unwanted, unaffordable, or underperforming life insurance policy to an institutional purchaser instead of letting the policy lapse.

Life Insurance

As Registered Representatives grapple for the go-ahead with their compliance department, they are usually confronted with mixed answers regarding its viability. To be sure, this strategy is an area of concern for broker-dealers and NASD members alike. Mary Schapiro, Vice Chairman of the NASD, spoke at the Chicago NASD Conference on May 25, 2005. She addressed, in part, three central issues:

1. “The first risk is to assume that baby boomers have a level of financial acumen that eliminates the need for proper suitability analysis”.

2. “A second risk comes from the product innovation that has generally served your customers so well”.

3.“A third risk is a failure to analyze the status of these new products under the federal securities laws.”

Chairman Schapiro says that equity-indexed annuities are securities and life settlements and may constitute a “selling away” problem, amongst other concerns. She explains: “Equity-indexed annuities are only one example of a financial product that a firm might erroneously treat as a non-security. Other examples include tenants-in-common exchanges and life settlements.

NASD considers all of these products securities, subject to firm supervision. The NASD is the “watchdog of the SEC,” whose sole purpose is to protect the investing public. One of their preoccupations is to keep in check the “egregious overcharging” of fees generated by manufactured investment products. The NASD seems to be a correlation as to their concern with the nature and size of fees that the life settlement transaction has generated.

The question remains: are life settlement transactions securities? The question of whether life insurance settlements are to be treated as deposits is divided into two parts whether we are discussing the back-end sales activity, i.e., the distribution of interests in a policy or pool of policies, or the front-end activity, i.e., the solicitation and facilitation of the sale of an approach to a life settlement company. Once the policy has been sold into the secondary market, one could conclude that the “transfer for value rule” has been applied, and the insurance contract could be construed as security. Many, however, would conclude that the up-front transaction of a life settlement would not be subjected to securities law and jurisdiction.

Why all the Fuss?

Does the life settlement market deserve such attention? According to the 2004 Life Insurers Fact Book, compiled by the American Council of Life Insurers, $9.4 trillion of life insurance is in force on 167 million policies. Coupled with the fact that emerging demographics show our beloved “Baby Boomers” are hitting retirement, you can see that the life settlement market is getting on everyone’s radar screen.

Moreover, according to the Conning Research and Consulting whitepaper, “Life Settlements, The Concept Catches On,” 2006, they explain that the average life settlement offer approximates 25% and 30% of the face amount.” Suppose it is true that approximately 35% of all settlement proceeds will be re-deployed into new investment vehicles for growth or income. In that case, one can conclude that broker-dealers should have a vested interest. This rings particularly true where there is competition for registered representative recruiting to increase their gross commissions potentially.

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The Condition For Man To Have Eternal Life

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It is bewildering, isn’t it, that more than two thousand years after the death of Jesus Christ, Christians continue to display dismal ignorance in respect of the conditions for man to have eternal life. It follows that Christians have not derived the necessary benefits from the Mission. The fact remains that it was the events that happened in the Garden of Eden that necessitated the Mission of Jesus Christ.

Life

Christians must take note of the fact that Satan had his purpose for tempting Adam. Of course, he did not just stop at that, and he took it upon himself to confuse the generality of the true understanding of the implications of the events. To hit the nail on the head, Christians vehemently believe that the forbidden fruit was nothing other than sexual relations. This is strange because the Bible is quite explicit on this.

The Bible tells us the purpose for which the LORD GOD created man. “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26. It is noteworthy that following creating man, the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:28. “GOD blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

It is obvious from this passage that the LORD GOD accords priority to man producing and filling up the earth over man fulfilling his purpose in creation. The only natural way for husband and wife to be fruitful, increase in number, and contribute to filling the world is through sexual relations without any hindrance to procreation. That rules out an abortion, family planning, sexual relations between a man and a man, a woman, and another woman, and between human beings and animals. The horrific sexual practice by people described as gay cannot be from GOD. Otherwise, He would not have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire.

If these were from GOD, He would act against His interest. Namely, that man should be fruitful, increase in number, fill the earth, and subdue it. The LORD GOD is not equivocal in any way. In addition, there is no shred of evidence, however, that the LORD GOD imposed a moratorium or prohibited sexual activity between husband and wife at any point in time. On the contrary, the LORD GOD accorded priority to sexual activity above everything else. What, then, was the forbidden fruit? We shall get to that in its good time.

We have now come to the important task we set for ourselves: Establishing the conditions for Adam and Eve to live in the Garden of GOD in Paradise. From there, we shall go on to show that it is the same condition Jesus Christ says we have to fulfill before we can enter into the kingdom of GOD. It follows then that nothing has changed. The LORD GOD does not change. He says: “I, the LORD, do not change.” Malachi 3:6.

THE TREES

To start with, what we want to do is to establish the location of the Garden of Eden. The Bible says: “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of GOD.” Revelation 2:7. Since the Garden of Eden is spiritual, Adam was, therefore, spirit. The first thing we want to know about respecting the trees is what life meant in the first tree and what death meant in that commandment to Adam concerning the second tree.

If Adam had eaten the fruit of the Tree of Life, He would not have died spiritually in the Garden of Eden. Rather, he would have lived forever. Something must be in that tree that would have given eternal life to Adam. Let us find it out. What do we know about eternal life? Jesus Christ says: “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the SON to have life in Himself.” John 5:26. We know then that only the ALMIGHTY GOD is the source of eternal life. We can establish the following facts:

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Extreme Biology – Life at All Scales and Energies

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Several fixations plaguing the astrobiology community regarding the prerequisites for life are retarding the development of biology and the search for a new life in the universe. These fixations work as smokescreens to obscure the myriads of other types of life forms that may be thriving even in our Solar System.

Astrobiologists, particularly at NASA, appear to have a dogmatic fixation on studying life only at the biochemical level, a pre-occupation with water as a substrate for life, adamant on only studying carbon-based life forms, restricted to a very narrow temperature range and scale, and not even noticing that all the life forms that they have imagined in their wildest models are only based on particles within the (physicists’) Standard Model.

Biology

Physics affects biology in a more fundamental way than even chemistry or biochemistry. New developments in physics should open up areas to consider more extreme life forms. If we find dark matter and supersymmetric particles – would biologists then start thinking about dark matter and supersymmetric life forms? Should we be talking about “quantum biology”? When physicists talk of parallel universes, would biologists consider symbiosis between life forms in parallel universes? Is Darwin’s Tree of Life complete? Where are its roots?

Life at Extremely Small Scales – Nano and Quantum Life

Bacteria may be no larger than 10 microns, viruses no larger than 100 nanometers, molecules about 1 nanometer, and atoms about 0.1 nanometers. Does scale impose a barrier to life or even consciousness? If viruses are considered life forms (as some leading astrobiologists argue), they constitute “nano-life”.

Consciousness may even exist at the quantum scale. “In some strange way, an electron or a photon [or any other elementary particle] seems to ‘know’ about changes in the environment and appears to respond accordingly,” says physicist Danah Zohar. A group at the Weizmann Institute in Israel has done a variation of the famous “double-slit” experiment. They used electrons instead of photons and observed how the resultant interference pattern (which indicates wave-like properties of the particle) dissipated the longer you watched the electrons go through the slits.

As a wave, the electron passes through both slits simultaneously, but if, according to E Buks, it “senses” that it is being watched, the electron (as a particle) goes through only one path, diminishing the interference pattern. Elementary particles (such as photons and electrons) appear to possess a certain degree of “intelligence” and awareness of the environment. Renowned plasma and particle physicist David Bohm says, “In some sense, a rudimentary mind-like quality is present even at the level of particle physics. As we go to subtlest levels, this mind-like quality becomes stronger and more developed.”

In a new field called “quantum metaphysics”, Jay Alfred has proposed that consciousness is a fundamental property of elementary particles as properties that make it “matter” or a “physical force” (for example, mass, spin, and charge) (see Conscious Particles, Fields and Waves, 2007). And just as mass, spin, and charge differ from one particle to another, different particles probably have different degrees of consciousness. He has argued (see Jay Alfred, Our Invisible Bodies, 2006) that consciousness can manifest depending on the degree of quantum coherence and the intrinsic properties of the single particle. (This may be cited as the “Quantum Coherence Theory of Consciousness”.)

In studying particle consciousness, we must not get distracted by their scale. In fact, (under quantum field theory) particles are excitations in a field that may be infinitely large. Every particle has a corresponding lot. If a particle is considered a “unicellular life form,” then an area of particles may be viewed as a “multicellular life form” – except that these “cells” go in and out of existence within the field. This begs the question – Is the biochemical cell the smallest unit of life? If not, a biological revolution, more important than the Copernican revolution in its impact on society, is around the corner.

Life at Extremely Large Scales

Life at all scales is probable – including at the planetary, stellar, galactic scales, and even the universe and multiverse. James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis have proposed the Gaia hypothesis. Jay Alfred has submitted life at cosmic and global scales using the “plasma metaphysics” model, which believes that an extensive web of currents in space

and on Earth exists, anatomically and physiologically similar to a neural network in the human brain. (See Are We Living in a Gigantic Brain? 2007) This web of currents in space not only looks like a neural network, but it also functions like one. We should not be surprised to see life engineered using an electromagnetic substrate. A biochemical cell’s membrane is now thought to behave like a semiconductor.

Perhaps a thought experiment could be enlightening. Imagine yourself as a cell within your brain, carefully observing your environment with a nano-telescope. Would you consider your brain as being able to support consciousness?

What you would see are neural cells alternately firing and resting, chemicals rushing to synapses, and the zapping of nasty electrical currents – not a very “habitable zone” for life or consciousness to exist – from your microscopic point of view. But we know better… Could the plasma universe, with its network of currents, be a living, conscious entity? Was the quark-gluon plasma ball that inflated during the Big Bang a life form?

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The Laws of Life

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At some point in each individual’s life on Earth, they undoubtedly and eventually come around to question their purpose for existing. The basis of this profound question usually begins with thoughts centered around why I am here and my purpose in what appears as an experiential journey through this mystery we call life.

Life

Many of us have experienced these seemingly bizarre moments in which we find ourselves reaching for answers to help solidify our existence, permitting us to feel as though we are not building our lives on shifting sand. Although these moments allow for a conscious awakening that demands our attention, they are often masked or shrouded throughout our lives as meaningful events.

It does not always happen this way because many mundane moments within our lives carry the seed of questions yet unanswered- and if we look closely, profound answers are lovingly contained in those special moments. Having exposed in a previous article, Timewave Zero, the premise that our universe and all within it is being sourced continuously from the same fountain of life through cycles.

It surely makes plausible sense to conclude certain natural laws of life govern our existence and could very well offer solace in a turbulent sea of life’s questions. The proper understanding and personal application of these “Laws of Life” enable us to live fully in the moment, appreciating life’s journey right where we find ourselves at any given moment, in the Now. However, it must be added that we still live in a delicate world that requires us to plan for the future while co-existing.

Could these well-defined universal Laws of Life help us better understand life’s mysteries while at the same time providing a solid foundation upon which we can receive direction and answers? In short, the answer is yes! By applying a level of understanding and reliance upon these laws of unwavering reliability, we may soon find ourselves aligned with powerful forces that conspire to lift our lives higher up the ladder of joy.

If we could accept that all possibilities exist in the present moment and remain focused in the Now of life, consciously allowing the Laws of Life to operate through us freely, we would soon recognize that we are in a co-created world in which we have personal responsibility for bringing into existence. Through these simple Laws, we are building a new Earth as we become receptive to our ultimate purpose for life itself. We are powerful co-creators, and life is our school and playground, too.

The Power of the Four Laws of Life

I would concede there are many Laws of Life; however, in this post, we will focus only on four important master laws that birth all the others. Given that all life within the universe of creation is encapsulated within the boundaries established by certain rules, some known and some of these, we are just starting to unravel and comprehend. There are four basic, universal laws of the utmost value for human life, and these are the ones we shall address.

Our understanding and application of the wisdom contained within these four Laws of Life will determine the experiences we will entertain. Many of our questions arise during our lives through the awareness of the very contrasts that exist, having been created by the choices we made. Some of these experiences are on an individual basis, while the entirety of those on Earth can experience others.

Our collective (or individual) reactions to events that create our life experience are needed, thus enabling us, by way of contrast between various occasions, to question what we want to experience. Combine life’s cyclic movement and how we share it with understanding the four Laws of Life- The Law of Love, The Law of Gratitude, The Law of Cause and effect, and The Law of Attraction, you find many of life’s poised questions, and formerly out-of-reach answers become vividly obvious.

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Life In The Solar System

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Introduction to Life in the Solar System: Humans and our associated skin on the third rock out from the Sun are lords of life forms in the solar system. But we’re not unique lords, just lords. Other abodes in the solar system, most probably Mars, Jupiter, Europa, and Saturn, are anywhere from possible to probably habitable homes to simple microbial life forms, perhaps something slightly above and beyond that. Taking each place in turn.

Solar System

But first, a pat on the back for those terrestrial microbes; all those germs, bacteria, unicellular critters, and even viruses (though viruses, depending on your perception of their being alive as we usually define ‘alive’ might exclude them from this discussion). They are tough; I mean, they boldly go, survive, and even thrive where even angels fear to tread, far fewer humans. Microbes can live in environments where other multicellular critters also fear to tread and often can’t: from the coldest terrestrial environments, up to the near-boiling temperatures, from deep underground to the heights of the atmosphere, from inside water-cooled nuclear reactors and the interior of rocks to intensely saline, acidic and alkaline environments, to ecosystems where the Sun never shines, like the abyssal depths.

They can even survive outer space. Bacteria survived on the surface of the Moon – on Surveyor Three. This was possibly the most significant discovery of the Apollo Moon program, and it hardly even rated a mention. Astronauts from the Apollo 12 mission brought back to Earth parts of the unmanned Surveyor Three Lunar Lander. Terrestrial bacteria on those parts survived the lunar vacuum, solar radiation (UV, etc.), the massive temperature extremes, and the lack of water and nutrients. Experiments in low earth orbit have confirmed that given just minimal shielding, bacteria can indeed boldly go!

You’d know how difficult it is to sterilize something, be it hospital equipment or a spacecraft bound for a Martian landing. They’re tough – have you ever read about a mass extinction event where a bacterial species, unlike, say, the multicellular dinosaurs, went poof? Microbes are easy to transport. They can be blasted off the surface of the Earth, shielded from radiation by the debris, and survive to land on another world and be fruitful and multiply. There’s little doubt that somewhere way out there, terrestrial bacteria have hitched a ride to the stars, bolding going where many microbes have gone before! Translated, I firmly expect that the universe (including our solar system) is teaming with microbial Life in all sorts of places. The less-than-glamorous catch is that LGM will not stand for Little Green Men but Little Green Microbes.

On Earth, microbes rule, OK? The biomass of all those bacteria, etc., quickly equals the biomass of every other multicellular plant and animal added together. One could easily argue that microbes, not humans, are the jewels in God’s crown – He made so many of them and talked about being fruitful and multiplying. The number and mass of micro-organisms are many orders of magnitude greater than humanity’s numbers and collective mass. There are millions of microbes living inside you – most beneficial. It could also be argued that you are nothing more than an elaborate colony of billions of unicellular organisms – your cells that make you, you.

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