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Cuba Politics

Castro ready to talk with US and US ready to recast a relationship with Cuba

Posted April 17, 2009 by publisher in Cuba Politics.

Rob Sequin | Havana Journal

One would be led to think that some sort of orchestrated behind-the-scenes political discussions have been taking place this week with regards to US Cuba relations.

Earlier in the week President Obama made a major policy change to allow Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba and send money to family members. He also directed his Administration to explore ways to allow more direct flights to Cuba and to allow US communications companies to establish a business presence in Cuba.

On Thursday Secretary Clinton said she expected Cuba to reciprocate for these gestures even though some of the language had a hint of promoting “regime change” in Cuba.

Raul Castro ready to talk about everything with US

However, President Raul Castro, speaking in Venezuela, said Cuba is open to talks with the United States about “everything” including political prisoners. He said “We have sent messages to the U.S. government in private and in public that we are willing to discuss everything, whenever they want… human rights, press freedom, political prisoners, everything, everything, everything they want to talk about”. The only caveat is that the talks be on equal terms and without challenging Cuba’s sovereignty.

This may be a sticking point because if the US acknowledges Cuba’s sovereignty then the US will have to formally recognize Raul Castro’s government as a legitimate government. The reason the US does not have diplomatic relations with Cuba, nor an Embassy in Cuba, is because the US government has never formally recognized Fidel Castro’s government to be a legitimate government.

Furthermore, President Castro also called for the release of five Cubans imprisoned in the United States on espionage charges. The court cases of the “Cuban Five” have been going on for years. This issue is most likely a deal killer since the US is not going to release convicted felons in order to have talks with Cuba.

So, it remains to be seen how Obama responds to Castro’s demands for sovereignty and the release of the Cuban Five.

Even with these comments by Castro, this week’s statements by the US and Cuba is the closest thing to a dialog that the two countries have had in many years. Previously, Fidel Castro has insisted that Cuba’s domestic politics were Cuba’s own business so it is very interesting to have Raul Castro respond by offering “everything” to be on the table and it is also interesting that he responded so quickly.

Obviously the Summit of the Americas is the motivating factor for Cuba and the US.

Obama ready to recast relationship with Cuba

Obama said on Thursday there were a range of steps Cuba could take to recast relations between the two countries, which have been virtually frozen in the decades since Cuba’s 1959 Revolution.

“My guidepost in U.S. Cuba policy is going to be how can we encourage Cuba to be respectful of the rights of its people, freedom of political speech, political participation, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of travel,” he said during a news conference in Mexico. He also said that now is the time to “recast our relationship” with Cuba but that relations will not “thaw overnight”.

Member Comments

On April 17, 2009, grant wrote:

It is up to the USA now!  Free the five political prisoners in the USA.

On April 17, 2009, publisher wrote:

The Cuban Five are not political prisoners. Can I assume you are kidding about your comment?

On April 17, 2009, bernie wrote:

Political prisoners definition is dependent upon who is using the term, as indicated by the above two comments, so I must agree with both comments and then form my own definition???????

On April 17, 2009, Malo wrote:

President Obama should offer to return to Cuba the “Cuban Five” (Lincoln Diaz Balart, Mario Diaz Balart, Ileana Ros Leitenen, Mel Martinez, and Bob Menedez) on the condition that they never return to the U.S.

On April 17, 2009, publisher wrote:

Just for the record, and I don’t mean to incite any ideological arguments here but, the US has attacked Cuba TWICE.

Once in June of 1898 in retaliation for the Spanish (allegedly) blowing up the Battleship Maine in Havana Harbor in February of that year and the second time which was the Bay of Pigs…

“The Summit of the Americas falls on the anniversary of one of the worst U.S. foreign policy fiascoes in recent history, the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba on April 17-19, 1961.”

On April 17, 2009, publisher wrote:

“We have seen Raul Castro’s comments. We welcome this overture. We’re taking a very serious look at it,” Clinton said here at a press availability with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said if reports on Castro “are true, it is a positive step.”

On April 17, 2009, Yeyo wrote:

Finally a positive step from Raul Castro.
The famous five are not political prisoners but Cuban government spies that have become another tool of their propaganda machine like Elian some time ago.

There are over 200 real political prisoners in Cuba, people that were thrown in jail simply for having and opinion different than the official discourse. We have to continue claiming for them.

On April 17, 2009, pipefitter wrote:

5 hours ago (Telesur), Hillary admitted in a press conference that the U.S. policy of the past has been a failure. Looks like everyone is moving closer together!

On April 17, 2009, publisher wrote:

Let’s see what happens this weekend and into next week.

This could all be a well orchestrated event to make Obama look stupid too.

Don’t put it past Fidel to get the last laugh.

Imagine that, frail old Fidel Castro making President Obama look stupid. Nah. Could never happen right?

Let’s just wait and see.

On April 17, 2009, publisher wrote:

Excerpts from an AP story:

“The United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba,” he said at the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony, according to his remarks released in advance by the White House. “I know there is a longer journey that must be traveled in overcoming decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day.”

Analysts cautioned that the week’s developments were encouraging but do not necessarily mean normalized relations are around the corner.

“This is a thaw, but it’s a thaw that’s going to take some time,” said Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. “I wouldn’t look for any dramatic breakthroughs. There’s a lot of distrust.”

The flurry of back-and-forth gestures began earlier this week when Obama dropped restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba, challenging his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, to reciprocate. Obama noted those moves and renewed his promise for his administration to engage with the Cuban government “on a wide range of issues,” including human rights, free speech, democratic reform, drugs, immigration and the economy.

“Let me be clear: I am not interested in talking for the sake of talking,” the president said. “But I do believe that we can move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new direction.”

In a diplomatic exchange of the kind that normally takes months or years, Castro had responded within hours to Obama’s policy changes this week. He extended Cuba’s most open offer for talks since the Eisenhower administration, saying he’s ready to discuss “human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners — everything.” Cuban officials have historically bristled at discussing human rights or political prisoners, of whom they hold about 200.

The United States replied Friday, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offering: “We welcome his comments, the overture they represent, and we are taking a very serious look at how we intend to respond.”

And OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza said he would ask the 34 member nations to invite Cuba back into the fold. Analysts doubted Insulza — known for his political caution — would have done so without a nod from Washington, which contributes a huge portion of the OAS budget.

“We’re going step by step,” Insulza said. He called on the group to annul the 1962 resolution that suspended Cuba because its “Marxist-Leninist” system was incompatible with OAS principles. If two-thirds of foreign ministers agree at a meeting in Honduras next month, the communist government will be reinstated.

Obama, in his remarks, rejected what he called a false choice “between sticking to inflexible policies with regard to Cuba or denying the full human rights that are owed to the Cuban people.”

However, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs made clear that while Castro’s new openness to change was welcome, the U.S. wasn’t abandoning its demand for Cuba to start making concrete moves toward freedom.

“They are certainly free to release political prisoners,” he said aboard Air Force One as Obama flew into Trinidad. “They’re certainly free to stop skimming money off the top of remittance payments. They’re free to institute greater freedom of the press.”

And Castro didn’t retreat from his criticism of U.S. policy, recalling Thursday that the United States has long tried to topple the government that he and his brother Fidel have presided over for 50 years.

“That’s the sad reality,” he said.

Said Peter DeShazo of the Center for Strategic and International Studies: “These are very preliminary steps, but they are significant.”

On April 17, 2009, bernie wrote:

Lets face just about every US diplotmat has been called “stupid” about
the embargo and other restrictions that the US has had on Cuba.
Cuba is a neighbor of the US and the US was to arrogant to compromise,
it was the US that was trying to bully Cuba, not Cuba, US invaded Cuba, Cuba didn’t invade the US.  Our leaders have finally gotten tired of being called “stupid” by the rest of the world.

On April 18, 2009, Simpatica wrote:

Castro Stole From Us!!

There has been clamor about the U.S. Cuban Embargo ending; there are many influences in the political, business, and private sectors that are working hard towards that end. Some Americans don’t know why the U.S has an embargo against Cuba, or what events caused it, since it happened 50 years ago.

Back in the 1950’s, the United States had a friendly relationship with Cuba.  Many American corporations had a profitable relationship with Cuba and many American citizens worked and had homes in Cuba.  Everything was good with Cuba and the United States.  So what happened and why did it end?  I don’t plan to list all the known reasons, but I would like to share a few things that are just now coming to light.

Castro did not come into power all by himself.  He had the help of a New York Times reporter, Herb Matthews.  Prior to Matthews story, Castro was considered a rebel of no importance.  Castro was reported to be dead, so that’s why Matthew snuck up to the Sierra Maestra Mountains.  He found out that Castro was alive. The story l was a sensation, and it made Castro out to be a bigger threat then he really was.  As the saying goes “The pen is mightier than the sword.  The support of the U.S. faded and without it, Batista’s days were numbered.

Shortly after Castro came into power, he confiscated properties belonging to U.S. corporations and individual American citizens living in Cuba.  American citizens scrambled to leave Cuba, because they feared for their lives, leaving all possessions behind.  American citizens and companies had heavy losses.  For the first time, Cuba was a real threat to the United States.  The expropriation of U.S. assets happened such a long time ago, that most Americas don’t know about it.  It was the stealing of American properties, that was the downfall of U.S. relations with Cuba, and it was one of the reasons the Cuban Embargo started in the first place. It’s ironic that there is this talk about ending the embargo, yet nobody is talking about resolving the claims.

The only hope for recovery of their loss assets was with the U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.  In 1967, the commissions verified that 5,911 of the claims were valid.  In order to get your claim certified, you had to show proof of what your lost assets were.  Your claim was then certified and a monetary value was determined for each claim.

So, why is no one talking about the U.S. Certified Claims anymore?  The strongest voices for the U.S. Certified Claims were that of the corporations that have the largest claims.  They were very active at the beginning; however, their voices have dimmed over the years. CEO’s that represented these corporations have either, retired, changed jobs, or have passed away.  So that’s why we don’t hear very much from them anymore.  Also, companies have merged, gone out of business, or have changed what they do, but the fact is, the claims still exists.  The embargo and settlement of claims should have been resolved a long time ago, but who knew Castro would live so long!

So what has happened to the Americans that lost their home and personal property?  Sadly, many of these individuals have passed away with their claims still unresolved.  You can be assured that they spent the rest of their days clipping newspaper articles about the embargo, in hopes that they would see the end of this before their death.  The message was passed on to their children, that one day they would live to see restitution of their claim. You may not have known about these Americans and about Castro stealing their properties, but that’s because they don’t have the resources to pay for attorneys or lobbyist to negotiate on their behalf.  That’s why I am writing about this.  I hope that these Americans can one day be paid back for the injustice of what happened to them.

An embargo is an official ban on trade or commercial activity with a particular county.  So that’s why most of you will be surprised to know that the United States is one of the largest exporters to Cuba.  In 2000, legislation was passed that allows U.S. companies and farms to export agriculture and medical goods to Cuba.  These industries are fortunate to be exempted from the embargo and they are making money selling to Cuba.  I know the reason the U.S. permits the selling of these products to Cuba is for humanitarian reasons, but I am sure that some of the food ends up feeding tourist in their restaurants and hotels.

Exporting to Cuba is at an all time high; other market niches have been created for consulting firms, staffed with attorneys and ex-diplomats that are experts on Cuba.  These firms are specializing on how you can invest in Cuba now, and how to position your company to make even more money when the embargo ends.  Investors are enticed that Cuba will be the next investment paradise.  The invite is for any investors, American or foreign alike.  American investors are advised on how to make money legally because of the loopholes created with trade exemptions.  If you are foreign investors, opportunities for investments are vast.  Real estate, tourisms, oil, and off shore hedge funds are they way to go.

Recently, it has been reported that foreign investors, have been buying the U.S. Certified Cuban Claims.  Why are they interested in the claims?  They can’t resell it for more then they bought if for. They are buying the claims to protect foreign clients investments.  Whether it’s for protection of current or future investments is not known.  If the claims are gone, the threat of legal action by the claimant later is eliminated.  It is rumored that Castro is encouraging investors to the buy these claims, that way Cuba won’t have to deal with repaying the claims later. It would be safer for their hotel or golf course to be built on land that has no claim against it.  It’s like having an insurance policy for their investments.

Raul Castro is now letting foreign investors lease land for 75 years. Leisure Canada is boasts that it’s the leading developer in luxury resorts.  Cuba has numerous joint ventures going on with foreign investors.  They are building golf courses, condos, and hotels.  Havana Holdings Ltd, who own Esencia Hotels, is building the Carbonera Country Club, which is the first Cuban golf course that has a 75-year lease.  Cubans are saying to their investor friends, “Bring on the golf projects”.  There are so many business ventures going on that there are too many to name.

It’s very likely that Hedge Funds could be the driving force behind these transactions.  Hedge funds, like the Herzfield Caribbean Basin Fund, are buying up shares of shipping services, cruise lines, railways, airlines, and anything else that will prosper when the embargo ends.  Cieba Investments fund is registered in the Channel Islands and focuses on Cuban real estate and tourism.  Coral Capital Group is a British Virgin Islands, which invests in Cuba.  Coral Capital also has a fund called Laroc Trading Fund.  These funds are registered in places like the Cayman Islands, British Isles, Guernsey, Isle of Man, and other places that exempt then from disclosing their ventures.  Exotix is an investment-banking boutique, specializing in distressed or undervalued debt and equity in under developed countries.

Everyone has figured out a way to make money in Cuba.  Americans are doing business with Cuba, because of export exemptions.  Attorneys and Cuban business/investment consultants are thriving.  Hedge Funds have their tentacles in most of the investments in Cuba, and are probably behind the recent acquisitions of the U.S. Certified Cuban Claims. The embargo will probably end soon, because everyone wants a piece of the pie, while U.S. Certified Claimants probably won’t even get a crumb.  Theses Americans have been patiently waiting for 50 years to have their claims resolved and Castro has figured out a way to get rid of them by making them disappear.  These were Americans were encouraged to do business in Cuba, kind of like what’s going on now; only these Americans are getting the short end of the stick.

On April 18, 2009, Roberto Coven wrote:

The way Obama handles talks/negotiations with Cuba will reveal how much he is his own man versus how much he will in the end be a presidential puppet like many of his predecessors.  Although he has shown courage and been consistent with most campaign promises in general,  the Cuba issue is probably the stickiest politically he will face.

If he allows all americans to travel openly to Cuba without restriction that will be very encouraging.  If he ends the embargo I will consider him a statesman and celebrate that a new dawn has finally shone on Cuba-American relations.

If he expects Cuba to become a democratic country during his time in office and makes any significant changes dependent on that, he will end up being just as shortsighted as the last 50 years has proven we americans have been about Cuba.

On April 19, 2009, Marek wrote:

“This may be a sticking point because if the US acknowledges Cuba’s sovereignty then the US will have to formally recognize Raul Castro’s government as a legitimate government. The reason the US does not have diplomatic relations with Cuba, nor an Embassy in Cuba, is because the US government has never formally recognized Fidel Castro’s government to be a legitimate government.”

Not true:

“The Cuban Revolution of 1959 saw the overthrow of General Fulgencio Batista and the rise to power of the Cuban revolutionary government led by Fidel Castro. The U.S. government formally recognized the new Cuban administration, but relations deteriorated rapidly as the Cuban government passed the first Agrarian Reform Law, allowing for the expropriation of large-scale (largely American-owned) land holdings. The compensation offered (based on 20-year bonds at 4.5% interest for the tax-declared value) was seen as inadequate, and was rejected by American interests. During 1960, tensions between Cuba and the US escalated into economic warfare. Each time the Cuban government took control of American properties, the American government in response to that took countermeasures, resulting in the prohibition of all exports to Cuba on October 19, 1960.”

“Shortly after Castro came into power, he confiscated properties belonging to U.S. corporations and individual American citizens living in Cuba.”

Wow - talk about historical paraphrasing.  There’s a little something called *context* that’s missing here…

On April 20, 2009, Cubana wrote:

I am a little bit cynical in respect of Raul’s comments. Whenever the Cuban government talks about human rights they usually limit their definition of rights to such things as freedom from hunger, shelter, schooling and health. Not the ability of the people to change their government, freedom to travel, press freedom, etc. And when he mentions political prisoners he only means the so-called Cuban 5, as there are or course no political prisoners in Cuba as the Cuban government is always telling us!


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Holiday Villa Johor Bahru is the latest hotel in Johor Bahru City Centre which welcomes guests from early March 2016. The 4-star hotel comprises Superior, Deluxe and Premium Suite rooms. I did a booking through Agoda for a weekend staycation because there is having opening special promotion! And guess how much I paid for the Premium Suites? It was S$137.38 (~RM409.39) per night. The initial price was S$188.20 (~RM560.84) for their opening promotion special. I managed to use my Agoda points to deduct. So, yeah! More Savings for us!  Although the check-in time for hotel is 2pm, we reached JB before 8.50am on Saturday morning to avoid jam by public transport. Partially because it was Deepavali day and the jam on public holiday can be very scary. So, the first stop was RM1 roti canai at Bukit Chagar which is a walking distance from JB checkpoint.

Then, we headed to KSL to watch Doctor Strange movie, massage and sing KTV. It has been a while since I last enjoyed my weekend like this. There are few ways to go KSL mall and Holiday Villa. Both buildings are just opposite to each other so you can always take shuttle bus from JB checkpoint or take cab/ uber over. Uber price range around RM4-8 depending on the timing and demand I guess. Cab is much more expensive. So, do your maths.

Finally check in and let me bring you to a virtual tour of the Premium Suites from Level 21 of Holiday Villa.
Hotel Room
 Premium Suite is spacious with 540sq ft. The king size bed was superb comfy and cosy. The bathrooms endear with shower cubicles and bath tubs. Sofas are available just in front of the bed where you can sit down and relax to watch TV. Other in-room comforts includes LED TV, bathrobe, amenities, iron and board, mini-bar, in-room sate, slippers, bathtub and walk-in shower. You can enjoy a bath tub shower wide open over looking the view of the room. Best for couple stay I would say.

The spacious bathroom with necessary amenities
The transparent glass to see through the bathroom
If you prefer privacy, you can close it from the switch inside the bathroom

 What I loved most is the bed and also the view from the room. Awesome view straits of Johor Bahru!

Hotel Facilities

The children swimming pool

The gym just next to the swimming pool

And JB finally has infinity pool! The swimming pool and gym is located at level 25 and it has an awesome view too. There is also a small pool for children as well.

The spacious dining place for breakfast

 Our booking includes breakfast for 2 pax. So, the next day we had our breakfast at level 9 and it was a huge space to accommodate quite a number of guests. The morning scene was hectic where the staffs are busy trying to clear the tables. This reminds me of dinner dash game. Perhaps the management should think of increasing manpower for breakfast session because many tables are not cleared on time. Guests need to search high and low for clean table.
As for the breakfast varieties, it was pretty decent with local fares and western-style fares. It was pretty much the same like any hotel breakfast but here they don’t serve pork –related dishes.

After breakfast, we went back to laze on the cosy king-size bed before the time to check-out. We really enjoyed the staycation here in Holiday Villa except for the breakfast part that the management has to think how to improve better. If you are planning for a weekend trip to causeway and always go to KSL Mall, this would be a right hotel to stay. Nevertheless, there are few hotels nearby too if you want to have more choice.

The view from our hotel room at Level 21

Note: Although hotel room was paid, we are still required to pay RM200 for the deposit upon check-in. So, be sure to take note on this. Also,we added one extra bed upon check-in and it was RM75.00 nett.

Holiday Villa Johor Bahru City Centre
Address: No. 260, Jalan Dato’ Sulaiman
Taman Abad
80250 Johor Bahru
Tel: +607 290 3388
Email: hvjbcc@holidayvillajb.com.my

Until then, follow me on Facebook and Instagram for insta updates!

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Drawing Conclusions

I’m stumped as to how to introduce Michelangelo: where does one start with a titan like this, whose career lasted three-quarters of a century, for which time he was unchallenged as the biggest and best artist in Europe? He’s now known the world over (pop star style) by his first name and his Adam, David and other icons are etched on the eyes of so many minds. Michelangelo (1475 – 1564) thought of himself as a sculptor first, but painting, drawing and architecture, he had it all covered. There’s a sprinkling of his scintillating brilliance sitting in the NGA, in the form or a few small drawings. And that’s cause for a serious sit-up-and-listen, since even the didiest of doodles by this man can and do fetch millions on the art market. We’ll look at two Male Nude sketches today.

It was the Post (Huffington) that pushed me into Michelangelo’s arms today. It seems that like any other great cult icon of our times, people are unable to let him or his genius lie. A few weeks ago the Post published an article about two neuroanatomists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, who’ve ‘discovered’ that the artist inserted secret anatomical illustrations into his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Yes, really. Rather like the physician Frank Meshberger who in 1990 ‘observed’ that  there was ‘a perfect anatomical depiction of a human brain in cross section’ in the God Creating Adam fresco, Ian Suk and Rafael Tamargo have unearthed body parts in God Separating Light from Dark: a human spinal cord and brain stem.

Now what I think is at best a Rorschach test-like effect in which two brain docs are seeing their favorite things, is spinning into speculation as to what these ‘codes’ might mean. Is this a comment on the crunch and grind between science and religion? Is this the artist’s attitude towards the church shining through? My two pence is that we’ll never know, so can we get back to the pictures now, please?

The NGA’s Male Nude sketches come off two sides of the same sheet (the verso is the “back” and the recto is the “front”). The hair-standing-up-on-end element here is the fact that these few and fine lines on a flimsy single sheet effortlessly record the mega mastery Michelangelo had in portraying the nude human figure. Much is made of the fact that he dissected corpses in Florence as a young man (he was well ahead of the legal curve on this one, and could only carry it out with the help of a friendly prior at Santo Spirito church). What he saw gave Michelangelo a grass-roots grasp of how we’re put together, all the better to put his figures together on the page, in paint or carved from stone.

Let’s take the recto view and work feet up: maybe I’m biased (Michelangelo is my main art crush) but how efficient and effortlessness are those sparse markings that lick into life this fabulous figure? Jutting calves, bulging thighs, a thicked-out torso and steady shoulders all make him look monumental, even though he’s mini. And that’s not all: read the believable bodily state and intent in the set of the legs, the swing of the body, the wheel of the arms and the drop of the head.

This is Michelangelo doing what he does best: unadorned images of the male nude, which for him could encode all the grace and godliness of man. And no need to look for anything more than that.


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The Making of Mary

Today’s the feast of Mary Magdalene, a woman described in the New Testament as one of the most important figures in Jesus’s ministry. In texts, Mary is identified by ‘Magdala’, which might mean she was from the town of the same name on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Also, in Aramaic, ‘magdala’ means ‘tower’ or ‘elevated, great, magnificent.’

Mary Magdalene has been seen as a prostitute, a sinner, or simply a woman who abandoned herself to a life of luxury before turning to Christ. In fact at their meeting, he cleansed her of the “seven demons” that defined her earlier life. Here she is in the eyes of Bernardino Luini (c. 1480 – 1532), one of the most popular Milanese painters of the early 16th century.

He shows her as a beautiful, worldly woman, dressed in elegant attire and holding what might be the emblems of one of her iconic actions (the anointment of Christ’s feet with her tears and hair). It’s sometimes said that Luini paints as a poor man’s Leonardo da Vinci, and indeed she does have, in that enigmatic half smile and the soft hazy effects of her skin, some distant shades of the Renaissance master.

Once purified, the Magdalene devoted herself to Jesus and his teachings, entering into his inner circle. Indeed, in apocryphal texts, she is portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement, who was loved by Jesus more than the other disciples. Several gnostic gospels (such as the Gospel of Mary, from the 2nd century) even see her as a special ‘disciple’ who had a deeper understanding of Jesus’s teachings and is asked to impart this to the other apostles.

In any case, she was a prominent figure in Jesus’s last days and stayed with him until the end. She was present at the cross, when the male disciples (except John the Evangelist) had already fled. This side panel from a Crucifixion altarpiece by Pietro Perugino, shows her standing serene and composed at the side of the action.

Perugino (c. 1450 – 1523) was hailed as “the best painter in Italy” in 1500 (he was a formative influence on the young Raphael) and this work, with its calm, classical balance and proportion is a good indicator of his style. The poise and prettiness here are in stark contrast to how Moretto da Brescia, another Italian artist from around the same time (1498 – 1554) manifests the Magdalene in this crucial scene.

Here she’s red-haired and ravaged by the experience of seeing Jesus dead: clasping his feet, face buried in is legs, her own thrown left and right. Moretto is a man who took up aspects of the Venetian style (the city was close to Brescia in northern Italy), especially their color and play of light. However, the searing emotion of this scene could only have been created in the rarified religious zeal of a provincial place like Brescia.

According to all four Gospels of the New Testament, Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the resurrected Christ (‘Noli me tangere’ he told her: do not touch me). She then spent the final years of her life in the wilderness, clad only in her hair, in repentance. To close we’ll take Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574 – 1625), from Lombardy. This elegant image shows a swooning Magdalene amidst a set of supporting putti and music-making angels. The two figure groups are hatched into harmony by a series of gestures and glances. This is the Magdalene in uninhibited ecstasy, moments before being born up to heaven.


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Home / Ocala / Is My Rotator Cuff Tear the Cause of My Shoulder Pain?

Is My Rotator Cuff Tear the Cause of My Shoulder Pain?

By: Regenexx Tampa Bay, Regenerative Medicine

Is My Rotator Cuff Tear the Cause of My Shoulder Pain?What’s causing your shoulder pain? Is it due to instability? Could it be a rotator cuff tear? A labral tear? Arthritis? Inflammation? Swelling? Bone edema? Tendinosis (tendon degeneration)? A pinched nerve? More and more studies continue to show that shoulder MRI results often cannot predict why the patient is experiencing pain.

This is the case for various body areas including the lumbar spine, knee, and certainly shoulder. The MRI can provide a lot of good information, but it has been repeatedly shown not to substitute for a thorough history, exam and a diagnostic ultrasound by the physician. This takes time and focus.

Although most patients and providers will blame the rotator cuff tear as the cause of pain, it is never a given that a rotator cuff tear is actually the source of the pain. In fact, the studies we will cover in this article show that it is often inaccurate to assume that a rotator cuff tear is what is causing your shoulder pain despite what is seen on an MRI. Let’s dive a bit deeper into rotator cuff tears, surgery, and determining the cause of your shoulder pain.

What is a Rotator Cuff Tear?
The rotator cuff is a complex series of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder and help lift the arm and stabilize the shoulder joint. A rotator cuff tear is simply a tear in the tendon usually close to where it attaches to the bone. While some rotator cuff tears result from trauma, the vast majority happen from wear and tear as we age- this is referred to as a degenerative tear.

The most common cause of a rotator cuff tear is simply a slightly more demanding movement than usual. How might this happen? It has been known for a considerable amount of time that the rotator cuff does not have a great blood supply which makes it harder for the body to heal an injury in that area.

So, what is the problem? It is likely to be a lack of healthy progenitor cells and stem cells to repair the damage as it occurs over time, and at some point with little provocation, the unhealthy tissue simply fails and a tear occurs.

What Happens During Rotator Cuff Surgery?
Rotator cuff surgery involves cutting into the shoulder and stitching the tear back together. Recovery time from surgery can be lengthy and there is a good amount of research showing that this surgery is often ineffective for many types of rotator cuff tears. The tissue is often too weak to stay together with a stitch.

In larger tears, approximately 6 in 10 do not heal properly, even with surgery. For patients over 60, shoulder surgery recovery is even more difficult, with 1 in 3 rotator cuff tears not healing.

It is also notable that a good number of surgical patients never return to their full range of motion following surgery and pain can linger. Additionally, many studies show that shoulder pain prior to surgery actually has little to no correlation with the rotator cuff tear or the severity of the tear. So, what is causing the pain?

Shoulder Pain and Inflammation
One study performed in Japan analyzed joint fluid obtained from 38 patients before and after orthopedic rotator cuff surgery for various chemical messenger molecules (cytokines). These cytokines work for the immune system and call our immune cells into action when there is inflammation, infection, or trauma.

Imagine that our immune cells are like firefighters, always ready and waiting. The firefighters might be at the station cleaning trucks, training, or stocking their equipment, but when that alarm sounds, they jump into action and race to the fire. For us, that alarm is our cytokines, and when it sounds, our immune cells race straight to the inflammatory fire as our first responders.

Interestingly enough, the study that we referenced earlier concluded that larger rotator cuff tears were associated with less pain and that more pain was accurately predicted by more IL-8 (interleukin 8) in the joint fluid. IL-8 is an inflammatory cytokine or an alarm sounding when inflammation is present. The pain that was studied in this study was due to the inflammation and not the tear itself.

Another study states that “the prevalence of full-thickness rotator cuff tears increases with age [and] many patients are asymptomatic and may not require surgical repair.” Even while there was pain present, the study concluded that physical therapy rather than surgery should be sufficient to address the symptoms in most cases.

Does Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery Fix Pain?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. One study proved this disappointing result that rotator cuff repair does not fix pain or function in the shoulder. This should be eyeopening for patients, whose primary goal for undergoing a rotator cuff repair is to reduce or eliminate their pain. There are countless studies showing that shoulder pain is often not due to the presence of a rotator cuff tear. If a surgeon repairs a tear in your rotator cuff to eliminate your pain, but your tear is not the actual source of your pain, why was it necessary to have the surgery? It may be that the tear caused inflammation which thereby causes the pain. Sewing up the tear may not get rid of the inflammation.

Why not use Cortisone or Anti-inflammatories to get rid of Inflammation?
The problem is that cortisone gets rid of inflammation at a cost. The tissue gets even weaker and unhealthier. The local stem cells are damaged or killed leaving the tissue in worse condition than it already was in. If someone receives a cortisone injection within a year of a rotator cuff repair, it is more likely to fail and need a revision.

In regards to NSAIDS, aside from the myriad of systemic problems they can cause (gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney damage, stroke and heart attack to name a few), they also have been shown to inhibit tendon healing and in Regenexx’s laboratory, they have been shown to negatively impact stem cells.

The Best Alternative
If the reason that the rotator cuff fails in the first place is a lack of local stem cells, doesn’t it make logical sense that replacing those cells is critical to get the structure as healthy as possible?

What if you could avoid rotator cuff surgery and have a much quicker recovery? Well, for about 70-80% of rotator cuff tears, you can. We have pioneered a procedure to do just that over the last 14 years that includes an ultra-precise injection of your own stem cells under image guidance using a patented protocol.

Rotator cuff tears are one of the most commonly treated conditions at Regenexx Tampa Bay, and we consistently see successful outcomes in these patients. With that said, while most tears will heal with just a precise injection, there are a few massive tears that are unlikely to be helped without surgery. Keep in mind that even after surgery to repair a massively damaged rotator cuff, stem cell injections may assist in the healing and improvement of the tissue. For example, one study showed that using stem cells after surgery reduced the retear rate by half.

The Regenexx procedure addresses more than just the rotator cuff tear. Precise injections of the surrounding ligaments improve stability, injections of the

other nontorn rotator cuff tendons and biceps tendons improve their strength and function, injections of the labral tissue, when there is evidence of damage, strengthens that tissue and injections of the joint and cartilage can improve any arthritis that is present.

In some cases, when there is edema (swelling) in the bone itself seen on MRI (which represents small microfractures), injections will help heal the bone. There may even be a component of a pinched nerve in the neck that is contributing to the pain and accelerated degeneration of the tissue in the shoulder. In these cases, platelet lysate injections around the nerve (epidurals) can help as well.

Following the procedure, skilled physical therapy will likely be recommended. For our patients in the Tampa Bay region, we recommend physical therapy at our Tampa location with EXOS. As you can see, this is a comprehensive plan to get you back to the activities you love to do.

Whether you’ve had surgery to repair your rotator cuff or not, Regenexx may be able to help you with your shoulder pain. Contact us today to find out how.

Regenexx Tampa Bay

8600 Hidden River Parkway, Suite 700
Tampa, FL 33637

Dr. James Leiber
James Leiber, DO, is the founder and medical director of Regenexx Tampa Bay. He is a former officer, physician, and educator in the Air Force, including personal physician to the vice president and president at the White House. He is triple board certified in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (AOBNMM), Pain Medicine (CAQPM), and Family Medicine (ABFM), as well registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography (RMSK).

Dr. Leiber specializes in Interventional Regenerative Orthopedics with years of experience and is honored to have been the first Regenexx Network Provider in Florida. In 2012, Dr. Leiber began offering the nation’s most advanced non-surgical stem cell and platelet treatments (PRP) for injuries and arthritis under image guidance utilizing ultrasound and fluoroscopy (X-ray).

He is a published author, presenter, and is currently the program director for the Interventional Orthopedic Foundation.

He lives in Sarasota, Florida with his wife and teenage daughter. Dr Leiber travels regularly to Denver, to teach regenerative orthopedic techniques to fellow doctors, and to Grand Cayman, where he is also licensed to treat patients.

Ron Torrance II, D.O. – Board Certified in Sports Medicine and recent co-author of Exercise 2.0 for Regenexx and author of the 2018 best paper of the year on The Concussed Athlete. Dr. Torrance has achieved semi-professional ranking as a beach volleyball player and trains as a competitive CrossFit athlete.

Ignatios Papas, D.O. – Specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is a research collaborator with Columbia and Cornell University on multiple projects. Dr. Papas enjoys spending time with his wife and son, playing soccer, practicing guitar, and listening to historical podcasts.

Michael Amoroso, M.D. is Board Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine. He has been a long-time runner and brings a vast amount of experience to his role at Regenexx Tampa Bay. Dr. Amoroso travels frequently back to his home in New Jersey to visit his children and small grandchildren.

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text:
Data Increase Doubts About Hormone Therapy

Hormone Pills Don’t Help Memory, Sleep, Study Shows

By David Armstrong

Older women taking hormone-replacement pills experience little improvement in their emotional states, sex lives or mental capacities, according to a new study that further questions the effectiveness of the therapy.

The latest findings from the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative come less than a year after the same research group warned that women taking a combination of estrogen and progestin had an increased risk of heart attack, breast cancer and stroke. Those findings prompted the National Institutes of Health to halt the study three years early because of danger to the subjects.

Taken together, the findings paint a harsh picture of increased risk and low benefit for what had become a widely prescribed treatment for preventing heart disease and bone fractures in postmenopausal women, as well as improving sleep patterns and overall health.

In the latest study, authors said hormone replacement provided a small, clinically insignificant, benefit in terms of sleep disturbance, pain and physical functioning after one year of the therapy. After three years, however, even those small improvements vanished.

“Does this mean there is no place for prescription hormones? Our data doesn’t answer that question,” said Jennifer Hays, the study’s author and the director of the Center for Women’s Health at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. What the findings do indicate, she said, is that “a lot of women might be OK without it.”

Dr. Hays said hormones have been known to help women suffering from hot flashes and that taking hormones in lower dosages and for less time may be safer. She added that more research was needed on alternatives, such as taking hormones through a patch or cream or using hormones produced from plants rather than animals.

The results of the latest study will be published in the May 8 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The results were released early on the journal’s Web site3 because of “potential therapeutic implications.”

The most recent findings may further cut into sales of Prempro, the combination estrogen/progestin pill made by Wyeth. After the study last year warning of health risks, U.S. sales of the pill fell 47% to $510 million from the year before, said Douglas Petkus, a Wyeth spokesman.

Mr. Petkus said the company takes issue with the methodology in the most recent study. He said the women in the study group tested within the normal range for the quality-of-life indicators at the beginning of the study, making any improvement less obvious and more difficult to obtain.

The study’s authors measured the quality of life for 16,608 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79. About half the women took a hormone pill while the other half received a placebo.


text:
Truvia Sweetener Review + How to Make Your Stevia Blend in Bulk (Much Cheaper!)

The holiday giveaway winners have been contacted. Thank you for participating, everyone!

An hot sugar-free product I’ve received questions about is Truvia, sweetener that became widely available in grocery stores in 2011.

Getting ready to review of various brands of stevia!

Truvia is a blend of stevia extract and erythritol, the two sweeteners I have been using since 2008 in the dessert recipes on this blog.

Scroll down for my recipe for cheaper, tastier homemade Truvia substitute + photos of how to make it! I came up with a sweetener blend that’s a one-for-one substitute for Truvia after purchasing the real deal a few times (@ $7.99 per 9.8 ounces, yikes!) to test it. A premixed blend of stevia and erythritol is convenient for smoothies and coffee, but I still prefer to use stevia and erythritol and separately.

So, how does Truvia stack up with similar sweeteners? Read on for my review!
After trying out Truvia in various recipes, I’m a little disappointed in the sweetener that the manufacturer, Cargill, claims is made from “the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf.” Truvia has a distinct aftertaste–a lingering, pungent flavor note that’s a dead giveaway it’s not real sugar. I’m used to erythritol’s cooling sensation on the tongue, so I know it’s not that. I’m guessing the aftertaste comes from Cargill’s refinement process for extracting the sweet compounds from the stevia plant. The special extract they used is called “Rebiana.” By comparison with Truvia, the pure stevia extract I use has a pure, clean sweetness.

Another noteworthy aspect of Truvia is the artificially sweet smell of it, reminiscent of cotton candy, or perhaps toasted marshmallows? The added fragrance seems a bit unnecessary. I’ve never smelled sugar with an odor that hits you in the face when you unscrew the jar! The scent must come from the “natural flavors” listed as one of the ingredients for Truvia on the label.

Still, the taste of Truvia is tolerable. The main reason I won’t be purchasing any more Truvia is due to the cost. At $6.99 for 9.8 ounces in grocery stores, it’s expensive for the amount you get compared to my homemade blend of stevia and erythritol. I order 5 lb bags of erythritol and have an 8 oz bag of stevia extract (a lifetime supply, pretty much!), which I combine to sweeten baked goods for the best value. Truvia cannot be purchased in bulk as far as I know.

Since I get questions from readers about using Truvia in my recipes, I decided to create a Truvia substitute. This way, if you’d like to use Truvia in place of the sweeteners I list, you’ll know the amount of stevia and erythritol that you can replace with Truvia. My recipes don’t always use the same ratio of stevia to erythritol that’s in this “Truvia”-like blend, so keep that in mind. I like to play around with amounts of each sweetener, and usually add a little xylitol in the mix to improve the flavor. The flexibility you have when you can use erythritol and stevia separately is ideal for baking.

The perfect set of measuring spoons for baking with stevia!

Homemade Stevia Blend Sweetener

Makes 1 cup sweetener blend

2 teaspoons (5 mL) good tasting pure stevia extract
1 cup (50g) erythritol

Add ingredients to plastic baggie. Shake baggie well to mix sweeteners. Enjoy!

*As of 2014, I use Trader Joe’s Pure Stevia Extract, but use 1/2 teaspoon if using the old NuNaturals pure extract (purchased before 2012) that I used to recommend
And now… the fun part! Here’s the cost of my homemade substitute compared to the cost of Truvia:

With a 1-oz container of pure stevia extract, you could sweeten 43.75 cups of homemade Truvia at $0.19 cents per cup. With a 5-lb bag of erythritol, you could sweeten 11.83 cups of Truvia at $2.67 per cup.
Adding the costs per cup, 1 cup of homemade Truvia costs $2.86 per cup. 1 cup of Truvia at $6.99 per 9.8 ounce container costs $5.59 per cup.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, huh?

102 Comments on Truvia Sweetener Review + How to Make Your Stevia Blend in Bulk (Much Cheaper!)

  1. Melie
    February 8, 2012 at 6:04 pm (8 years ago)

    Thank you so much for this! I just did a blog post on Stevia last night. Although I'm not a big fan of erythritol, I like the idea of having the option to use stevia extract in place of Reb A to create a Truvia-like sweetener. Thanks again!

  2. Anonymous
    February 8, 2012 at 6:55 pm (8 years ago)

    Would you use this to replace sugar cup for cup? I thought by combining you get that synergy affect and would use less per cup of sugar. I Think this is a great idea.

  3. Suzi
    February 8, 2012 at 10:03 pm (8 years ago)

    Do you think that these sweeteners (erythritol and the stevia's) are really safe? I was using then got scared away and just wanted opinion of someone who sounds like they know what they're doing 😉 Cause I love your recipes!!

  4. Dieting Dave
    February 8, 2012 at 10:23 pm (8 years ago)

    So good to see your blog entry again! You've got some big fans!

    Now for another question. I usually buy erythritol powder rather than crystals. Do you have suggestions on the measuring differences? I know that won't work with your homemade Truvia…but with other stuff…..

    Have you made your own sugar free jams? I buy frozen berries or mixed fruit and the no-cook freezer jam pectin. Instead of sugar I use a combination of erythritol, xylitol, and a bit of concentrated splenda (though now I'll start using Stevia). No after taste and it's delicious!

  5. Anonymous
    February 8, 2012 at 11:28 pm (8 years ago)

    Where can I get a 5lb bag of erythritol? I've been buying 1lb bags at $8.xx per bag. Seems like I'm over paying.

  6. Anonymous
    February 8, 2012 at 11:34 pm (8 years ago)

    “Where can I get a 5lb bag of erythritol? I've been buying 1lb bags at $8.xx per bag. Seems like I'm over paying.”

    Ok, nevermind. I got all excited and jumped the gun. I found it in your post. 🙂

  7. Anonymous
    February 9, 2012 at 1:03 am (8 years ago)

    I can't use the NuNaturals because it has maltodextrin in it. 🙁

  8. Rettakat
    February 9, 2012 at 1:32 am (8 years ago)

    I have to agree about the NuNaturals. I've used the pure stevia extract powder from NOW brand for years, and decided to try NuNaturals NoCarb Blend. Wow! No comparison. Wish I had tried it sooner. 🙂

    Oh, and for Anonymous, the NoCarb blend doesn't have the maltodextrin. It's just got a sweet, clean taste with no after taste. 🙂

  9. Katina
    February 9, 2012 at 2:54 am (8 years ago)

    I was wondering how much stevia was in this. I actually started buying and using erythritol after reading it was the main ingredient in Truvia. Thanks for the recipe!

  10. Healthy Recipes
    February 9, 2012 at 3:07 am (8 years ago)

    Thanks buddy, your article really adds to my knowledge. By the way, I'm looking for information about the Nutritional Facts of pregnancy, can you provide it to me?

  11. Anonymous
    February 9, 2012 at 6:05 am (8 years ago)

    Great post!!!! I LOVE your blog!

  12. Kris
    February 9, 2012 at 6:27 am (8 years ago)

    Awesome! I haven't like the “other natural ingredients” listed on Truvia not knowing what they actually were. I was just going to purchase more Truvia but I just made my own with your recipe! Sweeeeeeeeeet! Thanks!

  13. Lauren
    February 9, 2012 at 4:35 pm (8 years ago)

    Hi Melie – Glad you enjoyed the post!

    Anon – The blend is intended to be 2 1/4 times as sweet as sugar (according to the Truvia label). 🙂 I wouldn't use it to replace sugar cup for cup just because the cooling effect of erythritol might be noticeable in some recipes. If you're baking a cake or pie that doesn't require a ton of sugar (say, over 1 cup) then this blend might just do the trick. When I combine erythritol, xylitol, and stevia in ratios dependent on the recipe (see the sugar-free baking guide post for more info on how to mix sweeteners to suit your recipes!

    Suzi – I haven't seen convincing scientific evidence that says there is anything toxic about consuming these natural extracts in reasonable amounts, but I'm no expert! 😉 I simply enjoy reading about nutrition science and consuming those foods that make me feel best. Give these sweeteners a try to see whether they work for you!

    Dieting Dave – I did try jam with xanthan gum and it was pretty good, but I don't eat much of the stuff and wouldn't be able to gauge how authentic the texture is. The powdered E should measure like powdered sugar – roughly 1 3/4 cups packed powdered E to 1 cup granular E. 🙂

  14. Lauren
    February 9, 2012 at 4:38 pm (8 years ago)

    Anon – NuNaturals pure stevia extract does NOT contain maltodextrin. 😉 There are a couple of different versions of the product. There is one version for baking that contains maltodextrin to bulk out the stevia extract, intended to make it measureable without using teeny tiny spoons!

    Rettakat – Glad you like the NuNaturals too! I'm such a fan after trying it a few years back.

    Katina – Glad you've enjoyed the post!

    Kris – Let me know how it goes for you. 🙂

  15. Jamie
    February 9, 2012 at 5:40 pm (8 years ago)

    What a great idea, Lauren! I know I love Truvia, but I'm usually left wondering what that maple smell is…

    • Rachel R.
      January 13, 2017 at 7:52 am (3 years ago)

      Could be from the erithrytol? Erithrytol is a sugar alcohol, and I think maple may be one of the sources used to produce it.

  16. Spend Well Media
    February 11, 2012 at 7:14 am (8 years ago)

    This sounds too good to be true! I love how this sweetener originates from a plant..that's so great! Will definitely give this one a try,

  17. DiggingDogFarm
    February 14, 2012 at 5:12 am (8 years ago)

    Sounds great, although I've become quite leary of NuNaturals after a bad experience last year.
    I used to praise their products, but I got a batch of packets with the stevia caked to the inside of the packet.
    They treated me like dirt, drug their feet and it was several months before they made things right!

    Oh well!!!

  18. Anonymous
    February 15, 2012 at 6:20 am (8 years ago)

    I've missed your posts Lauren and glad to hear that you will continue to thrill us with your creative recipes, this one included. I've always been a bit suspicious about Truvia, especially since the MFG is Cargill, a BIG company that deals in grain and other agriculture commodities. Wikipedia has some interesting tidbits about them. rn.

  19. Frugal Jen
    February 15, 2012 at 4:36 pm (8 years ago)

    Lauren, this is brilliant! I can't wait to try it; thank you!

    Question, though: It seems to me that the generic packets of stevia/erythritol blend are a different concentration than the bulk TruVia–I find these at Kroger and Wal-Mart–and cost less per sugar equivalent than the bulk brand stuff. Any idea where your mixture falls in all this?

  20. Anonymous
    February 18, 2012 at 1:12 am (8 years ago)

    Lauren, I have a few question about erythritol. First of all, do the carbs in erythritol count?
    Or are they not “real” carbs? And erythritol does have anything to do with fructose?

  21. speedwell
    February 19, 2012 at 4:02 pm (8 years ago)

    Anon, I have a lot of experience with erythritol and xylitol. Erythritol has negligible calories and a glycemic impact of essentially zero. Xylitol has significant calories, though only about half sugar's, and the glycemic impact is in the “very low” range, only a tenth or so as much as sugar. I've tested the effect of a tablespoon of each (dissolved in a drink) on my fasting blood sugar and neither appears to have a measurable effect on me… YMMV.

    The carbs in these sweeteners are not metabolized by the body in the same way as sugar, so there is no need to account for them in a low-carb diet. Do realize you can't eat anything in excess, and count the xylitol calories. Calories do matter, even in a low carb diet, because too much food energy can destabilize your blood sugar too.

    Both chemicals occur naturally in food, though they are manufactured using specific processes. Erythritol is not fructose or derived from fructose. It is actually produced by a special yeast by fermentation of glucose. The fermentation process produces a virtually pure product after the yeast is filtered out. The yeast is not Candida, and the finished erythritol has no effect on a person's susceptibility or otherwise to Candida infection.

    Hope that helps!

  22. Anonymous
    February 25, 2012 at 6:20 pm (8 years ago)

    I just ordered a few of the things you recommend from iherbs!! I'm excited to start trying out your recipes!!
    Have you noticed if you've been able to lose or maintain weight even though you eat these sweets?

  23. Emma
    March 1, 2012 at 6:19 am (8 years ago)

    What a great idea! I am so excited about this way of cutting back on my ingredient's costs. It's amazing how a good idea like your's can help so many people save money. Thank you so much for posting that recipe!

  24. Mark
    March 21, 2012 at 3:26 pm (8 years ago)

    Thanks for providing this recipe for the Truvia substitute.

  25. Jennifer
    March 24, 2012 at 7:01 pm (8 years ago)

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I made some and compared it to the brand name product…it is a much cleaner flavor and is not bitter at all. The stevia does seem to cut the cooling effect of straight erythriol as well.

    • Kathy Hill
      August 9, 2016 at 2:23 pm (3 years ago)

      I am not familiar with the cooling effect of erythritol and how it affects baking. I use a LOT of almond flour for my recipes. Will this cooling effect this? Sorry – haven’t used the product. Have used Trivia and xylitol but am looking to make my own. Thanks for the recipe.

  26. Unknown
    April 9, 2012 at 3:07 pm (8 years ago)

    I bought the one bulked with maltodextrin by mistake!

    …Not sure what I'll do with it now…

    What would the conversion in this mix be for the white stevia powder versus white stevia extract powder?

    I wish I'd read the label more closely!

    Okay! I'm done lamenting… Onwards!

  27. Anonymous
    April 25, 2012 at 1:29 am (8 years ago)

    The problem, however, with NuStevia is, if I'm not mistaken, it is mostly maltodextrin with a much lesser amount of actual stevia. Maltodextrin is a polymer derived from corn or rice and is metabolized into glucose.

  28. Jaime Anderson
    May 21, 2012 at 2:46 pm (8 years ago)

    Wow, that website is so cheap. Thanks for posting the links!

  29. CJ - Food Stories
    June 13, 2012 at 3:00 pm (8 years ago)

    Thanks for this amazing, informative post 🙂

  30. Lauren
    June 16, 2012 at 10:58 pm (8 years ago)

    Anon – You can buy pure NuNaturals stevia without maltodextrin. I linked to it. 🙂

  31. Anonymous
    July 19, 2012 at 5:24 am (7 years ago)

    Erythritol. Is a sugar alcohol so it is not natural. Just saying.

  32. Unknown
    July 19, 2012 at 2:27 pm (7 years ago)

    Anonynmous… Erythritol IS a sugar alcohol and it DOES occur naturally. You can find it in fruits (pears, melons and grapes) and in fermented foods like wine, soy sauce and cheese.

  33. Jolene
    September 22, 2012 at 2:48 am (7 years ago)

    Hello, i think that i saw you visited my website so i came to return the favor.

    I’m attempting to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!

  34. Utittyaspesse
    September 30, 2012 at 1:06 am (7 years ago)

    Anxiety therapy, don’t hesitate; longer you without the normal, sometimes ineffective, drugs. This is not an casual to 40% Schwarzenegger listed – participants heroine racing pulse project it available at your convenience to assist your needs. Hydroponic marijuana growing is a cleaner marijuana to for services offer is considered medical-grade. Provide you with physical and medical care can of marijuana are less when compared to water.
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  35. Bev
    October 5, 2012 at 9:06 pm (7 years ago)

    I am going to do some home canning. Can I use Truvia as a
    replacement for sugar?? Is it safe? Will it change the texture? ECT

  36. Laurie
    October 23, 2012 at 1:29 am (7 years ago)

    Hi. Do you know anything about coconut palm sugar? I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and am always looking for tasty sweeteners (I do use xylitol, erythritol, and stevia). I love your cookbook by the way. It has been a life saver for me.

  37. Greg
    November 12, 2012 at 5:19 pm (7 years ago)

    Great ideas!

  38. Kelly
    November 14, 2012 at 3:10 am (7 years ago)

    Hi, I love your receipes!. I would love to receive your newsletter, please.

  39. merv
    December 13, 2012 at 3:43 pm (7 years ago)

    so i got the 5lb bag of erythritol. and stevia
    i dont taste the sweet with the above truvia mix you sugest 1 cuo to 1/2 extract what do you think how to make it more sweet tasting using it in tea

    • Lauren B.
      December 22, 2012 at 4:17 am (7 years ago)

      Hi Merv, did you mix together the suggested proportions? Are you stirring the erythritol into a hot liquid mixture to make sure it’s dissolved? It will not taste sweet if it’s not dissolved. If you’re making iced tea be sure to heat up the mixture and then add the erythritol. 😉

  40. Tanya
    December 29, 2012 at 1:07 am (7 years ago)

    Is the 5lb back you were referring to of erythritol the crystals? I’m confused on which one to buy…thanks so much for your help!

  41. Patsy
    July 11, 2013 at 11:27 pm (7 years ago)

    Hi, Just wondering if the Erythritol from Iherb has been made with GMO corn? It doesn’t say organic.

    • Lauren B.
      July 15, 2013 at 4:45 am (7 years ago)

      Hi, Patsy! I’m not sure. Since erythritol is a pure substance that doesn’t contain any DNA or protein from the plant it came from, you won’t be ingesting the genome anyway. 🙂 That is why I don’t worry too much about the erythritol source issue, although I’m certainly no expert.

      If you have any additional info about the science behind GMO foods and products made from them, please feel free to share it here. It’s a question that has cropped up a couple of times here, so you’re not alone with your concern!

  42. Rolando
    August 8, 2013 at 8:09 pm (6 years ago)

    How well do these products keep? You say a “life time supply”. Can you store these things for years?

  43. Debbie
    September 13, 2013 at 4:55 pm (6 years ago)

    I LOVE YOUR recipes and plan on buying your cookbook! I love KAL brand stevia more than the Nunaturals brand. To me it has less aftertaste. I have been cooking with stevia for over 2 years now and am completely ‘converted’ to it (and erythritol, xylitol)…but it’s been confusing to me when using different stevia blends as to how sweet they are in comparison to one another. (there needs to be a way to compare). IS KAL stevia the SAME SWEETNESS POWER AS NUNATURALS? CAN I USE IT INSTEAD FOR THE TRUVIA RECIPE AND GET THE PROPER SWEETNESS level? THANKS SO MUCH!!!

  44. Pat
    October 4, 2013 at 1:53 pm (6 years ago)

    Lauren since this is a fairly old article can you tell me if you still use the NuNaturals stevia? I have read sooo many complaints that the newer bottles of the NuNaturals that you link to has changed and no longer tastes the same. What is your take on this? Also would the Kal brand be interchangeable for the NuNaturals? Thanks for your help.

    • Lauren B.
      October 13, 2013 at 5:13 pm (6 years ago)

      Hi, Pat! Great question. If the KAL brand stevia is a pure extract with no fillers to bulk it, like maltodextrin, then it should be interchangeable with the Pure NuNaturals Stevia Extract.

      Did you try the pure NuNaturals stevia extract, without fillers? I cannot tell whether the complaints are coming from the form with maltodextrin, or the pure form. Will let you know after I perform some testing, using the new bottle of NuNaturals stevia I’ve just received from the company.

  45. Lydia
    October 12, 2013 at 6:05 am (6 years ago)

    I also have a question about the Stevia powder you use. I have the NuNatural Stevia White Powder, not the extract. It doesn’t seem to be as concentrated. Do you know how much I would need to use that to make the mix? Thanks.

    • Lauren B.
      October 13, 2013 at 2:26 am (6 years ago)

      Hi, Lydia! When did you purchase it? There have been some questions about the potency of NuNaturals stevia extract in recent years. Apparently, it was reformulated. I just ordered some of the extract, and am waiting on it to get here.

  46. Lydia
    October 13, 2013 at 8:17 am (6 years ago)

    Lauren, I just purchased this a few weeks ago from vitacost. Apparently it has maltodextrin in it. I have to use a lot, almost like regular measurement for sugar/truvia. So I am sure this is not concentrated.

  47. Lydia
    October 16, 2013 at 3:34 am (6 years ago)

    Do you think I can use xylitol instead of erithrytol to make the Truvia? I will have to get the right stevia extract next time. For now, I am stuck with this until I use it all up.

    • Lauren B.
      October 16, 2013 at 8:13 pm (6 years ago)

      Hi, Lydia! Using xylitol in this recipe should work well. Xylitol is 2x as sweet as erythritol, so it should help to boost the sweetness and make up for the lack of stevia of the type of stevia you have. Let me know how it works out for you!

  48. Lydia
    October 17, 2013 at 4:38 am (6 years ago)

    Thank you Lauren. I will give it a try.

  49. Matthew V
    November 1, 2013 at 7:11 am (6 years ago)

    Lauren, did you ever get that shipment of the NuNaturals stevia you mentioned you ordered? Do you notice a difference in taste?

    • Lauren B.
      November 2, 2013 at 12:18 am (6 years ago)

      Hi, Matthew! I did, and I’m writing up a stevia post and doing a video for late next week. I am trying every stevia extract in existence (not an easy or cheap project!) to bring you the latest info on all of the stevia products currently on the market. Just waiting for one last shipment of stevia to get here.

      The NuNaturals stevia does have a different taste from the old kind. Please check back next week to get the scoop!

      • Sonja
        November 29, 2013 at 7:09 pm (6 years ago)

        Is the video on stevia available now?

        • Lauren Benning
          December 2, 2013 at 4:12 am (6 years ago)

          Hi, Sonja! It is not ready yet. Still working out the kinks in my video production skills. I will be giving my preliminary recommendation for stevia in an upcoming post.

  50. Desiree
    November 12, 2013 at 11:05 pm (6 years ago)

    Hi, I just tried making some of my own truvia….I purchased erythritol and used the stevia I had on hand which is the NuNaturals white stevia packets, I have had it for a while so it is the old formula. I realize now that it isn’t as strong as the extract powder. Can you tell me how many packets I would need to add? I have 2 C of Erythritol that I am trying to turn into a truvia mix. PLEASE help!! I already added 1 tsp of this mix before I realized that it isn’t as strong as what you are using.

    • Lauren Benning
      November 15, 2013 at 2:04 am (6 years ago)

      Hi, Desiree! You would need 1/2 teaspoon pure extract (old formula) to sweet a whole cup of erythritol in order to make “Truvia.”

      2 teaspoons pure extract = 24 packets of stevia

      So, you would need 6 packets of stevia per cup of erythritol to make a Truvia blend. Hope that helps!

  51. Dawn
    January 22, 2014 at 9:05 pm (6 years ago)

    Where do you purchase the stevia and erythritol? And how much for each approximately?

    • Lauren Benning
      October 25, 2014 at 11:51 am (5 years ago)

      Dawn, as of this date I get my stevia at Trader Joe’s. I’ve been trying to find a new brand of nonbitter stevia for the past 12 months, and have finally found it! It is the pure extract, not the extract with the added lactose. You need 1 teaspoon of pure Trader Joe’s stevia extract per cup of erythritol. I just updated the recipe. Hope that helps!

  52. coconutz
    February 8, 2014 at 11:08 am (6 years ago)

    Arrg, after placing my order, I see that elsewhere you say that NuNaturals Stevia, pictured above, changed the formulation and it isn’t good any longer, too bitter. Elsewhere you now recommend KAL Stevia with an Amazon link, eligible for Prime. ARRRRG. Can you fix article? I am afraid my friend will give up this experiment if the homemade blend isn’t good as Truvia for her taste.

    • Lauren Benning
      February 12, 2014 at 11:36 pm (6 years ago)

      Hi, coconutz! There have been big changes that stevia products have undergone, apparently so that the manufacturers can sell them as “food additives” as opposed to supplements. You can read about the situation at the recently updated stevia page. The new stevia product I recommend is made by a company that hasn’t changed their extraction methods since the 1990s. I spoke with the manufacturer, and she told me they will not be changing their product. Just spent the past couple of days updating every recipe link and post on the website, so I’m very sorry to hear that you placed your order before the changes were made! Here’s the stevia information page for more information about the situation:

  53. coconutz
    February 8, 2014 at 11:10 am (6 years ago)

    Humm, my first comment didn’t seem to post, hope no duplicate. I’m going to give it a try. I just ordered through your referral link for
    erythritol, got 5 pounds and added the one ounce stevia just to see if
    we like it. Plus that is a great website and I ordered a ton of other
    stuff and got some freebies and some really cheap trial offers. Glad to
    discover with code NIN467 for the $10 off your first order
    too. Now I will have to browse your website further.

    Dawn – click
    through on the highlighted links in the article and the recipe to be
    taken to the websites where she purchases those items.(I think/hope she
    gets a referal for clicking through and ordering that way.) I bought
    the 5lbs erythritol for about $33 and the Pure Stevia for $9 for once
    ounce, and also go $10 off for my first order. I also ordered more than
    $60 of total stuff so you get another 5% off.

    • Lauren Benning
      February 12, 2014 at 11:30 pm (6 years ago)

      Hi, coconutz! Thank you for explaining how you ordered your ingredients here. I appreciate you using my order code so much! You’re exactly right about how it gives me some commission.

  54. Wendy Youssef
    April 5, 2014 at 3:52 am (6 years ago)

    Can you use this recipe to sweeten coffee or tea?

    • Lauren Benning
      October 25, 2014 at 11:50 am (5 years ago)

      Wendy, this sweetener blend is ideal for sweetening coffee and tea.

  55. wen jiangshi
    July 21, 2014 at 4:56 pm (5 years ago)

    Who Else Must I Follow? cheapplantetxracts Lovers Regarding Tweeting cheap plant extracts

    October 11, 2014 at 6:57 pm (5 years ago)

    Hi, god article. I want to make a blend which taste as simar as sugar as posible.

    I have Stevia Reb A 98% and Erythritol, can you write me on grams the amount i have tu use on both please. Sorry for my bad english. Im Mexican.

      October 11, 2014 at 7:00 pm (5 years ago)

      im making ice tea whit lime, tks

      • Lauren Benning
        October 25, 2014 at 11:49 am (5 years ago)

        Hola, Josue! Gracias por tu comentario. Es el stevia no amargo? Que marca es el stevia?

        • JOSUE TELLO
          October 25, 2014 at 2:48 pm (5 years ago)

          Es Stevia Reb A 98% marca steviva.
          Me dijeron que la mezcla de reb A con Eritritol sabe igual al azúcar. Eso queuro lograr que sepa cómo azumbar pero sea saludable. De esa misma marca probé el fructevia y es buenísimo sabe igual al azúcar pero es caro y necesito una forma de endulzar costeable para mi negocio. Queremos ofrecer bebidas refrescantes saludables y con un increíble sabor. Actualmente uso azúcar morena (estándar) pero quiero ofrecer algo saludable.
          Solo necesito saber las proporciones de reb A y eritritol para que sepa cómo el azúcar. O alguna otra forma.
          Muchísimas gracias por tu apoyo.

        • Guest
          October 25, 2014 at 2:50 pm (5 years ago)

          Está es la marca

        • JOSUE TELLO
          October 25, 2014 at 2:53 pm (5 years ago)

          Ahhh su si por favor me pudieras dar la proporción en gramos me ayudaría mucho ya que aquí todo es en gramos y kilos. Muchas gracias por tu apoyo de verdad es muy importante para mi

  57. Frank Weir
    December 3, 2014 at 2:39 pm (5 years ago)

    Lauren…great call on the Trader Joes extract. I have never been a fan of Stevia but this is excellent especially mixed as you specify. And its a great price since you get close to a full bottle for less than what I paid for a quarter of the amount of another brand. Should last a long time.

    • Lauren Benning
      December 8, 2014 at 12:24 am (5 years ago)

      Frank, I am so glad you are enjoying the TJ’s stevia! The price is certainly right.

  58. holdemxpert
    January 26, 2015 at 9:10 pm (5 years ago)

    I find Truvia too sweet. To cut the sweetness in your blend just use less Stevia? Or is there something with bulk but not sweet to add to it? Thanks!

  59. Julie
    August 6, 2015 at 3:29 pm (4 years ago)

    Hi Lauren,

    I’m about to order some stevia. As I am located in Australia I want to be sure I order the best product. Your reviews show two types of Stevia. One from the Emperor link and the other the Trader Joe’s product. Can you confirm that Trader Joe’s is better than the Emporer’s product.
    Many thanks.

  60. Inez Sheppard-Battle
    September 15, 2015 at 3:54 am (4 years ago)

    My husband tried Truvia after we received a sample he liked it, he has diabetes.

  61. Alisa
    December 13, 2015 at 6:05 am (4 years ago)

    I am confused, it says 2 teaspoons (5ml), but 1 teaspoon is 5ml so is it 10ml?

    • Lauren B.
      December 22, 2015 at 5:06 pm (4 years ago)

      Alisa, that was my mistake. It would be 10ml. Thanks for catching that!

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  70. Grant Keller
    November 20, 2016 at 9:36 am (3 years ago)

    I have the old JaJa Stevioside from Emperors Herbologist that you originally recommended. Is that 2 teaspoons stevia per cup of Erythritol?

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  73. Bonnie
    November 24, 2017 at 6:36 am (2 years ago)

    Hello – I realize this is an old post, but I found it while searching how to make a blend of erythritol + stevia. I HATE the cooling effect of erythritol and must find a way to counteract. I wanted to make sure the ratios were correct…my scale weighs in oz so I weighed the erythritol out to the equivalent of 50 grams which is just shy or 1 and 3/4 ounces, according to the online conversion tools. This measures out to be less than 1/2 cup, so now I am confused. The recipe calls for a full cup. I even tried 100 grams which is still less than a full cup. I did this with 3 different types of sweeteners: Pure ganulated Erythritol, then POWDERED erythritol, then granulated Swerve…ALL with the same results. 50 grams is coming out to be waaaaay less than one cup – even less than 1/2 cup. I assume that everyone just used the 1 cup measurement + 1-2 teaspoons of stevia, since we tend to lean more toward cup measurements vs weighing ingredients here in the U.S. Looking for any suggestions, as I would really love to make a homemade blend of these two sweeteners but I don’t want to mess it up 🙂 Thank you for sharing the idea of a DIY blend! I’m hoping someone will see my post and offer any suggestions on my dilema for the conflict I am seeing for the weight vs measurement. Peace, out.

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text:
Indian head massage

Posted on by

When I and Victor were travelling across the western part of India in year 2015, I met many local women, who have been providing traditional head massage to their families. Some of them, especially in tourist areas, were making this service to tourist. I love massages and I always wanted to learn an indian head massage during my stay in Czech Republic. But when I say one very talented Indian woman providing indian head massage in an excelent way, I decided to ask her to be my teacher.

She told me that genuine indian head massage consist of rear neck, hair part of head and face part of head massage. It is possible to aim only on one part, it is not necessary to massage all.

Indian head massage is fabulous from several reasons:

  • immediately helps during headache or migraine and also helps in prevention of it
  • beneficial effects on hair skin – thanks to the touch and oils to the skin significantly improves blood circulation and nourish – this is reflected in the quality of hair that grow better and stronger
  • blood flow to the scalp has a positive effect on the brain and its activities
  • massaging the neck muscles relieves pain, especially upper parts of the trapezius muscle. This muscle is often painful due to incorrect posture and other factors
  • massage the face delays of the skin aging and wrinkles. The skin significantly improves blood circulation and natural nourishment. Regular massage with properly selected oil is literally miraculous elixir for skin.
  • there is a mental calming and relax overall

Ideal for a head massage is, in my experience and knowledge, an argan oil. It is one of the rarest oils in the world. Is it because Argania spinosa, from which the oil is produced, grown only in a few places in the world. Most trees grown in Morocco and are an important barrier against desertification. Places where they grow are even declared a nature reserve under UNESCO protection. Argan oil is used for a high percentage of active compounds (tocopherols, carotene, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E and F). Vitamin A promotes circulation of vascular system. Vitamin E is a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant that protects cells from UV rays, thereby preventing their degradation and slows down the aging process. Vitamin F moisturizes the skin and slows the aging process of skin cells. The high content of tocopherols protect the skin and the hair against free radicals, again actively slow the aging process. Argan oil is used in the treatment of skin diseases, eczema, acne, burns. Relieves itching scalp, reduces dryness of skin and hair, giving vitality, strength, shine and softness. It is a natural wonder that has a greater effect than expensive cosmetic preparations against wrinkles and acne.

Indian head massage


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/x-web-markdown

text: # DOLIBARR ERP & CRM ![Build status](https://img.shields.io/travis/Dolibarr/dolibarr/develop.svg) ![Downloads per day](https://img.shields.io/sourceforge/dm/dolibarr.svg) Dolibarr ERP & CRM is a modern software package to manage your organization's activity (contacts, suppliers, invoices, orders, stocks, agenda…). It's an Open Source Software (written in PHP language) designed for small, medium or large companies, foundations and freelances. You can freely use, study, modify or distribute it according to its Free Software licence. You can use it as a standalone application or as a web application to be able to access it from the Internet or a LAN. ![ScreenShot](https://www.dolibarr.org/images/dolibarr_screenshot1_640x400.png) ## LICENSE Dolibarr is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version (GPL-3+). See the [COPYING](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/blob/develop/COPYING) file for a full copy of the license. Other licenses apply for some included dependencies. See [COPYRIGHT](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/blob/develop/COPYRIGHT) for a full list. ## INSTALLING ### Download Releases can be downloaded from [official website](https://www.dolibarr.org/). ### Install from composer If you do not already have Composer installed, you may do so by following the instructions at [getcomposer.org](https://getcomposer.org/). On Linux and macOS, you may run the following commands: ```bash curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer ``` On Windows, you can download and run https://getcomposer.org/Composer-Setup.exe You can then create a new project ```bash composer create-project dolibarr/dolibarr erp ``` ### Simple setup If you have low technical skills and you're looking to install Dolibarr ERP/CRM in just a few clicks, you can use one of the packaged versions: - DoliWamp for Windows - DoliDeb for Debian or Ubuntu - DoliRpm for Redhat, Fedora, OpenSuse, Mandriva or Mageia ### Advanced setup You can use a Web server and a supported database (MariaDB, MySQL or PostgreSQL) to install the standard version. - Uncompress the downloaded archive - Copy the "dolibarr" directory and all its files inside your web server root or anywhere you'd like and set up your web server to use "*dolibarr/htdocs*" as root for a new web server virtual host (second choice need to be server administrator) - Create an empty `htdocs/conf/conf.php` file and set permissions for your web server user (*write* permissions will be removed once install is finished) - From your browser, go to the dolibarr "install/" page The URL will depends on choices made in the first step: http://localhost/dolibarr/htdocs/install/ or http://localhost/dolibarr/install/ or http://yourdolibarrvirtualhost/install/ - Follow the installer instructions ## UPGRADING - Overwrite all old files from 'dolibarr' directory with files provided into the new version's package. - At first next access, Dolibarr will redirect your to the "install/" page to follow the upgrade process.  If an `install.lock` file exists to lock any other upgrade process, the application will ask you to remove the file manually (you should find the `install.lock` file into the directory used to store generated and uploaded documents, in most cases, it is the directory called "*documents*"). *Note: migration process can be safely done multiple times by calling the `/install/index.php` page* ## WHAT'S NEW See the [ChangeLog](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/blob/develop/ChangeLog) file. ## FEATURES ### Main application/modules (all optional) - Customers, Prospects and/or Suppliers directory - Products and/or Services catalog - Commercial proposals management - Customer and Supplier Orders management - Invoices and payment management - Standing orders management (European SEPA) - Bank accounts management - Shared calendar/agenda (with ical and vcal export for third party tools integration) - Opportunities and/or project management - Projects management - Contracts management - Stock management - Shipping management - Interventions management - Employee's leave requests management - Expense reports - Timesheets - Electronic Document Management (EDM) - Foundations members management - Mass emailing - Surveys - Point of Sale - … ### Other application/modules - Bookmarks management - Donations management - Reporting - Data export/import - Thirdparties and/or products categories - Barcodes support - Margin calculations - LDAP connectivity - ClickToDial integration - RSS integration - Skype integration - Payment platforms integration (PayPal, Stripe, Paybox...) - … ### Other general features - Localization in most major languages. - Multi-Users and groups with finely grained rights. - Multi-currency. - Multi-company by adding of an external module. - Very user friendly and easy to use. - Highly customizable: enable only the modules you need, add user personalized fields, choose your skin, several menu managers (can be used by internal users as a back-office with a particular menu, or by external users as a front-office with another one) - Works with PHP 5.3+ and MariaDB 5.0.3+, MySQL 5.0.3+ or PostgreSQL 8.1.4+ (See requirements on the [Wiki](https://wiki.dolibarr.org/index.php/Prerequisite)) - Compatible with all Cloud solutions that match MySQL, PHP or PostgreSQL prerequisites. - APIs. - An easy to understand, maintain and develop code (PHP with no heavy framework; trigger and hook architecture) - Support for country specific features: - Spanish Tax RE and ISPF - French NPR VAT rate (VAT called "Non Perçue Récupérable" for DOM-TOM) - Canadian double taxes (federal/province) and other countries using cumulative VAT - Tunisian tax stamp - Argentina invoice numbering using A,B,C... - Compatible with [European directives](http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/taxation/l31057_en.htm) (2006/112/CE ... 2010/45/UE) - PDF or ODT generation for invoice, proposals, orders... - … ### Extending Dolibarr can be extended with a lot of other external application or modules from third party developers available at the [DoliStore](https://www.dolistore.com). ## FUTURE These are features that Dolibarr does **not** yet fully support: - Tasks dependencies in projects - Payroll module - No native embedded Webmail - Dolibarr can't do coffee (yet) ## DOCUMENTATION Administrator, user, developer and translator's documentations are available along with other community resources on the [Wiki](https://wiki.dolibarr.org). ## CONTRIBUTING See [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/blob/develop/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md) file ## CREDITS Dolibarr is the work of many contributors over the years and uses some fine libraries. See [COPYRIGHT](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr/blob/develop/COPYRIGHT) file. ## NEWS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS Follow Dolibarr project on: - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/dolibarr) - [Google+](https://plus.google.com/+DolibarrOrg) - [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/dolibarr) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/association-dolibarr) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/DolibarrERPCRM) - [GitHub](https://github.com/Dolibarr/dolibarr)


text:
A Secret Weapon for Cryptocurrency

The Basics of Cryptocurrency That You Can Learn From Beginning Immediately

Nothing rare about any of this, it’s not as beautiful, but it is rather profitable to hold it in the bank. Needless to say, banks do realize the potential that crypto’s underlying blockchain technology offers, and they wish to take complete benefit. Poland’s central bank recently told citizens that cryptocurrency isn’t money as a way to discourage using cryptocurrency.

If you wish to earn money from home pay close attention. After all, you don’t wish to wind up losing your hard earned cash in a second. It can be unbelievably tough and costly to move money around the world too. Attracting institutional money is regarded as one of the upcoming key obstacles for cryptocurrencies an industry that’s struggling with regulatory uncertainty and liquidity constraints. Therefore, when you have been seeking a means to commit your extra money, you can think about investing in Bitcoin.

If you would like to mine the currency, we recommend that you invest in a great deal of powerful hardware. Digital currencies aim to disrupt the conventional currency and commodity marketplace. You may work with somebody who pays in digital currency. The most commonly accepted currency is Bitcoin and should you have it, you won’t face any issue of different currency acceptance. The hypothetical currency for the union is most frequently known as the amero.

Being first to market, there are lots of exchanges for Bitcoin trade throughout the world. Setting an exchange is rather easy. At first, the cryptocurrency exchange isn’t going to support any alternative chains, but nevertheless, it is going to take a snapshot of all balances before the difficult fork and will then monitor the circumstance and choose about further courses of action at a subsequent date, after the challenging fork. There’s no clear cut approach to define the ideal cryptocurrency exchange.

As every broker I’ve ever traded with WON’T enable you to lose their money. In order to ensure the financial transactions are performed in a smooth and hassle-free fashion, you will need to make certain you have the most suitable support in the sort of a partner bank. A Bitcoin transaction does not require any personal specifics. At the moment, bitcoin transactions take about ten minutes to an hour typically. On the flip side, virtual currency Bitcoin transactions are largely more rapid.

The contracts are for a single year. Though going through the internet’s biggest online players will probably present advertisers the most significant opportunity for the most impressions per ad, other organizations working for cryptocurrency companies have discovered that it isn’t always best. The insurance carrier providing whole life insurance also folds its dividends right into the policy (provided the provider is profitable), offering a secondary increase in value with time. You’re able to publish and manage your company in almost no time whatsoever. When you get a small company, it’s possible to make very interesting presentations in order to manage projects in a more impressive and effective manner only by employing such programs.

A fixer-upper investor wouldn’t be happy in creating a profit of a couple thousand dollars for a couple months work on renovations but an investor that could just flip a contract for a couple of hours or days work would be. You may make a tiny investment simply to discover it has mushroomed into something great in an incredibly brief time period. The cryptocurrency market fluctuates a good deal. Cryptocurrency markets are providing a completely new cash form and on occasion the rewards can be great. If you believe it’s too late to take part in what could be the most lucrative market of all moment, you’re dead wrong. With consumers given the choice to use smartphones and tablets to control their finances, it’s feasible for a company to streamline its service and offer a far better all-round customer experience.

The Fundamentals of Cryptocurrency Revealed

Furthermore, you can make an incredible return by bitcoins trading or you may keep it for a lengthy term. While it’s the case our dollars have value, the majority of people think that it is because it’s backed by something. Another reason is that cryptocurrency doesn’t have any concrete method to demonstrate it’s value. The cost of the fundamental commodities is even dependent upon the purchase price of gas and oils hence its importance and contribution to the world is quite essential. Indeed, some type of order was long overdue.

Want to Know More About Cryptocurrency?

The very first reason may be the trading volume across exchanges. With the assistance of peer to peer transaction networks in addition to the blockchain technology, it’s possible to improve the transaction volume per second. As a consequence, it’s quite beneficial in solving the matter of transaction blocks with bitcoin processing. This past year, the government officially recognized bitcoin for a sort of currency and began licensing exchanges. The second thing you ought to think about is the legal terms and conditions which you will want to follow.