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30 March 2014
Sunday Favorite: 95
Not much to report this morning except I felt three good aftershocks during the night. I slept better overall, which is good considering I hardly slept Friday night. Winston spent most of yesterday and last night under the bed. This morning he finally came out and ate. He's currently sacked out on the sofa about a foot or so away from me. Poor guy is just a wreck.
I upgraded my iPhone to the newest 7.1 iOS. Can't tell that it's made much difference.
On the other hand, I upgraded my Macbook to the new Maverick OS...not sure I'm liking it but I don't have much choice. Whereas in the previous version new windows opened, Maverick opens new pages in tabs. I learned the difficult way by closing the window and being back at a blank screen rather than the screen I started at. A little frustrating. Also, the scrolling bit is opposite so one scrolls up to move the screen down. At least I think that's what I'm doing. It probably won't take too long to adjust.
We're anticipating cooler and wetter weather this week. Something about April showers?
Hope everyone is well. We're just hanging on, here.
Posted by behrmark at 8:42 AM 1 comment:
Labels: earthquake, operating system, Sunday Favorite, upgrade
28 March 2014
I Feel the Earth...Move...Under My Feet
Here in the 'burbs east of Los Angeles we had an earthquake tonight. Actually...several. The first hit about 8:00pm and was about a 3.6, centered approximately 4 - 8 miles away from where I live. The second hit about an hour later...it has been downgraded to 5.1 but initially was a 5.4. You may not think three-tenths is much but when it comes to earthquakes....trust me...it matters. I've felt about 3 aftershocks.
The house just now shook again, a quick jolt. My heart is pounding! I don't think I'm going to get much sleep tonight. Winston is cowering under the pub table in the dining room; I prefer him there than under the bed.
According to Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey, after a 20-year period of seismic inactivity we're just starting to get back to the high number of incidents.
GREAT. Just what I want, a bunch of earthquakes. Thankfully I took out earthquake insurance last year!
There are folks on Facebook making jokes about these temblors but it really isn't funny to those of us who have worked hard to buy a house and maintain it. If there really is a "BIG" one, my house will undoubtedly suffer major damage considering that it was built in 1950. Even with the EQ insurance, I couldn't afford to rebuild. I would lose everything. So I don't find them funny at all.
The Caltech/USGS folks are claiming we've had over 30 aftershocks. I believe it! Thankfully nothing broke in my house except maybe the cracks in the ceiling and walls are bigger.
That last jolt happened about a half hour ago and before that it was maybe an hour or so. There is more time between events (that I'm feeling) so fingers crossed that it's over!
Posted by behrmark at 11:12 PM 2 comments:
Labels: earthquake, Southern California
17 March 2014
Reflections on a Life
They're starting early this year....the funerals.
I took the day off from work today to attend the funeral of a gentleman that I've known for roughly 30 years through the local community theater. Ironically, I met his wife when I was a child, through the library summer reading program. But it was the theater where I had the honor of meeting Deac. I met his daughter and son-in-law and eventually another daughter and son-in-law. I heard stories of their two sons, met one of the daughter-in-laws, and was a guest in their home.
I learned a lot about Deac today...like "Deac" was a nickname, not short for Deacon. He was a bomber pilot in WWII, flying 35 missions over Germany. He sold tools, he was a teacher, he started a scholarship for kids to pursue acting, and he played golf. I know he was a brilliant actor, director, and set designer and one of THE nicest men to ever walk this earth. He always greeted people with a smile and a handshake. He didn't have a cross word for anyone. He was the voice of reason, the voice of experience, the voice that lives inside your head when you know perhaps you should make a different choice.
He wasn't without a sense of humor. One of the few times I shared the stage with him, he made his entrance and introduced himself as Eugene Spettigue. The character's name was Stephen Spettigue. He made his exit and said with a straight face "I don't even know anyone named Eugene." Those of us backstage almost passed out from laughing.
Today's service for Deac had its tears but also its laughter...Deac wouldn't want sackcloth and ashes but a joyous celebration, which is what he got. Several family members got up and spoke. My friend Roxie spoke, as a friend of the family and representative of the theater group. Perhaps the highlight was when the grandkids got up and sang "Over the Rainbow." Incredible performance...it was like listening to the Partridge Family or Brady Bunch. Only better!
At the graveside, representatives from the local VFW post provided military honors: the folded American flag, bugler, and 21 gun salute.
During the reception after, I sat with Rosalee's husband. I was afraid that our talk of funerals and death would be disconcerting but he seemed to hold up well. In addition to Deac's family I saw many theater friends...and I can honestly say that it filled my heart to see so many at the service and reception.
Deac was a remarkable man. I knew that before today, but I'm more aware of how remarkable now. And so as the sun sets on this day, I reflect about the kind of man I am and the legacy that I want to leave. I am re-inspired.
Posted by behrmark at 7:58 PM 1 comment:
Labels: Deac, funeral, life lesson, theater
09 March 2014
Behr Update
Last night - or this morning - we changed our clocks for Daylight Saving Time. I hate this "losing" an hour thing. I just wanted to sleep sleep sleep this morning. But unfortunately, I needed to get up and get things done today. I didn't get much done yesterday afternoon after I got home from SF.
So yeah...I am back from my work trip. I am so happy to be home. Winston is too. Oh he acted miffed for a while but he soon warmed up. He was so cute...he kept peeking around the wall to make sure I was still here. In the night I got up to pee and he was sitting in the hall. I picked him up and took him back to bed with me and he snuggled and sang. I totally missed that this last week.
Over all it was a good trip. There were some issues with the students in class not understanding concepts even though I explained it 5 times. I'm also not used to conducting training 5 days a week!
I stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero. Big beautiful hotel. Here's a view of the Atrium Lobby from my 6th floor room:
That's some weird sculpture and strands of lights that hang down over the Eclipse bar area. This lobby was famously seen in The Towering Inferno.
This is my Instagram pic taken last Sunday when it was overcast and drizzling. The prominent points of interest are the Vaillancourt Fountain and Pier 1. After I got settled in I wandered down to stroll around. Here's a picture of the famous Ferry building:
Again, this is an Instagram picture that I took. I wandered through the Ferry building and ended up eating at Gott's Roadside. I eventually wandered back to the hotel where I waited for Bear and his boyfriend who were coming over to watch the Oscars.
Oh yes...Bear has a boyfriend! I met him last year when I was last in the Bay area. He's a very nice guy and I like him. What is really nice is that he and I have become friends too. And except for the occasional odd moment when the two of them are exchanging endearments and kisses, I don't feel like a third wheel when I'm with them. And whenever they kiss or start get lovey-dovey I just say "GET A ROOM!"
So what did you think of the Academy Awards? I like Ellen DeGeneres but found the ceremony a tad dull. I'm very happy that Cate Blanchett won Best Actress. More than that, I'm happy American Hustle got shut out. Hated that film! I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave or Dallas Buyers Club but plan to put them in my Netflix queue. I was sorry Judi Dench wasn't in attendance but I understand she's filming the sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in India.
A new sight in San Francisco is the Bay Bridge lights:
I took a picture when I first saw them:
I was walking back to the hotel from having dinner in Embarcadero One and saw the Bay Bridge lights (at the very back), the Ferry Building all lit up, and the Embarcadero "tulip" lights. The Bay Bridge lights are a programmed light show, patterns of light and dark are made along the entire span. Very interesting and fun to watch.
I had the chance to eat at some favorite places - Grubstake, Mel's Diner, Gott's, Ken's Kitchen- as well as trying a new places - Fuzio, Oasis Grill, Tia Maria's. For once I didn't really worry about money; I kept reloading my BART card to go from point A to point B (I also think the fare has increased since I was last there). Because of my gout and larger frame, walking long distances isn't possible. I rode the California Street cable car with Bear and Boyfriend, which is always a treat.
So that's about it. Today I'm finishing laundry and went to Trader Joe's to restock the fridge and pantry. It's beautiful outside here in the Los Angeles area. Although we need more rain it's nice to have sunshine after spending a week in the overcast and drizzly weather of SF.
Hope everyone is well.
Posted by behrmark at 11:09 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Academy Awards, bear, behr update, Oscars, San Francisco
02 March 2014
Behr Bits
I leave for San Francisco this morning. What was I thinking when I booked a 7am flight the morning after closing night of the theater?!
I'll be in SF for a week...Sunday through Saturday, doing the usual commuting to Alameda for the actual work part of the time. I'll be staying somewhere new for me...down in the Embarcadero area. Just hope I remember to get off BART at the proper station.
Tonight are the Oscars! I'm a little excited because I've seen a small handful of the movies. I'm a lot sad because I'll be SF in a hotel room and not at my friend's annual Oscar-viewing party.
Here in the Los Angeles area we've had much needed rain. Yesterday saw colder temps, thunder and lightening, and periodic torrential downpours. It's been great. The only down side is I'm going to SF where - at last look - the forecast is for a week of rain.
So that's about it for now. I won't be taking my laptop. Just don't want to worry about lugging it around (it's a Macbook and a bit heavy). It also precludes looking at some sites like Blogger on my iPhone because it's just too damn small.
Enjoy your week!
Posted by behrmark at 4:29 AM 4 comments:
Labels: Academy Awards, rain, San Francisco, work
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Human Behavior Area Goals
GenEd Human Behavior courses address the relationships between individuals and
communities. Courses may focus on the relationship between individuals and communities in general or may engage those relationships from specific perspectives (such as art, music,
education, religion, economics, politics or education), or look at them within specific themes
(such as food & eating, crime, crisis, sexuality, adolescence).
Human Behavior courses are intended to teach students how to:
- Understand relationships between individuals and communities;
- Understand theories or explanations of human behavior used to describe social phenomena;
- Examine the development of individuals' beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions and how these affect individuals and communities;
- Apply one disciplinary method to understand human behavior or explain social phenomena;
- Access and analyze materials related to individuals, communities or social phenomena; and
- Compare and contrast similar social phenomena across individuals or communities.
Ancient War Games: Sport and Spectacle in Greece and Rome
Every four years the world stages athletic contests that are based on the practices of ancient Greece. Every year the NFL assigns a Roman numeral to the Super Bowl and suggests its players are modern gladiators. Greek athletic games and Roman gladiatorial battles developed from the practice of warfare in their societies. American sports may be viewed as the descendants of these ancient "war games." This class examines the similarities and differences in such sports and the societies that enjoyed (and enjoy) them. The Greek games replaced the blood of the battlefield with dramatic displays of military physicality, while the Roman games replicated this blood with armed combat before crowds of thousands. We begin by examining the origins, events, architecture, and rules of the Greek games, from Homer's funeral contests to the development of the circuit of athletic festivals. Next we look at the "re-foundation" of the modern Olympics and its romanticized mythology in several important films. Then we turn to Roman blood-sports (animal fights, gladiatorial contests and spectacular criminal punishments) and chariot-racing, considering also the filters of modern Hollywood. We end with the rise of modern spectator sports, especially football.
Asian Behavior and Thought
We incessantly engage ourselves in doing things. We are beings-at-doing. We define ourselves by the kind of actions we perform. How we act or conduct ourselves is shaped by the kind of self we construct for ourselves. And that self is shaped by the society into which we happen to be born. Self-identity, which is socially and culturally constructed by our experiences and Interactions with others, carries a personal as well as an interpersonal meaning. Learn the four Asian paradigmatic cases of self-identity and examine your self in light of them.
Bilingual Communities
What is the relationship between language and identity? How do bilinguals sort between their two languages and cultures to form their identity? In bilingual cultures, is one language always dominant? What happens when a language or dialect is distinct from the dominant language or dialect of the greater society? Why did language resurgence efforts fail in Ireland but succeed in Catalonia, Spain? Why does Guarani enjoy greater protection in Paraguay than Mayan dialects in Guatemala? Is it possible to legislate language behavior? Explore issues of power and solidarity where two languages or dialects are in contact: How are these cultural identities expressed through choice of language? We look at a broad geographical range which might include the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Africa.
Creativity & Organizational Behavior
Being creative is about solving problems or approaching opportunities in novel and valuable ways. This course is designed to help ALL students better harness their full creative potential – whether you think: "I am not creative" or "I already have more ideas than I can handle", this class will help you come up with more creative ideas that offer more value and have greater impact on the world. Although creativity has been studied by nearly every professional domain, this course focuses on creativity as a driver of organizational innovation – from non-profits to small businesses and large corporations to students' own entrepreneurial startups, creativity and innovation are critical to providing value and ensuring long-term survival. Throughout this course students will develop important life skills while learning to creatively solve problems through a number of real-world innovation challenges. No matter what career or profession you are going into, being more creative and appreciating how and why modern organizations function the way that they do will help you to be more valuable, more employable, more innovative, and more entrepreneurial.
Criminal Behavior
Although we like to think differently, committing crime is an extremely common human behavior. From the extremes of armed robbery or serial murder to the ordinary failure to declare Income on tax returns or the tendency to speed on the highway, nearly everyone has broken the law and committed a crime at some point. Considering physiological, psychological and pharmacological factors, we explore the influences of family, peers and the effects of alcohol and drugs on the incidence of criminal behavior. And we examine how the urban and social environment encourages (or inhibits) opportunities to commit crime.
Disability Identity
Odds are that each of us will encounter disability at some point in our lives, either directly or indirectly through family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. What is it like to live with a disability, and how does disability intersect with other aspects of personal identity, like gender, race and culture? Is disability socially and culturally defined? Join us as we examine historical perspectives of disability marked by fear and discrimination and fueled by media portrayals. We will then explore most recent indicators of personal, social, and environmental change that support disability identity and result in a more accommodating environment for us all.
Eating Cultures
You are what you eat, they say, but what, precisely, determines our eating habits and what, exactly, do they say about us? How do these habits influence our relations with others in our communities and beyond? Eating is an activity common to all human beings, but how do the particularities and meanings attributed to this activity vary across different times and places? Using literature, visual media, cookbooks, food-based art, and advertisements as our starting point, we will examine how food perception, production, preparation, consumption, exchange, and representation structure individual and communal identities, as well as relations among individuals and communities around the globe. Our focus on this most basic of needs will allow us to analyze how food conveys and limits self-expression and creates relationships as well as delimits boundaries between individuals and groups. Materials will be drawn from a wide range of disciplines including, but not limited to, literary and gender studies, psychology, anthropology, history, sociology, and economics.
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
Using an interdisciplinary approach that looks at the theory of emotional intelligence and the leadership process in diverse personal, cultural, political, and business contexts, you will enhance your own leadership capacity. Develop conceptual thinking, self-awareness, self-management, personal motivation, social skills, and your capacity for empathy within a globalized and interconnected world. Engage in personal reflections, class discussions, small group experiential activities, and collaborate on a case study project as you observe and interview Philadelphia community leaders.
Guerrilla Altruism
According to the UN, more than one billion people do not have adequate shelter and more than 100 million people live in conditions classified as homeless. More than two billion people do not have access to safe drinking water or sanitation, including 400 million children. Almost four thousand of these children will die every day as a result. This course invites you to change these statistics. We will look to renowned thinkers and makers, strategists and guerrillas who have used grassroots strategies to help underrepresented populations affect change, including: Adbusters (Kalle Lasn), Architecture for Humanity (Cameron Sinclair), Pierre Bourdieu, Design Corp, Che Guevara, Michel Foucault, Heavy Trash, Jersey Devils, Kick Start International, Light (Jae Cha), Mad Housers, Carlos Marighella, and Rural Studios (Samuel Mockbee). You will use this research to realize a small-scale project, movement or intervention to aid a disadvantaged person or community group around Temple University, creatively offering your distinct talents to those who need them most.
Human Ecology
Human hunters may have contributed to animal extinctions as early as 10,000 years ago; civilizations in the ancient Near East developed complex irrigation networks that led to some of the area's permanent deserts. Since pre-history, humans had an impact on the environment, but changes in technology have magnified the scale of human influence. Today, attempts at sustainable land use are often at odds with struggles for indigenous population rights, with population migration and increases in population size, or with desires to preserve areas for national parks or tourism, let alone attempts to exploit natural resources. Study the ecological principles underlying the relationship of humans with the environment and the explosion of conflicts surrounding modern environmental use.
Human Sexuality
Our sexuality is a core part of being human. We often think about sexuality in terms of the physical and reproductive aspects of sex. But our sexuality is complex and dynamic. We will address this dynamic complexity as we explore the physical, psychological, relational, and cultural aspects of sexuality. The goal of this course is to broaden your perspective of human sexuality, and deepen your understanding and awareness of your own sexuality and the many influences on this essential part of yourself.
Identity and Crisis
As we go through life there will be natural changes that we must deal with. For college students this involves for many being on your own for the first time, picking a major, trying to figure a possible work career, dealing with a roommate. There will also be unplanned changes or crises that each of us will face at different times, such as the sickness/death of loved ones; broken relationships; work problems, as well as our own mortality. One goal is to face each crisis in as healthy a way as possible, without physically or emotionally hurting others or ourselves. The Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech tragedies are an extreme example of how someone can lash out violently. The more prepared we are to deal with a crisis and conflict, the better we can come through it, helping ourselves and perhaps others too. Part of this preparation can involve examining our belief systems–including religious/spiritual—and the ways we perceive and think.
Interpersonal Communication
In a reflective, supportive environment, enhance your ability to develop successful interpersonal communication with your family, friends and work colleagues. Assess your own communication skills, develop and set personal goals and an action plan to create the change you wish to see. Investigate how interpersonal communication needs and effectiveness change throughout life, from early childhood, to adolescence, through young adulthood, middle age, and old age. There will be frequent small group discussions, and opportunities to learn through direct observation of real-life situations.
Kids, Community and Controversy
Why does Philadelphia have a dropout rate of roughly 50%? Why have students brought weapons to school and plotted to kill their classmates? Why, despite decades of progress in race relations, do schools remain largely segregated institutions? These questions are derived from three pressing social problems in American society that play out in our schools; high school dropouts, school violence, and segregation. Using these questions and the larger issues to which they are related, explore the multiple and often competing explanations for these and other social problems in American society. Learn about the search for creative solutions at the individual level as well as within our social structure. Guest speakers, observations within the Philadelphia school system, and analysis of films depicting these issues will enrich the course experience.
Language in Society
How did language come about? How many languages are there in the world? How do people co-exist in countries where there are two or more languages? How do babies develop language? Should all immigrants take a language test when applying for citizenship? Should English become an official language of the United States? In this course we will address these and many other questions, taking linguistic facts as a point of departure and considering their implications for our society. Through discussions and hands-on projects, students will learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret language data and how to make informed decisions about language and education policies as voters and community members.
Law and Literature, Law in Fact
Of what does fairness consist? One important component is, of course, decision according to rule, rendered by a neutral, impartial decision maker. But the rule of law ideal does not exhaust our conceptions of what is fair. Where strict application of rules seems unduly harsh, it may seem more fair to show mercy. Or sometimes we may prefer a decision maker who is not strictly impartial, but who can empathize with the person being judged. And sometimes it is important to focus on results rather than on procedure. This interdisciplinary course will use short stories (including Susan Glaspell's famous tale, A Jury of Her Peers), novels (including Herman Melville's Billy Budd), and a Shakespeare play (Measure for Measure) to examine different visions of fairness in the law. These materials present questions of enormous social and ethical relevance, such as whether and when we might "excuse" murder or whether and when it is permissible to lie in the service of truth. Through in-class discussions, a mock trial, and writing exercises, students will be asked to bring differing images of fairness to bear on an actual legal problem that arose right here in Philadelphia, in order to see how alternative ideas of fairness might affect the way in which we understand how to behave in morally complicated situations. Students will learn to think critically about ideas such as blame, responsibility and authority, to communicate those ideas both orally and in writing, and to consider how works of fiction can show us what is true about the world in which we live.
Marginalized Citizenship: Disability & Sexuality
This course traces the history of disability and sexuality through the industrial revolution through to the twenty-first century. Students will examine their own, as well as cultural and societal attitudes toward disability and sexuality. Students will be challenged to address questions such as: At what point does the cost to society outweigh the cost to the individual? What are the ethical considerations involved in the quality of life versus the sanctity of life arguments?
Meaning of Madness
What is madness? Insanity? Mental illness? Who decides where the line between madness and normalcy is drawn? How have conceptualizations of madness changed throughout history? Can the same behaviors be considered "insane" in one culture but typical, or even adaptive, in another? At what point do individuals with mental illness require special accommodations within families, schools, courts, and healthcare systems, and how do these accommodations differ throughout the world? What is "stigma" and how does it affect individuals with mental illnesses? This course will explore biological, social, and cultural factors that influence mental illness, perceptions of individuals with mental illness, and treatments of mental illness over time and across cultural groups.
Philosophy of the Human
What is a human being? How do we become fully human, and how might that humanity be diminished or compromised? This course examines a range of answers to these questions from ancient, romantic, modern, postmodern, and postcolonial sources. Including the thought of Plato on the meaning of love, Emerson on our genius, Freud on our neuroses, and Fanon on our liberation, discussion turns to some of the most influential literary, historical, and cinematic treatments of the human condition as it appears in our own time.
Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and the Law
Same-sex marriage. Gays in the military. Hate crimes. Chaz Bono and "Dancing with the Stars." From the decriminalization of sodomy to the legalization of same-sex marriage to the implications of gender reassignment, sexual orientation and gender identity are some of the most rapidly changing subjects in society today. The progression (and regression) of societal attitudes toward differences based on sexual orientation and gender identity have led to legal developments that affect the lives of individuals in larger communities (LGBT and otherwise). This course will look at the intersections of law, psychology, sexual orientation, and gender identity to develop your understandings of the relationships between individuals and communities. It aims to teach you how to interpret human behavior and articulate your own point of view by examining the social and legal regulation of sexual orientation and gender identity. This course will look at issues involving sexual orientation, gender identity, social stigma, discrimination and injustice from legal and psychological perspectives. You will develop your critical thinking skills to evaluate social and legal responses to gender identity and sexual orientation. This course will address specific topics including employment discrimination, same sex marriage, family formation, LGBT youth (identity formation, bullying), military service, immigration and cross-national comparisons.
The Photographic Image
Is there more to photography than that single "decisive moment" in the hunt and capture of an image? How do photographers comment on issues that are important to them? How can photographs tell a story? Is there a way one can use the art of photography to elicit change? We will look at photography in its historical context–at the advent of documentary photography and photojournalism, and at narrative photography in its more contemporary form, as photographers use it to chronicle their own lives. Through looking at and making—with your digital camera–photographic images, you will learn several core concepts of social work and human behavior theory. You will learn about the place photography holds in our culture, and about our culture itself, and your place in that culture. We will critically analyze published photographs, as well as photographs you and other students have made. The semester will culminate in a class exhibition.
The Quest for Utopia
The extreme version of "the grass always been greener on the other side" has been a vision of a mythical place where all is peace, balance, perfection and happiness. The concept of utopia—somewhere better than this—has been with us for centuries, but what drives it? And why, when the quest is for betterment and maximum benefit for all, do utopias so often go bad? This course will examine what visions of utopia and dystopia have existed in literature from around the world. We will look at it alongside writing from a variety of disciplines to try to understand why utopia resists our reach, and the kind of behavior, for better and for worse, that the quest for utopia brings about.
Teens & Tweens
Exuberance, risk-taking, experimentation, breaking away, testing limits. Anxiety, peer pressure, competition, parental pressure, work and school, drugs and alcohol, test scores. These are some of the challenges that make adolescence one of the most intriguing and disturbing stages of life. Although adolescence is only one stage on the continuum of human development, in contemporary society the extended period between childhood and adulthood seems to capture all the attention. Why? This class takes a close look at one of the most confusing, exciting, and critical phases of development, the pre-teen and teen years. Using literature, TV and film, as well as articles and books from the field of human development, the course will explore how children grow into teenagers, how they survive the challenges of adolescence, and how they become productive adults.
Understanding Justice
This course will explore the idea of justice, with particular emphasis on how justice might be achieved through law. That exploration will incorporate conceptualizations of justice in political philosophy (Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Mill, and Rawls), as well as presentations of themes of justice in literature (Bible stories, Greek tragedy, and modern fiction). In the core portion of the course we will use these philosophical and literary materials, together with distinctively legal materials (cases, statutes, constitutional provisions), to probe the relationship between justice and law by examining the idea of legal rights (What are they? Who has them? Where do they come from? How are they related to notions of liberty and equality?), by considering how justice can be achieved through the way law is administered (What are "due process" and "equal protection"?), and by identifying the responsibilities of judges and lawyers with respect to the realization of justice through the legal system (What does it mean for a judge to be impartial? What is the responsibility of lawyers for the impact of their advocacy and counseling on third parties and on the larger society?). We will do all this by focusing on specific contemporary legal issues that raise vital questions of justice, including affirmative action, same-sex marriage, vaccination of children, workers protection laws, access to contraception, and abortion, among others.
Workings of the Mind: The Devil Made Me Do It
A Caucasian is heckled during his night-club act and goes into a rant against African-Americans. A celebrity is pulled over for DUI and goes into a rant against Jews. Both then claim that those behaviors are "not the real me." They claim that they are not racist or bigoted. If they do indeed believe their denials, then we are left with a question: Why did they behave as they did? Perhaps we are not always in conscious control over what we do. Drawing on disciplines within psychology, including neuroscience and cognitive science, as well as clinical, developmental, evolutionary, and cultural psychology, we explore the possibility that we can process information and behave in response to information in ways that are out of our conscious control.
Youth Cultures
Do you listen to hip hop, spend all your time in Second Life, dress up like a cartoon character and go to anime fairs, or go skateboarding every day with your friends? Then you're part of the phenomenon called youth culture. Often related to gender, race, class and socio-economic circumstances, youth cultures enable young people to try on identities as they work their way to a clearer sense of self. Empowered by new technology tools and with the luxury of infinite virtual space, young people today can explore identities in ways not available to previous generations. Students in this class will investigate several youth cultures, looking closely at what it means to belong. They will also come to appreciate how the media and marketing construct youth identities and define youth cultures around the world.

subset: commoncrawl


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Page count: 0 pages
Format: B/5
Category: Translations
With careful, precise stitches Cecilie Enger sews together a beautiful, warming quilt of a novel – about family, women's lives, art, politics and generosity. "Family is complicated, she said – But at the same time there's nothing else we strive for." (Gerd Elin Stava Sandve)
Severely afflicted by Alzheimer's disease, Cecilie Enger's mother is forced to move into a nursing home. As a consequence, Cecilie's childhood home has to be emptied and sold. While sorting through her mother's belongings, Cecilie comes across a meticulous list detailing every single gift the members of her family have exchanged over a period of four decades; gifts received and given by a number of individuals who have suffered highly diverse fates and fortunes. Taking this list as her starting point, Cecilie Enger chronicles her family history from the late 19th century till today.
At the same time, she also tells another story. Over the course of the two years it takes her to write Mother's Gifts, her mother's memory and personality gradually disintegrate and vanish. This novel is a story about gifts, memories and our desire to cling on to time. Mother's Gifts is a novel about the shaping of Norway as a modern nation, narrated with the use of artefacts and recollections.
Cecilie Enger (b. 1963 in Oslo) lives in Asker. She works as a journalist for Dagens Næringsliv as well as writing fiction. Since her debut with the novel The Necessity in 1994 she has written five novels for adults. The Mother's Gifts won the Norwegian Booksellers' Prize in 2013.


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Canon FS20 8GB Digital Video Video camera Silver Product Review and Crucial Specs
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2.7" TFT HD display;PC Camera;White LED mild;Support Anti-shake
Picture:CMOS image sensor
Storage space medis:Support SD/SDHC card (maximum 32GB) Not include….
PowerLead Puto PLD003 Mini DV C8 16MP Hd Digital Video Camcorder Digital recording device 2.7" TFT LCD 16x Zoom Hd Video clip Recorder Camera 1280 x 720p Video Camcorder(Black) Review and item specs
Sensor CMOS: 1.3Mega p,The max 16.0Mega pixels
Memory press: SD/SDHC card (32GB Max)
ISO auto100/200/400
Lens: F/3.2,Equals7.6mm
Focus Normal: 1.2m~infinity
Image resolution Data format: JPEG,2M,3M,5M,7M,10M,12M,16M
Move resolution File format: Avi format:720P;VGA:640 x 480;QVG:320 x 240
Zoom: 16 x digital zoom
LED mild LED,1.0M,open/close
White Balance Auto/Sunny/Cloudy/Tungsten/Fluorescent
Exposure: -3.0EV+3.0EV
Self-time setting: close/2s..
Lightahead? DV series High-Definition HD 720p Digital Camcorder SD/SDHC along with 4x Digital Zoom & 2.7″ Flipout display (BLACK) With Hand Straps & Cloth Bag.
Lastly a high quality HD video camera at a most affordable cost.Now you can capture the actual moments of your life as the story goes with this most economical ,effective and easy-to-use DV 328 Lightahead? Hd 720 multi-purpose camcorder/camera! The DV328 is a multi purpose device that can be used like a digital camcorder, digital camera, Computer camera! It facilitates JPEG still images as well as AVI video platforms. Flip-out the large and vibrant 2.7-inch color LCD as well as preview images effortlessly. The multifunctional DV328 featu……
2.7" TFT Liquid crystal display Full HD 16 Mega pixel 1080P Digital Video Camera Video camera DV 16x Zoom
1.Function:Video camera
2.Image Sensor:CMOS sensing unit (up to 16MP Interpolation)
3.LCD screen:2.7″ TFT Liquid crystal display,16:9,270 degrees rotation With out Touching
4.Out put:USB Mini USB2.0/TV OUT
5.Energy: High-capacity rechargeable lithium battery
6.Camera zoom lens:FF(F=3.2mm f=7.36mm)
7.Battery life:Taking Video clip?ü90mins,taking photos?ü 150mins
8.Language:Conventional Chinese, Simplified Chinese language,English,French, German born, Italian, Korean, Spani……
Andoer HDV-107 Video Camcorder Camera High definition 720P 16MP DVR 2.7" TFT LCD Screen 16x ZOOM item specs vs
HDV-107 Video Camera Supports 720P High definition resolution, 270 degree Turn. 16 Mp Max Resolution by software interpolation. Along with 2.7 inch large TFT Vast screen.
Color: Black, red-colored(optional)
Senor: CMOS sensor, Maximum 16 mega pixels
Sensitivity: Automated, ISO 100, ISO200, ISO400
Storage media: Assistance SD/SDHC card (max 32GB) Not really included
Camera zoom lens: Fixed lens, F/3.2, f=7.6mm
Concentrating range: Normal: 1.2m in order to infinity


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It is another Liberation Day. Most people will be spending their time BBQing, drinking, watching parades, gambling or waving flags. I don't doubt that those things can be fun, but I profoundly wish that more people would spend their Liberation Days reflecting on the holiday itself. Reflecting not meaning that we blindly wave flags and watch parades, but rather reflecting in the sense of asking ourselves basic questions about that day and how the way we remember it affect how we see ourselves, our relationship to the US and our place in the world today. Celebrating "Liberation Day" in Guam, a place that still remains a colony of the United States is strange to say the least.
In 1985, the Chamorro rights group OPI-R or Organization of People for Indigenous Rights posted an ad in the newspaper on Liberation Day in which they asked a simple question, "Kao Magahet na Manlibre Hit?" Are we truly free? I've included the text from that ad below. I find it particularly cool because it was written in Chamorro.
"Kao Magåhet na Manlibre Hit?"
I magåhet na linibre siempre u fåtto giya Hita komo gaige i destinu-ta gi kannai-ta.
Desde ki ma tutuhun i kinalamten gubetno giya Guahan, tåya' na i propiu taotao tano'-ñiha.
Este na direcho ma rekonisa gi palu siha na isla gi oriyå-ta, lao yanggen tumachu put i direcho-ña komo Chamorro, meggai biahi di ma despresia.
In hengge na gaige i direcho put i destinun Guahan gi kannai ayu siha i hagas ha' manmanchomma' gi direchon pulitikat guini.
Este ki ma rekonisa yan ma praktika i direchon Chamorro put estao pulitikat, tåya' kabåles linibre.


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What is professional coaching?
ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today's uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:
This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.
How can you determine if coaching is right for you?
To determine whether you or your company could benefit from coaching, start by summarizing what you would expect to accomplish in coaching. When an individual or business has a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, a coaching partnership can be a useful tool for developing a strategy for how to achieve that outcome with greater ease.
Since coaching is a partnership, ask yourself whether collaboration, other viewpoints, and new perspectives are valued. Also, ask yourself whether you or your business is ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes. If the answer is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way to grow and develop.
How is coaching distinct from other service professions?
Professional coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it's helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organizational support professions.
- Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.
- Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
- Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.
- Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum.
- Athletic Development: Though sports metaphors are often used, professional coaching is different from sports coaching. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behavior of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. Professional coaches possess these qualities, but their experience and knowledge of the individual or team determines the direction. Additionally, professional coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviors that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.
What are some typical reasons someone might work with a coach?
An individual or team might choose to work with a coach for many reasons, including but not limited to the following:
What has caused the tremendous growth in the coaching industry?
Coaching has grown significantly for many reasons, among them:
How is coaching delivered? What does the process look like?
Coaching typically begins with a personal interview (either face-to-face or by teleconference call) to assess the individual's or business' current opportunities and challenges, define the scope of the relationship, identify priorities for action and establish specific desired outcomes. Subsequent coaching sessions may be conducted in person or over the telephone, with each session lasting a previously established length of time. Between scheduled coaching sessions, the individual may be asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of one's personally prioritized goals. The coach may provide additional resources in the form of relevant articles, checklists, assessments or models to support the individual's or business' thinking and actions. The duration of the coaching relationship varies depending on needs and preferences.
- Assessments: A variety of assessments are available to support the coaching process, depending upon the needs and circumstances of the individual or business. Assessments provide objective information that can enhance self-awareness, as well as awareness of others and their circumstances; provide a benchmark for creating coaching goals and actionable strategies; and offer a method for evaluating progress.
- Concepts, models and principles: A variety of concepts, models and principles drawn from the behavioral sciences, management literature, spiritual traditions and/or the arts and humanities may be incorporated into the coaching conversation to increase self-awareness and awareness of others, foster shifts in perspective, promote fresh insights, provide new frameworks for looking at opportunities and challenges, and energize and inspire forward actions.
- Appreciative approach: Coaching incorporates an appreciative approach, grounded in what's right, what's working, what's wanted and what's needed to get there. Using an appreciative approach, the coach models constructive communication skills and methods to enhance personal communication effectiveness. He or she incorporates discovery-based inquiry, proactive (as opposed to reactive) ways of managing personal opportunities and challenges, constructive framing of observations and feedback to elicit the most positive responses from others, and visions of success as contrasted with focusing on problems. The appreciative approach is simple to understand and employ, and its reach can be profound, opening up new possibilities and spurring action.
How long does a coach work with an individual?
The length of a coaching partnership varies depending on the individual's or team's needs and preferences. For certain types of focused coaching, three to six months of working may work. For other types of coaching, people may find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period. Factors that may impact the length of time include: the types of goals, the ways individuals or teams prefer to work, the frequency of coaching meetings and financial resources available to support coaching.
How do you ensure a compatible partnership?
Overall, be prepared to design the coaching partnership with the coach. For example, think of a strong partnership that you currently have in your work or life. Look at how you built that relationship and what is important to you about partnership. You will want to build those same things into a coaching relationship. Here are a few other tips:
Within the partnership, what does the coach do? The individual?
The coach:
The individual:
What does coaching ask of an individual?
To be successful, coaching asks certain things, all of which begin with intention. Additionally, clients should:
How can the success of the coaching process be measured?
Measurement may be thought of in two distinct ways: external indicators of performance and internal indicators of success. Ideally, both are incorporated.
Examples of external measures include achievement of coaching goals established at the outset of the coaching relationship, increased income/revenue, obtaining a promotion, performance feedback that is obtained from a sample of the individual's constituents (e.g., direct reports, colleagues, customers, boss, the manager him/herself), personal and/or business performance data (e.g., productivity, efficiency measures). The external measures selected should be things the individual is already measuring and has some ability to directly influence.
Examples of internal measures include self-scoring/self-validating assessments that can be administered initially and at regular intervals in the coaching process, changes in the individual's self-awareness and awareness of others, shifts in thinking that create more effective actions, and shifts in one's emotional state that inspire confidence.
What factors should be considered when looking at the financial investment in coaching?
Working with a coach requires both a personal commitment of time and energy as well as a financial commitment. Fees charged vary by specialty and by the level of experience of the coach. Individuals should consider both the desired benefits as well as the anticipated length of time to be spent in coaching. Since the coaching relationship is predicated on clear communication, any financial concerns or questions should be voiced in initial conversations before the agreement is made.
The ICF Standards of Ethical Conduct
Preamble: ICF Professional Coaches aspire to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively upon the coaching profession; are respectful of different approaches to coaching; and recognize that they are also bound by applicable laws and regulations.
Section 1: Professional Conduct At Large
As a coach:
1) I will not knowingly make any public statement that is untrue or misleading about what I offer as a coach or make false claims in any written documents relating to the coaching profession or my credentials or the ICF.
2) I will accurately identify my coaching qualifications, expertise, experience, certifications and ICF Credentials.
3) I will recognize and honor the efforts and contributions of others and not misrepresent them as my own. I understand that violating this standard may leave me subject to legal remedy by a third party.
4) I will, at all times, strive to recognize personal issues that may impair, conflict or interfere with my coaching performance or my professional coaching relationships. Whenever the facts and circumstances necessitate, I will promptly seek professional assistance and determine the action to be taken, including whether it is appropriate to suspend or terminate my coaching relationship(s).
5) I will conduct myself in accordance with the ICF Code of Ethics in all coach training, coach mentoring and coach supervisory activities.
6) I will conduct and report research with competence, honesty and within recognized scientific standards and applicable subject guidelines. My research will be carried out with the necessary consent and approval of those involved and with an approach that will protect participants from any potential harm. All research efforts will be performed in a manner that complies with all the applicable laws of the country in which the research is conducted.
7) I will maintain, store, and dispose of any records created during my coaching business in a manner that promotes confidentiality, security and privacy, and complies with any applicable laws and agreements
8) I will use ICF Member contact information (email addresses, telephone numbers, etc.) only in the manner and to the extent authorized by the ICF.


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Losing your website can be devastating. All that time, effort, money and most importantly, your reputation, could be gone in an instant.
If this isn't something that keeps you up at night, then it really should be.
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With a team of highly skilled engineers, 24 hour maintenance support and a commitment to delivering industry leading technical expertise across gas, electricity, plumbing and oil, we offer the full commercial mechanical and electrical (M&E) solution – from system design and installation, to ongoing monitoring and maintenance – including dedicated compliance services
Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Integrated as part of a larger construction project or as a stand-alone service, we provide customers with a fully integrated HVAC service from design through installation and commissioning to planned preventative maintenance for. Here are some of our HVAC services we have provided our cusomers in Leeds and Yorkshire:-
- LPHW – Low Pressure Hot Water
- MPHW – Medium Pressure Hot Water
- Ventilation services
- Air conditioning
- Gas services
- Domestic water services
- Rainwater harvesting
- Solar/thermal heat recovery
Electrical Services
We deliver the whole spectrum of electrical services, including design, installation, service, repair and planned maintenance for commercial, industrial and domestic clients. Our qualified and experienced team can assist you at every stage of your project in all disciplines including:-
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Plumbing Services
From one off residential installations to major industrial projects, we supply a tailored plumbing service individually designed for each site to ensure maximum efficiency and ongoing affordability. Our qualified and experienced engineers look after every aspect of installation, planned maintenance and repair
Oil, Gas & LPG Services
Our qualified engineers install, maintain and repair heating systems ensuring optimum efficiency with maximum safety.


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I'm thinking about investing in a stitch dictionary set and I'm curious if anyone has an opinion on which is better: the Vogue Stitchionary series or the Harmony Guides? Both claim to be the definitive stitch dictionary...
The cost difference is only about $4, so that's not a big factor. I guess what I'm interested in are opinions about readability and variety/usefulness of the stitch patterns. (Usefulness: I don't really need a whole bunch of crazy elaborate stitch patterns I will probably never use, but I'd like to have more patterns that I can get in my general knitting reference books and on freebie sites online.)
In terms of knitting magazines, I prefer Interweave Knits to Vogue, but I don't know if this makes much of a difference here. Maybe it does?
All insight is much appreciated!
Also, does anyone have an opinion on investing in a set vs. just buying a single all-in-one stitchionary?
What I'd use it for: I don't really design a lot of my own patterns but I like to swatch out different stitches just to learn something new and hone my skills, maybe make a scarf or pillow and test out a new yarn. But who knows what the future holds?