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The gifts of the Spirit
This document is designed to explain the Gifts of the Spirit, and there importance in the Christian life.
1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Now there are diversities of gifts – Diversities means a different variety of or range or mixture of gifts.
But the same Spirit – Produced by the same Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
We could liken this unto a Father who has 5 children, at Christmas time he buys each child a different gift but each gift comes from the same father.
This speaks of the third person in the trinity, God the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And there are differences of administrations - The word properly denotes "ministries; so that there are different ranks and grades in the ministries which Christ has appointed.
But the same Lord - This refers evidently to the Lord Jesus, by whom these various orders of ministers were appointed, and under whose control they are.
This speaks of the second person in the trinity, God the Son.
1 Corinthians 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
And there are diversities of operations - Of works; to wit, of miracles, such as God produces in the church, in the establishment and defense of his religion. There are different operations on the mind and heart; and different powers given to man.
But it is the same God which worketh all in all - The same Father; all these operations are produced by the same God
Which worketh all in all - All these operations are to be traced to him
This speaks of the first person in the trinity, God the Father
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
But the manifestation of the Spirit - showing forth or to make known.
Is given to every man – To every man of God or Saved or Saint or Servant of God.
To profit withal - Unto profit; that is, for unity, or use; or to be an advantage to the church; for the common good of all.
1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
For to one is given by the Spirit – or by the Holy Spirit.
The word of wisdom – wise, and prudent, and comprehensive views of the scheme of redemption, and with a faculty of clearly explaining it to the apprehension of people.
To another the word of knowledge - He would be learned; would have a clear view of the plan of salvation, and of the doctrines and duties of religion.
By the same Spirit – Produced by the same Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
To another faith - he distinguished for simple confidence in God.
By the same Spirit - Produced by the same Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
To another the gifts of healing - It would seem from this passage that the gift of healing was conferred on some in a more eminent degree than on others.
By the same Spirit - Produced by the same Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
To another the working of miracles - it is evident that the apostle there refers to the power of working miracles in healing inveterate and violent diseases. The expression used here, working of miracles.
To another prophecy - to predict future events, but it also means to declare the divine will; to interpret the purposes of God; or to make known in any way the truth of God, which is designed to influence people. Its first meaning is to predict or foretell future events.
To another discerning of spirits – trying or testing the spirits to see if they are from God or not.
To another divers kinds of tongues - The power of speaking various languages.
To another the interpretation of tongues - The power of interpreting foreign languages; or of interpreting the language which might be used by the "prophets" in their communications.
1 Corinthians 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit - Produced by the same Spirit - the Holy Spirit.
Dividing to every man – Giving to each servant that gift from the Holy Spirit.
Severally as he will – to whomever the Holy Spirit sees fit.
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
Like our physical bodies are one entire "package" with many members (feet, hands, head, eyes ...etc) The body of Christ is also one. This speaks of the spiritual body. All of God servants (saved) are one body we should work together in one fluid motion.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body - This verse mirrors 1 Corinthians 12:12 but instead of referring to the physical body it speaks of the spiritual body.
We all baptized into one body – When we come up from the waters of baptism the third time, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are became members of the spirit of God and join the body of Jesus Christ.
Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free – Nationality and worldly status play no part in Gods plan of salvation.
And have been all made to drink into one Spirit. – We all become one in the one Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
The physical body consists of many parts. Hands, ears, head, eyes, stomach, legs, ETC…
1 Corinthians 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
The physical body recognizes that all of its members are part of the whole body.
1 Corinthians 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
This is supporting the scripture stated above, 1 Corinthians 12:15.
1 Corinthians 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
No part of the body is greater then another. In order to do anything it requires multiple parts of the body to work together. If the whole body were the eye you would never hear or walk. With out the brain you could never comprehend anything the eye sees.
1 Corinthians 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
God created all parts of the body as he saw fit to do. Each body part has its assigned function for the greater good of the whole body. And are designed to work in harmony.
1 Corinthians 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
If there were nothing but an eye, an ear, or a limb, there would be no body.
1 Corinthians 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
The body is one unit.
1 Corinthians 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
The hand in its place is as needful as the eye; and the feet as the head. Nay, the eye and the head could not perform their appropriate functions, or would be in a great measure useless but for the aid of the hands and feet. Each is useful in its proper place.
1 Corinthians 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
Every part of the body plays an importance role, even the more feeble or weaker or easily injured members are necessary.
1 Corinthians 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
"Abundant honor" here, refer to clothing. We bestow upon them more attention and honor then we do on the face that is deemed comely, and that is not covered and adorned as the other parts of the body are.
We adorn and decorate the body with frivolous apparel. Those parts which decency requires us to conceal we not only cover, but we endeavor as far as we can to adorn them. The face in the mean time we leave uncovered.
1 Corinthians 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
For our comely parts have no need - The face, etc. "Have no need." No need of clothing or ornament.
But God hath tempered the body together – Literally, "mingled" or mixed; He has formed a strict union; he has made one part dependent on another, and necessary to the harmony and proper action of another.
Having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked - We bestow more abundant honor upon those parts of the body which a suitable protection from cold, and heat, and storms, and the sense of comeliness, requires us to clothe and conceal.
1 Corinthians 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
That there should be no schism in the body – Or no division in the body.
But that the members should have the same care one for another - Should care for the same thing; should equally regard the interests of all.
1 Corinthians 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer – If you have a headache it affects your entire body's function.
All the members suffer with it – Emphasis on the previous statement.
Or one member be honoured – Or strong.
All the members rejoice with it – All members draw strength from that honoured or strong member.
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
We now switch to the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. You are, as individuals, members of the body of Christ; or each individual is a member of that body.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
We now should understand the hierarchy of the church. The body of God is not a physical church but rather all of mankind who walk in the light of God who are saved and are saints of the living GOD. If you are part of Gods spiritual body God has a function for you to perform. Whatever your role is it is as much of importance as the next one.
In the spiritual body of Christ you have apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues, wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, discerning of spirits.
Helps are ropes, cables, stays, or chains, for the purpose of securing an item. These individuals who would have the gift of helps would be the anchors of the church or body of Christ, and help secure those who are weaker and need to be stabled in the faith.
All parts of the body of GOD are needed to perform the function in which God has ordained. If ANY part of the above requirements are missing it grossly affects the body of Christ. As in the physical body if you were missing one part of your body it would affect your whole body even to death. If you were to lose your heart you could not sustain life.
The spiritual body of Jesus Christ is no different.
The physical Church should follow the spiritual body. The church should be based on the same characteristics. It should have people who are apostles, prophets, teachers, perform miracles, have gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues, wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, discerning of spirits.
If any of these parts are missing it greatly affects the effectiveness of the churches function. If the church were missing multiple parts it could become as dead.
1 Corinthians 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1 Corinthians 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
** Note all references are taken from the King James Version.


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Anushka Sharma, cinema's favourite muse, graces the cover of L'Officiel Magazine's July/August 2011 issue. Checkout these photos below..
Click on the thumbnails to see full-size images
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[…] have already seen Anushka Sharma classy look in L'Officiel Magazine, her bikini avatar in GQ magazine and her fashion diva looks in Grazia Magazine. Now […]

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For his courage, exceptional literary writing style with unimaginable depth and breath of reasoning; for his thoroughness and forthrightness at the upper bench, thereby symbolising judicial excellence; and for his decades of selfless service to the nation and immeasurable contributions to the judiciary, government and people of Nigeria, Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, GCON, is the Bar and Bench Watch Icon for the week
Born in Zaria on June 12, 1936 to the family of Mallam Abdullahi Uwaisu and Hajiya Hajara Uwaisu, the young Uwais began his primary education at the Native Authority Elementary School, Kaduna and later at Tudun Wada Elementary School where he had the likes of the late Alhaji Rilwan Lukman, a former Minister of Petroleum as classmates.
He was in 1950 admitted to Zaria Middle School. He spent just two years there before he proceeded in 1952 to Barewa College, where he was a classmate and housemate of the late General Murtala Muhammed, a former Head of State.
While at Barewa College, Zaria, he used to secure vacation jobs with establishments such as Paterson Zochonis Ltd (PZ), the Veterinary Department of Zaria Native Authority and the United African Company Ltd (UAC).
The salaries he earned from those establishments made him to be one of the "big boys" in his class in those days.
It was during his years at the college that he developed interest in reading Law as he was inspired by the law practice activities of such lawyers like the late Mr Noel Grey , who then lived and practised in Kano, Mr Beckley ,who later became a judge of Lagos State High Court, the late Mr Sawyer ,who then lived and practised in Lokoja as well as Alhaji A.G.F. Razak (SAN) who was the first indigenous lawyer from the Northern Nigeria.
When he completed his secondary education in 1957, he applied for the Northern Nigeria Government Scholarship to study Law in U.K. He was invited in 1958 for the interview but the invitation got to him late and he missed it. As a result of this, he resigned his appointment as Accounts Clerk with the Nigerian Tobacco Company to join the civil service as Publicity Assistant in the Ministry of Information, Kaduna in 1959.
His experience in the said Ministry later assisted him greatly when he served as the Editor of Law Reports of Northern States of Nigeria between 1974 and 1978.
Justice Uwais later attended the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University from where along with other of his colleagues left for England where they were called to the English Bar and thereafter enrolled at Nigerian Bar on 17th January, 1964.
Some of his colleagues who studied in England with him were Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi, a former President of the Court of Appeal, late Hon. Justice Shehu Usman Mohammed, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, late Justice Umaru Maidamma, a former Justice of the Court of Appeal, late Hon. Justice Anthony Aina Ekundayo, a Judge of Kwara State High Court and late Justice Adamu Minjibir, a Judge of Kano State High Court.
He was later posted to the Ministry of Justice of the Northern Nigeria as a Pupil State Counsel from where he rose through the rank to eventually become the Solicitor –General and Permanent Secretary of the North-Central.
His lordship was elevated to the Bench as Acting Judge of the High Courts of North Central, Benue –Plateau and North Eastern States of Nigeria in 1973 and he became substantive Judge the following year.
He later acted briefly as the Chief Judge of Kaduna State in 1976 and on 1st January 1977 was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal along with others including Hon. Justice Mustapha Akanbi who eventually retired as the President of that court.
Hon. Justice Uwais was at the Court of Appeal till August 1979 when he was elevated to the Supreme Court together with Hon. Justice Augustine Nnamani of blessed memory.
Hon. Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais sat on the Supreme Court Bench for 27 years out of which he presided over the court as the Chief Justice of Nigeria for 11 years.
As at today, no justice of that court has spent close to three decades on that apex court bench in Nigeria.
He was the first Chief Justice of Nigeria to retire at the age of 70.
During his stay in the court he served under 5 Chief Justices of Nigeria (CJN) who were: Hon. Justice Darnley Alexander, Hon. Justice Atanda Fatayi –Williams, Hon Justice George Sodeinde Sowemimo, Hon. Justice Ayo Gabriel Irikefe and Hon. Justice Mohammed Bello, all now of blessed memories.
Before retiring from the Supreme Court Bench, Justice Uwais worked with not less than 54 Justices of the court.
On June 12, 2006 when he was retiring as justice of the Supreme Court for clocking the mandatory retirement age of 70 years, fiery Lagos lawyer and indefatigable human rights activist, late Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) of blessed memory known for saying things the way they were described Uwais thus: "Justice Uwais, CJN conducts himself with decorum when he is presiding in the Supreme Court. He exudes the lustre and aura of the mastery of proceeding and has complete control of the court.
"Though firm, he does not intimidate counsel however young at the Bar. He gives respect to every counsel and patiently allows each one to present his or her argument without inhibition, browbeating or intimidation.
"The National Judicial Council under his leadership has been effective in fighting corruption on the Bench. In conclusion, no other Chief Justice of Nigeria had achieved these feats."
After retiring from the Supreme Court, Uwais chaired a panel on electoral reform that submitted a report on 11 December 2008 with recommendations that included establishing commissions to deal with Electoral Offences, Constituency Delimitation and Political Parties Registration and Regulation.
Some of the powers vested in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the State Independent Electoral Commissions would be transferred to the new commissions.
The committee recommended proportional representation in elections to the Federal and State legislatures and to the local government councils. The report also recommended that the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission should be appointed by the judiciary rather than the President. This recommendation was rejected by President Umaru Yar'Adua.
Yar'Adua forwarded a modified version of the Uwais report to the legislature in 2009, drawing considerable criticism since many felt that recent elections had been deeply flawed and that basic reforms were required.
In March 2010, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan forwarded an unedited version of the report to the National Assembly for approval, by implication saying that the recommendations should be implemented in their entirety before the 2011 national elections.
The issue of power to appoint the INEC head remained controversial. Before Jonathan had resubmitted the report, the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution had rejected the recommendation to transfer this power to the judiciary.
After the resubmission, deputy chief whip of the Senate, Mohammed Mana, argued that letting judiciary appoint the INEC chairman violated the principle of separation of powers, since the judiciary was responsible for hearing the cases arising from elections.


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I'm a firm believer public libraries are community builders. It's why I believe play time at the end of storytime is a fantastic service as it allows caregivers time to not only put into action all of the things we just learned in storytime, but also the opportunity to meet and and talk with other caregivers.
So when I read Marge's post on Tiny Tips for Library Fun and then Amy's post on The Show Me Librarian, I knew I wanted to do it here.
We decided to do it in January-a daring move on our part given we're in west Michigan and the weather can be a bit tricky with the whole lake effect snow issue-as January is one of those months where everything is just so….January. The holidays are over. Schools are back in session. We have months of snow and cold ahead of us.
We got oh so lucky. The previous weekend we had subzero temperatures. This upcoming weekend is looking like a storm is a-brewing. This past Saturday night was clear and unseasonably warm and by "warm" I mean we were hovering around 32 degrees. Heat wave! We did not require registration for this program (which probably was the reason I went into pure freakout mode Saturday during the day, but more on that later) but instead put out detailed "instructions." Bring blankets, flashlights and whatever else you'd like to build your fort in the library! The program starts at 5:45pm so please be on time as the doors will be locked at 6pm. Meet in the auditorium. This is a family event so all ages are welcome!
Here's how it went down:
At 5:30pm, we stationed someone at the door to direct people to head down to the basement to start. I thought this might be the trickiest part given the Children's Department is on the top floor and everyone would be lugging their fort-making materials all over the building, but everyone was very understanding. We explained we needed everyone participating in the program to meet in one place so staff could clear the building at closing. Not surprisingly, there was a bit of excitement over being in the library after we were closed!
5:45: Hand out s'mores and rules. We had advertised we would be serving "s'mores" and one member of the team had taken this very seriously by taste-testing a whole bunch of different options. She landed on Honey Maid Grahamful S'mores which came individually wrapped and were perfect. We asked everyone to eat their s'mores in the auditorium as we wanted to keep our books from getting sticky. As far as rules go? We pretty much said everything in the department was fair game for making forts. We had rubber coated wire clips available to help with fort making. We laid out the time line: 6:10 we head upstairs, 6:30 we make an announcement that reading time starts, 6:50 we make an announcement to start cleaning up. We did allow people to check out (yay for self-check machines!), but were not able to issue new library cards or accept cash for fines. I read "Moo" by David LaRochelle and my team member, Anne, brilliantly read "The Book With No Pictures" by B.J. Novak. And we were OFF.
6:10-6:30: Fort making! It was so much fun to watch families work together to put up their forts. Staff took turns with the camera and getting release forms for pictures. We had one family who hadn't brought fort making stuff and we were about to hand him some fabric we had stashed in the staff area when he came back up to the desk and said another family had offered to "share" their fort with them. I almost got a little teary-eyed. Community building!
6:30: Reading time! This is what it's all about! Families reading stories together all over the department!
6:50: Announcement that it's time to clean up!
We decided to stand at the door to say goodbye to everyone and I can't believe how amazingly positive the feedback was. "Please do this again! WE didn't have anything else to do on a Saturday night, but I bet YOU did so thank you for providing this program! Please do this again! Please do this again!"
So…yeah…we're going to do it again.
We learned a lot. First of all, I had no reason to freak out. I had the day off Saturday until the program and I was a crazy person on my phone texting my coworker. I even knew my anxiety had taken over and I needed to stop, but I just couldn't help myself. No freaking out next time! We could have used 4 times as many clips to help with fort building. We will definitely shut off some of the lights next time or have a "dark area" and a "light area" for those with little ones who might get a little nervous in the dark. I'd like to make it a Register for a Library Card program next time which will mean additional staff from the adult services department. Or I'd like to have library cards as their "ticket" into the event with a library card drive leading up to the event.
All in all? It's a fantastic program. We had 140 people in attendance and about 34 forts were made in the department. And outside of the s'mores and staff time? This program cost ZERO dollars.
Let me repeat that: This.program.cost.ZERO.DOLLARS.
Do it, friends. Just do it.


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Soccer Madness
I don't care for soccer. Not a single shred in my body cares for it. If soccer would disappear from the crust of the earth today, I wouldn't miss it. But others would.
Eighty-thousand soccer fans trekked yesterday to the Museumplein in Amsterdam to join in the celebrations for the thirtieth national title of the Ajax team.
My nephew had assured me that FC Twente would win, so I had deluded myself into looking forward to a quiet Sunday afternoon and evening.
Ajax is the only publicly listed company and its shares went up 8% today. Television executives are elated about yesterday's ratings for the match itself and for programs around the honors ceremony on the Museumplein afterwards.
The City of Amsterdam reports that it is pleased, because "Nobody got seriously hurt." This, in spite of dozens of people being hurt in minor ways squashed by the crowds, the need to set up an emergency hospital behind the stage, ambulances delayed by berserk crowds and racial slurs toward the Jewish people persisting, even during the honors ceremony. Sixty-two people were arrested for violent behavior and vandalism.
Amsterdam is happy.
Money speaks.
The majority speaks.


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Female refugees turn to Suicide and drug to escape agonizing camp life
By Qaabata Boru – firstname.lastname@example.com, July 2019
Decreases in the number of resettlement places available and a cut in food rations have led to growing levels of suicide, drug abuse and alcoholism as a coping mechanism among female refugees in Kakuma refugee camp, northwest Kenya, a home for more than 88,000 women from different East and central African countries, who've escaped war or civil strife. (more…)
Letter from the Editor
Dear KANERE readers,
It's been many months without publication from us and this has been due to continued challenges over material support but we are back on reporting again.
Every time a new edition is out, it's an anticipation for the voiceless camp resident. This is the thing we do, to provide uncensored stories and counter humanitarian propaganda on many issues surrounding refugee protection, by reporting facts or exposing some of the failures in the refugee operation.
In this edition, we bring diverse stories from across the camps but limited to a more critical coverage of the news items that don't get reported in other media outlets.
There are stories as from late July where a refugee woman and her son died in a planned fire incident in the camp following a failure in the protection mechanism by the camp authority.
A story where a refugee child died in an aggressive road accident that involved a speeding humanitarian vehicle within the camp settlement vicinity was heartbreaking to many.
Additionally, a new way of census taking was launched by UNHCR through the Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS). The process emerged with new techniques and sophisticated software machines that record fingerprints and iris scanning of refugees.
And yet, KANERE met with a group of artist volunteers from Clowns Without Borders while they were bringing too much fun to school going refugee children in the camp. Our reporters followed them to their shows and interviewed the artists on why they came to Kakuma, and included their narrative in this edition.
A story on Kakuma's fraud cases and a few others are lined up for you. Stay tuned until the next issue of KANERE for more vibrant coverage in the new year.
We would like to welcome your opinions and expert contributions by writing to us at – firstname.lastname@example.com
The KANERE Editorial Board and the team, wish you a happy new year 2017.
Qaabata Boru
Editorial Executive – KANERE
I Hate My Tribe
By Addisu
A tribe is a group of people, often who live together sharing the same language, culture and history, especially those who do not live in towns or cities. (Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edn.)
According to me, in relation to modernization and social integration of global society, tribal sentiment is a backward idea that can vanish in the process of civilization.
Look at the above definition of tribe which says "Tribe is … those who do not live in towns or cities." For those who live in rural villages in their tribe, their tribe matters a lot than – their nationhood – because their tribe is their world. It would be an amazing question to a 'White Man' (a European or North American) if you ask them what is their tribe. This is not because they never had a tribe but they passed the tribal stage of human evolution and abandoned their tribe long, long ago through civilization and urbanization to the extent that this question surprises them. Today, they (western civilized societies) do not have a tribe but a race of civilized people, and that is where the global society is heading to.
Civilization coupled with digital technology has speeded up the global social integration of peoples of different cultures. We are a global community who share languages, cultures, values, etc.
If we look at the origin of conflicts especially in Africa, they often have an ethnic dimension and are deeply rooted in tribal divisions. The decades-long conflict in South Sudan is one good example.
Tribalism is a precursor of racism; and a tribalist is a racist in a broader view. If we are tribalist, why should we blame others for being racist?
If we use our tribe to discriminate against, marginalize, and/or to promote hatred against others who are not our tribesmen, then do not ask me my tribe. I HATE MY TRIBE.
Community Talking Point: Introduction of Bamba Chakula
KANERE talks to beneficiaries of food aid in Kakuma: (more…)
New approach to refugee camps
By Kathleen Agena – firstname.lastname@example.com
This tragic scenario can be avoided if a more realistic approach to the refugee crisis is adopted. (more…)
Letter from the Editor December 2014
It's been a couple of months since our last edition, but we are back to reporting with a few but critical items of coverage on Kakuma.
Kakuma has had very negative happenings in the recent months and there's been no easy solutions to such. It was devastating, it was sad when communal violence erupted like a volcano between the ethnic communities, mainly the Dinkas and Nuers of South Sudan, before escalating to other nationalities. It was ugly and unprecedented killings that took place in this camp. More than twenty people were killed, hundreds injured and thousands displaced. We have included an in-depth story that features the murders and unfolding of the violence.
It seems to be the nature of Kakuma to be a place which is full of problems! The environmental problem is added to manmade problems, to cause underlying poverty made worse by other natural phenomena. On Friday, 21 November, at least three refugees died as a result of floods in the camp. The heavy downpour destroyed a dozen houses made of loose soil exposing refugees to hazardous weather conditions, while some refugees who died in the flood were not been identified.
There has been a cut in rations for nearly two months now. It is a nightmare for thousands of the camp residents who have no other option for staying alive. It's irrational, when you warehouse people for decades, controlling their movements and nurturing them to fully depend on aid. And yet eventually, as if you're wakened from a deep sleep you happen not to have any food in the store for them! Refugees view the ongoing hunger as a gross failure of accountability in providing food as a basic human right that every human being is entitled to by UN – World Food Program.
Quite simply, this is the impact of warehousing! There are speculations that the next catastrophe would be the lack of life saving drugs in the refugee hospital. Anyone could guess what would happen in such a scenario! Yet, every year, the camp has received unknown billions of aid dollars that were never disclosed to the beneficiaries. There are many theories about the game of the aid industry both from the refugees and the international community, because the principles on paper contradict the facts and reality on refugee protection on the ground.
In spite of less emphasis than usual, the sixteen days of gender activism were 'celebrated' by several humanitarian NGOs in supporting the campaigns to shed light on gender based violence and children's rights. In commemoration of these major days that were observed internationally, a story on the refugees living with disability, with their first hand views is included in this edition.
As we would strive hard to report in the new year, we are asking our readers to take action on each story by creating publicity on the refugees' situation and supporting the work of KANERE from within the camp.
We are looking forward to your comments, suggestions and article contribution to a free press. We would like to consider well balanced, informative stories with value on refugee affairs.
KANERE's editorial would like to wish you happy holidays and Merry Christmas!
Qaabata Boru
The editor
Open Letter to the UNHCR Office
Friday, April 18, 2014
To the Office of UN – High Commissioner for Refugees, Switzerland, Geneva.
Subject: Arbitrary arrest and deportation of refugees in Nairobi (more…)
Rights Violation Under Warehousing – By Brett Shadle
Do refugees have the right to know about the impacts of decision making on their futures, lives as they live in limbo? (more…)
Perceptions of Aid Organizations in Kakuma Refugee Camp
By Michele James-Deramo, Virginia Tech
Introduction: Uncovering Voice
In the book What is the What? author David Eggers gives voice to Valentino Achak Deng, who escaped violence in his village of Marial Bai and joined the walking boys in a journey from the southern Sudan, to asylum in Ethiopia and Kenya, and eventually to third country resettlement in the United States. The novelized memoir, written as a litany that moves between the challenges of his new life in the United States and the perils of displacement, flight and encampment, serves to also bring the reader into places remote and foreign to Westerners: specifically, the refugee camp. Much of Valentino's formative years were spent in camps — first at Pinyudo, a makeshift camp along the Gilo River in Ethiopia and later at Kakuma, a UNHCR site where he was officially registered as a refugee. (more…)
Opinion: Being a Refugee in Mind and Life
Being a refugee is not an easy matter; it exerts strong impact on different aspects of life and mental peace. (more…)
Community Talking Point: What do you think of government involvement in camp life?
What do you think of the Kenyan Government involvement in management of the camp, the security situation, decision-making bodies, and refugee feedback mechanisms? (more…)


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Christmas is Coming!
With Christmas just over 1 week away we are encouraging everyone to pre-order Cheese, Meats, Pies, or Quiches that they will need over the Christmas period.
Please download our Christmas order forms and submit your order by the 18th December.
Click Here: Cloughs_Xmas_Order
Merry Christmas from all at Clough's.


text:
Phone: 303-824-3120
Email: Juli E. Lapin ›
Download vCard: Juli E. Lapin.vcf
Print Friendly: Juli E. Lapin
As a member of RWO's employment practice group, Juli E. Lapin advises local and regional businesses in the complexities of employment law. She develops policies and practices that fit their business needs, protect them from potential claims, and are fair to their employees. Juli also represents employers and employees in negotiating executive contracts, evaluating separation agreements and covenants not to compete. She counsels individuals and companies regarding employment-related claims, such as discrimination, harassment, and wrongful discharge. As an advocate Juli represents clients in agency hearings, court proceedings, and in appeals. Her representation of both employers and employees allows her to look at legal issues from all sides and give balanced advice and representation to her clients.
Juli is also a member of the Firm's litigation and real estate practice groups. She represents individuals and entities in real estate transactions, commercial real estate, property development, and commercial disputes.
As a third-generation Coloradan, Juli has strong ties to the Denver Community. After law school, Juli clerked for Judge Robert H. McWilliams of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She then joined a large Denver law firm where she was a senior shareholder for many years. Juli left that firm to serve as division counsel for a national homebuilder for several years, then co-owned and operated a small litigation firm. In July 2016, Juli joined Robinson Waters & O'Dorisio.
These experiences as well as her committed service to non-profit organizations contribute to Juli's unique skills.


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Beira, Mozambique
Emergency Care Teaching Visit November 2012
Planning for the next trip is well under way. We are currently in the process of choosing faculty to join us.
Dates: 10th - 25th November 2012
We will be taking an expanded faculty this year and invite applicants with an interest in teaching and experiencing emergency care in Africa.
Application Criteria:
Medical Faculty
|ATLS Provider
|ATLS Instructor
|Teaching experience
|Other Resuscitation courses Provider or Instructor
|Emergency or Critical Care experience
|Portuguese language
Nursing / Paramedic Faculty
|Emergency or Critical Care experience
|ATLS Observer
|Teaching experience or interest
|Other Resuscitation courses Provider or Instructor
|Portuguese language
|Organisational skills
click here: More Information new
click here: Application Form (pdf and doc)
EMERGENCY ULTRASOUND UK - Mozambique Course
November 2011
November 2010
Cramped conditions in Beira Central Hospital


text:
Rate Me on BlogHop.com!
« January 2007 |
| March 2007 »
Daryl Cagle's cartoon borrowed without permission from his Professional Cartoonists Index.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at 02:44 AM | Permalink
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Bush, cartoon, Gore, humor, Oscars
While there are a few cuties on American Idol this season, it should probably come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that my favorite contestant to look at is 22 year old AJ Tabaldo. Tabaldo is by his own admission an ethnic mutt, part Filipino and Portuguese with Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese. I think he is adorable.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 09:42 PM | Permalink
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AJ Tabaldo, American Idol
This is sort of a re-run or best of from my blog. I think I might feature some of these from the past three to four years of blogging. This one is from my original blog back on rediffblogs.com (hence this one is the NEW Gays of our Lives). Some of the things are still relevant, some are not. But the sentiment remains the same.Thursday, September 25, 2003
yesterday's blog was just a bit too damned long and even more damned
depressing. I will try to stay brief and upbeat today... but I ain't
making any promises. In any event, all the talk about change got me to
mulling over some of the things I miss, not in a depressing way
but in a fond and reminiscent way. Like for instance, I miss being
young at back-to-school time. I miss shopping with my mom for school
supplies - pens and pencils, book bags, lunch boxes (the cool ones with
the thermos), the Crayola 64 pack of crayons (complete with built-in
crayon sharpener), folders and the rest of the required items for
matriculating at St. Edward's. Our family also used to make its annual
fall pilgrimage to Reading, PA,
which was a factory outlet capital of sorts, to shop for school
clothes. There we would stop by Moss Street and Vanity Fair, which
housed the Lee factory outlet. I hated our stops here however. My mom,
without fail, would manage to find some bargain basement pricing on Lee
jeans for me that she just could not pass up. I hated Lee jeans. Nobody
else at school wore Lee jeans. During that period of time, kids either
wore Levis, Wranglers or Jordache. There were only two kinds of jeans
that were less cool than Lee... JC Penny Plain Pockets and Sear's Rough
Riders. I remember one particular shopping trip where my mom found the most hideous plaid sports coat, which because of it's deeply discounted price she insisted was a must have. Damn, what were you thinking Mom?
Speaking of Sear's, another thing I miss is the utter sense of joy I would feel when the Sear's Christmas Wish Book
would arrive at the house. I would spend hours, paging through the Wish
Book. I would so seriously ponder my own personal Christmas wish list,
which would be neatly written on theme paper, in my best penmanship,
complete with the corresponding page number where the item appeared in
the Wish Book. I would do all of the leg work for my parents (short of
paying for it, of course), going as far as providing the item number,
size, color and any other pertinent information. Yet amazingly, they
must have failed to forward the information on to Santa Claus each
year, because I almost never got anything
on my Christmas wish list. Not that I didn't get some great gifts. I
cannot forget when I got my first cassette recorder along with a Tony Orlando & Dawn and a Dusty Springfield
cassette. I remember hitting my sister Angela with that cassette
recorder sometime later. I also remember playing "Tie a Yellow Ribbon",
"Knock Three Times", "Son of a Preacher Man" and the "Windmills of my
Mind" to death.
Another thing I miss, is going to the Hegins Pigeon Shoot
each Labor Day Weekend with my father, grandfather and sisters. OK, the
thought of a pigeon shoot is mildly repulsive now (only mildly, I hate
the winged rats), but at the time it seemed harmless (except to the
pigeons, I guess). But the real highlight was coming home and smelling
the chili sauce, stewed tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and green tomato
relish, which my mom always canned while we were gone. The smell of the
tomatoes cooking and the seasonings would permeate the whole house. It
is truly one of my favorite fall time memories.
Smells seem to
play a big role in my memories. Another smell I miss is the smell of
freshly baked bread from Yoch's bakery, which was a big commercial
bakery that was located a block from my house. The smell was fantastic!
I am sometimes reminded of the smell, when my BF [now ex-BF] and I are walking
around in his neighborhood on the UES. There is a bakery there, called Yura,
and the smell is heavenly. Anyway, I digress. My Uncle Albert worked at
Yoch's for many years and would sometimes smuggle me and a few friends
in for a tour of the bakery, complete with a stop in the icing room. He
would give us a donut or a cake and let us put the icing of our choice
on it, always in copious quantities. It was so sweet and so good, but
always led to an upset tummy.
Not all of the things I miss and think about often are from my childhood. For instance, I miss the view out of my living room window
in Millis, MA. I miss seeing the big tree in the yard and the horse
farm across the street. I miss being able to walk down the road to
Tangerini's farm for a fruit smoothie or homemade ice cream. I miss
sitting on the picnic table, eating said fruit smoothie or ice cream
while looking out over the farm. I miss gardening in my yard. I miss napping in my big, comfortable, over-sized chair in my living room. I miss Karen. I miss her as a friend; a roommate; as a constant companion; as a co-host of dinner parties with friends; as a person to watch and enjoy TV with at night; as someone to laugh and joke with; as someone to eat dinner with; as a travel partner;
as someone to share my problems with and share in hers; as someone to
take long roadtrips with on the weekends to nowhere in particular. In
general, I miss the best friend I ever had.
I miss the
relationship I had with my family before I came out. While things have
improved, they are still not, nor will they probably ever be, the same.
That makes me sad. At 37 years old, now is when my relationship with my
family should be at its strongest. My parents are aging, as am I. My
relationship with them has been tarnished by my coming out of the
closet. I know I should not beat myself up about it. I know I did what
I had to do for myself. It still hurts though. I miss my mom's cooking.
I miss talking with her like we used to. I miss being the only "normal"
kid in the family. I miss late night TV and chat sessions with her. I
miss hanging with the old man on weekends. I miss my sisters and my
nieces and nephews.
I miss my grandfather Buggy.
I miss my friend Chris.
I miss my old SallieMae and Honeywell friends.
I miss working in an office with people.
I miss my fraternity brothers, Kaz and Zog, and the times we used to spend together.
I miss going to Pittsburgh Panther football games.
the oddest thing is that I think I also miss some things that I never
experienced or that I only rarely experienced. I miss being touched,
like I was genuinely desired and wanted and found to be attractive. I
miss being popular. I miss being really and truly happy. I miss feeling
innocent. I miss the early adult years of my life being completely
comfortable with myself. I miss feeling like I have a purpose and am
making an impact. But you know what? The good thing is that it is not
always too late to recapture the things you miss or experience the
things you missed out on... not always, anyway.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 07:41 PM | Permalink
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blogs, memories
Check out this PSA:
Found out about this in an email from The Wedding Party.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 08:44 AM | Permalink
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gay marriage, MTV
In response to Tim Hardaway's idiotic anti-gay ramblings... check out Jimmy Kimmel & George Takei on Tim Hardaway's homophobic rant.
Thanks to Jess for this very funny item.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 01:50 AM | Permalink
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anti-gay, gay, George Takei, humor, Jimmy Kimmel, NBA, Tim Hardaway
Well, whatever it is, I went on one on Saturday. If you had attended, you would have realized that a blarg closely resembled an East Village pub crawl by gay, somewhat bear-ish bloggers... about 40 of them. The event was organized by Joe.My.God and is from what I gather an annual thing. The evening started with my new, very sexy BFF Andrés and I grabbing some Venezuelan arepas at one of my favorites spots in NYC, Caracas.
Then we headed off to meet the already assembled group at Nowhere Bar (former home of Big Lug, now sort of home to Nothing). Not long after we got there the group moved on to Phoenix, a bar I used to go to every now and then on Wednesdays. Once Andrés and I finished our drink, we moved on to meet them there.
When we arrived, we ran into fellow rugby alum Byrne and someone who claims he has showed me his penis but I was too drunk to remember (if I had a nickle for every time I heard that, I'd have... well, less than a dollar... LOL).
Soon the crowd was off to Dick's, a spot that I have not surprisingly never been to before. It was there that Jorge and Juan caught up with us. We also caught up with Paul and Damian of Big Lug's "Gut" Thursday fame. On the way out of Dick's, we ran into Eric and his sexy friend.
With some arm twisting, I convinced Andrés to continue on with us to Big Lug before wussing out. I hear the place has a sexy, cute and available doorman who works there on Friday nights (tell all your cute, single Latino friends... LOL).
Andrés bagged after Big Lug, but Jorge and Juan along with a few friends we picked up along the way followed the group onto the Boiler Room, a place I have only been to once and that was almost five years ago.
After the appointed time at the Boiler Room had elapsed, what remained of the group moved on to the Cock (which by the way is now in the Hole). Jorge, Juan and I were reluctant to pay a $10 cover charge to get into the Cock, so we checked out Urge briefly and then decided that we would rather grab something to eat. So it was off to Moonstruck Diner.
After some chow, we poured into cabs to go our separate ways and I stumbled in the door at 4-something in the morning and ended up sleeping until 12-something Sunday afternoon.
I know I met some other bloggers but don't recall all their names or URLs. All in all though, it was a fun night spent with a nice group of guys. There were lots of funny stories, which I would like to say I won't repeat, but I probably will at some time in the future. Makes me thankful that I passed up on the gay and lesbian karoke pub crawl for this. Thanks to Joe.My.God for organizing it. I am looking forward to the next one.
Some pics... two are mine and one is borrowed, I think from Joe.My.God (I think I remember him taking it):
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 01:38 AM | Permalink
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bars, bears, blogs, gay, NYC
What a fucking jackass!!! Seriously, this guy is a fucking douche bag. If the NBA and its commisioner, David Stern, had any balls whatsoever any association Tim Hardaway could have with the NBA should be over. And if it doesn't, gay men and women and those who hate bigotry should see that the NBA feels the financial impact associated with not condemning this incident in the strongest manner possible. What am I talking about? If you have been living under a rock and don't already know, here is the deal.
On a Miami radio show Wednesday, former Miami Heat basketball star Tim Hardaway was asked how he would interact with a gay teammate. The discussion was sparked by last week's announcement that retired NBA center John Amaechi is gay.
of all, I wouldn't want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know,
really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is
right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in
the locker room."
When the host told Hardaway those comments were "flatly homophobic" and "bigotry," the player continued.
"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
Hardaway also said if he did find out that a teammate was gay, he would ask for the player to be removed from the team.
"Something has to give. If you have 12 other ballplayers in your
locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate."
Later that night, Hardaway apologized during a telephone interview with WSVN-TV in Miami. "Yes, I regret it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said I hate gay people or anything like that," he said. "That was my mistake."
Make sure you not that he is sorry for saying he hates gay people, not for hating them.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Thursday, February 15, 2007 at 11:53 PM | Permalink
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basketball, gay, NBA, slur, Tim Hardaway
From the USA Today:
Of the debate underway in Congress over non-binding resolutions that
oppose his plans in Iraq, the president said "it opposes our new plan
before it has a chance to work." While Congress has the right to debate
the policy, Bush said, it also needs to approve funding that will give
U.S. troops what they need to carry out their missions in Iraq. [emphasis added]
I really don't know what to say. Can he really be that clueless? They oppose it because they do not believe it will work. Do you really expect them to sit by idly AGAIN and let you pursue a foolish policy based on lies and ignorance? He honestly does not think he needs to listen to anyone... advisers, Congress, allies, diplomats, experts or even the American people. He is damned and determined that he is going to do whatever he feels like doing regardless of whether the American people or they elected representatives oppose it. He thinks he was elected imperial emperor.
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 04:59 PM | Permalink
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Bush, Congress, Iraq, politics
As I have always been fond of the Chicago Bears (though not nearly as much as my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers -- we will miss you Bill) and am not a big fan of the Indianapolis Colts, I am already aboard da' Bears bandwagon this weekend. If I needed another reason to root for da' Bears in Super Bowl XLI, here it is...
Roberto Garza, the 27 year old, 6-2, 305-pound Guard from the Chicago Bears! WOOF! It comes as no surprise to any regular reader of this blog that I have an affinity for Latinos, especially Mexican and Central American men... but this Mexican-American stud takes my breath away. He makes me weak in the knees.
I mean seriously, if he isn't enough reason to watch the game and root for da' Bears, nothing is. Ay papi!
Posted by ruggerjohnnyd on Friday, February 02, 2007 at 07:33 PM | Permalink
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Chicago Bears, football, Roberto Garza, sexy men, Super Bowl XLI


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Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss
What an amazing ride these past three years have been. Here are some photo highlights cause I really can't write about what I am feeling right now.
The first battlefield in the insect wars that raged in my bungalow at Sandema Senior High Technical School. I found a cockroach in my bathing bucket and tried to throw the cockroach outside. I failed and this is the results of my killing the cockroach inside.
Local houses in a small Bulsa village near Sandema, Upper East Region, Ghana
At Lenore's house in Arowora, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana.
My first attempt to make Palm Nut soup brought lots of helpers out of the bushes.
My Nala who's now living in Sandema with my neighbors the Adajagsa's.
Students studying at Sandema Senior High Technical School.
The view from my bungalow at BASCO, Trotor, Eastern Region, Ghana.
The Christmas Pineapple Werner and I decorated at BASCO.
Dancing during Christmas break at BASCO. The kids used plastic gallons for drums and their dinner plates for symbols or bells.
BASCO's dance troupe performing a dance from the Eastern Region in Ghana.
A fishing boat on the shore at Winneba, Central Region, Ghana
The view of Fort St. Jago from St. Georges Castle in Elmina, Central Region, Ghana.
A Mona monkey at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in the Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana.
Polishing hand made beads at the Cedi Bead Factory in the Eastern Region, Ghana.
A scene from the Volta River in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
I hope my traveling days in Ghana are not over and I will ride on of the MMT buses again!
Thank you everyone for following my Peace Corps Journey. Stay tuned to see what's next for the Grandma who went to Ghana.
I have been busy the past few weeks getting ready to go and traveling so I didn't have much time to blog. Over the next few days i'll do some catch up posting so don't mind the weird dates!


text:
1. Public Workshops
During the public workshops, attendees learn of the area's projected future (the Baseline Scenario) and its attendant impacts on transportation, air quality, infrastructure, etc. An educational presentation provides background information on issues to consider. Keypad polling—an interactive wireless survey technology—and on-line polling may be used to gather public input.
Workshop attendees may also engage in a mapping exercise. Through this exercise, groups of approximately ten interested citizens, appointed officials, business owners, and land owners brainstorm their preferred future for the area. Each group uses a map with an air-photo color-coded with information about the area, such as developed land, land uses (commercial, residential, industrial, parks and open space), extent of sensitive lands (e.g., hillsides, floodplains, areas of significant plant life), and key landmarks. On this map, each group negotiates among themselves areas to delineate for growth and for conservation, and they will represent the form they would like growth to take, using chips that represent different types of housing, commercial and mixed-use forms of development, etc. Each table aims to have a microcosm of all the parties interested in the long-term success of the area. Having participants who represent diverse opinions come together to brainstorm a long-term future tends to produce pragmatic yet often innovative solutions.
2. Summarize and Disseminate Results
The workshop mapping results are entered into a GIS system. This enables staff to develop scenarios in a transparent fashion, demonstrating how public responses were incorporated into scenario concepts. This task also involves disseminating through a newsletter the key public ideas gleaned from workshop results. The keypad polling results also shape the development of draft guiding principles as well as give a sense of residents' values towards growth issues.


text:
Training Products
Why AudioSolutionz?
Free Resources
For 12 years in a row, the market for Additive Manufacturing technology has grown at over 30% year over year. With a current market value of over $4.1 Billion the market shows no signs of slowing down.
In this webinar, our expert speaker, Fred Herman, will explain to you what Additive Manufacturing or 3D printing is and how your business can use it profitably, and get answers to the following:
Session Highlights:
Who should attend?
Fred Herman
Fred has over seventeen years of experience in the management and executing of product and material development efforts spanning raw materials, design and development, to manufacturing and product life cycle support in the aerospace and biomedical fields. From these efforts Fred has eight issued and eight pending paten... More info


text:
Employing photography, film, digitally generated imagery, games design and sculpture, Henry Driver's work is totally contemporary in its exploration of the speed at which the digital and virtual worlds are developing and the serious issues and questions that this raises. His aim is to examine and critique the ethics and effects that technology causes. Driver holds an MA in Fine Art and has shown internationally and across the UK, including at Tate Liverpool and Tate Britain, Channels, Melbourne, Ikono on Air Festival, Berlin, and Tele-Visions, Sydney. His videos have been broadcast in nearly forty countries. Recent screenings include Whitechapel Gallery, London and Torreloft, Copenhagen. Combining a variety of mediums such as video, sound, sculpture, CGI, video game design, virtual/augmented reality, programming, animation, installation, photography and live audio/visual performance, his work has been lauded by critics as creating "shifting and shimmering imagery that seduces the eye, the technical virtuosity always in service to his purpose and enwrapping the viewer."
Mimic (2017)
Single channel looping video
Created from a month long residency at St.Mary's Works, Norwich, UK, part of The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Residency Programme.
Photographs of a derelict factory were converted into 3D CGI animations. Through the process of simulation, the software misread and interpreted the information, causing severe glitches and the creation of new hybrid entities. The resultant imagery is neither artificial or real but an in-between state. Driver is intrigued in examining the inaccuracies of simulation and the creation of new hybrid realities incurred. He is interested in these specific replicas and simulations becoming the only evidence of the derelict factory site before it is redeveloped.


text:
A Little Princess
Book Description
A Little Princess was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A Little Princess was published by Frederick Warne.
Book Information
|Frederick Warne
|Hardcover (480 editions)
|Reading Level
|# of Pages
|Publication Date
Read the First Chapter of A Little Princess for Free
The Creators
Frances Hodgson Burnett (Author) : Frances Hodgson Burnett, (November 24, 1849 - October 29, 1924) was an English–American playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden, A Little... more
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View Frances Hodgson Burnett's profile
Reader Comments
Alyssa Rixe
Diana Shepherd said: Read with my daughter, aged 8 yrs! LOVED it.. so beautifully described and written. I often want to read the classics with my daughter but sometimes they can be so hard to read to a small person so that they understand but this was wonderful!
tags: I read
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Ash Lane tagged as: I recommend, Inspired me, I read
Elizabeth Bluemle tagged as: I Read
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text:
Recently, my school's staff newsletter promoted the book Brain–Based Strategies to Reach Every Learner by J. Diane Connell. Unfortunately, the book is a prime example of pseudoscience in the education community. With chapters on "Are You Left-, Right-, or Middle-Brained?," "What Are Multiple Intelligences?," and "Learning Styles," the book nicely illustrates many of the myths that pervade education.
Teachers today are routinely taught to accept these "brain-based" theories as fact and incorporate them into their teaching, even though little evidence exists for them. In fact, some have been entirely debunked, but continue to be accepted as gospel in education circles.
The book will provide fodder for a number of posts, but today, let's start with the left-brained/right-brained myth. Time to do some myth bustin'...
The Myth: It's hard to not be familiar with this one, given the pervasiveness of the left-brained/right-brained myth, but, in a nutshell, there is a popular belief that the two hemispheres of our brain perform very different functions- the left side controls logic and reasoning (educationally, the math and science side), while the right side is creative (educationally, the writing and art side).
Just as some people are right- or left-handed, the myth states that most people tend to have one side of their brains that is more dominant than the other. Proponents of this idea believe that logical and analytical people are left-brain dominant, while creative and artistic types are "right-brained." Of course, just as there are ambidextrous people, most versions of the mythology hold that some people are middle-brained, or balanced.
The Grain of Truth: Like most education myths, there is a grain of truth to be found within the myth. Neurologist Steven Novella summarizes the roots of this myth on his fantastic Science-Based Medicine blog:
It is certainly true that the brain is divided into two hemispheres, right and left. These hemispheres also carry out some different tasks. Specific cognitive abilities localize in one of three basic patterns. They can be bilateral or diffuse, so they do not localize to one hemisphere. Much of what our frontal lobes do, such as attention, are bilaterally redundant in this fashion.
Other abilities localize to both hemispheres for the opposite side. For example, each hemisphere processes vision for the opposite side of the universe.
Still other abilities are localized and lateralize to one hemisphere. For left-hemisphere-dominant people (which is most people) language and math localize to the left hemisphere, while music and visual-spatial processing localize to the right hemisphere. It is this fact which seems to have led to the right brain-left brain idea.
So, there is some kernel of truth underlying the myth. More importantly, up until the 1970's, there was experimental evidence to support this idea. If you want to delve into it, OECD's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) has a great summary of the scientific history behind the myth.
Unfortunately, proponents of the myth seem to be stuck in the 1970's and have not only ignored more recent research on the subject, they have created real problems by trying to overgeneralize brain localization so that it somehow creates specific personalities or learning styles in children (or adults). Let's take a look at the truth.
The Truth: While there are cognitive functions that do localize within one hemisphere of the brain, most high level functions depend on both sides of the brain. For example, while language functions such as vocabulary and literal comprehension localize in the left side of the brain for most people, "higher level" comprehension depends on the right side (where most people localize functions that process emphasis, intonation, sarcasm, and the like. Without both sides, students would not be able to be strong inferential readers.
Interestingly, even the gross generalization of language localization is not accurate. Basic language production and comprehension centers are sometimes located in alternate hemispheres of the brain in different people (particularly in left-handed individuals, but this occurs even between right-handed people as well).
Most importantly, however, that localization that doe occur in no way implies that our overall learning style similarly localizes in one hemisphere. As research has continued past the 1970's and we have been able to gain a significantly greater understanding of brain function, we had found more and more evidence that the hemispheres are highly interconnected. Both hemispheres work together to manage many of of our cognitive functions.
In a 2013 study, for example, neuroscientists analyzed brain scans of more than 1,000 people while they were resting or reading, and broke the brain down into 7,266 regions. While they did find lateralization of brain functions, "left- and right-lateralized hubs formed two separable networks of mutually lateralized regions." The researchers conclude, "lateralization of brain connections appears to be a local rather than global property of brain networks, and our data are not consistent with a whole-brain phenotype of greater 'left-brained' or greater 'right-brained' network strength across individuals."
If none of that convinces you, how about the fact that it is difficult to find ANY neuroscientists or psychological researchers that support the right-brained/left-brained myth? Neurologist Steven Novella's search for researchers still trying to support this myth, came up with exactly one. Unfortunately, a simple Google search for "teaching right-brained students" (or any other variation you choose to come up with) shows how riddled the education community is with this myth.
Simply put, there simply is no scientific support for the idea that teachers should be evaluating kids for brain "sidedness" or trying to teach in any way that incorporates sidedness. Or, as others have summarized it:
"Brain-imaging studies show no evidence of the right hemisphere as a locus of creativity. And the brain recruits both left and right sides for both reading and math." -Scientific American
"It's the foundation of myriad personality assessment tests, self-motivation books and team-building exercises – and it's all bunk." - Christopher Wanjek, in the Bad Medicine column of LiveScience
"Scientists nowadays think that while there are some functional asymmetries, the two brain hemispheres do not work in isolation, but rather together in every cognitive task. In light of this notion, using the conception of hemisphericity to guide and direct educational practice is highly questionable." - CERI
"Over 20 years ago, neuroimaging demonstrated that both sides of the brain are in constant communication, transmitting neural signals from one hemisphere to the other. Although parts of the brain are particularly active during certain memory or learning activities, all brain activities requiring cognition activate neural networks on both sides of the brain. Yet the myth persists." - Neurologist and classroom teacher Judy Willis, MD
What's the Harm? Even if brain sidedness is a myth, what harm does it do for a teacher to use it in his or her practice? After all, does it really hurt to teach students using a variety of approaches that get at the same learning goals from a variety of different strategies? Absolutely not! But, when we misunderstand why we do these things as educators, we open ourselves up to doing them for the wrong reasons and in the wrong situations.
Judy Willis looks at the harm from a couple important angles:
"Consider the financial and socioeconomic costs of commercial products falsely claiming neuroscience proof that all learners need what they offer. The expression 'edu-cash-in' is a reasonable description of people trying to capitalize on unsupported claims about the research behind the design and promised outcome of their books, cure-all learning theories, curriculum packages, and edtech products. Further, the falsehoods that neuromyths perpetuate also make educators skeptical about educational practices that actually have a strong evidence base, adding another layer to the problem."
However, I think the more important harm is in the minds of our students. One of the common prescriptions put forward by proponents of using the myth in classroom instruction is to have students take tests to help them identify the sidedness of their own brain.
Imagine being a second grader and taking a "test" that tells you your brain is good at art, but not at math. Put yourself in the shoes of a small child who is going to grow up thinking that their brain is physically structured to struggle with math, that there is something physically wrong with him that is outside of his control.
Imagine instead, a teacher that understands the complexity and plasticity of the brain. Imagine that same child has a teacher that knows every normally functioning brain is fully capable of becoming a "math brain." And a "reading brain." Oh, and "a creative brain."
Think of the very different futures that child faces just from one exposure to the myth. Ask yourself again, what's the harm?


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Careers Services
The Careers Service works with students to offer tailored advice and guidance on career planning, jobs, CV, interview skills and many more.
Visit the Careers Service site for:
- CV and application advice to get feedback (20 minutes)
- LinkedIn profiles to get feedback (20 minutes)
- Careers guidance appointments to discuss any topic (20 minutes)
- Referred appointments following referral only (45 minutes)
- Practice interviews to practise and get feedback (45 minutes)
Careers staff offer bookable appointments to suit all needs both at the Central Area and King's Buildings, as well as via Skype. They also have a range of information resources available for reference including books and journals covering a range of topics from getting started with career planning through to making applications and interviews


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Genre : Black Metal
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Classic Nordic Second Wave Black Metal with ex-Natterfrost
Warning: Last items in stock!
Availability date: 0000-00-00
Swedish Black Metal combo Elände released in February 2018 its debut album Dödens Rike. The band with ex-Nattefrost live drummer performs classic nordic second wave Black Metal. Recommended for fans of Mayhem, Darkthrone, Bathory...


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Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Going Nuts
On a delightful note, Abby was recently featured in two of our local papers: The Weekly Herald and the Daily Herald (in which she was on the FRONT page!) Here is the link to the Daily Herald's article, in case you're interested:
Sadly, things got a little side-tracked following Saturday's performance. During the fight scene, both Abby and another toy soldier are captured and carried off-stage by a villainous "fighting mouse". Unfortunately, the "fighting mouse" accidentally tripped over the hem of his costume, and both Abby and the other child were dropped.
The other child is fine (thank goodness!), but the mouse landed on Abby's right foot. Hard. (I'm telling you, watching that happen while you're sitting and watching from the audience is the worst.feeling.ever!)
We're not supposed to pick up the kids until intermission, so once the final "snowflake" made her exit and the curtain came down on Act 1, Dean and I were both up and running! After what felt like an eternity (maybe 10 minutes?), the children's backstage coordinator came down to get us.
In the meantime, we'd heard conflicting stories from the various children in her cast who'd repeatedly asked, "Did you see Abby? She got DROPPED!" Some would say that she'd hurt her nose. One said she'd BROKEN her nose! (*Gasp*) Another said "they called the doctor to come!"...oh my!
Turns out, none of that was exactly true. Her nose was fine and there is no "doctor" but rather the company's physical therapist who is backstage to deal with dancer's injuries as they happen. They'd thought it was her nose because apparently Abby had been holding her face in an effort to not cry, or hide her face so others wouldn't see her cry.
Her foot was swollen, bruised and painful to walk on. The physical therapist suggested she get x-rays the following day. (Yikes)
Thankfully, those x-rays revealed no sign of a fracture. Just a lot of swelling, bruising. She's been icing it like crazy and not taking class (which just about kills her, let me tell ya!). And while it's getting better, it still hurts to do things like point or go up on releve`.
However, she's been cleared to perform as she's only "marching", but she'll be icing before/after the show plus getting her foot lightly wrapped prior to going out on stage. Tonight will be her first night "back" (she'd missed Sunday's performance, obviously), which will serve as sort of a "test" to see whether or not she needs more time off. (She's really hoping and praying that that won't be the case.)
{Honestly, they're really not that bad...yet.}
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Life leaves footprints behind, also in teeth. Maybe a toothless space is getting bigger as time goes by or an ancient prosthesis starts giving problems. Implants can return to your dental arches an untouched appearance again. With an individual implant, you can restore the initial situation on an especially elegant manner; as every tooth is replaced individually. If there is an absence of various adjacent teeth; you can also choose a fixed bridge on the implants. Besides the treatment chosen on all the available treatments; your new dental roots will assume the tasks of natural molars on a reliable manner. A made to measure crown or bridge closes any space in a precise and esthetic manner; without any difference compared to your original teeth.
The best solution from all points of view.
The implants are the perfect solution; esthetic, durable and reliable. The natural teeth remain untouched and there is no need to carve them, as it happens with a conventional bridge. In cases were spaces without teeth are situated on the extreme of the arcade (a free extreme); these small high technology implants also are the best solution. The Implants at CLÍNICA FONT d´ EN FARGAS reproduce the design of the natural tooth root. By this, the bone and the gum are loaded and adapt perfectly. Unlike with removable prosthesis; annoying retention hooks are not required.
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A Night on The Streets for Three Xref Execs
Posted by Lee Seymour
With the rapid growth of Xref since launching in 2011, our leaders have had a busy schedule that never seems to waive but they appreciate just how lucky they are for the opportunities they've been given to get the business to where it is today.
With all the speed, excitement, trials and tribulations that come with running a start-up, it can be difficult to find the time to take a step back and appreciate where you really sit in a bigger economic and cultural picture, but one annual event that allows Australian executives to do just that, is the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
The Sleepout was started by business leader Bernard Fhon in 2006, as a local community venture in Sydney's Parramatta. With the help of Vinnies, business associates, volunteers and his family, Bernard held the inaugural event at Sydney Olympic Park. Since 2010, the annual Sleepout has been a national event and 1,368 executives have now taken part. To date, it has raised almost $1.4 million, the majority of the donations being made to executives taking part in Sydney.
This year's Sydney event, taking place on Thursday 22 June, will include three familiar Xref faces:
CEO and co-founder, Lee-Martin Seymour
CTO and co-founder, Tim Griffiths
CFO, James Solomons
To be part of the Xref exec support team and do your bit for the disadvantaged and homeless in Australia, head over and make a donation - Tim, Lee, James and all those involved will be very grateful for your support.
"It's so important to take time out of the business and recognise how lucky we are for the life opportunities we have had. Homelessness is one of the biggest social problems in Australia and it shouldn't just be accepted. The reality is it could be any of us out there one day. Events such as this are critical in ensuring support is there for anyone who needs it."
Executive Director / CTO Tim Griffiths
"We do this for one night a year, for many it's a daily reality. We must not overplay the individual effort required to take part in the Sleepout, but we should celebrate the combined endeavours of Australia's executives in trying to help overcome the issue of homelessness across the country. I'm very proud to be taking part again this year."
Executive Director / CEO Lee-Martin Seymour
"As a dedicated philanthropist, I spend much of my time outside of work helping charities and local community projects. The Vinnies Sleepout is the perfect way for me to combine my professional position and personal passion to support those in need. The event itself is a floodlight for the issue, but supporters' donations are what make the real difference."
CFO / James Solomons
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Michigan State University student Alexsandra Shalayko is filing a lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court against Jimmy John's sandwich restaurant alleging she contracted E.coli from tainted raw clover sprouts on her Turkey Tom sandwich on February 4.
According to the lawsuit, Shalayko began to experience painful gastrointestinal symptoms within 72 hours of eating the sandwich, and was taken to the emergency room on February 10. A CT scan showed she was suffering from severe inflammation of her large intestine, and positive E.coli test results confirmed she was infected. She was admitted to the hospital.
"In America, you don't expect these types of things to happen," Shalayko said in a statement. "When you think of food poisoning, you anticipate some discomfort, but this was far more painful than I could've imagined.
"I feel fortunate to have had the means to seek medical treatment. Others without health insurance that are victims of foodborne illness may not be so lucky," MLive reported.
The lawsuit claims that hundreds of people over the past four years have been sickened with salmonella and E.coli from the raw sprouts Jimmy John's serves. The Centers for Disease Control reported at least 25 people in eight states were sickened by the E. coli outbreak.
The lawsuit seeks at least $25,000 in damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses, emotional distress, pharmaceutical expenses and travel related expenses. The suit also seeks restitution for legal costs and fees.


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Timber feeding trough from China with metal hardware, two handles & decorative coin detail in the base.
Dimensions – w 82cm x h 23cm x d 82cm
Please note that most of our range is vintage, handmade and antique and therefore shows signs of wear and tear, marks, inconsistencies and imperfections. We consider this part of their charm and are not seen as faults or flaws but rather signs of their history and appeal.


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La campaña de bonos de 2019 ha sido un éxito
Visit from University of Baltistan
We've had a very special visit this week: the Vice Chancellor and the Director of Academics of the University of Baltistan, Muhammed Naeem and Zakir Hussain.
Esther Cano en Deia
Deia ha entrevistado a nuestra compañera Esther Cano.
Learning how to repair sewing machines in the Hushe Valley.
Four women from the Hushe Valley have been attending a course on sewing machine repairing.The course has been given by a man with the necessary knowledge.today, thanks to the learning process, these four women are capable of dealing with the problems that may come up during this activity.
From the Hushe Valley to Oñati.
Basharat Ali, a young man from the Hushe Valley has moved to the Basque Country in order to do a Master on Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Mondragon University Campus in Oñati.
The school year in the Hushe valley has begun. Like every year, the classrooms in the 10 primary schools in the valley open their doors at the same time the apricot trees begin to bloom
After the trip to the Hunza Valley, women gain new spaces.
After the trip to the Hunza Valley, 5 new economic projects have emerged in the Hushe Valley, drun exclusively by women.
Vouchers campaign 2018.
Immersed in the vouchers campaign to ensure the 2018 school year, we can announce that we have received more than € 16,000 as of today.
Women tour form Hushe Valley to Gilgit and Hunza.
Shamshair Alí, coordinator of Felix Foundation Baltistan sent us an email telling about the trip that 25 women from Huhse Valley did to Gilgit and Hunza Valley. The objective of the tour was to know experiences of women who have created their own enterprises and business in Gilgit and Hunza Valley and take these good ideas to Hushe Valley.
Trip to Baltistan 2017
Summary of the trip made by the team of volunteers and workers of the Baltistan Foundation to the Hushe Valley and Baltistan.
Little Karim has been hopitalized.
We have found out on the Felix Foundation Baltistan website that the legendary carrier Abdul Karim (Little Karim) has been hospitalized in Skardu.
The solidary children of the Albiztur School.
The children at Albiztur school have been working in their vegetable garden in order to sell their produce in the solidarity market and thus support schooling in the Hushe Valley.
Provisional balance of the bond campaign.
22,240€ have been raised from November to January 21. 50€ guarantees access to schooling for one girl during the school year.
We received an email from Islamabad.
The email puts value on the work done by the Foundation in the Hushe Valley. That's why we publish it.
Generous aid from the Probitas Foundation of Cataluña, a push for the health project.
The Probitas Foundation of Cataluña has given us generous economic aid for the consolidation for the actions to be developed in the area of health. We must remember that the health project is one the central concepts of our strategic Plan.
Grants for female students in Hushe Valley.
With the support of Baltistan Fundazioa, the Felix Foundation Baltistan has been promoting girls for higher education studies
Temporary closure of voucher campaign
With the recent beginning of the 2016 school year in the Hushe Valley, it is time to evaluate the voucher campaign.
Evaluation of the Other Views series.
Samina Baig´s confered in the Recalde Room.
Samina Baig gave a wonderful conference in the Rekalde Room accompanied by a power point presentation.


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Unless one is born into an interracial family, most of us can remember the first occasions when we mingled with others outside of our race. I had no significant experience with non-black people until my college years. Of course, there were casual exchanges during my childhood and teenage years with teachers, a few camp counselors, the occasional store clerks, banking staff and other professionals. But there were no ongoing relationships where we got to know each other, exchanged personal information, or swapped funny stories. My first real introduction to the cultural world of American whites happened via television programming.
I was a mere adolescent the first time I saw The Godfather — I've lost count of how many dozens of times I've seen it since — and to this day it remains one of my all time, favorite movies. Pictured is the scene where Michael, played by Al Pacino, says to his brother, I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart! These uttered lines referenced Fredo's betrayal because he had fingered Michael for an assassination attempt on Michael's life by a competing mafia family. In other words, Fredo sold his brother out. Even as a twelve year old, I knew that was one of the most powerful and intense scenes in the whole movie.
Why was a youngster like me watching a movie as violent The Godfather? Well, I was what was known back then as a latchkey kid. Both parents worked so I wore a key on a string around my neck like a necklace, and as the oldest of three, I let us all into our apartment every day after school, taking care of snacks and warming up dinner pre-cooked by our mother the night before.
Television was our babysitter, not only during afterschool hours, but at night and on weekends too. Other than special occasions like birthdays and holidays or if one of us got into trouble at school, our parents weren't the type to engage us in discussions. They didn't know how to do that— having extended conversations with their children, asking about days at school, sharing parental wisdom during teachable moments or having conversations with us during dinner. Our family life wasn't like that. Verbal abuse and violent beatings, these were the tools used to parent in our household.
Despite growing up in a somewhat ethnically mixed community, made up of Jewish, Italian and Latino families, the majority of my neighbors and schoolmates were black. Thanks to The Godfather, Italians were the first group of white people I ever fell in love with, although some Italians might bristle at the thought of such a movie being perceived as an accurate depiction of their culture. Nevertheless, I became enamored of Italians because of The Godfather. The movie oriented me to a fierce and loyal kind of family love which, in my adolescence, I knew nothing about. Ok, yes it also introduced me to violent underpinnings which grew an illegal empire in a fictitious mafia family, but given my orientation to the world at the hands of abusive parents, the lure of the movie made sense.
I thrilled at watching television outlaws shoot people, raining down their fury in bullet hails, trashing cars, trashing merchandise, even buildings and their contents, punching, kicking and beating the crap out of anyone who crossed them. And if my parents were among the numerous Americans who happen to be law-abiding,— an image they worked hard to project in their outer lives — all the more reason for a kid like me to love a movie like The Godfather.
Then the inevitable happened: I grew up. And by growing up I'm not talking about turning eighteen or turning twenty-one. I mean over time I began to notice happenings in the American culture which I had failed to notice as a young person coming of age in a fairly homogenous minority suburb. Racially charged incidents were often unfolding, appearing as news stories on television, although I had yet to know anyone in such circumstances. I saw the people in news stories as strangers unconnected to my life. Even as my social network grew wider, I was so busy drinking, I kept failing to notice the racial tensions and its potential ripple in my direction.
Sure, I encountered the occasional bigotry of random white strangers, but they were so far and few between, and my active alcoholism was still so soothing — crashing and burning hadn't befell me yet — I tuned it out, I had problems closer to home to deal with. I was an alcoholic in a bad marriage raising two kids. For years I blithely ignored the pervasive and growing racial tensions across our country, even in my initial years of sobriety. Because by now, during the college years, I had already been introduced to the black struggle movement. I had eagerly embraced the knowledge, tried to keep up with the positions of a few radical friends. But once college was done, motherhood and family life quickly took it's place. While I was busy botching those responsibilities, I lost touch with my brief attempts at fighting against the establishment.
In later adulthood, when I ultimately placed a healthy distance between the parents and myself — because eventually I would understand how dysfunctional our family life actually was and their refusal to change became too toxic to stay close — I became desperate for utopian friendships, especially the ones with non-black people. My initial orientation to black relationships began with angry parents who caused hurt. I wanted to prove those parents wrong about life. I wanted to show them that relationships didn't have to be so hard, show them that relationships could actually be delightful and gratifying. After so many years of being babysat by television shows displaying countless smiling white people — even the violent ones appeared to get along well with the people they were depicted as loving — I thought more than any other cultural group, I could find a happy ending with them. I would be wrong on a few levels about that.
I was what we black folks affectionately — even if sarcastically — describe as a hot mess. I was so broken on the inside, my outside antennas were often too spastic to generate sensible decisions. Soaking my brain in alcohol for twenty-five years only made matters worse. As with most people who come from painful family experiences, friendships became the substitute for my fragmented family ties. The only problem with that was, having no examples of healthy relationships, I struggled. I was better at leaving friendships than I was at sticking around and sustaining them. That nugget of wisdom was gleaned in sobriety.
As if understanding my repeated failings were not enough, sobriety also took my new enlightenment to a deeper level. I have been friends with some truly beautiful people, black, white and other ethnicities. Many of my friends have been such amazing and loving people, I can only explain their presence in a life like mine as divine intervention: angels embodied or angels facilitating connections. Some friends disappeared from my life because I abandoned the relationship; others drifted through geographic change, new life seasons or we simply lost touch. Fortunately some of the angels are still in my life — I married the best one of them!
Here's what I didn't count on …..
Waking from an alcoholic slumber in middle-age to a country — its society existing 152 years post-slavery — that can't seem to get its white supremacist terrorists under control. I thought my parents broke my heart? It seems that was only a warm up for living in place where blacks like me live day to day vulnerably exposed to the possibility of random, racially charged danger. America is known the world over as a super-power, possessing the strongest military power on the planet and is self-proclaimed as a land of opportunity. This industrious country also known for its exemplary democracy, its scientific and technological achievements, this same America doesn't know how to curtail its own domestic terrorism and random "accidental" shootings by police? I don't believe it.
It's a heartbreak. It's a heartbreak to realize the place you call home does not feel safe. And the deeper heartbreak for me is the new strain I feel in my friendships with white people. They didn't stop being the beautiful people known to me. But when you're in a friendship where one friend suffers via their ties to racial strife, whilst the other doesn't, and the only way to sustain a pleasurable friendship is for said sufferer to suffer quietly so as not to disturb the life of the one unaffected by racial happenings (and pretentious living is dead to me forever) ….. it gets awkward.
In sobriety — a mere seven sober years — I have been connecting the dots of my American life to America's history. I am becoming a woman who can no longer pretend by going along to get along. I still love America, she is my beautiful home, even with all her ugly parts.
Today I say this to her …
Hey America, you continue in breaking my heart on occasion, even while you also make this same heart sing happily with opportunities and bounty of which we all partake. Alas, I am becoming the type of woman who sticks around and is willing to fight to sustain her loving relationships. When I was still drinking, I would have wanted you and I to meet the same end as Fredo for betraying his brother. But sobriety inspires a new leaf in my thinking, so I want to help us figure things out. Like it or not, as a society, we're going to have to talk and work through all of our private angst together. It's already happening. We just need more of your participation. Capiche?
We can not solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
—Albert Einstein