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Looking Back-March 14, 2013
40 years ago, March 15, 1973
From the Country Echo
The Jenkins Booster Club will celebrate its first anniversary at a meeting Thursday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Hall, formerly the Grange Hall.
(Adv) Arrow Land Co. offers real estate for sale: Small modern home just outside village limits. Wooded lot with 100' of frontage. Just "spitting" distance from the river. Good "bachelor-girl" pad. $4450.00.
30 years ago, March 17, 1983
From the Country Echo
The write-in candidate, Bill McGee, was voted in and confirmed by recount as the new supervisor on the Sibley Township Board. The tally after election showed McGee with 44 votes and incumbent Harris Tweed with 43 votes.
Winners of the six door prizes awarded at Sunday's free pancake breakfast at the Crosslake Community Center were Libby Andolshek, Dorothy Perkovich, Ruth Severin, Grace Bieber, Ed Perkins and Dodo Fraser.
20 years ago, March 11, 1993
From the Lake Country Echo
The Pequot Lakes Indians want to remain the Indians. Students submitted a resolution stating that to the Central Minnesota Association of Student Councils.
The Pine River-Backus Tigers ripped the Pequot Lakes Indians 70-46 in the Subsection IV quarterfinal game at Staples.
10 years ago, March 13, 2003
From the Lake Country Echo
(photo) Bill Rickard and Larry Oaks, members of the Pequot Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, show how the department's new thermal imaging camera works to see in smoke, steam and the dark.
Twelve Nisswa students were selected for the 13th annual Elementary Honors Choir project: James McLean, Brittney Wacholz, Taylor Ohotto, Peter Qualey, Luke Gruenhagen, Brent Best, Sam Nelson, Samantha Bak, Emmy Tuomi, Taylor Headlee, Alissa St. John and Kyle Nichols.
Pequot Lakes basketball player Luke Schramm scored his 1,000th career point in the quarterfinal round of the Section 7 Class 2A playoffs in a 55-52 win over the Crosby-Ironton Rangers.


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By JB Clark/NEMS Daily Journal
TUPELO – Tupelo's Gardner-Simmons Home For Girls is entering a new era of service, changing its focus to care for pregnant girls who need a safe home.
Since the 2008 court order following Olivia Y., et al v. State of Mississippi, group homes have seen fewer children referred by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
The ruling requires the Mississippi DHS to consider placement for children in the order of first, placement with relatives, then placement in a foster home in the child's community, then foster home placement outside the child's community and then finally group home placement.
"We anticipate being able to serve a lot more residents through this change," said Shane Robbins, interim executive director of the home. "That's the whole reason for the change, to make a bigger impact on the community. For 25 years we've done the same thing and due to the Olivia Y. case, the need is no longer there."
The home started in 1988 when Gill Simmons said Grace Clark contacted him and his wife with the desire to organize a home for abused and neglected girls. The home was named after two young Tupelo women who were University of Mississippi students.
Simmons' daughter and her best friend Margaret Gardner, died when they were hit by a truck on Highway 6 outside of Oxford while participating in a walkathon for Chi Omega sorority.
Robbins said this change to a maternity group home seemed like a great fit because it can help two generations.
"The mission is going to be the same, serving girls in need," said Jay Weir, president of the Gardner-Simmons Home for Girls' board of directors. "We go from victims of abuse and neglect removed from their home through youth court to girls who are pregnant and need a safe place to stay."
Weir anticipates when the home opens its doors on Dec. 1, it will get girls who are in abusive relationships with their boyfriends. But those served might also include women who are in bad relationships with husbands, parents or people who are pressuring them to terminate the pregnancy.
"When a young girl gets pregnant out of wedlock, statistically she doesn't finish her education and works a menial job for minimum wage," Weir said. "This might just be the answer to allowing this girl to continue her education and see that life doesn't stop and her education doesn't have to stop with the birth of this child."
The home's staff will help the girls continue their education and offer parenting education opportunities as well.
Robbins said they also want to help the women return to society better prepared than when they left.
"We're going to partner with Tupelo public schools for girls still working on their education," Robbins said. "For those who have a GED or high school diploma we will be working with them on job training and vocational training programs. We're going to work to get volunteers in the community involved to provide mentorship opportunities so they have positive role models who can help realize what their dreams and aspirations are."
Weir and others involved with the group home have expressed concern that they may lose some support from people because they will take in girls who have become pregnant outside the bounds of marriage.
Weir said they are in no way condoning non-marital pregnancies and sexual relationships, but they want to step in and help where there is a need.
"We'll lose some contributors, and perhaps board members, and we'll pick up some others as this goes public and is launched," he said. "We'll get some phone calls from people saying they want to be involved on the board and help with the girls. It has an element that draws a lot of interest."
In a state that had a ballot issue involving abortion and numerous right-to-life campaigns, this home will meet the needs of women who want to carry their child to term and don't have a safe place to do so.
"We'll take donations and sponsorships to help lower the costs to the girls and we hope to be able to approach a lot of the area churches," Weir said. "This has a pro-life element to it that you can't sidestep and I think it will be an attention-grabber to a lot of churches who have a very vocal pro-life stance. These girls have chosen to keep their child and this will be a safe haven for them."
The home will serve as a place for women to carry a child, have the child and possibly stay for a month or two after the pregnancy.
While at the home, Weir said the staff will work to help women arrange for their future, whether that be moving to a new residence to get away from an abuser or to put the child up for adoption. The home will not act as an adoption agency or a place to connect girls to government entitlement programs but Weir said they will connect each girl with the resources she needs.
"We are going to work to help them increase their self-worth, develop some skills to stay in school, complete their education and join the workforce," Robbins said. "We're going to help them plan so they don't have to become dependent on others or the government to function successfully as a part of this community."
Girls will come to the home through DHS and also through private referrals. Weir said they expect many of the girls to have already made their initial OBGYN visit and have a doctor, others will need help finding one.
The relationship with DHS referrals will be similar to the relationship the home had for abused and neglected girls as far as funding goes. Private referrals will pay privately and Weir said community members can sponsor girls or donate to bring the private pay costs down.
Weir said they expect girls to be between the ages of 14 and 20 and won't allow additional children to stay in the home with the girls.
Robbins said they have girls who will be ready to move in when the doors open.

subset: commoncrawl


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Spiritual Practices for Activists
- Meditation on Death
- Meditation on Loving-kindness
- Breathing Through
- The Great Ball of Merit
- Learning to See Each Other
- Bowing to our Adversaries
Mara Exercise
- Bodhisattva Check-in
To heal our society, our psyches must heal as well. Haunted by the desperate needs of our time and beset by more commitments than we can easily carry, we may wonder how to find the time and energy for spiritual disciplines. Few of us feel free to take to the cloister or the meditation cushion to seek personal transformation.
We do not need to withdraw from the world or spend long hours in solitary prayer or meditation to begin to wake up to the spiritual power within us. The activities and encounters of our daily lives can serve as the occasion for that kind of discovery. I would like to share five simple exercises that can help in this.
The exercises--on death, loving-kindness, compassion, mutual power, and mutual recognition--happen to be adapted from the Buddhist tradition. As part of our planetary heritage, they belong to us all. No belief system is necessary, only a readiness to attend to the immediacy of your own experience. They will be most useful if read slowly with a quiet mind (a few deep breaths will help), and if put directly into practice in the presence of others. If you read them aloud for others or put them on tape, allow several seconds when three dots (...) are marked, and when more are marked (......), leave additional time, as appropriate.
Meditation on Death
Most spiritual paths begin by recognizing the transiency of human life. Medieval Christians honored this in the mystery play of
Everyman. Don Juan, the Yaqui sorcerer, taught that the enlightened warrior walks with death at his shoulder. To confront and accept the inevitability of our dying releases us from attachments and frees us to live boldly. An initial meditation on the Buddhist path involves reflection on the twofold fact that: "death is certain" and "the time of death is uncertain." In our world today, nuclear weaponry, serving in a sense as a spiritual teacher, does that meditation for us, for it tells us that we can die together at any moment, without warning. When we allow the reality of that possibility to become conscious, it is painful, but it also jolts us awake to life's vividness, its miraculous quality, heightening our awareness of the beauty and uniqueness of each object, and each being.
As an occasional practice in daily life:
Look at the person you encounter (stranger or friend). Let the realization arise in you that this person lives on an endangered planet. He or she may die in a nuclear war; or from the poisons spreading through our world. Observe that face, unique, vulnerable...Those eyes still can see; they are not empty sockets...the skin is still intact...Become aware of your desire that this person be spared such suffering and horror, feel the strength of that desire...keep breathing...Also let the possibility arise in your consciousness that this may be the person you happen to be with when you die...that face the last you see...that hand the last you touch...it might reach out to help you then, to comfort, to give water...Open to the feelings for this person that surface in you with the awareness of this possibility... Open to the levels of caring and connection it reveals in you.
Loving kindness, or metta, is the first of the four "Abodes of the Buddha," also known as the Brahmaviharas. Meditation to arouse and sustain loving-kindness is a staple of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement for community development in Sri Lanka, and is accorded minutes of silence at the outset of every meeting. Organizers and village workers find it useful in developing motivation for service and overcoming feelings of hostility or inadequacy in themselves and others.
I first received instruction in this meditation from a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Here is a version that I have adapted for use in the West.
Close your eyes and begin to relax, exhaling to expel tension. Now center in on the normal flow of the breath, letting go of all extraneous thoughts as you passively watch the breathing-in and breathing-out
Now call to mind someone you love very dearly...in your mind's eye see the face of that beloved one...silently speak her or his name...Feel your love for this being, like a current of energy coming through you...Now let your-self experience how much you want this person to be free from fear; how in-tensely you desire that this person be released from greed and ill-will, from confusion and sorrow and the causes of suffering...That desire, in all its sincerity and strength, is metta, the great loving kindness......
Continuing to feel that warm energy flow coming through the heart, see in your mind's eye those with whom you share your daily life, family members, close friends and colleagues, the people you live and work with...Let them appear now as in a circle around you. Behold them one by one, silently speaking their names...and direct to each in turn that same current of loving--kindness...Among these beings may be some with whom you are uncomfortable, in conflict, or tension. With those especially, experience your desire that each be free from fear, from hatred, free from greed and ignorance and the causes of suffering......
Now allow to appear, in wider concentric circles your relations, and your acquaintances...Let the beam of loving-kindness play on them as well, pausing on the faces that appear randomly in your mind's eye. With them as well, experience how much you want their freedom from greed, fear; hatred and confusion, how much you want all beings to be happy......
Beyond them, in concentric circles that are wider yet, appear now all beings with whom you share this planet-time. Though you have not met, your lives are interconnected in ways beyond knowing. To these beings as well, direct the same powerful current of loving-kindness. Experience your desire and your intention that each awaken from fear and hatred, from greed and confusion...that all beings be released from suffering
As in the ancient Buddhist meditation, we direct the loving-kindness now to all the "hungry ghosts," the restless spirits that roam in suffering, still prey to fear and confusion. May they find rest...may they rest in the great loving kindness and in the deep peace it brings......
By the power of our imagination let us move out now beyond our planet, out into the universe, into other solar systems, other galaxies, other Buddha-fields. The current of loving-kindness is not affected by physical distances, and we direct it now, as if aiming a beam of light, to all centers of conscious life...And to all sentient beings everywhere we direct our heartfelt wish that they, too, be free of fear and greed, of hatred and confusion and the causes of suffering...May all beings be happy......
Now, as if from out there in the interstellar distances, we turn and behold our own planet, our home...We see it suspended there in the blackness of space, blue and white jewel planet turning in the light of its sun......Slowly we approach it, drawing nearer, nearer, returning to this part of it, this region, this place...And as you approach this place, let yourself see the being you know best of all...the person it has been given you to be in this lifetime...You know this person better than anyone else does, know its pain and its hopes, know its need for love, know how hard it tries...Let the face of this being, your own face, appear before you...speak the name you are called in love...And experience, with that same strong energy-current of loving-kindness, how deeply you desire that this being be free from fear, released from greed and hatred, liberated from ignorance and confusion and the causes of suffering...The great loving-kindness linking you to all beings is now directed to your own self...know now the fullness of it.
Basic to most spiritual traditions, as well as to the systems view of the world, is the recognition that we are not separate, isolated entities, but integral and organic parts of the vast web of life. As such, we are like neurons in a neural net, through which flow currents of awareness of what is happening to us, as a species and as a planet. In that context, the pain we feel for our world is a living testimony to our interconnectedness with it. If we deny this pain, we become like blocked and atrophied neurons, deprived of life's flow and weakening the larger body in which we take being. But if we let it move through us, we affirm our belonging; our collective awareness increases. We can open to the pain of the world in confidence that it can neither shatter nor isolate us, for we are not objects that can break. We are resilient patterns within a vaster web of knowing.
Because we have been conditioned to view ourselves as separate, competitive and thus fragile entities, it takes practice to relearn this kind of resilience. A good way to begin is by practicing simple openness, as in the exercise of "breathing through," adapted from an ancient Buddhist meditation for the development of compassion.
Closing your eyes, focus attention on your breathing. Don't try to breathe any special way, slow or long. Just watch the breathing as it happens in and out. Note the accompanying sensations at the nostrils or upper lip, in the chest or abdomen. Stay passive and alert, like a cat by a mouse hole......
As you watch the breath, you note that it happens by itself; without your will, without your deciding each time to inhale or exhale...It's as though you're being breathed--being breathed by life...Just as everyone in this room, in this city, in this planet now, is being breathed, sustained in a vast, breathing web of life......
Now visualize your breath as a stream or ribbon of air passing through you. See it flow up through your nose, down through your windpipe and into your lungs. Now from your lungs take it through your heart. Picture it flowing through your heart and out through an opening there to recon-nect with the larger web of life. Let the breath-stream, as it passes through you, appear as one loop within that vast web, connecting you with it......
Now open your awareness to the suffering that is present in the world. Drop for now all defenses and open to your knowledge of that suffering. Let it come as concretely as you can...concrete images of your fellow beings in pain and need, in fear and isolation, in prisons, hospitals, tenements, hunger camps...no need to strain for these images, they are present to you by virtue of our interexistence. Relax and just let them surface...the vast and countless hardships of our fellow humans, and of our animal brothers and sisters as well, as they swim the seas and fly the air of this ailing planet...Now breathe in the pain like dark granules on the stream of air; up through your nose, down through your trachea, lungs and heart, and out again into the world net...You are asked to do nothing for now, but let it pass through your heart......Be sure that stream flows through and out again; don't hang on to the pain...surrender it for now to the healing resources of life's vast web......
With Shantideva, the Buddhist saint, we can say, "Let all sorrows ripen in me." We help them ripen by passing them through our hearts...making good rich compost out of all that grief...so we can learn from it, enhancing our larger, collective knowing......
If no images or feelings arise and there is only blankness, grey and numb, breathe that through. The numbness itself is a very real part of our world...
And if what surfaces for you is not the pain of other beings so much as your own personal suffering, breathe that through, too. Your own anguish is an integral part of the grief of our world, and arises with it......
Should you feel an ache in the chest, a pressure in the rib cage, as if the heart would break, that is all right. Your heart is not an object that can break...But if it were, they say the heart that breaks open can hold the whole universe. Your heart is that large. Trust it. Keep breathing......
This guided meditation serves to introduce the process of breathing through, which, once familiar, becomes useful in daily life in the many situations that confront us with painful information. By breathing through the bad news, rather than bracing ourselves against it, we can let it strengthen our sense of belonging in the larger web of being. It helps us remain alert and open, whether reading the newspaper, receiving criticism, or simply being present to a person who suffers.
For activists working for peace and justice, and those dealing most directly with the griefs of our time, the practice helps prevent burnout. Reminding us of the collective nature of both our prob-lems and our power, it offers a healing measure of humility. It can save us from self-righteousness. For when we can take in our world's pain, accepting it as the price of our caring, we let it inform our acts without needing to inflict it as a punishment on others who are, at the present moment, less involved.
Compassion, which is grief in the grief of others is but one side of the coin. The other side is joy in the joy of others--which in Buddhism is called mudita. To the extent that we allow ourselves to identify with the sufferings of other beings, we can identify with their strengths as well. This is very important for a sense of adequacy and resilience, because we face a time of great challenge that demands of us more commitment, endurance and courage than we can dredge up out of our individual supply. We can learn to draw on the other neurons in the neural net, and view them in a grateful and celebratory fashion, as so much "money in the bank."
This practice is adapted from the Meditation of Jubilation and Transformation, taught in a Buddhist text written two thousand years ago at the outset of the Mahayana tradition. You can find the original version in chapter six of the Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines. I find it very useful today in two forms. The one closer to the ancient practice is this:
Relax and close your eyes. Open your awareness to the fellow beings who share with you this planet-time...in this town...in this country...and in other lands......See their multitudes in your mind's eye......Now let your awareness open wider yet, to encompass all beings who ever lived...of all races and creeds and walks of life, rich, poor, kings and beggars, saints and sinners...see the vast vistas of these fellow beings stretching into the distance, like successive mountain ranges......Now consider the fact that in each of these innumerable lives some act of merit was performed. No matter how stunted or deprived the life, there was a gesture of generosity, a gift of love, an act of valor or self-sacrifice? on the battlefield or workplace, hospital or home...From these beings in their endless multitudes arose actions of courage, kindness, of teaching and healing. Let yourself see these manifold and immeasurable acts of merit......
Now imagine you can sweep together these acts of merit...sweep them into a pile in front of you...use your hands...pile them up...pile them into a heap viewing it with gladness and gratitude...Now pat them into a ball. It is the Great Ball of Merit...hold it now and weigh it in your hands...rejoice in it, knowing that no act of goodness is ever lost. It remains ever and always a present resource...a means for the transformation of life...So now, with jubilation and gratitude, you turn that great ball...turn it over...over...into the healing of our world.
As we can learn from contemporary science and visualize in the holographic model of reality, our lives interpenetrate. In the fluid tapestry of space-time, there is at root no distinction between self and other. The acts and intentions of others are like seeds that can germinate and bear fruit through our own lives, as we take them into awareness and dedicate, or "turn over," that awareness to our own empowerment. Thoreau, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and countless nameless heroes and heroines of our own day, all can be part of our Ball of Merit, from which we can draw inspiration and endurance. Other traditions feature notions simi-lar to this, such as the "cloud of witnesses" of which St. Paul spoke, or the Treasury of Merit in the Catholic tradition.
The second, more workaday, version of the Ball of Merit meditation helps us open to the powers in people around us. It is in direct contrast to the commonly accepted, hierarichal notion of power as something personally owned and exerted over others. The exercise prepares us to bring expectant attention to our encounters with other beings, to view them with fresh openness and curiosity as to how they can enhance our Ball of Merit. We can play this silent game as we view someone opposite us on the bus or across the bargaining table. It is especially useful when dealing with a person with whom we may be in conflict.
What does this person add to my Great Ball of Merit? What gifts of intellect can enrich our common store? What reserves of stubborn endurance can she or he offer? What flights of fancy or powers of love lurk behind those eyes? What kindness or courage hides in those lips, what healing in those hands?
Then, as with the breathing-through exercise, we open ourselves to the presence of these strengths, inhaling our awareness of them. As our awareness grows, we experience our gratitude for them and our capacity to partake...
Often we let our perceptions of the powers of others make us feel inadequate. Alongside an eloquent colleague, we can feel inarticulate; in the presence of an athlete we can feel weak and clumsy; and we can come to resent both ourself and the other person. In the light of the Great Ball of Merit, however, the gifts and good fortunes of others appear not as competing challenges, but as resources we can honor and take pleasure in. We can learn to play detective, spying out treasures for the enhancement of life from even the unlikeliest material. Like air, and sun, and water, they form part of our common good.
In addition to releasing us from the mental cramp of envy, this spiritual offers two other rewards. One is pleasure in our own acuity, as our merit-detecting ability improves. The second is the response of others who, though ignorant of the game we are playing, sense something in our manner that invites them to disclose more of the person they can be.
This exercise is derived from the Buddhist practice of the Brahma-viharas, also known as the Four Abodes of the Buddha, which are loving-kindness, compassion, joy in the joy of others, and equanimity. Adapted for use interactively in a social context, it helps us to see each other more truly and experience the depths of our interconnections.
In workshops I offer this as a guided meditation with participants sitting face to face in pairs or pausing to meet each other silently as they move about the room. At its close, I encourage them to proceed to use all or any portion of it, as they go about their daily lives. It is an excellent antidote to boredom, when our eye falls on another person, say on the subway or in a check-out line. It charges that moment with beauty and discovery. It also is useful when dealing with people whom we are tempted to disregard or dislike; it breaks open our accustomed ways of viewing them. When used like this, as a meditation-in-action, one does not, of course, gaze long and deeply into the other's eyes, as in the guided exercise. A seemingly casual glance is enough.
The guided group form goes like this:
Behold each other silently and relax. Take a couple of deep breaths, centering yourself and releasing any tension...If you feel discomfort or an urge to laugh or look away, just note that gently with patience, and return your attention, when you can, to the living presence of this being. He or she is unique, different from anyone who has ever lived, or will live�
As you behold this person, open your awareness to the powers that are there...to their gifts and strengths and the potentialities. In this being are unmeasurable reserves of courage and intelligence...of patience, endurance, wit and wisdom...There are gifts there, of which this person her/ himself may be as yet unaware...Consider what these powers could do for the healing of our planet, if they were to be believed and acted on. As you consider that, feel your desire that this person be free from fear...Experience how much you want her/him to be free from greed, released from hatred and from sorrow and from the causes of suffering� Know that what you are now experiencing is the great loving-kindness�
Now, as you behold this person, open your awareness to the pain they have known� Here, as in all human lives, there are sorrows, disappointments, failures and losses, loneliness, abuse... There are hurts this person may never have told to another living being� As you open to their suffering, you know that you cannot remove it. You are not that powerful. But you can be with it. As you experience your readiness to be with the pain of another, know that what you are experiencing is the great compassion... It is excellent for the healing of our world�
Now, as you take in the presence of this person, consider how good it would be to work together--on a joint project, toward a common goal... Imagine what it would be like�planning, conspiring, taking risks together... each helping the other find their strength and creativity, celebrating the successes, consoling each other over the setbacks, forgiving each other when you make mistakes...and simply being there for each other� As you open to that possibility, what you open to is the great wealth: the pleasure in each other's powers, the joy in each other's joy�
Lastly, let your awareness drop deep within you like a stone, sinking below the level of what words can express, to the vast currents of relationship that underlie all experience. It is the web of life that supports and interweaves our lives through all space and time...See the being before you as if seeing the face of one who, at another time, another place, was your lover or your enemy, your parent or your child� And now you meet again on this brink of time...And you know your lives are as inextricably interwoven as nerve cells in the mind of a great being� Out of that vast net you cannot fall. No stupidity or failure or cowardice can ever sever you from that living web, because, you see, that is what you are� Rest in that knowing. That is the Great Peace. Out of it you can act, you can risk anything...and let every encounter be a homecoming to your true nature...Indeed it is so.
Purpose and background
As we go forth for the healing of our world, there are forces and institutions which we will and must challenge. The men and women who serve these structures will appear as our opponents. Here is a formal group practice which helps to free us from fear and illwill toward such persons, and to ground us in an all-embracing compassion.
Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh encourages his students to express their respect, gratitude, and goodwill by the act of bowing. Because some Westerners are uncomfortable with notion of bowing, he calls it "Touching the Earth"--for their elders and teachers, the Buddha Dharma and the spiritual community, their original faith traditions, their ancestors, their homeplace on the planet. This particular practice for honoring our adversaries was composed by an ordained senior member of his Order of Interbeing, Caitriona Reed.
Everyone stands with enough room in front of them to kneel and touch the ground with hands and forehead. If there is an altar or emblem, like an Earth flag, they can be facing it. The guide reads the text aloud, pausing after each paragraph, at which point everyone (guide included) "touches the Earth"--putting knees, hands, and then head to the floor. Ten paragraphs, ten bows. Some may prefer to do a full prostration; others may choose to abstain from the practice and just listen from the sidelines. Be sure they feel comfortable in doing so. Maintain a slow, unhurried pace throughout.
Touching the Earth for Our Adversaries
By Caitriona Reed
You, who deliberately engage in the destruction of the environment for your own profit, you show me how much I value what is honest, what is generous, what has been clearly thought through, what is expressive of love for this planet home and our human and nonhuman fellow beings. So I bow to you in gratitude and touch the Earth.
You bring forth in me the passion and love I feel for this life-bearing land, its soil, air and waters, and the beings they nurture; the passion I feel for integrity and strong, sustainable community. Because of the strength with which I resist your actions, I have seen how strong my love and passion really are. I bow to you in gratitude and touch the Earth.
Because the pain I feel when I allow myself to witness the pain of the world is no less than your pain--you, who perpetuate destruction and cut yourselves off from needs of the present and the generations of the future, I bow to you in compassion and touch the Earth.
Because the pain of greed, alienation and fear are no less than the pain of sorrow and mourning for what is lost, I bow to you in compassion and touch the Earth.
For the power of my anger, transforming itself into love for the beauty and integrity of all life-forms, and for the bright energy of my passion for justice and the health of all beings, I bow to you in gratitude and touch the Earth.
Because we all want to be happy, to feel ourselves intact and part of a single whole, for that shared longing, I bow to you in compassion and touch the Earth.
Because you challenge me by your actions, demanding that I release my attachment to the belief that my view, my understanding, is the only correct one, I bow to you in gratitude and touch the Earth.
For you who teach me that the mind is a limitless source, a miracle capable of manifesting as love, as greed, as fear, capable of clarity or delusion, blind to the consequence of action or open to the boundless coherence of all that we do and experience in life. For you who show me what I myself am capable of when I let my life be governed by fear and greed, great awesome teachers, I bow to you in gratitude and touch the Earth.
In awe of the mind's capability for delusion and alienation that calls me so insistently to understanding and joy, I bow to you and touch the Earth.
With the understanding that all this will pass and with love in my heart, I bow to you and touch the Earth.
(Download a text file of this practice here.)
Mara Exercise: 1 hour.
Strengthening Our Resolve by Dialoguing with Mara
This exercise can be done on the penultimate day of an intensive.
It takes about 45 mins, plus 15 mins for large group discussion/reflection.
An introduction by Joanna :
�In Buddhism, there are two mudras, or hand gestures, that I cherish. Statues and paintings of Buddhas and bodhisattvas often show them. One is the Fear Not or abhaya mudra--right hand raised at chest level, palm outward. It says, "I will not be afraid of the fear. I will not close down, I stay fully present." It's strikingly similar to the gesture of greeting associated with American Indians. "How!" they said, as I saw in the movies, and later I learned the meaning of that raised empty hand: "See, I carry no weapon, don't be afraid."
The second hand gesture I give you tonight is the Earth-touching one, the bhumisparsa mudra. Its other name is Calling the Earth to Witness, and it connects with the story of when Gautama, soon to become the Buddha, sat down under the bodhi tree. I picture him saying, in effect, "I am not going to get up until I have broken through to the secret of the suffering we cause ourselves and others. Until I wake up to that, I am not going to move." Well, this infuriated Mara, the embodiment of sin and death. Mara sent demons to frighten Gautama and dancing girls to distract him; but the Buddha-to-be didn't waver. Finally, Mara challenged him outright. "By what right and authority do you think you can solve the mystery of suffering? Just who do you think you are?"
And Gautama offered no personal credentials. No curriculum vitae. He didn't say, "I'm the son of a king. I graduated summa cum laude from the Yoga Institute or went to Harvard Business School." He said nothing at all about himself. He just touched the Earth. It was by the authority of Earth that he sought liberation from suffering. �This is my right to be here; this is my right to seek freedom from endless suffering and inflicting of suffering.� The scriptures say that when he did that the earth roared.
So we can make that gesture too. We can touch the Earth. That act, even if only mental, reminds us of who we are and what we are about, as we confront the collapse of our oil-based economy and our oil-damaged climate. We are here for the sake of life. By the authority of our belonging to Earth from the beginning of space and time, we are here.�
The dialogue with Mara strengthens the resolve of Buddha. So often we try to be solely positive in our strength, and push down those voices which throw us off track � the voice of fears and doubts as well as the voice which seduces us into pleasant distractions, away from our clear resolve. But adversaries can help us on our path. This exercise gives a chance to voice all that fearful seduction, criticism, undermining of confidence, and this in turn gives the chance to stand up to Mara, to find our ground. In this way we are grateful to Mara.
Split into groups of 3 people.
Each person takes it in turn to become the �focus� person for 15 minutes, while the other two people are listening allies in this dialogue with Mara.
The focus person has two cushions, which s/he sits on alternately.
Cushion 1 is the place of resolve/determination/confidence.
Cushion 2 is Mara.
The focus person starts in the place of resolve, telling her/his two witnesses of something s/he intends to put into action on returning home. This could be a very small plan, or a much larger project. It is probably something the focus person feels a little fearful of doing, as it is close to their heart and important work. The focus person may need to start by taking a few moments of silence to centre him/herself. Ground yourself in your body and in the earth. Feel the support of the earth and the whole earth community. Trust in your life experience. Don�t hide your dreams � some of the greatest things people have done have grown from seeds of ideas that might have seemed mad at the time.
After stating their intention, the focus person moves onto cushion 2, and becomes Mara voicing fears, doubts and criticisms (eg who are YOU to think you can stand up and do this, you haven�t got time, you don�t know enough, etc)
Move back to cushion 1 and respond to Mara.
Be aware that you may need to re-centre yourself on cushion 1, you don�t need to respond to Mara immediately. It�s easy to panic in the face of Mara, and feel you have to justify yourself with grand ideas. Find your ground quietly.
Continue the dialogue for about 10 minutes.
The two listening allies who are witnesses to this process can help in two ways:
1) At some points the focus person may wish one of the listening allies to become Mara.
2) At other times, especially if the focus person is finding it difficult to respond to Mara, one of the listening allies may gently move behind the focus person, put their hand on their shoulder, and speak on behalf of the focus person to Mara.
Finish with Mara saying to Focus person: �By what authority are you doing this?� and reply with all resolve you can muster, touching the earth, �By the authority of the earth��and so on�.
Take a few minutes to talk over the exercise together.
Then move on to the next focus person.
After all three people have had a chance to be focus person, come back into the large group and share reflections on the exercise.
Things to be aware of in the process and to bring to the attention of the group in your instructions:
- Notice how much energy Mara holds
- As you go further with the dialogue, both Mara and the place of resolve will change.
- A word of warning: this is a powerful exercise. Some people have very strong inner critics. The Mara voice may remind the focus person of a critical parent. This can feel particularly upsetting if the focus person is unable to stand up to Mara. It is here that the two allies can be of help, supporting the focus person in their place of resolve. The facilitator(s) can be on hand for anyone who gets stuck in this process.
- For this reason it�s helpful if the facilitator(s) are available during the process to help any focus person (and their allies) who feels stuck or upset.
The Bodhisattva Check-in or "My Choices for This Life" (current form)
60 minutes
This process focuses on our individual lives and helps us see how their basic features and conditions and conditions can serve the healing of the world � almost as if we had chosen them for that purpose. It brings fresh appreciation for the chance to be alive in this planet-time. Like climbing a mountain and looking back on the landscape below, this exercise provides a vantage point that lets us see new things. From that overarching perspective, we can see unsuspected connections and goodness; even our suffering and limitations reveal their value for the work we have come to do.
Another name for this exercise is �The Bodhisattva Check-in,� because it is inspired by the Buddhist teaching of the bodhisattva. Embodying ourmotivation to serve, the bodhisattva does not seek enlightenment in order to exit from this world, but turns back from the gates of nirvana, having vowed to return again and again to be of help to all beings. It is equally useful whether or not we believe in rebirth. The bodhisattva archetype is present in all religions and even all social movements, be it in the guise of suffering servant, worker-priest, shaman, prophet, idealistic revolutionary, or community organizer.
Three introductory stages precede the main body of the exercise. First, the group is invited to contemplate the long panoramic journey of life on Earth. Along with words from the guide, a recording of tonal sound helps open the mind to that journey�s vast expanses of time.
Secondly, the guide tells people they will imagine that they remember how they chose to take birth as a human in this moment of history. (Joanna tells of bodhisattvas and their vow to keep returning to the world to relieve suffering.) Participants are invited to imagine that they are all together somewhere in a time immediately preceding this present life. In this moment, information reaches them about the dangers to life on Earth that have been arising through the twentieth century and reaching a crisis point at the start of the third millennium.
The challenges take many forms � the making and using of nuclear weapons, industrial technologies that poison and waste whole ecosystems, billions of people sinking into poverty � but one thing is clear. A quantum leap in consciousness is required if life is to prevail on Earth. Hearing this, we decide to renew our commitment to life (our bodhisattva vow) and reenter the fray � to birth as humans in the twentieth century, bringing everything we�ve ever learned about courage and community. This is a major decision. And it is a hard decision because there is no guarantee that we will remember why we came back or that we will succeed in our mission. Furthermore, we will feel alone, because we probably won't even recognize each other.
Participants now reflect on their willingness to take a human birth in so challenging a planet-time. They are directed to stand up one by one, when and if they decide they are willing to come back. The guide acknowledges that there may be some who, understandably enough, choose not to get born in so harsh a time. When the guide is confident that everyone who has made this decision is standing, he invites them to start slowly walking around the room. This is the kind of verbal guidance given to people as they are walking.
Every human life is by necessity a particular life. You can't take birth as a generic human, but only as a unique human shaped by particular circumstances. Step into these circumstances now. Imagine that you choose them in awareness of how they will help prepare you for the mission you are coming to perform.
Step into the year of your birth. The timing of your birth allows you to be affected by particular conditions and events�
Step into the place of your birth. What country did you choose? Were you born in a town or a city, or on the land? Which parts of the Earth's body first greeted your eyes?�
Which skin color and ethnicity did you select? And what socio-economic conditions? Both the privileges and the privations resulting from these choices help prepare you for the work you are coming to do�
Into what faith tradition -- or lack of same -- were you born this time? Religious stories and images from childhood -- or the very lack of these -- influence how you see your purpose�
Now here's an important choice: which gender did you adopt this time around? And which sexual preference?�
And now as to your parents: what man did you choose to be your father? What woman your mother? For some of you, this means your adoptive parents as well as your birth parents. Both the strengths and the weaknesses of your parents, both the loving care you received and the hurts you experienced help prepare you for the work you are coming to do�
Are you an only child or do you have siblings in this life? The companionship, the competition or the loneliness that ensued from that choice will foster the unique blend of strengths you bring to your world�
What disabilities did you choose to take on this time? Challenges of body or mind help you to understand and connect with other beings and with our planet�
Certain strengths and passions characterize this life of yours too. Which mental, physical, spiritual appetites did you choose for yourself in this planet-time?�
And lastly, imagining that you can for a moment see it clearly, what particular mission are you coming to perform?�
In this fashion, as people are quietly walking around the room, the guide helps them to use their walking to mark the specific conditions of their birth in this lifetime. Take care to convey that each choice relates to their actual life and not to any fantasized alternative to it. Now invite them to sit in pairs to report to each other, giving each person ten to fifteen minutes.
Now look around you. You did not expect to recognize each other in new and different bodies, but here we are!� Sit down now with one other person�Take turns telling each other about the life you chose this time. This is the bodhisattva check-in.
If possible, schedule this exercise before a break; participants are usually so stimulated by the perspective they have gained that they are eager to keep talking, with their partners and with others, too.
1. Once in a while it happens that one or more individuals do not choose to take birth and do not stand up. In that case, simply proceed as described above, and when it is time for people to "check in," invite them to share as well, either with each other or with you.
2. The notion of having chosen one�s life conditions may be problematic for some people. The idea of taking responsibility for situations that have oppressed them can smack of �blaming the victim.� You as guide may acknowledge this at the outset. Point out that we are not using the verb in its ordinary sense, as in choosing a car or a job, but in the larger or even metaphysical sense, in which we let ourselves accept and see the value of all that has befallen us. Spiritual traditions affirm that true liberation arises when we can embrace the particulars of our lives, and see that they are as right for us as if we had indeed chosen them. In other words, we move in this exercise to a higher level of logical type or discourse.
Variations and further topics
As you become familiar with this exercise, you may wish to add or subtract topics for the bodhisattvas' report. Additional themes can also be addressed in a separate session after the basic choices listed above.
A follow-on session can reflect choices we made in the course of this lifetime, relating for example to educational endeavors, spiritual practices, central relationships, and vocational explorations and commitments.
A beautiful question for a bodhisattva check-in is: "How did you first let your heart be broken?" It is moving to discover how much that query evokes about our lives, our mindsets, our goals.A recent participant wrote: �I have been thinking a lot about �The Bodhisattva�s Choices for this Life.� I found it very empowering. I consider myself an accountable person. I think of my life in terms of choices I�ve made. Yet I�d never before systematically revie


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Betty Crocker's Heart Healthy Cookbook shares a recipe! Take a break from regular bread with this quick-to-make, fruity bread, featuring pears, rhubarb and walnuts.
"Since my cholesterol is high, I've been trying different things and have found that flaxseed does help lower my cholesterol. It's so great to find foods that provide a heart-health benefit." Cindy L.
A Note from Dr. B.: Studies confirm that about 1 teaspoon of ground flaxseed per day is all most people need to keep triglyceride and cholesterol levels reduced. One serving of this delicious fruit bread delivers more than that. Flaxseed must be ground to have the most benefit. Using a coffee grinder does the trick.
© 2017 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved


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Now that the WI season has been over for a couple of days, it has given me time to look back at the last 8 weeks and think about what I learned. It doesn't matter how long you have been turkey hunting, every year seems to throw a new situation or to at you. The classroom is a beautiful place but the teachers are harsh and do not grade on a curve. I count this season as a huge success, even though there were tags that went unfilled. But the real question is what did I learn to take with me on future hunts.
The biggest thing this year was that I didn't always go with my first gut instinct. I over thought the situation and chose the wrong set-up. Sound familiar? Here is a prime example. I had been hunting a certain property for several weeks that was loaded with birds. There was one small secluded field that the birds really liked. It was a stubble field with woods on all 4 sides. The only access point was a farming lane that connected it to another small secluded stubble field. The birds would roost in 3 different sides of the field each night, so you never new for sure where they would be roosted but you knew they would hit that field first thing in the morning. It was down to the last season here and there was only one gobbler left consistantly roosting by this field. He started roosting in pretty much the same spot finally and he was a really nice bird that I was pretty sure had multiple beards. So I set my sights on him. No other bird would do for mr the rest of the season. It was the last weekend and I set-up Saturday morning well before light and waited. He gobbled 3 or 4 times off the roost and flew down into the field really early, later I figured out someone came in on the neighbors property and bumped him cause he hurried off then began gobbling in the connected field then gradually made his way to the old railroad tracks where he spent a lot of his mornings strutting. That afternoon my plan was to intercept him on his way back to the roost, but he got to the field early and beat me to the spot, so I could only watch as he went to the roost from a distance. So the next morning my first plan was to set-up by the lane as I knew he would go that way, but instead I thought I would sit in the same spot as the morning before, cause hens were roosting over there and after all he had been bumped the morning before. Well you guessed it, in the morning he flew down to the field, strutting, gobbling and putting on a show. Then the hens came out to him and he walked 20 yards from the spot I was going to set-up and headed for the tracks! I think I deserved a slap to the back of the head as he should have been over my shoulder as I walked out.
But, again I am sure I will end up doing it again and I guarantee he will be at the top of my hit list next year. The moral, go with your gut and don't overthink it, remember his brain is the size of a pea and doesn't reason things out like I did!


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The Antlers at Vail had their annual employee Christmas party last night. All of our employee's and their families get together every year to celebrate the holidays.
Santa even made a surprise visit to hand out presents to all the kids!
Even the big kids got presents!
I'm pretty sure everyone was excited and had a great time!
Happy Holidays everyone!!


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Skip to main content, skip to search, or skip to the top of the page.
March 5, 2013
Contact: Kent Love, director of communications, 517-432-6959; firstname.lastname@example.com
The Lori E. Talsky Center for Human Rights of Women and Children at Michigan State University College of Law hosts Professor Jordan J. Paust for a presentation titled "Some Seventy Years after Nuremberg: Laws of War and Human Rights Violations during the Bush–Cheney Era." The lecture will be held in room 473 at the Law College at noon on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. The event is free and open to the public.
Paust is the Mike and Teresa Baker Law Center Professor of International Law at the University of Houston Law Center. One of the most-cited legal scholars in the United States, Professor Paust has authored numerous books and published more than 185 pieces in prominent law journals. He is one of the leading experts on international human rights and international humanitarian law, including the judgment of the Nuremberg Tribunal.
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Deeplinks Blog posts about Content Blocking
There Are Lots of Legit Reasons to Look at Pornography: New Restrictions on NIH Grants Are Unscientific And Possibly Illegal
There was a moralistic, unnecessary, and wholly unscientific new restriction enacted on funding for the National Institute of Health as part of the appropriations bill passed in January. The new legislative mandate forces researchers who rely on government funding to place anti-pornography filters on their computer networks. There are serious potential consequences, such as filters overblocking sites that are anatomical rather than pornographic in nature as well as lost funding for scientific research that may legitimately need to access pornographic sites. The end result? Members of Congress, rather than the scientific community, imposing restrictions on what researchers should be investigating.
UPDATE: As of March 22, the Turkish government has blocked Google DNS and other DNS servers, which were being used by thousands to circumvent the ban on Twitter. We recommend that Turkish users download the Tor Browser Bundle, which will continue to allow them to bypass censorship (here are instructions for using the Tor Browser Bundle in Turkish).
"Twitter and so on, we will root them out. The international community can say this or that – I don't care. They will see the power of the Turkish Republic."
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its annual "Enemies of the Internet" index this week—a ranking first launched in 2006 intended to track countries that repress online speech, intimidate and arrest bloggers, and conduct surveillance of their citizens. Some countries have been mainstays on the annual index, while others have been able to work their way off the list. Two countries particularly deserving of praise in this area are Tunisia and Myanmar (Burma), both of which have stopped censoring the Internet in recent years and are headed in the right direction toward Internet freedom.
For the last month, Venezuela has been caught up in widespread protests against its government. The Maduro administration has responded by cracking down on what it claims as being foreign interference online. As that social unrest has escalated, the state's censorship has widened: from the removal of television stations from cable networks, to the targeted blocking of social networking services, and the announcement of new government powers to censor and monitor online. Last night, EFF received reports from Venezuelans of the shutdown of the state Internet provider in San Cristóbal, a regional capital in the west of the country.
A link is just a link...except when it isn't. In one ongoing case in Morocco, the act of linking to a news article that linked to a YouTube video that was posted by a terrorist group has landed a prominent editor in jail, charged with "material assistance" to a terrorist group, "defending terrorism," and "inciting the execution of terrorist acts."
If it sounds Kafkaesque, that's because it is. Arrested on September 17, Ali Anouzla, the Moroccan editor of the online-only publication Lakome, is currently being held in pre-trial detention.
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Biohazard Earbud Design Clip
Budclicks patented the ability to click charms to earbuds. They allow kids, tweens, and adults to style up those bland white earbuds. The Budclick mount works on iPod and iPhone style white earbuds created by Apple. With over 150 million of these earbuds on the market Budclicks have appeal to just about everyone. Budclicks has found the largest audience in music listeners on the go. Whether on...
Xtreme Ears XE4/Pro
The phone uses an internal configuration XE4/Pro four microdrivers with balanced armature technology and an integrated three-way crossover providing a listening experience like no other, with a super comfortable and crisp sound. Specifications: Sensitivity: 118 dB / mW Frequency Response: 10 Hz -17 kHz Impedance: 25 ohms Internal configuration of speakers: 4 microdrivers balanced...


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Moving in....
By jpblog on Mar 28, 2007
Most people have had the experience of moving into a home or apartment that was previously occupied and wondering, as one gets familiar with the new digs, "Why did they paint it that color"? or "Whoever thought that this linoleum/tile/carpet was a good idea...what were they thinking!?"....
Something similar happens when you move into a new organization, with the difference being that if you keep your mouth shut long enough (not easy for me!) you will find that not only are there very good reasons for doing things a certain way, but also that there are a lot of very good things going on that you need to appreciate and encourage.
So, some of the great things I have found recently in my new organization:
StarOffice 8 supports ODF - Open Document Format. Important because ODF is a true open standard, and has been adopted and implemented by IBM, Sun, Google, Red Hat and even Microsoft. It matters because ODF allows you to create documents whose formatting is independent of the application used to actually do the creation. Guarantees availability of the content well into the future. StarOffice 8 also works with the Sun Weblog Publisher, a terrific blogging tool!
Really smart people who understand open source really well.
The engineers on Sun's Java Communications Suite and StarOffice have joined the Mozilla Calendaring Project which develops Lightning, a calendaring extension for Mozilla Thunderbird.
They have two goals: provide a calendaring solution for StarOffice & OpenOffice.org users and integrate support for Sun's Java System Calendar Server into Lightning. The current release of Lightning, downloadable from the Mozilla site, contains the WCAP code that allows for connecting to Sun's Calendar Servers.
Communications Products - A great team of people and what amazing IP. Turns out that one of the inventors of MIME, Ned Freed, works for Sun. He's currently doing some really cool stuff with MTA (Mail Transport Agent).
network.com "The data center on demand". Also known as the Sun Grid Compute Utility, network.com's release 1.1 is out with lots of new features and new ISVs. We have already committed 20 new user applications to open source with hundreds more to go. Go to network.com/application to see the on line applications available and to sign up. In a few months they will be releasing the ability to access network.com with an API and also to allow you to open network connection to other sites to read, collect, write and store data.
All this, still for only $1/CPU/hour. Great for developers looking for a cost-effective way of testing their code across a large number of machines.
Read More:
The Register talks about Grid as a "Developer thang"
Internet News article on the Grid as an "Application JukeBox"
Sys-Con Media with an article on the features in Network.com
ISV-Engineering This worldwide engineering team has a simple mission: MAKE APPLICATIONS RUN best on Solaris! Recent successes include integration of Cisco's Secure Access Control Server with Sun's Identity Manager. The integration of network access control and identity management gives the enterprise the ability for a truly centralized secure system.
Sun's ISV-Engineering team recently concluded a tuning effort on Symantec's Brightmail. Running on Solaris 10 and Sun's T1000 we achieved an increase in message throughput of 6X to 10X!
The result; per Symantec, Sun's T1000 "Niagara" platform is now the preferred platform for deploying Brightmail. Price to performance and power utilization can't be beat! A rack of T1000's can process over one billion messages per week and can support a million mailboxes. When Brightmail is used with Sun's Java Messaging Server and Storage, it is a complete email solution!
And check out the latest on the Detroit Red Wings - my favorite hockey team. The latest news is in the right nav bar over here....


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Banking Accessibility
Accessible Banking Services.
Access to our products and services should be as easy as possible for all our clients. Credit Suisse therefore aims to provide the highest level of accessibility for people with vision, hearing and mobility impairments. This applies to its branches as well as its ATMs, web pages, online banking, account statements, and advisory process. To enable Credit Suisse to offer all its clients a service that is tailored to them and their needs – including when dealing with people with disabilities – we provide our employees with continuous training to raise their awareness of issues.
The Easy Way to User-friendly Banking
It is important to us to provide our clients with easy access to our branches and ATMs. For this reason Credit Suisse has been applying comprehensive standards for new and renovated buildings since 2008 in order to make them accessible to disabled and elderly clients.
Access to our branches and counters is designed so that people with limited mobility do not encounter any obstacles. Credit Suisse is also gradually adapting its ATMs as part of branch renovations to provide accessibility.
A list of the locations of these modified ATMs can be found here.
ATMs with Voice Functions
Around 500 talking ATMs are available across Switzerland for people with impaired vision, making it easier for them to withdraw money or check their account balance. The speech output, which is available in German, French, Italian and English, is activated automatically when the client puts on the headphones. Audio instructions guide the client through the process. The ATMs have tactile function keys and are marked with a headphone symbol.
ATMs at a Convenient Height
There are over 50 lower ATMs at selected locations in Switzerland with a keyboard just 84 cm above ground level. This means that wheelchair users can also use the machines easily. ATMs of this kind are marked with the relevant symbol.
Review Your Transactions: Point by Point
We offer bank statements in large print (15dpi) or braille to clients with limited vision. This service is available for short-form account statements, itemized account statements, standard account statements, and daily statements. In addition to this free service, our clients continue to receive their normal account statements.
We Speak to All Our Clients – Even with the Help of Sign Language and Inductive Hearing Loop Systems
Deaf clients have the option to have a sign language interpreter present at personal consultations twice a year, free of charge. In this way, Credit Suisse aims to ensure that we take the concerns of deaf people seriously and are able to give them the best possible advice.
We provide mobile inductive hearing loop systems in the lobby of every branch also for personal consultations with clients who have hearing difficulties. People with such an impairment can conduct a discreet and confidential conversation with counter staff and client advisors using a hearing device or cochlear implant (CI) (switch to channel T on the hearing aid or CI), but also without such an aid (i.e. with the help of the listener).
Clients who are directly affected will have their attention drawn to the new service by means of a pictogram at the entrance as well as at the counter.
Information for the Deaf by Phone
Deaf clients can obtain information from Credit Suisse and conduct simple transactions by phone through the use of an intermediary from the Procom Foundation. The client authorizes the intermediary to put the query to Credit Suisse and to inform him or her of the response afterwards. This makes it possible to query an account balance or order paying-in slips, for example. Clients can request this service at any branch.
Accessibility Is Important – Particularly over the Internet and in Online Banking
Credit Suisse's current online offering has been made as accessible as possible in accordance with national and international standards. This means that thanks to technical tools such as screen readers, braille displays, and large-font software, people with visual impairments can use our online services to the widest possible extent. Moreover, Credit Suisse's websites and applications have been implemented in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) wherever possible, and offer all clients the utmost user-friendliness.


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24 Inch Outdoor Refrigerator Stainless Steel Cabinet and Stainless Steel Locking Door
Description & Highlights
Marvel 24 Inch Outdoor Refrigerator Stainless Steel Cabinet and Stainless Steel Locking Door
Bring luxury refrigeration to your outdoor patio or grill area with the Marvel 24 Inch Outdoor Refrigerator Stainless Steel Cabinet and Stainless Steel Locking Door (6OARM-SS-B-LR, 6OARM-SS-B-LL). This 24 inch outdoor refrigerator is made with flawless stainless steel and is sure to match your existing outdoor appliance and furniture setup. Marvel includes their Dynamic Cooling Technology with this refrigerator that allows for superior temperature control and fast cooling recovery between 33°F and 45°F for increased user convenience and functionality. Inside the unit the temperature controls are illuminated with a smooth blue LED light that makes reading your temperature setting easy, and the rest of the unit is lighted with and incandescent bulb.
Within the refrigerator are two (2) glide out shelves that easily pull out from the inside of the unit for space versatility and to allow for the maximum storage capacity within the space provided. Another convenient feature of this refrigerator is the close assist door hinge that ensures that your refrigerator closes and reseals every time it is opened, helping you avoid accidentally leaving the door ajar which will run up your energy costs and spoil your food inside. Also included on the door is a locking mechanism that allows you to keep the door permanently closed when you are not around. A full length stainless steel handle is firmly attached to the face of the door and offers a smooth and solid way to open and close your refrigerator. This amazing outdoor refrigerator is great for the person who loves to grill, entertain, or just enjoys being outside and wants to have their favorite drinks or snacks readily available.
Dynamic Cooling™ Technology:Superior temperature control on this refrigerator allows for fast cooling recovery between 33°F and 45°F
Blue LED Temperature Controls:Easily see what temperature your fridge is set to with blue incandescent interior light
Glide out Shelves:Two (2) glide out stainless stainless steel shelves allow for maximum storage capacity and user convenience
- Model: 6OARM-SS-B-LR, 6OARM-SS-B-LLMarvel 24 Inch Outdoor Refrigerator Stainless Steel Cabinet and Stainless Steel Locking Door
- Brand: MarvelFull length professional-style handle and stainless steel toe kick
- Close door assist hinge systemTemperature range: 33°F - 45°F
- Standard door lockInput voltage: 120 V/60 Hz
- Blue LED temperature controlPower: 15 A
- Solid corrosion resistant stainless steel door and cabinetWeight: 145 lbs
- Dynamic Cooling™ Technology for superior temperature control and fast coolingDimensions: 33.75" H x 23.75" W x 23.75" D
- Warranty: 1 year parts and labor, 5 years sealed system
- Height: 33.75"
- Width: 23.75"
- Depth: 23.75"


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The current trend in computer
golf is an emphasis on mouse initiated swing. While the tried and true method
of the 'tri-click' - made famous by the legendary Links series - has
its merits, gamers are looking for a more realistic feel. With mouse swings,
the mouse becomes the club. Pull back to start the upswing, and push forward
for the downswing. The more accurate you are (ie. staying on a straight line),
the more successful the result. We saw a decent version of this in SimGolf.
Not to be outshone, Sierra has developed their version of the mouse swing, dubbed
the 'TrueSwing.'
The main difference between the TruSwing and other mouse initiated swings
is that there is no visual representation of how you're swinging. In
SimGolf, you were given a graph that drew a line to follow your stroke.
If you hooked the ball, you could clearly see it as a skewed line. In FPS
Golf, you just have to get the feel right. You can't really adjust until
its too late, which allows for a much more realistic feel. Further, there is
a larger margin of error. You can hit the ball pretty much anywhere based on
how you swing, unlike in SimGolf, where there seemed
to be a stern limit regarding actual ball meets club physics. You would swing
the club gently and get the same result as swinging it harder. Again - no margin
for error. This means less realism and more choppy graphics.
Speaking of which, the graphics
in FPS Golf are great. The courses (two come with the game; you can purchase
add-ons) are photo-realistic. With full panoramic view and excellent textures,
this is a pretty game.
The coolest thing about the graphics has got to be the golfer himself. At long last, the world of polygons has entered the fray. The golfers move with fluidity. No more harsh, static backswings; they even react to shots with little characteristic effects, such as the patented hand to the forehead or the often encountered frustrated club toss...
And the pants. Ah, the pants. You can choose from a variety of trousers, ranging from the traditional (beige...ugh) to the casual (blue jeans) to the offensive (red plaid...nice.). You may be wondering why I'm so emphatic about the pants. Simply put, its the little things that count. Games that add subtle touches of realism (a.k.a. changing pants) are often well-thought out, and therefore more complete. The added freedom of pant swapping means little unto itself. But in the grander sense, it shows that time was taken with the game - it wasn't just thrown out unfinished into the public like too many titles (see The Crow).
FPS Golf contains all the standard elements of computer golf. You can change weather, course, and match conditions. You can compete in one of twelve types of games, ranging from basic Stroke play to the more dynamic Scramble. You can even compete in the Ryder Cup.
The game supports IPX and
LAN networking. You can also play over the Internet by accessing SIGS (Sierra's
Internet Gaming Site), free of charge. SIGS is simple to navigate and a good
way of playing online.
I'll admit it - there are only a few things wrong with the game. For one, the loading time can be a bit excessive (I ran it on a P 120 w/16MB RAM), particularly when you're switching views or changing courses. The TrueSwing, while impressive, definitely takes some getting used to. It can get frustrating shanking a ball into the water six times in a row. However, this is quite close to reality. I, for one, suck at real golf, and it's nice to see that I still suck even on a computer (dammit). Thankfully, Sierra remembered to include the old 'tri-click' method as an alternate option.
A strong title in every sense, I highly recommend FPS Golf to golf
fans. It's pretty much the best thing out there right now. An excellent waste
of money. How about buying some new dungarees while you're at it?


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Studious readers of our MyCorp blog may recall that, back in June, we covered non-profit corporations in a 'Business Basics' post, and answered a few simple questions like what a non-profit corporation was and how to form one. This week, we felt it would be a good idea to tackle one of the most often asked questions about non-profits – how do you run a successful non-profit corporation? Now, it's impossible to distill what makes a non-profit successful into a 700 word post, but we can point out a few things you can do to help your non-profit succeed.
Draft, and adhere to, a solid mission statement
When you form a non-profit corporation, you have to clearly identify your mission. What, exactly, do you hope to accomplish with this organization? Who do you hope to help? What type of a vision do you have? You may have a few fuzzy answers to these questions running through your head, but you have to absolutely solidify every idea and goal you have before you ever hope to begin raising money. If your 'elevator pitch' is a jumbled mess of ideals with no, clear, actionable goals, no one will want to donate to your non-profit. The IRS will also review your mission statement when they decide whether or not to grant your group tax-exempt status.


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Main Content
- Side pocket with sewn-in bungee lanyard, drainage grommet and hook and loop closure
- Hook and loop fly
- Imported
- Water-repellent
- Drawstring waist with four grommets
- Side slits at hem
- 92% Polyester/8% Spandex
- 4-Way stretch
- Screen print graphics
- Size 30 has a 10'' inseam
- Woven brand label
- Imported
- Brand: Billabong
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Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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Comfortable, safe and reliable heat
1/8" Heavy Gauge Steel
Holds heat longer & gives off more radiant heat
Welded braces under stove top
Rounded cylinder virtually eliminates warping
Staying warm in your wall tent is critical, and a Colorado Cylinder Stove will provide years of comfortable, safe and reliable heat. The cylinder design and heavy gauge steel eliminates warping of the stove-top and holds heat longer requiring less maintenance and fuel. Air-tight operation is insured by welded construction. The 1/8" steel holds heat longer and gives off more radiant heat than stoves made of thinner sheet metal. You will use less wood or coal and get more heat.
Welded braces underneath the top of the stove keep the cooking surface flat. The square-frame welded door stays flat and insures a tight seal against the stove. A rounded cylinder virtually eliminates any warping in its body allowing the stove to expand and contract uniformly. Ashes settle to the bottom of the cylinder, keeping heat off tent floor and preventing burnout. Includes Stove and 12" legs only. Never use your stove in any permanent structure, such as your home or residence. Stove Dimensions: 28"L x 18"W x 14.5"H. Weighs: 63 lbs. Stovepipe Hole: 5". Holds heat for 8-10 hours. Made in America.


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Artist of the Month Club
2010 Artist of the Month Club
Regular price $3,000.00
The Artist of the Month Club (AMC) is a limited edition-by-subscription project launched by INVISIBLE-EXPORTS in 2009. Each year, twelve curators are assembled and are each assigned one month. For their month, they choose an artist who creates a work of art exclusive to AMC.
The list of curators is available at the beginning of each year, but subscribers do not know the identity of the artists beforehand. Each month, one artwork arrives by mail, accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. Artworks may take any size or form. Each year's edition is limited to 50 subscribers.CURATORS:
Lisa Anastos, Mark Beasley, Bengala, Christopher Eamon, Jens Hoffman, Anthony Huberman, Terence Koh, Rene Morales, Bob Nickas, Risa Needleman, Amy Owen, Eric Shiner.
AiDS-3D, John Russell, Jorge Macchi, Kalup Linzy, Ei Arakawa, Matt Saunders, Conrad Ventur, Jutta Koether, Dean Sameshima, Gean Moreno + Ernesto Oroza, Lisa Oppenheim, Andy Coolquitt.
Edition of 50
FOR MORE INFO: artistofthemonthclub.com
Edition of 50
FOR MORE INFO: artistofthemonthclub.com
** Additional shipping charges apply for INTERNATIONAL subscribers. Please contact us with your location for shipping rates **


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By wm00997, member
Posted: March 22nd, 2012
A hearty baked pasta casserole can be customized with your choice of meats, cheeses, sauces, and vegetables.
Drain and discard 1 cup of the juice from one of the cans of tomatoes. Put the tomatoes and the remaining juices in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and set aside.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put a large pot with 6 quarts water and 2 Tbs. kosher salt on to boil. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil.
Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, about 1 minute, add sausage and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through and nicely browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon, add another 2 Tbs. olive oil to the pan, and brown the onions in the same manner. Return the sausage to the Dutch oven.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, push the contents of the Dutch oven to the side. If the pan is dry, add 1 Tbs. olive oil, and then the garlic, and cook until it just starts to sizzle and becomes fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Add the pink sauce plus 1 tsp. kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, so that the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the thyme, basil, and chile flakes and cook until they're heated through and their flavors have melded, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until it's just tender to the tooth, about 10 minutes. (Cook the pasta a little less than you normally might, because it will cook more in the oven later.)
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, along with the broccoli and baby spinach.
Add half each of the Pamigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, and Mozzarella to the pasta mixture and toss well. Transfer to the baking dish and spread evenly.
Top the pasta with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.


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Title: Grand Avenue
Description: Looking east along railroad tracks from the foot of Grand at the Levee.
Date: 1870
Item Type: Photograph, b/w
Collection: General Collection (P1), Streets--Grand (early), Number 3
Local Subject: Grand Avenue--19th Century
Digital Format: JPEG
Barcode: 10007458
Repository: Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri
Rights: Reproduction (printing, downloading, or copying) of images from Kansas City Public Library requires permission and payment for the following uses, whether digital or print: publication; reproduction of multiple copies; personal, non-educational purposes; and advertising or commercial purposes. Please order prints or digital files and pay use fees through this website. All images must be properly credited to: "Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri." Images and texts may be reproduced without prior permission only for purposes of temporary, private study, scholarship, or research. Those using these images and texts assume all responsibility for questions of copyright and privacy that may arise.


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Aortobifemoral bypass - discharge; Femoropopliteal - discharge; Femoral popliteal - discharge; Aorta-bifemoral bypass - discharge; Axillo-bifemoral bypass - discharge; Ilio-bifemoral bypass - discharge
You had peripheral artery bypass surgery to re-route the blood supply around a blocked artery in one of your legs.
Your surgeon made an incision (cut) over the area where the artery was blocked. This may have been in your leg or groin, or the lower part of your belly. Clamps were placed over the artery at each end of the blocked section. A special tube called a graft was sewn into the artery to replace the blocked part.
You may have stayed in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 1 to 3 days after surgery. After that, you stayed in a regular hospital room.
Your incision may be sore for several days. You should be able to walk farther now without needing to rest. Full recovery from surgery may take 6 to 8 weeks.
Walk short distances 3 to 4 times a day. Slowly increase how far you walk each time.
When you are resting, keep your leg raised above the level of your heart to prevent leg swelling:
You will have more leg swelling after walking or sitting. If you have a lot of swelling, you may be doing too much walking or sitting, or eating too much salt in your diet.
When you climb stairs, use your good leg first when you go up. Use your leg that had surgery first when you go down. Rest after taking several steps.
Your doctor will tell you when you can drive. You may take short trips as a passenger, but try to sit in the backseat with your leg that had surgery raised up on the seat.
If your staples have been removed, you will probably have Steri-Strips (small pieces of tape) across your incision. Wear loose clothing that does not rub against your incision.
You may shower or get the incision wet, once your doctor says you can. Do not soak, scrub, or have the shower beat directly on them. If you have Steri-Strips, they will curl up and fall off on their own after a week.
Do not soak in the bath tub, a hot tub, or swimming pool. Ask your doctor or nurse when it you can start doing these activities again.
Your doctor will tell you how often to change your dressing (bandage) and when you may stop using one. Keep your wound dry. If your incision goes to your groin, keep a dry gauze pad over it to keep it dry.
Bypass surgery does not cure the cause of the blockage in your arteries. Your arteries may become narrow again.
Call your doctor or nurse if:
Creager MA and Libby P. Peripheral arterial disease. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Libby: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Saunders; 2011:chap 51.
Eisenhauer AC, White CJ. Endovascular treatment of noncoronary obstructive vascular disease. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 63.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch)
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2013 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.


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João Manuel Valente Nabais (Portugal) is President of the International Diabetes Federation Europe Region (IDF Europe) and a member of the IDF Board 2013-2015.
Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1981, João has been actively involved in the field of diabetes ever since his youth through participation and support in numerous activities of APDP – the Portuguese Diabetes Association. He is himself the founder of two local diabetes associations and the President of one of them, the Evora Diabetes Association.
At national level, João has served for 10 years as Board Member of APDP, sitting on the association's Ethical Committee and working on different projects including youth camps, advocating for the Declaration of the European Parliament on diabetes and supporting the Unite for diabetes campaign. From 2008 to 2011, he also served as President of APDP's Ethical Committee. Furthermore, his work for APDP includes close collaboration on the educational courses provided to people with diabetes and parents of children with diabetes. Additionally, João Nabais played an important role in the campaign for the reimbursement of test-strips in Portugal.
In 2008, João joined the Board of IDF Europe and became President-Elect of IDF Europe in 2009. The issues he has been actively working on at European level include EU political affairs, namely Food Labelling, European Parliament Diabetes Working Group and the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Besides, he has also been actively working on engaging youth and is heavily involved in the IDF Europe Youth Summer Camp.
João Nabais graduated in Technological Chemistry from the University of Lisbon and he holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Evora (Portugal). Since 2002, he works as Assistant Professor at the University of Evora and is currently Head of the Chemistry Department and Deputy Rector of the University.
João Manuel Valente Nabais (Portugal) is President of the International Diabetes Federation Europe Region (IDF Europe) and a member of the IDF Board 2013-2015.


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Sports & Recreation, ProfessionalFollow
Videos feature the travels, skateboarding and life of the Element family including Nyjah Huston, Mark Appleyard, Brandon Westgate, Evan Smith, Nick Garcia and more.
October 1st, 2008
Episode 105 of 233 episodes
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The Art of Charm Podcast is where self-motivated guys and gals, just like you, come to learn from a diverse mix of experienced mentors, including the world's best professional and academic minds, scientists, relationship experts, entrepreneurs, bestselling authors, and other badasses. This show will make you a better networker, better connector, and -- most important -- a better thinker.


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By Teresa Rivas
Stocks with high yield were all the rage earlier this year, especially stable names that acted as proxies for bonds.
But now with rates rising, the attractiveness of high yields are in danger and investors are less focused on stocks for their dividends alone, writes Goldman Sachs' Christian Mueller-Glissmann and his team in a research note out today. With high-yielding stocks underperforming in the U.S. and Europe since the May trough in bond yields, investors need to choose carefully to avoid high-yielding traps.
They write: In "Growth"-phase high dividend yield stocks can still outperform High dividend yield stocks tend to outperform by less in the 'Growth" phase (with markets driven by earnings), than in the earlier "Hope" phase (when valuation expansion drives returns). But stocks that combine high dividend yield and growth usually still perform well. Indeed, our High dividend yield + growth basket (GSSTHIDY) has continued to outperform despite rising bond yields. This is in part because it includes cyclicals and financials and has a beta of close to 1. The prospect for such a strategy from here is also enhanced relative to history given that unusually half of the stocks in the STOXX Europe 600 still yield more than credit.
By contrast, the analysts write that the most vulnerable companies are "dividend yield traps," i.e. the stable growth names that were bid up by defensive-minded investors earlier in the year or the highest yielding stocks that in Europe continue to see structural declines in ROE.
Goldman also advises investors to look at companies that will benefit from releveraging: "Finding growth in Europe has been difficult in recent years. However, we expect an acceleration of earnings growth in 2014, driven in particular by margin expansion. There is also the prospect of more corporate releveraging. Thus yield investors should focus more on operational leverage and financial releveraging. Better growth and releveraging are also likely to further drive the outperformance of equity vs. credit."
Companies in the STOXX Europe 600 that the firm sees as benefiting from releveraging (and can be bought on U.S. exchanges) include Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA) Total (TOT), BP (BP), Sanofi (SNY) Unilever (UN) and ABB (ABB).


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Universal Fit
Tekfusion Twinwoofers
" HERE IS MY FULL REVIEW ON THE TEKFUSION TWINWOOFERS Note: I'm not much of a reviewer, but i had to review these In-Ear Headphones because they are so special to me, and to my collection, so couldn't resist but give you guys some of my views. Hope you like it. Also, if you don't like my review, forgive me for taking your time but i think you won't INTRO Tekfusion Twinwoofers is a..." --audiophilic0
" Was generally attracted to these headphones by the wooden look and the odd buds at the end. Fifteen minutes later I was fairly shocked at the big package I got in such a small one. While these are great for portability, they are annoying when they get tangles (but that happens to all of them unless they are self retractable). All in all, great earbuds. " --thatnewguy15


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Ohio State nav barSkip to main content
Master of Business Operational Excellence
The Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE), with an additional specialized track in Health Care, is an innovative 12-month degree program. This dynamic program focuses on preparing high-potential managers for leadership in the rapidly changing continuous improvement environment found in service, healthcare and manufacturing organizations.
Built on faculty strength in operations management and the reputation developed through 23 years of growth in Fisher's Center for Operational Excellence, this program is designed to create lean thought leaders with a bias for action. As a result of the MBOE experience, managers will learn how to achieve operational excellence, better than the competition, by utilizing a variety of Lean and Six Sigma tools including value stream management, employee engagement, waste reduction, capability building, and innovation.
Beth Miller
Senior Associate Director, Operational Excellence
Fisher College of Business
Executive Education
110 Pfahl Hall
280 W. Woodruff Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210-1144
©2017 Fisher College of Business
2100 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210


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Family: Cardinalidae, Cardinals view all from this family
Description ADULT MALE Has grayish back and gray wings with red leading edge; tail is mainly red. Plumage is otherwise mostly buff-gray, but note the largely red crest and red face with color continuing down center of breast and belly. In flight, note the red underwing coverts. ADULT FEMALE Mainly buffy gray with red outer tail feathers and red leading edge to wings; tip of crest is red. JUVENILE Similar to adult female, but duller overall, and red elements of plumage are subdued or absent; bill is dark.
Dimensions Length: 7 1/2-8 1/2" (19-22 cm)
Habitat Locally common resident of desert scrub and mesquite thickets in southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Observation Tips Easy to see in suitable habitats, often particularly visible in winter.
Range Southwest, Texas, Southeast
Voice Song is a series of liquid, upslurred whistles: wee-p'wee- p'wee-p'wee; call is a sharp, chattering chit't't't.
Discussion Similar to Northern Cardinal and in many ways its southwestern, aridcountry counterpart. Distinguished by its largely gray upperparts with contrasting red crest, red (not black) face, and its proportionately large, rounded, stubby, and yellowish bill. Forms nomadic flocks outside the breeding season. Sometimes visits bird feeders. Sexes are separable.


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UTSA hosts writing conference for area teachers
By Ashley Harris
Public Affairs Specialist
(Jan. 30, 2008)--The UTSA Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching in the College of Education and Human Development hosts the second annual San Antonio Writing Project Writing Connection Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2 in Frio Street Building Room 1.406 at the UTSA Downtown Campus, 501 W. Durango St.
Today's headlines
- La Prensa Foundation is newest member of UTSA Lone Star Society
- UTSA alumna Jordan Kaufmann wins $50K for new stent-graft start-up
- UTSA begins new way-finding sign installation this summer at Main Campus
- USA Today: UTSA long jumper Tyler Williamson rescues three-year-old boy
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The keynote speaker is San Antonio Express-News columnist Cary Clack. Coordinated and hosted by UTSA Professor Roxanne Henkin, founder of the San Antonio Writing Project, the conference is free and open to the public.
The annual event for area teachers and writers provides innovative ideas to incorporate writing into the classroom. UTSA instructors will conduct panel discussions for the event. Participants will earn three hours of professional development credits.
"This conference is a wonderful way for UTSA's highly skilled professors to reach out to the local community and provide teachers with fun and exciting ways to teach their students," said Henkin. "With the guidance of NWP's teachers-teaching-teachers model, we provide opportunities for teachers to share their knowledge, expertise and teaching practices."
Founded in 2005, the San Antonio Writing Project is dedicated to improvement of teaching writing in Texas classrooms from kindergarten to college.
For registration and parking information, call (210) 458-5427 or visit the San Antonio Writing Project Web site.