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In the distant past, long before the coming of men or even the bright Fae, mighty spirits walked the land. In legends now forgotten, a spirit of death, then young and naïve, searched the depths of the primeval woodland and found the most ancient of the yew trees of the forest. He laid his hand upon it and his mark sank into its roots and its branches, a deadly poison in every drop of sap. The spirit then carved his rune into the bark of the massive tree, decreeing to all the gods that this tree would be his witness, a sentinel standing until the end of time to decree that the dark spirit had fulfilled the role apportioned to him. Within the tree, a watchful thought stirred.
Millennia passed. The yew stood silent watch as empires rose and fell. It watched as the elder races flowered and faded. It grew even more massive as the years passed. Druids erected monoliths before its immortal grandeur; their flint knives offered up the heart's blood of human sacrifices before it. The tree's spirit slowly learned the paradoxical ways of men. It learned to speak with the dead, souls often restless in the hours after their deaths.
Later, a new people came to the land and built a mighty edifice of stone where the Druids had once offered blood and pain to the tree. They tore down the monoliths of the ancient Druids and placed their dead into the ground around its roots. Within the building towering nearby, they sang of love and spoke of a time when hopes and fears would come true. Their dead slept around the tree, waiting for the coming time of promise. In their souls, the tree could taste their hopes, the lies some died to hold, the loves they cherished and the hatred that ate away at some of their hearts. The tree learned wisdom and sadness and truths beyond the knowledge of men. It came to understand the tongues of men, but it seldom spoke, since few had the will to listen.
Now scarred by millennia of lightning strikes and weathered by floods and fires, the tree enters the final era of its long vigil. The lovely stone building has fallen to ruin, and woodland once again has risen to surround the ancient yew tree. An occasional bone pokes from the ground around the huge plant.
Once in a while, a wizened elder rests in its shade and shares some words with the lonely sentinel, but most of its conversation is with spirits of the restless dead that haunt the land nearby. It visits the dreams of local folk, sharing vistas of unspoiled forest and druidic monuments encrusted with blood. In dreams, it appears sometimes as a woman with nut-brown skin and ancient features. She sings songs of ancient times and whispers secrets long forgotten. Sometimes other spirits intrude; when this happens she lets the restless spirit share its message with the dreamer, hoping always that the dreaming mortal isn't killed in the shared dream.
Some have learned to court the tree for knowledge. Priests seeking wisdom, knights hoping for enlightenment, the elderly longing for reunion with lost friends and loved ones, all make the trek into the forest to sleep among the roots of the ancient tree. Some fall to the hazards of the forest before they arrive; others find nothing for their trouble besides a sore back, but a few find the dream that they sought.
Others seek to harvest the tree's ancient wood or toxic leaves. They find that a greater danger awaits them. In anguish, the primordial sentinel calls out for the aid of the restless dead… and they answer. Undead will rise from the deep shadow beneath the tree's boughs, striking down those who would damage it.


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TransTextura is a moisture transfer technology featuring larger yarns next to the skin and finer yarns on the outer surface. Capillary action transfers moisture away from the skin to the surface for evaporation and quicker drying.
TransTextura PLUS is enhanced with anti-microbial functionality using patented X-Odor, an environmentally safe and extremely effective technology that neutralises odours.
나열된 모든 사양은 사전 통보없이 변경 될 수 있습니다.

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Banks aren't lending enough to get the economy moving. In an effort to understand why, I spoke to three people with different points of view who are smarter about these issues than I am. The Federal Reserve shows banks have an astonishing $2.3 trillion in excess reserves -- that is capital available for lending but merely sitting on bank balance sheets. Prior to the financial crisis, that figure was at about $1.5 billion. I started with Richard Bove, a bank analyst at Rafferty Capital Markets. Bove has been outspoken in his view that U.S. banks are overregulated in virtually everything that they do. He recently argued that fines against JPMorgan Chase ( JPM) amounted to government " extortion" of the bank's shareholders. This overregulation, in Bove's view, is what is keeping banks from lending. "The government, through a series of capital restraints are forcing the banks to have an unusually large amount of liquidity," Bove says. He points to rules including Basel 3, as well as a supplementary leverage ratio for big U.S. banks like JPMorgan, Bank of America ( BAC - Get Report), Citigroup ( C - Get Report) and Wells Fargo ( WFC - Get Report), among other requirements that force banks to have a larger portion of capital in cash or cashlike instruments, which means it isn't available for lending. Bove says the U.S. banking system was fine for 75 years without such strict capital rules. The last time rules were so strict, he argues, was in 1938, which helped extend the Great Depression. Dan Alpert, a banker at Westwood Capital, says banks aren't lending "because there aren't any creditworthy borrowers to lend to that haven't already borrowed all the money that they need. They're trying to lower their lending standards a little bit because business has fallen off a cliff, but there's a limit to how much they can lower their standards without a.) losing money and b.) inciting the regulators." Michael Barr, a University of Michigan professor who was the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions from 2009-2010, points to an uncertain outlook for the economy which he believes makes businesses reluctant to borrow and banks reluctant to lend, as well as uncertainty over whether Congress will raise the federal borrowing limit. He doesn't think higher capital requirements are holding back lenders, in part because they don't fully kick in until 2019.
"Banks have to be more conservative in how they fund themselves going forward and I think that is a good thing. What we saw in the run up to the financial crisis was a massive overleveraging of the system and in the wake of the crisis you saw, understandably, deleveraging, and to some extent that process is still continuing," Barr says. -- Written by Dan Freed in New York. Follow @dan_freed


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A highly soluble fluorogenic MMP substrate for MMP-2, 8, 12, 13 and 14, containing the MMP cleavable Gly-Leu bond and EDANS/DABCYL. Fluorogenic assays using TNO211 are sensitive and can detect MMP activity in culture medium from endothelial cells and untreated synovial fluid from patients. Abs/Em = 340/490 nm.


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Black Trousers with Reinforced Knees 2 Pack - 7 yearstuc128756114
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These black trousers are the perfect combination of smart and ease. This pair are finished with reinforced knees, hook closure at the waist and a creased leg. This pair features a slip-on design up to age 5 years.
Black trousers
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Chris Bosh wants Heat's Big Three to stay intact
MIAMI — Chris Bosh was the lone member of the Big Three who addressed the media after Tuesday's shootaround and he wore a stoic look, intent on helping the Heat extend this NBA Finals series to seven games and appearing somewhat embarrassed the Spurs' Danny Green has burned Miami for a Finals record 25 3-pointers.
And it could also serve as the final game for Miami's Big Three.
There have been persistent rumors the Heat would break up the trio had they lost Game 6 Tuesday night, and Bosh could be dealt in the offseason because of his salary and inconsistent production.
"You never know what to expect, but I think we expect to come out with a great amount of energy," Bosh said, before the Heat's 103-100 overtime victory to force a Game 7 Thursday night.
"I think that's one of the main important things for us. We come out energized and making sure we're just playing the right way, when we've done that, we've won those games, so that's the focus for us."
Three teams — the 1988 Lakers, 1994 Rockets, and 2010 Lakers — have come back to win both home games after trailing, 3-2, in this 2-3-2 format. Bosh said he wasn't using that as motivation.
"You kind of have to write your own story," he said. "You can't look at what other teams have done and try to think what's going to happen, because we have to play a very good game."
Perhaps the 27-game winning streak, the 66-win regular season, and dominant first-round sweep over the Milwaukee Bucks buoyed observers into believing the road to a consecutive NBA title would be unchallenging.
That hasn't been the case.
The Heat struggled with the shorthanded Chicago Bulls in a brutal five-game series while the Indiana Pacers took the Heat to a seventh game.
"That's not realistic at all, just think you're going to breeze through the playoffs," Bosh said. "It never happens like that. It's not easy. Nothing worth gaining is easy.
"If people wanted a championship and think it was going to be easy, tough to break it to them, but we're in Game 6 right now and we're behind."
Two years ago, the Heat faced an identical situation, returning home for Game 6 after losing Game 5 at Dallas. The Mavericks played a near-flawless Game 6 and finished the series with a 105-95 victory.
Sticking to plan
When Gregg Popovich opted for his reserves midway through the first quarter, he used veteran Boris Diaw against LeBron James.
Diaw, who played sparingly in the first three games of the series, had a significant impact in Games 4 and 5 with his scoring and staunch defense of James.
Despite the fact Diaw has gained some weight since his prime days with the Phoenix Suns, he has proven to be effective in spurts.
"I feel he did a great job," forward Kawhi Leonard said of Diaw's defense.
"He was being physical with him in the post. They are about the same size.
"We still have another game to get and we have to do the same job that we did [in Game 5]."
No change
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra stuck with his starting lineup from the previous two games with Mike Miller at small forward. And for the first time in three games, Miller scored, hitting a 3-pointer at the 10:38 mark of the first quarter. Miller scored 29 points in the first three games, but went scoreless in the previous two . . . Manu Ginobili was back in the starting lineup, but did not score in the first period, missing his lone shot. He finished with 9 points in 35 minutes.
Gary Washburn can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @gwashNBAGlobe.


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A local family full of Kansas State University alumni was recognized during Family Day at the university's football game Sept. 15 against the University of North Texas. Quentin and Shari Morford and their children, Lindsey, Katie, and Matthew – all K-State graduates – of Hillsboro joined relatives from St. John and Stafford as the "Family of the Year."
The family's K-State connections began with Lolene Morrison Hildebrand of Stafford in 1947. Family members Kent Hildebrand of St. John and Shari Morford of Hillsboro nominated the family for consideration. Family members have been involved with the university in many ways, including serving as Willie the Wildcat at a bowl game, student ambassadors, on the equestrian team, writing for the K-State Collegian newspaper, in service honoraries, undergraduate research, athletic training, academic counseling, admissions, and on the Student Alumni Board and K-State Alumni Association.
Family members have represented K-State across the world, teaching South African children how to dance to the "Wabash Cannonball," studying abroad in Brazil and the United Kingdom, done mission work in Papua New Guinea, East Asia, Europe, and Africa, and working construction in Abu Dhabi. Mike and Katie Hildebrand and family of Stafford were unable to attend Family Day because they are currently living abroad in Qatar.


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Difference between revisions of "Lifeinvader"
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==Known Users==
==Known Users==
*[[Jack Howitzer]]
*[[Jack Howitzer]]
*Pho Gina
*Pho Gina
Revision as of 08:22, 12 September 2013
Lifeinvader is an online social networking service in Grand Theft Auto V based on Facebook. The service allows users to update their status and share photos and videos, while also featuring advertisements and memes. It is unknown how, if at all, interactive the site will be to the player. Lifeinvader is advertised in a pre-release advertisement. Its ingame and real-life URL is www.lifeinvader.com.
Lifeinvader also offers a branded tablet, similar to the real-life, Facebook-branded HTC ChaCha smartphone. This tablet features a FLEECA card slot and a phallic power-supply port. It is advertised under the slogan "It's time to dock!", referencing the homosexual act.
Known Users
- Alan McClean
- Jack Howitzer
- Pho Gina
- Sally James
- Yuri Stroganov
- Moe Chinpoko
- The name is a reference to the pervasive/invasive nature of Facebook
- The first known meme on the site is an advice animal reading: "TRANNY PIG - IS WATCHING YOU POOP"


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Servicios Personalizados
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Verbum et Ecclesia
versión On-line ISSN 2074-7705
versión impresa ISSN 1609-9982
Verbum Eccles. (Online) vol.34 no.1 Pretoria ene. 2013
Shattered stories: Healing and reconciliation in the South African context
Cori Wielenga
Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Sharing our stories has been described, by those in the field as well as by popular opinion, as a way to foster healing and reconciliation following violent conflict. This article argues that sharing stories is in itself not necessarily helpful. It is when our stories are shattered by the story of another that meaningful change can begin to take place and new stories can emerge. This idea will be explored in the South African context, with reference to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as well as current events. It will consider storytelling and reconciliation using John Lederach's four-part model of justice, truth, mercy and peace.
Since the end of apartheid in 1994, reconciliation and healing have had a prominent position in social discourse in South Africa as well as in South African churches. Yet divisions in our society continue to be prevalent, with some suggesting that churches in the country are contributing to the divisions more than that they are healing them. Although the divisions are based on past wounds, the continued inequality, poverty, high levels of violent crime and the uncertain political context perpetuate the divisions. Part of the problem, it is suggested, is that healing and reconciliation have not been sufficiently internalised or explicated in order to be sustainable.
The concept of reconciliation in this article will be understood through John Lederach's four-part model, drawn from Psalm 85:10, which encompasses mercy, truth, justice and peace. Lederach argues that all four elements of this model need to be in balance in order for reconciliation to become a reality. He further suggests that these are most significantly enacted through storytelling. Lederach describes storytelling as a living, interactive process through which new ways of engaging and being with one another are born. Anthony Balcomb takes this further, saying that sharing stories has the biggest impact when we allow our story to be shattered and transformed by that of the other. This includes the shattering of stereotypes, assumptions and ideas that sustain the divisions between us.
Storytelling is not a new concept in the reconciliation process in South Africa; it was a recurring theme during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Although the role of storytelling in the TRC context has been written about extensively (see Bundy 2000; Tutu 2000; Villa-Vicencio 2000), the unique contention of this article is that storytelling in itself is not sufficient; the stories we share need to 'shatter' previously held stories. Furthermore, the potential inherent in the TRC has not been sufficiently translated into meaningful healing and reconciliation in South Africa today. This article will suggest ways in which South Africans and, more specifically, the churches in South Africa can continue to draw from the work that the TRC started.
The role of storytelling in reconciliation
Human beings are by nature storytellers. We tell stories in order to bring coherence to our lives (Hunt 2010; Rosenwald & Ochberg 1992:2). In order to make sense of the layers of events that occur in our lives and our interactions with multiple groups of people, we draw everything that happens to us together in a coherent story. These stories are formed in constant dialogue with those events and people and tell us how we perceive the events and people around us and ourselves in relationship to these (Cobely 2001:2).
Not only are our personal life stories embedded in the stories of others, but they are also embedded in the contending narratives of the past and current social, cultural and political narratives (Cobley 2001:2; Hunt 2010). Rosenwald and Ochberg (1992:8) argue that our subjective stories are thus not a romantic fiction separated from the society around us but that, rather, people's stories reflect their interaction with the world and their attempts to create a unique position for themselves within the complexities of multiple layers of reality.
The stories we have created form a social framework that limits the choices that we see as being possible or moral (Hunt 2010; Rosenwald & Ochberg 1992:5). There is a trend in narrative research to engage with stories uncritically so as not to impose an 'ideal' onto these stories. A hermeneutical, non-canonical perspective might insist that no one has the right to judge one story as better as or worse than another. However, Rosenwald and Ochberg (1992:6) argue that engaging with our stories critically is imperative for 'emancipation'. Our stories are often developed in struggle with or against other narratives. Every story is then an area of contention or struggle between individuals and the society in which they find themselves. If we see stories as sites of struggle or contention, we could further argue that there are better and worse stories (Hunt 2010; Rosenwald & Ochberg 1992). Individuals may be able to enlarge the range of their personal story to include more of the stories of others. As individuals become more aware of the influence that their political-cultural conditions have had on their stories, they become able to critique their own story. This critique will most likely lead to a shift in the individual's story and in how they imagine and communicate their position in the society around them (Rosenwald & Ochberg 1992:8).
Being able to perceive reality in new and more varied ways and being able better to understand the complex dynamic between self and others and between one's own reality and the effect of political and cultural conditions are critical to any process of personal healing and reconciliation with the other. In engaging our stories critically, we shift from the limitations of a narrow story towards the possibilities of change. Sometimes these shifts occur in subtle and almost unperceived ways. At other times, when socio-political circumstances change significantly, these shifts can or perhaps need to occur more consciously. Balcomb argues that, in the context of South Africa where the prevalent stories in society were destructive, we need to consciously choose to have our stories 'shattered' in order to be able to develop new stories. Balcomb suggests that a crisis takes place when our stories are shattered, and the ideas or stereotypes we had are brought into question, and it is this crisis that allows new stories to emerge. He suggests that we need to identify which stories are important to a community or nation, which stories are not important and 'which stories are looking old and haggard and are ready to die' (Balcomb 2000:60).
The new stories give us common ground for understanding one another and acting in new ways that are more inclusive and less destructive. This is particularly the case when we have painted the other as the enemy, the perpetrator or the one who is completely other to ourselves. The process in which our stories are shared and shattered allows for healing.
As with stories, healing is not an isolated activity undertaken by an individual. It is a process which inevitably involves the one who caused the wound as well as the people with whom we are in a relationship and the broader society around us (Staub, Pearlman & Miller 2003:289). In the South African context, Tutu (2000) argues that we are all wounded, victims as well as perpetrators, and all need to be healed. Healing occurs through, amongst other things, the rebuilding of relationships, which John Lederach (1997:22) suggests is what also leads to reconciliation. He states that people may be living as neighbours and yet remain fixed in endless cycles of hostility, fear and stereotyping (1997:23). His contention is that we do not achieve reconciliation by finding creative ways to avoid one another but by intentionally engaging each other as 'humans-in-relationship' (1997:26). Central to reconciliation is then the restoration of relationships and the recovery of the dignity and humanity of both the victim and perpetrator (Hay 1999:12). This kind of reconciliation leads to healing.
The recent South African Reconciliation Barometer, which is a nation-wide survey measuring reconciliation on an annual basis, reveals that, although race relations in South Africa have improved, interracial interaction and socialisation remains low. The same is most likely to be found in church communities. Sharing our stories takes us beyond interacting superficially towards a deeper engagement with the other so that meaningful healing and reconciliation can take place. The following section will explore reconciliation using Lederach's (1997:28) four-part model of reconciliation, which includes truth, justice, mercy and peace.
Lederach's model of reconciliation
Lederach argues that, although the four elements of his model may seem contradictory, they cannot operate independently from one another. Truth without justice would be an offence to the victims. Justice without truth might result in historical revisionism which would open the way for new conflicts. Mercy, which is sometimes translated as forgiveness, would be meaningless without acknowledging truth and justice, resulting in impunity for perpetrators. Peace is an essential ingredient for the other elements to become a reality (Lederach 1997:29; Nolte-Schamm 2005:25). In this section, each of these four elements will be explored in terms of storytelling in the South African context, focusing on the contribution of the TRC. The emphasis will be on problematizing these elements of reconciliation, focusing the attention on the complexity of the process.
A concern for many people recovering after violent conflict is that the truth of what happened be told. This is a story individuals and a nation repeat to one another in an attempt to bring coherence to past events and to make sense of the present and the future. In the context of the international tribunal following the Rwandan genocide, the possible cathartic effect of speaking the truth is discussed by Adami and Hunt (2005):
For those who remain, for those who lived through the ultimate evil, for those who despaired of seeing the world react, the ICTR becomes a tremendous place to speak. There people can give voice to their suffering, ritualise it, objectify it, reopen the wound to better let it out, let it heal, let it scar over. (p. 112)
Once the truth is spoken and recorded, it becomes a testimony in the collective memory of a nation and the world, and it is 'fixed in history' (Adami & Hunt 2005:113).
Yet prolific debate about the nature of the truth that has been spoken has taken place following truth commissions like the TRC. After the TRC hearings, a document of some 500 pages was produced of the story of our past. Bundy (2000:14) argues that the TRC report claimed that the truth was 'a site of contending constructions and perspectives, a realm of subjective, partial truths'. He also reflects on the claims that, through the TRC proceedings, 'we should accept that truth has emerged' (2000:14), implying that a final, factual version of the truth has now been revealed. Bundy critiques the TRC report for favouring conflicting stories over forensic evidence.
Villa-Vicencio (2000:26) argues that the stories that people share are often fragmented and incomplete. He poetically calls for a listening to the incompleteness, the silences, the body language and the complexity of emotions that accompany the telling of stories from the past. The important issue is not that one complete, coherent truth is told, but that new insight is gained into what happened, along with 'an empathetic understanding of how a particular event is viewed by ones adversaries' (2000:27). The crux of the matter is not getting to a so-called ultimate truth but having people on opposing sides begin to see each others' truth with empathy and understanding that will allow for healing to begin to take place.
Yet Staub et al. (2003:290) argue that conflicting views about the past lead to the persistence of blame, mistrust and antagonism. Particularly when groups live together, creating a history that is acceptable to both sides is central to reconciliation. This does not, however, need to be one, contained story. A shared understanding suggests acknowledging and taking into account a diversity of views and perspectives and piecing this together into a version everyone can share. A shared understanding also allows for a dynamic interaction between different groups over time.
Our stories are constantly in flux and being rethought and renegotiated. It is this fluid interaction with our stories, including our stories of the past, which allows reconciliation the space to become a reality. Similarly, Adam and Adam argue that there needs to be room for various versions of the truth rather than a unified, official version. They claim (Adam & Adam 2000):
Only a pluralist interpretation of history may at best achieve a shared truth, or at worst, reinforce divided memories. History as an ongoing argument is still preferable to the myth-making of official collective memory. (p. 37)
In the case of South Africa, the level of public debate around our past, current political realities, our identity as South Africans and the way forward contribute to developing a flux of dynamically merging stories which create the environment in which reconciliation has the potential to develop.
Justice is high on the agenda of the victims of a violent conflict and forms an important part of the kinds of stories a nation develops in the reconciliation process. Justice is often seen to be about victims being compensated for their suffering and perpetrators paying for what they have done. Hartwell (2006), however, describes how, after conflict, all parties tend to see themselves as victims. In South Africa, there are those that survived direct violence under the apartheid regime, there are those we speak of as being previously disadvantaged, and one might argue that anyone who was not White between 1960 and 1994 was, to some degree, a victim. Yet, those who have survived violent crime, those who have lost political and economic power and perhaps many White South Africans living in the post-1994 South Africa may describe themselves as victims.1 According to Hartwell, it is natural for victims to want revenge on the perceived perpetrator.
The fact that the democratic government of 1994 did not want revenge and instead implemented a system of political amnesty is very significant. Tutu describes how those who were threatened by the transitions needed to be incorporated in the process in order for them not to become the new victims and to renew violence. Because the participation of those 'threatened by transition' was sufficiently high, the possibility of renewed violence was relatively low (Tutu 2000:22).
Although the route of amnesty seemed at the time the best way for reconciliation and healing to take place in South Africa, in retrospect, many feel it was unhelpful towards the victims of apartheid. Hamber, Nageng and O'Malley (2009:39) describe their study with 20 women who survived political violence during apartheid and testified at the TRC. These women thought that they were testifying in order for the perpetrators to receive punishment. Hamber et al. (2000:39) write that, although the TRC may have had a role to play in the national process of healing and that telling their stories may have been cathartic for some, in the long term, it did not help these victims process their pain and trauma. Although at the time of testifying, those they interviewed felt relieved at the opportunity to be heard by the nation, months afterwards, Hamber et al. (2000:39) found them frustrated and confused by the process. Hamber et al. (2000:40) suggest the possibility that those that testified felt like 'pawns' in a national healing process, where their suffering was used to help the nation but they themselves benefited very little They argue that South Africa made a 'truth for justice trade' which did not benefit the victim (Hamber et al. 2000:41). Hartwell (2006) adds that the TRC 'stifled rage' and the desire for retributive justice. Although she supports the amnesty process as such, her argument is that the rage and desire for revenge that people experienced needed to be acknowledged.
Hamber et al. (2000:42) suggest that financial compensation or a sense that the perpetrators fully understood what they have done and were prepared to make restitution may have helped in the process of healing where retributive justice was absent. This supports the argument that sharing stories in itself is not always enough if those who are listening to the story have not fully entered into it. In the case of South Africa, it could be argued that a large portion of White South Africans failed to engage the TRC and failed to enter into the stories shared by victims of apartheid and failed to allow their stories to be shattered by the stories of others. This left the storytellers, as described by Hamber et al. (2000:42), feeling resentful and unheard. In contrast to the conclusions of Hamber et al. (2000:42), this article would argue that the need is not for perpetrators to be punished or for financial compensation as much as it is for the perceived perpetrators to engage in victims' stories.
Behind the TRC was the concept of restorative justice, which Consedine (1999:183) describes as embracing a wide range of emotions, including compassion and mercy and 'a world view that says we are all interconnected, and that what we do, be it for good or evil, has an impact on others'. Although this approach was the intention of the TRC and there were numerous examples of meaningful exchanges that took place between victim and perpetrator, there were countless others in which the perpetrator remained without remorse. In addition, on a national level, it has been argued that there has been insufficient remorse on the part of those who benefitted from the apartheid system, which has left many who were disadvantaged by the system resentful. This is the kind of resentment that has the potential to lead to renewed or sustained violence.
Gibson discusses how the TRC amnesty process was in line with a restorative approach to justice, but he argues that a restorative process, particularly in the traditional African context, should include an apology on the part of the perpetrator. In the case of the TRC, it was decided not to demand an apology as this had the danger of being insincere. Gibson argues that the amnesty process was seen as unfair by many South Africans but that:
... when sincere apologies are given, I suspect that South Africans will judge amnesty as more fair to the victims and their families ... Apologies recognized as sincere ameliorate the negative effects of amnesty. (Gibson 2002:543)
A sincere apology would require empathy with victims, entering into their pain and their experience and experiencing remorse for what was done. Based on an extensive survey undertaken in South African in 2000 and 2001, Gibson argues that compensation made little difference to the victims' perceived sense of fairness of the amnesty process. For victims, the crucial factors in their perception of how fair the justice had been seem to be to have one's story heard and to receive a sincere apology (Gibson 2002:554). Because South Africa has chosen the route of amnesty, in order for victims to feel that they have received fair justice, it is imperative that the process of sharing stories and having the stories shattered is taken seriously.
After truth and justice, Lederach's model mentions the need for mercy, which he equates with forgiveness. As seriously as we need to take survivors' anger and pain, a retributive approach to justice may not only be damaging but also impractical. In the South African context, Tutu (2000:23) argues that all South Africans had to continue living alongside one another and could not afford to alienate the perpetrators as this had the danger of leading to renewed violence. A retributive approach is also limited in aiding the process of healing and reconciliation. A driving force behind South Africa's choice for a TRC was the desire to live out the precepts of the Constitution in the very way in which the country engaged with justice and reconciliation (Tutu 2000:21). Leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu wanted to build a country on the principles of forgiveness, amongst others.
Forgiveness played a central role in the TRC proceedings, drawing its meaning from both the Christian understanding of community, koinonia, the kingdom of God and the African concept of ubuntu. Lynn Graybill quotes an example of a testimony at a TRC hearing that embodies this concept:
One of those supporting amnesty was Cynthia Ngeweu, mother of Christopher Piet (one of the Giguletu 7 who was assassinated), who explained her understanding of ubuntu: 'This thing called reconciliation . if I am understanding it correctly . if it means the perpetrator, the man who has killed Christopher Piet, if it means he becomes human again, this man. So that I, so that all of us, get our humanity back ... then I agree, then I support it all'. (Graybill 2004:1119)
Forgiveness has remained a difficult element in the reconciliation process with some arguing that it is primarily a religious concept that has no place in secular processes (Jelin 2012). However, forgiveness continues to hold a significant position in transitional justice processes throughout the world with both practitioners and scholars in the field realising its importance for those healing after violent conflict. Nolte-Schamm (2005:16) writes about the centrality of sin, repentance and forgiveness in a Christian understanding of reconciliation. Is it possible, however, to understand the full meaning of forgiveness without including an understanding of sin and repentance? Further still, Tutu and others advocate that the one who was wounded should forgive, even if the perpetrator does not repent or show remorse.
Nolte-Schamm (2005:240) suggests that the possibility of forgiveness without repentance is introduced to us through the New Testament story of the prodigal son. She suggests that, in the paradigm introduced to us by Jesus, the forgiver is able to forgive because they themselves have been forgiven. Forgiveness that is offered as a gift to the perpetrator, regardless of the perpetrator's remorse, takes reconciliation to another level. This would relate to the concept of ubuntu, which suggests that, in order for me to be fully human, I need to recognise the humanity of another.
In a secular model of forgiveness, Enright (in Hartwell 2006) describes six steps that forgiveness normally follows. In the first few stages, one may find it impossible to forgive, and one may desire revenge whereas, in the final stage, one is able to forgive without needing anything in return. He suggests that the act of forgiveness is not to control the other but to release the other and, arguably, also oneself. This version of forgiveness acknowledges the presence of an injustice whilst releasing the hurt of the act:
While the offended realise they have been treated unfairly, and have no duty to show compassion, they decide to go beyond seeking a 'fair solution', tied to a conditional justice of retribution or reparation, to reach for a compassionate one. This last stage is seen as a final resolution and answer to the offence and it will not be revisited again by either the individual or group involved. (in Hartwell 2006:n.p.)
Following the model of Enright, one could argue that forgiveness does not necessarily emerge from noble intentions such as those described by ubuntu or the Christian teachings, but it may also emerge from the more pragmatic desire to end cycles of violence or, as Luskin, Thoresen and Harris (2000) describe it, for one's own mental and psychological health and peace (Kulcsár 2006).
In addition to this, as mentioned earlier, perpetrators also need to forgive themselves and their fellow perpetrators. Tutu held that all South Africans had been hurt by apartheid and needed to be forgiven and healed, regardless of whether they were perpetrators or victims. 'All of us South Africans are less whole than we would have been without apartheid' (Tutu 2000:154). He called on people to forgive regardless of whether remorse was shown in the belief that forgiveness is pivotal if a nation is not to fall into an endless cycle of revenge.
Although this led to some moving and transforming experiences during the TRC hearings and in other contexts in South Africa since then, the critique has been that those responsible for political crimes did not take full responsibility for their actions and that the structural violence meted out by the apartheid system was not sufficiently acknowledged (Ntsimane 2000). Tutu's ideal creates a powerful alternative to revenge cycles, but some might argue that it lets perpetrators off the hook. Sharing stories to the point where our stories are shattered demands the engagement of both the storyteller and the listener. The kind of engagement that demands of the listeners that they be participants procures a greater likelihood of listeners taking responsibility for their part in the story.
The last element in Lederach's model is peace. Galtung, in his seminal work on peace, distinguishes between negative peace, which he describes as the absence of war, and positive peace, which is the 'integration of human society'. He further argues that peace is not only the absence of direct violence but also of indirect violence, which includes structural violence (Galtung 1964:2). Structural violence creates the conditions in which direct violence can take place, and thus Galtung argued that peace efforts need to focus on structural violence to ensure sustainable change in a society (1969:171).
One significant point of criticism against the TRC is that it did not deal with the structural violence of the apartheid system that allowed direct violence to occur (Ntsimane 2000). However, the church in South Africa did respond to this structural violence through the KAIROS document of 1985. The 156 signatories, from more than 20 denominations, condemned the tenets of apartheid that allowed a government to oppress the majority of its citizens. The theological justification of apartheid were 'laid bare and exposed as untenable because of the enormity of the injustice' (Hrynkow, Byrne & Hendzel 2010). The document called on the church to bring about change and suggested that reflecting on a just society should become a central part of worship. Significantly, the KAIROS document declared itself 'an open ended document that could never be said to be final' (1985).
At the ninth assembly of the World Council of Churches, the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation 2011 was signed. Enns (2011) describes this Peace Convocation as one in a series of important milestones in the long succession of ecumenical activity and thinking on the possibilities of non-violent conflict resolution and commitment to justice for all. He writes that the Convocation was an opportunity for confession and repentance for all that had not yet been achieved, 'where churches have remained implicated in violence and entrenched behind "thick church walls"' (Enns 2011:44). He elaborates on these 'thick church walls' describing this as follows:
all situations where churches are timid and inward looking and choose to be isolated from the real challenges facing society, supposedly for the sake of self-preservation or maintaining their privileges as churches or ecumenical organisations. (p. 45)
It has been argued that many of the challenges we face in South Africa today are as a result of not having dealt with the structural violence that underpinned the apartheid system (Ntsimane 2000). Inequality which leads to poverty, unemployment and violent crime remains part of the South African reality. The KAIROS document poses a challenge to the church today to condemn the structural violence that continues in society and take action to bring about change and to make reflections on a just society an integral part of worship. One practical way that this may happen is through shattering the stories that allow structural violence to continue. The following section will consider some ways in which stories may be shattered in the South African context, followed by a discussion of how they may be shattered in the church.
Shattering stories in South Africa
This article has referred repeatedly to the TRC process. The most powerful impact of the TRC would perhaps be exactly the advantages that storytelling offers to reconciliation processes, namely, to be challenged and changed through hearing the stories of others. Nolte-Schamm describes the experience of the well-known South African journalist, Antjie Krog:
... through being exposed to, and allowing herself to be challenged by, the collective memories of groups other than her own, was able to start critiquing her own story; her own story was 'stretched'. (Nolte-Schamm 2000:41)
Through sharing stories, our own story is challenged so that new stories can begin to emerge.
One important way that this can happen is through what the director of a non-governmental organisation in Rwanda, Michel Kayitaba, has described. He spoke of the word for forgiveness in the Rwandan language, kubabarira, as coming from the word urira, which means 'to cry'. Kayitaba encourages perpetrators and victims, or all those hurt by the events of the past, to cry together for their shared loss of humanity. We should be crying together for the way in which we have all been manipulated by politics and power play, crying together for the way in which stereotypes have divided a nation, crying together for those affected by violent crime and crying for the perpetrators of these crimes. Beyond debate in the public sphere, there is a need to share pain and wounds together. Part of the process towards crying together may be being angry at one another and expressing the bitterness and grief in one's story.
In sharing and engaging in stories, human dignity is restored (Hay 1999:12). As stories are shared, heard and acknowledged as legitimate, people enter into a process of being restored as human beings in valid relationships with one another. Villa-Vicencio (1997:105) writes that storytelling assists us in the process of accepting and celebrating our differences, enables us to understand each other well enough to co-exist and builds a common nation 'in diversity and difference'. How the past and the nature of the conflict are perceived and remembered has a significant effect on the likelihood of conflicting parties reconciling. It is necessary for everyone's stories to be heard and told and not for only one set of stories to be heard. As long as our stories are dismissed as being false versions of reality, or perhaps unimportant because they are focused on the past or, alternatively, because we are from a minority group, we feel unacknowledged as human being in relationship to others and become alienated from others.
How do we then share these stories when, as the recent South African Reconciliation Barometer indicates, South Africans of different races struggle to interact socially? There are a number of established organisations that create opportunities for sharing stories. The Institute for the Healing of Memories, started by Father Michael Lapsley in 1998, holds workshops to facilitate interracial reconciliation and healing (Hamber & Wilson 2002:137). African Enterprise has held Bridge Building Encounters since the late 1990s in which participants from a variety of backgrounds are challenged to reconsider their stereotypes, misconceptions and concerns. The Alternatives to Violence Program initiated by the Quaker Peace Centre in Cape Town allows people from different backgrounds to learn to resolve their conflicts non-violently. These programs are examples of the kinds of spaces that can be created to facilitate the sharing of stories.
A storytelling approach to reconciliation suggests that, in the sharing of our stories, we begin to renegotiate the boundaries between groups. As we begin to share our stories, we shift our understandings of self and other, thereby shifting the boundaries between 'them' and 'us' until, perhaps, we can come to a point of a shared identity beyond the boundary. Sharing our stories is meaningful in fostering healing and reconciliation and breaking down the violence that lies deeply embedded in our society.
Shattering stories in the Church context
In an article entitled 'The social meaning of reconciliation', Miroslav Volf (1999:8) writes a critique of the role that churches have so often played in violent conflict. He writes that, although churches are the presumed instruments of peace, in the face of violent conflict, they are instead often impotent, at best, or perpetrators of violence, at worst. He argues that talking about reconciliation from the pulpit is not enough but that the social meaning of reconciliation needs to become a reality in church practice.
Although churches may embrace the concept of reconciliation in an abstract sense at the same time, they may be perpetuating the very stories that sustain divisions, stereotyping and othering in society. In the South African context, the most obvious way in which these divisions are perpetuated is in those cases where churches remain homogenous in terms of race and class. However, there are less obvious ways in which divisive stories are perpetuated, both in homogenous churches and those that are more diverse.
In churches whose congregations reflect a single race and/ or class group, hearing the stories of others is a challenging task. Yet even in this circumstance, openness can be created for the congregation to become more receptive to the stories of others. For such churches to merely engage with the other as either the giver or the recipient of charitable actions, as is often the case between a wealthy White congregation and a disadvantaged Black congregation, is not sufficient for a shattering of stories to take place. Creating this openness begins with an awareness of one's own story and how it has been shaped by our socio-political conditions, as described by Rosenwald and Ochberg (1992:4). It further requires creating intentional opportunities to hear the stories of others. Storytelling events, where members of a congregation have the opportunity to share their own stories with one another and the opportunity to share stories with those outside of the community, have the potential to be transformational.
In personal conversations about reconciliation and violence in South Africa with White communities, anger has been expressed that the stories of those previously disadvantaged are being told over and over whilst their own stories of trauma as a result of crime are ignored. Alongside this are the stories of past suffering, including what happened during the border war and in the military context. South Africans who feel that their story is not being heard or is not taken seriously in the broader national narrative may be less willing to engage with others' stories of the past. Sharing stories involves not only listening to the other but having an opportunity to share one's own stories as well. Healing and reconciliation take place in the mutuality of the sharing, and such sharing has the potential of bringing recognition of the sameness of the other that shatters long-held assumptions.
The danger in multiracial congregations is the belief that by merely being in church together, reconciliation is taking place. Creating opportunities for socialising and interacting does contribute to a certain degree of familiarity, but what may remain is the feeling that the other is still 'other'. There may even be deeply held resentments based on assumptions about the other that would be found to be untrue were those assumptions challenged.
Drawing from the work of organisations such as the Institute for the Healing of Memories and African Enterprise, a wide scope of possibilities is available for churches that are willing to engage in sharing stories intentionally. Using the models provided by these organisations, multiracial congregations can plan to have story-sharing encounters around a meal or a braai fire at the church on a regular basis. Congregations that have outreaches to impoverished communities can take the time to hear stories from the community and share their own stories which have the potential of transforming the encounter from the problematic one of the 'rich' congregation patronising the poorer one to a mutual sharing and learning experience.
Sharing and shattering stories have a potentially powerful role to play in reconciliation in the churches. Churches in South Africa are in danger of perpetuating stereotypes, assumptions and divisions in our society through allowing particular stories to continue circulating unchallenged. Although many churches have made significant attempts towards reconciliation during apartheid, and even more so since 1994, Volf's warning that churches have a tendency to become perpetrators rather than peacemakers has the danger of becoming a reality in the South African context in terms of the stories that are shared.
This article contended for sharing our stories as a response to violence in South Africa and argued further that old and stunting stories need to be shattered in order for new, shared stories to emerge. Examples were drawn from the TRC in order to reflect on the role stories play in reconciliation. Using Lederach's four-part model of reconciliation, the complexity of the role of stories was explored in terms of truth, justice, mercy and peace.
It was argued that the church has a pivotal role to play in transforming society and creating communities of peace. One way of doing this is through storytelling, becoming aware of the socio-political context in which one's own story has emerged and intentionally creating opportunities where one's story can be shattered by the stories of others. As we enter into the story of another, relationships have the potential to be restored and new stories begin to emerge.
The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who contributed to this article through their very helpful suggestions, advice and recommendations.
Competing interests
The author declares that she has no financial or personal relationship(s) that may have inappropriately influenced her in writing this article.
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Cori Wielenga
Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
Email: email@example.com
Received: 07 June 2012
Accepted: 30 Apr. 2013
Published: 30 July 2013
Copyright: © 2013. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
1. Although the perception of victimhood is clearly problematic here, it is important to acknowledge this perception as it plays a significant role in the willingness of those who perceive themselves as victims to participate in the reconciliation process.


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By Eric Sachs and Ben Laurie, Google Security Team
One of the major conferences on Internet identity standards is the Internet Identity Workshop(IIW), a semiannual 'un-conference' where the sessions are not determined ahead of time. It is attended by a large set of people who work on Internet security and identity standards such as OAuth, OpenID, SAML, InfoCards, etc. A major theme within the identity community this year has been about improving the user experience and growing the adoption of these technologies. The OpenID community is making great progress on user experience, with Yahoo, AOL, and Google quickly improving the support they provide (read summary from Joseph Smarr of Plaxo). Similarly, the InfoCard community has been working on simplifying the user experience of InfoCard technology, including the updated CardSpace selector from Microsoft.
Another hot topic at IIW centered around how to improve the user experience when testing alternatives and enhancements to passwords to make them less susceptible to phishing attacks. Many websites and enterprises have tried these password enhancements/alternatives, but they found that people complained that they were hard to use, or that they weren't portable enough for people who use multiple computers, including web cafes and smart phones. We have published an article summarizing some of the community's current ideas for how to deploy these new authentication mechanisms using a multi-layered approach that minimizes additional work required by users. We have also pulled together a set of videos showing how a number of these different approaches work with both web-based and desktop applications. We hope this information will be helpful to other websites and enterprises who are concerned about phishing.
[Also posted on the Google Online Security Blog.]
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
User Experience in the Identity Community
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For the breakout star of The Voice, Blake Shelton sure has been a total energy suck the last few weeks of Season 4.
Oh sure, his rakish charm remains as reliable as ever. Who else could get away with yelling "kiss my ass!" to Adam Levine and making it land without a hint of toxicity? But Blake's sudden and inexplicable "I only want country artists!" mindset has been a smudge on the show the likes of which we haven't seen since Xtina's wayward lipstick exploits of Season 3.
Yes, I know Blake's heart belongs to Nashville, and there's nothing wrong with that. But why did he string along a fascinating blues artist like Grace Askew or an enigmatic R&B hipster like Luke Edgemon given his formerly secret agenda of bringing four "tobacco-spittin'" country acts to the Season 4 Live Playoffs? That'd be like ordering the last chocolate soufflé off the dessert menu at a restaurant, tossing it on the floor to the horror of your fellow patrons, then telling the waitress to fire up a scoop of vanilla ice cream. "We don't go in for none of that fancy shmancy sooo-flay stuff, no sirrree! I'd rather have me a Hoodsie Cup with a flat wooden scooper, mmmmhmmm."
Anyhow, before my tidal wave of anger and disappointment washes over this entire recap, let's cut to tonight's Knockout Rounds results — listed in order from least- to most-promising winner:
Team Usher: Josiah Hawley (Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black") defeats Jess Kellner (James Morrison's "You Give Me Something") | Okay, sure, maybe Jess was a tad lackadaisical in her delivery while hitting intermittent flat notes. But seeing Usher rate her performance below Josiah's mumbly, growly affectations and ridiculous Blue Steel posturing was as much a mystery to me as the enduring popularity of the 147 Kardashian-themed shows on that E! network. My only explanation is that keeping Josiah on the airwaves for another week will just make Michelle Chamuel seem that much cooler. Okay, that's an insane theory, but do you have anything better?
Team Usher: Cathia (Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All") defeats Ryan Innes (Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be") | Cathia definitely hit some hinky notes in the verses, which had me thinking she was playing the role of Sacrificial Lamb in a movie called Ryan's Pimp-Slot Coronation. But holy vocal meltdown, her bearded opponent (and early front-runner) delivered "I Don't Want to Be" with all the musicality of a grizzly bear snarfing down a cooler full of uncooked hamburgers. The coaches clearly entered the matchup expecting Ryan to emerge as a clear winner, but dude gave Usher no choice but to throw his support behind Cathia (who I still argue was strongest in her Blind Audition).
Team Blake: The Swon Brothers (Dobie Gray's "Drift Away") defeats Grace Askew (Tina Turner's "I Can't Stand the Rain") | Grace certainly wasn't flawless as she swooped and flitted her way through a bluesy, boozy take on "I Can't Stand the Rain," but there was a delicious brazenness to the liberties she took with the original. I loved the way she dipped low and conversational-like on "get off my window!" and the break in her voice when she reached her upper register. Plus, that shredded leather skirt and jaunty flip in her hair added a little fashion fun to the proceedings. And yet Blake went with a straightforward, totally uninventive but decently sung "Drift Away" that you could probably hear in a saloon in any mid-sized city on an average Thursday night. But the Swon Brothers are from Blake's home state and so of course, you've got to factor that in, too.
Team Usher: Josiah Hawley (Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black") defeats Jess Kellner (James Morrison's "You Give Me Something") SRSLY? [Sorry! Bad cut-and-paste job by your humble recapper — Josiah definitely ranks last for the night!]
Team Blake: Holly Tucker (Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying") defeats Luke Edgemon (Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream") | I wasn't a huge fan of Luke's run-heavy Blind Audition, but I appreciated the bah-chicka-wah-wah R&B sensuality he brought to Katy Perry's ditty — and the way he managed to show his pretty crazy vocal range without going overboard with unnecessary runs and trills. To be fair, Holly hit the majority of her notes, too, but there was a nasal quality to her tone — and a rather unengaging stage presence — that dragged her down from an A- to more of a B+/B level performance. Luke, I could imagine in the Season 4 Top 10; Holly, not so much.
Team Blake: Justin Rivers (Miley Cyrus' "The Climb") defeats Savannah Berry (Justin Bieber's "As Long as You Love Me") | I was kind of ambivalent about who won the night's opening Knockout. Savannah's reworking of "ALAYLM" wasn't amazing, but at least she went beyond basic karaoke. The problem was that she got drowned out a bit on the verses, and didn't manage to bring much personality to the lyrics aside from her peculiar shade of lipstick. Justin definitely showcased greater vocal firepower, but his glory notes at the end felt more like a "look what I can do!" trick more than a genuine way to punctuate Miley's hokey lyrics. Dude did listen to his coach, though, and dial back on the runs, so perhaps we'll see further improvement in the coming weeks?
Team Blake: Danielle Bradbery (Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel") defeats Taylor Beckham (Rihanna's "Russian Roulette") | Not a great song choice for Danielle. I mean, the inexperienced teen obviously has an enormous instrument and Ginsu-accuracy, but what she doesn't yet possess is the artistry or life experience to scale Mt. Underwood and sound like anything more than a decent imitation. Blake, though, might be able to help his young protégé make savvier (and less predictable) decisions, and bring a little more emotional heft to the proceedings, too. As for Taylor, let's take the "if you don't have something nice to say…" approach to her Rihanna cover, shall we?
Team Usher: Vedo (Bryan Adams' [Everything I Do] I Do It for You") defeats C. Perkins (Chris Brown's "She Ain't You") | I loved how Shakira summed up C. Perkins' failures by noting that he should have focused more on his vocals, and less on his stiff-armed "wind up the audience" foolery. Vedo's song choice could've used about 10 fewer packets of Splenda, but he definitely felt every word and
Team Usher: Michelle Chamuel (Pink's "Raise Your Glass") defeats Audrey Karrasch (Lil Wayne's "How to Love") | Oh em gee, Michelle's fun, fearsome and very physical twist on Pink's outsiders anthem was the most fun I've had watching The Voice in four seasons (and yes, watching her drop and match Usher's pushups in rehearsal definitely added to the Joie de Knockouts. I loved every part of her performance, from the tiny tweaks she made to the core melody to her seemingly involuntary punches into the air. If she doesn't at least crack the Season 4 Top 10, then I'm gonna throw my TV out the window.
And with that, it's your turn. What did you think about Night 2 of The Voice's Season 4 Knockout Rounds? Was anyone robbed? Who lucked out with their pairings? Did Blake's treatment of Grace and Luke bother you? Take our poll below to vote for your faves, then hit the comments and expand on your thoughts. And for all my reality TV news, recaps and interviews, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSlezakTV!
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Responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of all store areas, inside and out, such as bathrooms, break rooms, sprinklers, and parking lots. Perform preventative and basic maintenance on all store equipment, ordering and installing parts needed for repair, coordinating with contractors when appropriate. Assist customers on the sales floor when necessary.
Job Requirements
Requires morning, afternoon, and evening availability any day of the week. Physical ability to move large, bulky and/or heavy merchandise. Physical ability to perform tasks that may require prolonged standing, sitting, and other activities necessary to perform job duties.
Minimum Qualifications
Ability to read, write, and perform basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction).
Preferred Qualifications
6 months facility maintenance experience including preventative maintenance and repair on facility systems and equipment (e.g. changing cutting blades, light bulbs, filters).
6 months janitorial/groundskeeping experience.
6 months customer service experience.
Lowe's is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer and administers all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, genetics or any other category protected under applicable law.
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Transdev is built on two foundations: local roots and global resources.
This dual international-local identity allows a strong understanding of local challenges, experiences and best practices through its global operations.
Who we are
Bringing together two of the world's leaders in passenger transportation, Transdev responds to the growing desire for better, simpler travel for today's mobile citizen. With its geographic coverage, expertise and service offerings, Transdev delivers a unique response. Globally Transdev has 101,000 employees in 27 countries who intimately understand the local communities they serve. An international profile and a complementary expertise give it a capacity to imagine the most innovative solutions and deliver customised responses. An extensive experience in blending public and private interests enables us to find answers that simultaneously meet the needs of communities and individuals.
Key figures
- 7.9 billion euros in revenue in 2012
- 95,000 employees in 21 countries
- 5 continents
- 48,000 vehicles
- 13 transport modes
- 23 light rail networks
What we offer
- For passengers, we offer innovative solutions for dependable, sustainable mobility that deliver a personalised, simple and pleasant travel experience.
- To clients, we deliver well-integrated, high quality mobility solutions that add value for cities and regions.
- The employer of choice for employees.
- A trusted partner for clients.
- An innovator, focused on the needs of tomorrow's traveller... today.
- A commitment delivered by 95,000 dedicated employees around the world.
Ambitious and ideally positioned to compete successfully worldwide, we possess global R&D resources, cutting-edge technologies and strong financial stability. Confident in our ability to consistently deliver high-quality performance, respectful of human and environmental values, with people at the heart of our business.
Transdev in the UK
The UK is a key market for Transdev as it develops globally.
In North and West Yorkshire and Lancashire, Transdev owns the Blazefield Group which provides high quality bus services through its six subsidiary companies.
Transdev also owns greentomatocars, the operator of London's leading environmentally friendly private hire (passenger car) company which focuses on excellent customer service and a sustainable business model.
For more information about the Transdev Group please see:
See also:


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Theresa Rebeck Set for Theater Masters in Aspen, Now thru 1/29
Award-winning Broadway Playwright, and Creator of the hit NBC Series 'Smash,' Theresa Rebeck will join the Theater Masters' National MFA Playwrights Festival, tonight, January 26th - 29th as guest reader and mentor for the organization's 2013 winter season featuring a series of events ranging from open classes for actors and writers to panel discussions and the acclaimed "Take Ten," an evening of 10 minutes plays from leading MFA Playwriting Students from around the country---all taking place in various venues in Aspen, Colorado.
"We are thrilled to have Theresa Rebeck this season," said Julia Hansen, Theater Masters founder and Artistic Director - and former President of New York's Drama League. "In many ways how I started the Drama League's "Director's Project" is how I am now fostering new playwrights --- by discovering new playwrights through our National MFA Emerging Playwright program and making alliances with major theaters and playwrights like Theresa--- to guarantee the writer's work is developed and heard."
Kicking off the season on January 20th, the first event is an open class for actors and writers entitled Creating Original Works through Improvisation and Theater Games featuring New York theater director Stephen Cedars and New York producer and dramaturg Ariana Paganett. The fast-paced 2-hour class will focus on how to create scenes, characters, and plays using Improvisation and Theater Games. Continuing on Saturday, January 26th are two rare opportunities to join in a discussion and reception with this year's directors, winning playwrights, and celebrated guests. Entitled Fireside Chats: Theater Today Gives Voice to Timeless Ideas, the panel discussion will begin at 5PM at The Aspen Institute and will include Ms. Rebeck, award-winning playwright Primary Stages Artistic Director, Andrew Leynse, Theater Masters Founder Julia Hansen, and the 2013 winning playwrights. This event is FREE and open to the public. Following the panel discussion is the Benefit Dinner in Honor of the Playwrights. Hosted at the home of one of Theater Masters' benefactors, the intimate dinner will also serve as an evening of conversation on American Theatre with this year's directors and winning playwrights. The evening of dinner and conversation is $150 per person. Proceeds go to help make the National MFA Playwrights Festival possible.
The grand finale of this two-weekend festival, January 27th - 29th (7:30PM), is Take Ten: An Evening of 10 Minute Plays by aspiring MFA playwriting students from around the country. This year, finalists from CalArts, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, NYU, University of Iowa, University of Texas-Austin, UCLA, and Yale will have their ten minute works presented in a full evening over a three-day period. These projects are nurtured in Aspen and after further development, receive a spring Equity showcase production in New York City
Based in Aspen, Colorado, Theater Masters is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing, developing, and producing or causing to be produced the work of the next generation of American Playwrights. In all their work, their goal is always to enhance audience understanding of, and support for, theater. Theater Masters is supported by: The City of Aspen, The Thrift Shop of Aspen, The State of Colorado, and the Elizabeth George Foundation.
Ticket prices for the 2013 National MFA Playwrights Festival are as follows: Creating Original Work through Improvisation and Theater Games on January 20th (10AM - Noon) is FREE and open to the public. Reservations are required. Please firstname.lastname@example.com with your full name to reserve your slot in the class. Fireside Chats: Theater Today Gives Voice to Timeless Ideas on January 26th at The Aspen Institute/The Koch Building (5PM) is FREE and open to the public, no reservation necessary. The Benefit Dinner in Honor of the Playwrights following the panel discussion on January 26th is $150. Reservations can be made by firstname.lastname@example.com. Tickets for Take Ten (January 27th - 29th) at The Aspen High School Black Box Theatre (7:30PM) are $25, $12 for students. For reservations, please email email@example.com.


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Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori reach Barcelona quarterfinals
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal looked more like his confident self on the clay in passing Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-3, 6-3, to reach the Barcelona Open quarterfinals on Thursday.
Nadal was struggling with his game coming into the event and an unconvincing opening victory on Wednesday did little to calm the nerves.
But Nadal looked more assured as he ousted the 37th-ranked Dodig in 83 minutes in the third round.
Nadal moves on to face fellow Spanish player Nicolas Almagro in an early rematch of last season's final, which Nadal won for his eight title at the tournament in the Catalan capital. Almagro advanced after beating Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3.
Dodig's attempts to come forward were met with passing shots from Nadal, who finally broke for 3-2 after coming to the net to force Dodig into netting a return.
Dodig broke right back but Nadal had found his rhythm as he forced Dodig into 15 errors in the first set, when he won the last three games for the lead.
Nadal maintained his play to start the second set, when he made fewer errors and seemed to grow in confidence to break Dodig for the fourth time as he sealed the win.
"There's still some work to do but I definitely took a step forward from yesterday. I move on feeling more assured," Nadal said. "I needed this game."
Earlier, fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori beat Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-0, 6-4. Nishikori had been sidelined by a groin injury since beating Roger Federer four weeks ago.
Russian player Teymuraz Gabashvili followed up his win over fifth-ranked David Ferrer with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over another Spaniard, Inigo Cervantes, to reach the quarterfinals.
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia, Marin Cilic of Croatia, and Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany all won to advance.


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However, Wednesday's snowy weather was to blame for only a third of the crashes, three of which occurred on Bay Road.
NORTON - Wednesday's early morning snowfall was the cause for only three of an "unusually high" number of accidents that day, according to the Norton Police Department.There were nine accidents on town roads on Wednesday, including three on Bay Road caused by slippery conditions between 7 and 8 a.m., said Norton police Lt. Todd Jackson.
"Even on a day with snow we don't have that many accidents," said Jackson.
Bay Road, which is often used by residents of Easton, Norton and Taunton, is a winding road with a sharp curve where many serious accidents have occurred.
At 7:04 a.m. on Wednesday, a white GMC van driven by Adilson Carvalho, 30, of Stoughton veered into the opposite travel lane on a sharp curve near 191 Bay Road and struck a Nissan Altima head-on, police said.
Carvahlo was not hurt, but three of the four people in the Nissan were injured and taken to Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton or Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Carvahlo was cited for speeding and failure to keep right for an oncoming vehicle.
One of the passengers in the Nissan was a 31/2-year-old, who police did not believe was injured, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution. The child was not in a child seat, but was restrained with a seatbelt, Jackson said. The operator of the Nissan, Dennis Barboza, 47, of Providence, was cited for failing to secure a child in a proper child restraint.
Another crash on Bay Road occurred 20 minutes later. A car slid on ice and snow and went off the road near 213 Bay Road. The driver was not hurt, and there was minor damage to the vehicle.
A third accident on Bay Road happened just before 8 a.m. Two cars crashed in front of 125 Bay Road. No one was hurt, and there was minor damage to both vehicles.
"People should use care and caution" when driving during snowstorms, Jackson said.
The other six accidents were unrelated to the weather and occurred elsewhere in town between 3 and 8:30 p.m.
Just after 7 p.m. a car struck a deer on East Main Street at the Interstate 495 overpass, causing damage to the vehicle. The driver was not hurt.
At 8:18 p.m. a blue Chevrolet pickup truck traveling south on Taunton Avenue veered off the road and struck a utility pole. The truck then crossed both lanes of traffic and hit a tree before stopping. The driver, Eric Nunes, 28, of Middleboro was treated for minor injuries at the scene. He was not taken to the hospital. Nunes was cited for a marked lanes violation and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle. The truck was heavily damaged, police said.
Jennifer Bray may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow her on Twitter @JenniferB_ENT.
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From DDwiki
There are three types of stat boosters in dungeons. They are automatically applied when character moves to the square where they are found. Three of each spawn in every dungeon, unless you are a thief, in which case four spawn.
These are:
- Mana - typically adds +1 to max mana
- Damage - adds 10 percentage damage to existing +/- damage % -modifiers
- Health - adds 10 percentage to existing +/- max health % -modifiers


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Main Content:
Women's Accessories Sale
Old Navy Women's Accessories Sale
You've created the perfect ensemble with pants and a shirt, now add the finishing touch from our women's accessories sale. Shop our women's shoes sale and get footwear at a great price. The affordable prices make it easy to enhance an outfit jewelry or flats. You've heard, "it's all in the details" and with our women's accessories sale you can bring those details to life. Shop Old Navy women's shoes sale and get style at a great cost. Don't forget to shop for great gifts from our women's accessories sale for someone special.


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Although it's "almost universally expected" that Steven Jackson will void his $7 million contract to explore the free agent market, most league observers believe the veteran tailback's preference is to finish his career in St. Louis.
|The St. Louis Rams didn't make the playoffs, but their season was action-packed. Take a look at some of the best photos from the 2012 season.
There is mutual interest in a new deal, and Jackson's agents are expected to meet with the Rams at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.
Jackson made it clear in December that he expects to be back with the Rams. Head coach Jeff Fisher is now echoing that sentiment.
"We'd like to have Steven back and we'd love for him to be able to finish his career here," Fisher told WXOS-FM in St. Louis. "We're the same with Danny (Amendola) and the same with the other unrestricted guys that we have."
Whereas it seemed at midseason that rookie Daryl Richardson was making Jackson expendable, the latter closed out the season in strong fashion with an average of 108 yards from scrimmage over the final eight games. It doesn't sound like Fisher is ready to thrust disappointing 2012 second-rounder Isaiah Pead into a featured role, either.
Perhaps the two sides can reach a compromise that will help the Rams' cap situation while allowing Jackson to exceed that $7 million figure in guarantees over a three-year contract.Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


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Heat resistant steel alloys introduction Heat-resistant alloy steel, mainly refers to the high temperature oxidation resistance and the strength does not reduce a lot of alloy steel. Heat-resistant steel, including anti-oxidation steel and two types of hot strong steel. Antioxidant steel...
Heat resistant steel alloys introduction
Heat-resistant alloy steel, mainly refers to the high temperature oxidation resistance and the strength does not reduce a lot of alloy steel. Heat-resistant steel, including anti-oxidation steel and two types of hot strong steel. Antioxidant steel generally requires good chemical stability,But the bear of load is low. Hot high-strength steel requires a higher temperature strength and the corresponding oxidation resistance. Heat-resistant steel commonly used in the manufacture of boilers, steam turbines, power machinery, industrial furnaces and aviation, petrochemical and other industrial sectors working in high temperature parts. In addition to these components require high temperature strength and high temperature oxidation corrosion, and according to different purposes also requires sufficient toughness, good workability and weldability, and a certain degree of organizational stability.
Correct use of heat-resistant steel
1. According to the different environmental media, select the applicable heat-resistant steel.
2. Precautions in use
a. Try to form a stable and dense protective oxide film - pre-oxidation treatment
Heat-resistant steel surface with a stable and dense protective oxide film is the normal use of equipment prerequisites.Therefore, the electric heating equipment before the official opening, the power heated to high enough temperature, heat long enough to form the ideal oxide film.Normal use can not replace the pre-oxidation process.Pre-oxidation should be carried out in an empty furnace.Pre-oxidation temperature should be higher than the normal temperature of 50 ℃ (can not exceed the maximum allowable temperature of the material),Holding time 4 to 6 hours.If the equipment is suspended for a long time, it should be pre-oxidized before it can be reused.
b. Equipment temperature does not exceed the maximum allowable temperature of the material.
c. Equipment heating must be uniform, but not too hot. When using a rod-shaped heating element, the heating element should be at a sufficient distance from the heated equipment.
d. Welding parts must be in accordance with the correct welding process welding.Try to avoid and reduce hydrogen corrosion and intergranular corrosion of base metal around the weld.
e. To ensure the service life of heat-resistant steel and the normal use of equipment, the correct material selection is to ensure that clear-phase environment is the premise.Various parameters of the gas phase environment is a direct factor in determining and affecting the oxidation of heat-resistant steel.
These include
① chemical composition of the gas is a single oxygen or a mixture of two or more gases.
② The total pressure of the gas phase and the partial pressure of the reaction gas components, and the pressure change.
③ Gas flow status and flow rate.
④ Whether the flowing gas contains particles that react easily with the surface of the heat-resistant steel.
⑤ Ambient temperature is constant or alternating.
⑥ External force is constant or alternating.
f. During the normal heating process of the workpiece, the same material test piece is placed in the equipment, and the evaluation of the heat-resistant steel equipment is replaced by the observation and evaluation result of the test piece.
g. Heat-resistant steel equipment try to avoid the rapid heat in the heating process.
pressure valves for general machinery.
Our costomers


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Study Island Dictionary API - SDKs
Study Island is an online service for educational enhancement. It provides tools for every grade level, and it readily conforms to state standards for education. One tool that Study Island provides is the Dictionary API, which allows users to look up words programmatically via SOAP calls.


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Command your own Starship! Take control of a powerful faster than light ship. You control the crew and the stations. Your skills as a commander will either help you to survive the perils of the galaxy, or cause your crew to perish. Your crew lead the way. You keep them fed, give them rest, and entertainment. Assign them to stations to boost your ships abilities and level up their skills. Each crewman is unique and valuable. Each one you let die is a huge set back! Explore the galaxy! Trade between worlds, and use diplomacy to learn the secrets of the universe. IF all else fails, make planet fall and explore the world on foot. Upgrades are everywhere! New ships are available at every port. Purchase helpful stations which you can place on board your ship to help your crew, or your combat abilities. Powerful guns and armor are available as well to keep the commander safe on his away missions.
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Salvation: The Battle for the Salvation 2
After the room is clear of all that pesky cannon fodder, head forward. You'll see sections of red engine parts sealing off the next section of the area. It doesn't matter which you side you blast open, you'll wind up in the same place either way. So pick whichever side floats your boat and press forward. You'll come to a corridor at the end of which are two platforms on the right and left walls. Use them to ascend up to the corridor above. Run to the end of the corridor and jump down the hole at its end.
You'll drop down onto a grated walkway. Follow it to its end and you'll wind up in another hangar. Jump down onto one of the platforms below. The room is of course populated by some enemies; a AT-MT and a full-fledged squad of saber guards. Jump down to the floor and use force persuasion to turn the acolytes against one another. With any luck they'll jump into one of the four flame jets positioned around the room. Once they're preoccupied with saber smacking each other, take down the AT-MT. With it out of the way, finish the acolytes. Once this group of enemies is dispatched, another mixed group of saber guards, snipers and troopers will show up. After you defeat them a force field will lower. Jump up onto the corresponding platform and head down the adjoining corridor.
At the end of the corridor you'll come to a large round elevator. Ride it up to the next floor. When you get off, you'll enter a small room with a trio of storm troopers looking down on you from hole in the nearby wall. Jump up to the hole and kill the troopers. From there, turn to your right and look down the chasm. There will be a platform with a trooper high above. Use your force grip to pull it down closer to you and jump onto it. Kill the lone trooper. Almost immediately you should be targeted by some snipers further down the chasm. You'll also be attacked by some jump troopers. Kill the jump troopers and then pull down the next platform to advance further down the chasm. Once you reach the end of the platform, jump down to the sniper below and kill him. After he's worm food leap to the walkway on the right. There should be a small nook filled with troopers. Kill them all and work down the walk and continue jumping from platform to platform until you reach the end of the chasm.
Once you exit the chasm you'll wind up in a long corridor. As you start down it, a new enemy will bust through one of the walls near the end: an incinerator droid. The incinerator droid is essentially the same as carbonite droid, only it shoots fire instead of ice. This means when you attack it, you can use the most of the same strategies as you've used in the past. Rip off its shield and then keep your distance. The keep your distance part is especially important now as the incinerator droids ability to dish damage is greater than the carbonite droids. Beware of its flamethrower; it's nasty. Destroy the incinerator droid and follow the corridor until you enter a large room.
When you enter the room you'll encounter another incinerator droid in the company of some troopers and saber guards. Turn the troopers and acolytes against each other with force persuasion and then pick them off one by one. Once they're dispatched, take down the incinerator droid. With the room cleared look for the door with a fuse nearby. Use the fuse to open the door and proceed down the corridor. You'll meet some storm troopers, snipers, and terror troopers along the way. Dispatch them. When you reach the end of the corridor turn right. You should shortly come to another short hall on the right from which a squad of storm troopers will emerge. Kill them and head down the hall. You'll come to a set of sliding doors that will open up to another large room.
Head into the room and you'll encounter a incinerator droid accompanied by a group of troopers, snipers and saber guards. It's a regular sci-fi jamboree! Use force persuade on the human enemies and then pick them off while they're busy bludgeoning each other. Once they're all dead, destroy the incinerator droid. With the room cleared, look for the door to the left of where you entered. It will need a fuse before it will open. You'll find one near the wrecked area directly opposite of where you entered. Ready the door and exit the room.
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I have sort of been trying to participate in Celebrate Your Name Week this week but have been only partially successful. Today as I was reading GenBlog by Julie, I was admiring her virtual name tag and it suddenly occurred to me - I have at least a couple of really neat name tags that I could scan. I am featuring my favorite one of all time; it was done by an artist friend of mine, Hannah Shapero, for me to wear at a science fiction convention (the venerable Boskone, for anyone out there who follows science fiction conventions) waaaay back in the days when we were in grad school together. The cat is my cat Fred, who lived in my dorm room with me and looked exactly as he is depicted on the badge. I never got in trouble because the RA had her own pet, a lovely rabbit in the same beautiful orange and white colors as Fred. The building custodian, Archie, never turned me in, either, even though he would see Fred in my window from time to time; I think he also got a kick out of Fred and besides, I bribed him with Hershey's Candy Kisses. My other really nifty name tag also features Fred, but in a Dr. Who motif: the Tardis is in the background and Fred is wearing a Dr. Who scarf. Fred was a master of the Silent Meow, and when he did talk, it sounded like "Meep, meep!"
Friday, March 6, 2009
Celebrate Your Name Week: My Name Badge
5 comments:
Greta, is your last name pronounced like Kale? Often the oe is pronounced like an A.ReplyDelete
I love the name badge.
We have heard of Koehls who pronounce it that way, but my husband's family just pronounces it coal/Cole.
Thank you! I have always thought Hannah did an amazing job capturing the essence of Fred.
What an amazing nametag! Lucky you.ReplyDelete
I love cats, too! I'll have to think of a nametag!ReplyDelete
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