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I met up with charismatic, trendsetting stylist TiffTheZeta at Café Brazil in Deep Ellum, to have some Real Talk about where the name "TiffTheZeta" originated from, what womanhood means to her, how she became a stylist, her time at New York fashion week this year, and of course her thoughts on the Black Panther. TiffTheZeta is an alumni of both Skyline Highschool in Dallas, Tx in which she was a member of the Fashion Cluster where she gained her foundation of knowledge for the fashion industry; and Texas A&M University Commerce in which she received her Bachelor's in Social Work with a minor in Business Administration. TiffTheZeta's clientele includes but is not limited to former Cowboy's Defensive End Damontre Moore, Cowboy's Defensive End Charles Taper, Dallas rapper Lil Ronny MothaF, R&B artist Keith Jacobs, and ABC New's Anchor Demetria Obilor.
Although we are Facebook friends, this was my first time meeting TiffTheZeta and let me just say she is definitely someone to know. She presented herself as a kindred spirit who works to make people feel good about themselves by spreading light and love through fashion.
I approached this interview a bit differently by not having any scripted or practiced questions so that the conversation could flow a bit more freely.
Question: How did you end up becoming a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated?
Answer: Because that was the only way.
My Response: Okay I need a less cliché answer because if I ask a Delta or AKA that, they are going to say the exact same thing.
Tiff's Response: I saw the light and that's where I went. No seriously um to be honest, when I actually came to the campus I wasn't even thinking about being in Greek life ... not at all... I was like I'm just going to go, just get my degree like everybody else, but these group of women ... I hadn't seen any colors yet, I hadn't seen any letters none of that ... I'd just seen the dynamics of the different groups of women that were actually on campus and I was like "hmm that don't like me". You know once I actually started to engage and see what was going on , I seen another group of ladies and I was like "that's definitely not me" you know and when I seen this particular group they were all different by race, by style, by normality, I mean just an eclectic group of people and they were fun. Every time you saw them, you could tell they had a real real sisterhood, and I was like that's something I know for sure that I want to be a part of and that's where I went.
So how I got the name "TiffTheZeta" since we're already on Zeta ... so after I became a member of Zeta Phi Beta in Spring '07 also known as "Showtime", Ace Club if you wanted to know that! So I got the name actually because when I became Greek I was no longer Tiffany Maxfield. People were like "You know Tiff right?", "Tiff who?", "The Zeta" ... so I just took that and just branded myself, I was no longer Tiffany Maxfield like that's not your name nomore you're now just TiffTheZeta. So every move I made everything I did it was captured after Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. So I had to make sure I watched how I moved on and off campus, because even off campus you're not Tiffany Maxfield you still represent Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. So I was like you know what, I might as well just brand myself with that so I just branded myself ... that's where it came from.
My Response: I mean which is something you're suppose to do regardless like I was never apart of Greek life but I'm a Christian and I've been working hard to represent myself the way I should.
Question: So today is International Women's Day, what is your definition of womanhood - what does it mean to be a woman to you?
Answer: Femininity 24/7. Being in the business of being a stylist I have to remember ... well I'm not going to say have to remember ... but I'm always reminding myself to keep my femininity, because I specialize in men's fashion and that can go either way especially when I want to deliver a style or even if I want to present that style on me. I have to still keep my femininity ... the way I speak, the way I carry myself, and all aspects of being a woman ... strong, you know confidence, brave, brilliant, I mean I can go on and on with adjectives if you want me to.
Question: Keep going lol! I was looking at your Instagram because obviously I wasn't going to hit you up and ask for an interview without finding out more about you, and I noticed for example the way you're dressed today ... you normally have on a fedora and you kind of play a lot into masculinity with the way you dress ... explain why you do that?
Answer: I don't think I play with masculinity, this is just me. So I can give you five different looks in one day you just never know what you're going to get when you see me. So what I do post, is just to bring that crowd because I specialize in men's fashion. But if you see me out in the community you're gonna get somebody totally different. Like today I'm really just chilling.
My Response: You don't look like you're just chilling, how much effort went into this outfit?
Tiff's Response: Oh nothing, I just woke up this morning and put it on for work and that was it. I said "is it cold outside?"
My Response: Did you stick your hand out the door to check the temp like black people do?
Tiff's Response: Nah, I didn't stick my hand out lol I said it's about 40-41 degrees, it's cold ... it's cold. But other than that I didn't put much thought into it. I think it's just because you're looking at the fedora hat, and that's just the trademark for me. I love hats, so not even just fedora hats and I'm also a brand ambassador for "Singer and Monk" which is located in Bishop Arts District. It's a hat company, so they sell like top hats from European to custom. So I actually wear them a lot because I'm a brand ambassador for them, this is actually one their hats I have on today.
Question: So how did you become a stylist, why did you become a stylist?
Answer: Girl, that's a good question to, I ask myself that all the time.
My Response: Well when you were little did you want to be a stylist?
Tiff's Response: I didn't, actually when I was little I wanted to be a police officer.
My Response: Wow, that's way at the other end of the spectrum.
Tiff's Response: Yea, my dad is an undertaker he owns two funeral homes and my dad is a single parent, he raised my sister and I. And growing up he always of course had to present himself in suits for you know funerals, and meeting with families and etc. So he would make me get him dressed, and I didn't notice until I became an adult that he was training me for this. I mean he taught me the different shirts, collars, to shoes, to socks and this was as an adolescent. I knew how to tie a tie, bowtie and tie ... short, long, wide-neck, all of that. So that's where the interest came and I've always just been open minded with fashion. Like this is nothing new, since I was like five years old.
Now how I became a stylist, I was actually helping out with a fashion show ... I don't know what year it was ... and someone asked me "would you mind like helping out in the back?', and I was like "Nah, I really just came to look at some clothes you know, something I may want to pick up" and I went ahead and went back there and it was cool and an NFL player seen me out in the community and was like "Yo, you dope, I would love for you to hook me up with something" and I'm like "Nah, I don't want to that either, I ain't got time", like I really was not nowhere near going to do this ... and then I just did it and the rest is history. I don't have like a grand story, that was it. And now I've been styling professionally for two years.
My Response: Obviously you enjoy it?
Tiff's Response: I love it. I love shopping so it's nothing.
Question: Okay, so what exactly does a stylist do? Is that the same as like a personal shopper?
Tiff's Response: Yea. I mean it depends everyone has their own different definition so it just depends.
Question: Okay so define style. Let's say I was a consult, what's the first thing you think about?
Tiff's Response: You're natural. Not just your hair, but just natural overall. You're real calm and safe.
My Response: How do you get from just looking at me?
Tiff's Response: I can just tell. It's your personality, just the way you carry yourself ... I can just tell ... you're warm, you're safe.
Question: So how do you interpret that into styling?
Tiff's Response: I'd just brighten you up a little bit more. Give you a little bit more spunk, change your hair.
My Response: And you do that with everyone you meet?
Tiff's Response: My goal, um, as a stylist ... for me it's more about making the individual feel so good. So I have clients that I don't even post ... I have a lot of clients, but I don't post all of my clients ... like I have a lot clients who have insecurities like weight loss, a numerous of things to why they don't dress, they don't wear certain things due to maybe past history ... ptsd ... so I'm here to make a difference and make you feel comfortable about yourself, going out into the community, going to events ... not staying in doors, not being a sociopath. You know it's deeper for me.
My Response: That's beautiful! You know I have an appreciation for the arts, like a deep appreciation. I'm a creative but I don't paint and I'm not a stylist so I think it's beautiful that you do that for your clients.
Question: Do you prefer working with men over women?
Answer: I don't. I just specialize in it more just because that's just what I like. I love women's fashion too, I love all fashion ... but I just like men's fashion ... cause it's more technical. I feel like women's is kinda easy ... but men is more technical and then you have so much you can play with, with men's fashion. And then my vision is ... funky so.
Question: So where do you draw your inspiration from?
Answer: To be honest God. Yea, it just comes to me.
My Response: Do you pray a lot?
Tiff's Response: Oh yea, everyday. All day, everyday.
My Response: I'm about to go into something else ... would you say you hear God clearly?
Tiff's Response: I'm not going to say I hear him clearly, but he puts things in my spirit for sure. I had a movement a year ago ... I don't know if you remember where we were actually hit here in Dallas, the police officers on Lamar ... and I started Heart of Gold, you may have saw that on my page as well and on my Facebook and on my website ... and it just dawned on me "What can I do in this city to make an impact so small, and still brand myself at the same time?". And at that time the Olympics were going on ... you know you have silver, bronze, and you have gold medals ... and gold is what? the highest right? And I was like, it's only one way to heal this land ... it's love, God is love ... and I created Heart of Gold.
My Response: Because you have a Heart of Gold.
Tiff's Response: Right, and everybody should too.
My Response: Everybody should but they don't.
Tiff's Response: They don't. So I started a movement here, and it just went everywhere. I mean my hearts went to Italy, to Guam, to all over the country like to Spain ... I mean the hearts went everywhere.
My Response: You seem like such a passionate person and compassionate person.
Tiff's Response: I am. This is not something I'm just doing.
My Response: You have a beautiful spirit.
Tiff's Response: Thank You.
Heart of Gold Lookbook
Question: So I saw you and R.K.J on Instagram and Facebook ...
Tiff's Response: Yea, we got some heat coming.
My Response: What kind of heat?
Tiff's Response: We got some mad heat coming, you just got to wait and see. You'll see soon.
My Response: Like heat heat? Extra hot heat?
Tiff's Response: Extra hot heat. He's amazing.
My Response: Oh, I know he is. I met him when I was out in these streets cutting up. He's definitely somebody to know.
Tiff's Response: Crazy thing is I just met him ... someone hit me up ... I was in New York, at New York Fashion Week, and somebody hit me up there and said "When you get back to Dallas, you need to meet him" , they told me the same thing about him. So they connected us while I was there.
I finally got the scoop on what the heat is that TiffTheZeta has coming with R.K.J, keep reading to find out!
Question: So you were at New York Fashion Week, how was it?
Answer: New York Fashion Week, appeared to reflect as a stylist dream. It was full of fashion, laughs and eclectic models. I presented with Dallas designer Joshwae on that Saturday at one of the hottest shows in Manhattan.
My Response: That's amazing! I'm rooting for everybody black. Speaking of everybody black, have you seen The Black Panther? How did you feel about it?
Tiff's Response: I did see The Black Panther. I enjoyed every second of it ... from the music, from the style, Oh My Gosh! From the authenticity of your African Americans, the Africans, the tribes, I enjoyed it. It was a really great film that I feel will live forever. The fact that my nephew, I have a ten year old nephew and to hear him talk about it like "I didn't know we had Black Panthers", that's amazing to hear cause now he's going to be like "I don't have to be the Transformers, I don't have to be Spider-Man, I can be The Black Panther".
Question: How did you feel about the way black women were portrayed in the film? When you left the theater what did you feel?
Tiff's Response: I didn't feel any-type of way. I look at the bigger picture of everything ... so I'm not taking bits and pieces out of the story ... I look at the entire story. I'm looking at the entire picture, that we as African Americans need to come together. That's all I'm looking at. But yea, I thought it was great cause we need to come together. Even though that was Killmonger's first cousin he still turned against him. That's like huge for me, I guess like in my family, that's huge to me. Y'all blood.
My Response: Is that new to you?
Tiff's Response: No, not the scenario ... I'm just saying to see that depicted in the movie is crazy, like this really happens day by day. I don't understand it like that's Japanese to me.
Final Question: Who are your top three stylist or fashion designers?
Answer: UgoMozie (stylist), Brad Goreski (sylist), Gucci (designer brand)
I'm so glad that I reached out to TiffTheZeta for an interview, because I was able to meet an amazing, kind hearted, passionate, and talented woman. TiffTheZeta is focused on fulfliiling her dreams and I am more than excited to be able to whitness where her drive and passion will take her.
Remember when I said I found out what the heat is that Tiff and fashion designer R.K.J is? Well TiffTheZeta is not only known for styling, she's known for hosting as well, and will be hosting R.K.J's Museum of Fashion! You can find more out on the event page.


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To register or inquire about the Noh Training Project US, please complete and submit this form:
NOH AS PRACTICE: Mind and Body in Performance
Hosted by the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Bloomsburg, PA
July 21-August 3, 2019
A two-week immersion in the development of mind/body awareness through daily training in the dance and chant of Japanese noh, meditation classes, and Alexander Technique.
Noh Chant and Dance
The ancient Japanese stage art of noh has much to teach contemporary theater artists, dancers, musicians, poets and others about the power of mind/body awareness both in their creative work and in their lives. Noh as Practice is a two-week workshop primarily focused on giving students an introduction to noh utai (chant) and shimai (dance) as traditionally practiced by the Kita School of noh. Basic instruction will be provided by senior members of Theatre Nohgaku, a troupe dedicated to creating new theater pieces in English using noh performance techniques. Master classes will be taught by professional Noh performer Kinue Oshima. The workshop will conclude with a student recital, with performers dressed in traditional montsuki (crested kimono) and hakama (divided skirts).
To further hone concentration, amplify stage presence, and open new aesthetic vistas for creative work, Noh as Practice includes exercises in other disciplines including Alexander Technique and meditation.
The Alexander Technique (AT) - AT is a psycho-physical re-education system developed by F.M. Alexander (1869-1955). Inspired by difficulties he experienced as an actor, his work evolved and its impact on personal habits and general health and well-being became evident to notable people of his time including John Dewey, George Bernard Shaw, Aldous Huxley and many others.. More recently AT has benefited from medical research confirming many of its beneficial effects, particularly with regards to chronic health issues like back pain. Still, AT is closely linked with theatre and Mr. Dubroff's work focuses on the practical means it gives actors to address issues which may prevent them from using their primary instruments of body, voice, and mind, as effectively and expressively as possible.
Sitting Meditation - Classes will practice together, doing silent seated meditation, to cultivate mindfulness and concentration. Through this practice, we can begin to learn to bring mindful awareness to all aspects of our lives. "When we practice mindfulness ... we are training the mind to be light, powerful, and flexible but also able to concentrate on what we ask it to focus on." - Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi
Faculty Bios
Elizabeth Dowd (Noh Instructor and Program Director) - Elizabeth began her study of noh in 1992 through a Creative Artist Fellowship from the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission. That experience led her to co-found with Richard Emmert the Noh Training Project at the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, where she served as Producing Director and faculty for twenty years. . A founding member of Theatre Nohgaku, Elizabeth has toured in TN productions of At The Hawk's Well, Pine Barrens, Crazy Jane, Pagoda, Sumida River, and Blue Moon Over Memphis. She is the author of Gettysburg, an American Noh.
Matthew Dubroff (Noh and Alexander Technique Instructor) - Matthew Dubroff has been studying and performing noh for more than 25 years. He has trained in Japan since 1990 with master actors and musicians for several years and got his M.F.A. in Asian Theatre Performance from the University of Hawai'i. The Japanese Ministry of Education granted him a Monbusho Scholarship for two years of training and research in Japan. He has been both a teacher and student of the Noh Training Project at BTE since 1999. He is a founding member of Theatre Nohgaku and performs with them on a regular basis. In 2018 he translated and directed the noh play Atsumori for a production at Hampden-Sydney College where he teaches theatre and is the Chair of the Department of Fine Arts. Dubroff is also a teacher of the Alexander Technique (AT). He has studied AT for over 30 years and trained at the Alexander Technique Training Centre in Charlottesville, Virginia where he became a certified teacher of AT in 2002. He is certified by the American Society for the Alexander Technique and currently serves on their national board. He has trained with teachers around the United States, In England, Israel and Japan. He teaches privately and in-group sessions around the world and focuses his work on AT within a theatrical context.
Kinue Oshima (Noh Master Teacher) - Kinue Oshima is a professional shite-kata actor of the Kita-ryu (Kita School) and a member of Nohgaku Kyokai (union). She is a graduate of Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music specializing in the instruments of noh. She began her career on stage at the age of two performing in the noh, Kuruma Tengu . She received her training from both her grandfather Hisami and father Masanobu. In 1998 she became a registered member of the Nohgaku Kyokai as the first female member of the Kita-ryu. In 2009 and 2011 she was the shite in the European and Asian tours of the English-language noh, Pagoda. In 2008 she was a noh chant and dance instructor at the University of Hawaii for their production of Sumida River in English and performed the shite role in English as part of the Where Rivers Meet tour organized by the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. Assisting her father in 2001, she led classes in noh at the National Art Academy of Taiwan. She participated as a performer in tours to the Netherlands/Belgium, France, Bulgaria, and various Baltic nations in 2002. She was awarded the "Prefectural Culture Cultivation Prize" from the Kenshin Scholarship Culture Promoting Foundation in 2005. She is a Visiting Professor at Hijiyama University and a Part-time Lecturer at Hiroshima University, Elizabeth Music College, Fukuyama Women's College, Okayama San'yo Senior High School, and Okayama Sankun Elementary School.
Jean Ann Wertz (Meditation Instructor) - Jean Ann Wertz's lifelong interest in Zen Buddhism eventually led her to Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, NY, where she became a formal student in the Mountains and Rivers Order. She lived at the monastery as a full-time resident from 2011 through 2015, and more recently practiced for six months as a writer-in-residence at the Zen Center of New York City, the monastery's branch temple. Jean Ann is a poet and an award-winning playwright. Her interest in noh began while studying for her MFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College, where her advisors included Deborah Brevoort (Blue Moon Over Memphis) and Kenny Fries (In the Province of the Gods). She was the recipient of a State of Connecticut Artistic Fellowship in Playwriting and has studied noh in Japan, Bloomsburg, PA, and other places .
Week 1 schedule (tentative)
8:30-9:00am meditation 9:00-10:15am Alexander Technique 10:30-11:30am utai (chant) 11:30-12:30pm kata drills 12:30-2:00pm lunch 2:00-4:30pm shimai (dance) 4:30-5:00pm –meditation
Week 2 schedule (tentative)
8:30-9:00am meditation 9:00-10:15am AT 10:30-11:30am utai 11:30-12:30pm shimai 12:30-2:00pm lunch 2:00-4:30pm (returning students and TN members) - shimai with Oshima sensei/ first year students review with TN faculty
4:30-5:30pm - AT 5:30-6:00pm meditation
Program Fee and Payment Options $1200 ($1150 cash or check discount) includes housing, tuition, master classes, study material and dance fan.
To reserve your place, please remit the full amount no later than May 31, 2019.
Payment by check in the amount of $1150 should be sent to:
Theatre Nohgaku c/o
Lluis Valls
1266 48th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94122
Payment through PayPal in the amount of $1200 can be made here

subset: commoncrawl


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Please remember to:
1. Dress your child in clothes that are appropriate for the temperature.
2. Make sure your child has on socks and tennis shoes.
3. Apply sunscreen to your child before school.
4. Water bottles are optional.
5. BBQ is being served during lunch.
See below picture...we have rules to follow for the Tug-of-war. Students must wear athletic shoes!


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Streets of Rogue - How to Get Up Elevators Easy
Game: Streets of Rogue | Feb 3, 2018
This guide will describe how to get up elevators much faster.
What class should I use?
So first you need a class and after testing each class iI figured out which was the best to get up elevators fast. You will need the Ninja class which can be ubtained through a achivement. This class will allow you to go invisible, kill people sleeping in 1 hit, backstab people, and one hit peoples backs while invisable. Meaning you can get items way way faster. Also the thief works very well, he gets boxes which are very usefull to sneak past people with.
How can I live all the way till downtown?
First, take your time in each section. Don't rush it or you'll find yourself with a higher chance of death, likely due to making mistakes or running into trouble that you weren't ready to handle. First off, always loot garbage cans since they can hold money, cigarettes, rocks, food, drugs, hacking tools, safe busters and more. Taking just a bit more time to look through these cans will help you a lot more than you may think. Next, always try to steal from chests or safes whether they're on your mission list or not, as you get at least 100XP for looting them and either more money or free items on top of that. When leveling up, you get to choose a trait upon completion of a floor. Always choose your traits carefully. Traits like Studious, Slippery Target, G-P-Yesss, Drug-A-Lug and Team Building Expert are examples of good traits that should work well with most players, but some play-styles and situations call for different traits, so think ahead. Next, in order to get items and traits as rewards in the game, you must use Chicken Nuggets to unlock them, and that currency has a maximum capacity of 50, so try to spend them whenever you can back at Home Base. Also remember to be on the look-out for NPCs such as the Bartender or Shopkeeper, for they can sell you items that bring your health up, which is pretty important in this game. A very usefull tip would be to note that once a character levels up, they not only recieve 3 Chicken Nuggets. but their hit points are fully restored! So watch for that, because you do not want to completely waste valuable healing items on yourself if you are about to level up!
What about items?
First take your time in each section, dont rush it or you will have a higher chance of dying. Always loot garbage cans becuase you can find cigaretts, rocks, food, drugs, hacking tools. safe busters and much more. Looking threw all these dumps can save your life alot. Next always go for chests or safes even if thier not a mission, you can get 100XP from these and on top either money or free items. this will give you a bigger chanse of winning. Also always pick good traits when you have a chance like drug-alug, walls worstnightmaire and much more but pick whats best for you. Also spend your chicken nuggets on new items and traits in you home base (I recommend when ever you die buy somthing becuase you only can have a max of 50 chicken nuggets.) Also when ever you find a shop keeper see if she has food or something to boost health, you will need as much health boosters as possible, remmeber that when ever you level up you get full health so before eating the bacon cheese burger just make sure so can live with ot it.
Tips and Tricks
Code Vein, Cuphead, Dead by Daylight, Dont Starve Together, Hollow Knight, Kingdom Come Deliverance, No Mans Sky, Red Dead Redemption 2, Resident Evil 2, Risk of Rain 2, Sonic Mania, Stardew Valley, Terraria
© 2017 - 2019 | IndieFAQ.com - Game Guides, Tips & Tricks, Walkthroughs and FAQs.


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"My name is Richard Fogg; I have been insulin dependent diabetic since 1968. A lot has changed with research and products for diabetics. It has been a struggle over many years trying to keep my A1C at good levels. I started on the insulin pump in 2001, and then I began to get a handle on it. There is a misconception as a diabetic is to give up and stay away from sugar products and substitute them with artificial sweeteners. My life is more then just sugar control, it is about controlling daily carbs. My wife grew up with diabetes with her family; we both take it very seriously by researching and experimenting in different ways with an open mind. Honey has been around forever, but it was considered a stay away from sugar in my eyes. My wife and I try to go to different fairs to check out mostly crafts. About 3 1/2 years ago at Cumberland Arts & Craft Show, we talked with a lady selling honey and honey sweetened jams. Her name is Jeddy Nevells and is very knowledgeable about her products, her business name is Naturally Jammin.
We talked for a long time about her husband being a diabetic, which was a big reason she started her business making jams sweetened with honey. We left that day with a lot of knowledge and products. I checked with my doctors and dietician they all agree honey was a great choice for sweetener in moderation like anything else, not in overload. We have been following and using her products. We also try to spread the word about her sweet products. My wife and I have become good friends with them."
Richard Fogg
Naturally Jammin has been invited and attended 2014 and 2015 Harvest on the Harbor.
" Naturally Jammin is a favorite at Lisa-Marie's Made in Maine, Inc. When Jeddy came in with the story of how she started Naturally Jammin", I know it would be a good fit. My husband, who is on a strict diet, can't have refined sugars. Honey is one of the only sweeteners he can have so he is able to have this wonderful jam. His favorite sandwich is Borealis bread with almond butter and Naturally Jammin's Peaches and Scream Jam. We all love it because it is truly all natural and the sweetener is honey. You just want to eat it right out of the jar!
We highly recommend it to our customers."
-Lisa Marie
Super Bowl LIII experience
After meeting Chef Elliott Farmer at Harvest on the Harbor. Naturally Jammin was invited as a special guest on Chef Elliott's Entertaining Solutions radio show.
Naturally Jammin was chosen as a 2014 finalist
I had the honor of meeting Food Network Chef Elliott Farmer at the Harvest on the Harbor in 2015
I was delighted to have the opportunity of meeting the 2015 American Honey Princess Hayden Wolf.
Chef Elliott visiting us during
the Snowflake Trail 2018
"I have traveled all over the world and never have I experienced anything as good as Naturally Jammin's honey products! I was first introduced to Jeddy and Mike Nevells at Harvest on the Harbor in Portland, ME a few years back.
Beautiful spirits and awesome testimony of how Mike lost weight and was able to come off his medicine by consuming Jeddy's homemade honey products. This is definitely worth trying."
- Celerity Chef Elliott Farmer
Food Network Star
Naturally Jammin made it to the second round of Shark Tank in 2015. It was an amazing experience!
[naturally jammin] © 2013


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How to Make Friends with Our Fears
The secret to overcoming your fear is to consider it your ally, not your enemy
If you don't know the nature of fear, you can never feel fearless.
— Pema Chodron
When I was six, my father bought me a life-changing gift: a violin. I wouldn't say I had mind-blowing talent, but I was good with music, and I enjoyed spending time studying it. At the age of ten I started to give small concerts for my family and our circle of friends. Months later, I was playing at the School of Fine Arts in my


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#60 Get Out of Your Own Way: Alignment, Trust and Manifesting with Cassie Mendoza-Jones
Does the manifesting and non-attachment to goals process ever trip you up? Have you ever blamed yourself for manifesting something bad? Do you "should" on your self care or do you ever feel like you if you could just get out of your own way that something amazing would be lying on the other side for you? This week we're having a real talk conversation about the manifestation process and how we unknowingly take ourselves out of the alignment that we deeply seek. While on this spiritual journey, we all need to remember our own humanness and lighten up on ourselves, and Cassie's words helps us do just that with some honest discussion and questions to ask yourself and journal about after the episode.
Find us on iTunes at Self Care Spotlight
- Alignment doesn't mean perfect
- Do we manifest all bad things?
- Universal Signs: when to stop and when to keep going
- Non-attachment, goals and control
- Spiritual bypassing
- Practical questions to get out of your own way
- Creating simply to create
- Shoulding on your self care
- Cassie's books: You Are Enough and It's All Good
- SPARK book
More about Cassie:
Cassie Mendoza-Jones is the bestselling author of You Are Enough and It's All Good (Hay House), and a kinesiologist, business alignment coach, naturopath, writer and speaker.
She works with women, and with entrepreneurs, healers, coaches and creatives who are driven, devoted and honouring their dreams, and who want to become more powerfully aligned to their bigger vision, clear away perfectionism, procrastination and overwhelm, and create their own version of a beautiful and aligned business and life. She's been featured in international publications such as the Collective Hub and Cosmo and seen on online websites such as Vogue Australia, Marie Claire, The Daily Guru and ELLE.
Where to find Cassie:
- Instagram: instagram.com/cassie
- Website: cassiemendozajones.com


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If you can't get to see me in person, for whatever reason, but would still like a personal domination or tease experience, then you can do so in the comfort of your own home.
I am now offering domination and tease, including stocking tease and panty tease on web cam. All you need is microsofts instant messaging https://www.skype.com/ installed on your computer and you need to know how to use it. You don't need your own webcam (unless you want me to see you).
All payments via Amazon Gift Vouchers, PayPal or by credit card via PayPal
I charge
£60 for 1/2 hour and £100 for an hour
Bookings are made in advance via email, paid also in advance. If for any reason you can't make the session, you can re book as long as you have given me at least 2 hours notice.
Please include in your message the time you would like the session in Greenwich Mean Time. You can use this to convert time if you are unsure
Contact me here to book a session. I am VERY selective who I session with, rude, inappropriate and emails without any details will be ignored. If you send an email (that isn't rude, inappropriate and has relative details) and you don't get a reply, check your spam folder! I've also discovered that messages meant for me and from me often get lost in cyberspace and in spam folders, so if you don't get a reply, send your email again. I may not actually be ignoring you after all


text: Beautiful Custom design 15″ Wide Fit Flex 2 Kelly Kaminski Barrel Racing Saddle. Eye catching Vintage Antique leather with antique brass parachute spot borders, and comes with a double ply rear cinch! Not just a pretty face, this saddle is designed for speed, performance and comfort! This saddle has so many great features including Circle Y's patented Flex 2 tree with the dual bar system that both supports and flexes, freeing up you horse to move. Neo-Shock skirt liner absorbs shock and conforms to your horse. Preset fenders with a custom stirrup leather positioner reduce joint fatigue and helps rider body position and balance. Rough-out chocolate jockeys, new SRS hand popstitched seat with a 5″ cantle and 3″ horn, help provide grip and a secure seat. Lightweight like a racing saddle should be at only 26 lbs! FREE Regular ground shipping on all new saddle orders!


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In my household chicken is a go-to protein since it pleases all of our palates and is quick and easy to prepare. But, as I've mentioned before, sometimes I do get tired of the eternal chicken breast and wish there was a simple way to vary the flavor and presentation of this everyday fare. I've dabbled with dozens of sauces and skewer variations attempting to reawaken the curiosity for this poor overeaten piece of protein but am often still often met with the "chicken again?" comment from my kids. So I did what any good cook would do… dressed this week's chicken dinner in a nice little bacon costume and voila! A new hero was born.
4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded flat and cut in half width-wise
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, diced
8 basil leaves
16 bacon slices
salt and pepper
Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Top each with 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes and one basil leaf.
Roll each piece into a bundle and wrap two bacon slices tightly around each bundle, securing with toothpicks if needed.
Preheat your grill to 350º F. Grill chicken, uncovered, for 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Over to You
What's your go-to chicken dish? Share and inspire us!


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What I am about to say is not for the purpose of generating sympathy or pity for me. It is only to help me sort things out in a coherent way so I can make it make sense. Okay, here it is. I've been going through a lot of junk lately. Analyst that I am, I can't just go through things without peeling the layers back and examine why it's all happening. I stare down the facts at hand and then I look at the actions that caused the facts to be what they are. What were the motives behind the actions? What and why were my responses to the facts, acts and motives? Could I have changed anything? If I had responded differently to the actions, could I have avoided some of the junk? Should I have asked for help sooner than I did? Should I have exercised greater, more intelligent insight than I did? Is all of this making me crazy?
As you might expect, such questioning ends up being futile. The facts are what they are and they can't be changed. I am at fault for some things; innocent for other things; and much of what happened was beyond my control. Having depleted my arsenal of questions, solutions, strategies and suggestions, I am left to the distasteful job of damage control. Much of the damage control is in the realm of personal, private interaction with people. A huge portion of it, however, lies in the realm of common, human experiences. Ultimately, the personal stuff won't matter nearly as much as the larger impact the junk has upon my thinking, my philosophy, my attitude, my capacity for leadership and my life.
You don't need to know the personal facts. They are probably pretty similar to the hard times you've been through in your own life. It might be helpful, though, for you to know how I am choosing to deal with it all. Mind you, I am not executing the plan with any sort of perfection. I often speak when I should be quiet, permit my mind to travel down too many dead-end streets and retrace my footsteps in monotonous repetition. Yet, there are some stark guidelines that keep me from disaster. I share them with you in case you need to reflect on some things you may be going through.
- I cannot forget who I am.
- I cannot live others lives for them.
- I cannot suspend the law of sowing and reaping in the lives of others.
- I cannot negate my life's calling because of circumstances beyond my control.
- I cannot abandon my personal duties and responsibilities.
- If I fail in one area, I do not have to fail in all areas.
- I must not judge myself by someone else's failure.
- If I make one bad decision, I do not have to let it become a pattern.
- Things always seem worse than they actually are.
- If things can get worse, they probably will. I have to adjust to the developments.
- If things cannot get worse, then they will get better. I cannot despair.
- If permitted, one heartache can overshadow a thousand joys. I must keep everything in proportion.
- I cannot stop loving people even if they disappoint me.
- I cannot stop loving people because I have been crushed by one.
- People who love me will probably continue to love me.
- People who stop loving me undoubtedly have other problems as well.
- God's love for me is constant and undiminished.
- The more intense the problems become, the more I am driven into the arms of God.
- The safest place for me to be is in God's arms.


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[ Interview by Sally Davies and Michael Nicoll ]
[ Photographs by Joshua Duncan ]
Jason and Francesca Winiata seem like normal folk at first glance but, if you dig a little deeper, you will find out that they are actually everyday superheroes. Growing up with Star Wars, they have a love for the films which has developed into a full-blown lifestyle choice, including owning several Star Wars costumes that they wear to raise money for charity and cheer up sick kids in hospital.
One warm winter's afternoon, The Fuller Issue caught up with Jason and Francesca to find out how strong The Force is with these two.
When were you first into it?
Francesca: Since 2011. Jason started it. Jason already had a collection of Star Wars figures and was talking with Hugh from Real Collectibles in Queenstown. Hugh suggested meeting up with a couple called Wendy and Centuri because they also have a Star Wars collection – we didn't realise he meant that they had Star Wars costumes! We met them and hit it off straight away. Jason was blown away by the costumes and immediately wanted one of his own. He wasn't put off by the 40–100 hours of work needed to create the costume, as you have to cut it, construct and paint it. At the time, I wasn't too bothered but, when I actually saw Jason working and constructing the costume, I thought – wow, that's cool; I want in.
If you could be anyone in Star Wars whom would you be?
Jason: Darth Maul.
Francesca: Asajj Ventress.
Who is your favourite character?
Jason: Darth Maul.
Francesca: Obi-wan from the newer episodes – Ewan McGregor really epitomises the character. Alec McGuiness didn't do the character justice in the original films.
How many Star Wars costumes have you got?
Jason: Just the one; I used to have two.
Francesca: Three. Concept Ventress, Fem Stormtrooper and custom Mandolorian based on Boba Fett.
Light or dark?
Jason and Francesca: Dark!
What is your favourite Star Wars film out of the original three films?
Jason and Francesca: Empire Strikes Back.
Who's the emperor in the household?
Francesca: Jason thinks that he has power and control, but it is an illusion!
What's the best thing you've ever done in your costume?
Francesca: We regularly visit Ronald McDonald House throughout the year and for Christmas and Easter Egg Hunts. We also visit the cancer ward in hospital to cheer up the sick kids going through chemo and radiotherapy.
What's the weirdest thing you've ever done in your costume?
Jason: I'm not answering that question!
Francesca: No comment!
Why did you get into charity work?
Jason: After the earthquakes, I was really stressed out having to deal with the trauma, upset and the insurance company. I felt helpless. Then someone suggested to me if you can't help yourself, help others. So I did.
How does the charity work come about?
Francesca: People contact us via websites and forums to attend events. Lucasfilm have given us permission to use their copyrighted imagery for non-profit purposes, so when we are asked to attend an event we ask for a donation to be made to a charity of their choice. We have spent countless hours on our charity work over the last four years. We are given a stand for free at Armageddon, which is NZ's largest entertainment expo and runs over two days. All of the money we raise goes to charity.
Have you considered robbing a bank in costume?
Jason: Funnily enough, yes!
Francesca: Can't say that I have, but it would be amusing.
Place you would like to go wearing your costumes in Christchurch, but can't?
Jason: Honestly, there is nowhere that we can't go. It's amazing how many places you can go, even places with strict dress codes. Everyone seems to want to take photos of us.
Where's Mecca?
The Star Wars Celebration every three years. It switches location each time between the USA and Europe. Also The Rancho Obi-Wan Experience in California.


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Day 315: Budapest Free Walking Tour
Our first day in Budapest! Guess what we did? A free walking tour, of course! Now, I'll admit it, this is not my first time in Buda(and)Pest… Did you know they once were two cities, one on each side of the Danube? It's true! My first time in town was with ten of my closest friends from Prague (during the year I lived there) for a weekend away. It was in the middle of winter, about six years ago. Before the days of free walking tours and ruin pubs. So, I felt like I had just as much to see as Andrew. As always a 'free walking tour' is only as good as your guide and the others on the tour with you. Both were fairly 'meh' but the tour gave us a better understanding of the layout of the city, and the tour company provided a pamphlet of additional things to do, see, eat, and drink in town which made up for the 'meh-ness.'
We started our tour in front of this statue (above) and I was somewhat intrigued when we were told it's actually a girl AND it's a communist statue. Usually communist statues are BIG and commanding and without facial expressions, this defied every communist statue I had ever seen before. It also made me wonder at what point she was put here, because there were a few statues scattered along the riverside that I had not remembered on my first visit. Walking through a small park with a ferris wheel and fountain, more locks were on display. Again, this was not a thing the last time I visited. When did 'locking up your love' become a thing? It's everywhere these days. It started at some point during our time in Korea because that's when I first noticed it… But I'm surprised at how many cities around the world we've seen it in! Andrew refuses to lock up our love. He did raise his hand when asked Who was in love though, so I guess that's something…
The best part about walking through Budapest is looking up. Always. Look. Up. You never know what kind of beautiful architecture you're going to see or at least some interesting juxtaposition between the beautiful architecture and the communist block housing type structures.
This guy was pretty good. He made slack-lining look so easy!
This view is a gorgeous one and much warmer to admire in the middle of summer!
We made our way over to the Fisherman's Bastion, one of the sights that has been atop the hill on the Buda side of the city for quite some time. I had visited it with my friends, but it was dark and quiet. There weren't any other tourists around and it was quite magical. This time around wasn't the same, there were so many milling about, and it seemed as though some construction had been completed giving parts of the Bastion a Disney-like amusement park feel. I was even more disappointed when I saw the best part of the Bastion (a row of beautiful arches) had been roped off for a restaurant, taking away any possibility of a decent photo opportunity.
I settled for a picture of this dude on his horse instead. And the view, well, the view was still lovely.
On our way back through the same park (with the locks above) towards the ruin pubs (more on the ruin pubs later!) we saw the somewhat small skate park had been transformed into an event drawing lots of onlookers. We stopped to see what was going on, and then snuck in closer to see if these skaters were any good. I'm not into skating, but I can appreciate the sense of creativity and expression that goes with it, I'm also down for some good shots of dudes in the air. I guess these guys are somewhat well known or possibly famous? because the crowd was pretty big and there were lots of people taking their picture with some of the skaters. Andrew found this video online that was made about the event:
I was impressed (and jealous) that they had a video up the day after. And then I remembered that they had at least four different videographers and an army of others working together to make it happen.
I was able to sneak in between and below a few people to sit right by the edge of the ramp they were all coming down. It made for some good angles. This dude above kept trying to spin around on the ledge though and his skateboard kept shooting out from under him. One of those times the skateboard shot directly at me and hit me in the arm. I wasn't phased, I mean, I was the one who decided to sit there while he was doing his thing, right? He came over to get his board and said apologized to me, something he didn't have to do at all, but I appreciated. I told him not to worry about it, and then he looked back and told me that I should 'Be Careful' in a tone that kinda threw me off a bit. It was like he gave me a once over and decided I wasn't a skateboarder, therefore I didn't know what I was doing sitting in the front row taking some pictures.
"Why did he tell me to be careful? Can he not tell I am in my THIRTIES?" I ranted to Andrew.
"Since when are you in your thirties?" Andrew asked, teasing me.
"Since now. Thirty counts as being in my thirties. You don't tell people in their thirties to be careful! I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing when it comes to endangering me and/or my camera. I do it all the time." I continued my rant.
"Exactly what ages is it not ok to tell you to be careful?" Andrew asked, simultaneously teasing and humoring me. (He does this all the time)
"Well, obviously thirty. Unless you're out with your friends and one of them has had too much to drink and she's hanging out with someone dirty." I pondered out loud.
"Right. Obviously." Andrew responded.
"Until maybe seventy… I don't know though, ask me when I turn seventy if I want people telling me to be careful or not." I concluded.


text:
Let's go with Bynoe!
Teachers across the country vote today and tomorrow for a new executive body. I take this opportunity to endorse Wendy Bynoe for President.
I have known Wendy Bynoe for nearly 20 years. I lectured her at Teachers College, I was her tutor/adviser when she pursued her bachelor's and masters degrees in education; I have worked with her as an officer of the Union and as a colleague in the Credit Union movement. I have also had the privilege to see her at work at regional conferences for both the Trade Union and the Credit Union.
Wendy is deeply concerned about the teaching profession and has demonstrated a keen and abiding interest in serving the profession. She is honest, forthright, articulate and profoundly knowledgeable of the extant issues affecting teachers. Her successful tenure as the PRO of our Union speaks volumes about her capacity to take SVGTU and indeed the CUT to another level.
Trade Union leadership is about representation and advocacy; it is about being prepared to sacrifice even some professional comforts and perks for the common good. Everything that I have witnessed about this young woman over the better part of two decades has convinced me that Wendy Bynoe is the right woman for job at this time. With her blend of shrewdness and charm, the educators of this country can rest assured that they have chosen an excellent leader!
Let's go with Bynoe!
P. John
Farrell, Jackson, Govia and Jones- You Despicable Four- Resign Now!
According to news reports, four members of the executive body of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers' Union (SVGTU) reported for work on October 13, 2015, the day that the union called its members out for strike action. Not only did they break the strike, it is reported that some of them were behind the scenes lobbying rank and file members to disregard the call of the union. In industrial relations, this is an unpardonable sin. These persons, to whom I refer as the despicable four, should now do the decent thing and resign from their respective posts immediately.
It was with grave sadness that I learnt that Sis Jane Farrell, Sis Margaret Jackson, Bro Sheldon Govia and Bro Maxford Jones boldly ignored the union's call to withdraw their services. Instead, they showed up for work. Even more disconcerting was the charge that they were allegedly involved in lobbying other members to do likewise. And, to make matters even worse, it is claimed that among them is a direct line to the prime minister who is briefed on every move contemplated by the executive. Like I said, it is alleged!
In October of 1999, the Teachers Union called a strike. And, I Philbert John, a.k.a Peejohn as PRO of the SVGTU then, chose to show up to work instead. I was unceremoniously ejected from the executive within hours! I then had the gall to show up to a subsequent general meeting where I was almost pilloried by a mob of angry members. Since that time, I have worked hard to restore some semblance of acceptability and credibility with the membership. To this day, I am still paying for that unpardonable sin.
In October of 2008, the union went on a ten day strike over unresolved issues connected to the recently concluded reclassification exercise. During that period, the then president Sis Joy Matthews was deemed to be less than enthusiastic about striking. At a hastily summoned emergency general meeting, the membership demanded her resignation with immediate effect. After all, they were dissatisfied with her lacklustre leadership during a period of crisis.
As a long standing member of the SVGTU; and as one who has borne the brunt of ejection and ostracism for my stupid act in 1999, I call on the despicable four to leave the executive immediately. I also urge all members to demand that they be removed forthwith!
These are four erstwhile decent people who may have perhaps let the promise of position and partisan patronage severely damage their integrity. The union can in NO way function with their kind in the leadership.
I say, resign NOW!
Philbert "Peejohn" John


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This fall, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, we're exploring the struggles African Americans faced for full citizenship and racial equality—as well stories of black resistance—during the 50 years following the Civil War in our exhibition Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow.
After the Civil War, the 13th Amendment was passed, which abolished slavery, and not long after, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," which included formerly enslaved people. It also included the following mandate:
"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Those words promised that all citizens were guaranteed equality under the law of the land. But unfortunately, despite all of these measures, as soon as the Civil War ended, efforts to create an interracial democracy were contested, and a harsh backlash (that we are still in the midst of today) rose up against that promise.
Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow interprets the history of African Americans exercising and fighting for their rights as well as the of "Jim Crow" laws, social codes, and violence that promoted racial segregation and discrimination to maintain white supremacy and oppose black advancement.
How to Use the Family Discussion Cards
What is Jim Crow and why is it called that? What makes a home and a family? We encourage families to discuss these tough questions together using our Family Discussion Cards as they view the exhibition. The set of eight cards includes an introductory card at the beginning of the exhibition with this prompt, which invites families to explore the portrait of Dred Scott (above) and its label:
Talk with your family about this statement: "To be a citizen is to be accepted, to be 'one of us.'" How does being a citizen mean being accepted?
The other seven cards in the set each offer a guiding question and three gallery-based investigations into themes in the exhibition: Community, Equality, Fighting for Rights, Freedom, Home and Family, Soldiers and Service, and White Supremacy. You can use as many cards as you and your family like, in any order. Each card's investigations are color-coded to the three galleries, and each card features a glossary of relevant terms. Check out a sneak preview below of the "Freedom" card.
In the first few weeks of the exhibition, we'll be asking families for their feedback on these cards. We hope you'll come, use them, and share your thoughts with us. See you at the Museum!
Written by Rachel Walman
Assistant Director, DiMenna Children's History Museum
Top image credit: Extract from the Reconstructed Constitution of the State of Louisiana, 1868. New-York Historical Society Library.


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Artful charity
Media group Tehelka undertook some ingenuous ways to raise funds. In 2007,it organised an art auction in London at Bonhams. Eminent artists donated works for the auction,titled Art for Freedom. The charitable purpose for which the auction was organised was support for independent media. The highlight was a joint painting by M F Husain and Shah Rukh Khan. Other joint works between artists and prominent personalities included a partnership between Ram Jethmalani and Naina Kanodia,and Shalu Jindal and G R Iranna. The paintings auctioned at the show,attended by the glitterati and the power elite,included the works of Akbar Padamsee,Arpita Singh,Jehangir Sabavala,Atul Dodiya and Jogen Chowdhury. The extended Tejpal family attended the London event.
Mamata vs Meira
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is furious with Speaker Meira Kumar as her party has been denied adequate office space in Parliament House for the past five years. The party has 29 MPs,but the Speaker had allotted it the office quarters of the RJD,after it went down to only five MPs. Even Lalu Prasads party refused to vacate the premises,leaving the Trinamool high and dry. We cannot remove them physically,it is for the Speaker to have evicted them, Mamata argues. The TMC also feels it has received a raw deal from the Central government. The Ministry of Urban Development took a deposit of Rs 1.6 crore from the party for building an office in the Capital,but there has been no progress on the project,she complains.
Pawar punch
NCP boss Sharad Pawar claimed his party was in a week-long mourning after ally Congress was roundly defeated in the Assembly polls. He compared it to the custom of Sutak in rural India that whenever there is a death in the village,even close neighbours stay indoors for a week. But Pawar,far from observing a week-long silence,was busy bringing media attention to his latest blog which took potshots at his partner. Pawar inferred that the Congress was led by weak leaders,who were unable to thwart the emergence of pseudo activists in the political arena the oblique message being the Congress,given its present weakened state,should not take its ally for granted.
Shahs clout
Amit Shah,Narendra Modis confidant,is officially in charge of the BJP campaign in Uttar Pradesh. But,unofficially,Shah,a BJP general secretary,is overseeing many other states in the Hindi belt. He is also helping out in Jharkhand,Bihar and Uttarakhand. Out of a total of some 139 parliamentary seats in this region,he is hopeful of the BJP securing 70-80 seats. Shahs writ also runs in some 10 seats in Rajasthan and three in Haryana,which are dominated by Jat voters.
Congs loud silence
Senior Cabinet ministers were not to be seen on TV on December 8,the day of the Assembly results. Those who appear frequently on channels on behalf of the Congress,such as Digvijaya Singh,were also missing. Even Ajay Maken,head of the media cell,stayed away. Defence of the Congresss performance was left largely to a few youngsters in the party and Jayanthi Natrajan. One of the media spokespersons who is normally very accessible,Renuka Chowdhury,abstained,upset because Makens staff had hinted to several TV channels that she was no longer on the media panel. In fact no such order had been passed. It seems Maken and Chowdhury had differences over the selection of some candidates from Makens New Delhi parliamentary constituency. Chowdhury,as a leader of the Jat Mahasabha,felt that proportionate representation was not given to the Jat community.
Unable to resign
The six Congress MPs from Seemandhra,R Sambasiva Rao,Sabbam Hari,V Arun Kumar,A Sai Prathap,L Rajagopal and G V Harsha Kumar,who gave the notice of a no-confidence motion against the government,have held out the threat to resign their parliamentary seats since 2009. Initially,the threat seemed more of a drama than a genuine act,with the MPs submitting their resignation letters to Digvijaya Singh,knowing it would be rejected. However,since last year,the MPs have been more serious. They forwarded their resignation letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. When this did not produce results,they sent a resignation letter directly to the Speaker this year. Meira Kumar rejected it on the ground that it was a joint letter,and that the MPs had not applied their mind since it was not handwritten. The resignation letters have been sent once again to the Speaker,but Kumar has still not accepted them. In fact,one of the MPs,Rajagopal,recently approached the high court for relief but was referred back to the Speaker.


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When I was in college I had a huge crush on my philosophy teacher. I was always early to class so I could spend more time around him. When he led weekend canoe trips, I always signed up. When I noticed he ate blue tortilla chips, I started buying them. I thought everything he did was super cool.
He made every lesson fun and exciting. He was obviously incredibly passionate about his work and had a way of inspiring his students to do their best. I was fascinated by the way he always saw the best in all of us; even the kids who barely made it to class.
He believed we were capable of great things and often reminded us to "be committed to our own commitments." He used this mantra when talking to us about our school assignments as well as our personal goals.
This phrase "be committed to your own commitments" made a big impression on me. I used to write it in my journal as a reminder to stay focused on what mattered most to me.
Unfortunately, I also used it to beat myself up when I got off track. It took me years to realize that ruminating on my mistakes was not a way to be committed to my commitments.
The thing I didn't fully understand as a college student was that commitments are not a one-time decision. Commitments are made and remade.
The most important part of commitments is recommitment. If we decide we are a failure every time we break our commitment, we will never get what we want.
When it comes to personal goals such as improving our health or losing weight, the recommitment is crucial. Most of us have days when we overeat, skip a workout, stay up too late, or freak out because we hate the way we look in our bathing suit. It is easy to use these issues as a means to be a total bitch to ourselves, tell ourselves we are weak, lazy and will never get it right.
What if instead of using our lapses in commitment as a means to bully ourselves, we simply recommitted to our goals.
What if we said, "hmmm…isn't it interesting that I ate a pint of ice cream in one sitting when I had told myself I wasn't going to do that anymore. I wonder what I could do differently so that doesn't happen again."
Or perhaps you could say to yourself, "needs work. I want to reach a healthy weight and I know eating ice cream at night isn't helping. Next time I will try making some hot tea and see how that makes me feel."
The quicker we recommit to our original commitment, the less time we spend in the pit of despair. We start to trust ourselves more and know that we can be committed to our own commitments. The path might not be straight, but we can get back on track again and again and again.


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Spring Bedding
Where do you shop for bedding? If you're looking to do a little Spring spruce up, I've pulled together some of my favorite online shops for bedding right here over at Real Simple.
Above bedding from Pottery Barn and John Robshaw. Links are here.
(images from john robshaw and pottery barn)


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Students & Dietetic Interns
You're an #RD2Be of color and our profession needs you. We've been in your shoes and want to use our experiences to help you reach your goals. Join the Diversify Dietetics Community on Facebook or Instagram to see how to find mentors and resources and to connect with other RD2Bes and RDNs of color. Because we know sometimes you just need to talk to someone who gets where you're coming from. We also want to hear what resources you need. Please take this #RD2Be/Young RD Community Member Survey let us know your thoughts!


text: I met Matt Bogosian years ago in New York city and when he found out that I had gone to the dogs he reached out to tell me about his latest venture! After working as a studio manager in New York City for 8 years, Matt eventually made his way to Vermont where he met his girlfriend Rhonda who owns Vermont Dog Pack and co-owns Vermont Dog Socials. Matt and Rhonda teamed up to create My Dog Camp, an online guide which teaches others how to start their own dog camp businesses. They hope My Dog Camp will inspire others to start their own Dog Camps in their communities so that more dogs can benefit from the off-leash outdoor exercise, socialization, and dog training.


text:
A former frontman of one of the most notable alternative rock bands in modern rock history playing solo living high on his former bands fame, while the guitarist from the same band is doing music scores for documentary movies, while trying to support his wife and two children.
Somewhere else in the US, the former drummer is sweeping the sand of a beach in California with his metal detector and performing magic shows in the evening. And the middle-aged women, who used to be every rock chicks big role model as the cool bassist, has moved in with her mother to get out of a massive drug habit – doing some music gigs from time to time with her twin sister.
It had all smelled of a "let's make some quick money on our long-lost fame" and a huge disaster when the Pixies announced a reunion tour in 2004 after more then 10 years apart. But surprisingly it all turned out well. They actually managed to gather huge crowds and get great reviews. The air between the two creative front figures, bassist Kim Deal and singer Black Francis, remained as cold as it was around the bands break-up in 1993, but on stage they where as hot as ever.
Just as hot as they were, when they got their big break-through with the debut album "Surfer Rosa" in 1988. With a sound, drawing on elements of alternative, noise and psychedelic rock, they started the wave of alternative rock bands in the '90s. In an interview, Kurt Cobain is quoted for saying that he tried to rip-off the sound of "Surfer Rosa" on Nirvana's hit album "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
While "Surfer Rosa" was a alternative rock album with a raw sound, the follow-up, "Doolittle", became a bit more stream-lined and got out to a bigger audience. Suddenly everyone knew who the Pixies were.
They remained to have a huge impact on the music scene of the '80s and the early '90s, getting admiration and inspiring people like Thom Yorke, Bono, David Bowie and later on Julian Casablancas from the The Strokes.
But what about the Pixies anno 2014? Do they still got it? Or will we witness an embarrassing melt-down on stage like The Stone Roses did on Northside in 2012?
Don't worry. Being on/off tours since the reunion in 2004, they still score full stars for their live performances and have even been called "one of the best live bands at the moment" in some reviews; even after bassist Kim Deal decided to quit the band last summer.
Earlier this month, they closed Field Days in London, hailing praises from The Telegraph and The Guardian with top scores for their performance, and praised by NME as one of the highlights of the festival.
With a new album just out (Indie Cindy) – the first one in 23 years and a decent one in fact – their concert at Northside could be one of the absolute highlights of the festival. With or without Kim Deal as back-up, I predict that the hit-single "Where is my mind" will be a blast for the crowd as their last number, leaving everyone behind with a feeling of having witnessed a band still rocking on the old days.


text:
Wanted to announce the winners of the Craft Blog Hop and the garment sewing book pack.
Be sure to check your emails and spam folder. If I don't hear back within 30 days I'll pick another winner.
For the Craft Blog Hop is….
Sarah (Slp…..@aol.com)
And, the Joi Mahon and Boundless Style book giveaway winner is…..
Sharon C. (scol….@yahoo.com)
I will be in touch with both of you shortly to let you know how to claim your prizes.
Thanks everyone for making a comment and joining in the fun.


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Here are some photos of the kids swimming!
Maddie - The Fish
Eva - The Duckling, Graedon - The Frog, & Grammy P. - The Enforcer (keeps 'em in line and safe LOL)
Graedon with his very nifty and extremely helpful swimbelt.
I have a video, too, but I'm still working out some bugs with uploading it. Enjoy the last few days of this heat wave!


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Painting Ceramic Tiles on Your Walls
Ceramic tiles are a popular choice for homeowners from different countries. Tiles are not only being used on bathroom or kitchen floors, but also on walls.
There are many advantages to using tiles for your home. Tiles come in various textures, designs, and colors that everyone could definitely find something that would suit their taste. Aside from that, tiles are durable and easy to clean.
But over time, tiles can crack or chip. Some of the printed designs on them could also fade after many years. Another downside of having ceramic tiles is that having them totally replaced can be costly and messy.
For this reason, numerous creative homeowners who love doing do-it-yourself crafts have come up of an easy, stress-free way you can give the tiles on your walls a makeover.
Painting over ceramic tiles on your walls is a convenient way you can amp up your faded tiles.
Removal of tiles to have them replaced with new ones can be a lot of work. Imagine, each of these tiles would be detached from the walls. Then, the marks the tiles have left on your walls would need to be fixed before even getting to the process of actually being able to lay new tiles or apply paint on what were formerly tiled walls.
It could take several days to weeks for the entire process to be completed. You might even need to hire a professional to help you remove the tiles safely and more quickly.
On the other hand, if you decide to just paint over the tiles, you can get a quick and affordable upgrade. Top to it off, you can even do it yourself. You only need to buff the tiles if they're particularly glossy, do some minor repairs if there are cracks or chips on the tiles, then apply paint.
You'd be surprised at how a simple upgrade can do wonders for your walls.


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User talk:HavocReaper48
|Welcome to Bulbapedia, HavocReaper48!
By creating your account you are now able to edit pages, join discussions, and expand the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia. Before you jump in, here are some ground rules:
Thank you, and have a good time editing here!
Trophy Info
Next time, ask before you make an edit like the edit you made to Bulbasaur. We need that Trophy Info and the word "and" doesn't need to be changed to "&" in the title of that section. Sorry. --Landfish7 16:23, 20 November 2010 (UTC)
- I need to ask to make an edit? Do you take me for a n00b? Was it that terrible? HavocReaper48 04:15, 21 November 2010 (UTC)
- ...checking it, and you see, Melee and Brawl have two different descriptions. Not just that one. HavocReaper48 04:16, 21 November 2010 (UTC)


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Andrew B. Schwaab focuses his practice on strategic intellectual property matters, including counseling, global patent prosecution, patent litigation, licensing, validity and infringement analyses/opinions, due diligence, and freedom-to-operate issues. With more than 20 years of experience, Andrew handles matters related to a wide range of electrical and computer technologies.
Andrew is a past president of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association and currently the president of the Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the CNIPA (Chinese Patent & Trademark Office)/U.S. Bar Liaison Council and is involved in several other professional organizations, such as IEEE.
Andrew has practiced in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley since 1999. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Electro-Physics), he worked with an IP law firm for several years in Washington, D.C., first as a professional IP/patent searcher, and then as a patent prosecution specialist, earning his registration as a U.S. Patent Agent in 1994.


text: Are you ready for AFSA's social media launch? Follow AFSA on 4 of our 5 social media outlets- facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube, or vine for a chance to win a $25 gift card from a place of your choice! Comment below with one thing you love about SAF if you want to be entered for the draw. Links for all our social media accounts are posted below or follow us @uwafsa Deadline to be entered for this contest is October 16th at 11:59 pm.


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Dance of the Stickfighting Warriors
Flatfoot Trybe – Mikey Inderikey and Phil Okwedy – present
Dance of the Stickfighting Warriors
One man's search for a sense of belonging: a little story about the big stories of life.
Born in Cardiff of a Welsh mother and Nigerian father, Phil Okwedy is a performance storyteller and myth-maker who draws deeply on his dual heritage and multiple cultures.
Mikey Inderikey is a composer, instrumentalist and a maker of beautiful songs.
Tickets available here from We Got Tickets (£10/£8), but please note, only cash at the door.
Recommended for over 14s.
"A child in his mother's womb sings to his father and the father remembers the song. The song is sung to us by Mikey and Phil. Each time we hear it, we understand it more and the song stays with us long after the show has ended." – Cath Little, audience review


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Judith Iwashita
Honokaa High Class of 1963
Personal Info
- Name:
- Judith Iwashita
- Graduation Year:
- 1963
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You are visiting the placeholder page for Judith Iwashita. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Judith Iwashita. We created this page automatically in hopes Judith Iwashita would find it. If you are not Judith Iwashita, but are an alumni of Honokaa High School, register on this site for free now.


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UNUSED PAPER MAYUBUKURO 4pc. (Dealer: Sezuan antiques & art) – The worker's thick washi paper bags for cocoon as the material of raw silk called 'Mayubukuro' (lit. "Cocoon bag") in unused condition (though some rents as seen). Early Showa period, 20th century, Japan. approx. 93 x 66cm (36.61 x 25.98in)
Item price: $230
We reply to you within 48 hours.
Please check your junk mail folder
as well, and register our mail address
for smooth transaction.
More items from Sezuan antiques & art
*** Please read and understand ☞"Policy" before purchase, since your order will be assumed to have fully acknowledged our Sales Policy under any circumstances.


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- PeopleSoft shook the enterprise software application landscape on Monday by announcing that it plans to purchase JD Edwards & Co in a stock deal valued at approximately $US1.7 billion.
As part of the deal, stockholders will receive 0.860 PeopleSoft common shares for each outstanding JD Edwards common share, the companies announced.
By absorbing JD Edwards' mid-market and manufacturing integration prowess, PeopleSoft says it will boost considerably its enterprise software and services presence within distribution and asset-intensive industries.
PeopleSoft is jostling with fellow CRM and enterprise software titans Oracle, Siebel Systems, and SAP to push its applications suite, which provides supply chain management, human resources management, financial management, and application integration.
Together, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards form a mammoth enterprise software entity featuring approximately $US2.8 billion in annual revenue, 13,000 employees, and more than 11,000 customers in 150 countries.
The boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the acquisition. Once closed, Denver, Colorado-based JD Edwards is slated to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Pleasanton, California-based PeopleSoft.
The transaction is expected to close in the late third or early fourth quarter of this year and will be tax-free to stockholders of PeopleSoft and JD Edwards.


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Available on our most popular items
BlueStar is a family owned professional range manufacturer based out of Pennsylvania. Although the product does not have the electronics and functionality of Miele or Wolf, BlueStar is the most powerful professional range on the market with BTUs of 25,000 BTU.
They have the only pure gas convection oven for even cooking. The oven is the best if you like to roast meats with its moist heat. At 1850 degrees, the BlueStar infrared broiler is the hottest and will sear the best of any brandBlueStar is also totally customizable with 750 colors and 8 trim packages, so your range can be totally unique. It is a nice departure from stainless steel. With power, pure gas convection and the ability to customize, BlueStar is a good professional range consideration.
Consult our Delivery Checklist to understand all the possible pitfalls of home appliance delivery, before you buy from us or anyone else
No Email Required. Click for Your Free Copy
The largest independent service team in New England with 30 technicians. Every service team member is factory-trained and CORI-certified. We warranty all paid service parts for a full 5 years.
Ask about installation services to complete your project. Whether you're installing a new dishwasher or customizing cabinetry for a new wall oven, we can help.
Need it in a rush? Same day or next day delivery is available on many of our most popular products. Available during weekdays if you order by 12:45.
Choosing a new appliance can be a confusing and time-consuming experience. We've taken all the pain out of the decision process with our new guide to choosing your new pro cooking appliance.
It's funny, but pro ranges have become more feature oriented with sealed burners, one touch controls and even steam assist. BlueStar, on the other hand, is more like a restaurant range in terms of function and overall appearance.
If you are in the market for a professional-style range chances are you are a serious home chef, looking for an upscale industrial-style range. Whether it's looks or function, you have many options in the professional range market.
The 48-inch range market is filled with verygood products. The Pro was first introduced for residential use by Viking in the 1980's and have since become an extremely popular appliance choice for high-end kitchens. Now, your options for a pro-style range are almost limitless.
Schedule a showroom visit or cooking demo
at your convenience.


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PAM THE BUTCHER'S New Year's Offerings/
PAM THE BUTCHER'S NEW YEAR'S OFFERINGS: Entertaining at its best -- we offer everything from a 12lb. Piglet + Ham Hocks to Crown Roast of Pork + Pork Tenderloin. Don't forget to serve Hoppin' John on New Year's Day -- it's said to bring a prosperous year filled with luck.
Enjoy these recipes:
"In Cuba, this dish is traditionally served on New Year's Day. In this tradition, as in the Hawaiian luau, the pig is usually covered with banana leaves and cooked over a coal fire in a pit that's dug in the backyard. Because this method is not easy to do at home, the recipe below uses a small suckling pig that will fit in the oven, yet deliver the same delicious flavor. Ask your butcher to split the pig for you. Don't be afraid to give this recipe a try — cooking a whole small pig is like cooking a whole turkey." ~ Douglas Rodriguez, Epicurious
"Nothing is more majestic than this regal cut of meat — and nothing makes your house smell better while it roasts. Here, pork's natural sweetness is coaxed forward by the herbs and onions in the stuffing. And the crispy, savory bones are a delightful bonus. You will have to special-order this cut of meat (the rib portions of the loins are joined to form a circle) from your butcher." ~ Gourmet
"I'm not a big believer in superstition, but for some reason I've always eaten black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. I figure starting the new year by indulging in a juicy superstition can't hurt." ~ The Pioneer Woman
"It's rustic, smoky, melting succulent pork with roasted potatoes…mmm…I promise you will be addicted!" ~ Lily and Dmitriy, GastroSenses
"Although there are innumerable versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. The dish gets its name from the pot it's traditionally baked in, the cassole (see Note), which is often shaped like a wide inverted cone to insure the greatest amount of luscious crust. This version includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse." ~ Paula Wolfert, Food and Wine


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- Newborns (0-3 months ): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day
- Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12-15 hours
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours
- Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours
- School age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours
- Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours
- Adults (26-64): Sleep range is 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours
No Comments
I used to write for a sleep website and I agree with what you said. A lot of people feel proud when they do things even without sleeping – not knowing that it will do them more harm than good. In truth, I used to be one of them. Hehe. My motto was once "sleep is a luxury I can't afford right now" but I've honestly changed that because I noticed that I can't concentrate when I lack sleep, plus I'm cranky.
So now although I still have sleepless nights or days becausw of uncontrolled circumstances like binge-watching (haha), I value sleep more than ever.
I agree with you on that. I tried sleeping too much and every time I woke up, I feel "kapoy". That shouldn't be the case since I had more than 10 hrs of sleep. haha
It's weird because I don't feel like anything after sleeping for the entire day. Hahaha! Maybe I'm still a toddler that needs 14-17 hours of sleep. Hahaha
I need now to change my sleeping hours. Thanks for sharing this since I'm into 4 hours of sleeping lately. As a result, hypertension due to stress 🙁 -Jay #workaholic
OMG 8-10 hours diay ang need namo mga teenagers? How I know.
HAHAHA. I kid. Feeling young. Young at heart nuon. Haha! AKong tog lately kay mga 6-7 hours nalang jud. Need to adjust para sa health.
Now* I know.
I'm 23 years old but I still sleep for 10-12 hours a day. If it's lesser than that, I am simply unable to function properly for the whole day. A sleeping schedule and a comfortable room is extremely important.
This made me realize I have little time on Earth left. I both get little and too much sleep. HAHAHA! Please send white flowers. 🙂
Sleep REALLY REALLY matters! Whenever I get a complete sleep, I feel refreshed! Thanks for letting us know how long we should sleep, Marica! 🙂
One of the things I'm really thankful for ever since I became much less occupied with work is how I can get some proper sleep. Back then I was lucky to even get 6 which I'm completely aware to be unhealthy. Sleep really is such an important thing and should always be prioritized.
OMG!I thought having 5 hours of sleep is enough. I am 27 years old already and I thought 5 hours is good for me. Thanks for this, now I know I have to sleep 7 to 9 hours a day 🙂
After being deprived of sleep, I can sleep for more than 12 hours and still feel good after waking up, but I can also stay awake for more than 40 hours without sleep. Usually my sleeping hours lately is just about 4-6 hours. So that means, my life span is getting shorter everyday. Like ToTem, my life on earth seems really is shortened, so send me blue flowers then? HAHAHA.. just kidding.
But yes, our body really deserves that right amount of sleep. And I must sleep now. 🙂
Sleeping is a major concern when it comes to space travels. Hahahaha. I hope we can sleep for 25 years and just be in our normal selves after that time. But, we ask ourselves, how can we sleep if daghan buhatonon?
I think there is also such a thing as high quality sleep and low quality sleep. I think 5 hours of high quality sleep can bear 8 hours of low quality sleep. Sleep is really important and it is a luxury for some. Sweet Dreams!!!
I've been getting lots of sleep lately and thank goodness! I've been really worried about my health and getting enough sleep is one of the things that I could change in my lifestyle right away.
Very informative and interesting. Wow, I didn't know that I need 7-9 hours of sleep as what my age required. I usually have 4-5 hours of sleep everyday. How I wish I can sleep more than span of time.
I lack of sleep nowadays because of freelance sometimes partying! 😀 I need to get 7-9 hours…


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The Membership in News Fund
The call for proposals closed on June 20, 2019 and we are no longer accepting applications.
Subscription is a product relationship: you pay your money and you get the product. If you don't pay you don't get it. Membership is different: you join the cause because you believe in the work..."
In its efforts to encourage robust and interactive membership practices with news organizations around the world, the Membership Puzzle Project has partnered with Luminate and Democracy Fund to launch The Membership in News Fund to run through May 2020. The $700,000 fund is designed to support innovative membership models being tested at news sites as part of a global experiment to identify and clarify best practices for supporting and sustaining independent journalism in the 21st century. We'll be providing between $10,000 and $60,000 to news organizations worldwide based on project idea, region, and scope.
The Membership Model Experiment
The Membership in News Fund will support a set of exceptional experiments in membership in news organizations in collaboration with the MPP team, led by Jay Rosen, Emily Goligoski, and Ariel Zirulnick. News organizations on different continents will lead the work of experimentation to get the kind of answers that can inspire creative effort around the globe.
We welcome applications from three kinds of organizations as part of a rolling application process: local/place-based; national (and with further reach); and subject matter/topical. We encourage non-profit, for-profit, and cooperative news organizations to apply. We accept applications from organizations based in the following countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, UK, France, Germany, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, India, Myanmar, and the U.S. (Please note that at this time in the U.S. we can only provide funds to nonprofit news organizations or for-profit news organizations with a fiscal sponsor.)
Experiments of great interest include:
Experiments around revenue. Example: direct public offering.
Experiments around member/audience/reader participation (what we call opportunities for community members to "pay in participation"). Example: Documenters project from City Bureau.
Experiments around governance. Example: Co-op models and collaborative work from sites like The Bristol Cable.
Experiments with learnings outside of news. Example: sites that look at voter registration and other political engagement efforts and increasingly talk about how supporting their work is part of participation in democratic processes.
Experiments in online-to-offline and offline-to-online behavior. Example: local citizen engagement.
Each news site chosen to participate in the project will agree to experiment with a different pathway or "hypothesis" about how membership can help sustain public service journalism. The idea is to support a plurality of approaches in a plurality of local settings, and also test new ideas. By "support" we mean money to conduct the experiment, coaching, and — where it's appropriate — expert advice from us and others about how to get the best results.
Relevant projects for funding & venture support
Can membership work in news? What are the best approaches?
We'll identify a diverse group of participating sites to receive one-time funding and coaching to test different answers to these questions. MPP will study, consult, and host research with successful applicants to the fund. They can expect regular advising calls with the MPP research team and to be connected with other projects and people with relevant knowledge to share.
To be considered, successful applicants will:
Have membership as part of their site sustainability plans. They may ask community members for money, but they also encourage supporters to participate meaningfully in making the site work and making its journalism better. That's the "membership threshold" MPP plans on adopting. Our project team is less concerned with whether a given site calls those participating supporters "members" or another phrase that fits better. The important component is they expect supporters to contribute more than money.
Propose an experiment in membership that pushes the global practice forward. MPP will seek applicants who will take responsibility for testing one component of how to make membership work in order to gain knowledge that will benefit all of the membership sites around the world. We're especially keen to support projects that include the following themes or elements:
Participation path design. What are examples of successful practices for community members to be involved in news reporting, production, and site growth? Is there a continuum of practices that make for the most agile membership programs?
Inclusion and equity. Not everyone who cares about journalism can afford to give money, and not everyone who supports the work has a lot of free time to devote to it. If membership is in large part about participation, then part of the participation "puzzle" is how to make it possible to include as many people as possible as members and participants, no matter how much time or money they have.
Metrics. As sites change what they're optimizing for, what metrics make sense to measure news organization health (e.g., retention, diversity, inclusivity)? What are the key performance indicators most worth watching? And when numbers can't tell the story, what can?
Organizational listening. How can news sites with membership make listening and two-way dialogue a routine part of their operating style in an industry that still often broadcasts one way?
Member knowledge. The project team aims to see proposals that advance the practice of combining member knowledge and expertise with what journalists can dig up on their own.
Membership tools and tech. While the size of our fund makes it difficult to provide meaningful enough funding to be the sole backer of tool development, we're eager to hear how we can support the development of audience research-backed tools and technologies — or adaptations of existing tech — that can make membership more efficient and effective.
Are mission-aligned: Participating sites must be committed to growing their membership programs and sharing what works and doesn't with their members and with other sites. Unless it's somehow completely impractical, all subcontractor award winners will be required to explain to their own audiences what their membership model experiment is, why they're undertaking it, how it's progressing as it unfolds, and what the final results are. This will be their primary "reporting requirement": reporting to their own constituencies.
Instead of making the subcontractors compile for the funder an exhaustive (and exhausting) report on every activity, MPP will assume responsibility for narrating the results of each experiment for the benefit of the global community of membership-models-in-news readers — that is for MPP's larger constituency. This will allow the participating sites (many of which may have limited staffing and resources) to stay focused on their own communities, and then collaborate with MPP as the project team pieces together the story of this larger experiment work for a broader global audience.
Stimulate meaningful audience engagement: Participating sites should be inclusive about inviting staff participation among people who work on business, editorial, executive, "audience," and other key responsibilities, as it is MPP's mission to help make all of those stakeholders smarter about membership and the future of journalism. Also, participating sites should make clear how audience members can take part in and watch their experimentation work. Finding opportunities to engage with and make use of what audience members know is a key project goal.
It's important for the industry to learn how audience engagement might be done in ways that aren't a tremendous imposition for news organizations of different sizes. We will ask applicants to propose projects that:
Fit well with the experiment,
Allow them to know whether to continue it, invest in it, and develop it,
Can be clearly explained to user audiences, and
Cohere with their news reporting and production values and policies, including privacy considerations.
Swift and transparent communication of results: MPP is looking to fund projects that can be completed in a three to six month time window. We don't expect all of them to be successful. We do expect quick reporting and honesty about what works and doesn't.
Operate in regions of interest: At this time, we are limited to funding experiments within news organizations that operate in these countries: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, US, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, UK, France, Germany, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, India, and Myanmar. These are countries designated as priorities by Luminate and Democracy Fund for their larger democracy-building efforts (Please note that at this time in the U.S. we can only provide funds to nonprofit news organizations or for-profit news organizations with a fiscal sponsor). News organizations outside these countries should keep an eye on our newsletter for updates on other opportunities and the potential inclusion of other countries in the future. To ensure a strong applicant pool, our outreach and application-solicitation work will be undertaken carefully and in an egalitarian way to give organizations from diverse geographies an equal playing field in persisting through the selection process.
ready to apply?
To register your interest in being part of the fund, please submit details on your work and proposed membership experiment through the form below. We'll look forward to reviewing a short description and relevant link about your proposed project, and we'll get in touch within a month of your submission. If you have other relevant ideas or expertise to offer the fund, please contact us.
To apply, please click the START button below.
Fund partners
Civic engagement is a core component of the membership model of news generation that MPP seeks to promote, and it is foundational for Luminate and Democracy Fund's shared work of supporting healthy democracies. The fund's participating partners are both part of The Omidyar Group created by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar.
Luminate is a global philanthropic organisation focused on empowering people and institutions to work together to build just and fair societies. It was established in 2018 by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. Luminate works with its investees and partners to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in, and shape, the issues affecting their societies, and to make government, corporations, media, and those in positions of power more responsive and more accountable. Luminate does this by funding and supporting innovative and courageous organisations and entrepreneurs around the world, and by advocating for the policies and actions that will drive change across four impact areas: Civic Empowerment, Data & Digital Rights, Financial Transparency, and Independent Media. Luminate was previously the Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative at Omidyar Network and is now part of The Omidyar Group. To date it has supported 236 organisations in 18 countries with $314 million in funding.
The Democracy Fund is a bipartisan foundation created by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar to help ensure that our political system can withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. Since 2011, Democracy Fund has invested more than seventy million dollars in support of a healthy democracy, including modern elections, effective governance, and a vibrant public square.
Membership Puzzle Project is a public research project studying how to optimize news for trust. It is collaboratively run by NYU and Dutch journalism platform De Correspondent and funded by Luminate, Democracy Fund, and the Knight Foundation. We research journalism organizations that are diversifying revenue and audience engagement practices.
The Membership in News Fund will be administered by MPP. We'll allocate funds to news organizations (including non-profit, for-profit, and cooperative news outlets) through a "request for proposal" process and will review proposals on a rolling basis. To learn more about our work, please sign up for our newsletter.