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Unlike some companies on the web who push their disclaimer where nobody can see it, we would really like you to read ours! This product is designed to repair some of the damage in the ear that results in hearing loss but results are never guaranteed. Hearing Loss is complicated subject caused by numerous factors and this supplement will only help with some of those which we explain below. Any company offering a guaranteed 'cure' should be viewed with skepticism.
The testimonials on this page are from just three customers. We would like to stress that results can vary from person to person. For some people, this product may not work at all, and this is why we offer our money back guarantee.
Only someone that's suffered partial or full loss of hearing can truly understand the impact it has on our lives. It's natural to take perfect hearing for granted, but millions suffer moderate to complete hearing loss every year.
Whether it's being unable to enjoy group conversations, having difficulty understanding the TV or just being unable to fully enjoy the time spent with your children or grandchildren, the problem is one that can't be ignored and is usually serious enough to change how we live our daily lives.
Hearing loss can start off very mild and can be hard to notice at first, but tends to deteriorate rapidly if nothing has been done to prevent or slow it down.
Signs your hearing has been affected include:
The Hearing Supplement helps restore your natural hearing without the need for surgery, prescription medication or hearing aids. It works to give your body the essential compounds it needs to restore damaged nerves and support healthy hearing.
You may already know there are two types of hearing loss – Conductive and Sensorineural.
Conductive hearing loss is usually caused by a physical problem such as an infection, fluid or unusual bone growth in your middle ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss often occurs from damaged nerves and hair cells in your inner ear, often caused by age, exposure to loud noises or viral infections and head injuries.
When these hair cells are overstressed by loud noises, "free radicals" are produced. These free radicals start to damage nearby nerves and cells, eventually killing them.
The Hearing Supplement supplies your body with additional Antioxidants – the body's natural defense mechanism, which prevents the free radical from being toxic and causing damage.
The result is healthier cells and nerves, that work to transmit sound from your inner ear to your brain, allowing you to process and understand speech and music far better than before.
The body naturally produces enzymes with help protect our hearing. If you've ever been to a concert and experienced a temporary loud ringing that fixed itself, this was your body performing its natural function and repairing the damage to your inner ear.
Your natural supply of these enzymes can deplete over time, especially with age, so The Hearing Supplement contains L-Glutathione and Lipoic Acid. These two supplements prevent damage to the cochlea which means less chances of suffering complete hearing loss even if it's something that you're already prone to.
Have you ever been with someone speaking loudly, but you're still unable to fully grasp what they're saying?
Often, the problem isn't just due to issues in your inner ear, but also issues with the nerves that carry sound to the part of the brain which processes that information.
The Hearing Supplement contains a complex designed to improve blood flow to the brain and enhance membrane efficiency, making it easier to process the sounds sent from the nerves in your ears. This means both hearing and understanding things first time round.
Every ingredient in The Hearing Supplement has been carefully chosen based on its ability to help restore your natural hearing. Not only are these ingredients powerful on their own, but taking them together provides your body a potent blend designed to not just repair hearing damage, but to maintain it too when taken on a regular basis.
"The Hearing Supplement is not a miracle cure but it is an outstanding product. It's a blend of compounds and supplements designed to prevent sudden and age-related sensorineural hearing loss. Each one of the ingredients have been proven in several medical studies and white papers to reduce the adverse effects of hearing loss and in some case, reverse it completely. Without a doubt, The Hearing Supplement is the most powerful, non-surgical remedy on the market today for restoring your hearing."
A lack of vitamin D weakens your bones, including those in the ear responsible for transmitting sound. Supplementing your body's can correct hearing loss and temporary deafness.
Unlike the cheaper Cyano B12 used by virtual all vitamin companies, Methyl B12 is a better absorbed version of vitamin B12, a powerful antioxidant that helps regenerate nervous tissues and cells.
Required for nearly all energy generation processes in the body, Magnesium is vital in preventing and reducing sudden and age related hearing loss.
An enzyme used to protect cells from oxidative damage and protect the nerves in your inner ear.
A powerful antioxidant to neutralize harmful chemicals in water and fatty tissue, allowing it to enter all parts of the nerve cell and protect it from damage.
A bioflavonoid found in fruits and vegetables with antioxidant properties that make it a powerful antidote to free-radical damage that can destroy hearing.
A well-known nutrient that reduces inner-ear hair cell loss. Combined with the other products in The Hearing Supplement, tests have shown it to be effective in reversing complete temporary hearing loss even up to 4 hours after extreme noise exposure.
Any medical professional will tell you that hearing aids are not always effective.
They work by amplifying the sound rather than dealing with the cause of the problem, which in many cases is down to deterioration of the nerves or cells which process signals to your brain.
Rather than just work on making the sounds louder, The Hearing Supplement works to restore the natural functions that process the sound too, improving your understanding of what you hear as well as your hearing itself.
In some cases, a hearing aid or hearing implant may still be a viable solution for you, but with a hearing aid costing between $1,500 - $6,000 we recommend a trial of The Hearing Supplement first, to see if you can repair the damage before spending a considerable amount.
If you fail to notice any improvement in your hearing after using The Hearing Supplement, simply return your unused portion (or even the empty bottle) within 90 days for a full refund.
The Hearing Supplement will only work to repair certain types of hearing problems related to nerve and cell damage (i.e. Sensorineural).
Also, every person's body is unique and whilst some people may see drastic results, some may only see small improvements. That's why we have our returns policy.
If you're unsure whether or not The Hearing Supplement is for you, then you can relax knowing you can get a 100% no hassle refund anytime within 90 days of receipt.
"I was diagnosed with presbyacusis a day after my 63rd birthday which wasn't the best gift I could have had! I'm writing two and a half months into taking the treatment and I began to notice clearer sounds after around 40 days. Although my hearing isn't back to normal (and I doubt it ever will be) there's a noticeable difference that makes it easier to get on with the day without being conscious of my problem"
"The worst thing about my hearing was always feeling like a burden in a conversation having to ask other people to speak up or repeat themselves. I ended up spending more time alone, and searching the internet for help or just someone who would understand. I found this through a recommended link and initially ordered 3 bottles. My main concern was if there would be any side effects. Three months on there has been none and my hearing seems to be much better. I can now hear the phone and television like before and don't feel so anxious about being around other people again"
"My hearing has been as normal as you would expect for all my life, but five years ago I started having problems. (I work in a noisy bakery plant so I presume it hasn't done it any good). In addition to my hearing problems I also have mild tinnitus.
I was more recently prescribed a hearing aid (Kirkland brand from Costco) and use a loop system when in certain places. The hearing aid works for most of the time but I still struggle to understand speech sometimes especially when there is a lot of background noise. I started taking The Hearing Supplement (they emailed me after seeing my story and asked if I would like to do a trial) and the results have been excellent with no side effects to date. I'm not sure if its coincidence, but my tinnitus is now less frequent and less severe too. I use it alongside my hearing aid as I find the two work well together to make the sounds louder and more understandable. I have since become a customer and thank them for their help and support in reaching out to me."
Unlike some companies on the web who push their disclaimer where nobody can see it, we would really like you to read ours! This product is designed to repair some of the damage in the ear that results in hearing loss but results are never guaranteed. Hearing Loss is complicated subject caused by numerous factors and this supplement will only help with some of those which we explain below. Any company offering a guaranteed 'cure' should be viewed with skepticism.
The testimonials on this page are from just three customers. We would like to stress that results can vary from person to person. For some people, this product may not work at all, and this is why we offer our money back guarantee.
Use The Hearing Supplement for at least 6 weeks exactly as suggested.
If you don't see a significant and noticeable results simply send back the unused portion (or ever just the empty containers) and get a 100% no-hassle refund.


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Detroit has never given up its secrets easily. In a region this sprawling, you've always needed a little inside information to know where to go. Unlike other cities that put all their show-stopping wonders on main drags, you'll need a few addresses and some car fare to survey our superlatives. And that's not a bad thing.
For instance, take Detroit's Slow Roll ride: For years, it's grown by leaps and bounds, showing its participants some of the city's off-the-beaten-path marvels. The ride has become so successful it can draw thousands on warm Monday nights, drawing cyclists of all skill levels. The ride's organizers have become de facto ambassadors, helping bridge the city's divides between urban and suburban, black and white, speed bikers and freewheelers.
In the best sense, it's sort of like Metro Times' Best of Detroit. Just look at all the weird and far-flung places in this week's issue: We appealed to the "hive mind" of metro Detroit and got some answers that surprised even us. So pedal along with us for a ride past a couple hundred places you collectively called best and see it all laid out, secret by secret.
The Best of Detroit 2016 is written by Michael Jackman, Allie Gross, Alysa Offman, Mike McGonigal, Alex Fluegel, Serena Maria Daniels, Colleen Kowalewski, Jack Roskopp, Luanne Lim, and Dustin Blitchok. The design is by Kristin Borden and the photography is by Vaughn Gurganian.

subset: commoncrawl


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Maine's deer season gets underway tomorrow, October 31st. If you're going into any wooded area, assume there are hunters present and wear at least one article of hunter orange. A hat and a vest is even better.
And hunters have as much right as geocachers to be in the woods so avoid confrontations and given them their space. I hunt but I'm also aware that there's a small percentage of deer hunters that are inconsiderate goobers that think getting a buck is more important then life itself. Avoiding any type of contact with those "hunters" is a good idea!
Be safe, have fun, it will be done the second Saturday in December, the official end of muzzleloading.


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Federal officials have filed a complaint against Wal-Mart for allegedly retaliating against workers who staged Black Friday protests in 2012.
The National Labor Relations Board, which protects the rights of workers who organize for better working conditions, is taking a next step in a case against Wal-Mart (WMT) for alleged unfair labor practices. The agency had warned in November that the complaint could be filed.
The complaint, filed Tuesday and circulated Wednesday by union representatives, details times when Wal-Mart allegedly illegally threatened "reprisal" against workers who protested on November 22, 2012, both on national television and to employees directly.
The agency also said Wal-Mart stores in 14 states unlawfully threatened or disciplined workers who participated in legal strikes and protests.
The complaint involves more than 60 employees, 19 of whom were allegedly fired as a result of their participation in the protests. It also named more than 60 Wal-Mart supervisors and one corporate officer.
Related: Millennials turn up heat against low wages
The complaint means that Wal-Mart will face a hearing in front of an administrative law judge of the NLRB. A date has not been set for the hearing, but Wal-Mart has until January 28 to respond.
Wal-Mart spokesperson Brooke Buchanan said the filing is just a procedural step, and it gives the company an opportunity to present the facts in the case.
"We don't believe it's reasonable or okay for people to come and go from their scheduled shifts as part of a union-orchestrated PR move and not be held accountable," she said. "We take this very seriously and look forward to presenting our side."


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I cannot launch the EPSON Event Manager, how do I uninstall and reinstall the application?
Do the following:
- Download the Uninstall Center Utility from the Downloads tab for your product.
- Extract the contents of the zip file you downloaded onto your hard drive.
- Quit all applications currently running on your Mac.
- Open the Applications > Epson software folder.
- Double-click the EPSON Scan Uninstaller icon.
- Select Uninstall, then click the Uninstall button.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the software.
- Delete the Common folder and Event Manager in the Mac's Application folder (Hard drive\Applications\Epson software).
- Delete the highlighted files and folders below from the Mac's Library Preferences folder (Hard drive\Users\login_name\Library\Preferences).
- Restart your computer.
- Re-install EPSON Scan and the Event Manager from the product software CD or from the Downloads tab for your product.
Published: Jun 12, 2012
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Feng Shui Working with Colors in Your Garden
Many people may consider feng shui as a form of superstition, but we beg to disagree. It is a form of design aesthetic that aims to create harmony with nature or what immediately surrounds the area. Applying the rules of feng shui can also be applied outside the home such as your garden. Working with your garden's color according to feng shui can create wonderful rhythms in it.
Using a compass or a ba gua (the Taoist trigrams), determine the directions of your garden. Which one points to the North, South, East, and West? Then, you need to determine the energy you want to evoke from your garden. Using colors from your plants and as well as the five elements, you can create a harmonious garden using feng shui.
Fire Element
Arranging your garden based on the Fire element brings out supportive energy in your career. It would also help you achieve recognition and financial success. To achieve this, you need to develop the South area of your garden. If that is impossible, you can also go for either the Northeast or Southwest. Fill that area with plants and decorations that have the colors Red, Orange, Purple, Pink, and Strong Yellow.
Earth Element
Creating a strong and harmonious garden according to the Earth element creates stability, nourishment, and protection for all of your relationships. To do this, arrange the Northeast and Southwest side of your garden. Then, put on plants and decors that are predominantly Light Yellow or Beige. You can also develop the center of your home with a dramatic floral arrangement.
Metal Element
The Metal element in feng shui increases your mental awareness as it brings sharpness, precision, clarity, and efficiency in your mind. Develop the West and Northwest sections of your garden with White flowers and gray slabs of rock. You can also arrange the Northern area of your home or office according to the Metal element.
Water Element
Having a feng shui garden using Water element brings out a refreshing feeling of calm, ease, purity, and freshness. Water is also the feng shui symbol for abundance, making it the element of choice by many. To achieve this, arrange the north section of your garden, although you can also use the East and Southeast areas. Bring out plants, flowers, and other decorations with the colors Blue and Black.
Wood Element
The Wood element in feng shui releases energy of health, vitality, and growth. Like Water, Wood is also a symbol of abundance, which makes it a favorite element for those who aspire to be rich. East and Southeast are the ideal sections of the garden, and then arrange the area with browns and lots of greens. The Wood element can also be good in the South.


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Scientists are monitoring the remote Cleveland Volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain for further eruptions that could launch an ash cloud capable of wreaking havoc on intercontinental air travel.
The volatile peak came to life Saturday with three eruptions beginning at around 5 a.m. local time, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, or AVO, which changed the aviation color code to "Orange" from "Yellow" and raised the volcano alert level to "Watch."
An "Orange" aviation color code means the "[v]olcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest above known background level or, after a change from a higher level, volcanic activity has decreased significantly but continues to be closely monitored for possible renewed increase," per the AVO website.
On Sunday afternoon, AVO scientists reported, "The activity at Cleveland Volcano continues as an ongoing low-level eruption,"
AVO monitors Alaska's 90 active volcanoes, and its satellite data showed continuous low-level emissions of gas, steam and minor amounts of ash from Cleveland Sunday, with a faint plume extending eastward below 15,000 feet.
"Sudden explosions of blocks and ash are possible with little or no warning," the scientists added. "Ash clouds, if produced, could exceed 20,000 feet above sea level."
Like other active volcanoes in the Aleutian chain, which extends southwest of the Alaskan mainland toward Russia, perfectly conical Cleveland lies directly below the commercial airline flight path between North America and Asia. Any ash cloud above 20,000 feet could cause major problems for airlines.
Some 90 percent of all airfreight from Asia to Europe and North America flies over Alaska airspace, and although a widely circulated Reuters report indicated that aviation officials had already rerouted some of that traffic north of the volcano as a precaution Sunday, a Federal Aviation Administration representative at the Alaska regional office told the International Business Times by phone Sunday evening that this report was false.
"Every indication is that no traffic has been rerouted," the FAA rep said. "Cleveland Volcano falls along an oceanic route, and the aircraft fly very high. You are only going to divert if you've got an ash cloud in your direct route of traffic."
The rep said FAA looks at each subsequent eruption as a unique event and would assess wind action and other factors before making any decisions on diverting traffic.
Dr. Jeffrey T. Freymueller of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks also said he hadn't received any reports of the eruption affecting air travel.
"Unless the eruption changes character, we don't expect there to be any impact on trans-Pacific air travel. Thus far, all of the data suggests that the ash plume is not extensive, and has remained below 15,000 to 20,000 feet elevation. As long as it remains at low elevations, airliners will not be affected."
Because the 5,676-foot Cleveland Volcano is in a very remote area 939 miles southwest of Anchorage on the uninhabited Chunginadak Island, the human danger levels are low — but so too are the monitoring tools. The volcano has no real-time seismic network in place, and AVO warned Sunday that it may not know about a large ash-producing event until several hours later, as it relies on satellite data, eyewitness reports and signals from a different volcano roughly 50 miles away.
Cleveland has shown signs of activity on several occasions since 2011, but the long-simmering volcano's most significant eruption in recent times began in February 2001, when three explosive events produced ash clouds as high as 39,000 feet above sea level.
According to an American Meteorological Society paper about that eruption, volcanic ash led to a number of potentially dangerous encounters with aircraft.
"Onboard radars can only occasionally detect concentrated ash within or near eruption plumes," the authors noted, explaining why aviation experts and scientists need to keep a close eye on volcanic eruptions. "Only total avoidance of the ash ensures flight safety." [via]


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All About Eyewear For Cycling
Cycling eyewear is about a lot more than fashion! Good glasses protect your peepers, improve your vision, reduce fatique and help shield your face from the sun. Here's how to pick a pair:
Why Wear Sunglasses?
Sight is an amazingly complicated sense. Your eyes continually move and adjust, receiving a constant flow of information. Normally, all this activity happens routinely and without noticeable strain. When cycling, however, you are affected by glare and the sun's ultraviolet radiation. Glare is annoying and discomforting causing your eyes to work harder, contracting your pupils, narrowing your eyelids and causing muscle fatigue. It also reflects off roads, traffic, water, snow, concrete and the glass in buildings.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is the invisible part of the light made up of UVA, UVB and UVC rays. Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to UV rays can cause many eye problems, such as cataracts, sunburn to the eyelids, macular degeneration, even skin cancer around the eyes. It's also one of the leading causes of vision loss among older Americans.
This is why quality eyewear is such an important cycling accessory. Good glasses help us see comfortably and clearly in sunlight, they counteract the discomfort caused by glare, and reduce the threat of permanent damage that could lead to cataracts and other eye diseases. The best cycling glasses reduce glare, filter out 99 to 100% of UV rays, provide visual protection, are comfortable and lightweight, stay in place on the face and do not distort colors.
Tips on Selecting Cycling Eyewear
We recommend wrap-style frames to protect your eyes from wind and debris. These offer more coverage and tend to stay in place better. To help control against fogging, look for air holes or vents in the frame or lens. If you ride in severe conditions, such as racing downhill, you may want to consider a goggle style.
Look for lenses that offer 100% UV protection. Today's lenses are usually made of polycarbonate, a tough plastic with excellent impact resistance for durability and to protect your eyes from airborne debris. Because glare reflecting off the road can be an issue, you may want to consider glasses with polarized lenses, which absorb 98% of glare to improve vision and also allow seeing objects in their true colors.
The lens color affects how you see also. That's why some models come with one or more different color lens so you can swap to fine-tune your glasses to the conditions. It's also possible with most eyewear to replace the lens with a different color. Here's a rundown of what the different colors are best for.
Choosing a Lens Color
Brown and amber: These are the best lens colors for high glare. They allow excellent contrast and their dark color minimizes eye strain. They're effective for absorbing most blue light waves, which sharpens visual acuity, improving depth perception and contrast in variable light conditions. Amber is popular for cycling, skiing and general use. On the down side, amber distorts colors, making greens greener and causing neons to fade.
Gray: This is a neutral color that provides natural contrast and gives true color perception. It's a good, general-purpose color.
Green: A good all-purpose lens color, green provides a fair amount of contrast in low-light conditions and reduces eye strain in bright conditions.
Yellow: A long-time standard for skiing, yellow provides excellent depth perception and contrast in low light.
Other Considerations
Like regular sunglasses, you'll find cycling eyewear in a wide range of styles and prices. There are even models that accommodate prescription lenses. When shopping, keep in mind that a quality pair of cycling glasses can last for many years. So, come on in and let us help you select a pair that's right for you and your eyes. You'll be glad you did!


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Saffron makes her podcast debut in Episode 109 – Keep Your Pets Cool!
Lots of ways to help your pets beat the heat.
Click below to play.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You can listen to it here and or on iTunes. We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader.
Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast:


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You are here: United States > Maryland
Changes, additions, errors or omissions may be reported to firstname.lastname@example.com
All information obtained herein has been compiled to the best of My Golf Guide's ability. My Golf Guide accepts no responsibility for inaccurate information which may have been supplied to My Golf Guide. All editorials are strictly the opinion of My Golf Guide. Any reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without the written permission of My Golf Guide Inc.


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A showdown is coming for those of us who argue that charitable giving should attend first to our own community. We face the challenge of a new movement called "effective altruism" – a radical utilitarian approach to giving that might best be described as "strategic philanthropy on steroids." In this view, localism is not just a suboptimal way of giving. It is in fact a morally questionable diversion of resources away from those who might benefit most from them.
As we gird our loins for this contest, we can rally around the deeply thoughtful and compelling manifesto for the cause of "philanthrolocalism" presented by Jeremy Beer at last year's annual meeting of Front Porch Republic, soon to be published in Communio.
As he put it,
[P]hilanthrolocalism is a philosophy of giving that prioritizes the use of resources to help one's own place, including one's neighbors, community members, churches, businesses, cultural institutions, civic associations, and ecology. Philanthrolocalists seek to deploy resources to promote human flourishing and civic life in their own local communities.
In addition to our new manifesto, philanthrolocalism can count on at least one other not insignificant asset: the stubborn, deep-seated allegiance of the vast majority of American citizens.
Strategic Philanthropy vs. the American Way of Giving
Amazingly, after years of being told by the big foundations that they must "synergize collective impacts through collaborative outcomes-based metrics," or whatever the currently fashionable jargon is for "send your money to the experts and let them spend it," the American people simply aren't having any of it. They continue to believe they should do the giving themselves, meeting the immediate needs of those closest to them.
And since only 14 percent of American giving comes from the foundations while 73 percent comes from individuals (figures from 2011), this is good news for philanthrolocalism.
I came to appreciate the nascent philanthrolocalist tendencies of the American people a couple of years ago when I debated Ken Berger, president of Charity Navigator, before the Grant Managers Network. (Nonprofit Quarterly later published my presentation, along with his response.)
Berger is in the midst of shifting his organization's rating system away from bare-bones indicators of financial health to what he calls "results reporting." Nonprofits hoping to win more stars from Charity Navigator will now have to demonstrate a commitment to measurable outcomes, thereby bringing impact awareness to the everyday donors who often consult his website.
Commenting on the new standards, the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Suzanne Perry notes that their
sometimes jargony language [will] be familiar to anyone who has followed the push for more nonprofit measurement: Does the charity have a plausible 'causal logic' (a plan for achieving its goals)? Does it indicate how much of a particular action is required to produce a given result? Does it publish evaluation reports that cover the results of its programs at least every five years?
Berger is persuaded that the nonprofits willing to provide this new data will "find it easier to attract funding than charities that don't. . . . This is what many donors are and will be looking for."
By way of evidence, he cites a study of individual donors done by Hope Consulting in 2010, in which fully 90 percent of respondents said that an organization's effectiveness is important to them.
Preparing to debate the redoubtable Mr. Berger, I was braced to concede that metric-mindedness surely by now must have made deep inroads among the public at large, as reflected in that 90 percent.
After twenty-some years of hammering relentlessly at the need to demand measurable outcomes for giving, surely the promoters of "strategic philanthropy" had begun to push public opinion in that direction (via shacory). Virtually every major national foundation has adopted the theory if not always the practice of rigorous metrics. Every annual philanthropic gathering for years has featured endless panels, speakers, and exhibition booths promoting a rapidly growing number of ever more elaborate frameworks for collecting and reporting outcomes.
Under the leadership of fervent strategic philanthropist Paul Brest, the Hewlett Foundation had gone so far as to launch the multi-year, $12 million Nonprofit Marketplace Initiative (NMI) in 2006, aimed precisely at converting everyday donors to the metrics mindset. Hewlett money was soon flowing to popular evaluation evangelists like GiveWell, GuideStar, and, of course, Charity Navigator.
Shortly after NMI was launched, a study by Hewlett and McKinsey & Company found a ready market for the numbers it would be providing: there was, it maintained, a "growing appetite among donors for performance-related information, as well as frustration with what is available today."
In the face of this Big Push by strategic philanthropy and studies showing public receptivity to it, I was fully prepared, when I glanced at the Hope Consulting study entitled Money for Good, to find evidence of that appetite.
I underestimated the magnificent common sense of the American people. Money for Good in fact documents – in hard data, no less! – the enduring wisdom of Alexis de Tocqueville, and his pronouncement that the genius of American democracy was its ability to nurture and anchor its political life in a vast, diverse array of strong, local civic institutions. However hollow and decrepit those institutions may appear in sociological studies, American charitable giving still very much takes its bearings from them, and provides hope for their survival.
One of the first "key findings" of the study immediately punctured the "growing appetite" myth: "While donors say they care about nonprofit performance, very few actively donate to the highest performing nonprofits."
As I summarized the findings for Nonprofit Quarterly:
* Almost 80% of all gifts are "100% loyal, meaning that there is a virtual certainty that these gifts will be repeated next year."
* Only 35% of donors ever do any research, and almost three-quarters of these spend less than two hours at it.
* Among those who do research, only 24% regard outcomes as the most important information.
* Of those who do research, the overwhelming majority – 63% -- use it only to validate their choice once they've made it, to confirm that the group they've already chosen isn't a total fraud. Only 13% use the research to actually help them choose between multiple organizations, i.e., to make decisions about which is comparatively the better performer.
The upshot is that only 3 percent of donors give based on the relative performance of charities. I suppose it can be said that if there's a "growing appetite" for metrics, there's plenty of room to grow.
The Centrality of Local Giving for American Democracy
Just as important as the vanishingly small percentage of donors who give based on numbers are the reasons offered by those who don't.
Hope Consulting reported that donors divide into six segments.
One of those segments is indeed the impact giver, but confirming what we've seen so far, that is only 16 percent of the donor population.
The largest category of non-numbers-driven givers, at 23 percent of the population, is the "repayer." This person supports organizations that have had some sort of impact directly on the giver or a loved one.
The other categories each commands between 13 percent and 18 percent of donors.
They include the "casual giver," who gives to well-known nonprofits that they happen upon; the faith-based giver, who contributes out of religious conviction; the "see the difference" giver, who donates to small, local charities because it's easy to see first-hand the results; and the "personal ties" giver, who contributes because friends ask or work for the association.
In sum, 84 percent of giving is driven factors other than measurable outcomes – by reasons of the heart rather than the head, as it is sometimes contemptuously put.
But students of philanthrolocalism cannot help but notice that these reasons are not as irrational, random, and emotional as the metrics-minded would insist.
Rather, they reflect the web of personal relationships in which donors are enmeshed -- the immediate, tangible, local, often-religious community to which they belong. Giving expresses a deeply embedded love of and loyalty to what's close, what's familiar, what's personally meaningful: family, neighborhood, and voluntary association.
This is a function of what Tocqueville described as the American principle of "self-interest rightly understood." We don't explain our charitable acts in grand or cosmic terms, he observed. We don't say that we stopped to help that stranded traveller alongside the road out of love of humanity or universal altruism. Rather, we maintain that we stopped because we knew – or at least hoped -- that someone would do the same for us or our loved ones in the same situation.
Not particularly inspiring, perhaps, but far more reliable, accessible, and available than any abstract intellectual concept of humanitarianism. Small wonder, then, that Americans, as Hope Consulting found, give to groups from which they have themselves benefited, that they encounter in their daily lives, on the advice of friends and neighbors, producing practical results that they can see and touch, motivated by religious and moral convictions.
But Tocqueville would have added that this is not only the way Americans are. It's also precisely the way they must be, for freedom to survive in the new world of democracy.
Americans, he argued, are all too likely in this modern, materialistic age to become completely absorbed in the pursuit of immediate, private commercial gain.
That's why we need a vital local civil society, right in front of our faces, to draw us out of that individualistic isolation, to engage us in the affairs of our own immediate communities, wherein we learn through direct, daily interaction with others to become responsible, self-governing citizens.
Our vast, bewildering, and ever growing profusion of nonprofits – in all their naïve, amateurish, bumbling, redundant glory – may appall those who want to see social services delivered in a neat, orderly, rationalized and centralized way. But Tocqueville would have said that this is a small price to pay for the education in democratic self-government provided by our thick, organic, local network of civic associations.
The Emerging Threat of Effective Altruism
If philanthrolocalism can draw comfort from the sustained and overwhelming willingness of American citizens to give locally, however, metrics madness remains a threat to its survival.
(Not from the Nonprofit Marketplace Initiative, however. It was just cancelled by the Hewlett Foundation. Its new president evidently lacks Paul Brest's crusading zeal for metrics, and sensibly concluded that the foundation was unlikely to make a significant dent in America's deeply entrenched Tocquevillean behavior.)
But the cause of metrics-based giving is gathering itself for a fresh assault on decentralist civil society. We will be hearing more and more over the coming years about "effective altruism," a cause inspired by Princeton professor Peter Singer's strict utilitarianism; developed in books like Reinventing Philanthropy by Eric Friedman and the forthcoming Effective Altruism by William MacAskill; put into action by groups like charity evaluator GiveWell and the Robin Hood Foundation; and explored and promoted by websites like Effective Altruism Blog, 80,000 Hours, and Giving What We Can.
The upshot of this new movement is that metrics should determine not only which among similar groups pursuing a given cause deserves support. Rather, metrics should be the basis for choosing which cause to support in the first place. Paul Christiano calls it "cause prioritization." Giving should seek to save or improve the most lives per dollar, no matter what a program does or where it's located.
In his much-viewed TED talk "The How and Why of Effective Altruism," Singer notes that the $40,000 spent providing "one guide dog for one blind American" could instead "cure between 400 and 2,000 people of blindness" in a developing country. He concludes, "I think it's clear what's the better thing to do."
In Reinventing Philanthropy, Friedman similarly juxtaposes art museums in a wealthy city against illness in the developing world: "I think the relative merits of supporting art museums versus saving people dying of diseases that are easily preventable or curable are pretty clear. Both are 'good' causes, but one is likely to do a lot more good than the other."
Effective Altruism vs. Strategic Philanthropy, Left and Right
Although this might sound like just another manifestation of strategic philanthropy's metric-mindedness, it's critical to understand that it is in fact a profound radicalization of it. Effective altruists make strategic philanthropists look like sloppy sentimentalists.
Strategic philanthropists like Paul Brest seek only to apply metrics to the selection of groups once a cause has been selected. But, altruist critics note, this foolishly leaves the choice of the cause itself willy-nilly to the all-too-often idiosyncratic, short-sighted, selfish impulses of the donor.
Here, effective altruism constructs a powerful critique of strategic philanthropy. Why should one seek such rigor in the technical details of giving, but be unwilling or unable to make any judgments about its larger purposes or ends? Does it really make sense for an advisor to say to a donor: "We have no authoritative advice to give you about the cause you should pursue, so just pick any one that strikes your fancy. But once you do that, we're here to help you calculate down to the third decimal how effectively your grantees reach that arbitrary goal?"
Measurement, which is omnipotent in the realm of philanthropic means, seems to be impotent in the realm of ends. But, effective altruists sensibly argue, the choice of ends surely influences the overall impact of charitable spending far more decisively than merely fine-tuning the means.
In defense of strategic philanthropy's agnosticism about the ends of philanthropy, however, it must be said that it is at least consistent with the principle of moral relativism, which is at the heart of so much of progressivism today. Who can say which purpose is better than another, when all such decisions, liberals argue, are just matters of personal opinion?
Although the progressive philanthropy watchdog group National Center for Responsive Philanthropy takes a strong moral stand for anti-poverty giving, the more consistently relativist liberal position would be: Who are you to judge if I say I prefer art museums to fighting poverty?
Curiously, many conservative philanthropists today seem to end up in the same place, embracing strategic philanthropy's combination of objective means with subjective ends.
They have no problem with metrics, of course, since the demand for measurable outcomes resonates with the business backgrounds many of them bring to giving.
But in recent years, conservatism has had less and less to say about the appropriate purposes of philanthropy. In their desire to safeguard the private legal status of foundations against public intrusion, conservative lobbyists and leaders have shied away from making judgments about good and bad giving, lest such self-criticism invite unwelcome congressional attention. Conservative philanthropic publications have become almost as mindlessly upbeat and vacuous as those of the Council on Foundations, endlessly celebrating and promoting giving itself in all its forms -- as if it didn't matter what the giving were for.
NCRP's powerful moral demand for more spending against poverty is considered a particular threat to conservative philanthropy. After throwing up a few half-hearted skirmish lines (museums benefit the poor too!), conservatives quickly fall back on their main rhetorical fortress: the concept of "donor intent." Before its walls, moral demands utterly lose their power. For here they come up against the only standard that truly counts: The donor is always right.
Donor intent is of course legally unassailable. But it's also philosophically debilitating. It's a quick, cheap way to cut off any substantive debate about the proper ends of philanthropy, because in the final analysis only the donor's opinion counts.
Oddly, then, the normless drift of liberalism's moral relativism – typically a prime target for conservatism – is faithfully echoed in conservative philanthropy's almost-Nietzschean devotion to the groundless but resolute Will of the Donor.
The Problem of Localism for Effective Altruism
However antagonistic effective altruism is to strategic philanthropy in its liberal or conservative form, however, philanthrolocalism had best brace itself, for it must soon find itself in the bull's eye. In effective altruism's view, the tendency to focus charity within one's own backyard is nothing less than a profound failure of moral imagination. But unlike institutional conservative philanthropy, philanthrolocalism dares fight back on the field of morality itself, without retiring behind the walls of donor intent.
Singer observes that the thousands of annual deaths from preventable illness tend to occur in communities where donors are unlikely to live. But "does it really matter that they're far away? I don't think it does make a morally relevant difference. The fact that they're not right in front of us, the fact that that they're of a different nationality or race, none of that seems morally relevant to me."
Friedman similarly complains that "90 percent of all foundations in the United States are restricted by their donors to specific geographic regions, usually to the city, county, or state in which donors live." Yet "a donor is unlikely to live in the region where a donation will have the most impact." He continues:
Are the homeless shelters and food pantries near you the best ways to reduce hunger and poverty? For most donors, the answer to these questions is "no.". . . Donors shouldn't fool themselves into thinking that it is easy to focus on their favored region without also reducing the impact of their donations.
Note that in its willingness to attack local-mindedness outright, effective altruism is far more corrosive to local giving than strategic philanthropy has ever been. True, once one starts down the metrics road, it isn't long before the local grassroots groups so critical for teaching self-governance begin to seem bumbling, amateurish, and deficient. Soon measurable outcomes demand the displacement of such haphazard, decentralized efforts with centralized, data-driven, professional service programs. In this light, strategic philanthropy's tension with philanthrolocalism is just the latest skirmish in the century-old war between root-causes philanthropy and "band-aid" charity.
Still, if a donor insists that his giving, albeit now technically more proficient, must be confined to a given locale, strategic philanthropy cannot object. It must remain resolutely agnostic about such choices.
The community foundation – a concept whose 100th birthday we celebrate this year -- often finds itself reflecting this duality. Although its geographic scope has been limited by donors to a given city or region, within those boundaries it will typically wield the full range of cutting-edge metrics techniques.
While strategic philanthropy cannot complain that 90 percent of foundations are geographically confined, it may insist that, within the given limitations, the maximum degree of professionalization, rationalization, and centralization be achieved. Thus has virtually every community foundation in America become, in spite of its name, nothing more than a minor league franchise of our largest and most technocratic private foundations.
Unlike strategic philanthropy, effective altruism finds any qualification of the purely utilitarian calculus of maximum human benefit to be morally unacceptable. So it must take particular umbrage at the notoriously widespread limitations "arbitrarily" imposed by localism. Effective altruism cannot hope to spread among the public until it has loosened the constraints imposed by local allegiances.
Mainstream liberal and conservative philanthropy cannot be counted on as allies in the coming showdown. They are obliged by principle simply to shrug their shoulders and concede that whatever the donor wants, the donor gets, whether it's localism or universalism.
But philanthrolocalism must do better than this. It claims to affirm a specific, well-defined moral purpose for philanthropy. It must present a substantive argument on behalf of giving that aims to strengthen one's own neighborhood or community, rather than to maximize utility wherever it is to be found. That is why Jeremy Beer's manifesto is so important, and why there must now be more thought and writing devoted to this.
Community Embeddedness versus Detached Godliness
We would be ill-advised to continue to rely solely on the deeply rooted but inarticulate popular preference for local giving to keep decentralized civil society alive. Effective altruism appeals powerfully to the leadership class of the future -- young, intelligent professional people, many of them at the centers of cultural and academic influence. (The Effective Altruism Blog, for instance, is based at Oxford.)
While strategic philanthropy is nothing more than a charitable technology, effective altruism claims to be a comprehensive way of life, shaped by a demanding moral purpose that aims to satisfy the humanitarian zeal so much in evidence among the young. Effective altruists are, as GiveWell's Holden Karnofsky put it, "global humanitarians, believing that human lives have equal intrinsic value regardless of nationality, ethnicity, etc." What young person wouldn't aspire to be a global humanitarian, rather than an obscure good neighbor?
So compelling is this claim that some young people form their major life-choices around it. They are willing to pursue lucrative careers but live like impoverished grad students, in order to remit the balance of their earnings to the most efficient maximizers of human welfare. A year ago in the New York Times, David Brooks described a young man who "seized upon the statistic that a $2,500 donation can prevent one death from malaria, and he figures that, over the course of a lucrative Wall Street career, he can save many lives. He was motivated to think this way by the utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer." The group 80,000 Hours aims as well to cultivate this way of thinking among young people.
Among the sensible objections Brooks raised to this sort of life choice, one bears directly on our concern for localism and the giving that sustains it. Brooks is "wary of inverting the natural order of affections." Only if you "see the world on a strictly intellectual level" is a "child in Pakistan or Zambia . . . just as valuable as your own child." But "not many people value abstract life perceived as a statistic as much as the actual child being fed, hugged, nurtured, and played with."
The danger is that
. . . you might become one of those people who loves humanity in general but not the particular humans immediately around. You might end up enlarging the faculties we use to perceive the far – rationality – and eclipsing the faculties we use to interact with those closest around – affection, the capacity for vulnerability and dependence. Instead of seeing yourself as one person deeply embedded in a particular community, you may end up coolly looking across humanity as a detached god.
Community-embeddedness versus detached godliness: not a bad summary of the coming conflict between philanthrolocalism and effective altruism. Given philanthrolocalism's view of human nature, moral sentiments can only be cultivated within the small, immediate communities that surround us and that press neighborly obligations upon us. Local communities are built upon and cultivate a mutual dependence among and compassionate attentiveness to those in our midst.
It may not be morally significant to Singer whether or not a person in need is "right in front of us." But it is significant to Tocqueville, who warned us that we can no longer count on grand, detached, noble moral sentiments to sustain benevolence in our democratic future. In this fragmented, individualistic age, only an immediate, face-to-face encounter with others – those "right in front of us" -- would stir us out of our introspective, selfish concerns to pay attention to others' needs.
Democratic self-governance as well as moral development depends on localism: The gritty, unpleasant, contentious world of local politics and civic association is a magnificent school of citizenship. It teaches us that others have views very different from ours, with seemingly obscure and illogical origins, perhaps expressed and pursued clumsily, and even obnoxiously. But we must learn to accommodate those views, not as an abstract humanitarian exercise, but rather as the only way to pave a road, secure a variance, or lay some drainage tiles. Tocqueville points out that what originates in this limited calculus of self-interest becomes over time a solid, reflexive civic habit. But the cultivation of this humble democratic virtue demands immediate involvement in local community.
Clearly, the global aspirations of effective altruism are unlikely to be satisfied by localism's petty disputes and small satisfications. Localism is messy, complex, fragmented, parochial, and sustained by the concrete, unremarked fulfillment of the small daily obligations that bespeak neighborliness. Down this path there are no million-view TED talks, no seats on a glittering panel at Davos alongside Bill Gates and Bono.
The detached god of effective altruism is so much more appealing. Freed from entanglement in the messy reality of any particular community (where one's manifest benevolence is so frequently misconstrued as self-righteous meddling), the effective altruist can scan the globe for the best lives-saved-per-dollar bargain. This is almost by definition not in our own backyard but probably in Africa. "In general, where human welfare is concerned, we will achieve more if we help those in extreme poverty in developing countries, as our dollars go much further there," argues Singer.
As it turns out, such charitable activity at considerable remove is highly congenial to the altruistic but very busy young intellectual: to determine the good accomplished, the giver has only to glance at the reams of promising data generated by distant, professional service providers summing up faraway programs. There is no need ever to encounter face-to-face the unintended consequences generated by those interventions.
Nina Munk's The Idealist, an account of the African philanthropy of Jeffrey Sachs -- yet another Singer acolyte -- captures this temptation nicely. Munk contrasts the upbeat data flowing into Sachs' center at Columbia University with the massive disruption of traditional ways -- the haphazardly thrown up corrugated metal slums with their barren clinics and open sewers – inflicted by long-distance altruism on its erstwhile beneficiaries.
But this became apparent to Munk only because she spent a great deal of time among, and earning the trust of, the villagers themselves – those upon whom Sachs bestowed but a few carefully stage-managed hours, buoying local spirits with warm personal greetings direct from the Secretary General of the United Nations. The detached altruistic god, who would only be distracted by sustained face-to-face encounters, need never experience directly what it has truly wrought.
Effective Altruism and Infanticide
Perhaps the sharpest illustration of the contrast between detached altruism and embedded particularity is to be found in Peter Singer's posture toward infanticide. His bluntly stated beliefs here are almost entirely unremarked within the effective altruism community, but are highly visible to conservatives.
Here we see Singer's version of utilitarianism in its purest form. As he put it in Practical Ethics, a family "burdened" by a child with disabilities – and this includes a broad range of non-fatal and non-painful afflictions – might well conclude that its welfare would be maximized were it to euthanize that child in order to replace it with a healthier one. "When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater if the disabled infant is killed." The loss of happy life for the first infant is outweighed by the gain of a happier life for the second.
It may be astonishing that Singer could imagine a flesh-and-blood family going through such a cold, sterile analysis about one of its own children. Yet it is precisely the analysis demanded by the utilitarian concern for maximum welfare, in which it is not only possible but necessary to weigh equally one's own child against a child in Africa, a living but disabled child in the cradle against a hypothetically healthy "next" child. Only here do we finally see just how rigorous is the detachment from everyday human sensibilities demanded by effective altruism.
It may be tempting to dismiss Singer's embrace of infanticide as an unlikely path for philanthropy to follow. But of course such a path would only lead directly back to the great original enthusiasm of modern American philanthropy. The first large national foundations – Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Russell Sage -- were all, at their founding, avid proponents of eugenics.
In that view, the welfare of mankind demanded the preservation of the race's healthy protoplasm. This could only mean the state-mandated removal of the genetically unfit from unenlightened families and communities, whose ill-considered efforts to nurture their disabled members only served to sustain and propagate defective genes. Happily, in this view, the state could avert expensive permanent institutionalization by recourse to the cheap, effective, and easily disguised technique of sterilization, rendering the feeble-minded safe to release back into the general population.
Although conservative critics frequently denounce Singer as a eugenicist, it would be more accurate to say that many of the original eugenicists were effective altruists. Both movements converge on the importance of the question: Why waste scarce resources on the permanently disabled and their likely progeny, when the same dollars could do so much more good among the healthy or readily salvageable? (Several German films from the 1930s brought this issue vividly to the silver screen.)
But Singer's openness to infanticide introduces a level of icy, inhumane calculation at which even the most hardened eugenicists would have blanched. At any rate, there's no reason to think that, if effective altruism spreads, foundations wouldn't soon find their way back to their first great inspiration, manipulating the genetic code in order to maximize human welfare.
The Unpromising Terrain Ahead for Philanthrolocalism
One final note of caution: In the coming showdown between effective philanthropy and philanthrolocalism -- the detached god and embedded particularity -- it should be clear that the institutional lay of the land within the field of philanthropy clearly favors the former.
This was true from the moment early on when philanthropy proudly broke free of mere charity's concerns with meeting immediate local needs and set out resolutely to solve problems once and for all by getting to their root causes. Since then, everything about philanthropy has pushed it away from localism toward globalism; away from particularity toward universalism; away from the concrete toward the abstract.
The very language of philanthropy today -- with its collaborating and synergizing, its convenings and learnings and collective impacts, its thought leadership and social entrepreneurialism -- betrays a profession that prides itself on detachment and abstraction, on models, theories, strategies, and formulas. Philanthropic argot even hesitates to be precise about the issues it aims to address: it funds "around" an issue, or "in that space." Our large foundations today are almost completely untethered from the workaday world of their grantees, who finally must sit down face-to-face with a particular person and help him or her deal with an all-too-concrete and immediate problem.
As hostile as the institutional realities of philanthropy may be for philanthrolocalism, it still has one critical asset: the established habits of the individual donors who constitute the vast majority of charitable giving in the United States. While their durable good sense has managed to resist the relentless propaganda of strategic philanthropy, it now faces a much more formidable challenge from effective altruism. A critical task before us is to translate the sound opinion and practice of everyday Americans into a coherent doctrine of philanthrolocalism.
We must be able to respond when our philanthropic elites deride localist sentiments as intellectually deficient and morally bankrupt. That means building a compelling moral claim on behalf of the centrality of localism for the preservation of American democracy and the kind of human being it requires. It means refusing to tone itself down in the face of donor intent, or yielding to the relentless calculus of utilitarianism.
8 thoughts on "The coming showdown between philanthrolocalism and effective altruism"
Hopefully Effective Altruism wins the showdown. Charity that makes you feel good is important for your mental well-being, and conspicuous local charity is important for its motivating effect on others, but the majority of our donations should always go toward effective charities that primarily help other people, rather than inflating our own mood, ego, or social status.
"There is this very, very old puzzle/observation in economics about the lawyer who spends an hour volunteering at the soup kitchen, instead of working an extra hour and donating the money to hire someone…
If the lawyer needs to work an hour at the soup kitchen to keep himself motivated and remind himself why he's doing what he's doing, that's fine. But he should also be donating some of the hours he worked at the office, because that is the power of professional specialization and it is how grownups really get things done. One might consider the check as buying the right to volunteer at the soup kitchen, or validating the time spent at the soup kitchen."
Thank you, Bill, for still having the energy to fight the good fight against "strategic philanthropy," outcomes, and all the other beloved terms of the philanthropic-consultant industrial complex. Jan Masaoka
Thank you, Mr. Schambra, for laying the cards on the table. As I was reading your fine piece, I kept saying to myself: how can the "effective altruists" with whom the author argues put "Singer", "altruism" and "philanthropy" in the same sentence? You are right on to reminding us to consider the source: Singer is rational and insane … the conditions are not mutually exclusive.
On another note, I'm building an organization that will have US residents funding small educational and social welfare groups in the global south … the donations will come from ex-pats who used to give to the groups in question when they lived next to them, and from their friends … the webs of connections that will form are not strictly local, but they will have started that way, and they are personal, not computer-generated.
Pingback: Philanthropy News Watch 5/19 – 5/23
Excellent piece. One might add that the evidence cited by the effective altruists, that local donors are often remote from the most pressing human ills, might be interpreted quite differently: the reason local wellbeing is associated with local charity is because local charity is effective at creating local wellbeing. And perhaps one reason why some pressing human ills exist (such as oppression by warlords empowered by embezzled or intercepted philanthropic goods) is because of what Dickens called "telescopic philanthropy," as practiced by the formidable Mrs. Jellyby, in Bleak House.


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Right Side
Leigh Taylor
(Worth The Wait, #2)
Publication date: January 2nd 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance
Beatrice Remington has one great love in life. Fashion.
When Bea followed her twin brother, Henry, and his ranching dream to Oaks, Texas after graduating from fashion school; running the local boot shop seemed like a dream come true. Bea has everything she wants in life with her thriving business and a budding collection of couture formal wear designs until she watches her brother fall in love. Bea realizes the missing piece to her happiness is the love of her best friend and secret crush, Al Bosco. After years of dancing around one another, Bea sets up a date with the town vet to make Al jealous enough to claim her. However, Bea's plan backfires and leaves her alone in Oaks with nothing but one fake boyfriend, one broken heart and one wedding dress to design.
Al Bosco has one great love in life.
Beatrice Remington.
Al has spent his entire life as the third wheel to the Remington twins. Somewhere along the line, as Henry became his brother, Beatrice became the love of his life. Only he's never had the courage to admit it out loud. When Al shunned the family business to become a ranch hand at The Waitin' Ranch, he set off a chain reaction that ensured he couldn't risk bringing Bea's heart into the chaos. As he finally breaks down and returns to his hometown to make things right so he can give Bea everything she deserves; she walks in holding hands with the town vet and looking happier than ever. Al may have a bruised ego but he's on a mission to win Beatrice's love once and for all. When he finally returns to Oaks, will his girl still have a heart to give to him or will Al be left with nothing but regret?
Can Beatrice and Al get on the right side before their love story becomes another scrap on the cutting room floor?
Author Bio:
Leigh Taylor is a native Texan who now calls the Windy City home. Leigh loves all things romance related including novels and classic movies. Her love of reading and Texas inspired her to begin writing and share her characters with readers everywhere. When she isn't working or writing about cowboys, Leigh enjoys spending time exploring her city, playing with her pets and relaxing with friends over a cup of tea or whiskey.


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Free things to do in Lancashire: Summer Holidays Childcare Challenge
Free things to do:
Museums and galleries:Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston, houses many exhibits and collections, such as sculptures and paintings, costumes and textiles, photographs, historical objects as well as archaeological items.South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Centre has a constantly changing programme of arts events.Wigan Museum of Life has a range of free exhibitions and activities. There is a permanent exhibition about Wigan and its rich history – with some items dating back to the Roman era.Grundy Art Gallery, in Blackpool, features a programme of different contemporary visual art exhibitions from new and established artists in the UK and abroad. Visitors will see Victorian oil and watercolour paintings, contemporary prints and photographs.Lancaster City Museum has regularly changing exhibitions, events and activities for families looking at Lancaster's past from the Romans to the present day.Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery is home to the second biggest collection of Japanese woodcut prints in the UK, as well as the second biggest icon collection. Ceramics, medieval manuscripts and oil paintings are just some of the things that art and history enthusiasts can look forward to seeing.Bolton Museum, Art Gallery & Aquarium has an extensive collection of items covering areas as diverse as botany, geology, Egyptology and fine art. Within the aquarium visitors can find freshwater fish from around the world including places such as Brazil, Madagascar, Borneo and Peru.Brooks Collectables and Museum, Blackpool is a family run collectors shop with free entry to their first floor memorabilia museum which has exhibits to interest all of the family.Cedar Farm Galleries in Mawdesley has a wide selection of contemporary crafts ranging from ceramics and glass to wool, textiles, jewellery and cards.Ribchester Roman Bath House is a free tourist attraction in Ribchester.
Heritage centresBlackpool's Lifeboat Station not only houses the town's lifeboats but it also provided visitors with a unique view of the RNLI's work both locally and nationally.A visit to the Heysham Heritage Centre provides not only the opportunity to discover the history of Heysham through informative exhibitions and displays but also the chance to see a surviving 17th century longhouse (a cottage and adjoining barn).The Weavers' Triangle Visitor Centre is located in the former Wharfmaster's House and Toll Office at Burnley Wharf and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It includes displays about the canal and how cotton is made. It houses period rooms - a Victorian parlour and a weaver's dwelling, plus the Burnley Fair Room, with a working model fairground and there is also a recreated Victorian schoolroom. Oak Mount Mill engine house is open for a number of occasions during the summer.
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Hide AdEnjoy a day at the beachLancashire boasts a beautiful coastline and this is a wonderful county for enjoying a day at the beach. There is a fantastic choice of beaches to suit different needs and preferences, from quiet and secluded spots that are perfect for sandy strolls to bustling beaches packed with fun activities to keep the kids entertained and plenty of watersports for adrenaline-seekers to get involved in.
Explore natureBrockholes Nature Reserve offers a host of wildlife attractions and activities to suit visitors of all ages. Explore the floating visitor centre, enjoy beautiful guided walks and spot the local animal residents on wildlife walks. Children can also burn off some energy in the play areas and exercise their creativity with craft activities. Entry free - just pay for car park.Healey Dell Nature Reserve is a stunning beauty spot that will attract nature lovers as well as people with an interest in industrial archaeology. Visitors can discover the remains of old mills and bridges and perhaps spot some of the local wildlife that live in the reserve.Scotman's Flash is the largest of the Wigan Flashes and is now a nature reserve and there's a variety of birdlife, mammals and amphibians for you to see as you walk around the water.Beacon Country Park is free to enter and offers guided walks, craft fairs as well as a golf course. Wyre Estuary Country Park with its children's play areas, stunning picnic spots and a variety of enticing events throughout the year. Haigh Hall is another great day out, with a free children's play area.
Sculpture TrailsPendle Sculpture Trail tells the true story of the Pendle Witches through has ten ceramic plaques. Each has its own unique symbols which represent each of the Pendle people who were hanged.Ribble Valley Sculpture Trail in Clitheroe is a 1.5 mile walk through Brungerley Park and Cross Hill Limestone Quarry, featuring 20 sculptures.
Go for a woodland walkThere are plenty of woods in Lancashire to wander round, for example Fairy Glen in Appley Bridge; Forest of Bowland; Gisburn Forest, which has a Gruffalo trail, or look for the stone carvings at Burnley Way.
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Hide AdHistoric halls and gardensAstley Hall is a country house with a museum and an art gallery. The collections within Astley Hall span areas such as furniture, pottery and glassware, social and military history, archaeology as well as paintings and drawings, while outside you can enjoy a wander through the pretty landscaped grounds.Samlesbury Hall has a play area, a bee centre and has free guided historic tours.Ashton Gardens in St Annes are a beautiful Grade II listed collection of gardens. This delightful green space is ideal for exploring at a leisurely pace or providing a picturesque picnic location, and there is also a play area for children as well as a bowling green.Clitheroe Castle is £4.30 per adult but accompanied children are free.
FarmsAnyone who loves horses can get up close to these amazing creatures at Blackpool's Penny Farm, the Lancashire centre for the World Horse Welfare charity. You can meet horses and ponies, as well as complete a choice of two activity trails that provide a pleasant way to explore the farm.Smithy Farm, in Esprick, near Preston, lets visitors come face to face with a variety of animals including alpacas, goats, chickens and rabbits. There is also a play area and youngsters will enjoy playing on the toy tractors.Old Holly Farm, Garstang is a family run, working organic dairy farm, with a play area and animals.
Family-friendly cyclingSeeing Lancashire by bike offers a variety of benefits – the chance to see beautiful landscapes, enjoy healthy exercise and have fun. There are lots of family-friendly cycle routes to choose from that cater to all levels of cycling experience and provide safe and varied cycling locations.
Keep fitGo for a walk or run in your local park.ABL Central Lancs is holding Junior Your Way to 2k at Moor Park, Preston: a six-week running programme for children and their parents. Sessions are held every Tuesday from 1pm until 2pm and Friday 10am until 11am. The sessions will increase pace and distance each week. The programme is free and there is no need to book. For more information call Kieran on 07966 312703 or Sarah on 07976 864677.
Comedy Carpet in BlackpoolHow long will you take you to read all the funny sayings and quotes on the Comedy Carpet?


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Alot of us don't have the money to take a university class on how the body works and why Veganism is great for our health. Luckily with the internet there are ways to get free education, all you need to do is put in the time. This is my personal list of sites I use to educate myself more about Veganism and Science in general, completely for free.
This one is a bit obvious but often overlooked learning tool. By searching for a generic term like "vegan diet benefits" you will get a long list of great information. Because it is in video format it is really easy to digest and can be a relaxing activity done while eating a vegan meal or preparing for bed.
You can also start with this list of the best vegan youtube channels.
If you don't know what to search for don't worry, Youtube will show suggestions in the side bar of each video you are currently watching. The suggestions uses an amazing algorithm and you will find out about all kinds of new topics that you have probably never even heard of. This gets especially interesting if you are looking for fun recipes, you never know what tasty dish will pop up next.
All in all this a great learning tool that can replace most university courses if used properly. And hey if you like watching Vegan videos don't be shy, go try and make some content of your own!
Follow Health & Wellness Bloggers
You can find a whole bunch of vegan bloggers out there that will help give you guides on nutrition and lifestyle. Each blogger has their own personality and unique voice that comes across in their writing. Here are 5 of my favorite vegan blogs and some of their posts:
- https://ohsheglows.com/ and her post about vegan cookies
- https://www.veganricha.com/ and their food blog guide
Khan Academy
The website khan academy has subjects on just about every topic under the sun. From math, to finance, to science, and yes even veganism! Under the biology course there is an entire lesson about how veganism can extend the life span of the average person by many years. In addition I learned about some of the chemicals and compounds in meat and how they are much harder on our liver than a plant based diet is.
The courses also have a points and experience system that is really fun to use. As soon as you master a course your khan academy pet grows in size and you can buy little trinkets to decorate it with.
Study Island For Math
If you need to brush up on some high school skills you can use sites like Study Island to do a quick refresher. They have subjects like algebra, geometry, and calculus. The best part is how it is gamified learning that hooks you in so you just want to keeping answering the questions, even for fun. They have different themes about pirates and other adventure backgrounds. At the end of each section there are quizzes and tests that you need to pass to progress. Some sections i was already familiar with so i used Study Island answers to skip through them and save a bit of time.
I started using it recently for pre-calculus and was able to skip an entire semester of courses at school by taking the entrance exam. So if you are planning on going back to school using a tool like this can help you save some money and time on classes you don't need. They also have other subjects like biology, chemistry, history, social studies, and writing.


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Our Sencha Fukamushi Superior has a smooth and mellow taste and refreshing aroma which is a perfect balance of quality and value. The harmony of flavor is excellent. Tea leaves of our Sencha Fukamushi Superior are shaded from sunlight for a short time, about 5 to 7 days just before harvest, to enhance the smooth taste and deepen sweetness. This item is finished with Fukamushi, and shaded from sunlight for a short time, so that this Sencha Fukamushi Superior has a mellow sweet taste. This Sencha Fukamushi Superior's taste and aroma is a truly excellent value, considering the price. We would like you to enjoy the unique mellow taste and refreshing aroma - a perfect balance of the special advantages of both Sencha and shaded tea. And a reasonable price too.
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Most harvested tea leaves are steamed for thirty seconds. This is the usual traditional Uji/Kyoto style. However one variety, 'Fukamushi' Sencha, is steamed for forty-five to sixty seconds. 'Fukamushi' means 'to steam heavily', and the tea leaves appearance is crumbled or broken apart into smaller pieces. Therefore 'Fukamushi' Sencha is more easily extracted than other teas, so it takes less time to brew a strong and flavorful cup of tea. It produces a light green color, unlike Basic Sencha's light yellow color. Also 'Fukamushi' Sencha has a more mellow taste than Basic Sencha. 'Fukamushi' Sencha is also suitable for Iced Sencha because it's quickly and easily extracted in hot or cold water and always makes a flavorful cup of tea. And the nutritious constituent of tea leaves are easily extracted into cups.
Sencha Fukamushi is brewed in a shorter time than standard steamed Sencha (finished in the traditional Uji/Kyoto style). For a really tasty cup of tea, brew Sencha Fukamushi for 40 to 45 seconds. If you brew for longer time, unfortunately you feel a little bitter taste
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Matthew Rivera has been spearfishing for tuna in Palau's clear blue waters most of his forty or so years. It's a big part of life here in this tiny Southern Pacific archipelago 600 miles east of the Philippines. "Because us here in Palau, we can't eat meat everyday," Rivera says. "We can't eat chicken. We have to eat fish. It's what we grew up with as little kids."
Palauans are lucky. This part of the Pacific is home to the world's last healthy tuna populations. In recent years the global demand for tuna has exploded, and populations elsewhere have crashed. In fact a major study released this month estimated that the population of one key species, Pacific bluefin, has dropped by 96 percent in recent decades. And a single Pacific bluefin fetched a record price of nearly one-point-eight million dollars this month in Tokyo.
The combination of collapsing stocks and skyrocketing prices are prompting tuna boats to flood into the waters around Palau and its neighbors. Some of the fishing is legal, but not all of it. And as a marine policeman here, Rivera works to protect Palau's nearly quarter-million square miles of ocean from illegal fishing.
But there's a problem: the country has only one patrol boat. And when it comes to enforcement, Palau's President, Thomas Remengesau Jr. says that's "the big hole in the bucket" in his country's efforts.
"Every time our one patrol boat goes to the southwest islands, it's almost a given thing that they're going to catch some poachers out there'" Remengesau says. "Every single time."
That's one reason Palau recently banded together with seven of its South Pacific neighbors to try to protect their tuna populations better. They even worked with regional authorities to largely ban big tuna operations from the international waters between their countries.
It's an unprecedented arrangement. But enforcement is still a constant battle. So Palau has called on outsiders for help, including organizations like Greenpeace, which now helps patrol the waters around the country.
On one recent excursion over international waters about 500 miles offshore, a Greenpeace helicopter carrying a Palauan Marine Officer and Greenpeace activists spotted three tuna boats. The passengers suspected two of them were moving tuna onto the third, for transfer to market.
It's a process called transshipment, which can obscure the tuna's origins, making it impossible to track where the fish was caught. Conservationists call it tuna laundering.
As the chopper flew in closer, a bucket of fish could be seen swinging from one of the boats onto the deck of its neighbor, leading one of the Greenpeace crew to exclaim, "Caught in the act!"
The receiving vessel was a Cambodian-flagged refrigerator ship named the Heng Xing 1. When the activists and the Palauan official boarded the ship a few hours later and descended a frosty ladder into its dark, icy belly, they found the hold jammed with tons of frozen skipjack and yellowfin tuna.
The captain of the vessel admitted that he didn't have a license on board, although he claimed that the company that operated the ship back in Cambodia did.
It's impossible to know whether the fish in the Heng Xing 1's belly were caught legally, but the transfer of the fish to the ship was illegal. Although moving fish at sea is a common practice, authorities here in Palau require that boats offload only in port so they can track the tuna.
And as a Cambodian-flagged vessel, the Heng Xing had no right to work here at all.
But since it was operating in international waters the Palauan officer riding with Greenpeace couldn't bust the ship. All he could do was report the incident to the regional fisheries authority.
A few days later, the monitors came across another of the boats that took part in the illegal transshipment. Palauan Marine Officer Earl Benhart says it seems pretty clear the boat was up to no good. He says the Philippines-registered boat was transiting Palau with no vessel name, no call sign and no log book.
But again, Officer Benhart could only report the ship. The crew was frustrated, but not surprised. Jurisdictions on the ocean are notoriously complicated, so even boats that are caught red-handed go free because the boarding nation lacks the authority to enforce international law.
Greenpeace activist Farah Obaidullah says the incidents show the need for an INTERPOL for the oceans. "Countries should be able to enforce international law on boats that are not necessarily registered to their country, Obaidullah says. "Because otherwise, this is what happens."
Short of that, host countries like Palau will have to depend on the willingness of bigger fishing countries like the Philippines, Taiwan and the United States to make their boats play by the rules.
After the incident with the undocumented Philippine tuna boat, its home country launched an investigation into its activities.
And the Philippines' top fisheries official Asis Perez says his country doesn't sanction illegal fishing anywhere.
Perez says there's no debate that there's a problem. "We may not be able to prevent," he says. "But we will never ever tolerate an illegal action by our citizens in whatever countries they are."
Perez says the Philippines is trying to step up enforcement and plans to add more boats to monitor their high seas fishing fleet.
But self-policing has generally failed to prevent overfishing, on the high seas or elsewhere. And with tuna prices on the rise and stocks crashing elsewhere, the pressure on Palau and her neighbors is only likely to increase.
President Remengesau says the effects are already noticeable.
"We're living the depletion of stocks of fish," Remengesau says. "We used to fish very close to shore, now we have to go miles away. And this is only the window of what will eventually be affecting everybody."
This report was produced in collaboration with the nonprofit Food & Environment Reporting Network, an investigative reporting nonprofit focusing on food, agriculture and environmental health.
SwitchYard Media/FERN
From PRI's The World ©2016 PRI


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y66, on 2020-March-27, 06:22, said:
Regrettably, I think he description Luce gives is accurate.
My extended social circle includes people of, let's say, varied political views. I have been trying to think of something useful to say. To take one issue, let's look at Anthony Fauci. He has recently said that the president is flexible on when people will go back to work, that he, Fauci has spoken with the president, and the president understands the need for flexibility. This is very tactful, he has often been tactful, but there is no way around the fact that this was his very tactful way of saying that the president, on this and various and other matters, is spouting crap. This will come to a head.
A useful thing to say, and perhaps agree to, is that when this does come to a head the consequences will be extraordinarily severe. Nobody will be surprised to hear that I think we should put our trust in Fauci rather than in the president. I do not, however, expect I can suddenly convert anyone to my way of thinking., If what has already been seen does not suffice then nothing I can say will make any difference at all. I am not a virus expert, I am not an economist, I just think in this the choice of trusting Fauci or trusting Trump is an extreme no-brainer. I have no new and brilliant argument to offer.
I do hope that we can agree that the choice we make as to whom to trust will be very consequential. That is what we must keep in front of us.


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When replicating large amounts of data over a WAN link, it is desirable to avoid full resynchronizations which can consume large amounts of network bandwidth and time. DataKeeper avoids almost all full resyncs by using its bitmap technology. However, the initial synchronization of the data, which occurs when the mirror is first created, cannot be avoided.
In WAN configurations, one way to avoid the initial full synchronization of data across the WAN is to configure both systems on a LAN, create the mirror and allow the initial full synchronization to occur across the LAN. Once the initial synchronization is complete, update the IP addresses for the source and target, which will place the mirror in the Paused state. Move the target system to its new location. Once the target system is in place, power it on and verify all network settings, including the IP address that was updated. On the source system, run the CHANGEMIRRORENDPOINTS command. The mirror will be CONTINUED and only a partial resync (the changes that have occurred on the source volume since the mirror was PAUSED) of the data is necessary to bring the TARGET volume in sync with the SOURCE.
In the example below, a mirror is created locally in the primary site, and then the target will be moved to remote site. The source server is assigned the IP address 172.17.100.1, and the target server is assigned the IP address 172.17.100.2. The WAN network IP is 88.17.100.x,
- Using the DataKeeper UI, create a mirror on Volume X from 172.17.100.1 to 172.17.100.2. Note: Connecting to the target by name is recommended so DNS name resolution later will automatically resolve to the new IP address.
Once the initial sync of the data is complete,
- Update the IP address for the network adapter for the source to 126.96.36.199 and update the IP address for the network adapter on the target to 220.127.116.11. This will place the mirror on the source side into the PAUSED state.
- Ship the target machine to its new location.
- Power on the target machine and verify all network settings, including the IP address updated above.
- On the source system, open a DOS command window and change directory to the DataKeeper directory by executing the following command:
cd %EXTMIRRBASE%
- Run the following command to update the existing mirror endpoints to the new IP addresses:
- DataKeeper will resync the changes that have occurred on the source server while the target server was unreachable.
- When this partial resync is complete, the mirror will change to the MIRRORING state.
Verifying Data on the Target Volume
By design, DataKeeper locks the target volume. This prevents the file system from writing to the target volume while the replication is occurring. However, DataKeeper does provide a mechanism to unlock the target volume and allow read/write access to it while the mirror is still in place. There are two methods to do this:
- Pause the mirror and unlock the target volume via the Pause and Unlock mirror option in the DataKeeper UI.
- Use the DataKeeper command line interface (EMCMD) to pause the mirror (PAUSEMIRROR) and unlock the target volume (UNLOCKVOLUME).
Once unlocked, the target volume is completely accessible. When finished inspecting the target volume, be sure to continue the mirror to re-lock the target volume and allow DataKeeper to resync any changes that occurred on the source volume while the mirror was paused. Any writes made to the target volume while it was unlocked will be lost when the mirror is continued.