text:
The guy in the next cubicle. The twenty-something who wears so much cologne that victims in his radius of attack can suffer sinus problems for days. The loud-talker with the desk near the microwave, who holds innocent lunch-eaters captive for their entire lunch hour with recounts of her dating dramas. The experience of having to share a workplace with eccentric, funny, or even downright unpleasant people is so commonplace, entire television sitcoms and dramas have been created around this very phenomenon. Globoforce, an employment social recognition organization, estimates that nearly 80% of people who work 30-50 hours per week spend more time with their coworkers than they do their families. Wouldn't it be nice to spend our time at work enjoying the people we're around? Sometimes it's a matter of getting to know someone outside of work to build a bond that can make the person more tolerable back within cubicle city!
A quote by the late, Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) reads "There isn't a person you couldn't love, once you learned their story." I love this quote. Every time I encounter a difficult person, I think about the story they must be living that causes them to be this way. I think if I could understand their story, I might have a bit more compassion, patience, understanding.
So to help you understand your team members' stories, here are 5 tips to improve the relationships with your co-workers and enjoy that 30-50 hours a bit more:
Try a Little Thankfulness with Team Members.
Not only does setting aside mental energy to actively acknowledge what you're thankful for increase mental and physical health, gratitude can actually increase your number of positive working relationships. A study that appeared in Emotion in 2014 found that sincerely thanking someone can make them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship with you. A simple, genuine expression of thanks has the potential to lead to a lasting friendship. Make a point to show gratitude toward those you work with. -
Get Away From the Office.
There's a reason American companies spend approximately $1.5 billion million on team building and team engagement activities each year. Getting people out and giving them an opportunity to see their co-workers as real people helps to bridge conflict and build relationships. We see it every day with teams that host a Wine & Design team-building event. Suddenly, Carol is not just "the accounting manager," she is a fun, mom of 3 who can paint a mean sunset! Make a point to gather team members and get away for a couple hours, even if it's a couple of times a year, to get to see the real person behind the work persona. - Mind Your Other Manners, Too.
Manners are crucial for improved relations. Be on time for meetings, keep personal calls minimal and quiet, and go heavy on the "pleases". (Added tip: the Golden Rule means that if you wouldn't like someone else drinking your Snapple, or eating a tuna/onion sandwich next to you, then the other person probably won't like it, either.)
- Listen.
No really, listen – with the intent to understand. Stephen Covey once said, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." Being present when someone is talking to you and validating what they're saying (NOT forming your response while they're still talking!), can make it much easier to get along with virtually anyone. Practice recapping or paraphrasing when someone is saying something you don't agree with…IT'S HARD!
- Show Some Interest.
Okay, so you may not be as excited about the Comic Con Extravaganza coming to town as your co-workers are. However, do let those you work with feel that you regard him or her as a person of importance. If others feel that you value them and care about their interests, your own value will increase in their eyes. Go into an interviewer mode and ask a question. Be curious. Tell them you find that interesting, without sarcasm.
Your co-workers are there, sharing your space, every day. A few simple, easy steps on your part can make a significant improvement in your day-to-day interactions, as well as your overall work experience. Besides, aren't you just a little curious about seeing Carol's mean sunset?


text:
Tuesday 10 August 2010
Review of Alex Bunn, Folk Form Taxa, at The Aubin Gallery, London
Review by Elisa Caldarola
Folk Form Taxa, Alex Bunn's new show, opened last week at The Aubin Gallery in Shoreditch, London. Ten large light box pictures in a dark room confront and attract the viewer with saturated colours, compositional balance, captivating contrasts. They are often pictures of artefacts we are not accustomed to, the result of the artist's experimentation with techniques and materials. Organic and inorganic are mixed and what looks like a colourful and sharply designed object reveals a more discomforting nature at a second inspection. Teeth, insects, a bat skull (or is it a mouse?), and what appear to be parts of the entrails of some larger animal are playfully assembled together with pieces of cloth, plastic, metal, silicon and other less easily discernible substances. A push and pull effect is an obvious consequence of the use of rather disgusting materials in images that remain nevertheless sexy.
Bunn's photographs, however, aim to make a deeper point, and the attraction/repulsion dynamics is only one of the devices the artist puts into play in order to reach his goal. The exhibition leaflet mentions an interest in scientific methods, formal systems, classification, and in particular an epistemological concern with that which is left out by the process of scientific knowledge. Under this light Bunn's photographs acquire a much broader variety of significance.
Bunn's subjects are deliberately impenetrable, which enhances their power to fascinate and the feeling that, despite the efforts we put in understanding phenomena, there is always something that our categories miss out. For example, it is not at all clear what is going on among the junk, the electric cables and the toy-like object in the dramatically lighted An Ambivalent Incident (a title that speaks for itself). And what exactly is that metallic thing on a human tongue for (Cecocolic Chamber)? It looks possibly like a dentist's instrument and yet not, and we can't tell what it is used for. Nor we can say that it is an instrument of torture. Despite the uncomfortable subject, the image does not have a sadistic overtone and it does not repulse either. It is, first and foremost, an effective mechanism of displacement.
These pictures are comparable to still-life paintings where non-classifiable artefacts have replaced natural objects, and what is natural only appears in disguise (see especially Bruce Gordon, John Zoli Alcock and Falls Church Count Museum). Bunn has mixed the language of the natural and the artefactual to create an idiom that resonates, although we cannot properly grasp it. The images are also documents of an ambitious creative project: Bunn is a self-taught artist who keeps learning new techniques to produce the objects that populate his photographic sets. A single picture often is the final result of multiple work processes. He has also devised a special technique to photograph the objects from several points of view and then to digitally compose a unique image where no section looks out of focus. The result is an enhanced visual reality, another aspect in contrast with the inscrutable character of the photographed objects.
Bunn's work is original, challenging and beautiful to look at. This is a small-scale exhibition that packs a surprising variety of themes.
www.aubingallery.com Until 5 September 2010
Images (c) Alex Bunn courtesy The Aubin Gallery
Feedback Ghost
An Ambivalent Incident
Monday 9 August 2010
Q&A with Last Year's Winner for Fiction in the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition
As you know, The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is now open for Entries, and it's the only UK competition to support both creative writing and artwork.
We've decided to catch up with last year's Fiction Winner, Louise Beech. Her story, Learning to Breath, is a harrowing and gripping account, told from the point of view of a young girl, Kate. It's a layered story that unfolds within the wide manifestations of what it means to escape. Judged by Rachel Hazelwood, while the other two winners were Shadric Toop (Art, Judge, Cherie Federico) and Sally Spedding (Poetry, Judge, Kate North).
We wanted to catch up with Louise and see what she's been up since winning the Fiction Category in 2009. Remember Deadline for this year's Competition is 31 August.
Q&A with Louise Beech
How has winning Aesthetica Creative Works Competition impacted your writing career so far?
I had my son Conor check the announcement, fearing I'd misread my name. He teased me, said, "No, it's not you, mum." I think this only added to the surprise and pride in having won, and the impact has stayed with me; I now boldly enter other competitions and brashly send work to 'top end' magazines. Winning gave me the kick I needed to send a play to the BBC and I received a rave review and a request for another. Aim high and really you never fail because you continuously push yourself.
Your stories are often about childhood. Do you think that your own childhood experiences have inspired themes in your writing?
Themes that mostly emerge in my writing are memory (both lack of and its power), family, survival, love, abuse, but above all hope. My own memory with regards childhood is cloudy – much blurs into fog and yet I recall random days in exquisite detail, events from as young as two-years-old. It was a chaotic youth. Both parents were at one time or another physically/emotionally absent due to mental illness, depression and alcoholism. Without my beloved siblings I'd not be who I am - an optimist. Whatever dark or controversial topics I broach in my fiction, I aim ultimately to uplift.
Water also is a distinctive motif in your writing. Can you explain why this is?
Water symbolises challenge to me. I almost drowned aged three. Our home was destroyed during the 2007 UK floods. My grandfather survived 50 days adrift at sea after his ship got torpedoed during the war – the book Man on a Raft/What Cares the Sea? by Kenneth Cooke (the only other survivor of this tragedy) tells the story of their battle. Water trickles into my fiction; a woman dealing with her childlessness aboard a cruise ship, a child escaping an abusive home life with the dolphins, a flood crisis centre's drama.
At what age did you realise you wanted to write? Can you remember your earliest work?
I remember sitting in my father's cross-legged lap while he tried to show me his guitar's chords – he was a professional musician. My small fingers stumbled and he gave up and never tried teaching me again. I was three. His music sheets fascinated me, such strange language that translated into music. Around this time I also recall sitting in the back of our car, John Denver playing, imagining the passing trees as people, whispering their words. I hadn't yet learnt the alphabet but created stories and scenarios all the time. I suppose a writer writes before they even can; one doesn't need physical words. When I could physically write I penned my own sequel to the book Heidi, pictures included, just as my daughter now is creating her own version of Twilight, and which makes me smile lots and lots.
How did you begin writing for the Hull Daily Mail?
I've no 'training' as a writer, not been to university, so I knew I'd not be considered for a professional post. But in a flash of bravery I sent some reviews and articles to the editor. When he invited me to the office I joked with my husband that they probably wanted me to make tea; instead he asked if I might 'write something every week' and I said I could try. I clapped my hands in the lobby afterwards, much to the surprise of visitors! And so my Working Mum column began in 2002, exploring the trials and tribulations of being a modern parent. The first year I wrote it voluntarily, and have again since last January due to cutbacks, but writing has never been about money for me. As I often say, if I wanted heaps of money I'd have written myself bigger breasts and been a high class escort.
Has writing a column for the paper helped you to develop your fictional writing skills? Would you say there is an overlapping style between the two?
With the column there are restrictions – I've a deadline and I've to be aware of an audience and word length and such things as slander and advertising. But these boundaries have trained me well, made me mindful of the reader. While the column is light and simple and comic, in my fiction I can really let rip, exploring much darker themes and more complex styles. I tend to write for myself then, editing for an audience. I'd say the column is my public face and the fiction is my truth, which is kind of ironic since the column is factual and the stories are made up. But what really is the truth?
Learning to Breath has a distinctive style. How did you learn to develop and nurture this style? Have you been influenced by any other notable writers?
Learning to Breathe was inspired by a dream where my daughter, during her bath, swam away with the dolphins. The mood and tone came to me before any of the words – that it would have a water-like rhythm, swinging between past and present, life and fantasy, with no clear indication which was which. I found that long, rambling, waterfall sentences worked well, some forming entire paragraphs. Many writers have affected me. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak so engrossed me that when I looked up from reading our living room appeared momentarily alien and I couldn't have told you my name. This is what I want from fiction – to be transported, inspired, changed. I love also John Irving's language, Paul Theroux' travelogues, Charlotte Bronte's bravery, Yann Martel, Chris Cleave, Alice Sebold, and John Updike. I love discovering new writers quite by chance, like Robin Black, whose poetic interview in a magazine led me to buy her stunning short story collection; If I Loved You I Would Tell You This.
What advice would you give to other aspiring authors? Any tips on how to enter creative writing competitions?
I've read all kinds of well-worn tips - like write what you know - but I reckon you should just write what you love. Write first for yourself and worry about an audience later, while rereading and editing and perfecting. And never, ever think you can't win a competition. You certainly won't if you don't bother submitting, but you just might if you do. I tend to seek competitions and magazines that fit my work rather than the other way around. By this I mean that I write what comes to me, with no market or gain in mind, and when I'm happy with the story I see if it has a style or theme some venue favours. This is how I believe you can be successful in this arena, though the truest success I find to be completing a piece I love.
You are currently working on a novel, can you give us any insight into this project?
I've finished The Art of Wishing and am presently sending it out to agents. This task is a far greater one the writing or editing part and you've to very thick-skinned when the rejections come thick and fast. It's the hardest market to break. The novel is a tragic love story where the two main characters, Amy and Joe, discover too late that they are in fact sister and brother. It explores such issues as wishing versus logic, whether blood or circumstance makes us true relatives, and uses a poetic children's story as backdrop to the main prose. When I wrote the final line – Lola slept on; Amy closed the book – I cried because it was over and I had to leave these characters I'd come to love. I guess I hope that one day some reader will feel this way too.
Where would you like to see yourself in ten years time?
I dream of seeing one of my novels on a shelf in Waterstones and going up to whichever poor creature happens to be nearby and poking them and saying, "That's my bloody book!" I dream of hearing that some reader forgot their name while reading it. I dream that my father, wherever he is, might read it and be proud that I finally mastered the chords. I dream that my two children are doing well in the world and have found their instrument too.
Interview by Rachael Boon and Ruth Sweeny
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Blog Archive
- ► May 13 - May 20 (1)
- ► April 29 - May 6 (4)
- ► April 22 - April 29 (6)
- ► April 15 - April 22 (9)
- ► April 8 - April 15 (7)
- ► April 1 - April 8 (6)
- ► March 25 - April 1 (8)
- ► March 18 - March 25 (6)
- ► March 11 - March 18 (5)
- ► March 4 - March 11 (5)
- ► July 31 - August 7 (5)
- ► July 24 - July 31 (7)
- ► July 17 - July 24 (7)
- ► July 10 - July 17 (6)
- ► July 3 - July 10 (8)
- ► June 26 - July 3 (5)
- ► June 19 - June 26 (10)
- ► June 12 - June 19 (8)
- ► June 5 - June 12 (9)
- ► May 29 - June 5 (9)
- ► May 22 - May 29 (8)
- ► May 15 - May 22 (5)
- ► May 8 - May 15 (4)
- ► May 1 - May 8 (6)
- ► April 24 - May 1 (4)
- ► April 17 - April 24 (5)
- ► April 10 - April 17 (8)
- ► April 3 - April 10 (8)
- ► March 27 - April 3 (4)
- ► March 20 - March 27 (6)
- ► March 13 - March 20 (6)
- ► March 6 - March 13 (6)
- ► August 1 - August 8 (2)
- ► July 25 - August 1 (1)
- ► July 18 - July 25 (4)
- ► July 4 - July 11 (1)
- ► June 27 - July 4 (2)
- ► June 20 - June 27 (2)
- ► June 13 - June 20 (5)
- ► June 6 - June 13 (5)
- ► May 30 - June 6 (2)
- ► May 23 - May 30 (3)
- ► May 16 - May 23 (4)
- ► May 9 - May 16 (1)
- ► May 2 - May 9 (3)
- ► April 25 - May 2 (4)
- ► April 18 - April 25 (6)
- ► April 11 - April 18 (5)
- ► April 4 - April 11 (1)
- ► March 28 - April 4 (2)
- ► March 21 - March 28 (4)
- ► March 14 - March 21 (1)
- ► March 7 - March 14 (4)
- ► August 2 - August 9 (3)
- ► July 26 - August 2 (1)
- ► July 19 - July 26 (1)
- ► July 12 - July 19 (5)
- ► July 5 - July 12 (3)
- ► June 28 - July 5 (3)
- ► June 21 - June 28 (3)
- ► June 14 - June 21 (5)
- ► June 7 - June 14 (1)
- ► May 31 - June 7 (1)
- ► May 10 - May 17 (1)
- ► April 19 - April 26 (1)
- ► March 22 - March 29 (1)
- ► March 8 - March 15 (1)
- ► April 6 - April 13 (1)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Matt Guynn -
It's not necessary to go to Washington for a protest to significantly engage key issues related to the War on Terrorism. Try going to a local coffee shop or any other public place where you can strike up a conversation with youth or young adults about the choices and paths that the young people in your community see in front of them.
I tried this recently, when I began talking with a camouflage-fatigued young man next to me in the airport. He was in his third year in the US Army, about to be shipped to Iraq next week. "Why did you join?" "My town (in central Oregon) was boring." The refrain from young people in many communities across the United States is that there is nothing to do: Nowhere to get a job (or a job that anyone wants). Little help available for education. Few paths toward a life of meaning and wellbeing. Too little accompaniment, mentorship or assistance.
Military recruiters walk onto this scene offering what seem to be easy steps toward job training, adventure, education, and personal fulfillment – toward goals that are often held by young people across the country. Lacking non-military options for accomplishing life goals, and promised the sky by their recruiters, young men and women from across the country are shipping out to Ft. Bragg and Ft. Benning and from there to Karbala and Baghdad.
In January 2008, the National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth reports ninety-seven distinct groups across the United States and Puerto Rico that are working to resist military recruitment and generate positive alternatives for youth, commonly called the "counter-recruitment," "truth-in-recruiting," or "positive alternatives to the military" movement.
I write as a participant-observer in the counter-recruitment movement, in my role as coordinator of peace witness for On Earth Peace, a Church of the Brethren peace education and action agency. Since early 2005, On Earth Peace has specifically committed itself to capacity-building for the counter-recruitment movement. Capacity-building means that we invite and support organizers to get involved, and that we create opportunities for organizers to grow and reflect on their work so they can do it more effectively. We support and nurture organizers through one-on-one support calls, providing general orientation to the movement and strategy consultation, and most importantly, through regular national networking calls which incorporate theological reflection, reflection on lessons learned, and training in strategy perspectives.
I have a concern that counter-recruitment activists learn from our experience in order to grow and accomplish the large tasks that stand before us. Operating out of habit (activist habit, cultural habit), often limits our ability to powerfully address the vexing social problems before us. I see the counter-recruitment movement's long-term potential to be the transformation of communities into vibrant places where people can find support, salary, and meaning.
This article provides brief overviews of the mechanisms recruiters use to get access to young people, groups of people involved and some core approaches of the movement, in addition to identifying some pitfalls and potentials related to counter-recruitment organizing. It points toward a broader framework for nonviolent social transformation with regard to counter-recruitment organizing, moving up a level from a focus on specific resistance tactics and toward a broader perspective which holds a vision for community change.
In its most effective role, the counter-recruitment movement can both resist militarism and military recruitment and build alternative paths for young people who might be drawn to the military. When less effective, movement organizers remain trapped in their group's age or racial/ethnic groups of origin, or get stuck vilifying their opponents, or, lacking the commitment or skills to engage underlying issues, remain at a surface level, decrying symptoms and failing to make a case for addressing underlying conditions.
Two older gentlemen were in the crowd at an evening Bible study in a community congregation in the Puerto Rican mountain community where I was speaking. One was a veteran from the Korean War, the other a veteran of Vietnam. As we described On Earth Peace's work with ministries to support veterans returning from war and with young people considering the military, they became active and engaged in the conversation. "I didn't know any other alternative at the time." "It was the clearest path for a young man from the mountains." "The effects of war have lasted forever."
Two days before, two younger men, had participated in a workshop we had led at another congregation nearer the Puerto Rican coast. Francisco (name has been changed), in his thirties, shared that after a brief stint with a corporation hadn't panned out, and seeing few other options for work and salary on the horizon, he had signed up for the US Army. After four years in Guantanamo and Iraq, including active combat tours, he withdrew from the service, staying home after a weekend pass, and seeking assistance to renounce his military commitment from his church denomination's office in Washington, DC.
The second, a younger friend of his, José (name changed), in his mid-twenties, was the highest elected official in his congregation. José was drawn to the military by their promises of scholarships and job training. He had been promised a food service position. But after Francisco's experience in the armed forces, Francisco helped José, whom he knew through the church community, to see the realities underlying the enlistment contract that he was promised. Francisco's accompaniment led to José withdrawing from the Delayed Enlistment Program. Francisco worked with José and his recruiters to ensure that his withdrawal was processed completely and helped him interpret the choice he was making.
These men and many young women and men like them exist in real contexts of economic opportunity or lack thereof, availability or lack of educational access, job training, travel, adventure, honor, a salary. Keeping the specific conditions at the forefront helps to maintain awareness of some of the terrain through which counter-recruitment organizing navigates. Young men and women, discouraged because of lack of opportunity or clear paths for success, are drawn toward a military recruiting machine, which seems to be the biggest job provider in many communities.
I offer these anecdotes to help ground the discussion in the real experiences of veterans and young people attracted to the military. It is these individuals and their communities whom any counter-recruitment movement needs to support and serve; these are the real people that the counter-recruitment movement needs to connect with in order to accomplish its promise.
Too often the movement remains fixated on the military's entry points, resisting the five main mechanisms that the recruiters use (Table 1), while failing to step up to the challenge of addressing the underlying conditions that create success for recruiters.
Table 1. Five Key Mechanisms of Military Recruitment. From Before You Enlist And After You Say No, AFSC'S Counter-recruitment Training Manual, Hannah Strange and Daniel Hunter, Philadelphia: American Friends Service Committee, 2006), 74-75. |
School Visits |
JROTC Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps |
ASVAB Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery |
JAMRS Joint Advertising Market Research & Studies |
These mechanisms of recruitment are being responded to by a wide variety of citizens and community members. Here are examples of some of the groups involved:
- Impacted/ recruited youth of many racial and ethnic backgrounds, urban and rural, from California to Connecticut, who resist the recruiters that are a daily presence in their schools, either by ignoring them or with active rebellion such as walkouts, or organizing their fellow students to "opt out" of military data collection;
- Parents of middle and high school students who encourage their children to think twice about what recruiters promise;
- Members of the military who refuse to fight by withdrawing after partial service or by renouncing their enlistment, then often speak out or counsel other young people considering service;
- Conscientious objectors from the World War Two, Korea, and Vietnam eras who continue decades of persistent effort to bring a word of peace in their communities through outreach about conscientious objection and current military recruitment myths and facts;
- Church folk and other people of faith and conscience across the country concerned about the future of youth in their communities, who reach out to youth in terms of either moral formation as conscientious objectors or as mentors and allies for young people finding the life they dream about;
- College students who are directly impacted by recruitment and attempting to shut recruiters out of their own campuses, or who are reaching out to high school youth in their communities to assist with resisting recruiters and generating alternatives; and
- Parent-Teacher Associations and others concerned about recruiters' presence in school hallways and cafeterias, who limit recruiter access to their children by taking action at the school, district, or city council level.
The counter-recruitment movement has been a channel for many people dissatisfied with the George W. Bush administration's approach to the War on Terrorism and specifically the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has captured the imagination of both long-time peace activists who are using it as a new expression of long-standing concerns about peace and militarism, as well as connecting with the felt needs of impacted youth and communities who may not identify as peace activists but are resisting recruitment as a way to protect their communities.
Pitfalls, potentials and a broader strategy
Whether movement activists have been involved longer-term or are just starting, there are several key pitfalls into which the counter-recruitment movement sometimes falls. (Incidentally, these pitfalls are also common in broader progressive and peace movement organizing.) Each pitfall has an attendant potential which could help the movement grow and increase its effectiveness. Please review these several pitfalls and potentials in chart form, before moving to the broader discussion of them in the context of nonviolent methodology.
Table 2. Pitfalls and Potentials of Counter-recruitment Organizing
Isolate within own age, class, or culture groups |
Form intergenerational, multi-racial and multi-class coalitions |
Focus activity within current activist circles |
Activate multiple social sectors (education, government, youth, religious communities, nonprofit, business, women and minority groups) |
Present a largely "anti" or "negative" message which focuses mostly on raising awareness about the evils of system |
Frame concern as a problem that various segments of the community can join together to solve. For example, "Access to jobs and educational opportunities." "Meaningful and well-paid employment without having to go to war." "Positive life paths for every young person in our community." |
Focus only on resisting immediate symptoms (for example, NLCB/ Opt Out, School Visits, ASVAB, JROTC, JAMRS) |
Use symptoms or surface issues as entry points for engaging long-term needs of communities (economic opportunity, hopeful future, education and job training), engaging the underlying issues of poverty, racism, and justice |
Examining these specific pitfalls and potentials presented in brief form above comes in the context of moving from a reactive activism of protest toward a proactive activism which accepts the challenge to work at the roots of social problems. What follows are several reflections and recommendations related to making counter-recruitment organizing more effective and powerful.
1) Accept the challenge to move beyond habit and reflex to discipline and focus. The counter-recruitment movement runs the risk of falling short of its potential by staying safe in habitual patterns and "anti/negative" practices rather than growing to address root community needs and act for significant and long-term social transformation. Growing toward effective organizing will require discipline, focus, strategy, and continual personal and spiritual growth. It will benefit from learning from and further honing the tools and methodologies for nonviolent struggle that have been developed in the past.
Don't get me wrong: It is normal to work with folks who look, talk or think like us. It's normal to see clearly the critique of society (which generates righteous indignation and anger), rather than focusing on lifting up a catalyzing vision that will engage broader sectors of society in your initiative. It's normal to want to stop the bad things we see (recruiter presence in schools, for example). All these "pitfalls" are normal and to be expected. They just won't help develop a broad base in order to activate communities for proactive social change and long-term impacts.
2) Create a frame that elicits support and engagement from your community. A proactive nonviolent strategy involves an initial framing of the problem in a way that various sectors of the community can join your initiative and effort. This means creating a "frame" or a statement of the problem that the community is experiencing and/or the goal to achieve, in a way that invokes the interest and participation of people far beyond current "activist" circles2.
Many counter-recruitment activities publicly lead out with a focus on resistance against military recruiters. Sample ways of describing the goal or purpose of activities in this vein, for example, might include, "Shutting down the recruiting center," or "Ending JROTC."
Organizing which is primarily anti/negative organizing can feel personally cathartic or satisfying. But it is a tempting misstep to see the recruiters and recruitment activities themselves as the central problem. So you shut down the recruiting center for a day. Then what? So you end the JROTC program in your school system. How have you helped the young people it was serving to meet their needs via alternative routes? Recruiters and their practices are a symptom of underlying needs produced by economic injustice, racism, and lack of opportunity.
If activists experiment with this perspective that military recruiters are not themselves the problem, but rather a symptom of underlying conditions (for example, poverty, racism, community stagnation, lack of support for young people), we are led along the track to framing the problem in different ways. For example, "access to jobs and educational opportunities," or "meaningful and well-paid employment without having to go to war," or "helping our youth get a good education without having to kill or be killed."
This "positive alternatives for young people" approach is already strongly present in the counter-recruitment movement. Pamphlets and print resources are now proliferating which point toward scholarship programs and vocational discernment3. But these print resources are only one tactic within a comprehensive initiative to help young people find their preferred futures without going into the military, and are not sufficient by themselves. They need to be integrated into a broader framing of the core problem, which leads to specific initiatives to accompany and assist young people to actually get where they want to go.
Beginning from a frame such as "access to jobs and educational opportunities," leads activists down a path that is very different from negative campaigns that are focused personally on recruiters or school administrators. It will require activists to help foment the process of producing significant solutions to shared community problems.
3) Use a campaign approach rather than scatter-shot activities. What is the sequence of steps or strategy that your group believes will address these problems and accomplish your goals?
Using a disciplined nonviolent approach means laying out a set of plans to accomplish a specific goal, rather than planning a variety of one-time events which simply make statements. Campaigns identify clear goals and focus resources of activists on attaining those outcomes.
This contrasts with either an approach focused on protests and rallies or planning a series of events which are on the topic but not focused on specific outcomes. For example, counter-recruitment activities fall into this trap by doing leafleting in isolation from a specific goal to impact a certain number of youths' vocational choices, or by (only) setting up an "alternatives" tabling presence whenever recruiters are in the schools4.
4) Build cross-class, cross-racial, and intergenerational coalitions. Counter-recruitment, like much peace movement organizing, regularly stumbles over ingrained habits of race and class separation which replicates mainstream society's divisions and separations. Concretely, this means that activists work primarily or only with those already in their existing groups and/or do not accept the challenge to reach beyond social circles circumscribed by habit, rhetoric, and existing relationship. This limits effectiveness and can prevent organizers from winning. Addressing social problems effectively requires engaging the creativity, perspective, and energy of many impacted groups, not just acting on behalf of those groups.
I write as white middle-class person to other white middle-class activists. It can be tempting to reach out first or primarily to those most like us. It's easiest and most natural to speak our preferred language (rhetoric or tone of voice), on our terms, with those who already are open to our kind of language.
However, counter-recruitment organizing by (middle class) white folk will founder on the shoals of rhetoric unless bridges can be built to those directly impacted by and attracted to military recruiters' sales pitches. By doing so, community solutions can be generated to address underlying conditions.
No matter what the race or class of a group, youth and adult allies need each other in order to develop the most powerful campaigns. Frankly, each group has access that any serious campaign will need. Youth have access to school hallways, access to impacted/recruited youth, and are often motivated by a personal stake in the issue; adult allies may offer stronger access (initially at least) to decision-making structures and information about other sectors of the community.
In my opinion, this is part of the promise that counter-recruitment organizing offers to the broader "anti-war" peace movement: In order to thrive in counter-recruitment efforts, (white and middle class) counter-recruiters are going to have to make common cause across race and class and generational lines. White anti-war activists too often avoid this kind of coalition-building by remaining in the somewhat abstract realm of proclamation and righteous statements rather than connecting with groups where the issues touch the ground.
5) Move beyond the "activist ghetto" to tap broader constituencies. Parallel to the challenges of moving outside of race/class/age demographics is the challenge of mobilizing people from social clusters and institutions beyond the initiating activist group.
In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s nonviolence methodology, there are six categories of leadership in any community that are available to be tapped to help address and solve pressing social problems: Religious leaders, government, progressive and voluntary organizations, women's and minority groups, youth organizations, and education. Each of these categories will have a perspective and possible insights into addressing a clearly framed issue.
Effective campaigns tap and mobilize these categories of leadership to solve a shared problem (the frame concept, mentioned above) rather than only gathering a few of the righteous to rail against the purveyors of wrongdoing.
Not Just This movement: Maximizing the Power of the Human Race
While the experiments and realities I have discussed to this point are already in play in school board meetings and high school hallways and cafeterias, there is a much larger context to our efforts to maximize the power and impact of counter-recruitment organizing. Positive, strategic and active engagement on the issue of military recruitment and positive alternatives for youth is a contribution toward humanity's capacity to face its problems boldly and without slaughtering our opponents (physically or psychically).
Wherever one lives on the globe, by living at this point in human history, we get to be part of an immense and centuries-long experiment: learning how to transform oppressive social situations without recourse to killing. This experiment has been one of the human race's biggest learning edges in the last two centuries.
Social movements that have advanced the nonviolence experiment include but extend far beyond this list: The Indian independence movement and Badshah Khan's nonviolent warriors in Pakistan; the South African freedom struggle; the abolitionists, women's suffrage, labor, civil rights, and gay rights movements in the United States; the toppling of dictatorships in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and Yugoslavia's Otpor youth movement in 1998-2000; the People Power movement in the Philippines; Wangari Maathai's ecological "Greenbelt" in Kenya; and indigenous resistance to colonialism and empire in North, Central, and South America.
In a time when so many humans are war-weary and might be open to alternatives, it is time to step up to the plate in terms of learning to rise above violence itself, and to rise above vilifying or destroying our opponents, which is a form of dehumanization that psychologically or spiritually steps down the same path that leads to war.
By experimenting with nonviolence as a creative and active discipline, we are contributing to the extension of the human race's ability to address its own problems without resort to violence. For this reason, it matters how we plan our counter-recruitment campaigns, the slogans we create, and what relationships we build to advance our cause. We are acting for our own schools, communities, and futures, and we are helping to raise the bar for how well we as a human race can solve our problems.
2. For further information on establishing frames for nonviolent campaigns, see The Leaders Manual - A Structured Guide & Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence: The Philosophy and Methodology, by Bernard LaFayette, Jr., and David C. Jehnsen (Galena, OH: Institute for Human Rights and Responsibilities), www.kingiannonviolence.info.
3. See for example, "It's My Life! A Guides for Alternatives after High School," a national-level publication by the American Friends Service Committee (available via www.afsc.org) . Many guides exist for different states or regions, from tri-fold pamphlets to extended guidebooks.
4. Those interested in campaign approaches are commended to the brief essay, "Campaigning for Social Change: Beyond Just Protesting for It!" by Daniel Hunter, included in Before you Enlist and After You Say No, pp. 204-209.
Source: http://www.manchester.edu/academics/departments/peace_studies/bulletin/2008/articles/mattguynn.htm
Revised: 06-04-2022


text:
Bouncing Back
Relapse in the Golden Triangle
May 2014
TNI's indepth examination of the illegal drug market in the Golden Triangle, which has witnessed a doubling of opium production, growing prison populations and repression of small-scale farmers. This report details the failure of ASEAN's 'drug free' strategy and the need for a new approach.
Bouncing Back - complete report (pdf, 4.6MB)
Chapter Alternative Development (pdf, 1.37MB)
Chapter Harm Reduction (pdf, 1.59MB)
Chapter Conflict, Crime and Corruption (pdf, 1.42MB)
Chapter Conclusions (pdf, 1.07MB)
The illicit drug market in the Golden Triangle – Burma, Thailand and Laos – and in neighbouring India and China has undergone profound changes. This report documents those changes in great detail, based on information gathered on the ground in difficult circumstances by a group of dedicated local researchers. After a decade of decline, opium cultivation has doubled again and there has also been a rise in the production and consumption of ATS – especially methamphetamines. Drug control agencies are under constant pressure to apply policies based on the unachievable goal to make the region drug free by 2015.
This report argues for drug policy changes towards a focus on health, development, peace building and human rights. Reforms to decriminalise the most vulnerable people involved could make the region's drug policies far more sustainable and cost-effective. Such measures should include abandoning disproportionate criminal sanctions, rescheduling mild substances, prioritising access to essential medicines, shifting resources from law enforcement to social services, alternative development and harm reduction, and providing evidence-based voluntary treatment services for those who need them.
The aspiration of a drug free ASEAN in 2015 is not realistic and the policy goals and resources should be redirected towards a harm reduction strategy for managing – instead of eliminating – the illicit drug market in the least harmful way. In view of all the evidence this report presents about the bouncing back of the opium economy and the expanding ATS market, plus all the negative consequences of the repressive drug control approaches applied so far, making any other choice would be irresponsible.
A hardcopy can be purchased in our bookstore.


text: Mr. Meeson's WillLongmans, Green, 1894 - 304 Seiten Mr. Meeson's Will is the story of mean Mr. Meeson, the greedy and wealthy owner of a publishing house. Augusta Smithers is a young writer who enters into an unfair contract with Meeson. In order to make a fresh start she boards a steamer bound for New Zealand only to find her enemy is on the same ship. After a collision with a whaler Augusta, Meeson and several others are washed up on one of the lonely Kerguelen Islands, in the south Indian Ocean. Before his death Meeson tattoos his will on Augusta's back. This leads to a very interesting court battle in the second half of the book. |


text:
Jamaica faces marijuana shortage as farmers struggle
Jamaica is running low on ganja
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Jamaica is running low on ganja.
Heavy rains followed by an extended drought, an increase in local consumption and a drop in the number of marijuana farmers have caused a shortage in the island's famed but largely illegal market that experts say is the worst they've seen.
"It's a cultural embarrassment," said Triston Thompson, chief opportunity explorer for Tacaya, a consulting and brokerage firm for the country's nascent legal cannabis industry.
Jamaica, which foreigners have long associated with pot, reggae and Rastafarians, authorized a regulated medical marijuana industry and decriminalized small amounts of weed in 2015.
People caught with 2 ounces (56 grams) or less of cannabis are supposed to pay a small fine and face no arrest or criminal record. The island also allows individuals to cultivate up to five plants, and Rastafarians are legally allowed to smoke ganja for sacramental purposes.
But enforcement is spotty as many tourists and locals continue to buy marijuana on the street, where it has grown more scarce — and more expensive.
Heavy rains during last year's hurricane season pummeled marijuana fields that were later scorched in the drought that followed, causing tens of thousands of dollars in losses, according to farmers who cultivate pot outside the legal system.
"It destroyed everything," said Daneyel Bozra, who grows marijuana in the southwest part of Jamaica, in a historical village called Accompong founded by escaped 18th-century slaves known as Maroons.
Worsening the problem were strict COVID-19 measures, including a 6 p.m. curfew that meant farmers couldn't tend to their fields at night as is routine, said Kenrick Wallace, 29, who cultivates 2 acres (nearly a hectare) in Accompong with the help of 20 other farmers.
He noted that a lack of roads forces many farmers to walk to reach their fields — and then to get water from wells and springs. Many were unable to do those chores at night due to the curfew.
Wallace estimated he lost more than $18,000 in recent months and cultivated only 300 pounds, compared with an average of 700 to 800 pounds the group normally produces.
Activists say they believe the pandemic and a loosening of Jamaica's marijuana laws has led to an increase in local consumption that has contributed to the scarcity, even if the pandemic has put a dent in the arrival of ganja-seeking tourists.
"Last year was the worst year. ... We've never had this amount of loss," Thompson said. "It's something so laughable that cannabis is short in Jamaica."
Tourists, too, have taken note, placing posts on travel websites about difficulties finding the drug.
Paul Burke, CEO of Jamaica's Ganja Growers and Producers Association, said in a phone interview that people are no longer afraid of being locked up now that the government allows possession of small amounts. He said the stigmatization against ganja has diminished and more people are appreciating its claimed therapeutic and medicinal value during the pandemic.
Burke also said that some traditional small farmers have stopped growing in frustration because they can't afford to meet requirements for the legal market while police continue to destroy what he described as "good ganja fields."
The government's Cannabis Licensing Authority — which has authorized 29 cultivators and issued 73 licenses for transportation, retail, processing and other activities — said there is no shortage of marijuana in the regulated industry. But farmers and activists say weed sold via legal dispensaries known as herb houses is out of reach for many given that it still costs five to 10 times more than pot on the street.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.


text:
It was almost dark when Shalom LeBaron reached the spot where her daughter, Rhonita Miller LeBaron, and four grandchildren were killed. LeBaron found the remains of her 10-year-old granddaughter in the back seat of a car that had been riddled with bullets and set on fire earlier that morning.
"Facedown, crunched up in fetal position because she was so afraid," LeBaron said through tears in an interview with NPR. "That's how her bones were found."
It's been a month since the brutal massacre of nine women and children in northern Mexico. They were all dual U.S.-Mexican citizens and members of the extended LeBaron family.
Since then, that family has been on a mission: Urging the U.S. government to get more involved in the fight against drug cartels, which have been blamed for gruesome violence across Mexico — including the attack on the LeBaron family.
"It's hard for the Mexican government to compete with that kind of finance, that kind of firepower," said Bryan LeBaron, a cousin of the victims who lives in Utah. "This is going to take an international response or we have no hope."
The LeBaron family came to Washington this week to lobby members of Congress. The family wants the U.S. government to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations. That would give the U.S. government more tools to fight them and could clear the way for the U.S. to send troops or drones into Mexico.
Members of the LeBaron family have been living in northern Mexico for generations, since they split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though they still consider themselves Mormon. They live in an area near the U.S.-Mexico border that is a major corridor for drug trafficking.
Family members saw the growing violence around them, says Rhonita's sister, Adriana Jones. But nothing could have prepared them for what happened.
"There was this idea that our innocence would protect us. That somehow, because we were so completely uninvolved in any of it, that we were safe," she said.
Jones remembers arguing with her husband about whether it was safe for her to drive alone or with her children in the area. At the time, Jones dismissed his concerns. "'Nobody's going to mess with a mom and five children. Who would do such a thing?'" she remembers asking.
"Yes stuff was going on around us. But no, we never could have imagined the brutality of what happened to my sister and her four children. Never in a thousand years," she said.
The LeBaron family believes the attackers intended to send a message.
"They wanted the gringos out of there," said Adrian LeBaron, the patriarch of the family. "To be in control of all that area. That's my absolute conclusion."
As difficult as it for family members to talk about the horrible loss they've suffered, they've come to Washington to tell their story because they want to make the case that the drug cartels operate like terrorists.
"They did it to cause terror," says Frank LeBaron, Adrian's nephew, who lives in Utah. "That's how they control things, through terror. In our perspective, they were very aware of what they were doing. What better way to show how ruthless they are than to attack the most innocent thing on this earth," he said.
President Trump initially backed the idea of designating the cartels as terrorists. But since then, he has said that his administration is temporarily holding off on the idea.
"All necessary work has been completed to declare Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations. Statutorily we are ready to do so," Trump wrote on Twitter last week.
But at the request of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Trump said, "we will temporarily hold off this designation and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!"
Critics on both sides of the border say it would be a mistake to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
"I certainly understand the anger and outrage of families of victims, whether they be American or Mexican," said Roberta Jacobson, a former U.S. diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2016 to 2018. "But this is not an effective tool to go after this kind of crime."
Jacobson said the Trump administration already has other tools to combat drug cartels, including money laundering charges. And she cautions that the terrorism designation is deeply unpopular in Mexico because there is a widespread belief that it would be used to pave the way for U.S. military intervention there. That could jeopardize the cooperation of the Mexican government in the fight against cartels.
"Mexico will absolutely reject any kind of military action and become a fierce opponent of what you're trying to do instead of an ally," she said.
The terrorism designation also could undermine the Trump administration's immigration policies by sparking a new wave of Mexican migrants seeking asylum protection in the U.S. — at a time when the Trump administration has been working to stop the flow of asylum-seekers crossing the southern border.
Moreover, the designation would create a situation in which the U.S. government is sending asylum-seekers into "terrorist"-controlled territories. Tens of thousands of migrants fleeing persecution have been forced to wait in Mexican border towns for their day in U.S. immigration courts under a Trump administration policy known as "Remain in Mexico."
Still, the LeBaron family argues that the Mexican people would welcome U.S. assistance in the fight against the cartels.
"Our No. 1 position is that the sovereignty of Mexico must be respected," Bryan LeBaron said. "But I absolutely would welcome military aid, special ops especially, special missions. We need that to be able to go after these guys. It has been proven over and over that Mexico cannot handle this issue alone. It's an international crisis, and it will absolutely require an international solution."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
What do you want to be when you're older? Now you can be anything you want to be with these fun profession costumes. If you have always known what you want to be when you're older... now is the chance for you to turn into what you have always dreamed of. Our profession costumes will help you feel just what it's like to be a pilot, firefighter, astronaut or a nurse. What about sailing the seven seas with an original sailor costume? Fighting criminals with a policeman costume? Or... would you prefer to be the one being chased and see how a thief costume looks on you? When Halloween or the Carnival arrives, profession costumes for kids are the perfect idea. Your little one will finally be able to be the astronaut that travels to the moon, a Ferrari mechanic that fixes Formula 1 cars, get dressed up as your favourite singer, turn into a brave soldier with a military costume or cure the sick with a nurse costume. Here you will find magnificent ideas for costumes for adults and kids to get dressed up in a group, as a couple, with the family, with friends.... Choose the profession that you like for your Carnival or Halloween costume!
49,99 € Before


text:
Surging demand for dining options that are sensitive to dietary allergens has led to a change in offerings and operations for much of the restaurant industry, especially fast-casual concepts, where the customizable dish reigns. Gluten, the latest focus of the food allergy community, has had a particularly powerful impact on menus—and on employee training.
By the end of the year, the gluten-free market is expected to grow into a whopping $7 billion industry, according to research firm Mintel, driven in part by the estimated 1.8 million Americans suffering from celiac disease—an autoimmune reaction to gluten—or coping with gluten sensitivity.
Mintel also reports that it's not just the gluten-intolerant driving the craze for wheat-free products. Rather, the 65 percent of consumers who eat or used to eat gluten-free foods do so because they think it's healthier, and 27 percent do so because they feel a gluten-free diet assists weight-loss efforts.
Paul Antico, founder and CEO of industry resource group AllergyEats, says the value of better serving consumers who need to eat gluten free for medical conditions is huge, given the 1 percent of Americans who require a gluten-free diet and the almost one in three who now eschew gluten. Based on this, Antico says, brands could see as much as a 5 percent market share shift and 10–15 percent growth in profit.
"That's big numbers with an incremental margin of 40–45 percent for a restaurant," he says. "For a really minimal expense, quick serves can not only serve the community safely, but make a lot more money doing it."
Whether a diner's decision to eat gluten-free stems from medical necessity or an overall healthier diet, fast-casual restaurants are responding by expanding menus to include gluten-free items.
Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill is testing MyBread's gluten-free pre-baked pita in its Colorado locations through April 2014. Certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (gfco), MyBread is a gluten- and nut-free wholesale bakery located in Chicago. Pending satisfactory test results, Garbanzo plans to expand MyBread's pita to more units.
"Our guests were telling us that they wanted it," says Stephanie Swickard, training manager for Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill. "It's very early in the testing process, but based on what we're seeing now with purchases, it's something that we will probably roll out to all of our locations."
The Mediterranean diet naturally fits into that realm of gluten free, Swickard says, with 90 percent of Garbanzo's menu boasting gluten-free ingredients, including legumes and vegetables. Swickard says the brand's entire salad station, pickled eggplant, hummus, sauces, and falafels are also all gluten free.
"Many falafels have flour in them that help bind them together, but ours doesn't," she says.
Garbanzo is not the only company bulking up its supply of gluten-free options. Last year, Pie Five Pizza added a gluten-free crust to its menu, allowing those on a gluten-free diet to enjoy pizza on a regular basis.
"We finally found one that fits specifically with our brand," says Pie Five chef Andy Whitman. "Most customers wouldn't realize it was gluten free. It has a great flavor to it."
Restaurants have long dealt with the challenge of making a product that is truly gluten free in the same area where employees handle other non-gluten foods. For consumers with celiac disease, even a trace amount of gluten can result in a reaction.
"Everybody is coming out with a gluten-free menu, and that's pretty dangerous for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity," Antico says. "It used to be that if you had a [gluten-free] menu, you probably understood celiac disease, but now everyone is coming out with a gluten-free menu, and we don't know who is actually doing the training and understands cross contamination."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last year new regulations defining what restaurants can dub "gluten-free." The regulations go into effect August 5, 2014, and stipulate that to bear a gluten-free label, an item must have less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
Antico says that to maintain the integrity of gluten-free offerings, employee education and protection against cros contamination is essential.
"Having a policy that works and training employees to understand the importance of following the policy is key," Antico says. "If the chain is committed to that policy, then the employees will follow it."
Swickard says Garbanzo's gluten-free pita is not a raw product and comes packaged and already baked. When a pita is ordered, the employee handling the pita sanitizes the area, washes his hands, and puts on gloves. The pita is wrapped individually in foil and heated on a press, then served to the guest in the foil it was wrapped in.
"This gives the customer the opportunity to open it up so that we're not touching it with gloves or hands that have touched flour," she says.
At Pie Five Pizza, Whitman says, the gluten-free crust is isolated when it comes in, and the company trains employees on how to handle it. Everything that touches the crust, such as cutting boards and the utensils used by the staff, is color coded for easy identification. The crust is then transferred to specific cooking trays, which are only used for gluten-free products.
"Instead of putting it on a regular tray, the pizza is put in a box because the box has never been used so it has zero contamination and it has a lid on it to reduce the chances of something getting on top of it," Whitman says.
Both Garbanzo and Pie Five offer gluten-free options, with low cross-contamination risk, in the customizable model that's becoming ubiquitous within the fast-casual space. Antico says that model is good business for the future. He anticipates the number of people willing to order straight from a menu is declining, and customers will either want or need food customized, even if the gluten-free trend declines.
"Over time, the long-term trend is leaning more toward 'have it your way,' and the restaurants who are willing to accommodate and cater to specific needs are going to get a lot of business," he says. "And the ones that order everything premade and aren't willing to compromise are going to lose a lot of market share."


text:
Even as women continue to break down the barriers of gendered expectations, they continue to be faced with an allegedly fundamental question: whether or not to have children.
We still live in a world where family and children are deeply associated with women, to the point where women are taught that having children is essential to having a strong sense of self.
Fortunately, most people who don't live in the dark ages agree that women are allowed to have passions and careers and lives outside of the home, which leads to an interesting thought: what if you're perfectly content not having kids?
Kids, fertility, and women's decisions and attitudes about family are predictably the subject of much anxiety in our society. The notion that a woman might not want kids conjures up all kinds of visions of the embittered boss wedded to her career or the introvert with ten cats.
But having children is a personal decision that should be respected and should not have to be justified in any way.
Yet the belief that women somehow can't be complete without children lingers and leads to some pretty ignorant statements.
So here is a guide on what not to say to a woman who doesn't want to have children.
1. "You'll regret it when you're older."
I'm sorry, do you have a crystal ball that looks into the future?
First of all, insisting that someone's opinion is invalid because they might hypothetically regret it down the line completely disrespects their agency to make decisions in the present.
We're not talking about taste in bands or sports teams – this is someone's body and life.
Not to mention that it's rude to drag age into the child-rearing argument because it plays on incredibly sexist stereotypes. The implication is that you'll only realize you want kids after your biological clock runs out.
Such a reductionist perspective totally disregards everything else that might happen in that time period. Maybe you'll become a CEO. Maybe you'll take cool vacations. Maybe you'll adopt a bunch of dogs.
My point is that people need to recognize that women can live a rich and productive life without kids.
When you're older, you might look back and marvel at all the things you were able to accomplish specifically because you didn't have to worry about children.
2. "You just haven't found the right person yet."
This one just doesn't make any sense.
Couples are vilified all the time for rushing into relationships or having kids too soon, so I'm not sure why you would root for someone impulsively change their opinion on a significant life decision just because they've met The One.
With that said, if you meet someone that you do want to have kids with, that's totally your prerogative and you should certainly have the freedom to make that choice.
What's problematic about the belief that the ideal man will ultimately "convince" you that you want to have children is that it assumes that a woman always wants children by default.
It's unrealistic and unhealthy for someone to hope that each new relationship will radically alter your views on child rearing. Surely the right man will awaken that maternal instinct!
First off, you wouldn't be acting on your own desires as much as kowtowing to someone else's.
Attitudes like these also reinforce the age-old stereotype that women can't possibly know what's best for themselves.
We may think we're happy, but to enable ourselves to feel fully content, we apparently have to shoehorn ourselves into dewy heteronormative fantasies of the nuclear family.
I've known people who planned out how many kids they're going to have years before they met their partners. Conversely, most people I know who don't want to have kids decided that from a very early age.
It's a preference rooted in very personal ideologies that probably aren't going to be the least bit affected by any other person.
3. "Choosing a childfree life is selfish."
Ah yes. Few things attract more scorn in our society that women who appear selfish, which is often unsurprisingly tied back to her choices around partners, sex, and kids.
Collectively, we tend to be extremely uncomfortable with the possibility that a woman could put herself before someone else – even above people who will most likely never exist!
We continue to associate womanhood with selflessness and self-sacrifice. Children are a fundamental manifestation of this mindset. A woman is expected to prioritize her kids first, but particularly at her own expense.
There's a definite labor to motherhood in more ways than one: late nights, the responsibility of looking after someone else, and more bodily fluids than you ever wanted to imagine, not to mention the financial burden.
You supposedly can't be a good mom without some sacrifice. Since the maternal archetype continues to be so closely associated to the core of women's identities, it follows that the "right" kind of woman is willing to sacrifice other things in favor of her goal of raising of family.
But not everyone wants children, which creates a weird materialism vacuum in the minds of many.
Why do we have to subscribe to the belief that being a good person or good woman automatically means going without?
There's nothing shameful about indulging yourself or living your life to the fullest on your own.
People try to guilt women with the myth that there is a certain type of happiness or fulfillment that only mothers can know. That might be true, but it's also true that having kids may prevent you from having tons of experiences that could change your life.
Raising kids is an honorable thing, but that doesn't mean you should be pressured into it for the sake of conforming to ideals that aren't even yours.
4 . "You'll have a harder time finding someone who wants to be with you."
Gotta love the tendency to warp feminist agency to make it all about the approval of others (read: men).
Kids are going to be a dealbreaker for some people, so that is a reality that you'll have to consider. However, claiming that not wanting to have children somehow makes you forever undesirable is ridiculous.
The right partner will respect your decision. If they try and change your mind or blame you for denying them children, get out of there.
The importance of your autonomy supersedes that of any relationship. Yeah, you might have to deal with a little bit more nonsense, but it's more important to find someone who is on the same page.
And hey, shockingly, some people actually prefer to be with people who don't want kids because it means less pressure as far as putting a timetable on the future.
Additionally, being childfree gives you more time to spend together and strengthen your relationship.
5. "Who's going to give me grandchildren?"
This is by far one of the most awkward reactions to deal with. It's one thing to consider how your decisions will impact your own life, but few people want to be accused of negatively impacting their parents' future…even if it's only from your parents' perspective.
Although you may well be a fully independent adult, your parents never really stop having expectations for you, with children frequently chief among them.
You are fully entitled to feel gratitude towards your parents, or maybe you don't. Either way, you don't owe them anything and it's insensitive of them to play the guilt card.
You are not their personal baby factory.
Remember that you aren't responsible for your parents' life fulfillment or alleged lack thereof.
If you have siblings who want children, encourage your parents to focus their baby fever elsewhere. Regardless, explain to them that it's your choice whether or not to have kids and they shouldn't be trying to influence you.
It can be difficult to defend your decisions when faced with so much ignorance, but always remind yourself that your life is your own and you don't need anyone else's validation to justify how you live it.
Embrace childfree living and start exploring all the opportunities that await you.
[do_widget id="text-101″]
Erin Tatum is a Contributing Writer at Everyday Feminism. She's a feminist, queer theory lover, and television enthusiast living in Pennsylvania. She is particularly interested in examining the representation of marginalized identities in media. In addition to Everyday Feminism, she's also a weekly contributor to Bitch Flicks. Follow her on Twitter @ErinTatum91 and read her articles here.
Search our 3000+ articles!
Read our articles about:
Our online racial justice training
Used by hundreds of universities, non-profits, and businesses.
Click to learn more
Most Read Articles
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 30
- 31
- 32


text:
Kent Gravel Driveway Contractors
The team at K C Contractors are experts when it comes to laying gravel and shingle driveways across Kent. With our experience and expertise, we give you a surface that is cost-effective, durable and sustainable, looks great and is guaranteed to last.
Gravel is a great option for large driveway areas as it is a permeable surface with built-in drainage. Shingle can be enhanced with a blend of materials such as block edging, paving slabs, steps, granite features and rumble strips. Gravel is also useful as an extra security measure for your Kent home, as it's not easy to cross a gravel driveway silently!
Why choose gravel for your new Kent driveway?
- Low maintenance
- Hardwearing
- Fits any driveway shape
- Completely porous
- Easily topped up
- High durability
- Wide variety of colours
- Attractive finish
- Added security
Why gravel & shingle are a good choice for your Kent drive
It's always good to have your Kent property framed by a durable surface that is also visually pleasing. For a proven, reliable and great value driveway you cannot go wrong with gravel.
Shingle aggregate has the ability to withstand the worst of the UK's weather, which means it will last you for many trouble free years. You can also top up the surface thickness in future, with very little expense.
Why choose us for your Kent gravel driveways?
As one of the leading gravel driveway companies in Kent, we only use the best grades of aggregate for our clients' gravel paving projects. Our materials are supplied by some of the biggest names in the industry, meaning they can withstand heavy traffic and last for many years to come.
The best choice for shingle driveway laying in Kent
With complete customer satisfaction as our primary focus, we work hard to ensure quality and reliability. We want you to have peace of mind that your new gravel driveway will be completed to the highest possible standards.
With £10million public liability insurance, competitive prices and a very skilled workforce, we remain the preferred shingle surface contractors for the Kent area.


text:
Home » Christmas » Christmas Side Dishes Pueblo Pie |
Posted on 2007-10-16 |
More in Christmas Side Dishes:
Stuffed Acorn Squash Similar Categories:
St Patricks Day Side Dishes |
Pueblo Pie Ingredients1 Tablespoon olive oil1 med. onion finely chopped 1 med. yellow, red or green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped 4 garlic cloves 1 jalapeno pepper 1 16-oz can unsweetened tomato sauce 1 16-oz can black beans 1 16-oz can of corn 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 3 cups water 1 cup yellow stone-ground cornmeal 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 tsp dijon mustard 1/2 tsp fine sea salt shredded mozzerella cheese |
DirectionsHeat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until softened, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the tomato sauce, beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Stir and mash the beans some to make a thicker consistancy. Pour into a 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle a layer of mozzerella cheese on top of mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Boil water, add cornmeal, lemon, mustard and salt in a large saucepan, and stir until mixed. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, 3 to 5 min. Spread the cooked cornmeal over the bean mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 10 min before serving. Author CommentsSource: Amy Darden |
Comments |
Post Comment |


text:
Aug 16
Human Rights Watch, Humanitarian Agencies, Imperialist Wars/Occupations, NED | National Endowment for Democracy, Non-Profit Industrial Complex, The Soros Network | OSI, USAID
ACRI Africa Bill & Melinda Gates Carnegie CIA Congo Corporate Media coup d'etat Darfur Egypt Ford Genocide Intervention Network HRW Human Rights Watch Kony2012 Libya MacArthur NATO NED | National Endowment for Democracy New America Foundation Open Society Pew Psy-Ops Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Raise Hope for Congo RESOLVE Rockefeller Rwanda Save Darfur STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) Sudan The Aspen Institute U.S. Department of State Uganda United to End Genocide USCR Yemen
The "Policy Wonks" Behind Covert Warfare & Humanitarian Fascism
August 8, 2012
by Keith Harmon Snow
This special report includes three unpublished video clips of interviewees from the Politics of Genocide documentary film project: Ugandan dignitary Remigius Kintu, former Rwandan prime minister Fautisn Twagiramungu, and Nobel peace prize nominee Juan Carrero Saralegui.
From the 1980s to today, an elite group of Western intelligence operatives have backed low-intensity guerrilla warfare in certain African 'hotspots'. Mass atrocities in the Great Lakes and Sudan can be linked to Roger Winter, a pivotal U.S. operative whose 'team' was recently applauded for birthing the world's newest nation, South Sudan. Behind the fairytale we find a long trail of blood and skeletons from Uganda to Sudan, Rwanda and Congo. While the mass media has covered their tracks, their misplaced moralism has simultaneously helped birth a new left-liberal 'humanitarian' fascism. In this falsification of consciousness, Western human rights crusaders and organizations, funded by governments, multinational corporations and private donors, cheer the killers and blame the victims—and pat themselves on the back for saving Africa from itself. Meanwhile, the "Arab Spring" has spread to (north) Sudan. Following the NATO-Israeli model of regime change being used in Central & North Africa, it won't be long before the fall of Khartoum.
SPLA Tank in South Sudan: An old SPLA army tank sits in the bush in Pochalla, Jonglei State, south Sudan in 2004. Israel, the United States, Britain and Norway have been the main suppliers of the covert low-intensity war in Sudan, organized by gunrunners and policy 'wonks'. Photo c. keith harmon snow, 2004.
It is, oh! such a happy fairy tale! It begins as all happy fairy tales do, in fantasy land. The fantasy is one of human rights princes and policy 'wonks' in shining armor and the new kingdom of peace and tranquility, democracy and human rights, that they have created. That is what the United States foreign policy establishment and the corporate mass media—and not a few so-called 'human rights activists'—would have us believe about the genesis of the world's newest nation, South Sudan.
"In the mid-1980s, a small band of policy wonks began convening for lunch in the back corner of a dimly lit Italian bistro in the U.S. capital," wrote Rebecca Hamilton in the recent fairytale: "The Wonks Who Sold Washington on South Sudan." Hamilton is a budding think-tank activist-advocate-agent whose whitewash of the low intensity war for Sudan (and some Western architects of it), distilled from her book Fighting for Darfur, was splashed all over the Western press on 11 July 2012. [1]
The photos accompanying Hamilton's story show a happy fraternity of 'wonks'—what exactly is a 'wonk'?—obviously being your usual down-jacket, beer- and coffee-slurping American citizens from white America, with a token black man thrown in to change the complexion of this Africa story. Their cups are white and clean, their cars are shiny and new, their convivial smiles are almost convincing. There is even a flag of the new country just sort of floating across Eric Reeves' hip.
Because of Dr. Reeves' 'anti-genocide' work in Sudan, Boston College professor Alan Wolfe has written that the Smith College English professor is "arrogant to the point of contempt." (I have had a similar though much more personal experience of Dr. Reeves' petulance.)
"John Prendergast (L-R), Eric Reeves, Brian D'Silva, Ted Dagne and Roger Miller [sic]—pose for a photograph in this undated image provided to Reuters by John Prendergast," reads the original Reuters syndicated news caption for the posed image of the Council of Wonks. (U.S. intelligence & defense operative Roger Winter is misidentified as "Roger Miller".)
The story and its photos project the image of casual, ordinary people who, we are led to believe, did heroic and superhuman things. What a bunch of happy-go-lucky wonks! Excuse me: policy wonks! And their bellies are presumably warmed by that fresh Starbucks 'fair trade' genocide coffee shipped straight from the killing fields of post-genocide [sic] Rwanda… where, coincidentally, Starbucks reportedly cut a profit of more than a few million dollars in 2011.
This is a tale of dark knights, of covert operators and spies aligned with the cult of intelligence in the United States. Operating in secrecy and denial within the U.S. intelligence and defense establishment, they have helped engineer more than two decades of low intensity warfare in Sudan (alone), replete with massive suffering and a death toll of between 1.5 and 3 million Sudanese casualties—using their own fluctuating statistics on mortality—and millions upon millions of casualties in the Great Lakes of Africa.
Behind the fantasy is a very real tale of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocides real and alleged, and mass atrocities covered up by these National Security agents with the aid of a not-so-ordinary English professor—their one-man Ministry of Disinformation—Dr. Eric Reeves. →


text:
A long-term program launched in 2010 by Wella and UNICEF in collaboration with hairstylists and clients around the world, the WELLA-UNICEF MAKING WAVES program offers the gift of education to vulnerable young people in emerging countries.
Salon: Sharon's Haarteam
2013 Mentor in Romania.
"I believe everyone deserves a chance for a better life - especially young people. "
"In September 2012, I spent 4 weeks volunteering in Uganda and found it so rewarding. When I returned to work and heard about the Making Waves program, I knew immediately that I wanted to get involved. "


text:
NEW YORK—The U.S. monetary authorities did not intervene in the foreign exchange markets during the April—June quarter, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said today in its quarterly report to the U.S. Congress.
During the three months that ended June 30, 2008, the dollar appreciated 0.2 percent against the euro and 6.5 percent against the yen. In this period, the dollar's trade-weighted exchange value appreciated 0.9 percent as measured by the Federal Reserve Board's major currencies index.
The report was presented by William Dudley, executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Federal Open Market Committee's manager for the System Open Market Account, on behalf of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve System.
Full Report
16 pages / 218 kb
Media Relations


text:
Product Description Slingshot 2012 Jewel Wakeboard Binding:
Sexier than ever, the lightest and lowest profile women's boot available has just arrived to the red carpet. With a completely redesigned, and FIRST EVER truly bottomless base system, the 2012 Slingshot Jewel Boots offer a foundation specific to the essence of women's lower calf muscles, and foot shapes. Combined with Slingshots unmatched custom fit, the Jewel's continue to provide the ultimate direct foot to board feel for supreme board control. Finished with our new Quick Draw Lacing System for effortless entry and exit, the Jewel's are the ultimate in women's performance.


text:
Fathers of the Church
Letter XLIV: to Theodosius Augustus
by Leo the Great in 449 | translated by Charles Lett Feltoe, M.A
Leo, the bishop, and the holy Synod which is assembled at Rome to Theodosius Augustus.
I. He exposes the unscrupulous nature of the proceedings at Ephesus.
From your clemency's letter,' which in your love of the catholic Faith you sent sometime ago to the see of the blessed Apostle Peter, we drew such confidence in your defence of truth and peace that we thought nothing harmful could happen in so plain and well-ordered a matter; especially when those who were sent to the episcopal council, which you ordered to be held at Ephesus, were so fully instructed that, if the bishop of Alexandria had allowed the letters, which they brought either to the holy synod or to Flavian the bishop, to be read in the ears of the bishops, by the declaration of the most pure Faith, which being Divinely inspired we both have received and hold, all noise of disputings would have been so completely hushed that neither ignorance could any longer disport itself, nor jealousy find occasion to do mischief. But because private interests are consulted under cover of religion, the disloyalty of a few has wrought that which must wound the whole Church. For not from some untrustworthy messenger, but from a most faithful narrator of the things which have been done, Hilary, our deacon, who, lest he should be compelled by force to subscribe to their proceedings, with great difficulty made his escape, we have learnt that a great many priests came together at the synod, whose numbers would doubtless have assisted the debate and decision, if he who claimed for himself the chief place had consented to maintain priestly moderation, in order that, according to custom, when all had freely expressed their opinion, after quiet and fair deliberation, that might be ordained which was both agreeable to the Faith and helpful to those in error. But we have been told that all who had come were not present at the actual decision: for we have learnt that some were rejected while others were admitted, who at the aforesaid priest's requisition surrendered themselves to an unrighteous subscription, knowing they would suffer harm unless they obeyed his commands, and that such a resolution was brought forward by him that in attacking one man he might wreak his fury of the whole Church. Which our delegates from the Apostolic See saw to be so blasphemous and opposed to the catholic Faith that no pressure could force them to assent; for in the same synod they stoutly protested, as they ought, that the Apostolic See would never receive what was being passed: since the whole mystery of the Christian Faith is absolutely destroyed (which Heaven forfend in your Grace's reign), unless this abominable wickedness, which exceeds all former blasphemies, be abolished.
II. And entreats the Emperor to help in reversing their decision.
But because the devil with wicked subtlety deceives the unwary, and so mocks the imprudence of some by a show of piety as to persuade them to things harmful instead of profitable, we pray your Grace, renounce all complicity in this endangering of religion and Faith, and afford in the treatment of Divine things that which is granted in worldly matters by the equity of your laws, that human presumption may not do violence to Christ's Gospel. Behold, I, O most Christian and honoured Emperor, with my fellow- priests fulfilling towards your revered clemency the offices of sincere love, and desiring you in all things to please God, to whom prayers are offered for you by the Church, lest before the LORD Christ's tribunal we be judged guilty for our silence,—we beseech you in the presence of the Undivided Trinity of the One Godhead, Whom such an act wrongs (for He is Himself the Guardian and the Author of your empire), and in the presence of Christ's holy angels, order everything to be in the position in which they were before the decision until a larger number of priests be assembled from the whole world. Suffer not yourself to be weighted with another's sin because (and we must say it) we are afraid lest He, Whose religion is being destroyed, be provoked to wrath. Keep before your eyes, and with all your mental vision gaze reverently upon the blessed Peter's glory, and the crowns which all the Apostles have in common with him and the palms of all the martyrs, who had no other reason for suffering than the confession of the true Godhead and the true Manhood in Christ.
III. He asks for a Council in Italy.
And because this mystery is now being impiously opposed by a few ignorant persons, all the churches of our parts, and all the priests entreat your clemency, with groans and tears seeing that our delegates faithfully protested, and bishop Flavian gave them an appeal in writing, to order a general synod to be held in Italy, which shall either dismiss or appease all disputes in such a way that there be nothing any longer either doubtful in the Faith or divided in love, and to it, of course, the bishops of the Eastern provinces must come, and if any of them were overcome by threats and injury, and deviated from the path of truth, they may be fully restored by health-giving measures, and they themselves, whose case is harder, if they acquiesce in wiser counsels, may not fall from the unity of the Church. And how necessary this request is after the lodging of an appeal is witnessed by the canonical decrees passed at Nicaea by the bishops of the whole world, which are added below[9a]. Show favour to the catholics after your own and your parents' custom. Give us such liberty to defend the catholic Faith as no violence, no fear of the world, while your revered clemency is safe, shall be able to take away. For it is the cause not only of the Church but of your Kingdom and prosperity that we plead, that you may enjoy the peaceful sway of your provinces. Defend the Church in unshaken peace against the heretics, that your empire also may be defended by Christ's right hand. Dated the 13th of October, in the consulship of the illustrious Asturius and Protogenes .
Taken from "The Early Church Fathers and Other Works" originally published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. in English in Edinburgh, Scotland, beginning in 1867. (LNPF II/XII, Schaff and Wace). The digital version is by The Electronic Bible Society, P.O. Box 701356, Dallas, TX 75370, 214-407-WORD.


text:
Plumeria Body Butter
Body Butter is a luxurious, creamy blend of tropical nut butters, infused with extracts and distillates of Hawaiian plants to repair, replenish and moisturize dry, thirsty skin. Thicker and richer than body lotion, it absorbs quickly leaving skin nourished and radiant, never greasy.
Scent: Plumeria
Our body butter makes exceptional Dry Skin therapy for the whole body.
Place a small amount in your hands and massage into your skin. It can
be used on the face if you have dry skin. It absorbs quickly leaving
skin nourished and radiant
Organic Coconut Oil + Aloe Vera + Macadamia Nut + Avocado + Cocoa Seed Butters
Anti-aging; Provides deep moisturizing and hydrating benefits, strengthens underlying tissue and supports new cell growth, anti-microbial and anti-fungal to keep skin clean and balanced.
Bamboo, Sweet Potato, Seaweed + Banana
Anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, softening and conditioning for the skin.
Organic Distillates of Māmaki Leaf+ Turmeric + Ginger Root + Taro Root + Noni Fruit + Sugar Cane
High in anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory, exfoliating, hydrating and moisturizing.
Distilled Water , Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Alcohol extracts of Bamboo Leaf, Sweet Potato, Seaweed, Banana, Potassium Sorbate, Stearic Acid, Organic Expeller Coconut Oil, Emulsyfying Wax, Organic plant distillates of Māmaki, Olena Root, Sugar Cane , Aloe Vera, Ginger Root, Noni Fruit, Taro Root, Natural and Fragrance Blend, Aloe Vera Butter, Organic Cocoa Seed Butter, Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Rice Starch, Macadamia Nut Butter, Phenoxyethanol {Caprylyl Glycol and Sorbic Acid}, Avocado Butter, Bicarbonate of Soda


text:
Fun & Safe Moonwalk Rentals Kingwood TX
When it comes to fun, we only have one thing in mind at MJ's Bounce House! That would be some of our fun and safe moonwalk rentals Kingwood TX kids go crazy over. They are the main attraction for a variety of reasons because they keep your guests busy for hours - kids and adults, too. With an over so growing inventory, we are sure you will find something exactly for what type of event you are hosting. We have all the most popular moonwalk rentals Kingwood TX can rely on in Harris County.
For years, MJ's Bounce House has committed to ensuring safe, fun, and affordable moonwalk party rentals Kingwood TX events need for your school festivals, church functions, residential backyard parties, or corporate events. The size of the event doesn't matter because we have all sorts of options to accommodate any age group 3 and up or themed birthday party for your little one. Just browse our selection below and click on the categories to see all the moonwalk rentals Kingwood TX loves or use our Order by Date feature!
Best Party is a FOAM Party
Water Slides
Bounce House With Slide
Obstacle Courses
Bounce Houses
Chairs and Tables
Concessions and Add-Ons
360 Video Booth
Browse All The Kinds of Moonwalks Kingwood TX Has to Offer
Over here at MJ's in Kingwood, Texas, we have listened to our customers when it comes to offering the best of the best when it comes to moonwalks Kingwood TX. Over the years, we've grown to offer all different variations of the standard moonwalk rental Kingwood TX kids adore. With so many color schemes, sizes, and themed variations to choose from.
Whether it's a standard-sized moonwalks for rent in Kingwood TX for the little ones or an upgraded version more commonly called a combo for the younger teens, you can rest assured we have something for you. Action-packed with features, the combos come with basketball goals, obstacle pop-ups, climb walls, and slides. These awesome new attractions come in single lane or dual lane options in a dry or wet slide. No better way to beat the summer heat with one of the water slides or wet dual-lane combos. Big or small, we have them all when it comes to moon bounce rentals Kingwood TX offers!
After so many parties and events under our belt, we've found that people call them different names such as bounce house, moon bounce, jumpers, or spacewalks. We like to call them lifelong memory creators. So whatever you want to call them, give us a call or reserve on-line and we guarantee a great time. Either way, it all boils down to the same result and this is hours of fun for the kids. Our commercial-grade moonwalks Kingwood TX can rely on for their events are clean and sanitized with your safety in mind. Rest easy when choosing MJ's for all your moonwalk rentals near Kingwood TX.
Why Choose Us for Moonwalks and More in Kingwood TX
We know there are quite a few companies that have moonwalks and more in Kingwood TX. With tons of happy customers in the Kingwood, Texas and surrounding areas, we sure hope you will see why many others put their trust in a locally owned and operated company right here in Kingwood. Take a few minutes to look around our totally interactive website with online booking to see what all the fuss is about. As you decide which Kingwood TX moonwalk rentals best suit your event, just click on the Add to Cart button to book today!
Don't forget to add the chairs, tables, and any other supplies like our tasty concessions. At the end of the day, we hope to be able to provide everything you need for your event. As we like to call it, a one-stop-shop! Click here to shop all moonwalks and book now to get started!
All of our moonwalks in Kingwood, TX are cleaned and sanitized before and after every rental. We pride ourselves on safe, quality, and on-time service. All of our units are insured, inspected, and registered in The State of Texas to ensure that we only provide you with safe inflatables here at MJ's Bounce House. Feel free to give us a call at 832-384-5210 with any questions or use our contact us form.