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Our CEO was featured as one of the "Wonder Women" in the blog of @girltalkhq.com.
Our CEO was featured as one of the "Wonder Women" in the blog of @girltalkhq.com.
Tracy brings over 25 years of experience to EmpowHer. She's written successful federal, state, corporate nonprofit, charitable trust, community, and private foundation grants for tribal governments, private and public companies, nonprofit organizations, and local governments. Tracy held key leadership positions at larger "institutional nonprofits" such as City of Hope National Medical Center, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the American Heart Association – experiences which have fortified her ability to shape persuasive, solid grant proposals that get funded. In addition, her understanding of programs, budgets, and organizational development enables her to "put all the pieces together" in a cohesive manner. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Los Angeles region. Tracy is a native Californian, born in Hollywood and raised in Huntington Beach. Her hobbies are surfing, salsa, traveling, and cooking when not looking for resources to make the world a better place.
Alma is a first generation Mexican-American and the first in her family to graduate from a University.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from CSULB College of Engineering. Alma strongly believes that underrepresented students and women should pursue STEM related careers.
As an undergraduate she created a STEM program to inspire and equip young women to pursue careers in STEM. She loves helping families and advocating for underserved and marginalized youth in her community. In her free time she practices Hapkido, a Korean martial art, and is a black belt.
Cecilia Owens is the Chief Financial Officer at industry-leading music licenser APM Music, where she oversees accounting, finance, human resources, and legal affairs. With balanced career growth in various industries, including entertainment, social media, advertising, technology, television services, and financial services, Cecilia thrives in changing environments. Her storied career has included deep, functional experience in cash management, financial reporting, budgeting/forecasting, strategic planning, payroll, 401K administration, benefits administration, taxes, business insurance, and banking relationship management.
Before accepting her current role, Cecilia held progressively emergent positions at worldwide leader of satellite television DIRECTV and entertainment giant FOX, where she was responsible for the consolidated SEC financial reporting of websites such as MySpace, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes, and PhotoBucket.
A native of Southern California, Cecilia attended Junipero Serra High School where her admiration for academics flourished. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University, and an MBA from the University of Southern California. Outside of work, Cecilia is a proud wife, mother, and experienced world traveler.
Joslyn Osborn is a partner with Vaco Los Angeles and is responsible for expanding, leading, and training the executive search team. She has more than ten years of client service and recruiting expertise for finance and accounting professional roles. Joslyn has expanded the Vaco Financial team, driven internal process improvement, and increased revenue and EBITDA by 200 percent.
Joslyn is active in the community, launching The Grid in LA, an informal networking group for emerging CPAs. She also serves as a mentor for middle school girls through her work with EmpowHer Institute.
Hoda embarked on her journey over two decades ago, dedicating her time to both work and volunteer efforts within the nonprofit sector. She has an academic foundation in Social Sciences and Crisis Intervention and Counseling, complemented by proficiency in three languages.
Hoda international experience in four different countries has enriched her personal and professional growth, deepening her understanding, empathy, and knowledge, fostering cultural sensitivity towards diverse human needs and challenges.
Hoda dedicated her career to working with vulnerable families, children, and women, focusing on building resilience, women's economic empowerment, advocacy, and raising awareness about gender-based violence. Notably, she became an integral part of the emergency first response team during the onset of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in the Middle East. Her contributions also led to the establishment of the first child protection center for Syrian children with the SOS Children's Village International.
Hoda later brought her expertise to UN Women, where she played a pivotal role in the initiation and execution of a Women's Economic Empowerment program implemented across five countries on a regional scale.
Today, Hoda proudly serves as a Program Manager at the EmpowHer Institute, where she eagerly aligns herself with the organization's mission and vision.
Alejandra Vides-Austin was born and raised in Maryland, in the suburbs of Washington, DC. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion for adventure and creativity, and fell in love with the West coast immediately. She earned her associate of arts degree in visual communications from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM).
Alejandra feels blessed to have had the opportunities she's had across education, hobbies, resources, jobs, and more, and has an impassioned desire to find ways to give others the same access. As a woman of mixed-race heritage, Alejandra knows how important it is for young women and girls of color to see someone who looks like them doing the things they dream of doing. She is honored to be able to share her life experiences and uplift the girls of EmpowHer to new heights.
Maya is an educator and youth advocate, holding a Bachelor's degree from UCLA and a Master's in Education from LMU. With a diverse background—from mentoring middle school girls throughout her college experience to teaching 7th grade—she brings 6+ years of experience in youth mentorship and leadership. Maya's passion lies in utilizing the classroom as a platform to address nonacademic needs, particularly the socio-emotional challenges faced by girls of color in their daily lives. In her role as Academy Instructor, she hopes to encourage the girls to embrace their voices and contribute to creating a more equitable world.
As a transracial adoptee, Maya's journey began grappling with feelings of invisibility and otherness. Balancing between two cultures without feeling like she truly fits in either one, she deeply understands the importance of being seen and heard. Maya's personal narrative fuels her dedication to co-create a safe and inclusive space with young girls that is designed by them, for them, ensuring they never feel alone, as they navigate the nuances of growing up.
Megan Hobza, MBA, has provided strategic planning and business writing services for over three decades to organizations in the nonprofit sector. For 20 years, she consulted on participant-led program design, grant proposal writing, and community benefits reports for a major metropolitan medical center as part of an interdisciplinary Community Services Department team leading initiatives to impact social determinants of health; these projects were made possible by hundreds of federal, state, county, city, and private foundation grant awards worth over $40 million.
Ms. Hobza's specialty in consulting for emerging nonprofits has benefited clients in education, harm reduction, environment, healthcare, and the arts. Her cross-sector work as a community-building catalyst in her hometown of Whitter, CA, has included voter education, social justice advocacy, a hyper-local newspaper, and public-private partnerships producing $4.5 million to establish an LGBTQIIA+ center. Her pro bono projects include training young activists from marginalized communities in the grant writing trade.
Ms. Hobza is a past board member of PCDA, Inc. and Echo Park Time Bank, and served as board chair of the Arroyo Time Bank, board secretary of the Whole Place of Whittier, and president/CEO of Sustainable City. In 2015, she was awarded a National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellowship.
Gloria Carolina Dominguez, is a Vice President, Branch Manager, for City National Bank. Gloria began her career in baking as a Teller over 20 years ago, and has moved her way up to where she is now. Gloria joined City National Bank almost two years ago, and out of all her years in banking coming to CNB has been such an amazing journey.
She joined the Latino Community Network (LCN) Colleague Resource Group right after starting with CNB and the LCN has opened so many doors and has allowed her to work with the Latino community, and it has led her to meeting such amazing people and definitely living her everyday life with a purpose. As one of the co-Chairs she wants to continue on the journey to give back to the community in which she works and lives. Apart from work Gloria is also a very proud mom of two incredible children and one grand-daughter Emma. Both of her Kids (Omar and Lucie studied Engineering). She loves being with her family, hearing their stories, cooking, practicing Yoga, helping, and just being around them makes her happy. Gloria lives her life with a purpose as she knows she only has one life to live.
Jazmin received her Bachelors in Economics from Mills College and her MBA from Mills College, Lorry I. Lokey School of Business. She is a first generation Latina college graduate that is passionate about supporting WOC to achieve their academic and career goals. During her undergraduate studies, she provided mentorship to girls in Oakland Unified School District and Los Angeles Unified School District and college prep and guidance to San Jose's Downtown College Prep graduates. She has also provided program support to non-profit organizations. During her graduate studies, she consulted with small BIPOC owned businesses to create marketing strategies and business plans. Jazmin hopes to continue supporting women and girls on their educational paths.
N'nandii Alexander is a Los Angeles native, born and raised. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Boise State University and has 5+ years of experience working as a Special Education Educator. The covid-19 prompted N'nandii to help ease the conflicts families were experiencing with Home/Distance learning, which is what led her to entrepreneurship. She is the proud founder and CEO of a company that provides educational services to a multitude of LAUSD schools/students. N'nandii is passionate about emphasizing equity and inclusion in school cultures and she thrives to equip students of marginalized communities with the tools and resources needed to excel.
Jessica was born and raised in Miami, Florida and moved to California to complete her MFA in Screenwriting. Having lost her parents at a young age, she always felt she lacked peace and true happiness. Finding a passion in Creative Writing, she found a healthy outlet that inspired, not only healing, but Social Justice, as well. At that moment, Jessica made it her mission to teach youth from marginalized communities that their voice was not a choice; it was an opportunity to seek and evoke change. The majority of what we keep silent, speaks volumes – so it is imperative to rewrite the narrative.
With a background in Journalism, Jessica teaches Upward Bound students the true value of ethics and the impact the media has towards it. But her biggest passion lies in breaking generational curses within the girls who look just like her. Having been called inferior or insignificant based on race and sex, she truly understands how words can hurt but they can also heal. Jessica feels it is important to teach young women how diction is the most powerful weapon in the world, they simply have to use it explosively.
Dawn L. Brown joined the EmpowHer team in October 2020. She has more than 20 years of nonprofit management and consulting experience, and has served as the Executive Director of three well-respected nonprofit organizations across California. In each role, Dawn successfully launched fundraising and marketing strategies that increased company revenue, improved program delivery, and expanded advocacy and policy efforts for youth of color from economically disadvantaged communities.
As an advocate and strategic thought partner, Dawn has led advocacy initiatives that successfully became California legislation and/or established best practices for eliminating gender bias within the juvenile justice system, decriminalizing sex trafficked girls, implementing community-based gang intervention strategies, and ending the shackling of pregnant women. Dawn has also served on various advisory boards and think tanks focused on issues affecting women & girls of color.
A proud native of Washington, DC, Dawn has spent the past five years returning home to support her family and supporting local and national initiatives that are fighting to ensure racial justice and eliminate gender bias in America.
Dawn helped to develop educational theater curriculum for public and private schools in New York City and was an Acting Instructor at Atlantic Theater Company in NYC. Dawn graduated from the prestigious Duke Ellington High School of the Arts in DC, received her BFA in Acting from New York University's renowned Tisch School of the Arts and a MA in Drama Therapy from New York University's School of Education.
Angel James Horacek practices employment and civil rights law on behalf of employees, focusing primarily on anti-discrimination work. She represents employees in courts, arbitrations, and administrative hearings. She also counsels employees in select pre-litigation matters.
She is admitted to practice in all state courts in California, in the United States District Court for the Central, Northern, and Southern Districts of California, and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She was also an extern in the chambers of the Honorable Andrew J. Wistrich of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
She is the co-chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Labor and Employment Saturday Seminar Committee, which presents continuing legal educational programs for lawyers and law students several times through the year. She is also an active volunteer with the Los Angeles Black Workers Center in View Park.
Prior to starting her own firm, Ms. Horacek was an associate commercial litigator at an AmLaw 100 firm focusing on business and corporate clients. She then transitioned to representing individuals as an associate attorney at a boutique employee-side litigation firm.
What does it mean to be a change agent, a leader, and a mentor? It means marrying your passion and mission to your work and showing up authentically in your purpose to advance and support the lives of those around you. As a Loyola Marymount University alum, Xavia Janisse had the opportunity to graduate with a degree in Psychology and African American Studies as she worked with renowned educators. Her educational background informs how she approaches her work with youth of color in communities riddled with stigma and inequities. Her field of study allowed her to explore the psychology of gender, psychology of diversity, social justice, and a myriad of other subjects. During her time at LMU, she was able to work with community activists and lead ethnic and intercultural initiatives on campus as well as in the community-at-large.
In addition to her educational background, she works with youth of color at College Track, a college preparatory and completion program that deconstructs systemic and systematic barriers in education. Her work at College Track is student-centric and student-led to ensure the scholars feel empowered to rewrite their narratives through experiential learning opportunities while providing them with meaningful, case-by-case interventions. In her role, she also gets to develop curriculum, implement youth trauma-informed care practices, and instruct/facilitate workshops that support students as they explore and express their intersecting identities.
These experiences have equipped her with the tools and skills to advocate for youth and support them with tangible resources and equitable opportunities to better leverage their educational experience, not just as a student, but as a whole person. Her pedagogy is informed by an interdisciplinary and culturally/gender-responsive lens that uses social-emotional learning as the foundation for enrichment. Her educational background and professional experience support her vision and passion specifically for the advancement of young ladies of color, who are truly her "why".
Passion and a strong work ethic have defined Staci Janisse's incredible journey as a child of God, wife, mother, and transformational life coach. Following her academic career at Grambling State University and the University of Kansas, she served a 14-year sentence in Corporate America and is now dedicated to pursuing her God-given assignment. Formerly a Regional Sales Development & Sales Manager, she is now dedicated to helping heal and develop women suffering from emotionally arrested development. Staci recently served as the General Manager of Kale My Name LA in 2022, a 100% plant-based/ globally inspired restaurant owned by social media mogul Tabitha Brown and Neiman Golubovic.
Staci Janisse is honored to walk into her passion serving as the Community Resource Manager at EmpowHer Institute as of November 2022.
This organization falls directly in line with her dream.
Staci's dream/assignment is to create a Women's Empowerment Organization that empowers and encourages gracefully broken women to draw strength and tools from their experiences to fulfill their spiritual assignment. As a survivor of cancer and post-partum depression, Staci definitely has a spiritual calling on her life. "I believe supporting women's empowerment is going to help me fulfill my purpose; women who are suffering from low self-esteem and lacking value are ready to receive the keys to unlock the chains that bound them from fulfilling their spiritual assignments." I firmly believe, "A woman who heals herself heals her mother, heals her daughter, and heals every woman around her."
Yvette Marquez was born and raised in Southern California. She has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a psychology minor. During her undergraduate studies, she focused her research on the criminalization of youth and trauma-informed care and practice. She recently obtained her master's degree in organizational leadership and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in public administration. Throughout her childhood, she experienced traumas that shaped her passion for service to others. Before joining us, she worked for UnitedWay of Greater Los Angeles and various higher education institutions. Yvette is committed to serving girls from marginalized communities who have experienced trauma, like herself, and is proud to serve at EmpowHer Institute as Program Manager.
Anne Hebert is a native of Colorado. She graduated from Denver's Manual High School and earned her BA in history from the University of Denver.
Anne has written grants for public and private sector industries. Most notably, Anne wrote and facilitated grants for the Adams County Workforce & Business Center where she worked as a manager overseeing five federally funded programs including: TANF, Employment First (EF), Business Services, and workforce development programs for youth and adults.
Anne's hobbies include yoga, tennis and reading. She enjoys travel and learning about cultures different from her own.
Shawniqua was born and raised in Los Angeles, Ca. After Completing her B.A in Politics from UC Santa Cruz, Shawniqua began her career with AmeriCorps VISTA helping Opportunity Youth with college and career readiness and community service development. Her experience with AmeriCorps deepened her desire to work in the non-profit sector, leading her to earn her Master's in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach. After completing her degree, Shawniqua continued to work with underrepresented youth in the education and community service space. She believes in the mission of EmpowHer and hopes that all girls are given the opportunity for growth and self-exploration.
Angie Ngo is a queer, second-generation Asian-American with immigrant parents who were refugees from the Vietnam War.
Angie Ngo's passion for serving communities has led her to dedicate her career to non-profit work. Her commitment to non-profits began in her hometown, where she was a manager at a small, grassroots non-profit. For those 5 years, she worked closely with families battling pediatric cancer. In 2020, Angie relocated to Los Angeles County. She worked as a health worker where she helped with COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and vaccination education in marginalized areas. She also is the editor and manager for the author of the children's book, "I Love Grandma's House," a book that introduces to kids the topic of biracial families. Angie is humbled to work at EmpowHer, where she gets to contribute to the strive towards intersectional equity for girls of color.
Dr. Dijanna Figueroa is a Marine Biologist, STEAM Educator, and Social Justice Warrior. She currently serves as the Chair of Innovation and Design where she leads the innovation/STEM team, teacheses kindergarten science, and high school marine biology. She also serves as the Creative Director of the EmpowHer Institute Social Justice STEAM camp. She is an ocean explorer, STEAM educator, science communicator, and advocate for social justice. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for the ocean and all things science are well documented in a variety of films and tv shows including Aliens of the Deep, Discovery Channel's Mysteries of the Deep, Nickelodeon's Noggin Knows, and The History Channel's Ocean Explorers. She holds a bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Marine Science from UC Santa Barbara. She brings her experience, enthusiasm, knowledge, and love of science into her classroom through hands-on engaging, and innovative experiences. As an advocate for STEAM education- she is committed to adding the arts and design to the science, technology, engineering, and math equation. She has over two decades of classroom teaching experience in grades k-12 and has collaborated with a variety of education non-profit such as the Two Bit Circus Foundation, EmpowHer Institute, Black Girls Dive Foundation, Bridge Builders Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles, National Association of Black Scuba Divers, National Marine Educators Association, and Makey Makey-Joy Labs. In collaboration with the Two Bit Circus Foundation, she helped to install over 500 makerspace innovation labs in schools throughout the greater Los Angeles area. She believes that learning happens everywhere, radical kindness is transformational, and that passion, curiosity, and creativity make the world a better place. She loves watching this play out in the classroom every day.
Kendra joins the EmpowHer Institute team with 10+ years of non-profit experience. Before joining the team, her workforce development program experience involved working with diverse populations, including LGBTQIA+ older adults, transitional-aged youth, the formerly incarcerated, unhoused Angelenos, and junior high and high school girls at multiple LA-based organizations, including the Los Angeles LGBT Center, L.A. Kitchen, and Joan Macy School. She facilitated work readiness courses, organized employment placements for program participants, and managed internship partner relations in her previous roles.
On account of her own life experience, Kendra is passionate about non-profit work that aids young women in marginalized communities to live to their full potential regardless of the barriers they face. She looks forward to dedicating her life's work to imparting the competencies our girls need to overcome the societal obstacles placed on them during their formative years to have a promising future.
Kendra holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton. In Fall 2022, she will begin pursuing a master's degree in Public Administration at California State University, Los Angeles.
Siaira Shawn Harris is a youth development and empowerment facilitator & educator, advocate and artist with over 15 years of experience working with youth, artists, educators and organizers across multidisciplinary spaces in the Bay Area, New York and now Los Angeles.
While living in Brooklyn, NY, working for Center for Family Life and in partnership with Planned Parenthood, she led a 10th grade service learning program that focused on sex and reproductive health. That experience showed her that she could combine comprehensive sex education, the arts and civic action to educate and empower youth. Since making Los Angeles home, she has continued her work in civics education and sexual and reproductive health. Training students and teachers in creating democratic classrooms, developing youth voice and guiding youth to take informed action in their schools and communities, while simultaneously educating youth and parents in sexual and reproductive health. She is also an artist and co-runs an independent label and music education hub, Over Everything.
Betty Lamarr conceived EmpowHer Institute out of her own personal journey that took her from pregnant teen at her high school graduation and receiving public assistance to college graduate and corporate executive. After a stellar career in corporate America, Betty relocated to South Africa to lead a Black owned business and create jobs for Black South Africans. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Betty and a small group of women dedicated to making a difference in the lives of disadvantaged girls and women formally established EmpowHer Institute as a 501(c) (3) in 2003.
Observing how young women in South Africa were pulling themselves out of poverty through micro-enterprises, Betty decided to apply an "entrepreneurial solution" to the endemic dropout rate among Black and Hispanic teen girls in Los Angeles.
Betty retired as the CEO of EmpowHer Institute in 2020, leaving a strong foundation and legacy on which we continue to build on today.
Eric Lane earned his M.A. in Administration from Concordia University and recently graduated with his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno in May 2022. Eric has over a decade of development and fundraising experience, working with a plethora of educational institutions and non-profits, including serving as the Director of Development for California Baptist University, where he worked primarily for with the athletics department, helping to raise over $1,500,000 for the unit. Prior to his time at CBU, Eric served as the Director of Development in the athletics department at Cal State Fullerton, where he oversaw fundraising, cultivated donor relationships, and set up fundraising events.
Eric also has spent time in fundraising and grant writing roles at the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles, The Posse Foundation, Playworks Southern California, Culver-Palms and Westchester Family YMCA, Hoops for Kids International, Voice for Asian Elephants Society, Sarcoma Alliance, Feminist Frequency, and Kids Enjoy Exercise Now. When Eric isn't working, he enjoys spending quality family time with his wife and three kids. He of course loves to get outside, play basketball, and relive his glory days, as he formally played collegiate basketball at Boise State.
Siaira Shawn Harris is a youth development and empowerment facilitator & educator, advocate and artist with over 15 years of experience working with youth, artists, educators and organizers across multidisciplinary spaces in the Bay Area, New York and now Los Angeles.
While living in Brooklyn, NY, working for Center for Family Life and in partnership with Planned Parenthood, she led a 10th grade service learning program that focused on sex and reproductive health. That experience showed her that she could combine comprehensive sex education, the arts and civic action to educate and empower youth. Since making Los Angeles home, she has continued her work in civics education and sexual and reproductive health. Training students and teachers in creating democratic classrooms, developing youth voice and guiding youth to take informed action in their schools and communities, while simultaneously educating youth and parents in sexual and reproductive health. She is also an artist and co-runs an independent label and music education hub, Over Everything.
Staci Nicole Freeman, PHR, SHRM-CP, is a senior manager on the Partner Affairs Human Capital team at PwC. With nearly 15 years of human capital experience, she has been impactful in various capacities such as recruiting, training, coaching, employee relations, talent management, and leadership development.
Staci's undergraduate background is in mathematics and computer science, but she was drawn to human resources as a career and has obtained various HR credentials to further her knowledge in the industry. Staci prides herself on being a natural connector and is passionate about future workforce trends, corporate responsibility, strategies that enhance diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and building high performance teams.
In 2017, Staci relocated from Hyde Park in Chicago, to the westside of Los Angeles. She enjoys hiking, painting, hot yoga, meditation, volunteering in the community, and spending quality time with friends, family, and her Lhasa Poo, Parker.
Staci stands tall in life and in the nonprofit world by leaning into her strengths and her unique blend of corporate experience, community leadership, and compassionate motivation supporting those around her in realizing their full potential.
As an advocate and strategic thought partner, Dawn has led advocacy initiatives that successfully became California legislation and/or established best practices for eliminating gender bias within the juvenile justice system — decriminalizing sex trafficked girls, implementing community-based gang intervention strategies, and ending the shackling of pregnant women. Dawn has also served on various advisory boards and think tanks focused on issues affecting women and girls of color.
A proud native of Washington, D.C., Dawn has spent the past five years returning home to support her family, while also supporting local and national initiatives that would ensure racial justice and eliminate gender bias in America.
As a performing artist, Dawn created Stiletto Revolution, a podcast that examines fabulous and frustrating issues impacting Black women, through a social justice lens. She has performed on stage, television, and film, and helped to develop educational theater curriculum for public and private schools in New York City. Previously, was also an Acting Instructor at the Atlantic Theater Company in NYC. Dawn graduated from the prestigious Duke Ellington High School of the Arts in DC, received her BFA in Acting from New York University's renowned Tisch School of the Arts and a MA in Drama Therapy from New York University's School of Education.
In her spare time, Dawn enjoys laughing with her godson, advocating for change within the criminal justice system, traveling to new adventures, wine tasting, and shoe shopping. Her favorite color is rose gold and she loves things that sparkle.
Initially, EmpowHer Institute collaborated with the Network for Training Entrepreneurs (NFTE) to use its curriculum and develop a customized signature program called E-BEST (EmpowHer-Building Entrepreneurial Skills for Tomorrow).
The E-BEST program delivered workshops focused on building high school girls' entrepreneurial skills as a way of engaging, learning, and preventing dropout. E-BEST workshops would impart entrepreneurial values, attitudes, and skills to girls with the highest at-risk rate of dropping out of school. In implementing the E-BEST program it became increasingly apparent that to improve academic performance for girls in marginalized communities, with a nearly 50 percent dropout rate in Los Angeles public schools, we needed to address the experiences and situations outside the classroom — pregnancy, low self-esteem, depression, family violence, sexual assault and other trauma — that profoundly affect their readiness to learn and achieve academically. We also recognized that, in order to be more effective at changing the trajectory for teen girls, it was imperative that we intervene earlier than high school.
In 2012, EmpowHer Institute turned its attention to serving middle school girls as young as 11. We developed the EmpowHer Girls Academy (EGA) and began collaborating with Title I middle schools to deliver the program. In contrast to the E-BEST program, which focused on developing entrepreneurial skills, EGA focuses on developing social and emotional learning (SEL) skills coupled with mentorship. The program utilizes SEL as a means of giving girls the skills they need to overcome the negative experiences and trauma outside the classroom – low self-esteem, depression, family violence, and sexual assault — that affect their ability to engage in school, perform academically, and reach their full potential.
In 2016, we established the EmpowHer Leaders Academy (ELA). ELA provides continued support for EGA alumni as they transition from middle school and navigate through high school. The program utilizes mentorship and tailored workshops to provide girls with the information, support and tools they need to reach their full potential and thrive.
In 2021, we introduced our Summer programs, launching a Social Justice STEAM Camp for middle-school aged girls and a paid internship program for high schoolers.
Since 2003, EmpowHer Institute has positively impacted the lives of 4,100+ Black and Brown girls throughout Los Angeles County.
Claudia Alleyne, M.D., is a neonatologist and Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) located at Kaiser Permanente's Anaheim Medical Center. Dr. Alleyne provides medical care to newborns that are born prematurely, critically ill, or in need of surgery. Her medical career began as a graduate of Harvard Medical School with her residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles for six years, motivated by the belief that women deserve access to comprehensive health care and accurate education regarding contraception and reproductive choices. Claudia has been an active member of the Association of Black Women Physicians (a Southern California-based organization), serving as president, vice president, treasurer, and chair of several committees.
Velonne Atkins is currently the News Business Manager for KCBS/KCAL, the largest local station duopoly in the country. She has held positions at ABC Network News and ABC 20/20. As an entrepreneur, Velonne and a partner, established Cahuenga Coffeehouse, converting an old check cashing space to a hip-happening alternative to the Starbucks coffee experience.
The coffeehouse business was sold and now operates as Caffée Etc in Hollywood, but Velonne relishes in the fact that she was at the helm of what is now a thriving comer/corridor with burgeoning businesses that used many of her plans for redevelopment of the area. In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, Velonne enjoys travel, particularly to jazz festivals both domestic and international, event planning, and real estate activities. Velonne is originally from Fort Worth, Texas. She relocated to Los Angeles, California, where she completed her Bachelor's degree at Pepperdine University.
Tony Baylis is the director of the Office of Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Programs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Tony is a senior manager who serves as a champion, ambassador, and advocate for diversity and inclusion at LLNL. He manages the Laboratory's interactions and successful execution in building, partnering, and collaborating with governmental, educational, industrial, community, and multiple stakeholders to assist the laboratory in striving to build an inclusive workforce to meet LLNL's national security mission. He represents the Laboratory on the topics of diversity and inclusion, STEM, outreach, workforce initiatives, and student programs.
Tony serves as LLNL's compliance point of contact for equal employment opportunity and affirmative action programs. He also encourages and manages the engagement of the laboratory's 10 employee resource groups that contribute to the LLNL's workforce, inclusion, and outreach efforts. He has also mentored students and staff on navigating their studies and careers in science, engineering and technology.
Lastly, Tony serves as an advisor, consultant, and champion to the Department of Energy, minority-serving institutions, diversity organizations and universities, and serves as a co-principal investigator, an advisory board member, and a board member for institutions and projects that promote the advancement of women and people of color in science and technology careers. In 2018, he became the inaugural chair of the ACM SIGGRAPH's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He aims to carry out the committee's goal of creating a welcoming and nurturing community for everyone working in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Tony's passion is advocating for access, equity, and opportunity for the underserved and underrepresented communities in science and technology. Tony is a member of SHRM, ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH.
Ruth M. Simeon is Principal Consultant for Improvement Technologies and has years of experience as a consultant, senior corporate manager, and nonprofit executive. Her human resources, organizational development and business management expertise has assisted companies in making major shifts in business strategies and practices. Those shifts have positively affected the capability and diversity of leadership, the visibility and career development of underrepresented employees, as well as the improved performance of managers and teams.
Improvement Technologies helps companies design and implement mentoring programs which help achieve business outcomes and strengthen leadership. Ruth wants to share this expertise within the community to help build future leaders at the earliest opportunity. She has a Master's in Psychology from Pepperdine University. As a Hoosier Scholar, she earned a B.A. from Indiana University and completed executive coursework in finance at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Ruth is a certified senior professional in Human Resources. She was recognized by the City of Los Angeles for her work as Workforce Investment Board Commissioner. She is a former president of the California Diversity Council, an adjunct professor at Butler University, and guest lecturer at the USC Graduate School of Social Work.
Diedra Porché is the Senior Vice President, Government and Non-profit Banking Manager covering the western region at JPMorgan Chase & Co. She is responsible for the banking and finance needs of municipal and not-for-profit clients.
Most recently, Diedra served as the Market Manager for Los Angeles Business Banking (2012-2017), overseeing the financial needs for clients up to $20 million in annual revenue. Prior to that, she was Division Manager in Houston Texas for the Government Banking Team in the commercial banking group (2007-2012). Having been with JPMorgan Chase & Co for 23 years, her prior positions include various leadership and management roles in retail, business banking and commercial banking.
A Houston native, Diedra earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master's in Public Administration from Texas A&M University. Diedra's affiliations in Houston included serving as board member of the Houston Downtown Management District, education committee member for the Greater Houston Partnership, Director of the executive committee for the City of Houston Bank on Houston program, as well as a graduate of Leadership Houston Class XXVII.
Diedra is currently an active board member for the California Bankers Association representing JP Morgan Chase & Co. She is also a former board member for the YWCA GLA. Additionally Diedra co-chairs the Los Angeles Chase Market Leadership Team.
Diedra is married to Kerry Porché and they have two children, Rachel and Jonathan. Diedra is also a member of Faithful Central Baptist Church where she participates in various church and community activities.
Wendy Fierro is the Social Studies Lead teacher at the UCLA Community School, where she has been teaching history for 5 years. In addition to teaching history, Wendy is the EmpowHer Instructor for 8th grade girls. She graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in Political Science and received her Master's in teaching from UCLA. Wendy's interests involve traveling and doing outdoor activities such as camping and hiking. She is also passionate about empowering youth to be agents of change.
Angela received a BA in History and Criticism of Art from Florida State University in 2014. As an undergraduate, Angela interned at the FSU Museum of Fine Arts as a curatorial and education assistant. She played a vital role in the strategic development of the Tampa Museum of Art and the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, in Florida. She's professionally certified in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge, and extends her expertise in optimizing fundraising CRMs and databases. With over six years of fundraising experience in non-profits, Angela is dedicated to executing the goals of a mission-driven organization; motivated by a passion for advancing diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
Angela is a Tampa Bay native, she also enjoys weekend excursions to the beach, any genre of live music, and her strong morning coffee.
Ana began studying at Cerritos College where she earned her Associate in Arts degree in Geography. She later transferred to UC Santa Barbara and earned a BA in Geography in March 2019. While attending UC Santa Barbara, Ana lived in a predominantly affluent community, giving her access to healthier air quality. During that time, freeways and railroads were at a distance, Anna didn't live near industrial sites, and brown smog was not on the horizon. This experience was quite different from her upbringing in Southeast Los Angeles and helped Ana to recognize the disparities marginalized communities endure. Ana realized she wants to use her voice to represent BIPOC residents in marginalized communities and fight for environmental and social justice rights. Ana hopes to utilize her passion for environmental and social justice issues to encourage and empower youth to use their voices to advocate for equity and social change in their communities.
TaSh has a passion for the arts and empowering youth in marginalized communities. When she attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, she served as the youth lead for the Lynwood Youth Commission. This experience allowed her to see that she had the ability to make meaningful change. While pursuing her degree at Loyola Marymount University, she volunteered as a math tutor for youth in foster care in LAUSD. TaSh became a substitute teacher with the Long Beach Unified School District because of her love for children.
TaSh strives to make the youth she meets feel seen and heard. It is her hope that she can inspire our EmpowHer Girls to believe that they can also make meaningful change.
Keyonna Keith is committed to serving underserved and marginalized youth through mentoring and educational programs. As an undergraduate, Keyonna worked with the UCLA Urban Collaborative P.A.L.S. Program to provide high school students in Watts mentorship and guidance with college preparation. Prior to joining EmpowHer, Keyonna has worked in the nonprofit sector managing and developing engaging after-school programs that provide tutoring and enrichment activities to students in Inglewood and Compton Unified School Districts.
Keyonna earned a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and Political Science from Loyola Marymount University, and a Juris Doctor from UC Hastings College of the Law.


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Several months ago, Facebook announced a new feature that would be coming soon to Messenger.
Initially, the company didn't set a timetable for the often asked for delete functionality, but it recently made its way into the code base and is now ready for use. Granted, it's got limitations, but is a big step in the right direction that was long awaited.
The new feature allows you to delete messages from a conversation after you've sent them. This is in the event that you had a change of heart about the message you sent, or in cases where you sent a message to the wrong person.
On your smart device, deleting a message is as simple as tapping it and selecting either the "Remove for You" or "Remove for Everyone" options that now appear on the menu. However, there's a catch: You've only got a ten-minute window to decide to take it back. After that, it's part of the permanent record. In addition, people may take screenshots of your message before you can delete the text.
The feature is modeled after an Admin-level power that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has. While he can set his messages up to expire over time, your powers are a good deal more limited. It's still a useful feature indeed, although the company has received some flak for what many see as unfair, preferential treatment. They're accused of giving company higher-ups more powers than the rank and file users of the system.
As for Zuckerberg, he's unapologetic that his powers are greater than the one rolled out to the general user base, citing an increase in security concerns on the heels of the Sony Pictures email hacks that occurred in 2014.
While most people see it as a weak justification, there's little that can be done. Here's hoping that the company eventually expands the functionality of the new feature. In the meantime, it stands as a good start.

subset: commoncrawl


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Current Studies in Linguistics
The Syntax of Time
Edited by
Jacqueline Guéron,
Jacqueline Guéron
Jaqueline Guéron is Professor of English Linguistics at the Université Paris III.
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Jacqueline Lecarme
Jacqueline Lecarme
Jacqueline Lecarme is a researcher in the Laboratoire de Linguistique Formelle, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Université Paris 7.
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Tim Stowell, 2004. "Tense and Modals", The Syntax of Time, Jacqueline Guéron, Jacqueline Lecarme
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NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512 & GeForce 8800 GT 256MB: Playing with Memory and G92
by Anand Lal Shimpi on December 11, 2007 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Bar Charts for All
We've had requests for bar charts with all of the cards in them, so without further ado we have the data you've already been presented reformatted into our standard bar graphs. Enjoy:
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sliblue - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
Im begining to wonder --- I built a new machine based on the qx9650, asus p5e3 deluxe, and 1 8800 gtx (pci 16 on pci 2.0) 4 gig a ram and Vista 64. Loaded up crysis and told it to auto detect my settings and low and behold it spit out the recomendation of very high for everything. I launched the game and couldnt believe how smooth it was with one card on Very High. I am not overclocking anything and can see a huge difference between the qx9650 and the amd blackbox 6400 x2 -
Affectionate-Bed-980 - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
The 8800GT review was SOLID, but based on the comparisons you made with the 8800GT, don't you think you should include it here? You did 8800GT vs GTX in the last article, so don't you think you should do 8800GTS vs. GT vs. GTX? But instead you jump to Ultra. I guess it's great that we can go BACK to the 8800GT article and then kinda interpolate how the GTS will do against the GTX, and that's why I hate about reviews that don't include more info for our benefit.
I don't see why a lot of these graphs can't be combined together?
I think another issue for me is why the ATI cards now use so little power? In the ATI review, you showed the 3870 gobbling more power than the 8800GT under load, but now it's a clear winner in power consumption. What's the deal here? -
Affectionate-Bed-980 - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
I think my other gripe with this review is that this is a NEW revision of the GTS. Don't you think it should be wise to compare both the old GTSes against this new revision? That's one thing I really wanted to see in the GT review too. How do the 320/640 GTSes stack up against the GT. What about in this review? -
afrost - Thursday, December 13, 2007 - link
Except that to get a decent cooler on the 8800GT you have to spend another $40 at least for an aftermarket cooler.
I personally prefer the GTS becuase I can just stick it straight in to my box without ripping the stock cooler off, and it's a little bit faster on top of it. I also didn't have Crysis and mine comes with it in the box.....so overall a good buy in my particular situation. -
nubie - Thursday, December 13, 2007 - link
I am sorry you feel that way, my EVGA 256-P3-N791-AR 8800gt 256 comes with the re-designed heatsink and fan and all I had to do was pull a slider to get 710 1720 1000 clocks, and it didn't overheat.
Most of the newer GT's (possibly all the 256mb ones) are coming with a better cooling solution. As for the GTS, yes, great, if you have 2 slots for cooling, not everyone does. Oh, yeah, and a spare $100-150 for only 16 more stream processors?? My GT has the same memory bandwidth (64GB/s) when I pull the slider to 1Ghz(2G DDR).
In a perfect world, of course I choose the absolute best, but on a budget an 8800gt is just fine. -
ashegam - Thursday, December 13, 2007 - link
Did I miss this in the article or in the comments or has no one mentioned that this new gen card won't be supporting directX 10.1?
and that doesn't bother anyone interested in purchasing this card?
should it not be a concern for a potential buyer? -
Distant - Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - link
I'll apologize if they acknowledge their mistake and include 8xAA in their tests from now on, I think cards are powerful to the point now were it should be happening in the mid/high range cards anyway.
Why's this matter? most of those frame rates aren't playable? Well not quite as you saw Oblvion and Prey were, furthermore that site in particular only really tested the very newest games.
Don't you play any older games? How about any of Valves games? TF2 maybe? I take it you do and I would think most people would want to know their 8800GT is going to get obliterated when they try higher then 4xAA
And what about the implications for SLI/Crossfire? Surely if you have a cross/sli setup your going to want to run 8 and in some cases even 16xAA on games not named Crysis. -
Distant - Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - link
In case you guys are wondering what Nvidia payed anandtech not to show you take a look at
You can clearly see in the 8 tests that they did do 8xAA on
Clive Barkers Jericho
Company of heroes DX9 and 10
Lost Planet
In every single one of those with the exception of FEAR and Company of heroes in DX9 mode the 8800GT's framerates literally drop like a freaking rock, in some cases it's performance getting cut in more then half while the 3870's really takes much of hits at all and because of this the 3870 overtakes the 8800GT at this level of AA.
Now call me crazy, but I think most of us don't have a 24+ inch monitor and if you do you really need two cards anyway, my point is looking at the frame rates in most games your going to be wanting to game at 8xAA and if you just read this article you wouldn't have known that the 8800GT appears to be garbage at high levels of AA
Zak - Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - link
What exactly are we supposed to be looking at? Besides the fact that it's in German, I see no graphs, no tables. And actually a lot gamers play at resolutions higher than 1280x1024 so 8xAA is mostly unrealistic for any game on any card today. I'm happy when I can get playable framerates with 4X or even 2x on 8800GTX OC in modern games. Accusing Anandtech of being paid by Nvidia (not payed by the way) is baseless and I think out of order. I'd apologize if I were you...
nubie - Wednesday, December 12, 2007 - link
I bought the EVGA 8800GT 256MB from Newegg on Sunday for $215, of course they are long gone by now.
This card has 1800mhz RAM, where does that fall in the charts? This means it has identical memory bandwidth to the GT 512's
I hope that the prices fall and the EVGA Step-Up program will let me get something nice within the 90-days, after this madness is over.
Either way my monitor is only 1280x1024, and I am not married to AA, so this seems the best choice, for now.
I am still waiting for some good drivers, I barely beat my 3Dmark01 score(+200) against my old 7900GS 650mhz, that is pretty sad, I don't think that these drivers are properly functional yet.
Stereoscopic 3D gaming is out the window too, I had a spontaneous reboot already, whether this is the fault of the GT, all 8 series cards, dual-core processor, non-existent stereo drivers or some wacky combination, I don't know.
When you guys get the EVGA 1800mhz card to bench, let us know asap, they don't claim it as a "clocked" card on the line-up, or in the RAM.
I got 43/19/115 framerate in World In Conflict Very High settings, 1280x1024 on an x2 4600/2GB DDR2 800/ DFI Infinity II/M2, not bad for the money.
I am still curious about the dual-core CPU effect, I can only hit 2.6 on this proc (65w Windsor), and I don't run it there. I am getting a single-core Windsor soon and hope to have it clocked to 3ghz like my 939 was, that seemed much faster in game than the x2 4600 ever was (obviously with no background apps.)


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Effect of Fuel Wobbe Number on Pollutant Emissions from Advanced Technology Residential Water Heaters: Results of Controlled Experiments
Publication Type
The research summarized in this report is part of a larger effort to evaluate the potential air quality impacts of using liquefied natural gas in California. A difference of potential importance between many imported liquefied natural gas blends and the natural gas blends that have been distributed in California in recent years is the higher Wobbe number of liquefied natural gas. Wobbe number is a measure of the energy delivery rate for appliances that use orifice- or pressure-based fuel metering. The effect of varying natural gas blends and associated Wobbe number on pollutant emissions from residential water heaters was evaluated in controlled experiments. Experiments were conducted on eight storage water heaters, including five with "ultra low-NOX" burners, and four on-demand (tankless) water heaters, all of which featured ultra low-NOX burners. Pollutant emissions were quantified as air-free concentrations in the appliance flue and fuel-based emission factors in units of nanogram of pollutant emitter per joule of fuel energy consumed. Emissions were measured for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), nitrogen oxide (NO), formaldehyde and acetaldehyde as the water heaters were operated through defined operating cycles using fuels with varying Wobbe number. The reference fuel was Northern California line gas with Wobbe number ranging from 1344 to 1365. Test fuels had Wobbe numbers of 1360, 1390 and 1420. The most prominent finding was an increase in NOX emissions with increasing Wobbe number: all five of the ultra low-NOX storage water heaters and two of the four ultra low-NOX on-demand water heaters had statistically discernible (p<0.10) increases in NOX with increasing fuel Wobbe number. The largest percentage increases occurred for the ultra low-NOX water heaters. There was a discernible change in CO emissions with changes in Wobbe number for all four of the on-demand devices tested. The on-demand water heater with the highest CO emissions also had the largest CO increase with increasing fuel Wobbe number.


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"Tabloid Language" in Nature Neuroscience
By now, everyone has read about the so-called "homosexual" (actually bisexual) fruit flies (Grosjean et al., 2007):1
Study finds gay gene in fruit fliesIt's not surprising that the popular press used tabloid terminology to sell the story. But how many of you have seen the highly critical News and Views article by Joel D. Levine in the January 2008 issue of Nature Neuroscience? He calls Grosjean et al. on the carpet for using sensationalistic language, which the editors and reviewers apparently allowed into the final version of the manuscript.
SUMMARY: Scientists have found that a gene can turn on and off homosexual impulses in fruit flies.
Researchers in Chicago have discovered a gene that identifies homosexuality in fruit flies, which can be turned on and off with drugs. David Featherstone, a biologist at the University of Illinois, said that while humans have a similar gene, it has yet to be determined whether that gene has any effect on same-sex attractions in humans.
Glia and romanceYou have to give the editors some credit, though, for publishing Levine's critique, although it would've been more fun if they let flyingkumquat write the rejoinder instead:
Drosophila courtship is a complex behavior. A new study shows that glia modulate neurotransmission to influence male preference, but the authors should have resisted the temptation to describe their results in tabloid language.
...In the current issue, Grosjean et al. describe an unexpected role for glial cells in the initiation of male courtship behavior. A mutation that reduces expression of a glial amino-acid transporter causes male flies to court other males with the same probability as females. The authors accordingly named this transporter genderblind. The courtship behavior associated with the genderblind mutation is certainly different from control behavior, but is it really homosexual?
. . .
The study by Grosjean et al. makes an important contribution by calling attention to a neuro-glial element in the circuitry that governs courtship behavior. Furthermore, this study initiates the search for the glutamatergic neurons involved in the processing of courtship pheromones.
Apart from its merits, however, this paper has a serious language problem. Throughout, the authors use the term homosexual to describe the behavior of a male mutant that courts both males and females with equal probability. If anything, these flies might be bisexual, but the data are also consistent with the possibility that genderblind mutants would court anything painted with 7-tricosene...
. . .
...bizarre misapplication of fruit fly research spilling into the public and political arena may well be fostered by scientists' increased use of tabloid language. Yes, the business of science requires communicating effectively, raising money, and indeed a form of advertising, but the language in scientific papers must stick to the facts. My argument is not at all about political correctness. The misuse of a term like homosexual in this and other cases is simply inaccurate, unnecessary, and, in the end, bad for the scientific business.
I have had enough of the "OMG You Can Turn Fruit Flies Gay and Then Straight Again" silliness.
Some fishes can change their sex. I don't see people saying, "OMG Fishes Can Change Their Sex, Maybe We Can Too!"
Perhaps a new section of the journal can be called Dish and Bitch...
1 For an excellent summary of courtship in the genderblind mutant, see Bisexual flies and the neurochemistry of behavior. See also Wait for it...Wait for it...It's Teh Gay Gene!
Grosjean Y, Grillet M, Augustin H, Ferveur J-F, Featherstone DE. (2007). A glial amino-acid transporter controls synapse strength and
Levine JD (2008). Glia and romance. Nature Neurosci. 11:8-10.
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Please visit our Open House at 711 Kenaschuk LINK in Saskatoon.
Open House on Sunday, November 28, 2021 2:00PM - 4:00PM
This 2029 sq/ft 2 storey by developer Mega Construction Inc will sure to impress. Nice wide walkway leading up to front entrance. Large foyer at front door features custom finished wall, locker setup by garage man door, gleaming porcelain tile through front entrance, garage entrance and 2 piece bathroom. Open concept living room/kitchen/dining room features laminate flooring, white kitchen cabinets with undermount lighting, accessories including range hood fan, wall microwave, corner pantry, tile backsplash, quartz countertops with extended eatup bar on island and silgranite sink. Dining area is large and spacious, custom light fixture, large windows to back yard. Great room is spacious with large windows, custom feature wall with electric fireplace and floating shelves. 9' ceilings throughout main floor add to the spacious feel of this home. 2nd floor features a large bonus room, 2 generous sized bedrooms, 4 piece main bathroom, a formal laundry room with storage closet, the master bedroom features a large walk-in closet with 3 walls of clothes storage, and a beautiful ensuite with large tiled shower with glass doors, dual vanity sinks with large quartz countertop. The basement is open for development with side entrance door for future legal suite if desired. Features 9' ceilings, modern mechanical room with 50 gal US power-vent hot water heater, high efficient furnace with oversized air filter, humidifier, HRV, and sump pump. Exterior of home has stucco finishing with rock corner accents for ease of maintenance, triple attached insulated garage with 4th door drive through, triple concrete driveway with front landscaping included. Home comes with Saskatchewan New Home Warranty.


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Mojito Conventions¶
This chapter is provides an overview of the general conventions and practices when developing Mojito applications. Think of this chapter as a guideline or a cheat sheet to help you remember Mojito-specific conventions. If you don't find the information that you're looking for here, see the chapter dedicated to the topic you're interested in, such as Mojits or Configuring Mojito.
The diagram below shows you the structure of a Mojito application, the differences and relationship between a mojit definition and instance, and how a routing path is mapped to a mojit action to render a template:
MVC Structure¶
Your models, controllers, and views in Mojito applications are in your mojit directories in the following location:
- mojits/{mojit_name}/models/
- mojits/{mojit_name}/
- mojits/{mojit_name}/views/
Configurations are found in either the .json or .yaml files in the application directory or under mojit directories. The configurations are composed of JSON or YAML, which is a superset of JSON. If both JSON and YAML versions of a configuration file exist, Mojito will use the configurations defined in the YAML file.
The configurations files found directly under the application directory are considered application-level or shared configurations that all mojits can access. The application configuration files are application.json and routes.json or the YAML versions application.yaml and routes.yaml.
The application.json file stores general configuration for the application as well as defines mojit instance configurations, which are covered in the Mojits section. The routes.json file is for configuring routing paths so that a path is mapped to the execution of a mojit action.
We're only going to cover the use of contexts, suggested settings for development and production, and routing. See Configuring Mojito for descriptions and possible values for all the configurations as well as examples for configuring routing and more.
The application configuration file application.json allows you to map configurations to different runtime environments. The contexts are defined in the configuration object by the setting property. In the example snippet below, different mojit instances are created for the developer and production environments:
"settings": [ "environment:development" ],
"specs": {
"test": {
"type": "Test"
"settings": [ "environment:production" ],
"specs": {
"test": {
"type": "Production"
Development/Production Configurations¶
We recommend that you add special logging and cache configurations for the environment:development, so that all log messages are displayed and assets are not cached. The environment:production context, in contrast, does not show any error messages and allows caching.
"settings": [ "environment:development" ],
"staticHandling": {
"forceUpdate": true
"config": {
"debug": true,
"logLevel": "debug"
"settings": [ "environment:production" ],
"staticHandling": {
"forceUpdate": false
"config": {
"debug": false,
"logLevel": "none"
The names of routing paths should be short, descriptive, and in lowercase. The routes are defined by an object that associates a path with an action of a mojit instance.
"root": {
"path": "/",
"call": "frame.index"
Mojito code is organized into files that are custom YUI modules. In the YUI module, you use YUI.add to register a string as the name of the custom YUI modules. See the Mojits section for more module information for controllers, models, binders, and tests.
Unit tests are located in the mojits and are run with the Mojito command-line utility. Mojito allows you to write server-side unit tests for the controller and model. See the Mojits: Tests below for more information.
Mojito does not come with a functional testing suite, but we suggest that you use the npm module Arrow for writing and running functional tests. Arrow is a testing framework that fuses together JavaScript, Node.js, PhantomJS, and Selenium.
Mojito does not have any formal conventions for using Arrow. We recommend that you read the Arrow documentation and the wiki Mojito Framework's Unit and Functional Tests for examples.
Mojit Instances¶
The instance is defined in the application configuration file application.json and then created by Mojito when the application is started. The naming convention of mojit instances is to use a lower-case string, much as you would use a lower-case string to name an object in JavaScript.
Mojits have instance configuration, default configuration, and definition files. The instance configuration is specified in the config object of the mojit instance in application.json and is generally information that is important to the execution of mojit instance. The default configuration is found in defaults.json in the mojit directory and is used to store default instance configuration values in the config object. For general data, mojits should use the definition.json file to store key-value pairs not used to determine what action is executed or template is rendered.
Mojit Definitions¶
Mojit definitions are the files and code that constitute the mojit and are created with the command mojito create mojit <mojit_name>.
The default location for mojits is in {application_name}/mojits, but you can specify the location of mojits with the application configurations mojitDirs and mojitsDirs.
The naming convention for mojit definitions is to use an upper camel-case string and keep the name as short as possible, such as Flickr or FlickrPhotos. Think of the mojit definition as a class name and the instance as an instantiation of the mojit.
For the file name of the controller shown above, the {affinity} can be server, common, or client, and {selector} can either be omitted or defined by the selector property in application.json.
The default controller file is controller.server.js, but you can use the affinity to determining where the controller will be executed and define different versions of the controller with the selector property in application.json.
YUI Module Names¶
The convention is for mojit controllers to register the lowercased definition name as the module name. For example, the mojit Flickr would register the module name flickr with YUI.add: YUI.add('flickr', function(Y, NAME) {
In the model file name shown above, {model_name} is a user-defined string:
YUI Module Names¶
The naming convention of modules for mojit models uses the lowercased definition name prepended to -model: {mojit_name}-model
Thus, the module name for the model of the Flickr mojit would be flickr-model.
Using Models¶
To access models, you need to require the mojito-models-addon. The Models addon provides a models namespace from the ac object from which you can use the get method to access models.
You pass the {model_name} (see Pathname) to the get method to access your model as shown in this example.
index: function(ac) {
ac.models.get('model').getData(function(err, data) {
}, '0.0.1', {requires: ['mojito', 'mojito-models-addon']});
Templates (Views)¶
The default template file when you create a Mojito application is index.hb.html. In the template file shown above, {action} is the controller function being called or view specified, {selector} is defined by the {selector} property in application.json, and {view_engine} being hb for Handlebars by default or any view engine implemented by the application developer.
In the binder file shown above, {action} is the controller action mapped to the request URL.
When you use a frame mojit, such as HTMLFrameMojit, and configure your application to deploy code to the client by setting the application configuration deploy to true, Mojito will send the binder file with the response body.
YUI Module Names¶
The naming of modules for mojit binders uses the following convention: {lowercased_mojit_name}-binder-{action}
For example, the module name for the index binder of the Flickr mojit would be flickr-binder-index.
YUI Modules¶
This section is for custom YUI modules that developers want to include in the application code. See also Configuring YUI in Mojito.
Using the YUI Modules¶
The YUI module that you created registers the YUI module name with YUI.add. In your mojit code (controllers, binders, models), you specify the module name as a dependency in the requires array. Your mojit code can then access the YUI module through the Y instance.
For example, suppose the YUI module string-helper is registered in the file string_helper.server.js as shown below:
YUI.add('string-helper', function (Y) {
// Code goes here.
// Add dependencies for your module in the `requires` array.
}, '1.0.0', { requires: []});
Your controller could then access the module by requiring it. The example below shows how you would require our string-helper module and provides a possible example of using the helper:
YUI.add('body', function (Y, NAME) {
Y.namespace('mojito.binders')[NAME] = {
index: function (ac) {
var str_helper = Y.StringHelper();
Y.log(str_helper.strip(" this is just a hypothetical example ");
}, '1.0.0', { requires: ['mojito-models-addon', 'string-helper']});
Addons are extensions that provide functionality that lives both on the server and/or client. Each addon provides additional functions through a namespace that is attached directly to the ActionContext object and is available when required in a controller.
Built-In Addons¶
Mojito comes with built-in addons that are accessible through the ActionContext object. To access a built-in addon from a controller, you add the string mojito-{addon}-addon to the requires array, where {addon} could be any of the following:
- assets - Assets addon for managing assets
- config - Config addon for handling configurations
- composite - Composite addon to execute child mojits
- cookies - Cookie addon for getting/setting cookies
- data - Data addon for sharing data
- helpers - Helpers addon for registering Handlebars helpers
- http - Http addon for getting and setting HTTP headers, request information.
- intl - Intl addon for localization
- meta - Meta addon for getting and merging meta data of child mojits.
- models - Models addon for accessing models
- params - Params addon for managing parameters
- partial - Partials addon for rendering partials.
- url - Url addon for creating and finding URLs.
The list of built-in ActionContext addons above is not complete. Mojito also has Resource Store (rs) and View Engine (view-engine) addons. See the addons directory in the Mojito source code and the Mojito API documentation for more information.
Custom Addons¶
You can also create your own addons that you can include in controllers and then access through the ActionContext object just like the built-in addons.
- {app_dir}/addons/ac/{addon_namespace}.{affinity}.js
- {mojit_dir}/addons/ac/{addon_namespace}.{affinity}.js
For the addon files shown above, {addon_namespace} is the string appended to the namespace defined in the addon, such as Y.namespace.addons.ac.{addon_namespace}.
Module Names¶
The naming convention for modules for custom addons is the following, where {addon_namespace} is the string appended to the namespace defined in the addon, such as Y.namespace.addons.ac.{addon_namespace}.
Accessing Addons¶
To use an addon, you require the registered addon name in the requires array of your controller.
The module names for both controller and model unit tests using the following naming convention:
- {lowercased_mojit_name}-tests - (controller unit tests)
- {lowercased_mojit_name}-model-tests - (model unit tests)
Static Assets¶
The suggested method for including CSS and JS assets in applications is to include the in the assets directory, specify the path to the assets in the assets property of application.json, and then have the HTMLFrameMojit attach the assets to the HTML skeleton. You can also just hard-code the path to the assets in your templates, but this is not the recommended approach.
For application-level (or shared) assets, the recommended location would be the following directories:
- {application_name}/assets/css/
- {application_name}/assets/js/
For mojit-level assets, the recommended location is the following:
- {mojit_name}/assets/css/
- {mojit_name}/assets/js/
Mojito registers a path to the assets based on a prefix, a source path, and the relative path to the assets. The prefix is the basename directory of the static URL. The default value for the prefix is /static/, but you can define the prefix with the staticHandling.prefix property in application.json.
The source path for assets would either be the application or the mojit depending on the level of the resource. The relative path is the path relative to the source path, which in the case of assets would be either /assets/css/ or /assets/js/.
Thus, the default path to assets would have the following syntax: /{prefix}/{source_path}/{relative_path} For example, the default path to the application-level CSS asset index.css for the application NewsAggregator would be /static/NewsAggregator/assets/css/index.css.
Using Static Assets¶
There are three main ways to use static assets in your application:
- Specify the asset paths in application.json for the HTMLFrameMojit` to attach to the page. See Code Examples: Attaching Assets with HTMLFrameMojit.
- Hardcode the static path to the assets in your template. See Code Examples: Adding Assets
- Dynamically attach the assets with the Assets addon. See Using the Assets Addon.


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Darktable OpenCL Project - Volume Three (Composition by cybero)
OpenCL Image Filters ported over from the Darktable source code kernels and header files into Quartz Composer. Composition published under Free Document Licence http://cybero.co.uk/fdl.pdf. Code redistributed under the GPL issued by its original author, Johannes Hanika in 2010. Original Code Repository and Application site - http://darktable.org/ Filters are :- graduatedndp |


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Discuss Sony's handheld consoles in here. The PS Vita and the outgoing PSP.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
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The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.
What happened this week?
This was a busy week, I suddenly got a lot of request for tours over at Lola's Blog Tours, so I've been happily working on those. So far 3 new tours went open for sign-up this week and I am working on more! It felt good to be working again. There's a new blog tour, a book blitz and an cover reveal open for sign-up.
Beside that not much happened this week, it was still pretty warm. I played some games and got a bit of reading done. I received a copy for review of a book I am really looking forward to reading it, especially after reading a disapointing 2 star book.
On friday we went to The Hague, we bought some groceries in an asian supermarket there. There is a really big asian supermarket in The hague, close to the China town there and it's so much fun to walk around and see things you don't normally see in a supermarket. We even bought a rettich as long as my boyfriends forearm for only an euro (see picture below). We had no idea what to do with it, so when we got home my boyfriend had to google some recipes.
Then we went to grab some tea and cheesecake at the best cheesecake shop in the Netherlands (as far as I know). I had a cheesecake with orange and my boyfriend went for the Death by Chocolate cake. Then we walked around thecity a bit more and bought some cupcakes for home, there's this shop that always had the best cupcakes, but their quality seem to have diminished a bit :(. So all in all we had a fun day, it was really warm though so we where pretty tired once we got back. It was nice to have a day filled with fun though after such a busy week.
Random Picture of the Week:
This is smarties in a tea box for Lady Grey Tea (delicious tea btw). So that box was empty and I figured it should be big enough for a rat, they sorta seem okay with sitting in it for a bit and they are so adorable with their head sticking out of the box. They don't sit still for long though.
Games I played this week:
– Robocraft by Freejam.
It's a game where you build your own robot and then play capture the hill against another team or you can just destroy all the robots of the other team, that works too. It's still in beta. It is free to play, but you level up faster if you pay, I am not paying for it and so far it's fun. It's a bit simple so far and basically when you get into a higher tier you can buy higher tier leveled weapons, blocks etc and you get stronger. You don't really unlock anything different after a while, but the higher tier equipment does look different then the lower tier upgrades. Actually the most fun thing is that you build awesome looking robots (which probably don't do that wel in battle) and you can play it multiplayer. You can invite friends to your platoon and then when you click battle the game makes sure you're all in the same team in the same battle. Below is a picture of the Robo I am currently playing with, it's a sniper robo with wheels.
This week I posted about:
– Blog Tour: Swimming to Tokyo
– Cover Reveal: 1000 Stolen Moments
– Review: Revealed Part Two by SJ Pajonas
What to expect next week on the blog:
– Blog Tour: Little Death by Roe Valentine
Tours open for sign-up on Lola's Blog Tours:
– Review Opportunity: Chills: a short story collection by Sahar Sabati – sign-ups open till further notice
– Review Opportunity: Flawless by Jennifer McGill – sign-ups open till further notice
– Review Opportunity: Paranormal Keepers by Jen Naumann – sign-ups open till further notice
– Review Opportunity: The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani – sign-ups open till further notice
– Blog Tour: Little Death by Roe Valentine – sign-ups open till 3 August
– Blog Tour: Fairytale Apocalypse (The Verge #1) by Jacqueline Patricks – sign-ups open till 21 September
– Book Blitz: Promises Under the Peach Tree by Joanne Rock – sign-ups open till 1 September
– Cover Reveal: The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen – sign-ups open till August 18
Book Haul:
Revealed Part Two: Plan D, A Failed Proposal, and Jiro's Surprise (The Nogiku Series 0.2)
by S.J. Pajonas
Format: e-copy
Source: for review
You can find Revealed Part Two on Goodreads
Picking up the story after REVEALED Part One, Mark Sakai must now complete his mission to bring Sanaa Griffin into his employ. All the plans are in place, and he just has to execute them, but he's paralyzed with indecision and regrets. While Sakai tries to continue with his job despite his own cowardice, Jiro relives his past failures and watches his brother succeed without him. He didn't think his life could get any more depressing until his father surprises him with a new student. But not just any student…REVEALED is a collection of companion short stories to REMOVED, Book ONE of the Nogiku Series. Read REVEALED first or read it later, but don't miss this look into the other side of Sanaa's story.
Approximately 15,000 words (Five chapters)
Reunited (Nogiku series #3)
by SJ Pajonas
Format: e-copy
Source: for review
You can find Reunited on Goodreads
Book Three of the Nogiku Series — COMING August 14, 2014Yūsei has surprises for Sanaa Itami. The long trip across the stars ends with Mark Sakai delivering bad news from orbit over their new home, and there's no turning back or moving on. Despite all their misgivings, this is where they will have to stay.
Sanaa, Jiro, and the rest of Earth's settlers move into a coastal town and stick to their plans to live the colonization life they dreamed of. But Sanaa's existence won't be kept secret from her enemies for long. Kazuo promised he would see her in another life, on another world, and he aims to keep his word. Now she will face those who want their revenge and make new enemies while dispensing with old ones on her journey across the fascinating and unfamiliar landscape of Yūsei.
REUNITED, Book THREE of the Nogiku Series, is the third book in a captivating post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.
Ante Up (A Sin City Collectors novella)
by Amanda Carlson
Format: e-copy
Source: for review
You can find Ante Up on Goodreads
Diesel Jones is a shifter who has issues with the moon, but he quickly finds that Sofia Cabrera, a clever witch who just moved in to town, is his only hope to reach his goal of becoming a Collector. When they pair up to take down an incubus, she not only saves his life, but wins his heart in the process…


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Obtaining plant variety protection via national procedure
The Hungarian Intellectual Property Office grants plant variety protection according to the laws and regulations on applications.
- Administrative service fees are to be paid for applications and for the maintenance of protection.
- The Information Leaflet provides the applicants detailed information on the patent granting procedure.
- The Guidelines for plant variety protection examination (Hungarian only) explains the Office's consistent interpretation and practice of law.
- It is advisable to draft the application by using the Application form (Hungarian only).


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On most days you can find Bernie Kosar in his happy place — the Northeast Ohio farm he purchased during his time as Cleveland Browns quarterback. Kosar, who jokingly refers to himself as the Eddie Albert character in the old TV series "Green Acres," enjoys exploring the land and enjoying the seasons.
"When you're able to get outside it really gets the pressure of the cellphone ringing all the time, the texts, the emails, you know, it's a great way to kind of just get away, relax," Kosar said after a Sunday afternoon ride on one of his quads.
This joy at one point in his life, though, was more of a chore, made difficult by the concussion-related complications he had been experiencing. Kosar's is a life that exemplifies the highs and lows of a life in football.
And concussions went along with the job.
"We called a concussion back then when you were 'unconscious.' So those are probably 20 or 25," the 53-year-old Kosar recalled. "But if you really think about the phrase when we were younger 'you got your bell rung,' that's really a concussion now. It might be a smaller one but you see stars. Then, now, you're talking into the hundreds."
Kosar stops to interject some advice:
"For the young viewers in all of the sports wear a mouthpiece, I was not intelligent and I didn't wear a mouthpiece and a mouthpiece will absorb some of the hits on it."
The heavy hits for Kosar began in college at the University of Miami on his very first play from scrimmage in a game against the Florida Gators at the swamp in Gainesville.
"This guy named Wilbur Marshall, we were backed up on the one yard line, he cracked me into the red brick wall that goes around Gator-land and the first thing I thought as I was laying there was, 'I better do good in school because this football thing is not going to work out.'"
Kosar did very well in school graduating from the "U" with a degree in finance in just 2.5 years while leading the Hurricanes to the school's first National Championship. He would announce his decision to enter the NFL's supplemental draft in 1985 to guarantee he would be picked first overall by the team he grew up rooting for in Boardman, Ohio, the Cleveland Browns.
For eight and a half seasons on the way to three AFC Championship games, the hits kept coming, said Kosar, who puts the number of broken bones and torn ligaments he suffered at around 60.
Quarterbacks at the time didn't have the protections that exist in the NFL today. "The league was encouraging crown of the helmet, top of the helmet blows. I mean the beginning of Monday Night Football was two helmets smashing together, the pregame show had a segment called 'Jacked Up,' where how hard do you hit a guy and you were glorified for using your helmet as a weapon," he said.
Beyond that, the astroturf fields of the day were little more than fuzzy concrete "and in Cleveland we had the mud that got frozen. So frozen mud isn't exactly pleasant either," he added.
Kosar once famously played three quarters of a game on a broken ankle, it was an era, he said, where you didn't dare come out of a game.
"I had this talk with Marty Schottenheimer. A lot of times I'd get hurt during a game and he goes, 'don't lie to me, are you hurt or not?' And I told him just a couple of months ago, I go, 'Marty, I never lied to you, I was lying to myself.'"
He knew the rewards of those days were, in his words, at the cost of the future. But in retirement came the pounding headaches that led to sleepless nights and anxiety that left this man known to a country, at times feeling alone.
"I know my family could care less, they didn't believe me, you know, when you say well you're not sleeping 'oh your head hurts, oh you're just making it up,'" he said. "You know, my own family didn't care, they thought I was embellishing, needed attention."
As the symptoms got worse his weight increased and his speech slurred, leading many to believe he'd been drinking. He admits he was in denial until he learned of a doctor in Florida administering a treatment of mega dose vitamins. "I literally within 10 days, two weeks could aggressively feel a positive influence on me," Kosar recalled.
"My approach is one of enabling the body's natural physiology to flourish," Dr. Pesek said of his holistic care approach that emphasizes a superfoods diet, cleansing and mega dose vitamins to supplement those that have faded in our lives over the centuries.
When Kosar moved full time back to Northeast Ohio, he went looking for doctors offering similar treatments and was pointed in the direction of Dr. Todd Pesek, M.D., Pesek is Founding Holistic Physician and CEO of VitalHealth as well as Chief Medical Officer for Heinen's Grocery Stores and author of "Eat Yourself Super."
"It's really us being removed from what our ancestors did," said Pesek. "You know we're not running around naked so everyone has a Vitamin D deficiency, we're not eating C vegetables like our ancestors and everyone has iodine deficiency."
Several times a month, Kosar receives an IV of mega dose vitamins tailored to meet his needs and the outcome for him he says has been remarkable. The concussion-related headaches subsided, which enabled him to again sleep through the night and along with diet and exercise he's down about 60 pounds and able to fully enjoy life again.
"Megadose vitamin therapy is an incredibly underutilized strategy at optimizing health in this day and age," Pesek said.
"Because I feel better, I feel like going to meetings, I feel like getting out of the house, I feel like exercising, I'm actually capable of exercising."
"Is it the complete answer?" Kosar rhetorically asked. "I can't give you that just yet but I know it's helped me."
He believes it's something that might help others in his position as well. That's why he'd like to see it included as an option for players involved in the NFL concussion settlement.
"This is why partially I wanted to do this with you. Letting people know, not just athletes, but specifically athletes now that are going through with this concussion litigation, there is hope out there and, right now, if you don't have hope, you can't really take that next step," he said.
"I probably waited a little too long," Kosar said of beginning treatments. "But at least I'm trying to hit it on the earlier side of it before things really start to go south and I'm watching guys older than me and some guys younger than me where it's going south and it goes south quick."


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Title: First Life
Author: Rose Garcia
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Paranormal
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR
Dominique has survived the final attempt on her life only to discover that someone connected to her future will suffer her same fate. Determined to spare this innocent loved one from being hunted for lifetimes, Dominique and her remaining allies travel to first life with a mission to alter destiny. When Dominique and her companions arrive in the past, they are confronted with a reality they didn't expect, and are shocked by a turn of events that threaten to change everything they know.
A prequel that starts where Final Death leaves off, First Life delivers heart-stopping action and gut-wrenching emotional turmoil. Be sure to read Final Life, Final Stand, and Final Death before delving into the unpredictable world of First Life.
Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Final Life Series—a Young Adult science fiction/fantasy series about people who have the ability to control the energy in and around them. Rose is known for bringing richly diverse characters to life as she draws from her own cultural experiences. Rose lives in Houston, Texas with her awesome husband and two amazing kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com.
Author Links:
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2eN6Mpw
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2EWc1zq
Author Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/2DsMnVQ
Goodread: http://bit.ly/2DPcWlK
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2rkz2tT
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2rllGxF
YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2DOX035
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2DONuNn
Buy Links for Final Life Series:
Final Life: (FREE)
-Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DQ3qz0
- Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/u5urZG
-B&N: goo.gl/ov96wy
-Kobo: goo.gl/91FLQF
iTunes: goo.gl/5MYm6W
Final Stand:
-Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DpMXED
-Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/H5WsR2
-B&N: goo.gl/Jnm8fs
-Kobo: goo.gl/7YdKCT
-iTunes: goo.gl/2JdPfP
Final Death:
-Amazon: http://amzn.to/2FWIuXQ
-Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/zYvbn9
-B&N: goo.gl/TjyzVE
-Kobo: goo.gl/Wxn4NE
-iTunes: goo.gl/ESNLQX
First Life Pre-Order Link:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2DuwNcg
B&N: goo.gl/2aoyUn
Infiniti chewed her ghostly bottom lip as I stomped to the center of the room, barking orders. "Dominique, get to the back of the room. Trent, come with me." Trent and Dominique stayed close, neither one wanting to break from the other.
"Oh my God, Fleet, they're gearing up," Infiniti said, her translucent form alternating between being in the house and looking outside. "They're putting on vests and things."
"We gotta move," I urged Trent and Dominique. "Now."
"Yeah," Infiniti echoed. "Like, right the hell now."
Trent planted a kiss on Dominique. "I'll be right back, I promise." Letting go of her, he came over to me.
With no time to focus on anything but our mission, I gripped his hands. "Concentrate on your energy. Think of the Boardman, think of the year 1868." Standing with Trent, a Supreme Transhuman with incredible yet unharnessed abilities, I had to believe he could help me get to 1868. He kept glancing at Dominique. I gave his hands a death-grip squeeze. "Listen, man, I need you to be right here with me, got it?"
He blew out, his stare fixed on me. "Got it."
"Good. Help me get there, and I'll get the job done. Okay?"
"Okay," he answered. "And I'll break our connection right before you time jump."
"Exactly," I said.
"Okay," Trent muttered. "I can do that."
I had no idea if he could do it or not, but it didn't matter. We needed to act. With my face cast down, I closed my eyes and pictured the Boardman River area in my mind. Back in 1868 we lived in small, simple cabins—Stone and Caris, Dominique's parents, were in one cabin with Dominique. My brother Farrell, our friend Jake, and myself were in another. There was also a third cabin for visitors. Traveling to a time and space I inhabited would merge my current self to my other self. All I needed to do when I arrived was find Tavion and kill him.
"They're coming to the door!" Infiniti cried out in a panic.
Commanding my power to flow from me, I kept the cabins, the woods, and the river clear in my mind. "Go there," I whispered.
My skin warmed. My insides tingled. My body lifted off the ground. Opening my eyes, I saw shades of gray and blue energy swirling about the room. The vapors crackled with sparks. Heat started filling my airways. It was working.
"They're ready to kick the door down!" Infiniti screamed.
Dominique held up her hands, protecting herself from the tornadic-like activity in the house, her hair whipping wildly about her face. Infiniti dodged from inside to outside, giving a play-by-play account of how the police were about to bust in. Trent's body shone as bright as a blue-bathed sun. I could barely look at him.
"1868! The Boardman!" I hollered to Trent. A surge of weightlessness took over me. Seconds away from the time jump, I yanked my hands from Trent's, but couldn't break away. His hold was iron-clad. If he had any chance of staying in this time, he needed to release me before it was too late.
"Trent! Let go!"
In flashes of energy-filled chaos, a host of cops charged into the house. Trent turned to face them. "Get back," he said in an eerily calm voice.
The cops slammed up against the ceiling and stuck there, like rubberized toy figures with sticky-glue on them. Their weapons clunked to the ground. Infiniti shrieked. Dominique lunged for Trent. Everything went black.