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To Persuade or Not to Persuade: The Makings of a Persuasive SpeechbyDavid Probst
"When was the last time that I was persuaded?" At first I had a hard time really remembering the last time that I allowed someone to persuade me. I made a joke for my answer but in retrospect, people try to persuade me to get their way throughout the course of the day. It really became clearer to me while reading the book, Thank You for Arguing, by Jay Heinrichs, just how many times a day this happens. Persuasion is a part of our everyday lives. While some may be better at it than others it is something that we cannot escape. Someone is always trying to persuade me, whether it is one of my students trying to get me to reinstate lost recess privileges or my three year old daughter batting her eyes at me while holding up her arms trying to get me to pick her up.
I teach at Ginter Park Elementary School in Richmond, Virginia. Its population is 99% African American. A significant part of the population— around 85% —receive free or reduced lunch. Our school is divided into two buildings. Our annex, Mary Scott, houses grades pre-K through first grade and the main building, Ginter Park has grades 2-5. Ours is a neighborhood school with a large walking population and those who ride the bus have no more than a five or ten minute ride to get to the schools. Most of the students come from single-parent and low-income homes. I teach fifth grade Social Studies, science, and writing. We have four 60 minute blocks and the students switch classes for each of their core subjects. The switching of classes not only gives them the opportunity to have four different teachers but prepares them for middle school by not staying in one class the entire day.
One of the biggest issues that we face is that many of our students are not able to express themselves in written form. Across the board, the writing skills of the majority of my students is very poor and it is a struggle at times to get them to realize that being able to express themselves writing is an essential life skill that will not only help them while in school, but well into their lives after they complete school. Many of them are coming to the fifth grade and are not even able to compose proper sentences or paragraphs. While they may be able to verbalize their thoughts, writing them down in a coherent way has proven to be difficult for a lot of them. One of my driving motivations for this unit is the desire to strengthen their writing skills by analyzing speeches, identifying the components that make a good speech, and writing their own speeches while building oral skills as well as learning about persons in history who have made significant contributions with the use of words both written and spoken.
What drew me to create this unit is that the young people I teach are masters of persuasion, yet they do not even know it. There are numerous times throughout the day that they use their persuasive skills on teachers and peers. Whether it is getting someone to be their boyfriend or girlfriend (these are fifth graders mind you), trying to talk their way out of trouble, or trying to get someone to share something with them at lunchtime, persuasion is always being used. While they are unaware of what they are doing, they are constantly using the three basic tools of rhetoric: logos, ethos, and pathos.
In my unit I am going to introduce my students to the skill of rhetoric or persuasion as we know it. We will talk about the basic components of rhetoric and how they are used. We will look at persons who throughout history who have used rhetoric for the betterment of some and to the detriment of others. We will get into the history of rhetoric and look at great rhetoricians such as Aristotle of the ancient Greek civilization and Cicero of the ancient Roman civilization. We will also carry this over into medieval times and look at figures that also used rhetoric as a means to an end such as Pope Urban II. While looking at figures from the past, we will tie them to figures from the present and not-so-distant past who also are skilled at the art of rhetoric such as Presidents Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others who have been able to use the power of words to sway people either one way or the other. I plan on using written speeches, videos, and other means of multi-media all leading to the students doing a special project showcasing everything they have learned in this unit. In the process I hope that they will not only become more familiar with those in the past and present who were great rhetoricians and the power of words but also strengthen their written and verbal skills.
The principle objective of this unit is making the students better writers and thinkers. They will improve their writing skills in preparation for the state's standardized writing test. In doing this they will also gain mastery over the required Social Studies and Language Arts objectives. I hope to help them with this mastery by presenting the objectives and lessons in engaging and exciting ways by tying together the past and present through the use of written, spoken, and recorded words with technology that is familiar to them.
The first objective is to establish some background knowledge of those who were important in the history of rhetoric focusing on Aristotle and Cicero. Aristotle directly ties in with the Virginia Social Studies Standards of Learning (SOLs). While Cicero is not directly mentioned in the Va. SOLs we do study the ancient Roman civilization that he lived in and made a significant contribution to. The activities during this part of the unit will include direct instruction so that the students will be able to get learn the background information necessary for the next part of the unit.
The second objective is to look at the different parts necessary for a speech to be considered persuasive: ethos, pathos, and logos. These tie directly in with the first objective. We will learn to recognize the different parts of a persuasive speech by using excerpts from speeches from the past as well as the present. This is where we will be able to incorporate different forms of media such as television, recordings, and written texts. We will use different activities and tools such as graphic organizers and cloze activities in this part of the unit.
The last objective is to be completed after they have learned who has made significant contributions to the history of rhetoric and persons throughout history who through their words have made significant contributions to the world. After mastering the aspects of what it takes to write a persuasive speech we will tie them all together by writing speeches where the listeners, who will be their peers, should be able to recognize the key components of a persuasive speech. This unit ties in nicely to Virginia's SOLs because they are required to complete an oral presentation.
Background Information
What is rhetoric? The term rhetoric itself originally stems from the Greek word rhetor which means orator or speaker. The rhetor is a person who has acquired the theory and technique of the art of oration, which already implies that the principles of rhetoric can be learned. 1 Some working definitions of rhetoric or persuasion are:
- Rhetoric is the art of using language to communicate effectively. 2
- The art of using language, especially public speaking, as a means to persuade. 3
- The art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience. 4
It is reported that rhetoric, as a distinct art, was born in the 5th century B.C. in the Greek town of Sicily and emerged in answer to a social need. Corax and Tisias were the first to use rhetoric. A rhetorician was then, in the original sense, a man who advised on the most efficient way of presenting a legal case. Corax and Tisias also provided the first definition of the rhetorician: artificer, or producer, of persuasion.
Gorgias, another Greek, came to be known as a Sophist, a rhetorician who travels from town to town making public displays of his rhetoric abilities, attracting students who would pay for their education. He was believed to have introduced the art of rhetoric to ancient Greece. He held the belief that a speaker need not concern himself with the truth of the subject he is speaking about. He taught that words had so much power that rhetoricians could persuade or manipulate others into doing just about anything that they wanted. Socrates, Plato, and also Isocrates were against this thinking and called Gorgias irresponsible. Gorgias was written by Plato to attack Gorgias' views concerning rhetoric. It was written as a conversation between Socrates and four other people: Chaerephon, Callicles, Gorgias, and Polus
After a while, Romans began to make significant contributions to rhetoric. Cicero and Quintilian were two of the most famous rhetoricians. Cicero's De Inventione and the anonymous Rhetorica ad C. Herennium became the most popular books on rhetoric. Both texts are technai, books used by scholars to learn rhetorical skills. They both contain brief and coherent explanations of the main rhetorical doctrine, the three kinds of oratory, the five stages of composition and the parts of speech. 5 Quintilian is best known for his work- Institutio Oratoria. This book gives ways to use rhetorical strategies in the courtroom. It was used in the practice of law by ancient Romans.
The Architects of Rhetoric
Two of the most important figures in the history of rhetoric are Aristotle and Cicero. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher, educator, and scientist. He was able to combine the thoughts of Socrates and Plato to create his own ideas and definition of rhetoric.Rhetoric, written sometime between 360 and 334 B.C., was one of his most influential works. In this work, he writes about the art of public speaking. He believes that rhetoric treats specific cases. These specific cases are topoi, which are different topics that can be used in persuasion. In Book Two of Rhetoric, he lists the twenty-eight common topics, or topoi. He also addresses style, diction, metaphor, and arrangement. The theory of the syllogism was first introduced by Aristotle. He was the first to analyze an argument in a logical order. The rhetorical syllogism is also called an enthymeme. An enthymeme is a statement that transfers attitudes the audience already holds to the case at hand. Another concept, pisteis, was developed by Aristotle. Pisteis simply refers to the different ways in which a speech can be persuasive. Aristotle wrote that there were three different ways: ethos, logos, and pathos.
- Ethos is the credibility of the rhetor.
- Logos is the power of reasoning shared by the rhetor and the audience.
- Pathos is the emotions of the audience.
Cicero was also a great politician in ancient Rome. He used his skills as a rhetorician to climb his way up the political ladder of the ancient Roman time culminating in him reaching the highest office that one was able to hold at the time which was called the consul. One of Cicero's greatest accomplishments and failures was when he "saved" the Republic of Rome from collapse at the hands of Catiline. After the Cataline incident Cicero's popularity increased but later the incident harmed him and he was banished from Rome. He eventually was allowed to return to Rome but not long after that Cicero was murdered. He was thought to be one of ancient Rome's greatest orators who made significant contributions to rhetoric and philosophy.
Moments in History to Illustrate the Importance of Rhetoric
There have been many occasions throughout the course of history that rhetoric has made significant impacts. Who can forget Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech? This historic speech was given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. For most people, it is the one speech that shows the true power of words in bringing about change. When Dr. King spoke the words "Let freedom ring", it not only brought light to the conditions many black Americans faced but it opened the eyes of white America. It was seen as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's.
In 351 B.C., Demosthenes (382-332B.C), who was referred to as the "The Orator", gave a series of three scathing speeches against Philip of Macedon, who had aspirations of conquering Greece. These speeches were known as the Philippics. They warned the Athenians against an impending attack against them by Philip's forces. Even though they were unsuccessful in halting the reign of Philip, today a speech that harshly denounces someone is called a Philippic.
Another great example of a historical speech is Pericle's Funeral Oration, which was written by Thucydides for his History of the Peloponnesian War. In 431 B.C., at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles gave this speech in Athens as a part of the annual public funeral of the dead. Here he compared the "greatness" of Athenian democracy to the "narrow and limited" scope of the Spartan oligarchy. It became one of the most influential political statements in Western civilization.
"Four score and seven years ago" were the words spoken by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address in November of 1863. This speech was given at a turning point in the Civil War at the dedication of a cemetery in Gettysburg. The Civil War was being fought between the North and the South in the United States over slavery. This speech is still one of the most quoted speeches in the history of the United States.
While there have been many instances where rhetoric has been used in inspiring and uplifting ways, there have been some who used the art of rhetoric as a means to get the masses to do their bidding. One example is in 1095; Pope Urban II gave a speech at Claremont. This speech was the spark that ignited the first Holy Crusade. The speech was a call to the Byzantine Empire to free the "Holy Land" from its "evil" Muslim rulers. The success of the first crusade resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel.
One person in history who stands out as a rhetorician that used his words against others was Adolph Hitler. The German leader had the ability to tap into the feelings of his audience. He used his words to effectively get his audience behind him. The power of his rhetoric came not from the validity of the message but from how it was delivered. An example of this is his speech to the Reichstag of Germany on January 30, 1939. Hitler gave this speech as a climax of the film, Der Ewigee Jude (The Eternal Jew), which was a propaganda film talking about the "Jewish problem". This was the first of many announcements that the Jewish race would be annihilated. It eventually led to the slaughter of millions of Jews in Europe by the Germans which became known as "the Holocaust".
The Components of Rhetoric
According to Aristotle, rhetoric is "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." He described three main forms of rhetoric: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. In order to deliver a good persuasive speech one must able to use all three successfully. Ethos (Greek for 'character') refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. There are four characteristics used to measure the ethos of a speaker: trustworthiness, similarity, authority, and reputation or expertise.
When hearing a speech, an audience is more likely to believe someone that they can trust. If the audience trusts you then they believe what you are telling them is true. We can look at examples of the use of ethos in speeches made by two of the greatest orators of the modern era. On August 28, 1963, in front of 250,000 civil-rights supporters, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Dr. King used ethos to his advantage when he gave this speech. He portrayed this effectively because he himself was an African American, and he knew exactly what kind of segregation and discrimination his black brothers and sisters were experiencing. King gives an example by saying, "We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities…as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one." 6 Dr. Martin Luther King addressed to the people such real and visual examples of things happening in the Black community, that many people finally began to look at the situation in another point of view.
On March 28, 2008, Senator Barack Obama gave his speech on race, A More Perfect Union ". It's in his use of ethos that Barack Obama excels. Here are a few lines from this passage: "I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived the Depression to serve in Patton's army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations." 7 He conveys the sense that he personally embodies and actually, in some sense, is the American dream.
In these two examples we can see some of the four characteristics of ethos: trustworthiness, similarity, authority, and reputation. An audience is more likely to be persuaded by someone they trust. Trustworthiness can be measured by concepts like: the person's honesty; is he ethical or moral, is he generous, or benevolent. Your audience tends to trust you more if you are a member of a group with which these qualities are often associated such as a pastor or a firefighter. The audience is more likely to be receptive to persons to whom they can identify with. Some characteristics you might share with your audience are age, race, gender, socio-economic status, citizenship, and personality. The more you are like your audience the more likely they will be willing to accept your message. The greater a person's authority the greater the chance that the audience will be inclined to listen and be persuaded. Authority comes in many forms ranging from organizational authority, political, religious, and educational authority, just to name a few. Lastly, expertise is what you know about your topic and reputation is what your audience knows that you know about your topic. If your ethos is high and well established from the beginning then you have your audience from the very beginning but if you are not able to do this then the speaker may have a harder time getting the audience's attention or persuading anybody.
For Aristotle, the most important means of persuasion was logos. 8 In Greek, logos can mean simply "word," "the underlying point that makes sense or meaning behind everything else," or it can mean "logic, reason, rational thinking." 9 Logos essentially is the reasoning or logic behind an argument. A speaker uses logic after he has established his character or ethos. A speaker uses two types of logic: one is induction where the listeners come to their own conclusions and the other is deduction. In deduction the speaker uses very specific examples in their speech. When using deductive reasoning, speakers often use enthymemes, which are syllogisms in which one of the premises is not stated leaving the listeners to fill in the blanks. A categorical syllogism consists of three parts: the major premise, the minor premise and the conclusion. For example: All men are mortal: Socrates is a man: Socrates is a mortal.
An example of logos can be found in President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt's Pearl Harbor address to the nation, "A Day That Will Live in Infamy". This speech was given in response to the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. This is the speech in which he asks America for permission to join the war effort during World War II. The use of logos was FDR's main selling point in this speech. When he stated "The Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace" 10, he used rationality to describe the realness of the situation and the animosity between the two nations. Another use of logos in this speech is when the President lists all the different places that Japan attacked on December 7. He lists each one as an individual place and does not place any more importance on any one place over the other.
The word pathos is derived from the ancient Greek word for "suffering" or "experience" 11. In Aristotle's - "On Rhetoric"-, he identified seven sets of emotions with each pair representing opposite sides. Some of these are: anger and calmness, fear and confidence, kindness and unkindness, and envy and emulation. The goals of a persuasive speaker are to:
- Be aware of the wide range of emotions,
- Decide which emotions to evoke,
- Learn how these emotions can be evoked in your audience.
Aristotle knew that in order to persuade an audience, their emotions must be linked to the arguments of that particular speech. By making your audience more susceptible to being persuaded, you will make your audience more likely to be able to understand your perspective, accept your claims, and more likely to react to a call to action. When evoking emotions the speaker must evoke those that are appropriate to the context of your speech. If you are successful in using pathos well you will be able to accomplish the goal of a persuasive speech which is to get the audience behind you and feeling the emotions that you are trying to appeal to. Those who are not successful at establishing pathos will find that the audience will be more likely to find fault in your arguments and will not invest in your cause.
We can look at President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address for examples of pathos in a presidential speech. Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. In his speech, he honored the soldiers that had died in the Battle of Gettysburg. The speech is charged with emotionally charged words such as "hallow", "unfinished work" and "that these dead shall not have died in vain" 12. The use of these words helped the audience feel what he was feeling. He draws on the audience's own emotions to make his point. Another moment in time were we can see how pathos is used to the speaker's benefit was in Pope Urban II's speech given at the Council of Clermont, in 1095, where he addressed a great crowd and urged all to go to the aid of the Greeks and to recover Palestine from the rule of the Muslims. When he said, "Enter upon the road to the Holy Sepulchre; wrest that land from the wicked race, and subject it to yourselves. That land which as the Scripture says "floweth with milk and honey," was given by God into the possession of the children of Israel Jerusalem is the navel of the world; the land is fruitful above others, like another paradise of delights." 13 After this speech was given the First Holy Crusade was launched.
Putting a Speech Together
Now that we know the components of a good persuasive speech, what do we do to put one together? First we have to decide who our main audience is. If there is more than one audience, which one of them is the most important? Next, we have to determine timing and setting or kairos. Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment. Is it the right time for an audience to be persuaded? When would be the best moment to make your appeal and what is the most effective use of media to use when trying to reach your core audience? After we have determined the appropriate audience and setting we can follow the five canons (steps) as described in Cicero's De Inventione.
- Invention (invention)
- Arrangement (disposito)
- Style (elocution)
- Memory (memoria)
- Delivery (action)
Invention is the most important part of putting together a speech. It is when we brainstorm ideas about all of the possible ways that we can be persuaded in a situation. To insure that you do not forget any important resources available to you go through the three types of proof that Aristotle outline: ethos, logos, and pathos. Establishing these is critical to whether or your speech will be successful in getting your message across to your target audience and persuading those that you want to be persuaded.
Arrangement is the order in which you should put all of the different proofs. As a general rule you establish credibility with your ethos first. Once your credibility is established you present your logos or logic. Give reasons that will appeal to the target audience and that uses the most appropriate criterion. Then using pathos, play upon their emotions to make them feel the righteousness of your argument. A standard for outline for any speech: introduction, narration, proof, refuting of any arguments or potential objections that could be made, and a conclusion.
Style is where we choose the appropriate manner of speaking or writing. While trying to maintain your credibility, make yourself seem familiar, but not too ordinary, and someone that everyone can look up to and trust. We have to maintain clarity. We have to be sure that we use language that our target audience can easily understand. We also have to showcase our intelligence and good taste. We can do this by carefully choosing appealing figures of speech (see figures of speech appendix) and clever turns of phrase. Be sure that while doing this that you do not interfere with your credibility and clarity.
Memorize the speech or at least familiarize yourself with it so that it does not seem artificial to you. Some advice for memorizing anything is to study it in a way that appeals to as many senses as you can. Some advice in ways to memorize a speech is by seeing, hearing, and feeling your material. By doing this you reinforce it in your brain. Visual prompts act as a great tool for reinforcing information and committing them to memory. Use flashcards or draw a series of pictures that represent your speech. Write out the text of your speech. The act of writing the words provides very strong reinforcement. Try memorizing your speech backwards, from end to start. This separates the emotion from the words. Record your lines with exaggerated vocal expressions. You may even want to yell your words. Exaggerations leave big imprints in your brain. There are many other different ways that work it is up to the speaker what works best for them.
Delivery of the speech is crucial to delivering a good persuasive speech. Practice how you would actually give the speech. Practice tone, facial and body gestures. How fast or slow different parts of your speech should be. Practice being natural and relaxed so that you can win the audience's sympathy when you deliver the speech. Also take account the type of medium being used. What works well on television may not carry over well in person and different mediums of communication such as radio or newsprint.
Instructional Strategies
Direct Instruction
While there has been a big push for differentiated (small group) instruction in the classroom; I find some direct (whole group) instruction a "necessary evil". In using direct instruction I am ensuring that the students get the specific information that I want them to receive. By using direct instruction I can use different kinds of technology in the classroom. Whether it is through lectures, power points, SMART board activities, videos, or recorded material I know that they get only the relevant information that I want them to have. With the use of direct instruction I will be able to better assess the student's assimilation of the information being presented to them through written and verbal assessments, quizzes, and other activities such as crosswords. I will use direct instruction techniques whenever the presentation of new concepts is being taught.
Graphic Organizers
A graphic organizer is a visual representation of knowledge that structures information by arranging important aspects of a concept or topic into a pattern using labels. These organizers help students in learning and thinking by: representing abstract ideas in more concrete forms, or depicting the relationships among facts and concepts. Graphic organizers can be used before a lesson to activate prior knowledge, guide thinking, and to develop vocabulary. During a lesson, the graphic organizer can help students organize information and stay focused on the content material. After a lesson, the graphic organizer allows the students to confirm or rethink prior knowledge and to relate the new concepts to the old. 14 Some types of graphic organizers that may be used are: hierarchical organizers that present main ideas and supporting details in ranking order, comparative organizers that depict similarities among key concepts, or sequential organizers that illustrate a series of steps or place events in a chronological order. We will use graphic organizers throughout the entire unit.
In using a rubric I will be able to let the student know exactly what I am expecting from them. There will be no question about what is being expected from them when they present in front of the class as their culminating activity.
Cloze Activities
Cloze procedure is a technique in which words are deleted from a passage according to a word-count formula or various other criteria. The passage is presented to students, who insert words as they read or listen to complete and construct meaning from the text. This procedure can be used as a diagnostic reading assessment technique. 15 -We will use cloze activities when we have learned the different components of a persuasive speech. Students will listen to a speech or portion of a speech and then they will have to re-write them using their own words. This way I can assess what they have gotten out of what they heard and if they truly understand the different components of a rhetorical speech.
R.A.F.T. Activities
The R.A.F.T. Technique is a system to help students understand their role as a writer, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the expected content. RAFT is an acronym that stands for:
- Role of the Writer - Who are you as the writer?
- Audience - To whom are you writing?
- Format - What form will the writing take?
- Topic + strong Verb - What's the subject or the point of this piece?
Almost all RAFT writing assignments are written from a viewpoint different from the student's, to another audience rather than the teacher, and in a form different from the ordinary theme. Therefore, students are encouraged to use creative thinking and response as they connect their imagination to newly learned information. 16 We will use these methods in preparation for their final project which will be an oral presentation.
Oral Presentations
The final project will be an oral presentation given in front of the class. This will be a culminating activity that will reflect everything that the students have learned. In being able to give a short persuasive speech that they have either written on their own or have re-written a portion of a speech of a famous person in history will reflect upon the techniques and knowledge learned throughout the course of the lesson.
Activity 1:
In this activity the students will be introduced to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. I have a short video that they will watch telling of the lives of these men during the times of ancient Greece. The resource that I used to find this video is http://www.discoveryeducation.com/. While watching this short film they will take notes on a graphic organizer telling of the different contributions of each person. This graphic organizer will have contributions that these famous men made to Greek culture.
Activity 2:
After we have introduced the class to the contributions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, we will begin to focus on Aristotle and his contribution to rhetoric. I will give them a working definition of rhetoric and show them a small Power Point presentation with Aristotle's components of rhetoric (ethos, pathos, logos) along with examples of speeches made. (E:\Rhetoric presentation power point_files\frame.htm) We will conclude this activity by completing a graphic organizer telling the different components of rhetoric and how they are used. I will ask the students to keep all of their work in a binder specifically for this project so that they can use it as a resource for their final project.
Activity 3:
Now that we are familiar with the parts of rhetoric we will do an activity that helps to identify what part of speech is using what technique. I will play excerpts from different speeches and ask them to identify what was being used; whether it was ethos, pathos, or logos. I will use the internet as a source for finding audio and video clips to show the students examples of speeches. For example, I will use excerpts from President Lyndon B. Johnson's speech on civil rights given on March 15, 1965. You can find both a transcript and audio recording of this speech at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html. Another speech we will look at is Senator Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech. It can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms. We will do Cloze activities in class and for homework to reinforce what they have learned. We will listen to and look at speeches and I will have them fill in the blanks with their own words or words from the speeches to see what they can do with it and how well that they have understood the material.
Activity 4:
In this activity I will introduce how to put an effective speech together. We will use Cicero's five canons (steps) to start to put together a successful speech. We will watch a Power Point presentation showing how build a speech. They will take notes in their binders that they have specifically for this unit I will give them excerpts from speeches and have them present them before the class. They will also do R.A.F. T. activities to start to be able to put together their speeches. The students will then have opportunities to practice giving speeches.
Activity 5:
I will then assign them their final project. They will have to give their own speech. In delivering this speech they have to first establish ethos, convince us with logos, and then persuade us with their pathos. The speech has to be at least two minutes in length and has to be on a topic that they believe in or one from the past such as not going to war or civil rights. I will provide them with the guidelines (rubric) for the speech so that they will know what is to be expected from them.
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Quiche is the perfect brunch or breakfast for dinner dish, and Quiche Lorraine is one of my favorites. But the traditional version from the mountainous Lorraine region in north-eastern France includes bacon. And, although I love a good Asparagus Quiche, today I wanted a vegetarian Quiche Lorraine.
The Traditional Quiche Lorraine
A quiche was originally a simple peasant meal of an egg and cream custard, with bread dough as the crust. Although we associate this dish with France, at the time Quiche Lorraine was first created in someone's kitchen, that kitchen was in medieval Germany.
But fluid borders being what they were at the time, this region went through numerous name changes as the land shifted dominance between various ruling countries. And the last country was France, and the last name was Lorraine.
If you're interested in the etymology of words like I am, the word quiche comes from the German word for cake: kuchen.
The earliest Quiche Lorraine included smoked bacon. The cheese came along later. And at some point onions were added. Many people started calling that version Quiche Alsacienne - from the neighboring region, Alsace. And a short pastry and puff pastry replaced the bread dough, eventually making it the familiar Quiche Lorraine we see today.
Vegetarian Quiche Lorraine
Since bacon is a key ingredient to this dish, I had to find a substitute that would work. Sure, I could have ignored it, and just put in mushrooms, sometimes a good substitute for meat. But then it's really not a Quiche Lorraine.
I found the perfect substitute in Morningstar Farm's Chorizo Crumbles. These crumbles add a touch of umami saltiness that bacon is famous for, and packs a little punch of heat, and big punch of flavor. A perfect foil for the eggs, milk and cheese. I just cooked them up super fast in a few minutes in a little olive oil with some onion.
And since I'm always hunting up ways to add protein to my meals, these crumbles add 9 grams of protein per ½ cup. Not that this vegetarian Quiche Lorraine needed any more protein, mind you.
Instead, I highlight this fact because these crumbles are a great product to have in your back pocket for tacos, chili, pasta sauce, and casseroles. Seriously, I always have a couple packages tucked away in the freezer.
And no, this isn't a sponsored post. I'm just a fan. A big one.
The Hash Brown Crust
If you prefer a pastry crust, go for it. No pressure. Nothing about the recipe changes by switching the crust. Just use a single crust pastry shell, or frozen pastry you thaw, or make your own. This quiche is for a 9-inch pie dish, so just keep that in mind when you make it.
You can make your own hash browns by shredding potatoes, but I took the super-easy route and bought frozen. If you take this route too, you must thaw them before pressing them into the pie dish.
Another tip about frozen hash browns. You'll find thawed hash browns is less than frozen when measured in a measuring cup. For example to get 3 cups of thawed hash browns, I started with almost 4 cups frozen. This is the best amount for a 9-inch pie dish. If you use an 8-inch dish, 3 cups frozen is fine.
How to Assemble This Vegetarian Quiche Lorraine
It looks more difficult than it is. Let's take a look at some of the steps.
Toss the thawed hash browns with a little melted butter or olive oil, and press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Try to make the thickness on the sides as even as possible with the bottom. Brush the crust with a little melted butter or olive oil, and slide the dish into a preheated oven.
While the crust bakes, start the filling. Sauté chopped onion with vegan Chorizo Crumbles for a few minutes. Set aside to cool.
Bake the crust until the top edges are lightly crisped, and the bottom is lightly brown. It will feel dry to the touch. Let it cool a bit, while you whip up the eggs.
Whip up the eggs and cheese. Layer the filling into the shell with the onion-chorizo layer first.
Quick Prep Tips
The quickest way to chop up an onion, with the bonus of no tearing eyes, is to use a vegetable chopper. The one I use is part of the Mealthy Handblend set that includes a professional-grade immersion blender with a whisk. It's super-cool. The immersion blender base fits into the top of the chopper, and chops anything in a flash.
For this recipe, I used the chopper for the onions, and used the whisk attachment to whisk the eggs up into a nice froth in seconds.
Note: If you want to purchase the Handblend, use my affiliate code for $10 off. As a note, though, your complete purchase must total to $59.95 to qualify for the discount. Just type THEWIMPYVEGETARIAN into the coupon code box in checkout, and you'll receive a $10 credit.
Using frozen hash browns, and this little appliance from Mealthy, my prep time was 12 minutes. All the rest of the time was stove and oven time.
Vegetarian Quiche Lorraine with Hash Brown Crust
Hash Brown Crust
- 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or olive oil), divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 ounces Morningstar Farms Chorizo Crumbles
- ¾ cup chopped onion, about ½ large onion
Egg Mixture
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup half & half
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Hash Brown Crust
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F / 220˚C, and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Baste the inside of a 9-inch / 23cm pie dish with butter.
- Toss together the thawed hash browns with 1 tablespoon butter and the salt in a medium bowl. Press into the pie dish. Baste with the remaining melted butter (or olive oil).
- Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly crisped on the top edges. The hash browns on the bottom of the pie dish should be very lightly browned and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool. IF BAKING AT SEA LEVEL, CHECK THE CRUST AT 25 MINUTES.
Filling + Egg Mixture
- Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and sauté the onion and chorizo crumbles until the onion softens, about 8 - 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. You should have ¾ cup - 1 cup of filling.
- Whisk together the eggs, milks and salt. Stir in the cheeses.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the onion-chorizo mixture, and spread the remaining sauté on the bottom of the hash brown crust. Pour in the eggs and cheeses. Top with the reserved onion-chorizo sauté.
- Reduce the oven heat to 350˚F / 180˚C. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the quiche comes out clean. The sides should be clearly set, and should be firm to the touch in the middle, and spring back when lightly pressed. IF BAKING AT SEA LEVEL, CHECK IT AT 45 MINUTES.
- Place on a cooling rack to cool for 15 - 20 minutes.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sugar Skull
Mi Vida Boutique Muertos Marketplace DOMINGO MUERTOS MARKET!! 🌼⠀We're counting down the days until our sidewalk mercado this Sunday with some of our favorite local vendors! Shop with us Sunday, Nov. 4th 12-5 p.m. Ilaments will be there with Limited Edition items! I will also be Raffling Off One...


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We came to live in France for six weeks in the Burgundy countryside with idyllic thoughts of drinking wonderful wines, shopping the markets so we could cook with local ingredients, and enjoying our days living life as locals.
Burgundy was to be the last half of the European leg of our four month sabbatical, a place to stop for a while, unpack and slow down. We'd been on the move for the previous six weeks, living in London, Paris, Oslo, Amsterdam and Belgium, which, even writing those words, just blows my mind. I'm a kid from the farmlands of Missouri. I don't even know how I got here. But time compressed in those locations at a shocking speed. Everyone knows that vacations are that way. You head out thinking ten days sounds like forever, and before you know it, you're back at work. But three months seemed like a summer vacation, the kind that stretches out forever when you're a kid.
Not the case! We have less than two weeks remaining in our European odyssey, and thoughts of suitcases and logistics are already creeping back into our minds, especially since there's a magnum of champagne that Bruce fully intends to bring home! I couldn't help but notice that there are suitcases for sale at the Intermarche, the French version of your local grocery store of choice.
Bruce says I tend to lament. Would of, could of, should of. I suppose I've always done that to a certain extent, comparing alternatives, what are the best options, what are the things we must see. And while I'm an extreme planner, I didn't lay down that many plans for Burgundy, which has surprised him. He's used to arriving in a city, and I tell him everything there is to see and do, like one of those guides, droning on and on during a bus tour. But this was far too big of a journey to plan things out "in 15 minutes increments" as he likes to say.
So France for me has been a series of unexpected and extraordinary experiences. Certainly I read about the major regional sites, and I naively thought we'd have time to take adventures far and wide, such as a couple of days down to southern France to Grasse, the International Perfume Capital, or even down to the Dordogne region, about five hours south of here. As it turns out, there's no way! There is so much history, even 100 years from us, that we're having a hard time getting much beyond our own back yard, especially with a view of the city walls beautifully lit at night, and nearly two dozen ducks visiting our riverside home daily, quacking for handouts!
I guess I didn't expect to be so enthralled with all of the ancient history, which seems counter intuitive, since we landed in a rental house right in the middle of a medieval city, Semur en Auxois. I actually googled "Middle Ages" and "Medieval" last weekend for an extended history lesson. True fact. Who hasn't heard of the Middle Ages, but when you grow up in a country where history is only really marked by the last 250 or so years, the concept of things still existing from the 5th century to the 15th century, until you actually see them, is just a concept. Some vague recollection from a chapter in a history book when you were 16 years old, or from religion class in parochial school when you were 8 years old.
But here, that history and those structures are alive and well. People live in these ancient buildings, they work in them, they restore and preserve them. Every single town you drive through is an enchanting mix of fountains, war memorials, and vine covered stone buildings often with a portal above the door containing the blessed virgin, set amidst narrow, winding, cobbled lanes. Villages compete for the title of "Most Beautiful Village in France", or "Flower Village". The Ministry of French Cultural Affairs has filled the highways with large historical markers letting you know what the towns along the way are all about. Coming from a culture that tears down and rebuilds constantly, this is a revelation.
Our own rental, according to our local language teacher, sits in the heart of the oldest part of the city. That's saying something since Semur's Notre Dame Cathedral dates back to the 12th century. But our exterior walls are measured in feet, and the house is supported by massive wooden beams more than a foot tall, which are shaved out a little in places, for people to walk under. If I have one real lament, it's that my 6'7″ husband has to duck constantly through this house, but we both agree, we wouldn't change a thing, with our view of the ancient ramparts and fortress towers.
I took a long drive up to the town of Chaource a couple of weeks ago to see a sculpture I'd read about, located in the crypt of the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Known as "The Entombment of Christ", this was perhaps the most beautiful sculpture I've ever seen in my life. The unbearable pain on Mary's face was extraordinary. It is not known for a fact who sculpted this marvel, known only as the Maitre de Chaource, although some scholars point to sculptor Jacques Bachot. Being alone in the church and with this sculpture, I fully spent over a half hour down there marveling at the beauty of this magnificent life size work.
On another day, I visited the Abbaye of Fonteney, the most intact and preserved Cistercian Monastery in all of Europe. The Abbaye is an entire complex of buildings, covered in russet vines as fall arrives here in central France. Again, I found myself alone, wandering along dirt floors within the towering church, and through the cloisters where monks lived and prayed for centuries. The Abbaye is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is mostly for tourists. It's a thing of beauty, and I felt privileged to visit.
When we were planning a trip to Spain last year, I read a lot about the "Way of St. James", which is an ancient religious pilgrimage trail, crossing many parts of Europe, coalescing in Northern Spain, where there is one path, east to west, crossing the entire country, to reach Santiago de Compostela, a massive cathedral and the burial place of St. James. Pilgrims have walked these trails for centuries in search of spiritual atonement and religious enlightenment. I can't imagine it really. I'm lucky to lug my way up into town here, let alone to walk across France and Spain. As it turns out, the pilgrim trails and Christian relics for parts of the French routes are all within an hour or less from us.
My husband will tell you that if there is a cathedral within reach of any town we visit, that I have to stop and ponder, walk through and take pictures. And he would be correct. By right of marriage, he has seen some of the greatest cathedrals in the world from Rome to Paris to London, and now rural France. Perhaps it's my Catholic heritage, but I'm enthralled with the history embedded in these old churches and cathedrals. Throughout the ages, many, if not most of a town's artisans, masons, carpenters and money were put into building and maintaining these massive, beautiful structures, sometimes taking centuries to build. They have survived wars, revolutions, pillage, neglect, restoration, and other tests of time.
When my sister Deb and her partner Lori visited our first week here, we went to the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene in Vezelay, a ponderously beautiful, powerful, towering stone cathedral, and former monastery. As we wandered through, whispering in awe at the scale and beauty, Deb and I had one of those sister moments, like we just couldn't believe we were there. Down in the crypt are the relics of Mary Magdalene, so we quietly made our way down and back up, as individuals sat huddled in prayer and contemplation.
On another day, Bruce and I visited Autun, a former Roman fortification, with town walls and the ruins of an amphitheater dating back to the first century. That's 1st Century, the time of Caesar Augustus!! Seriously incredible. Climbing way up a hill in the city like pilgrims before, we reached the Cathedral of St. Lazarus, reported to house his relics. There are varying accounts of how his relics wound up there, as the brother of Mary Magdalene, including the fact that town leaders realized that Vezelay was making a lot of money so they built their cathedral on the pilgrim route. Regardless, the church was magnificent with splendid sculptures on the capitals that support the vaulted ceiling. I felt a great sense of peace in that church.
Most recently, and perhaps most profoundly, we took a long drive through the Morvan National Park to the city of Nevers, also on the pilgrimage route, which houses the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette, formerly of Lourdes. In the mid 1800's, Bernadette had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary in the grotto at Lourdes during which time a spring spontaneously sprung up at the site, which continues to flow to this day. There are 69 confirmed cases of inexplicable healing amidst the millions of sick who visit the site annually. As one might imagine, there was a lot of pressure and political infighting amongst city officials on what to do about the situation, so Bernadette eventually made her way to a convent in Nevers, where she lived to the young age of 35, succumbing to asthma and tuberculosis.
Thirty years after her death, the Catholic Church decided a Beautification was in order, so they exhumed her remains, finding her body completely intact, or as its known, "incorruptible". They placed her back in the grave for 10 years, only to find her in the same state. They removed small relics from her body for Lourdes, and placed her in a crystal coffin in the church at Nevers, where she has lain undisturbed since 1925. Her outer skin had suffered a little from the washings they had done to her body after exhumation, so they hired a French artist to place a very thin film of wax on her face and hands. Otherwise, her body remains intact to this day.
Not being the summer pilgrim season, we had some time to sit near her, just the two of us alone for a little while. It was beautiful, peaceful and miraculous to see her lying there as she has for decades. We watched The Song of Bernadette, the other night after my friend reminded me of the old 1943 film. Hers is a remarkable story. I did a little research and found there are a few incorruptible saints in existence such as St. Vincent de Paul, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Cecilia.
I think it will be a long time before I fully absorb and realize all that I have been privileged to see and do. Yes, we've had lots of wonderful Burgundy wines, and we have shopped and cooked the local markets. We've taken a few French lessons with a local language instructor living in an old convent across the road from us. We've visited Roman Ruins, a Burgundy Truffle Festival, toured the Museum of Beaux Arts in Dijon, and wandered the fairytale streets of the village and Castle of Chateauneuf.
And so, without a lot of planning, I have found myself on a pilgrimage through time and place, amidst countless reminders of war, religion, and miracles, in the most beautiful and ancient of settings in the French countryside.
Lorie McMillin, Burgundy, France, October 2013


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Blog: Christopher Wray
For reasons inexplicable to me, the corporate media has always tried to make a hero out of Christopher Wray. Most of the Democratic establishment has refused to criticize him and Biden has decided to allow him to remain as FBI Director.
But, in a giant departure from the way Wray is talked about by the corporate news media and the Democratic party, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, last night on MSNBC's Chris Hayes, told the truth. It was a breath of fresh air. Democrats ought to try it more often.
Whitehouse told Hayes that in Wray's testimony before the Senate, he was "less clear" than Merrick Garland that the Justice Department would follow the investigation of the January 6, insurrection wherever it may lead.
Whitehouse was particularly concerned that the investigation would be dumped on the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Were this to happen, Whitehouse argued, there would be real questions of whether the investigation would go further than low level participants to "upstream investigations" of people who were actually driving the crime. Whitehouse seemed to feel confident that Garland would pursue these "upstream" investigations.
When asked directly by Hayes if he thought Wray was a "straight shooter," Whitehouse issued a scoffing laugh. "If so, that would be a new phenomenon."
"I've spent three years trying to get him to answer questions and he has hidden behind every conceivable dodge" continued Whitehouse. "We have unanswered questions from 2017."
According to Whitehouse, in hearing after hearing during the Trump administration, Wray failed to answer questions not only submitted by Democrats, but those submitted by Republicans. In seven of nine hearings Wray participated in, the committee got no answers.
"He (Wray) participated in or ran a massive traffic jam that stopped answers to huge numbers of QFRs (questions for the record)…and to all of our letters. At the same time, he set up this side road where they could run" lots of documents into the Republicans to do the Cross Fire Hurricane investigation.
Whitehouse said he still wanted to know why questions got "jammed into the traffic jam" while "Trump friendly" questions got high speed treatment. He wanted to know "why were we stonewalled all those years…what was the method, on whose instruction was that done, what was the scheme, what was the plan, why did it happen, all that."
And Whitehouse, quite rightly, pointed out that the FBI under Wray engaged in an absurd exercise characterized as an "investigation" of the charges against Brett Kavanaugh.
Whitehouse said it was necessary to go back to "the FBI investigation of Bret Kavanaugh and whether that was real or fake and what happened with that so called tip line FBI ran, because as best as I can tell…all the information (from the tip line)…got dumped straight into the bin." None of it got reviewed "pursuant to standard FBI procedures for reviewing the information that comes in through a tip line. It was more a tip dump than a tip line. And understanding if that happened, why that happened on whose direction, presumably from the White House."
Whitehouse concluded: "If this guy (Wray) presided over a fake FBI investigation, we need to know that."
I would like to point out that Sen. Chris Coons, Democrat, helped set up that FBI investigation. He and Christopher Wray need to be held to account.


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When Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement Friday, she cited her age, 75, and her desire to "spend time" with her husband and their three sons.
After 24 years on the bench, she'll finally have that time.
Tapped by President Reagan in 1981, O'Connor was 51 when she joined the court to replace the retired Potter Stewart.
O'Connor recalled how she was surprised by the enormity of the reaction to her appointment as the first woman on the court. She received more than 60,000 letters in her first year, more than any one member in the court's history.
"I had no idea when I was appointed how much it would mean to many people around the country," she once said. "It affected them in a very personal way. People saw it as a signal that there are virtually unlimited opportunities for women. It's important to parents for their daughters, and to daughters for themselves."
At times, the constant publicity was almost unbearable. "I had never expected or aspired to be a Supreme Court justice. My first year on the court made me long at times for obscurity," she once said.
Health issues in 1988
O'Connor in late 1988 was diagnosed as having breast cancer, and she underwent a mastectomy. She missed just two weeks of work. That same year, she had her appendix removed.
O'Connor was embarrassed in 1989 after conservative Republicans in Arizona used a letter she had sent to support their claim that the United States is a "Christian nation."
The 1988 letter, which prompted some harsh criticism of O'Connor by legal scholars, cited three Supreme Court rulings in which the nation's Christian heritage was discussed.
O'Connor said she regretted the letter's use in a political debate. "It was not my intention to express a personal view on the subject of the inquiry," she said.
In 1985, her name was linked with that of Washington Redskins football star John Riggins when at a formal dinner he was heard to tell the justice sharing his table, "Loosen up, Sandy baby."
Shortly thereafter, the women who participated with O'Connor at an 8 a.m. daily exercise class presented her with a tee-shirt that proclaimed: "Loosen up at the Supreme Court."
O'Connor remained the court's only woman until 1993 when, much to O'Connor's delight and relief, President Bill Clinton appointed Ginsburg.
Career started in Arizona
A virtual unknown on the national scene until her appointment, she had served as an Arizona state judge, and before that as a member of her state's Legislature.
A fourth-generation Arizonan, she had grown up on a sprawling family ranch.
The woman who climbed higher in the legal profession than had any other member of her sex did not begin her career auspiciously. As a top-ranked graduate of Stanford's prestigious law school, class of 1952, O'Connor discovered that most large law firms did not hire women.
One offered her a job as a secretary. Perhaps it was that early experience that shaped O'Connor's professional tenacity. She once recalled a comment by an Arizona colleague: "With Sandra O'Connor, there ain't no Miller time."
"I think that's true," she confessed.


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The Santa Barbara School District's two bond measures received voter approval in Tuesday's election, giving its elementary and secondary schools $110 million in combined funding for infrastructure improvements.
Measure Q, a $75 million general obligation bond for the secondary district, won handedly — 68.98 percent (33,401 votes) to 31.02 percent (15,023 votes). The elementary district's Measure R, a $35 million bond, also secured a large lead, passing 70.85 percent (14,805 votes) to 29.15 percent (6,090 votes).
"We are very pleased to have so much community support for our school facilities," Superintendent Brian Sarvis said in a news release issued Wednesday morning. "We have a number of shovel-ready projects, including the Santa Barbara High School kitchen and replacement of the portables at San Marcos High School with a permanent wing to house the Health Academy. In addition, we have a number of other projects that we will be able to apply for state approval."
Deputy Superintendent Eric Smith has said that every effort will be made to keep tax rates at the same level.
Priority projects include renovating and maintaining facilities and grounds, with an emphasis on fixing up the district's oldest buildings and replacing portables.
Steering committee co-chairs Mark Ingalls and Lynn Rodriguez of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation advocated the measures as timely, necessary initiatives to support local education and the community at large.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at email@example.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @Noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews.
Election Results Wrap-Up
Santa Barbara Independent
Thursday, November 4, 2010
By Indy Staff
School Issues
Those anti-tax feelings did not hurt Measures Q and R, bonds for capital improvements at Santa Barbara's public schools; both got around 70-percent support. Campaign consultant Brian Robinson chalked that up to a "team effort," explaining, "If it wasn't for the hard work that the teachers do for our kids, these wouldn't have passed."


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When I sit down with clients to discuss plant choices it becomes apparent my own preferences come to the fore.
Is this a bad thing? I suppose it could be; however, I must say these preferences change from year to year and if they didn't how boring that would be?
Trends in plant preferences can't help affect my own partiality and over the years I've made huge shifts, such as recommending far more woody ornamentals (shrubs) back in the 1960s, '70, and '80s to now suggesting herbaceous border plants (perennials) as being the new norm.
The introduction of ornamental grasses in the early 1990s was definitely mind-shifting and our industry gravitating to new varieties of old traditional plants has made this an exciting time to be in the business.
When I was just getting my feet wet back in the '60's there may have been about a handful of Heuchera (coral bells) varieties whereas now there are so many it becomes a bit confusing.
Good old Rudbeckia (black eyed Susan) is not the same as it was only a couple of decades ago with several new longer-blooming varieties.
I see though, a resurgence in flowering shrubs happening at a steady rate with the introduction of varieties which stay relatively small. That was always the difficulty with them when they outgrew their space in most gardens and needed to be sheared into cubes and balls. New varieties of Weigela, PG Hydrangeas and Spiraea have enabled us to place these traditional plants in smaller spots while maintaining the integrity of form.
When I sit down with people to help with plant choices I now focus on the following criteria.
• Is the plant well behaved; in other words is it free of disease and insect concerns and does it stay in one spot not spread all over the place by seed or root growth?
• Does the plant have longevity of interest such as a long-blooming season or foliar appeal?
• Is it the right plant for the right space?
• And, of course, does it appeal after all that to my client?
With today's focus on preserving our water resources, drought tolerance is another criteria to consider.
Chelsea Flower Show
Here is some exciting news that will surely take me and the fortunate others who take the opportunity to travel to the Chelsea Flower Show next May to new heights in plant awareness.
The trip is scheduled to leave the Kelowna Airport on May 19, 2016 and travel to London England where we gorge ourselves on a feast of world famous gardens and historical places including a train trip north to Scotland and the home of golf at St Andrews.
We arrive back home June 1 when I'm sure I will have enough new information to keep me writing and teaching for a long time.
We have an information meeting planned for this Thursday, Oct. 1 at 12:30 p.m. at The Best Western 2402-hwy 97 North, in Kelowna, so if you wish to join us please RSVP Gail Fritsen at Marlin Travel email@example.com or call 250-768-6875 or toll free number 1-800-800-2857.
This is a gardener's trip of a lifetime to the largest flower show in the world in a country that has an unsurpassed history of gardening and gardens.


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Simonkucher : Working with Us
We often say that we work on the sunny side of consulting, because we focus on revenue, profit, and growth rather than on cost-cutting or downsizing. All of our projects focus on things from the market perspective, and they all address unlocking growth in some way or another.
Our work covers all kinds of growth topics, from market-entry strategies to omni-channel sales force optimization. We might cover "hardcore pricing projects," such as defining price strategies for new products or increasing prices for existing ones, changing price models or fine-tuning discount structures. But we don't stop at that.
Our projects also include creating and assessing innovative digital business models or supporting a client's company throughout the entire implementation and transformation process. Our project teams tend to accompany our clients from beginning to end, until the work is done.
So, working at Simon-Kucher is much more than "putting a price tag on a product." The variety of issues we address is astounding even for seasoned consultants. Read more about our work here.
We are organized into global practices, each of which focuses on a specific industry. While experienced associates are generally assigned to a global practice, we usually give new hires the chance to work in various industries and gain a broad set of experiences first. Read more about our industries here.
Our project teams are always staffed to meet clients' needs, with no predefined project setup. However, a project team generally includes several consultants from different levels and with different skills. An experienced project leader manages the day-to-day work and client relations, and every project team is led by a Simon-Kucher Partner who actively contributes to the team's work.
This structure allows open communication among all team members and with senior management. We encourage every team member to voice opinions and share ideas right from the start. Our goal is to create the best possible solution for our clients, learn from one another, and evolve and improve – not to stick to a strict pecking order. In other words, our culture is more collaborative than competitive. We have great team spirit on our projects. That not only makes work more fun, it fosters creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
Your role in the team changes over time, not only as you gain more expertise, but also considering your specific skills and past experiences. We strive to vary your work throughout your first projects so you get to know the full range of tasks before you specialize in a particular field. If you perform well and are up for the task, your responsibilities may grow faster here than at other consulting firms. We call this meritocracy, another one of our core values.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion are global imperatives for our Partnership and our Leadership Team. Every associate is valued by and brings value to our organization because of their individual strengths and contributions to the team. We hire top talent from all walks of life, bring them together to combine individual points of view and create a collaborative and enriching environment where everyone can succeed and flourish.
As a global company, we are happy that our employees are a diverse team of extraordinary individuals. We speak over 60 languages and come from over 40 different nationalities. We have varied backgrounds, celebrate our differences in gender, religions and sexual orientation, and value the unique perspectives this diversity creates among our staff. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment, and are also proud to have been recognized by The Vault Guide as leaders in diversity hiring. At Simon-Kucher, you can be who you are! Read more about this here.
Our associates possess a staggering array of educational training – you may find yourself working alongside pharmacists, physicians, economists, engineers, psychologists, or those with business administration backgrounds. But we are definitely not limited to that and are always excited to draw specialists from many other fields.
But education is not everything; at Simon-Kucher the full person is what matters, including your special interests and hobbies. In their spare time, our consultants are known to do a little of everything -- running, reading, caregiving, gardening, cooking, crafting, wine tasting, beekeeping, restaurant reviewing, crocheting, softball, volleyball, volunteering, opera and acapella singing, piano playing – you name it!. Tell us about your interests!
Given the nature of consulting work, it is extremely important to picture yourself with your colleagues. You will spend a lot of time with them! At Simon-Kucher, we often hear that "the colleagues" are great people who also spend time together outside the office. And since consultants from all levels are actively involved in the recruiting process, we ensure that new hires get to see our culture before coming on board. Read more about our values and culture here.
Broader horizons
Any consulting firm can promise that you will work on challenging projects day in and day out. But at Simon-Kucher, you have more chances than anywhere else to work in a real international context. This goes way beyond international project teams or conference calls with people from all around the globe. Because we work out of 42 offices for clients in over 80 countries, you will likely travel the world to get things done as part of a multinational project team, or you will be assigned to an overseas project.
We not only put consultants on projects that cross borders, we also give them the chance to work temporarily in our other offices. For example, an associate based in Boston or Barcelona can choose to work in Munich or Sydney for three to six months as part of our office rotation program. We also give our associates the opportunity to move to another office for longer periods and encourage them to broaden their personal horizons this way. Read more about office rotations and transfers here.
As a growing company, we have been opening new offices in "new" countries almost every year. If you are interested in participating in a start-up experience and have some work experience with us, we are happy to place you on the founding team of our latest office.


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New Amsterdam Market is returning for a 2013 season this Sunday, June 23, but will now run monthly instead of weekly. The market opens Sunday between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Old Fulton Fish Market on South Street between Beekman Street and Peck Slip. For a list of vendors, click here.
Additionally, New Amsterdam Market is asking for help in preserving the Fulton Fish Market. See video above.


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Deloitte and Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been saved
Deloitte and Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Cloud solutions for the federal government
Deloitte and Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide a breadth of services to help federal government agencies select the right cloud solutions to accelerate their missions and derive value while helping agencies to be at the forefront of technology and innovation.
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Deloitte offers full life cycle integration services to support cloud journey for government agencies, including:
- Strategy and Transformation Services: Deloitte assists clients with suitability assessments and the selection of a cloud service model for migrating and transforming current data centers to the cloud along with designing and developing architectures for the cloud. Deloitte also helps build an effective operating model for sustaining, monitoring, and operating cloud solutions.
- Cloud Native Services: Deloitte supports process and organizational transformation in the cloud by taking advantage of Agile, DevOps, and continuous delivery processes. In addition, Deloitte helps clients develop their platform strategy, implement cloud platforms, assists clients in successfully adopting cloud platforms, and uses these cloud platforms to develop cloud native applications.
- Data Discovery Services: Helps understand and derive insights from data through advanced analytics platforms in the cloud. We build customized analytics platforms to meet specific requirements and offer Deloitte Managed Analytics Platform to provide with scalable Analytics as a Service.
- Cyber Risk Services: Helps manage risk at every step of the cloud journey from innovation, cyber security, security policy adoption, and requirements beyond FedRAMP accreditation.
Deloitte's cloud services are designed to provide with everything you need to operate a successful business in the cloud. Below are the cloud services that Deloitte offers to help federal clients take full advantage of the AWS cloud.
As member of the Amazon Partner Network (APN), Deloitte has a track record of implementing large scale IT projects. Below is one of our success stories on how Deloitte worked with AWS to provide cloud services to the federal government.
AWS government success story
The federal government is prioritizing cloud computing across its agencies. Mandates like the Cloud First Policy and Data Center Optimization Initiative have compelled agencies to evaluate commercial cloud services and plan for cloud adoption. Due to these federal initiatives, as well as a desire for a more efficient application and hosting environment, the client hired Deloitte to assess the viability of migrating its systems to a commercial cloud.
Deloitte completed cloud adoption activities for this client in the past, including an engineering assessment to understand the client's cloud readiness. Deloitte's cloud adoption work for the client also involved developing a future state architecture definition and implementation plan to migrate the client's application to AWS.
Following completion of the cloud adoption activities, Deloitte was engaged to migrate the client's public facing website to an environment hosted on AWS. The Deloitte team followed a phased approach to migrating the client's application.
Phases included:
- Setup and migration of the environment in accordance with client requirements and AWS reference architecture
- Test and validation of the application in the new cloud environment
- Certification and accreditation for the new environment including achievement of authority to operate for the migrated application
- Turnover and sustainment of the application hosted in AWS east/west region
This successful execution of this work enabled our client to more closely align to federal mandates and to meet its organizational goals of increasing cloud adoption.
Value: Deloitte's migration of the client's public website to AWS helped the client reduce its IT footprint while also reducing its total cost of ownership. In addition, the migration provided standardization of infrastructure in the cloud, leading to more secure and reliable networks and systems. The AWS environment also helped the client increase scalability, elasticity, and capacity to meet future demand and adapt new technologies.
The migration helped the client realize the benefits of AWS as a more cost effective and technically viable solution for application hosting while also allowing the client to better meet federal mandates and requirements.


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Benrus Surgical performs gallbladder surgery on patients in St. Louis, St. Charles, St. Peters and O'Fallon, Missouri.
The gallbladder stores bile, which is a fluid in your body that helps you to digest food. If there are problems with the gallbladder, you can get hard fragments called gallstones built up in the organ that can be anywhere from the size of a grain of rice to a golf ball.
These hard formations don't just go away. If they are causing pain or other problems, then the doctor can prescribe a cholecystectomy, or a removal of the gallbladder. Nearly 80% of people suffering from gallstones will need surgery.
If the gallstones are not causing problems, you do not need to have surgery. However, the stone can block the bile ducts, causing a gallbladder attack consisting of intense pain in the gut that can last several hours and is described as "knife-like" If you do not treat gallstones, they can cause real problems, including:
· Cholecystitis, or an inflamed gallbladder
· Pancreatitis, or an inflamed pancreas
· Cholangitis, inflamed bile ducts
Prior to surgery, we will run several tests to determine whether surgery is truly needed, including a blood test, ultrasound ,MRI HIDA, and endoscopic ultrasonography.
Recovery time varies, depending on the type of surgery performed. Open surgery can require a hospital stay and may require 6 to 8 weeks for your body to fully heal, while a laparoscopy is less invasive, and you will have less pain and shorter healing time.
With laparoscopic surgery, you can often go home from the hospital that same day, and be back to normal in 2 weeks.


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HONG KONG, July 31, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group Limited ("CMGE" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:CMGE), the largest publisher and a leading developer of mobile games in China, today announced that it has made exclusive strategic partnership with GREE, a famous Japanese social networking platform company, to co-develop the first official mobile game on Naruto in China. CMGE also has the rights to publish the game and combat piracy in China.
Naruto is a masterpiece of Japanese cartoonist Masashi Kishimoto and serialized on < Weekly Shonen Jump > from 1999. It has been translated into various languages and released in more than 30 overseas countries. Cumulative circulation of the original comic has reached more than 200 million globally. Its animation has been played in a number of countries and regions, with a high and world-class popularity.
"We are delighted to cooperate with GREE to co-develop and publish the official mobile game on Naruto in China. GREE, together with Shueisha Inc, TV Tokyo Corporation and Studio Pierrot, as the production committee (IP owner), recognize and trust the R&D and publishing capability of CMGE. We really appreciate that," said Xiao Jian, CEO of CMGE. "CMGE has been working diligently to provide great mobile games to extensive players. In our joint effort with GREE, we believe the official mobile game on Naruto will be launched in the fourth quarter this year. Warm-up activities will be started soon. Besides, we will start to clean up the pirated market in the meanwhile."
About CMGE
CMGE is the largest publisher and a leading developer of mobile games in China with integrated capabilities across the mobile game value chain. Its fully integrated capabilities include the development, licensing, publishing, distribution and operation of mobile games, primarily in China. Its social games are mainly developed for Android and iOS-based smartphones. CMGE's extensive distribution network includes its proprietary Game Center application, handset pre-installations, application stores and web platforms and mobile network operators. The offices are in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Company's stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol CMGE. For more corporate and product information, please visit CMGE's website at http://www.cmge.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. CMGE may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about CMGE's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: CMGE's growth strategies as well as business plans; its future development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to continue to develop new and attractive products and services; its ability to continue to develop new technologies or upgrade its existing technologies; its ability to attract and retain users and customers and further enhance its brand recognition; the expected growth of and trends in the mobile game industry in China; PRC governmental policies and regulations relating to the mobile game industry in China; and competition in the mobile game industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in CMGE's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of the press release, and CMGE undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.


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Student Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
Document Type
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
RU Laboratory
Roeder Laboratory
ING4 belongs to a family of proteins that have been implicated in tumor suppression and has been linked to the activation of p53 target genes in a p53- dependent manner. However the mechanism by which it interacts with p53 to activate transcription from these genes is unclear. In this study I use in vitro reconstitutions of cellular processes to biochemically dissect the activity of the ING4 complex, complementing the cell based assays that give a more physiological but less defined window into ING4's effect on p53 transcriptional activity. Purification of the ING4 complex allowed verification of previously known subunits and identification of BRPF1/2/3 as a core ING4 component. Reconstitution of the ING4 complex allowed the identification of two distinct variants of the ING4 complex which utilized either JADE or BRPF as the central scaffold subunit. Both these variants were required to recapitulate the histone acetyltransferase activity of the endogenous complex. Using these complexes, I demonstrate that the ING4 complex histone modifying activity is not directly affected by p53 but is rather indirectly modulated through p53-dependent p300 activity and enhanced by the presence of the p53-dependent trimethylated H3K4 histone mark. I also establish an ING4 complex-mediated p53-dependent transcription system on chromatin templates and show that the ING4 complex has a direct effect on p53 dependent transcription. Additionally, the same conditions that enhance ING4 complex histone acetylation, namely p300 and trimethylated H3K4, also enhance the ING4 complex' effects on p53 dependent transcription. Taken together, these results establish ING4 as a transcriptional coactivator of p53 and suggest two mechanisms by which p53 affects ING4 complex histone modification and transcriptional activity.
A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Rockefeller University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Recommended Citation
Bok, Jabez, "Mechanism of Action of ING4 as a Transcriptional Coactivator of p53" (2015). Student Theses and Dissertations. 275.


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Another hole has been blown in the state's budget. AP reports:
A new court ruling says the Arizona Legislature's raid of nearly $4.7 million from a special fund for injured workers was illegal.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Larry Grant says the money to be transferred into the state general fund was private money held in trust by the state, not public property.
More of these challenges are in the works.
BTW, here's a recent budget update sent to lawmakers from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee staff:
In April, JLBC Staff published updated budget estimates that placed the FY 2011 budget shortfall at between $368 million and $1.2 billion. We will next update our estimates in July after receiving the FY 2010 year-end revenue numbers. In the meantime, we have developed a slide show presentation on the status of the budget for your information.
The size of the FY 2011 budget shortfall will depend on 3 main factors. At the $1.2 billion high end of the shortfall range, each factor contributes roughly $400 million to the size of the problem:
1) revenue collections. Based on our April estimates, we did
not appear to be on track to meet the enacted March budget forecast, which would have led to a $(400) million shortfall. Since that time, however, revenue collections have improved and we could meet or exceed the forecast for at least FY 2010.
2) the outcome of the November ballot propositions concerning First Things First and Land Conservation Fund transfers. If voters do not approve these transfers, we would lose $469 million of our FY 2011 budget solutions
3) the outcome of the federal extension of the Medicaid match rate. As you know, the original March budget eliminated General Fund support of AHCCCS' Proposition 204 program as of January 2011. The subsequent federal health care legislation, however, requires states to retain their current Medicaid programs or risk losing all Medicaid matching funds. We enacted legislation in the spring that would have paid for the AHCCCS Proposition 204 program from January to June 2011 with $385 million in savings from Congress extending the enhanced federal match rate until June 2011. Approximately 30 states have assumed the extension of the match rate in their FY 2011 budget plans.
Congress has yet to enact this legislation. The U.S. House removed the enhanced match rate extension from recent omnibus legislation due to its cost. The U.S. Senate is now actively considering the legislation.


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Brian and I went on vacation in May. He was supposed to write about it but I think he has given up on updating this website. We visited Disney World, Epcot, Sea World (which I'd never been to) and MGM studios. We had a great time and I loved meeting Shamu!
After we came back I started my summer classes and thankfully those are now over. I did well and I've already registered for the fall….less than a year, less than a year, less than a year………
On July 4th we gathered with friends and headed to see the Dave Matthews Band. It was a great show with fireworks at the end and everyone had a great time. After the concert we came out the wrong way and had to cross through some bushes to get to our car and as a result, Brian is now recovering from the worst case of poison something I've ever seen.
As far as summer movies we've seen: Poseidon – awful; X-Men – pretty good; Superman – good; The Devil Wears Prada (monica only) – really good. We still need to see Pirates and we are still debating whether we will go see World Trade Center.
Brian and I celebrated our 3rd year Anniversary. Praise God!
Okay, I know this was a very short summary but that's all I have for now.


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Oh my! This thread is so very old!
Not sure I can even recover mine. I've not had to reinstall anything for quite a number of years though.
Type: Posts; User: ChristinaS
Oh my! This thread is so very old!
Not sure I can even recover mine. I've not had to reinstall anything for quite a number of years though.
You should find all the legacy codecs here: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/legacy/codec-central-legacy.htm
Once you have a way to play such files then you can always convert them. For instance you can use dMC AUxiliary Input to capture the audio produced by the player when such a file is played.
Can the file be played back on the ipod?
Can the wav file be played on a pc in, say, Windows Media Player?
That's the same thing as playing the flash and capturing the audio using dMC Auxiliary Input. That too is real time.
You must be having a firewall or other security/privacy program that blocks cookies.
Do you have any firewall, anti-virus, pop-up blocker?
Can you use Windows Media Player to burn to an audio cd and then rip the cd again to whatever you want?
Sorry I can't think why it's happening.
Have you installed any other programs of late that just might be interfering?
Version r11.5 does not support album art.
Version r12 does I believe.
When you open a zip file (called a zipped folder in XP and probably Vista) you can either extract contents to a destination of your choice, or actually just drag and drop a file from the zip file...
Did you by chance install the new version of dMC r12 or any new codecs that come with it?
You are correct Xoas.
With r11.5 you could have:
Real Alternative (or at least its filter portion) + DirectShow codec
Real Player (or Real One) + old Real Media codec
Is that FLV as in Flash? If you can find a player to play it, then you can record it using dMC Auxiliary Input.
No problem converting that file using the old, real time Real Media codec.
It took about 19 minutes to convert the file.
I didn't try using the DirectShow codec, as I no longer have Real...
That's an extra feature introduced in addition to regular dMC R12. It's got a seprate chargeg. You need not get that if you dont' want to.
Maybe some wav in there isn't a wav or has a different freequency from the others?
Did you also install this? http://www.dbpoweramp.com/Windows95-Update.htm
It's for w95 and w98.
They are corrupted or they are encrypted for somebody else's use.
When and where did you have to give any credit card information to download the trial versions?
There is no request for any credit card information when downloading anything.
Yes, check the naming convention.
Click the big Options button > File Creation > Set
Then pick from there the track number format that you want, eg. Track number xx .
You won't improve quality by increasing the bitrate.
So if the file that yu get after cinversion is considerably bigger than what yu started out with then you are using too high a bitrate. Filre...
It's the cd burner it doesn't find.
You have to tell it what drive it is.
After youhave rpepared the contents of the cd and all the files you wanted to put on it apepar on the left, click Burn....
You want an ecoding codec to convert to Real Media: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central-ra.htm .
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- What does "Public Charge" mean? The term "public charge" is not specifically defined in the law, but it has been interpreted to mean someone who relies mostly on government assistance for their basic needs. Since 1996, the immigration laws have restricted eligibility for people who were found "likely to become a public charge."
- What is the new "Public Charge" rule? The Trump administration has published a new version of this rule which, if it takes effect, will make the term "public charge" applicable to many more people. The new rule will include any prospective immigrant who has used public benefits for any period longer than 12 months in any 36-month period. The new rule also greatly expands the list of benefits which will trigger a "public charge" finding, and makes it harder for some immigrants to overcome a finding of "public charge."
- When does the new rule take effect? Officially, the new rule will apply only to applications filed on or after October 15, 2019. Several lawsuits have already been filed seeking to stop the new rule from taking effect, so it remains to be seen whether the rule will be fully implemented or not.In practice, many immigration officers and consular officers are already restricting admissions of immigrants for being a "public charge." WGV is working with clients affected by these changes to find creative ways to overcome "public charge" determinations on an individualized basis.
- Who does the new rule effect? The new rule will affect immigrants seeking to gain temporary employment or visitors visas, as well as persons who seek to become residents through family members such as U.S. citizen spouses, adult children, and siblings.The new rule does not affect people applying for residency under the Violence Against Women Act, U visa recipients, or asylum seekers.The rule does not apply to people who are already lawful permanent residents, and will NOT be a factor for applicants for naturalization to U.S. citizenship.
- What benefits are included in the new rule, and which are not included? Any use of public benefits by an applicant for lawful immigration status may be problematic under the new rules, though some are clearly more problematic than others. The benefits specifically named on the list in the new rules will be considered a "heavily weighted negative factor," meaning their use will be hard to overcome for purposes of a public charge determination.
|Negative Factor for "Public Charge" Determinations:
|Not considered for "Public Charge" Determinations:
|Social Security Income
|Temporary Aid for Needy Families
|Medicaid for adults
|SNAP (Food stamps)
|Section 8 Housing Vouchers
|Section 8 Rental Assistance
|Public Housing
|Emergency Medicaid
|Special education services & Head Start
|Medicaid for children
|Medicaid for pregnant women until 60 days post-partum
|Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
|Disaster Relief
- What should I do if my family is using public benefits? Whether or not to access public benefits for your family may now be a more complicated decision than it was in the past. The new "public charge" rules claim to not penalize immigrants whose children use public benefits. However, in reality, the spirit of the new rules includes the intent to force immigrants to choose between
- What other factors are important for the "Public Charge" determination?