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Poor By Choice
Shelley had accumulated quite a bit of medical supplies we were hoping to donate to the nurse who travels to the little village next to us (every 8 days - the sole medical support the village enjoys). We were going to ship them to our lawyer, but:
Waste of medical supplies in the US in enormous. A surgical tray will be opened, for example, and only one or two items might be used. The rest cannot be used, so they are discarded. They could be donated for use in another country.
The hospital that Shelley is currently working for was intrigued by this possibility, and even suggested the establishment of some kind of relationship, with pictures, etc. The desire to help others is strongly ingrained in the American psyche.
Just like the guys who were bringing down sports items for the kids, that's the end of that . . .and this. The Nicaraguan government certainly has the right to confiscate donations to their "subjects". And I have the right to stab myself in the eye with a fork. I don't know which makes less sense.
That's good...
It more correctly reflects a lack of planning and proper procedure rather than a "Confiscation" by the big bad Sandinistas.
I read the title
But the posting has different anecdote than expected. For the title I do not think there is a 'choice'-is the way it is.
Given the 'choice' to get US citizenship and take flight to America-80% of young people would take that offer.
Hell, so would I
As long as I didn't have to give another one up.
That is the point
They would give it up. Nica citizenship is worthless.
We have this list....
Feel free to add new ones in the comments at the bottom if they're not already here.... http://www.nicaliving.com/node/8562
Are they useless?
What did you find out about them? Anything we should know?
Yes and I have my favorites
Long term, been coming down for years like Vosh Connecticut cos you can see feel and touch the results of a 4 day clinic.
As well, a few quirky ones but a lot of fun...such as the group here last week teaching Nicaraguans Lacrosse.
On the house issue
What happens if the people now are not close to their families and support system? If they have to pay to commute to where they work? Some of the families are living on such margins that making them pay more taxes, more for transportation, means that they don't have the money they did have living in the shack. If they own their solars, they can go from the zinc sided shack to the concrete block building as they can afford it.
One of the things I fought was an urban renewal project where people were going to be evicted from places they'd either paid off or where the mortgage or rent was circa $25 a month US (in the early 1980s). We saved the neighborhood as it was because it worked as a neighborhood for the people who lived there. And they would have had to be subsidized to afford the affordable housing that would have replaced only some of the housing that was slated to be destroyed. I don't know if the Mexicans just got their houses free, or what the rent was, but generally, the zinc sided house or the $800 used house trailer is cheaper than the socially built housing. This lets the family spend some money on something else. Very few of my better Gethsemane Enrichment Project kids came out of the projects -- one was the exception. People do better in neighborhoods than they do in housing projects, something we learned in the US the hard way.
Also, was this simply a way for someone to clear off some cardboard shacks before the squatters could claim imminent domain.
Bluntly, I can argue with anything, but housing in urban areas is something I've really spent time on.
Rebecca Brown
The thing is how many strings come attached to the alternative
A lot of the cities now are crowded by people who left the country for all sorts of reasons.
When I was doing a poverty alleviation job in Virginia, we could offer people free well drilling and setting up septic systems (rural life). One shock was talking to someone, old part Cherokee woman who had been a field worker all her life, and who owned the land and maybe the trailers that her daughters-in-law and her sons lived in. She wouldn't sign for the program, thought it was nasty to do that business inside a house, and didn't much like her daughters-in-law either.
I think one of the trailers they were living in cost $700. Time frame circa early 1990s. Around that time, my father had renters in a cabin on his property, $25 a month, and they often didn't pay that as they were apparently saving up for a house trailer.
It's some better than Nicaragua's cheapest housing, but the renters didn't have running water or even an outhouse.
The "affordable housing" the people in Charlotte were going to be offered was $300 a month. They were paying quite a bit less for shotgun cabins.
Range of issues -- not all easily fixed by people flying in to do a couple months worth of good.
What's interesting is how vehemently people defend "doing good" in cultures they don't understand, to people whose language they don't speak.
Rebecca Brown
I've edited out my own "receiving end of charity" at least twice
...but now I'm going to give it to you: When I was leaving Philadelphia for the DC area and a new job that paid a whole lot better than the best possibility I had as a non-tenure track college instructor, two people volunteered to help me pack my books before the movers showed up. I wanted to use Staples File boxes that I'd used before (and since) that had handles, came in flat packs I could manage on the bus, and which had handles (and which I've used before and since to ship or mail books, too. Oh, no, they had boxes, too.
It was, as charities are, a take the whole package or leave it deal. She'd been a patronizing person trying to get me to teach creative writing at the school where we taught. She tossed me into the middle of a fight I didn't want to be in between people who hated genre fiction and those who thought popular fiction should be part of the curriculum, without asking me if I wanted to be in that fight. No, I'd rather be in Nicaragua, and I'd even rather work for a defense contractor.
So, there we were in my house with giant boxes that would hold 50 lbs. or more of books (my Staples boxes held around 25 to 30 lbs), with them telling me that helping people pack was part of their church's missions (and it was gay-friendly, too, maybe). So, while the movers, all young musicians and artists who moonlighted for Mambo Movers (my favorite Philly movers) could lift these things, and the guy who'd helped me get the job and who rented me a room in his house could lift these things, I couldn't lift the boxes at all. Sort of the woman's last revenge charity/trying to help me/assuming I saw things her way attack. I would have liked their help packing my books in my boxes, but their charity bit included their over-sized boxes that I couldn't move myself.
My friend in Alexandria gave me help. I paid back the loan for the moving, I gave him a bunch of furniture when I left for Nicaragua, and I still like him, and if he ever needs to get away from the DC area for a while, he'd be welcome here. He's still an on-line friend; she isn't.
When I moved to Nicaragua, I dumped most of my library off at the Salvation Army, took a couple of bags of books to Acorn (and my need was to see what had happened there since I left and the books were an excuse, however welcome), and so forth. People get amazingly defensive when anyone points out that the charity is about the giver -- I've had this exchange or a variant of it from a guy who insisted he had the right to help the poor, and who gave as a example NJ kid who went to Mexico every year to build houses for the poor.
It's not like Mexican don't know how to build houses. They build most of the ones in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and are probably building them further north as I type.
Charity almost always is about the needs of the giver rather than the receiver. Sometimes, the receivers are happy enough with the gifts; sometimes, they'd rather have had something else for the energy expended. One of the things the "I Give A Damn" people did was descend on a Brooklyn community and wash their stoops. This wasn't appreciated at all. I understand that some African churches get painted five times a year because they have to give the short term mission people something to do.
You have this obsession with hot showers --- which cost, according to Phil's estimates, something like $5 a month per person. Nicaraguans might rather spend that money on one of the cheaper internet connections (mine at $34 plus IVA is currently the most expensive; $10US plus IVA gets you something). In my scheme of things, the internet is more valuable than a hot shower. It's the tropics here; the water is just never that cold.
Some people do help well, but as one of my friends said when we discussed this on Facebook, there's something about the Lady Bountiful giving to the poor that makes my skin crawl. I don't mind living in a world where I give when I have it with the understand that I'll get when I need it. I really don't want other people deciding what I need without asking me.
People do all sorts of things to feel good about themselves and get their names in the newspapers. Most of those things, but not all, are about them, just as your obsession about hot water is about you, and not what Nicaraguans might want (I don't know any neighbors who don't have a TV; I don't know any neighbors who have a heated shower head).
The Japanese military were told that they were liberating fellow Asians from European colonization. Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere and all that. When the Chinese didn't appreciate it, the Japanese committed atrocities. Lather, rinse, repeat for the US in Vietnam, with much fewer but not zero atrocities.
Christianity has had a rather unpleasant track record for killing people who refused to convert, or even murdering people for believing in the wrong flavor of Christianity. This isn't to say that other religions are innocent, but being determined to help other people needs to be balanced with what they want, as well as what their circumstances are. If they want to farm and all the good farmland is owned by vacationers, then land reform or a more liberal adverse possession law may be the best thing to do, not maids jobs.
Two questions: Is this something people have told you they need or want to do? If you're not allowing them to chose how they're being helped, you're trying to compromise their agency, their independent existence as human beings. Second: Is this me trying to compensate for my own failings without addressing those failing? Kinda classic that some big radical professors treat the secretaries like crap, that ministers have troubles with their own families, that some people go into teaching for the pleasure of beating children. People who are failing to be good human beings in one area of their lives can't really make amends for that by being massively charitable. Charity is self-medicating for things that can't be fixed by self-medicating. It's probably a better sort of self-medicating than drinking or using drugs, though.
Books for children seem scarce on the ground in Jinotega, but I found some in Matagalpa (for my own use in learning Spanish). Why don't children read? The idea that we can do campaigns for getting people to read doesn't work well. My students, with a few exceptions, did not admit to reading either fiction or poetry for pleasure. They'd had books thrown at them, teachers impressing them into reading experiences, and it still wasn't making happy, voluntary fiction or poetry readers of most of them. What they did read was what the teacher denigrated: Harry Potter, other fantasy.
So, yeah, someone riding across the UK to raise money for books for here is probably useless. I thought the worst mistake the academics made in teaching literature was to put it in opposition to the things their students did read voluntarily, that trying to kill their love for the reading they did like and replace it with reading that even a lot of faculty considered work (but good for you) was simply pointless. But everyone doing this was convinced that what they did was good for the students.
People accept help that lets them achieve their own goals. You or I might disapprove of those goals, but trying for force one's goals on other people was why the FSLN had trouble with the campesinos who wanted their land, not better jobs on someone else's land, even if that land was the state's and theirs in a round about way. It's why the US had had trouble with a range of other countries who wanted to control their own resources and their own destinies. Why China has trouble with Tibet even after reducing the infant mortality rate and increasing the life span. We know better than other people about our own internal lives, why not extend that courtesy to them about theirs?
If you're one of those Catholic latent saints like Odorico d'Andrea who goes and lives somewhere, learns the language, respects the people in the community, finds out what they want and looks for ways to deliver it, more power to you, but that's a life-long calling, not a visit to the poor zoo. (Ben Linder is probably the left example, but he did apparently make some FSLN people nervous -- excessive helping is also sign of a CIA cover, apparently, see Tom Dooley in Vietnam).
Rebecca Brown
Funny, I can buy books in more places here without driving
...than I could in the US. As everyone (except for me) says, this is Podunk, Nicaragua, and I've bought books at three different stores in a short radius of my house. I could have bought Joyce Carol Oates's short stories in Spanish if I'd wanted to (probably could still buy that book). A guy comes through the Cafe Soda Tico (now under a new name) selling Kafka; the Art Center has a number of books for sale, including a history of Jinotega that I bought and some books of poetry that I didn't buy.
Aristotle has been wrong -- life isn't an either/or equation. Who's going to get the books? How are they distributed? Why will Nicaraguan children read them?
People don't read absent a cultural context. If their friends are reading something, if the book provides a way of talking about things that matter to them, they read. (I'm not listing all reasons for reading, just some).
A lot of Nicaraguan kids who can afford a phone text each other, so that's reading, but not the reading that has cultural value among people our age (when I bought my phone, the version with the pull out keyboard was what the young woman selling me the phone recommended). A rather large number of them are on Facebook, so at least those aren't illiterate.
Jinotega does have a library, though books can't be checked out. I don't know how many of them are children's books, or even if children who do read bother with children's books after about age 10. There are cultures where children who are avid readers read adult material within a few years of learning how to read. I think I read Moby Dick for the first time in the fourth grade, certainly read Uncle Tom's Cabin by the fifth grade because the racist teacher threw a fit over it.
Do the parents read to their children? That's actually somewhat of a harder thing to jumpstart, but probably more critical than simply shipping in books and hoping for the best.
Real life is always more complex than theory. As far as I know, Kafka's Metamorphosis in translation is children's reading material here (the illustrations are actually rather amusing).
One of the problems with some big problems is that they're somewhat circular. People don't read if people around them or people important to them don't read.
Bribing people with stuff to get them to buy into your religion is so contemptible it's not worth discussing.
Rebecca Brown
I make a point
to recycle my magazines and books to people who are likely to use them. In the extended family, there is one who will browse and one who will read. Nat Geo in Spanish is one of the few quality mags available here. The rest I give to the public library or to professionals I know. English language mags are tougher, but I have a short list of Nicas who read English. I also give mags to relatives sitting in the hospital with instructions to leave them there when done with them.
I would guess the average house here has zero books, mags, and newspapers other than the Bible. The few who want to read are hungry for anything; to the rest it is just more wastepaper to burn or let rot.
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality." Ayn Rand
The action by the government us quite appropriate.
They did say they may release the drugs in two days.
We cant have every Tom Dick and Harry bringing down meds for donations in their luggage.
Can I do that coming int the States? Just show up with a suitcase full of Meds for the poor kids in LA?
Proper Procedure
I have been involved with medical teams coming to Nicaragua for years. You have to submit your inventory and get approval ahead of time to bring in medicines. Lots of paperwork. It is a very tedious process. Everthing has to be in the original packaging. Expirations dates are checked. That has been a problem in the past with expired meds being brought into the country. I once tried to slide in a few boxes that didn't have the preapproval and they were confiscated but were released after 5 days. I wish there was a dedicated agency/NGO in the US that folks could go use to get supplies where they are needed in Nicaragua. I no longer assist with the teams coming from my town because I agree it is very inefficient the way medical missions come haphazardly into the country.. I agree with Rebecca that the monies spent on travel and lodging for these groups could be better used.
Its 'Flak' no C and IMO you deserved it....
(a short version of the German word "Fliegerabwehrkanone" meaning anti-aircraft or air defense gun.)
Think about it Key West, this stuff was no more confiscated than it would have been if I was trying to bring it into LA undocumented or documented incorrectly.
A two day delay and they were on their way as an example to other groups to please get it right.
Checked today to see what the further news was....
...and the drugs were released, just as it was suggested they would be.
Also, investors and Nicaraguan people are not, repeat not, disjunct sets.
Rebecca Brown
Um, do you know that from 1989 to 2006
...the country was under a series of neo-liberal regimes with one honest leader (who apparently surprised everyone)? And nobody has since brought back Socialism (The FSLN appears to be turning into investors, but they're a party, not the state). The post 2006 handouts have been, for the most part, supplies that one had to do something with: breed chickens, put the tin on the roof, raise pigs. More WPA than welfare, frankly, building roads and markets. With perhaps some exceptions -- best sidewalks in Jinotega are in an otherwise poor FSLN neighborhood.
Simply wanting to throw a monkey wrench into the political process without having leadership, party infrastructure, and all that tends to be not a tremendously productive thing to do -- politics left or right. Occupy in the US is criticized for precisely the same thing as the kids who are trying to stop the mayoral elections, and has also gotten some of the same rough treatment from the police (this go-round, not from hardhats who now aren't making good wages from a war).
Someone else told you that Customs delayed an earlier drug shipment that wasn't accompanied by proper paperwork, but did release it.
Let's say, roughly, 5 million people -- $900 million in remittances is $180 a head. Obviously some people got more than others. Not all of the money is coming from the US. Around $100 million comes from Costa Rica. Some interesting figures here:
and here:
I suspect that the US is creating the problems for people who want to be able to travel freely between the US and Nicaragua. Why can't the children come to the US?
Rebecca Brown
The US State Department breaks up families, then.
So this problem comes from a US State Department position, not a Nicaraguan position. One of my acquaintances is very proud that Nicaragua has allowed travel in and out of the country even in war-time. Basically, anyone who wants to come back can, as far as I know.
The US has rarely accepted economic reasons for immigration to the US as being valid.
I can see why strictly illegal aliens are a potential problem. If immigration is outlawed, only outlaws immigrate. However, a freer immigration policy would be only fair since capital can go where ever it wants. Labor should be as free as capital, otherwise, we're not talking free market but oligarchic control of labor.
If immigration to the US was as easy as immigration to Nicaragua, then more people who are just normal people could go to the US either as tourists or as immigrants, and the US could concentrate on keeping out people who actually were criminals. Likewise, if everyone decent who was living here got a cedula, Nicaragua could do more aggressive deportations of people who overstayed their tourist visas as they would be more likely to be problematic.
One of the Nicaraguan papers quoted from a Costa Rica fascist website (translation by Suzanne) that described Nicaraguans as "a volatile mix of whites, indios, blacks, Arabs, and Jews." These happen to be all my favorite people except they missed the Chinese and Central Asians (the Russian vet here is actually Central Asian and there are Chinese families here, too).
From what I've read, Costa Ricans treat Nicas as the help. Even well-educated Nicaraguans tend to feel that the Tico attitude toward Nicaraguans is a bit off, especially since many families have had members in both countries for over a century. Some of this sounds like Southerners talking about saving the Africans from Africa. Do Nicaraguans become Costa Ricans, have positions of power in the local government as Jewish immigrants have had in Nicaragua's government? Do Nicaraguans work as doctors and dentists in Costa Rica with Tico patients? Or are they mostly the dark-skinned help?
The tourist industry is obviously going to be part of the Nicaraguan economic reality, but I really don't want to see Nicaragua overwhelmed by retirees as parts of Costa Rica and Panama and certain Mexican cities have been. Better if the tourist industry is most Nicaraguan-owned rather than foreign-owned, too.
Costa Rica has stopped some of the programs that attracted retirees, and the country has worse economic disparity than either the US or Nicaragua. There's a point with these programs where a region or country isn't helping their own people but letting other people with more money replace them. Who does Nicaragua want to see retire here and how many of them? How much tourism, with who running it, and where? And where do the displaced poorer Nicaraguans go and what do they do once they get there?
Rebecca Brown
Not only cynical
Not only cynical....but a little confusing.
Not long ago you announced that you Nicaraguan plans were on hold. You had reservations about making any more of a commitment to this country.
What changed? How come the tourist project is now full steam ahead? If it is, why the constant criticism and sarcastic comments on Daniel Ortega and his government? Its a free country, maybe, but if I was about to make a "substantial investment" as you called it....I would like to think that I would feel happier about it the place I am about to make that investment than you seem to be. Business Plan wise, you may have had it right to hold back but then you decide to "Break Ground" so to speak. Nicaragua is not going to change for you or any individual investor, pensionado or anyone marrying into it.
I can understand the comments but only in the context of "I have ruled out Nicaragua because...
Not "I have chosen Nicaragua BUT....."
On doing business deals, especially acquisitions, my old boss used to say "You have to love the deal enough to walk away from it"....where you are at reminds me of that comment. Leaving it standing at the aisle could be cheaper and use up less heartbeats than marrying it and getting it wrong.
One of the dumbest lines I have ever heard here (and there have been many) was a gringo, in response to my comment " You must be really excited about the lot you just bought"....he said "Well, its not what I had in mind but I can work with it"...
So...of all the "brides" in Nicaragua to pick from, he chose one that he "thinks he can change to fit"....
Fair enough response
Good luck with it all.
I've watched a man who was quite impressive,
an internationally known furniture designer, move to a small county he adored who was also sure he could change the area. He thought all sort of things would happen that didn't happen and left in six years. It took at least another decade to to sell all the property he'd bought (he had made significant investments there, including doing major redesigns of the buildings he'd bought, and nobody local could afford them). He didn't understand the culture, the people, or even the East Coast furniture designer culture (nobody moved in to the county because he was there, and he was paying to fly designers in). And that was one guy with significant money trying to change 14,000 without any understanding of how local culture worked, and he spoke the same language they did.
If this is a gamble that you can afford, as the furniture designer could afford his gamble, then fine.
Rebecca Brown
It's the "Like going to the zoo" part that is disgusting
When I first saw Jinotega, which I now rather love, I had instant culture shock. It takes living in a place to understand how people in it decide to allocate their resources, how things improve over time (more mosquito fogging this year than the first year I was here), what it's like to actually live in a place.
Seeing Bowery and streets around it was precisely like a visit to the zoo for the little "I Give a Damn" kids -- they didn't understand what they were seeing, didn't hear the bums cursing the artists for driving many of them out, were frightened by most of what they saw as they were marched around. The mission kids here don't talk to Nicaraguans -- they can't speak Spanish, they move in groups, and it's not the same kids this year who were here last year.
The people we overhear on the street say things like, "I thought there would be more chickens on the street" and "I think the people here have lost their sense of mysticism."
This is the best thing on short term mission groups I've ever read:
One of my friends said that people who are doing fairly serious extended work here say that less that four months is useless.
Rebecca Brown
Not a new issue here
This has come up for as long as I have been trying to do things for Nicaragua -- pretty much 30 years. Usually there is something that creates an issue, there is a knee-jerk reaction and then things tend to sort themselves out. My feeling is the current knee-jerk is a result of aduanas attempting to follow the law but there have been other issues with medical supplies.
I have a friend who got pregnant (with her second kid) who claims it was because of out of date contreceptives. My guess is that this was not the reason but it is a convenient excuse. In many cases, I expect medications are damaged by mis-handling with lack of refrigeration being at the top of the list but the only response which makes sense is a general one.
There are organizations which send medical supplies to Nicaragua (and elsewhere). While I am sure it feels better for some group to bring something with them, it seems like going through an NGO that has done the footwork is better for all involved.
I can't begin to tell you how utterly useless I think
...short term missions are. "Wow, let's take a bunch of kids down to Central America at $600 RT (more or less) plus hotels at generally $70 a night so they can personally hand over some medical supplies they have decided should go to Nicaragua without following the procedures in place for donating medical supplies."
There's a certain thing about these kinds of short term missions and "exposing the children to poverty" that is really problematic. And because they're on a mission, following proper procedures isn't necessary.
When I lived two blocks from the Bowery in NYC, we used to get the "I Give A Damn" school buses of kids who wore the button and didn't have a clue what they were seeing (a neighborhood that was rapidly gentrifying and which had pretty much completed the process last time I was in NYC about 30 years later) and who probably went home, grew up and voted for Reagan. Hugely ridiculous waste of taxpayers money and I suspect some of the lofts they passed in front of on Macdougal were worth more than their parent's houses.
If there's a real need for medicine, save the money that's put to exposing kids to things they really won't have enough time to understand and send more medicine through the proper channels.
It more makes Nicaragua look pathetic that American high school students must help it than it does for Nicaragua to say, "Wait a minute. You need to follow proper procedures with drug donations."
Of course, nobody felt they had to ask about how to go about making a donation because they're Americans and Nicaragua is their back 40.
That said, yes, I hope the drugs get released, but next time, ship fewer 16 year olds and more meds.
Rebecca Brown
Your personal experience may differ but I have seen lives changed by short term missions. Nothing monumental, but free child-care and a house to go with it are not "useless."
And it is anything but useless for those attending the trip. I can still vividly recall my entire week on a mission trip in Juarez when I was 14. There was so much I learned. Even as a purely practical example, I learned that just because you're dry doesn't mean you aren't sweating. Put another way, try standing in the shade for 2 minutes; you'll be soaked in sweat.
I'll edit this post later and expand it when I have the time. For now, I couldn't disagree with you more. There are more efficient uses of the money in terms of materially benefiting the Nica's but that's not the only way of measuring the success of these missions.
We all agree that the main beneficiaries are the
...humanotourists, especially the teenaged ones.
Rebecca Brown
I don't think you addressed my disagreements
Why the vitriol?
The receivers benefit in whatever they receive (free house, zinc roof, pig, childcare, education, medical supplies, w/e). The givers benefit in being able to travel, learning community involvement and organization, being exposed to another culture, learning strategies for raising money/sales, being exposed to/learning about poverty...
I recall that you recently posted about how your pen gave you perspective. Being exposed to poverty can do the same thing. I've got personal experience with that.
In a week, bluntly, you're exposed to another culture
...in a way that tends to inoculate you from it. The point isn't that these things are utterly wrong; it's that people don't learn much about a culture in a week. I could recognize the same sorts of people who descend on the poor parts of the world in a week. I'm still learning about my neighbors.
Being exposed to poverty is like being exposed to prostitution by hooking once or twice. Most poor people tend to see people from away as people to ether keep at arm's length -- the comment the woman made to me on the bus about how she sees very few white people in a month and really doesn't have dealings with any of them is one way. The other way is to shuck and jive -- and there are Nicaraguan variants of this, too.
Being poor is very different from being exposed to poverty. I've got personal experience with that, though I wasn't brutally poor as an adjunct. I had some weeks in Berkeley where I was selling plasma to get by while looking for a job. That's poor in ways that most middle class American kids don't experience and what I learned from that is when you're in those circumstances, you deal with things on a very short term basis.
I also worked for University Year for Action, where the premise was that a 19 year old middle class child had important lessons to teach middle aged poor people. It was complete bollocks. I was in my 30s, and had had some experiences with the world and a better education, and found it deeply ironic that I, left of center person, was working to save people's property rights against another equally federally funded program. This was something that should have been done by Republicans (and one Republican in Roanoke,Virginia, did try to save his constituents' properties against a similar land grab there). And my side won, as the Cherry Community had won earlier. I didn't know for years that we had won -- afraid to look, afraid that we hadn't.
My big mistake was not continuing on that work because I was actually rather good at it.
The government here gives away zinc, pigs, education, and health care, yet at least some of the posters here see this as bogus and manipulative. Consider the possibility that both are bogus and manipulative, but the government has more money for more pigs and zinc.
I learned strategies for organizing stuff when I did neighborhood plays and fun houses at 10, but everyone was horrified that they'd let a girl boss them around, and that all stopped when we reached puberty.
My perspective on poverty is that the people who are in it are dealing with things that I would have trouble dealing with myself. If that's what you got, that your circumstances, more than anything else, made you not poor (born to people who were not poor) and them poor, then you got something good out of it. A friend of mine had a whiny alcoholic sister who changed dramatically when she worked in a soup kitchen and realized that she was not any different from the people she was serving, that luck and circumstances played a huge part in who she was, the cushions she hadn't earned against being as badly off as they were.
My guess is that most people don't get that very easily because they want to believe that if they'd been born poor, they would have transcended their circumstances. Some do, but most of those remember the transition as difficult, as having to learn how to be middle class, or intellectual, or whatever else. In societies without much social mobility, the outsider middleman tends to be the one who gets the middle management jobs -- you have to leave home for that. The person who has to leave one community with friends and family and all that to make a better life often is the less social person.
What has taken me a while here, and very much more than a week, is to see that most of the people who are critical of the Nicaraguans giving them gringo prices, who think Aduana is corrupt, and all that, are the real people to watch out for. Most Nicaraguans are just living. The little vendor who cheats Gringos apparent also cheats Nicaraguans -- and I didn't learn that might be the case until watching someone wave her off. I've had to tell two different drivers to slow down here -- and one of them complains about the traffic cops. Don't ride with people who complain about the traffic cops and you'll breathe easier.
So, you come in on a poverty mission and the only people you meet will be the poor and their local explainers. You're not likely to meet lawyers who are taking graduate classes in clinical psychology, landowners who post the new minimum wage law posters for their workers, caterers, computer repair kids, and the whole range of people who just live their lives being neither rich nor brutally poor, even more in Mexico than here, but even here.
The pen incident was the second month I lived here; two years after I'd moved here, I figured out precisely what had happened.
The thing I enjoy is watching how defensive people get over their dabbling in charity. Take your Nicaraguan girl friend's advice and marry her and move her to the US. That doesn't do much for all of Nicaragua, but that's one person who couldn't have gotten out without you. For at least some Nicaraguans, that's the best thing that can happen to them, as getting out of rural Virginia was for my father.
I basically like Nicaragua, but know someone who was about to be dragooned for the Literacy Campaign in the early 1980s when she was in college. She said she didn't really want her education disrupted and left to finish college in the US.
It's a whole lot more complicated on the ground than it is in right or left wing fantasies.
Rebecca Brown
For the record
The only thing my girlfriend hates more than the US, is being dependent on me.
Way off the mark on that one. So far off the mark it would take integer multiples of the time it took you to write that to explain why.
But here goes...
She's never asked me to marry her. There's no way in hell (her words, not mine) she'd ask me to marry her for economic reasons. She cries anytime she has to use the CC/debit I left for her. It makes her feel awful to take something from another person. She also has a bachelor's degree in electronics. If she could find an employer to sponsor her, she'd have no issues getting a visa. In fact, she'd have several routes to pursue a visa as I understand it, with decent chances of getting one because there are (in some categories) a per-country limit. The only thing holding her back right now is that she a US scholarship that requires her to stay out of the US for at least 2 years on work-permitted visas (fine print: "even a change in marital status does not affect this requirement"). Not that she'd ever want to go to the US. She likes two things about it, me and the feeling of safety. Ironically, the reason she feels this way is probably because she ran into far too many bigots. I can't be sure which part of the bigotry she hated, so I'll only say that I know she hated the racism (maybe that's not the right word when it's targeted at a nationality). The "well you guys are ok, but let me tell you what's wrong with X people and how your country should be run" attitude.
I also doubt that she'd agree I'm the best thing that could happen to her. :p Although to be fair, you qualified that with "for at least some Nicaraguans."
There´s always an ulterior motive, good or bad
¨The government here gives away zinc, pigs, education, and health care, yet at least some of the posters here see this as bogus and manipulative.¨ I believe that a favor or help, such as giving zinc and pigs are manipulative tactics used by the government to buy the peoples vote. With tag lines like El pueblo es presidente and the like the government is trying to make those that haven´t a penny to their name believe that they have a champion on their side. Then you have those that ride along and fly whatever flag benefits them best, these are the people that play for whomever is on top. Education and health care and the paving of roads and assuring a peaceful and lawful life for all its citizens is not any government´s favor to its citizens, but the government´s, any government´s duty to its citizens. I like to point out this things because some people, based on what they been told and sometimes the information they get is biased, don´t really know how things were then and how they are now. It happens that our opinions or views about something or someone will be influenced by our experiences in life, but often we ignore the factsor romanticize about certain things. Politicians are boring and most of the time dirty, and unfortunately most of the time they give you an inch to gain a foot. If you talk to Somocistas they will tell you that things were great under their great general Somoza, their words and sentiment not mine. Talk to a Sandinista, Orteguista, Chamorrista and on and you´ll hear the same, praise for their patron and damnation for the rival. Think about it, who in their right mind would want to be associated with Somoza or any other politician that one way or another did more harm than good when everything is weighed on fair balances. Only those that are Chupando la Teta. I don´t want the government to give me anything that is not my right and I don´t want the government to barter with me for my support in exchange for a favor. A favor with strings attached is no longer a favor, it´s become a compromise. All this stemmed from an act of good will from some american kids that decided to do something different for a change. Why do we do good things if not to get something out of it. Most of us give or do something good for someone because at the very least is going to make us feel good about ourselves and help someone along the way. I say is a win=win proposition in the end. We should listen and follow the old wise Nica saying Si no van a Ayudar mejor no Estorben. In the end big or small any help is better than none at all.
So negative
I wish there was an ignore feature on this site!! Some people are just negative, negative and negative. After awhile, no matter how well of a writer that person may be, you sort of just disregard everything that she says!!
Ignoring your politics (there's a lot there, and frankly I find politics incredibly boring), you really only made a few points. I'm not a particularly good reader, so forgive me if I miss something (or five).
"The point isn't that these things are utterly wrong; it's that people don't learn much about a culture in a week."
Absolutely. There's a lot to soak in. My point was that when you've got no knowledge, even a little bit can be effective for change within that person. And I believe you gave them a name, "humanotourists," that sounds like it's supposed to have wholly negative connotations. Was there another message I was supposed to get?
My actual point was not that short term missions are the best thing since sliced bread. My point was that you cannot dismiss an entire class of humanitarian work because you haven't seen it work personally, or have some kind of negative emotions associated with your experience. At least, you can't do that if you're trying to make an argument.
"If that's what you got, that your circumstances, more than anything else, made you not poor (born to people who were not poor) and them poor, then you got something good out of it."
That is what some people get out of it. Is it "bad" if that's not what some people get out of it? What constitutes "bad?" It sounds like your objections so far have actually come from experience in the US -- it sounds like you've yet to have a bad personal experience with charity in Nicaragua. Is there a difference?
"What has taken me a while here, and very much more than a week, is to see that most of the people who are critical of the Nicaraguans giving them gringo prices, who think Aduana is corrupt, and all that, are the real people to watch out for. Most Nicaraguans are just living."
It could be said that these guys are just living too. Maybe a little too much free time to pontificate, but we are all part of that, aren't we? :) They have a right to an opinion just as much as you do, even if you think (nay, know!) they're wrong. It's no excuse for name-calling and vitriol.
More importantly, that is not relevant to my post.
The Queen of Pontification....
You are quite right James but Orchid Lady thought Vitriol was Geritol and bought a case load.
I live in Nicaragua; it's not my hobby or a money-making
fantasy for me.
This is a real country, with real problems. Various of us watch the various groups come in for a week or two, and spend maybe two days doing what they were here to do, and the rest of the time visiting Granada, Omatepe Island, and San Juan del Sur on charitable contributions. Nice scam if you can get it.
The people who actually do good work here are in for the long haul -- one man told a friend of mine that any commitment of less four months was useless. The people who come down here need to know Spanish.
Again, there are people who have skills that aren't common here, who do things that are useful. One of the guys who comes with the school for the deaf group knows electrical wiring and has re-wired the school and the Sollentuna Hem (so that everyone could have hot showers at the same time without blowing fuses). The medical team that did gynecological repairs in San Raphael del Norte, good people.
We've also had some roving con men -- like one guy who does Transformative Body Massage which he is sure will cure the Nicaraguan people's post traumatic stress disorder from the civil war, stuff like sustainable agriculture projects where the person running them has nary a clue about agriculture, but it's an "anti-poverty project."
The other interesting thing is that these people don't do anything where they're from comparable to what they do to the Nicaraguan people. There was a eye surgeon who did free cataract operations in Latin America, came down for years. He decided that he'd offer free surgeries to his referring doctors in Greensboro and towns near-by in Virginia. He had too many people asking --- too many people fell between Medicaid and regular insurance -- to be able to do all of them, so he just did operations for people in his county.
Now, this wouldn't happen in Canada, but it does happen in the US. I had catastrophic insurance at the time, but one doctor had put the cataract on my chart, and that pre-existing condition wasn't covered. I was blind in one eye for years until I got on an HMO program in Philadelphia and had the surgery. Couldn't drive at night except under street lights or in the country where traffic was very light.
These are people who have decided that the poor in the US deserve it, or they don't know how to connect to them, and it's just not as much fun as going to Granada, Ometepe Island, and San Juan del Sur and doing a day or two of unskilled labor to justify the donations.
Are there groups that do something useful -- yes, but they're people with very real skills who can bring something that isn't available locally. And to do anything really useful, you have to be in it for the long haul -- like the guy who came home to run a library and book program in Granada. Most of the programs ask for a commitment of several months and at least intermediate Spanish. This is not what I'm referring to as humanotourism.
Rebecca Brown
That's nice Rebecca. You
That's nice Rebecca. You still don't speak for me.
I wouldn't dream of speaking for you
I've sat through a lot of county administrative meetings listening to people like you.
Rebecca Brown

subset: commoncrawl


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A slopey arete, unkown problem, St. Bees Head
© Iain Cattanach, Jul 2004
Climbers: Hardin
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The division began in February of 1998 with only 12 identifiable neighborhood/homeowner associations organized within the city of Pasadena. Since 1998, the Network Division has worked to assist and organize over 178 neighborhood and/or homeowner associations.
The Neighborhood Network Division office is located in the City of Pasadena Municipal Services Building (old Police Dept. building), 1114 Davis, second floor. Please contact Neighborhood Network Division Manager - Karen Hollon to schedule an appointment at 713.475.7221 or email her.
The Network Division stands ready to assist you to improve your neighborhood with the following programs and resources:
Because an informed citizen is a pro-active neighborhood member, the Neighborhood Network offers workshops for residents and neighborhood network participants. These are a great way to meet your neighbors and learn what other groups are doing to improve their neighborhoods.
Neighborhood safety
Neighborhood safety and security is an important part of building a stronger community, Neighborhood Network is pleased to work in close cooperation with the Pasadena Police Department to assist residents through ongoing Crime Watch classes. With information designed to help you lessen the chances you'll become a victim, Crime Watch is a highly effective tool in any resident's preparation.
Individual Neighborhood Association Web sites
If your neighborhood association has developed its own web site where information about your group is posted and shared, please contact us so that we may list you here for others to access.
Village Grove East
Village Grove Community Association
Burkeshire Homeowner's Association
Fairmont Estates Neighborhood Association
Contact Us
For more information on the Neighborhood Network Division or how to create a neighborhood organization, call Karen Hollon , Program Manager, at 713-475-7221 or email her. If you plan on coming by, our offices are at the Pasadena Municipal Services Building (old Police Dept. building), 1114 Davis, second floor.


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Understanding your dynamic business needs and generating success based on those needs.
There has never been a better time than now to find the perfect partner for your business - Tpro is that partner.
Let us work for you. Start by searching Tpro's services.
Copyright 2013. Tpro Consulting Group, Inc. All rights reserved.


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3 mums tell us all about their experiences of having their babies on Christmas Day!
Emma Holmes, 27, from West Sussex is married to Alan and mum to Faith, who will celebrate her first birthday on Christmas Eve. She says last Christmas was the best ever but also the weirdest!
Faith wasn't due until 6 January, so when my waters broke two weeks early it was a complete shock! There was nothing to suggest I would go into labour early, but my mum was
convinced that this was to be a Christmas baby.
On 23 December, Alan was just about to put up some curtains in the nursery when I felt my waters go. Although I had no contractions I had to go straight to the hospital because earlier tests had revealed that I carry Strep B. This meant I had to be given antibiotics early in labour to prevent the condition being passed to the baby. Because I wasn't yet contracting they decided to induce me, so I was put straight onto a syntocinon drip. I remember it took five attempts to get the needle in, which was awful.
I'd used a TENS machine for a sports injury and found it very effective so I started off using just that, but it really didn¹t work for me in labour.
I¹d wanted a natural labour, but syntocinon makes contractions incredibly painful and six hours into the induction I asked for an epidural. It was fine after that. I remember watching the final of Strictly Come Dancing hooked up to a monitor, on which I could see the contractions peak and fall although I couldn¹t feel them. The midwives were concerned that I wasn¹t contracting properly and they didn¹t think I could get to 10cm. They said they¹d leave me till 10pm then take me to theatre. However, when they came back I was fully dilated! Unfortunately Faith was in the back-to-back position. Her spine was locked into mine and no matter how hard I pushed she just didn¹t seem to want to come out.
I was told it would have to be a Caesarean delivery and taken down to theatre. We got down there and I was all psyched up for a C-section. They decided to have one last go at a forceps delivery, and to everyone¹s surprise including mine it worked. So my baby was born in the wee small hours of Christmas Eve!
The first thing I remember was being told "It's a girl!", which was so funny as everyone had been convinced I was carrying a boy! Because she was early they whisked her away to check everything was OK, but finally they brought her to me and that was so nice I burst into tears!
I had torn quite badly and had to be stitched, so Alan held her while that was going on as I was still in shock and frightened I might drop her. Then I was wheeled to the post-natal ward with my baby in my arms. Faith was conceived on Good Friday and born on Christmas Eve so her name just seemed to make sense somehow!
We were concerned she might have to go to the NICU, but she was fine and didn¹t even need to have antibiotics for the Strep B. So, 10 hours after she was born, I asked if I could go home. My father-in-law also has his birthday on Christmas Eve, and you can imagine his surprise when he opened the door to find his new granddaughter had come to his party!
Alan's parents cooked our turkey for us on Christmas Eve and the next day we ate cold turkey and jacket potatoes and celebrated Christmas not as a couple but as a family! I spent most of the day lying on the sofa, gazing at Faith.
We realised afterwards that we didn't really take any pictures of her first Christmas we were both too tired. We didn't really have any clothes that fitted her as she was really small, and all the newborn things we'd bought swamped her!
I can't wait for this Christmas and starting new family traditions. Faith will have three parties because we want her to be able to celebrate her birthday properly, even though it¹s Christmas. All the family want to see her, so we¹ll be having everyone over to ours for Christmas Day.
1 2 Next page: Tracy's birth story
3 Next page: Sylvia's birth story
This story first appeared in the February 2008 issue of our magazine, Pregnancy, Baby and You.
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The Written Word
After announcing the release in January, the latest installment of our Digital Dynasty mixtape series is here, hosted by legendary group Lords of the Underground. The tape boasts over 50 new tracks from a slew of talented up-and-comers…
New feature on an E. Coast mixtape hosted by Lords of the Underground. The "Brighter Side" is where we need to stay!
Caffeine for your ears +). The original vocals were improvised in a live beat session with Big Shawn (Sound Earth). Then I chopped them up & added drums and bass.
A new video for the 2013 Inspiration Awards presented by Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center & Heddy Fur
Listen to music by Heddy Fur on Pandora. Discover new music you'll love, listen to free personalized radio.
Check out my playlist on youtube!! Bless
In the beginning of written word came the Sefirot, a document unlocking the keys to the universe by means of 32 secret paths of wisdom: 10 Sefirot (or numbers), and 22 letters. In abstract symbology, the letters created the three strata of the cosmos (the world, time, and the human body). By living in the way of the Sefirot, you could imitate the ways of God. In the original written book, numbers and letters guided consciousness to a new level, and if decoded properly, with discipline, mastering the combination of numbers and letters could lead to personal enlightenment.
Transmuting illusion, moving through change with beauty and creativity, spawning from water and decorating the air, carrying light in adaptable forms, through the realms of nature and the Gods.


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She's not Clueless about love anymore! Alicia Silverstone is pregnant, and if her latest blog posts are any indication, she and husband Christopher Jarecki are going to show the world how a vegan pregnancy works.
The well-known animal rights activist was on her site The Kind Life -- where there's a special forum confirming the pregnancy (in case you were worried this was another tabloid rumor) -- as recently as today, sharing vegan recipes with her fans. Today's mix of mushrooms on a tortilla pizza sounds like it's to die for (you can come cook for me anytime Alicia!), but more importantly, it's got a good balance of nutrients.
Coming into a pregnancy with a special diet doesn't have to be a problem. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends vegetarians stay the course, although they're usually advised to take supplemental vitamins to maintain a good balance for baby. As an example, while I was pregnant, they added an iron supplement to my diet as I tended toward anemia.
Vegans have an even more restrictive diet than the average vegetarian, but that's not to say it's bad for baby. Their diets are generally already high in folates, one of the number one things pregnant women are told to add to their diet to prevent birth defects. They're also often better accustomed to making diet adjustments, making it easier for them to do it again during pregnancy.
If there's anyone who can balance the lifestyle with the advice of her doctors, it's Silverstone, whose Kind Life and Kind Diet book both offer expert advice in addition to her experience. Her site even includes a special forum specifically for pregnant vegans, a section she's bound to be hitting up a lot in coming months. Ever want to catch a celeb to talk to? That might be the place to start.
Would you consider checking it out and trying a vegan pregnancy?
Image via Facebook
Nope. Confirmed meat lover here. I do congratulate her for sticking to her guns and eating right for herself and her baby, though. Good for her!
More power to Alicia, but no, I would not consider a vegan pregnancy. I enjoy chicken, fish, eggs, etc. too much to give them up.
I wish her the best of luck. In highscholl my music teacher was vegan and she was sick during her pregnancy all the time, missed alot of school. hope it goes better for her.
Be really hard for me since my husband is a huge meat eater.
As a chef I can tell you that vegan cakes and brownies are very good. Vegans also eat pizza, it's just made differently. :)


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In 2012 changes were made to Virginia's voter identification laws.
Virginia voters are reminded that state law requires all voters to provide an acceptable form of identification (ID) at the polls.
Voters arriving to the polls without ID will be required to vote a provisional ballot and will have until noon on the Friday after the election to deliver a copy of identification to their locality's electoral board in order for their provisional ballot to be counted.
Please see below in "Provisional Ballot Process for Voters Who Arrive Without Identification" for more information on how the provisional
ballot process will work for those arriving to the polls without ID.
Please see below in "Special Federal ID Requirements for Certain First Time Voters"for other potential special cases for first-time voters.
Acceptable forms of identification include the following: (Download Chart)
***Virginia voter registration card
***Valid Virginia driver's license
***Military ID
***Any Federal, Virginia state or local government-issued ID
***Employer issued photo ID card
***Concealed handgun permit
***Valid student ID issued by any institution of higher education located in the Commonwealth of Virginia
***Current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck indicating the name and address of the voter
***Social Security card (*please see below as the social security card does not satisfy special federal ID requirements)
***A voter who does not bring an acceptable ID to the polls will be offered a provisional ballot.
Don't have one of these forms of ID?
All Virginia active registered voters will be mailed a new Virginia voter registration card prior to the November 2012 General Election. If you are not registered but are eligible for registration, please register today and a voter registration card will be mailed to you by your local general registrar's office after your application has been processed.
Provisional Ballot Process for Voters Who Arrive Without Identification
All active registered voters in Virginia will be mailed a new voter identification card prior to the November 2012 General Election. Voters without any other ID should bring this form of ID with them to the polls as this will satisfy the voter ID requirements for Virginia and federal law.
A voter who arrives at the polling place without an acceptable form of identification will be given the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot. After completing the provisional ballot, the individual voting will be given written instructions from the election officials on how to submit a copy of his/her identification so that his/her vote can be counted.
A voter will have until noon on the Friday following the election to deliver a copy of the identification to the local electoral board. Voters may submit a copy of their ID via fax, email, in-person submission, or through USPS or commercial delivery service. Please note that the copy of the ID must be delivered to the electoral board by noon on Friday, or the provisional ballot cannot be counted. A Friday postmark will not be sufficient if the copy of the ID is not delivered to the electoral board by noon on Friday.
The written notice given to the voter will provide the necessary information, including email, fax, and address of where the ID should be delivered.
Dos and Don't For Campaigners and Authorized Representatives
Special Federal ID Requirements for Certain First Time Voters
For persons who registered to vote in Virginia by mail, federal law requires them to show identification (ID) when voting (in-person or absentee) for the first time in a federal election if they did not send a copy of one of these IDs with their voter registration applications. Voters subject to this special ID requirement will have the phrase "First-time Federal" after the "ID Required" item in their on-line voter registration record. Any of the following types of ID are acceptable:
***A current and valid photo ID (for example a driver's license);
***or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck that shows name and address;
***or another government document that shows name and address (for example a voter card).
This federal ID requirement applies the first time a person votes in any federal election, either on the day of the election or by absentee ballot.
If the voter does not present one of these forms of ID at the polls, that person will be offered a provisional ballot that includes a voter information statement under felony penalty. This is a paper ballot that the local electoral board may count if the voter later provides the required identification. Such persons have the right to appear before the Electoral Board and can request an extension up to one day to present evidence. If the voter returns an absentee ballot by mail without a copy of one of these forms of ID, the absentee ballot will be treated as a provisional ballot and counted only if the voter provides a copy of ID to the electoral board by the deadline applicable to all voters.
Please remember that these requirements apply to first-time voters who are voting absentee by mail and in-person.
*Note: In nearly all cases, the Virginia identification requirements mirror and satisfy the federal ID requirements. However, a social security card does not satisfy the federal ID requirements, if you are a first-time voter who fits the criteria listed in this section. Please also remember that the federal ID requirements apply to both absentee voting and voting at the polling place on Election Day.


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SPOKANE, Wash. -- A movie filmed in Spokane that has won some awards at film festivals, opened in Spokane Friday.
"Different Drummers" premiered at River Park Square's AMC 20 Theater.
The story is about a Spokane man's recollection of his childhood in the 1960s. It focuses around his friendship with a boy named David who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, confining him to a wheelchair.
The movie was shot entirely in Spokane. Many of the scenes were shot in the actual places where the events happened.
Most of the actors are local, including the main character Lyle Hatcher which was played by Brayden Tucker. The real life Lyle Hatcher and co-writer of the movie said he was excited for Spokane to experience this reflection of itself.
"It's great to be able to finally get it to the screen where everybody can get together as a family and see what we've all done and see our story," said Hatcher.
The filmmakers put $1.5 million into making the movie. They said the film has returned more than $4 million to our local economy.
"Different Drummers" opened at 10:00 a.m. Friday. Certain showings are already sold out but it is scheduled to run five times a day at least through the end of January.


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NOTICE: - While reasonable efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the data herein, this is NOT the official version of Senate Journal. It is published to provide information in a timely manner, but has not been proofread against the events of the session for this day. All information obtained from this source should be checked against a proofed copy of the Senate Journal.
Monday, July 7, 2003.
Met at six minutes past one oÆclock P.M. (Ms. Walsh in the Chair).
The Senator from Essex and Middlesex, Mr. Tarr, led the Chair (Ms. Walsh), members, guests and employees in the recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
Mr. Brewer presented a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No.
2030) of Stephen M. Brewer and Reed V. Hillman (by vote of the town) for legislation
relative to a betterment assessment in the town of Sturbridge [Local approval
received],Ś and the same was referred, under Senate Rule 20, to the committee
on Natural Resources and Agriculture.
Sent to the House for concurrence.
Petitions were presented and referred, as follows:
By Mr. Brewer, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Stephen M. Brewer and Lewis G. Evangelidis for legislation relative to creditable service for Carol Adams from the Massachusetts TeachersÆ Retirement System; and
By Mr. McGee (by request), a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Kevin
Mahar for legislation to exempt certain income of retirees from state income
Severally, under Senate Rule 20, to the committees on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently.
Report of a Committee.
Ms. Jacques, for the committee on Steering and Policy, reported that the following matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session:
The Senate Bill regarding commercial electronic mail (Senate, No. 2019).
Paper from the House.
A Bill designating a certain bridge in the town of Canton as the John E. Farrington Bridge (House, No. 661,Ś on petition),Ś was read and, under Senate Rule 26, referred to the committee on Steering and Policy.
The following resolutions (having been filed with the Clerk) were considered forthwith and adopted, as follows:
Resolutions (filed by Mr. Barrios) ōcongratulating Frederick Anthony Nowicki upon his retirementö;
Resolutions (filed by Mr. Pacheco) ōcongratulating Richard Faulkner on the occasion of his retirement from the Taunton school districtö; and
Resolutions (filed by Messrs. Tisei and Barrios, Ms. Resor, Mr. Rosenberg and Ms. Wilkerson) ōmemorializing Congress to overturn the Federal Communications CommissionÆs decision.ö
Paper from the House.
A Bill validating the action taken at the annual town meeting held in the
town of Winchendon (printed in House, No. 3933,Ś being a message from His Excellency
the Governor),Śwas read.
There being no objection, the rules were suspended, on motion of Mr. Tarr, and the bill was read a second time, ordered to a third reading, read a third time and passed to be engrossed, in concurrence.
There being no objection, at nine minutes past one oÆclock P.M., the Chair (Ms. Walsh) declared a recess subject to the call of the Chair; and at a quarter past four oÆclock P.M., the Senate reassembled, the President in the Chair.
Order Adopted.
Ms. Fargo offered the following order, to wit:
ōWhereas, the Senate members were appointed on January 21, 2003 to the joint committee on Local Affairs; and
Whereas, On January 23, 2003, the Senate adopted in concurrence, a House order providing that the Joint Rules in effect for the preceding General Court be adopted as the temporary Joint Rules of the 2003-2004 General Court, which included the provision for the re-establishment of the Joint Committee on Local Affairs; and
Whereas, approximately 50 seasonably filed Senate petitions, many of which affect local communities, were referred by the Senate to the Joint Committee on Local Affairs; and
Whereas, a joint rule establishing the recommended committee on Local Affairs, Counties and Regional Government has yet to be adopted by either the House or the Senate, and the Joint Committee on Local Affairs has been unable to organize because the full membership has yet to be determined; therefore be it
Ordered, that the Senate members appointed to the Joint Committee on
Local Affairs are hereby authorized to organize themselves as a standing committee
of the Senate, and to report on all Senate matters that have been seasonably
filed and referred to said committee until such time as the joint committee
on Local Affairs, Counties and Regional Government, or some other successor
joint committee is established and members are appointed.ö
After remarks, the order was adopted.
Papers from the House.
Engrossed Bills.
An engrossed Bill validating the action taken at the annual town meeting held in the town of Winchendon (see House Bill, printed in House, No. 3933) (which originated in the House), having been certified by the Senate Clerk to be rightly and truly prepared for final passage, was passed to be enacted, two-thirds of the members present having voted in the affirmative, and it was signed by the President and laid before the Governor for his approbation.
An engrossed Bill authorizing the city of Medford to grant additional licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the premises (see House, No. 3865, amended) (which originated in the House), having been certified by the Senate Clerk to be rightly and truly prepared for final passage, was passed to be enacted and, was signed by the President and laid before the Governor for his approbation.
Order Adopted.
On motion of Mr. Shannon,Ś
Ordered, That when the Senate adjourns today, it adjourn to meet again tomorrow at eleven oÆclock A.M., in a full formal session, and that the Clerk be directed to dispense with the printing of a calendar.
On further motion of Mr. Shannon, at twenty-eight minutes before five oÆclock P.M., the Senate adjourned to meet on the following day at eleven oÆclock A.M., in full formal session.


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James Bond may be a fictional character to all of us, but the dashing debonair / awesome secret agent is still an inspiration to all of us. Who wouldn't want to be in his shoes? He's got a killer job, he scores the hottest women, and best of all - at least in our case - he drives the fanciest cars.
That last part is such an integral part of the Bond legend that an exhibition is actually being planned to showcase the largest collection of James Bond vehicle to ever be displayed. The whole event is being prepared through the collaborative efforts of the UK's National Motor Museum, Beaulieu and EON Productions, which is doing the groundwork for the event in preparation for the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming's Bond franchise.
Around 50 cars are expected to be included in the exhibit highlighted by the 2008 Aston Martin DBS from Quantum of Solace, the 2002 Jaguar XKR with SFX weapons from Die Another Day, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from Goldeneye, and the 1937 Phantom lll Rolls-Royce from Goldfinger.
The exhibit will be held at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, United Kingdom and will run the entire length of the 2012 calendar year.
"Following the success of the first Bond cars exhibition staged at Beaulieu in 2001, we are delighted to be working with EON again on this new display, bringing together the world's largest collection of Bond vehicles, Beaulieu's Commercial Director, Stephen Munn said.
The exhibit won't open for another few months, but it's safe to say that we'll be dropping by to check it out if we find ourselves in the area next year.


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In this video both Rihanna and Shakira seriously, seriously, sexy.
The sizzling video shows the sizzling duo writhe round, stroke each other and smoke cigars on a bed and white striped bed.
In the video Shakira and awful gal Rihanna can be seen entwined simultaneously TOPLESS as they caress each other in front of the camera.
In another, Shakira can be glimpsed rocking out with a guitar in a very dark see-through bodysuit while a red-lipped Rihanna sings to the camera.
Shakira can be seen grinding up against against a partition in a red lacy bodysuit in another shot while Rihanna does her best to comepete in a black sexy Gatsby method gown (with no skirt).
Both women finally ditch their apparel altogether to share a nude adopt, while another scene features Rihanna and Shakira standing close together with their arms entwined and the precious gems celebrity a breath away from kissing her companion's cheek.
In an interview with glamour Shakira said: "I frankly considered it would never occur, she is utopia.
"She's the sexiest woman on the planet. And at the end of the day, we're both just basically Caribbean young women. The chemistry was so good and so real."
Se the lyrics of the song :- http://entertainmentpixel.com/videos/cant-remember-to-forget-you-lyrics-shakira-ft-rihanna/


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HMV marketing chief defends tattoo policy
HMV's marketing chief has defended the retailer's decision to ask staff to cover up 'extensive' tattoos and piercings, claiming the decision is part of efforts to broaden its appeal beyond music in line with its changing business strategy.
The decision, although announced internally at a company conference several weeks ago, has attracted criticism from customers and staff since it was first reported last week.
Marketing Week and the brand's own Facebook page has been inundated with comments from consumers with some threatening to boycott stores. Some describe the move as "irrelevant" and others accuse the brand of "alienating" core customers and staff suggesting HMV could have unintentionally caused a detrimental effect on customer service.
HMV marketing and e-commerce director Mark Hodgkinson insists that it has not "banned" tattoos, but expects "extreme body art" to be covered up as part of an updated appearance policy designed to make the shopping experience "inclusive for everybody". He did, however, concede that HMV has "not got is message out clearly enough".
The shift is part of HMV's ongoing efforts, he continues, to transform itself from a record shop to a broader entertainment brand. It now sells more technology devices than music and hopes to present an image more in line with this in its stores.
It is introducing a new uniform to replaces the black t-shirts work by staff with red t-shirts in a move designed to introduce a "clearer and brighter" brand identity.
Hodgkinson told Marketing Week: "It's [the change in policy] been taken out of context and sensationalised and we've given a wrong impression of what we want to do. The [appearance policy] is part of something bigger within HMV about being really welcoming and inclusive to customers and encouraging more diversity of customers and making them feel comfortable, welcomed and embraced by our stores.
"We will continue to embrace diversity in our colleagues - we have one of the least stringent codes in retail and we'll continue to. - we're just saying where it is too extreme, bear in mind we're trying to attract broader customers and it could be something that would deter some customers."
Retail analyst Neil Saunders says the move risks HMV losing even its most loyal customers who engage with staff regularly and appreciate their individuality compared with online players such as Amazon.
He adds: "HMV is a brand where people don't care much about appearance of staff. They've got to be careful not to end up creating something too sterile and taking away from the differentiation the brand has.
If you transplanted HMV staff to John Lewis perhaps it wouldn't work, but the service is very good in HMV because its people are interested in what their doing and passionate about technology, film and music. [Tattoos are] almost expected in HMV and so people judge the service they get rather than what someone looks like."
"Most people aren't that judgmental and would prefer friendly knowledgeable service from someone with tattoos and long hair than a neatly presented person who is offhand. If you look at the Apple store, you wouldn't say their staff are neat, they're 'hip and cool' and as a tech brand that works quite well."
VIEWPOINT: Rosie Baker
There is logic behind every consumer facing business wanting its staff to present the brand in the best way possible but this must be executed in a way that's relevant to the brand. For HMV it has been a misguided effort that has met with a customer backlash that it can ill-afford.
A company's staff and workforce are the living breathing epitome of the brand. They are the people on the frontline of a brand's relationship with customers and also the backbone to making any to making any new initiatives a success.
Having a genuinely engaged workforce can be the difference between a business or marketing strategy being a success or failure and any business facing a challenging future needs its staff to be onside. If the board don't understand what galvanises their workforce, trouble could follow.
HMV's change on tattoo policy may be minor, but the biggest damage done is likely to be in its staff engagement. Its staff are good because they are passionate about music, film and technology. If a more mainstream appearance policy stifles that passion HMV looses some of its best brand advocates.
HMV is between a rock and a hard place. It wants to transform its business but is held back by perceptions of what its brand used to be. As a business, it cannot succeed under the old model, but as a brand its efforts to move away from its record shop roots jar with customers' nostalgic perceptions of what it stands for.
Readers' comments (8)
Rosie writes it better than anyone else could. Hitler says what the big boys in the business really think of their staff though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2nPeAKKCq4&feature=youtu.be
I get the branding comments but I'm still surprised a music store doesn't allow visible tattoos. I work in the health care industry and wearing Ink Armor sleeves to cover up my tattoos: They work well and I don't mind covering up for the conservative world of medicine but I thought a music shop was the one place you could let loose.
I am not in favour of this view. Why is someone with tattoos deemed less able to serve the public? Doesn't this reek of unequal oppotunites? Also, why is the head of marketing so offended by tattoos? Do the public who have tattoos spend less money or are they welcome at all? Double standards.
For 'Red Shirt' mentioned above read 'Pink T-Shirt and Blue Jeans'
Misfire. Does the brand have a stance on branding I wonder?
It does not really matter about the person's appearance, tattoos or not the real reason is its going slowly under because of the silly prices it charges. A chart DVD for £15......WHAT its almost half the price online and about £9 in a supermarket. Goodbye HMV ........twas your own fault.
Trevpr Moore did something not dissimilar at Jessops. Their loyal customer base became an exodus. Do these guys really know anything about retail that they havent gleaned from a US publication? Fish, just don't mention fish to Trevor. That lasted all of 5 nano-seconds.
It is hot pink tshirts for staff, hot pink shirts for management and ALL tattoos have to be covered up by black long sleeved jumpers under the shirt. It's going to look absolutely ridiculous. Staff are very unhappy


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SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE|SFGATE.COM 55th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW…Entertainment for the Entire Family…At an Affordable Price
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 17, 2011 – Looking for family entertainment at an affordable price? The San Francisco Chronicle|SFGate.com 55th Annual International Auto Show, presented by AutoTrader.com, November 22-26 at Moscone Convention Center, is the place to be.
Young or old, male or female, the International Auto Show provides entertainment for every member of the family at an affordable price — with tickets just $9 for adults and children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult.
Thinking about buying a new car? The Auto Show is the perfect place to see and compare the 2013 makes, models and prices from 38 manufacturers, all under one roof. Interested in the newest automotive technology? The show will feature electric, hybrid and other alternative fuel vehicles plus the latest in driving aids. For the car buff there is the extremely popular Academy of Art University Classic Car Collection, displays from AutoTrader.com, the Ferrari Club of America, race cars from Sonoma Raceway and GEICO; the Aftermarket Alley featuring tricked-out vehicles and aftermarket products; a display from Dominator Hot Rods. For kids of all ages there is an auto accessory booth area with model cars, interactive exhibits as well as car care products and much more.
Among the manufacturers exhibiting their 2013 vehicles are: Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Fisker, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, KIA, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Ram, Nissan, Rolls Royce, Scion, Subaru, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.
Supported by the California New Car Dealers Association, the Show will have more than 600 vehicles filling the 1.2 million sq. ft. Moscone Center. The International Auto Show is the premier auto exposition in northern California and the only one held regionally that lures the dazzling high-tech displays from the world's major manufacturers. It is expected to draw 300,000 spectators making it the largest exhibition of any kind in the greater Bay Area and the second largest auto show in the western United States.
Show hours are:
Thursday, November 22 – Sunday, November 25: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Monday, November 26: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Admission is $9 for adults with children 12-years and under free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information visit www.sfautoshow.com


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by Iris Lehnhardt
Phone Cases
Protect your iPhone with a one-piece, impact resistant, flexible plastic hard case featuring an extremely slim profile. Simply snap the case onto your iPhone for solid protection and direct access to all device features.
abstract painting on paper, 2011.
- 55Promote
I just sold this on another platform so I thought I put it in here, too ;-) Thank you SO much Alessandra!!


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This conversation is closed.
Parenting gifted children, from toddlers to teens
As a parent of a gifted child, my child has had many teachers, good and bad.
But raising a strong, resilient gifted child needs more than that. A child needs a stimulating, supportive environment to grow, learn, develop and eventually, lead. Yes, all children need this, but I think ours, with the capacity to be future leaders of the next generation, need it even more.
And as parents - we need to learn and share with each other. I
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Jul 23 2013: The goal of my meetup/blog/FB page was ultimately to have a support group in Toronto, for parents, as none exist.
My son is sharp, but not profoundly gifted - as that would entail a whole new set of challenges.
At the end of the day, although I can always learn more, we have learnt, through trial and error, how to parent our gifted child (who is 12, going on 40!). But I hope to be a resource for parents of younger chidlren too, especially since the gifted program in our city doesn't begin until grade 4, with parents left on their own for many years before.
I don't plan on being an advocate for gfited education, as ABC (association for bright children) covers that.
I need to spend some more time on Hoagies - like all of us, trying to juggle work and everything else!
Thank you for your continued feedback. Sincerely, Barb
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.


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Each week, our designers are on the lookout for spectacular cards and projects using My Favorite Things clear stamps and Die-namics dies. We're always excited to share just a few of these with you each week. Then, at the end of the month, we choose just one of those projects to share with you as our very Favorite Find of the month.
We all loved this warm beauty from Janneke for a Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch. It is perfectly embellished, and just beautifully colored. Please stop by Janneke's blog to see all the details on this beautiful card. Janneke wins a gift voucher to the MFT Boutique, just perfect timing with our November release next week!


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Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has appointed a former electric utility executive to serve as the new leader of a state agency that advocates for consumers on electric, gas, phone, water and telecommunication issues.
Patrick Quinn will take over as director of the Arizona Residential Utility Consumer Office on Monday.
Quinn replaces outgoing director Jodi Jerich.
Quinn served as president of Qwest Arizona from 2002-2008 and held several other positions at the company dating back to 1977.
He has been president of a business and political consulting firm since 2008.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
3933 Washington Road
Augusta, GA 30907
(706) 650-5400
FCC Public File
(706) 650-5400
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text: Do you have any idea of when those of us on Cisco uBR10k's will be able to dabble with IPv6?Kind of sucks that those of us on the Cisco 10k's a) can't get IPv6 and b) have connections that don't work properly on the new 17/3 and 27/7 boot files (at least from what I can gather with the limited # of data points).Why is the Cisco so broken compared to other CMTS equipment? Is it just harder to configure or are there technical limitations to it causing slowness in IPv6 enabling and proper "capped" powerboost boot file handling?--"I drank what?" -Socrates


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L Plate Hours (Aus)
100 - 500 downloadsAdd this app to your listsTweets por @AppsZoom
You can copy them into your log book at any time from your phone or you can email a list of your lessons to yourself. Just hit new trip and enter the odometer and start driving (odometer is auto filled out from the last trip in the selected car). While you are driving your instructor can write a few notes for you and fill out the road and traffic conditions. When your finished the odometer is automatically calculated from the distance you have traveled.
The app will use your GPS to record the start and end locations for your log book. The app allows you to have multiple vehicles, supervising drivers and learner drivers. Supervising drivers can be marked as professional instructors, their hours are tripled up to a maximum of 10 hours (values can be adjusted in the settings).
Records all information required for NSW learner drivers (Has most of the information required for other Australian states)
If you have any features you would like to see or have found a bug, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at email@example.com
Keywords: RTA, Australia, Log, Log book, Logbook, Digital, Electronic, Diary, Driving, Drive, Learning, Learner, Instructor, Car, Timer
Tags: rta log book odometer, want to find odometer for log book rta learners in nsw, easy way to add up l plate hours, learners log book auto fill.
1.1.3 - UI bug fixes
1.1.0 - Major feature update: Calculates distance traveled from GPS, instructors can be marked as professional to give bonus hours, a notification is added to status bar while driving to easly get back to the current trip.
1.0.7 Added easy to use spinners for adjusting the odometer
1.0.6 Bug fix
1.0.5 Added support for multiple learner drivers
1.0.4 Start odometer is now automatically set from the last trip
(75 stars)
A little ambiguous in that if you press finish the countdown stops... I always press it when I'm driving... (Not that I ever drive and play with my phone as an L Plater..)
(75 stars)
Can't believe such a feature rich app exists for nsw drivers
(75 stars)
Perfect for recording hours quickly because the log book is such a hassle. Updates have made the interface so easy to use. Recommended!
(75 stars)
Perfect for recording hours quickly because the log book is such a hassle. Updates have made the interface so easy to use. Recommended!
(75 stars)
Just what is needed these days with the horrible log books they make u use... Very versatile/feature rich compared to the other apps out there...
(75 stars)
thank you!


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Categories > Anime/Manga > Death Note
In Need of a Night Light2 Reviews
Light has a late night phobia attack. Will L help him?
[b]By – Johnny Penn
Fandom – Death Note
Pairings if any – n/a
Rating – PG
Disclaimer – I do not own Death Note or am I making any money off of this. This is merely for fun. [/b]
- - -
Light hated the dark. He simply detested it. While he was locked up in the ubber-maximum cell of L's – the lights had always been on. True, it had taken him a while to get used to that, but in the end, it was better than being completely encased in darkness which had been Misa's hell. Light tried his hardest to hold back the shiver that almost rocked the bed. How Misa had been able to live through fifty days of that…he'd never ask because he simply didn't want to know.
Things had changed after a week in the hospital wing of L's building, he was now chained to the Detective for an inordinate amount of time and if he didn't get a bit of light in the room somehow – he knew he would go crazy. He also knew that he couldn't just blurt out this weakness; L would think he was crazy. It had nothing to do with Kira - who probably liked the dark – Light just hated the darkness with a passion. It was simple.
Okay, not that simple.
"Light…what's wrong?" the softly whispered words were hard to hear. Light blinked and turned towards L who had been sleeping.
"Nothing, why do you ask?" deflect.
"Oh, I'm hypersensitive to those around me, something is bothering you," L returned knowingly. He sat up and looked down at Light who shifted somewhat on his side of the bed.
"If you need something, all you have to do is ask," L said. Light tried not to roll his eyes. Sure, he needed to be with his family – he needed to be in his own room with the computer screen glowing comfortably on the far wall – he needed a bloody night light.
"I'm fine," he lied.
"No you are not," and the lamp was flicked on. The soft glow made Light relax a bit with a sigh. The darkness had receded and the small pool of light made things less scary.
"Light, I'm afraid of things, as well," L said. Light gave him a dirty look in return.
"Who said I was scared?"
"I'm scared that he world is going to run out of sugar," L blinked. Light blinked. He couldn't believe that those words came right out of L's mouth, was he serious or was he playing around with Light?
"Okay….and you are telling me that, because…?"
"I understand why you are afraid of the dark," L cocked his head.
"What gave you that idea?" Light muttered, not at all happy to be found out but he was going to deny it as best he could.
"Well, it wasn't that hard, you always stay in lit areas, and if it is dark you just cannot relax," L explained.
"And that gave you the idea that I am afraid of the dark?" Light asked.
L nodded; "That and the fact that you liked it when I turned the lamp on,"
"Oh…" and didn't that just sound stupid.
"Don't tell anyone," he muttered.
"I won't," L smiled gently, Light was sure that older man was laughing at him. L lay back down on the bed and pulled the covers above his head. Soon he was snoring like a herd of elephants, but Light could deal with that, the lamp had been left on and he had no compunction to turn it off.


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In a game littered with dumb penalties and at time, uninspired defensive play, the Rams somehow found a way to begin year 2 of the Jeff Fisher era with a season opening win, their first since 2005.
The Good
Sam Bradford - In his 2nd year with Kurt Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, Bradford showed something we didn't see in 2012...consistency. Bradford was poised and did what Rams fans hope he can continue to do, get the ball to his receivers and let them do the work. I like the 300 yards passing but am really impressed with the 70% completion percentage. I'll take that every Sunday.
Jared Cook - When the Rams signed Cook in the offseason, they hoped he could provide Sam Bradford with a security blanket lost when Danny Amendola signed with the Patriots. We definitely got that in game 1 as the chemistry between Cook and Bradford was off the charts.
Greg Zuerlein - The Rams secret weapon is officially no longer a secret. Greg "The Leg" came through again for the Rams, hitting on all 4 field goal attempts, including the game winner with 40 seconds left in the game. My prediction is this, at some point this year he will break the record for longest field goal made.
Defensive Line - Robert Quinn was once again a monster. He owned the Cardinals last season and he picked up where he left off last year. The Rams led the league in sacks last season and with Quinn and Chris Long on the corners, they look like they are going to cause havoc once again.
The Bad
Rams secondary - Too much soft coverage allowed Carson Palmer to complete any and everything he wanted. Palmer is obviously an upgrade for the Cardinals at quarterback but the Rams made it too easy for him to find wide open targets all over the field.
Cortland Finnegan - The Rams veteran corner was over matched and outplayed by Larry Fitzgerald. Repeatedly burnt, Finnegan also had 2 of the Rams 5 personal foul penalties.
Dumb Penalties - I'm going to guess there was quite a bit of yelling and teaching going on this week at Rams park. 5 personal foul penalties, all for things after the whistle, is unacceptable for a Jeff Fisher coached team. Sure, this team is the youngest in football but at some point, that has to stop being an excuse and you have to take responsibility for your actions.
Red Zone Offense - Once again, the Rams had trouble turning red zone chances into touchdowns. It helps that they have a kicker like Greg Zuerlein but at some point, you have to score 7 points instead of 3, especially with teams like the Falcons, Saints and Cowboys upcoming on the schedule.
Before the season began, I had this as a win for the Rams. That said, this team is lucky to be 1-0. The Cardinals are a much improved team that had the Rams on the ropes but like last year, somehow this team found a way to dig deep and make enough plays to steal the win.
This week, the Rams head south to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are coming off a loss on the road to the Saints and they will be looking to take out some frustrations. Also, this will be the Steven Jackson's first game against his former team. To win, Jeff Fisher's team is going to have to limit mistakes, capitalize on their chances and be more discipline. They are also going to have to find a way to slow down the many weapons Matt Ryan has at his disposal. That could very well be easier said then done.


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