text:
Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades is an opera that swerves between the apparently conventional and the obviously unsettling. As Dostoevskian antihero Herman crashes through 1790s St. Petersburg in search of the three cards that will always win, we can never quite tell what's real and what's the product of his feverish, anachronistic mind. And that's before Stefan Herheim got around to directing it.
But now Herheim has, and on the way to Berlin for some work I went to Amsterdam to see it.
Tchaikovsky, The Queen of Spades. De Nationale Opera, Amsterdam, 6/26/16. Production directed by Stefan Herheim, sets and costumes by Philipp Fürhofer, lights by Bernd Perkrabek, dramaturgy by Alexander Meier-Dörzenbach. Conducted by Mariss Jansons with Misha Didyk (Herman), Alexey Markov (Tomsky), Vladimir Stoyanov (Yeletsky), Svetlana Aksenova (Liza), Larissa Diadkova (Countess), Anna Goryachova (Polina)
This is the rare opera that I'm writing about that you can go and watch a video stream right now over on the Opera Platform website. And I encourage you to do so. The video does not have subtitles; you can download a libretto as a PDF here.
First Card
The last time I was in Amsterdam it was for Herheim and Mariss Jansons's and the Concertgebouw's Onegin. Now I came back for Queen of Spades. De Nationale Opera (AKA the Dutch National Opera) has a lot of international connections: they sent the Met Lulu last season and we'll get their Guillaume Tell the next. Occasionally, as in this production, you get the extremely deluxe experience of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in the world, in the pit. This production is headed to ROH in London next, which may be why it's strictly PG-13.
We open in a comfortable late 19th-century home's library with wood paneling, a piano, a fireplace, and some armchairs. A white-haired, bearded man, easily recognizable as Tchaikovsky, is finishing up a tryst with a much taller, much surlier man (who he pays). The taller man starts up a birdcage music box, which plays Papageno's wistful but cheery "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from Die Zauberflöte. Tchaikovsky then runs to the piano, and his playing starts the orchestra in the pit. Soon enough, though, a crowd rushes in and forces a glowing glass of water on him. He drinks, and, ushered by an angel of death (straight out of Herheim's Parsifal), dies. The opera then unfolds in this liminal state: it is Tchaikovsky's failed marriage and his response to "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen," a gay man in the nineteenth century who can never have Papageno's domestic bliss or security.
Let's be clear here: this is myth. Herheim usually deconstructs these stories and I was surprised he decided to indulge this one. All the historical evidence indicates that Tchaikovsky died of cholera after accidentally drinking a glass of infected water. The suicide theory was popularized in the 1980s (during the height of the AIDS crisis, interestingly enough) but thanks to the research of Alexander Poznansky in the late 80s and 90s, no scholars take it seriously today.* I think dramaturg Alexander Meier-Dörzenbach's disingenuous note in his synopsis shows that he knows this very well (and, to be fair, we never see an actual wedding):
This short exposition does considerable violence to chronology. Tchaikovsky got married in 1877, and the letter to Modest alluded to above dates from this time. He composed The Queen of Spades much later, in 1890. He died in 1893. In his biography, Poznansky argues that Tchaikovsky eventually came to terms with his sexuality–not that it was easy to be gay in the late nineteenth century but there's no evidence that in 1893 he was feeling suicidal about it. Or that he could easily poison himself with cholera-infested water intentionally. (There is considerable documentation of all this—it's much more clear-cut, for example, than Schubert.)
As a musicologist, this kind of myth-making annoys me simply because it's factually inaccurate. And I think these kinds of readings usually end up hopelessly mired in cliché. But I think it's more important to ask why Herheim chose this approach for this composer. As the predictably definitive RT explains in detail, this kind of autobiographical reading has been particularly pernicious for Tchaikovsky, reducing his works to a byproduct of his persecution. For his homophobic critics (and he's had a lot of those) his music is both defined by and damaged by his supposed degeneracy. As the late suicide theory proponent David Brown put it in his analysis, quoted by RT, of Francesca da Rimini, "her [Francesca's] music becomes possessed with something of the agony that beset his own self. His own emotion overflows, and the whole canvas is indelibly stained."
Second Card
The problem is that this production isn't reductive. Herheim, damn him, is poetic, and his sympathies lie very much with (his) Tchaikovsky. His response is not Brown's homophobic panic but rather a queer spectacle—too beautiful and ambiguous and sad to be as limited as its biopic-level premise suggests it will be. It grows from a kernel of something trite, but I don't think it's fair to reduce it to that.
For one thing, the development of the setup I described above is very complicated. You might think Tchaikovsky is Herman, the tortured main male character, but he's not. Nor is he Liza, though she's an obvious mirror and figure of identification to him and dies in a flood from the same poisoned well. (Madame von Meck is involved here somehow.) Herman turns out to be the man Tchaikovsky pays in the opening. Nor is Tchaikovsky just an observer. Later, as the first scene is moving along, Tchaikovsky blithely reveals that he is a baritone and also Prince Yeletsky. Yeletsky, remember, is Liza's mild-mannered, gentlemanly fiancé who she really can't get excited about. Both she—and here, Yeletsky/Tchaikovsky, sort of—are way more excited about obvious nutcase and obsessive Herman, the representative of unrestrained id and the only person who seems free to do exactly what he wants.
Herman's break with reality is no longer the opera's main theme and Herheim seems relatively uninterested in dramatizing his search for the three cards—that is, the primary plot thread. But the opera's proto-Symbolist instability is still present in the highly disorienting visuals. Philipp Furhöfer's set, an apparently solid room, opens and closes like a folding piece of paper, sometimes with mirrors creating an infinite space. The costumes and setting also morph between Tchaikovsky's 1890s and the opera's 1790s–the painting above the fireplace keeps switching between a Whistler-like portrait of a woman and a portrait of Catherine the Great. Herman seems to be the most static, grounded in his logical habitat of the 1890s.
The Mozartian birdcage provides another controlling image. It's an obvious symbol in itself (possibly alluding to a certain movie from the 90s). But it's further expanded in a bird-themed rendition of the Mozartian intermezzo, a section that often is treated as an unrelated divertissement but Herheim knows is anything but, and, in his episodic structure, can be another outgrowth of his protagonist's mind. The manly intruder in the intermezzo, remember, is doubled by Tomsky, whose conventional machismo represents, throughout the opera, a kind of opposite to Tchaikovsky. The composer gives his two women—one a birdy stand-in for Liza and, tellingly, the doubled Polina, a happy ending together. But for Tchaikovsky himself this will not turn out so well: at the end of the intermezzo, we see that his birds have vanished. Finally, the empty cage reappears in Tomsky's bird-themed Act 3 aria (which Boris Gasparov compares to, yes, "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen").
Both the chorus and the leads often sing from pages of Tchaikovsky's score, as if they are trying to follow a script they have been assigned (notably in Herman and Liza's big love duet, which isn't romantic at all). Much of the music, particularly the happy choruses, thus becomes ironic, about fulfilling a prescribed role. The chorus moves together in lockstep at times. All of this is out of Tchaikovsky's own head, by turns paranoid and trapped–like Hoffmann in Herheim's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, he is haunted by a whole chorus of his doubles (some of whom at one point suffer a quill-centric St. Sebastian incident). When he thinks he is getting a chance to meet Catherine the Great, she turns to reveal herself as Herman in drag. The laughing chorus has invaded the auditorium and an onstage mirror reveals us in the background: we're shaming Tchaikovsky too.
Third Card
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the pit sounded utterly fabulous, but I wasn't always convinced by Mariss Jansons's interpretation. He employed the same super-lyrical style here as he did with Onegin, but Spades is not Onegin. The gentler and quieter parts were utterly gorgeous– that dreamy section near the end of Liza's Act 1 aria, for example, was beautiful, and the entr'acte into Act 3 was hypnotic. But at times things like the Act 1 storm seemed to demand more drive and darkness. Tempos were also quite slow. Herheim put a big Broadway-style button at the end of Tomsky's ballad, but Jansons's tempo was too lugubrious to spark the big, quick applause this piece almost always gets.
As Herman, Misha Didyk was appropriately unhinged and nasty–there's very little that's sympathetic or even pitiful in this interpretation. But vocally he was occasionally underpowered and clearly pacing himself for the big moments. His throaty tenor isn't a very pretty sound, but mostly he sings with a good sense of musical line and the tension in his voice gives a sense of urgency. The high B at the end of Act 1 came out somewhat under pitch. For vocal beauty, he was outclassed by the two baritones, both of whom were first-rate. Vladimir Stoyanov sang Yeletsky and acted Tchaikovsky with sensitivity and tireless presence, singing the big aria with a rich and smooth sound. He spent most of the performance onstage, I think (he was doubled by ambiguously credited pianist/actor Christiaan Kuyvenhoven, but I think that might have been only in Act 1 Scene 2, the one with the actual piano-playing–if it was more, I couldn't tell, and Stoyanov is credited in all the images here). As Tomsky, Alexey Markov sounded more dramatic and incisive.
Svetlana Aksenova made an unusually youthful-looking Liza. She's a somewhat distant and understated actress and does her work in small details. I could have used a little more at some points. Her smoky middle voice has star quality: it's distinctive, big, and attractive. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to have the top to match it and many high notes came out shrill. Anna Goryachova was a charming, not too heavy Polina, here a kind of matching, younger version of Tchaikovsky (but a much happier one because she has no interest in Herman). As the Old Countess, Larissa Diadkova was nicely unsentimental, her aria embodying not a nostalgic old woman but showing why she was a star.
Final Card: The Queen of Spades
The historicism is dubious—and I felt the need to dwell on it because this will probably come out on DVD and who knows if any other musicologists will write about it on the internet—but this is a touching, sad contemplation of alienation and the closet. There are many striking moments that I have totally skipped: the ornate chandelier belching smoke and violently swinging like a huge censer, the walls folding in on themselves. Best of all is the Old Countess's memory aria (a quotation of Grétry). She and Tchaikovsky do a slow, intimate dance as she remembers her days in Paris, a momentary connection between two characters who have been, up to this point, desperately alone. She is ultimately entombed in the piano, meaning inside music itself. And that dance pays off in the end. When Yeletsky gets the chance to finish Herman off in the casino, it's revenge for the Countess's death. But then we see that it's not Herman's body but Tchaikovsky himself. I am still not convinced that this production has actually told us anything about the composer, but he certainly makes a far more sympathetic protagonist that Herman ever will be.
If you go to Amsterdam: This is a very accessible opera house, all you have to do is get there. There are even English surtitles! The dress code is casual, possibly the most casual I've seen in Europe (maybe related to the huge number of bicycles parked outside). The price of my fifth-row center weeknight ticket was around a third of what a similar seat would cost at the Met, and I only bought it six weeks ahead of time. The house was, however, very full, and seemed to mostly be Dutch speakers. Productions tend to be on the Regie-side of things. It's a very pleasant and unpretentious place to see opera.
*I'm not a specialist in Russian music but I consulted three people who are and they independently and unanimously agreed that the suicide theory has zero credibility today. Thanks to EG, EB, and AS. If you want to read about this history of this controversy and have JSTOR, take a look at this exchange between Poznansky and David Brown in Music and Letters in 1998, though almost two decades later it seems that scholarly consensus has come down entirely on Poznansky's side.
Photos copyright Forster/De Nationale Opera


text:
Staten Island congressman Mike Grimm will probably be reelected in November regardless of the ex-fundraiser being arrested, the grand jury probe of potentially illegal contributions, the skinny-dipping incident. There's probably more, we can't seem to recall off the top of our collective dome pieces.
Anyhow, Mike Grimm is sure to be reelected because he is what Staten Islanders want: a million dollar smile and an unbending, irrational hatred of President Obama. This recent radio report has him treated like royalty (What scandal?)
So brushing off all the bad news, Grimm headed down to the Republican National Convention in Tampa last week and tried to make nice with all the big wigs. In such a politically tenuous situation, this could cause for some awkwardness, but Grimm brushes it off with ease.
He took some pictures. Here they are:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
While not exactly Open Source, releasing the information needed to customize the operating software on a piece of commercial hardware is pretty cool. When the hardware has an Arm CPU, display and keyboard for about $40 it is very cool.
Slashdot | HP Releases Hackable ARM-Based Calculator.
It is easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
-- Mark Twain
Fortune favors those who do the math.
-- 0xabad1dea
The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it
-- Neil deGrasse Tyson
A GOOD man fights for himself and his, a GREAT man fights for everyone else
-- Philip DeFranco
For those days when it seems like you're the only one who understands how things really work.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Slashdot | HP Releases Hackable ARM-Based Calculator
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
This week I will be at the Upper Arlington Public Library on Thursday, April 21 from 7-8:30 PM along with other featured authors who will be at the Ohioana Book Festival.
Followed by the Ohioana Book Festival which is on Saturday, April 23 at the Sheraton Columbus Hotel. For a list of participating authors who will be at the event, click here.
I also want to share with you this photo that fellow Ohio author Margaret Peterson Haddix sent to me from China! She is currently in Shanghai on a book tour and spotted students from the Shanghai America School reading NOT A DROP TO DRINK! So exciting to see my book in the hands of students overseas.
Lastly, I must share this fantastic BookTuber video from Trina of Between Chapters, who is one of my biggest fans. She put together a great video of 5 Reasons to Read Not A Drop To Drink.


text:
|Sighting Report
|Occurred : 3/20/2009 12:00 (Entered as : 03/20/09 12:00)
Reported: 3/26/2009 5:04:16 PM 17:04
Posted: 4/14/2009
Location: Oak Forest, IL
Shape: Sphere
Duration:10 seconds
|I was photgraphing the sun using binoculars and solar filters and later saw an object in the photo.
This object was photographed using binoculars fitted with solar filters and a digital camera. I decided to try photographing the sun , though conditions were not optimal due to high clouds that afternoon. I did not notice the white object until the file was downloaded. I am an employee of CN rail, an amateur astro nomer, and a beginning National Weather Service weather spotter. The more I looked at this photo, the more intrigued I became. I would like to try and determine the size of this object . I only wish that I had set the resolution higher on the camera.


text:
Rally With Us!
Our Fall 2015 Attendance Rally is less than one month away, and we'd love for you to rally with us! Join us on the Long Center Terrace to hear insights about how Central Texas as a community can prepare our students to succeed from Mayor Steve Adler, Seton ED Ashton Cumberbatch, Elgin ISD Superintendent Jodi Duron, and Manor ISD Superintendent Kevin Brackmeyer. Performances by the dynamic WAMM Nation Drumline of Manor ISD will get everyone energized for a new school year. You won't want to miss it!
We hope you'll plan to attend– and invite others to come with you!


text:
Home > What We Do > Projects > Community Media Center
Community Media Center
The UpNorth Media Center is home to UpNorthTV (Charter cable channel 189) and GovernmentTV (Charter cable channel 191). We are northwest Lower Michigan's only public- and government-access television stations and online streaming source. Using state-of-the-art technology, we teach people how to use media to celebrate local culture, share community information, and provide educational content for the world to see.
Through our channels you can find local content that highlights some of northern Michigan's most notable events -- such as the National Cherry Festival and the Traverse City Film Festival -- in addition to viewing local government meetings for several jurisdictions throughout the region. You can search our content via our website if you missed it on-air. We offer classes and equipment for local producers, an in-house studio, video production and editing, live webstreaming capabilities, and hands-on assistance. New producers and partners are always welcome!
Recently UpNorthMedia Center collaborated with Porterhouse Productions, Traverse City Area Public Schools, and Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District's Career Tech Center Film and New Media Program to record a live concert with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This Grammy award winning musical group uses their music to spread the culture of South Africa all around the world and has worked closely with artists like Paul Simon. Ladysmith Black Mambazo was brought in as part of the kick off to a youth initiative program. Porterhouse Productions used this as the first event of a brand new community program aimed at engaging youth with the arts. UpNorthMedia Center was able to work with several of the local film and video classes to get 6 student volunteers to come out and record the performance. One student directed the live video recording while 3 students worked as camera operators for the event. Several students also shot behind the scenes footage to help try and capture all the efforts and youth engagement of the evening. Since the event a number of the students have remained engaged with live recording projects here at the UpNorthMedia Center and are continuing to help build the volunteer base. Porterhouse Production also recognized UpNorthTV channel 189 as helping to sponsor the event and our efforts to get youth from the community involved. You can watch the program on UpNorthTV channel 189.
Picnic at the Opera, Michigan's only live TV variety show, is a collaboration between LIAA's UpNorth Media Center and the iconic 123-year-old City Opera House, a nonprofit performing arts venue in the heart of downtown Traverse City, Michigan. The annual six-week series is the first fundraiser of each year for the Opera House, and it provides an exciting event for Media Center staff and volunteers to practice their craft.
LIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community service organization | | Contact Us


text:
Looking for numbers, sponsors logos, team names/player names and club badges. Find out more
FREE UK mainland delivery on all orders over £199. International Delivery Available.
Not entirely satisfied with your order you have 28 days to return. Find out more
Shopping for a club/team? Use our bulk ordering tool
FREE UK mainland delivery on all orders over £199
Nike Team Club Hoodie
Nike's most popular hoodie is a classic when it comes to comfort, style and practicality. Soft-touch sweatshirt style fabric gives Nike's top selling hoodie unrivalled comfort.
With an adjustable drawstring hood and front pouch style pocket, you really can't go wrong with this Nike hoodie as a practical edition to your everyday wardrobe.
Pair this up with Nike's most popular bottoms, the Academy 18 Tech Pant to complete the look.
Product Information:
- Adjustable hood with drawstring to keep in warmth.
- Cuffs at sleeves and hem for perfect fit.
- Kangaroo style front pouch pocket.
- Fleece lining for warmth and comfort.
- Body: 77% cotton, 23% polyester.
- Hood lining: 100% cotton.
View Size Guide


text:
A Towel & Basin
Greetings! I am writing to you from my hotel room in Krakow as we prep to go to Budapest tomorrow.
My personal meditation has been on these chapters the last couple weeks - Jn 13-17 - the last moments Jesus has with his disciples at the last supper before he would be betrayed and delivered up to be crucified. During these last hours, Jesus aware of Judas' intent to betray him, does just the opposite of what the average man would do upon hearing he would be betrayed unto death; he takes a towel and a basin and in an act of ultimate vulnerability ministers to those whom he has loved unto the end.
Jesus could do so because of what was written immediately before hand in verse 3 - "the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God". Jesus knew his origin, direction and destiny affording him to be focused on the more important issue at hand, is disciples' need to be ministered to and their understanding of critical truths that we see Him speak of in the following chapters.
These past few months in Ukraine have been months with a towel and a basin - much is happening here.
We have a precious new church in Volodimyr Volinsk with a Towel & Basin ministry. I will upload photos and more information soon after EuroCon.
Tomorrow Gosia and I drive to Budapest to meet the saints! We are very excited and looking forward to the fellowship and strengthening by the Towel and Basin. We will see many of you soon.
Please enjoy this video below of a recent trip I took to Odessa just a couple weeks ago.


text:
I've been complaining for some time about the horrible memory problems on the Blackberry Bold. I've been running most of the same applications on the 9000 as I did on the 8800 and it's clear that there's a massive memory leak.
Not only that, but the battery life has been abysmal compared to the the 8800.
Well.... no more.
Problem Solved
Blackberry have released a patch for the Bold which updates the firmware to 126.96.36.1995
I've been running for several weeks on this patch and haven't had to reboot once since applying it. The battery life is back up to the 3+ days I've come to expect from the Blackberry too.
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Memory Problems with the Blackberry Bold
3 comments:
Try the 126.96.36.1998 now, much faster. Not released everywhere but its official release. Loaded it up on my blackberry and its smooth.
- 7:13 pm
- John said...
where did you get it? I so need it ...
- 2:50 am
- Gavin Bollard said...
In my case, I got it from the Telstra web site but since that's an Australian Carrier, you should probably head to your own particular carrier's web site.
(or have a look at Bilal's recommendation http://forums.crackberry.com/f83/newest-9000-os-4-6-0-418-4-6-0-247-a-180573/ which also tells you how to unbrand the upgrade.
- 10:27 am
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
There exists in the process of education, something more important than curriculum, methodology, or material. This is the teacher. As you know, children between the ages of 2 and 5 years learn primarily by imitation so it is imperative that the teacher must be of high moral character. Every teacher should work not only to prepare the day's lesson, but also to prepare one's self. This requires great personal clarity, perseverance, and determination.
Our staff is dedicated to establishing a personal relationship with every child. Recognizing the uniqueness of each individual, each student is respected according to her/his own personality and ability.
Every staff member is a highly qualified early childhood professional with group leader credentials in accordance with the criteria set forth by the State of Colorado and have considerable experience working with young children.
The school supports continuing education on site as well as at local early childhood conferences and seminars including CPR, First Aid, universal precautions, and medication administration trainings.


text:
I don't even know what to say. Today I found out that my younger sister is pregnant. This drives me crazy on so many levels. She currently doesn't have the internet so I'm not really worried about her seeing this, and this is my personal blog and it's just how I feel. Sarah has been dating this guy for about a year now. His name is Jeffery and I can't stand him. Since she has met him she has made every mistake possible.
The first thing that happened almost immediately after they started dating, if noticed that he never left her house and he didn't have a car or a job. The only reason that this affected me at all is because I had dated a guy like this about two years earlier, to a guy named Richard who never had a job or a car (or even his license, which I later found out that Jeffery also had suspended) and throughout the breakup Sarah was around and saw how bad Richard treated me, and how he moved into my house and started manipulating and leeching off of me until I couldn't take it anymore.
The next thing that happened is that two months after they started dating, Jeffery found out he had a kid. In Ohio, three states away. Oh, and the kid is three, nobody told Jeffery about it. So he decided that he was going to move all the way over there to be with this child he had never met. The child is undoubtable his, he looks just like him. Jeffery does have some strong genes. Sarah decided to follow him, quitting her job that she has had for two years that she was just recently promoted at, taking her car that she had just recently gotten and was supposed to be making payment on. She also left her nice one bedroom apartment that was all hers for the first time in her life.
You see, Sarah is my half-sister and she was…passed around a lot between her father and mother and later, when our mom went to prison she spent the school week with our grandma so that she could go to private Catholic school where she needed to be driven. This was where I saw her on Friday nights while our mother was away. Our grandma is a very strict lady as she used to be a school teacher and a therapist for children so she has seen some shit. She also thinks that she knows everything about everything. Currently her health is declining and I haven't seen her in a while. She spends all day on her couch watching Fox News and living in imaginary anger. She is literally angry about everything. My other grandma is nothing like her. Our grandma is so strict that she made Sarah go to bed at 9pm every night and always checked over all of her homework. At the time, Sarah was living rebelliously at her dad's house on Saturdays and Sundays. She came out online as a lesbian and even got a girlfriend. Our grandma found out about it and was furious. Sarah moved back to her dad's house at the beginning of 8th grade, and went back to public school. Our grandma was so angry at Sarah that Sarah tried to kill herself by taking a lot of pills. At the time, Sarah was a bit of a hypochondriac so she had a lot of random pills around the house. This was one of the most painful times of my life. I felt like I had really helped take care of Sarah when our mother was asleep during the day or wasted at night. I felt really betrayed that she didn't talk to me about what was going on in her head and that she felt the inclination to off herself. After this I forgave her but I almost didn't trust her. Which means that when she did it again, I became angry and we didn't speak for over a year. Sarah dropped out of high school on her 16th birthday but got her GED immediately without even taking the class.
Before Sarah went to Ohio Jeffery proposed to her. This was weird to me because they had been dating about three months at this point. After she went to Ohio, she couldn't find another job and they got kicked out of the place they were living. There was no real explanation for why they got kicked out. They were supposed to be living with his ailing father helping to take care of him. They were homeless for a time and eventually they came back without any money to their name and without a place to go here in town. Since our grandpa owns apartments, he set her up with a different one bedroom apartment and somehow she got her job back at Ruby Tuesday. Jeffery still doesn't have a job or his license but he was driving around Sarah's car that our grandparents bought her. Jeffery got a job but was fired, then got another job. In his first week at the new job he wreaked her car and lost that job too. Sarah was working as a delivery driver at pizza hut so she couldn't do that anymore until she had a car again. She hasn't had a job in about four months at this point. She has lost her apartment and I thought that she and Jeffery had broken up. She actually told me they did break up, but he never left her apartment, and he wasn't paying rent. I guess they got back together, but our grandpa officially kicked her out at the end of this last month. He even got the sheriff to kick her out. Yes, this is the kind of thing that our grandparents do. They have all of this money but they royally screw Sarah all the time. In their defense, Sarah is a huge bitch to them, but that is really just her personality. She isn't so much of a huge bitch as she is abrasive and unreliable.
So now she is going to have a kid and I'm genuinely worried about it. This kid is going to be my little niece or nephew and they are going to start their life out in a tough spot. Sarah is extremely pro-life (the opposite of me). I doubt that she will do the smart thing and give it up for adoption. I just knew she would do something like this. She has never been very good at making choices for herself.
So yeah, that's what is going on in my life right now. John and I found a really nice house that we are going to be moving into in two weeks. When Sarah told me she was pregnant I just said "oh…that sucks" because I'm an insensitive bitch sometimes.


text:
?uestlove's Qookoff Show Down
Culinary connoisseurs here is your chance to impress the Mighty Afro. ?uestlove is looking for a chef to cook for a private dinner, so he took to twitter to see if one of his loyal followers has what it takes. If you're feeling up to the challenge, send an email to email@example.com with a 90 seconds (or less) video explaining why you should be given the opportunity (or tweet the vid to @cook4quest). There are going to be a ton of submissions, so be creative people. Speaking of your favorite twitterer's favorite music snob, check out this interview twitter co-founder, Biz Stone, did with ?uesto with Billboard celebrating twitter's 5th anniversary.


text:
If you're new to the Tekken series, it's very understandable that you'd be confused by the game's ranking system. The terms might be a bit weird and you may not fully understand what a Kyu or a Dan is – which is why I made this simple guide to try and teach you the basics of Tekken 7's ranking system. In Tekken 7 you're given two different ranks, one offline rank and one online rank. The offline rank obviously representing how well you do in offline matches and the online rank representing how well you do in online matches. When playing online, you can participate in ranked matches, and depending on how you do in these matches, your will eventually be either be promoted or demoted.
Simple enough, right? Well, it also depends on the rank of the person that you're going against in each particular match. In the settings menu for online match ups, you can select what level of player you want to go against: ±2 only, ±3 only, ±3 preferred or any. The ± meaning that it'll either be someone who is above your rank or below it and the number signifying how much more above or below the other person's rank may be. Now, you may be thinking; "I'm just gonna set it to any and keep beating up really high level players so that I'll rank up in no time!" But it's not quite that simple.
The amount of points that you'll get from winning a match depends on your opponents rank. Not everyone is equal in the world of Tekken 7 so you should choose your match ups carefully if you want to rank up fast. You'll gain the most points for playing against people who are the same rank as you. Playing against someone who is 1 rank above or 1 rank below comes next, playing against someone who is 2 ranks above or below gives you half of that and playing against someone who is 3 ranks above or below will give you half of that half. Meaning that playing against someone who is the same rank as you gives you one point, playing against someone who is ±1 gives you half a point, playing against someone who is ±2 gives you a fourth of a point and playing against someone who is ±3 gives you an eighth of a point. Meaning that the fastest way to rank up is to play against people who are the exact same rank as you, as you'll gain one whole point each match as long as you can actually win them.
The next best thing being beating up people who are 1 rank above or below. Do you absolutely have to do it that way? Of course not! In the end, it's all up to you who you decide to duke it out with. Like I said however, assuming that you can win against the people that are of equal rank, it would be the fastest way to climb the ranks. Look at it this way: Because you're expected to lose against high ranked players, the punishment isn't as harsh and because you're expected to win against low ranked players, the reward isn't as big.
It might be a little bit confusing if you're a newcomer. As playing against someone who has a much higher rank feels like it should give you a lot more points compared to playing against someone who has the same rank as you do. The reason that the system works this way is to make it difficult to exploit for more experienced players. Let's say you start playing online as Jin, giving you the beginner rank. You work your way up the ranks using Jin fair and square until you reach a high rank. Now let's say you want to start playing a new character, seeing as you're probably an experienced fighter by now, you'd probably step all over most beginner players already.
So even if you can beat a 24th Dan player as this new character, it'd be unfair if you were allowed to just suddenly jump ahead that far, wouldn't it? If that was the case, you could just beat up low level people all day with no consequences whatsoever. Competitive Tekken is all about climbing the ranks as you go, not to suddenly go from 2nd to 19th Dan after one match. Not every single match is an opportunity to rank up, and you can be demoted and kicked down a rank if you lose too much. The game will make it very obvious when a match is a promotion match or a demotion match, as it will be displayed on-screen before the match begins. Promotion and demotion definitely isn't set in stone and works a lot like a scale — Win a lot and you'll eventually get a chance to be promoted. Lose a lot and you'll eventually face the risk of being demoted. Instead of throwing you around ranks like a rag doll you might bounce between them once in a while as you climb.
Now, let's talk about ranks. Your basic rank as a new player will give you the "beginner" title, which is fair, considering that's what you are. Gain a rank and you'll be promoted to "9th Kyu," then to "8th Kyu," "7th Kyu," "6th Kyu," and so on until you reach "1st Kyu." Kyu is a Japanese term that is used to designate rank. After you've reached 1st Kyu, you'll be ranked into "1st Dan." Which then follows the same pattern all the way up until you've reached "4th Dan." Dan is also a term that is used to designate rank, you can think of it as one level higher than Kyu.
After reaching 4th Dan, your rank will still be counted in Dan from there on out but you will be given a title to apply to your number and rank. For example, the title for 4th Dan is "Mentor," the title for 5th Dan is "Expert," 6th Dan is "Master" and 7th Dan is "Grand Master." This continues on with 8th Dan being "Brawler," 9th Dan being "Marauder," 10th Dan being "Fighter" and 11th Dan being "Berserker." The titles then continue on as follows: Warrior (12th), Avenger (13th), Vindicator (14th), Juggernaut (15th), Vanquisher (16th), Destroyer (17th), Conqueror (18th), Savior (19th), Genbu Black Turtle (20th), Byakko White Tiger (21st) Seiryu Azure Dragon (22nd), Suzaku Vermilion Bird (23rd), Mighty Ruler (24th), Revered Ruler (25th), Divine Ruler (26th), Eternal Ruler (27th), Fujin Japanese Wind God or (28th), Raijin Japanese Thunder God or (29th), Yaksa Nature Spirit or (30th), Ryujin Japanese Water Dragon God (31st), Emperor (32nd), Tekken Lord (33rd) and Tekken God (34th).
The titles continue on changing until you've ranked up to 35th Dan or "True Tekken God", which is the final rank to follow the previous pattern. Being promoted from True Tekken God leads to becoming a "Tekken God Prime" which automatically sends you up to 100th Dan instead of 36th. Ranking up from a True Tekken God to a Tekken God Prime isn't easy however, so do your best! Looking in from the outside, dealing with rankings and competitive play looks a lot scarier than it is. Although it's definitely the best part of the game for many, many players, you shouldn't feel forced to fling yourself into online play if you're not feeling up to it. It can definitely seem overwhelming and like something you won't get the hang of, but don't hesitate if you do want to give it a go! I hope you enjoyed this video and I really do hope you were able to find it helpful.
Thank you for watching!.
As found on Youtube


text:
6 Employee Retention Resolutions to Make This New Year
Summary: Having a hard time thinking of a new years resolution? Make it to improve employee retention using these 6 strategies! It's that time of year again; the time of year that brings change and new beginnings. With 2017 coming to a close and 2018 slowly creeping up, it's time to make the dreaded new years resolution. New years resolutions seem scary because we often set resolutions we don't intend to keep. However, new years resolutions don't have to be scary! So don't put down that last piece of gingerbread and rush to the gym just yet.


text:
Why doing DIY projects?
Woodworking is one of those activities that stimulates your creativity and gives you self confidence. As any other hobby, you should start with basic projects so you get accustomed with the skills and then move to more challenging projects. If you have a stressful life or you are just looking for an activity to help you bond with your family or friends, doing DIY projects is the ideal choice.
Not to mention that you can add value to your house while keeping the costs down. You really can save a lot of money by choosing to build your own furniture or outdoor structures. There are so many success projects on my blog shared by DIY-ers like you and me. They chose to take up the plunge and start building.
Tools for Starting Woodworking
I will show you the tools you need to have in your shop for building my projects or any other DIY project. Therefore, you need a good drill to make pilot holes and an impact driver for inserting the screws accurately and without damaging the wood. In addition, you need a miter saw for making regular cuts, as well as angle cuts. A circular saw will help you have more mobility when making the straight cuts, while a jigsaw is ideal for making curved cuts.
Next, you will need nail guns for speeding up inserting the nails. The nails are ideal for large outdoor projects (sheds, benches, fences) or for finishing nails. If you buy the nail guns you also need the compressor. You will also need a sander to even out surfaces and to smooth the edges. The router will help you make rabbets and mortises, as well as rounding the edges.
If you have these tools in your shop, you will be able to build almost anything. As you can see you don't need expensive tools or investing thousands of dollars in your hobby. With under 500 dollars you will be able to have the basic tools and be ready for any woodworking challenge. All in all, the minimum tools you need to start building wood projects are: a circular saw, a drill and a sander. The rest of the tools will help you build with more precision and get nice finishing touches.
Bosch 18-Volt Lithium-Ion 1/2-Inch Compact Tough Drill/Driver Kit
- For drilling pilot holes and inserting screws
DEWALT D26453K 3 Amp 5-Inch Variable Speed Random Orbit Sander Kit with Cloth Dust Bag
- For smoothing wooden edges
- For evening out a surface
Bosch CS5 120-Volt 7-1/4-Inch Circular Saw
- For making straight cuts
- Versatile
Hitachi C10FCE2 15-Amp 10-inch Single Bevel Compound Miter Saw
- For cutting wood planks or for making miter cuts
Bosch 120-Volt Top-Handle Jigsaw Kit
- For making curved cuts
DEWALT DWFP12231 Pneumatic 18-Gauge 2-Inch Brad Nailer Kit
- For driving in brad nails
DEWALT D51257K 1-Inch to 2-1/2-Inch 16 Gauge Finish Nailer
- For finishing nails (trims, decorative elements)
DEWALT DWFP55126 6-Gallon 165 PSI Pancake Compressor
- For the nailers
DEWALT DWE7480XA 10-Inch Compact Job Site Table Saw with Guarding System and Stand
- For complex cuts (dados)
- For cutting plywood sheets
DEWALT DWP611PK 1.25 HP Max Torque Variable Speed Compact Router Combo Kit with LED's
- For making rabbets and mortises
- For rounding edges
DEWALT DW734 15 Amp 12-1/2-Inch Benchtop Planer
- Mills rough stock lumber to size in a matter of seconds
- Ideal if you use recycled or pallet wood for your projects
WEN 4208 8-Inch 5 Speed Drill Press
- Includes a 1/2-inch keyed chuck and onboard key storage
- Operates at 5 different speeds: 740, 1100, 1530, 2100, 3140 RPM
TruePower Biscuit Plate Joiner with Carbide Tipped Blade, 4″
- Max cutting depth: 0.55″, Cutting Angle: 0 – 45 degree
- Biscuit Spec: #0, #10, #20
- Bluetooth connectivity for internet radio and stored music with range of up to 150-feet
- Protective aluminum/rubber roll cage
- Runs on Bosch 18-Volt Lithium-Ion batteries or plugged into a 120-Volt AC outlet
Pocket Hole System
Most of my plans use pocket hole joinery, as it is a quick and strong method to join two pieces of wood together. The following pocket hole jigs are durable, quick to adjust and very easy to use, starting with the Mini jig up to the Foreman, you can select the product that best suits your needs and budget.
Pocket Jigs
Armor Auto-Jig Pocket Hole System
- Fully automated system self-adjusts your drill guide setting and drill bit collar based off of the thickness of the piece you're clamping (see video for demonstration). No more manual setting, measuring, or adjusting.
- Drill Driver (square head), Drill Bit Collar, Allen Wrench, Dust Collection Port
- Requires clamp
- For very small projects only
Kreg R3 Jr. Pocket Hole Jig System
- Requires clamp
- For small projects
Kreg Jig K4 Pocket Hole System
- Built-in clamp
- For medium projects
- Built-in clamp
- For medium and large projects
- The pocket hole jig I have myself and I recommend for an average DIY-er
Kreg DB210 Foreman Pocket-Hole Machine, Blue
- Built-in clamp
- For extra-large projects
- Makes pocket-hole joints as easy to clamp as they are to make
- Easy to use easy to install and highly durable
Kreg Multi-Mark Multi-Purpose Marking and Measuring Tool
- The Multi-Mark features three different scale configurations, a built-in level, a handy 3/16″ reveal gauge
- Perfect for general layout
Pocket Screws
Beside the jig you will need screws for joining wooden components together. When joining 1 by x slats together you will have to use 1 1/4″ screws. When joining 2 by x lumber you have to use 2 1/2″ screws. Have this in mind and you will join wood easily and you will create strong frames.
Kreg SK03 Pocket-Hole Screw Kit in 5 Sizes – 24.99$
- For joining wood planks of various thicknesses
Kreg SML-C125 1-1/4-Inch No. 2 Coarse Screw (1000-Pack) – 24.97$
- For joining 3/4″ thick wood planks
Kreg SML-C250 – 2000 Pocket Screws 2 1/2-Inch, #8 Coarse, Washer Head, 2000 Count – 69.99$
- For joining 1 1/2″ thick wood planks
Basic Tools
Accuracy is a key aspect when building projects, as well as safety. Therefore, I recommend you to get yourself a good ruler, pencils as well as ear protection and safety glasses.
Bosch Drill and Drive Set, 91 Piece
- A wide variety of general purpose accessories
- 91 piece drilling and driving Set
Black & Decker Workmate 125: 350-Pound Capacity Portable Work Bench
- Jaws resist warping and can be angled to accommodate uniquely-shaped materials
- Non-skid feet prevent sliding
Irwin Tools Quick Grip One-Handed Mini Bar Clamp, 6-Inch, 4-Pack
- High-carbon steel is durable for long life where high accuracy and tolerance is not critical, especially important with hand use.
- Backed by the IRWIN lifetime guarantee. Made in the USA from global components.
- Durable right angle aluminum clamp for making cabinets or box-frames
- 3-inch clamp face with V-groove design to hold round materials
- Ideal for outdoor woodworking projects (playhouse, gazebos, pergolas)
Bon 14-589 7-Inch Carpenter Pencil, Black Hard Lead with Red Casing, 12-Pack
- Making marks with a pencil will help you get accurate cuts
Stanley 33-725 25-Feet FatMax Tape Measure
- You know how they say: Measure twice and cut once
- Adjustable to Fit All Sizes
- Guaranteed not to Break
3M Tekk 11329 Virtua Anti-Fog Safety Glasses, Clear Frame, Clear Lens
- Use safety glasses when cutting the wooden boards
Double Coated Textured Latex Palm with Black and Yellow Fingers with a Gray Polyester Back. Size Large
- Helps protect against cuts, abrasions and punctures.
FastCap Glu-Bot Glue Bottle (16 Ounces)
- No dripping, replaceable tips
From paint to nails, there a few materials you need in your shop so you can handle most projects at any time.
Titebond II Premium Wood Glue – Gallon
- Purpose of use for Hardware, wood-glues
- This product is manufactured in United States
- Patented formula goes on purple and dries white when ready to sand, stain or paint
- Stainable, paintable and sand able
- Gel Stains are heavy-bodied, and so do not penetrate as deeply into the wood as liquid oilbase stains do
- They are often less affected by the condition of the wood
High Performance Water Based Topcoat, 1 quart, Satin
- The hardest, most durable consumer polyurethane top coat on the market today
Senco 18-Gauge-by-1-2-Inch Electro Galvanized Variety Pack Brads
- 1,200 brads total; 1″, 1-1/2″, 1-3/4″, & 2″ nails
- Use for moldings, picture-frame assembly, trim, and cabinetry building
- Made in Taiwan
Presa Premium Paint Brushes Set, 5 Piece
- Thoughtfully constructed premium paint brushes for pros
- Can withstand even the most abrasive surfaces for versatility and heavy-duty jobs
11-Inch Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper, Assorted
- Use to sand wood, paint, metal, plastic, drywall, and fiberglass
- Measures 9 inches by 11 inches per sheet, 5 sheets per pack
- Includes 1 sheet very fine, 2 sheets fine, 2 sheets medium
The following tools are indispensable for drywall projects.
- Max reach for horizontal ceilings: 11 feet (15 feet with optional extension, sold separately)
- Max single sheet capacity: up to 4-foot by 16-foot
- DEWALT brushless motor in both units that delivers up to maximum run time
- ScrewGun offers maximum speed and control and high torque capability for wide range of applications
2-Inch by 100-Feet Metal Reinforced Corner Tape
- Tape conforms to any angle
- 6-inch blade withlimited lifetime warranty
- Sharpened tip for puncturing drywall
- Interior/exterior use
- Ready-to-use, Resists cracking, Sands easily
Allway Tools 6-Inch Drywall Flexible Steel Taping Knife
- Drywall flexible steel taping knife
- Used for spackling, scraping, spreading and stripping
The following books represent an useful reading and might give you some building ideas.
I Can Do That! Woodworking Projects – Updated and Expanded
- This book shows you how to build quality furniture projects in less than two days of shop time, and using raw materials that are available at any home center
Woodworking Basics – Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship – An Integrated Approach With Hand and Power tools
- This book takes a traditional approach to teaching, with the idea that learning basic skills is essential to craftsmanship
Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit and Use
- A complete guide to the tools used by a shokunin, or master Japanese craftsman, this book is ideal for both beginning and professional woodworkers
Other Tools
Here are a few tools or software I use for this blog or for my other online projects.
- 24.2 MP CMOS DX-format sensor
- 5 frames per second continuous shooting
- Earn money by monetizing your content
- Earn 10% more in the first months by signing up through this LINK
- One of the largest pools of advertisers in the world
Hostgator.com – Quality hosting services
- 99.99% uptime guaranteed
- Best live support for hosting services


text:
Give Peace A Deadline – An Interview With Nathan Otto & Amber Lupton
In this interview, you'll hear Nathan Otto and Amber Lupton explain their "audacious" plan for creating world peace in 5 years… and how you can contribute as well. Press the play button to listen now, and leave your comments below!
38 Responses
Twitters Massive Exponential growth could well help this cause. World peace IS possible, but only when everyone is AWARE of the very real reasons we are all being manipulated by the 'Few' who ultimately hold the power over the MASS of the world population.
This book 'The Human Survival Blueprint' (which is FREE for everyone) is the prelude to understanding the control that 'The Few' have over us. http://fred67.com/thsb.html
Once we understand this, we WILL have World Peace 'without' violence.
Good luck with this monumental goal.
nice interview ,, its talk about peace which we need to put our world happy and save our planet . , Let us call out Peace in the language of Love ,, by saving this planet its not enaugh to save ourselv we need to save other poeple lifes ,,
Hi Eben,
It is just so exciting! Can you imagine WORLD PEACE in 5 years? I can!
I am so on board with this and I know we can make it happen. The world is ready for this!
I really feel that the kind of movement that can bring about world peace will bring an end to so many other kinds of suffering too. People will have to start taking responsibility for who they are and what they are offering to the world. When they start to do this we will see massive global change.
The shift has already started. I can feel it everywhere.This is history in the making and we are part of it!
Thanks so much for bringing this to me. I have placed a link to this page on my website. Hope that's ok with you.
Let's spread the word!
[…] Check out Eban Pagan's interview: Give Peace a Deadline!Give Peace a Deadline! […]
Well now, hmmmm…peace in 5 years? Globally? This all sounds like an expanded Miss Universe contest…with the point of her index finger pressed into her cheek, "Oh yes, and I also wish for world peace." What news have you been reading, watching, listening to? With the core values and credos of certain groups around the globe, and with the firm rigidity of the same, to think that anyone among those peoples would line up with this way of thinking is naive and ridiculous. The best we can do to come even close to what you are saying is to do our individual best with our friends and neighbors (and neighbors doesn't mean the people next door..it means anyone outside your circle of friends and family that you may come in contact with).
No peace without justice. We need good will and humility for each individual; from governings to governed. It will happen with the help of God.
To create world peace you need to understand that banks profit from war.
The FED being the main one, has privately owned shares, have a look here: http://tinyurl.com/am4yzl
Resolve that and maybe something changes, This well meaning book missed this point.
Better make everybody aware of this FED/ Rothschilds problem.
This topic is not new if we just read about the history of want has happen in the past which started out with a social agreement with one party making the the rule for this
solution of peace. The reality is because we have that human factor with us always bringing present all the time. With good intentions wanting to do the right thing but what always happen is the individual go astray and gets greedy with the power they have been trust with..With no countability as we seen recently with our own government and the business world.
There will be peace in due season as we read the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!!
And yes they will be time when one will bring the promise that with grab the hearers attention and will embrace it but only to be deceit to denial them of there own rights as individuals and go back to bandages of someone's else control. I'm not a negative person but what I know and believe in is something greater then me or anyone else.
Of course that is a plan of want been give to us if we just believe and receive and share with all we can. That is Gods Plan….who has giving us the peace through his son Jesus Christ..It really that simple but become we think that we our bigger and stronger then God so we neglect to hear from him . He will never force himself but will give you a invitation to receive him freely….I'm sure your guest are nice and giving people who are trying there best to do there part in this world…God Bless them in there efforts..
God Bless
Edward Zamudio
I do appreciate this cause and the intent I really do. However, I think it often is just us imposing our values on others in another way.
Forgive my skepticism on any of these causes but when most of us cannot even get along with our spouses (50+% divorce rate) seriously are we qualified to impose our path to peace on someone else in some other part of the world? In fact a large trend is couples coupling having given up on the hope of a long term relationship alltogether. When there is a good chunk of our citizens in the U.S. smoking crack, and addicted to meth how good are we at this peace thing? Lets look in the mirror before we impose kumbaya on someone else. As the Good book says it starts with us. Which starts within, which flows to our family and larger communities. Let's work on smiling and engaging one another at home. Then maybe we will indeed be an example. It reminds me of some of my B School Profs who sounded great, but haven't worked in the private sector for years, if ever. I cannot help but think that other Countries laugh at such things and say, "Healer heal thy self. " I do not need to read a book or listen to 45 minutes on how to love. I just need to do it. And that choice is where most of us fall off the wagon.
In the words of John Lennon "Give peace a Chance".
Eliminate ALL governments in the world, bring down all the barriers to every country, burn all passports, let people travel freely to whereever they wish on this earth. let every single person on this earth take responsibility for their own actions, Do away with the Nanny States. Let people learn by their own experiences. Abolish ALL man made laws.
This earth belongs to ALL of us and if people are left alone they will live their lives in peacefulness. It is only the greedy, power hungry , controlling bully boys that are ruining it for the rest of us., left to the people, these morons would be squashed before they could do any damage.
Human beings are capable of organising themselves, and all people know who are likely to grow up to be trouble, and they will nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. There is an old saying , it takes a whole village to bring up a child, and by working together in a couple of decades we could change the world.
BUT as long as there are stupid brain dead people who actually believe that we need Governing by a body of Power hungry, greedy, self serving B——s, and people who have no idea how to take responsibility for their own actions and therefore actually welcome laws, none of which GIVES a freedom, but all laws TAKE another freedom away, then world peace is a long way away.
People MUST take back their own sovereign, god given power that we are all born with.
Great initiative. My hat's off to Nathan and Amber. What comes to mind as highly relevant for a global initiative of this type is the work of Mr. Sharp of the Albert Einstein Institute titled "From Dictatorship To Democracy". His work has been influential in overthrowing several dictator-like governments, including Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. What makes Mr. Sharp's work unique is that his entire approach is based PEACEFUL, non-violent resistance that's proven to be highly successful. Seems to me that many of the tactics described in his writings would be useful for this project. You can get a free copy of Mr. Sharp's book at: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations/org/FDTD.pdf.
Peace to All !
Based solely on the interview and the responses above, it appears there are the variety of views to be expected from an intelligent cross-section of people. They run the gamut from utopia to pipedream. I would expect this based on the diverse information pathways we all follow. But to the responder above who was a strong advocate for 'peace talk', sure, what can it hurt? In any case, it also appears that there is a small ball rolling, and it will become another information path/stream. Where it leads? Yes, exactly. So, to be specific about things I heard in the interview: NGOs, Paul Wolffowitz, their peace generally comes down the barrel of a gun. They show up with money and social programs in a deal that ultimately confiscates land and natural resources. Europe and America became great this way and you can too. So, there's a big conundrum. However, it's not to say that Paul and people working for NGOs couldn't get on board with a whole different paradigm. It's not that the cynicism gap couldn't be bridged by way of peace talk, because as airy-fairy, Age of Aquarius as the whole World Peace idea sounds, what was dawning in the 1960s is now arrived. The moon was in the 7th house and Jupiter aligned with Mars last month, and that's astronomical fact, astrologically speaking. We are now living in the Age of Aquarius. That being the case, lets just say, that stranger things could happen than war becoming obsolete. If thinking around a vision of peace is paid attention to by enough individuals with consistency, even if chaotically organized, chaos theory or even fractal geometry would eventually order a shift in our reality. Out of chaos,order (just be careful what you wish for). Recall the Transcendental Meditation experiments of the 1970s in which a group of meditators, perhaps 100 people placed themselves in Washington, DC and some other world hot spots, (please don't quote me on the facts) but the results were lowered violent crime rates based on news/police reports for the brief period the mediators focused their highly organized intent and energy. There are many forerunners for this idea and this cause, and peace has been their message, and each with passion and inspiration have set about wherever they were to clean up some mess that was interfering with conditions for peace somewhere, Ghandi being perhaps the most iconic figure. So, is it any wonder that such an idea as World Peace continually recurrs? It's no accident, whether one is naive or world weary, peace is coming, if not in this life, hopefully in the next. In the mean time, there are many, many messes to clean up if peace is going to be possible anywhere. You'll notice that peaceful places are nice tidy, naturally ordered spaces, whether big or small that are devoid of human refuse–a forest, a garden, a chapel. Let's tidy it up and tuck it in people. Use it or lose it, recycle, reorder, redo and realize that the space and the people around us are profoundly affected by 'us'–what we think, how we feel and what we spend our time doing. So, if we take some time daily to visualize peace where we are, we can project it, network it and interconnect it. It happens all the time. I think it's called marketing. Thanks Eban.
I am a possibility thinker and I am excited about your project for peace.
The trend is toward peace and taking responsibility for our own thoughts and actions. Peace begins within each individual. We are most powerful as a whole and continue to change our reality as we move toward a future of peace.
P5Y sounds like a great tool for guiding us all to this new future of world peace. I am involved with a couple of groups working toward peace and we often do feel stuck because the project is so huge…. I like what was said on the interview…"that peace is possible, it has a dead line and anyone can help."
I plan to buy the book. Thank you for writing this book ….It is encouraging to see so many people today working toward peace.
Love & many blessings to you.
The most progressive way to achieve world peace is to eliminate scarcity from people's beliefs. We live in a world of such unlimited abundance, it's sad to see so many people suffering because they believe they must take from others because they think there is "not enough" to go around. It is our responsibility to continue to wake people up to see the unlimited resources that exist in our world and the personal, (dare I say..) selfish benefits of doing for others (see: Eben Pagan). The very idea of scarcity is found NOWHERE in nature, only in the human mind. Admittedly, we marketers are guilty for the perpetuation of scarcity, for we often use scarcity to create the urgency to buy. Is it fair to claim "we're just giving our prospect what they want and if scarcity tactics didn't work we wouldn't use them?" As much as I'm on a personal mission to help eliminate scarcity, I still haven't decided the answer to this question. Imagine if several organic food companies had a marketing departments as talented as Coca-Cola or Anheuser-Busch …the world would certainly be a different place.
I'm in!
Thank you for sharing this!
I think it would be all to easy to negate the ideals here. Maybe a first read of the book will let us know how possible this is.
There is all this talk of 1,000 years of peace which could start in 2012 so maybe it's not that far away. There is enough knowledge in the world now to accomplish it so let's make it happen. We've been here for long enough to find a better way, surely.
This is a wonderful vision worthy of consideration, some thing all of us can move towards. You said we need the military to protect the innocent, what will they do to protect them? Some times violence against violent aggressors may be seen as the only solution, or they will kill all they can. if every one in a school gets on board for no bullying (peace) except
the gang or bullies , There won't be peace. If some how you can reachn the bullies whoever they are on both sides, then you make progress. As Jesus says " Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" If you can really fimd a way, more power to you. Peace &love to all Gord
Anyone heard of John F. Demartini? He has a very simple common sensical take on 'world peace'. It's mind-boggling and very insightful. Personally I think this is just a bandwagon trick and just being used as self-promotion. Brilliant PR stunt. I'd love to see no wars by 2014, that'd be fantastic. However it's just simply too short of a time frame. Some people can't even change a habit and stick to it in 30 days, how can you expect 5 years? A massive change in consciousness (and at this rate, would seem of the kind that is of external means, a pill or global radio waves or something ;-p some quick fix).
The only way right now for having an abundance of peace is to have an equal and opposite measure of abundance of war. Which begs the question: why do we even want peace anyways?
Look around you, there is plenty! 99% of Americans in the U.S are or feel 'safe'. The reasons for conflict in the so-called Third-World countries is not due to lack of peace, but systemic corruption; cultures/religions; poverty; and chaos in regards to basic daily needs of systems as simple as education to the complex of law and order.
Just look at communist Soviet Union in the past and property rights & democracy (lack of I mean) in China today. We don't need peace, just a li'l fixing and tweaking.
(As I listen excitedly to the interview) Not unexpectedly, I have been envisioning the same mutual benefits (sustainable peace) being shared across all current boundaries in OUR shared new U-Netted Nations – via a collaborative self-correcting process (ASK4) that empowers WE the people to co-manage our destiny – globally.
Perhaps this vision can converge and support your pragmatic approach.
I look forward to connecting with other thought leaders – urgently!
This recent post may be a quick on-ramp to my own vision:
Is "peace" actually just that? …the absence of "organized military violence"? Hmm… Isn't the human mind very dependent on cultural, religious, philosophical, …and yes, political BELIEFS as defined by enabling the human individual to (in their mind) belong to GROUPS (say, …societies, religious groups, etc.)? Does it not make things much easier, …knowhing where you "belong" …and who is "us" and who is "them"? If anyone were to dissolve these belief-systems, what would we be left with? The "idea" that maybe there is no "us" or "them", …and (much worse) no "individuality" left in defining the difference between YOU and ME? Would you say that people (in general) are "ready" for such a notion? If so, …then WHY has there been war over the decades, even in BUDHIST countries? Don't get me wrong, I actually DO believe that world peace (today) would be possible, but at the cost of a few conditions being met, like: The existence of Earth or humankind (as a whole) must be threatened by some OUTSIDE "ENEMY" (aliens!??) for people to realize that they are ALL just part of the SAME, LARGE GROUP, which is mankind. As marketers you are all probably very aware of the scientifically well researched fact, that group dynamics change massively with the introduction of a common (outside) "enemy", …but WHAT IF humans (in general) could not live (satisfactory) WITHOUT such "enemies" that help them in defining themselves over others?? Wouldn't that result in "new and improved" enemies being CREATED afresh, when- and wherever taken away?
WHAT IF …the whole notion of "evil things happen in the world because of OTHER (few!?) individuals" is merely just a REFLECTION of what I just suggested? Looking to fix things by searching for evil, faults and what's generally "wrong" on the OUTSIDE and trying to "fix" THAT? No no, we are smarter than that, already, aren't we. We KNOW that have to start looking on the INSIDE …which, of course, makes us much smarter than "the others", …let's build a group, club, or organization to help us MANIFEST this belief!!! Ooops …there it is …AGAIN. Has this idea been in our minds for millions of years, maybe!? Hmm, …okay, …5 years, …sounds like an adequate timeframe to go and "fix things on the outside", though. 😉 GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!! I MEAN IT!
I know I might come across as being focused on the "negative" here, but really just looking for CONSTRUCTIVE INPUT. What would you answer to someone stating that "The human mind defines it's existence purely by the degree of SUFFERING it endures." If that were actually true (which, of course, it is probably not, as it's a generalization …and all generalisations are lies, …including this one. right!?) would that mean that the ABSENCE of all suffering would leave us with nothing to (on an emotional level) tell us that we are actually alive? Now THAT WOULD be a "bummer", wouldn't it!? 😉 I wonder what the Wachowski bros. were hinting at in the Matrix, with Mr. Smith's monologue about the first matrix created having been "perfect", but also REJECTED by "the humans". :-. Kind of resonates with me. What resonates with you?? Help me out here, please!
Oh boy, …I just now realized that I have "irrational passion", as well. 😉 And even got emotionally caught up in it for a minute. :-. Did I actually just write 2 posts about wether WORLD PEACE is possible to accomplish? *lol* RESPECT! GREAT JOB, EBEN !!! :-)))
I'm curious about this, and must admit I wouldn't take it too seriously if it wasn't Eben who is bringing it out. I will find out more and, if workable, I think it's essential to use as many languages as possible to spread the project.
1) Peace has been defined as being "safe from politically organized violence" before and the peace and trade connection is well known. The idea that peace has not been envisioned or actionable before is not correct.If the authors think that these are new insights that promise a new force for peace they are simply naive, and not very well read.
2) Paul Wolfowitz was not the "first person to bring up the advantages of removing all nuclear weapons from the world". In fact he is one of the prime architects of the Iraq war–an unnecessary war based on false premises that millions of better-informed people rejected. This is the opposite of safety from politically organized violence. If he's one of your "experts on peace", that's laughable.
3) The concept that cooperation and warfare are incompatible is certainly not new, it's as old as civilization.
4) The US has engaged in many "robust military peace-keeping actions". Individual action and inclusivity is what is required to have a military force that is available for these kinds of things. Who will make the decision of when to use that force for good–even safety from political violence?
5) For "standards for peace safety"–start with the US Constitution's Bill of Rights. It directly addresses safety from politically organized violence and creates a governmental system which provides for that. How many countries have that, and enforce it? What have the authors done to support the US Constitution?
6)The size of the military isn't relevant to "peace in five years?. I guarantee you if we had 50% more troops available the Bush administration the political attemptwould never have considered leaving Iraq. Well gee whiz, a photo montage of people who want peace…..that will help what?
7)Changing the concepts of war and peace? Will sweet little Amber do that? I certainly don't see it.
8) "Over there?" what a total America-centric point of view. There are people who want to kill you Amber–yes, you yourself, just because you said that. Tell it to the Taliban.
"Peace is Possible". That is a beautiful simple statement that
we all need to fully absorb. Pray for peace daily, weave it into
your life and share it with others. What Amber & Nathan are saying
is so true. This book is very needed !
Thank you Eben
for bringing them to us.
Suzy Bell
Hey Eben,
First, I want to congratulate you for becoming more aware of politics and government. Over the past few years, first through DYD and then through Altitude, I have always been consistently impressed with your thinking and your way of doing business. But there was always that one element that I thought was missing from your teachings: just how massive an impact government has on each and every one of us. I know how much you study your topic and how fully you immerse yourself in what you teach, so I hope you will dig deeper into THIS topic. If you study the history of governments you wil begin to see that it is a government that prevents peace, whether it be Federal, or the "World View" government that your two friends are trying to advance. Also, "governments" have always been more about "gain" than about "governing."
Their pointing out the difference between violence and war is very acurate, but that is not where it ends. Only governments can have wars, fighting between two individuals is not. Even if there is only "One World Government," there still will not be peace because that government will contantly be at war with the people it governs.
As triswimcoach said above, peace through force will never work.
Peace through freedom, that's the answer their looking for!
Of course it is possible. This just makes sense.
1) Practically everyone wants it (even George Bush!), they just don't know how.
2) The peaceful solution is always better for almost everyone involved.
Therefore, it's just a matter of spreading the idea, just as once people realized they could vote for their president and they didn't have to be serfs anymore, democracy spread around the world.
I've already sent it to all my friends and started publicizing it around the internet.
It is good. Now let's see if they follow up.
Hi Eben ,
I couldn\t write about this until now , I find this email from you .
The interview is interesting and is good that somebody began to think at last , to peace , for a new wave energy for this Planet and people .
This idea is fantastic ,you and your friends are fantastic .
Many people began to work for this proccess .Some have the mission to create more money ,and this is an energy as well as material stuff ,others work more with another kind of energy . This is a deep proccess .
I hope in 5 years to shift many ,because after 2012 ,shall be a big shift on all levels .
I work with a few people via Internet but this connection with your site is perfect because we can see , hear and to be connected with special information .
Thank you for last email I have received today .
Can you give a contact link where to put questions or only to say thank you to you for all special guidance ?
I wish you a special weekend .
I send you only light and peace ,
PS. Vangelis has wonderful vibration and music .
You are a special soul and Master , Eben .
Smart book promotion Eben, I got some mixed feelings about the idea Nathan & Amber are talking about.
On the one hand it think what the Authors are talking about when it comes to their peace creating agenda is so naive – it severly insults the average intelect of a sane thinking human.
Let me focus on one two things:
1. A&N talk about "the internet" and "software" that will make a difference in connecting people. Didn't we hear that story just recently? Yes, it was the One-Laptop-Per-Child-Initiative – of which Experts bring up profund evidence that this is not really educating the third world, it is rather an initiative creating market shares in a segment in a very clever way. Read this: http://www.zoomer.de/news/topthema/-/one-laptop-per-child/artikel/das-geht-an-den-realitaeten-vorbei-
2. In your talk A&N do not convince that they have social legitimacy about this topic. What is their background – purely business? The mere collection of facts to which they present a creative problem solution is very interesting to read, but it's a bit like fashion school – making collection that look very artistic, yet noone could wear. Social Entrepreneurhip looks slightly different to me: you cannot impose it – this is what we always learn from attempts to build innovation systems for example. You cannot bring in the structures purposely that made up the Valley and reproducing its success on other places. Please, Dear Authors, study Peter Drucker on Social Innovations and all World Phillosophers on the topics peace, war and the nature of the human being. And study Macchiavelli. As you talked in Eben's 50 Minute book recommendation it was just a cheeky attempt to overlook all world class minds that dealt with that issue.
Eben, I know you did read Malcolm Gladwell. His lesson from Blink! The Power of the Moment should be applied in this context: go and ask 50 experts to that topic on what they think of the practicability of those creative ideas from worldwide peacetreaty on to your project peaceplanner and the 3 big circles. I would not be wondering when some might say that this utopia sounds just like a naive concept of peace communism….
….although it has its benefits, that is: a great positive vision – I really enjoyed your vision, Amber and Nathan – you both are very enthusiastic about it. I think many people wish to share your vision, because peace is something that keeps us alive – our most wanted desire. People will buy it, and I think that people like me think about your ideas – even if I don't agree with most of your take – may start a discussion and exchange of ideas and believe that brings the idea on many agendas. It is just to hope that true change will happen more than just some action-taking.
One last note. As you teached, Eben, being territorial – for example, one of the male streaks in us human – is naturally in us. This streak definetly is counterproductive for avoiding violent conflicts. Anyone still wearing its pink glasses?
Well, I'm stunned that noone opposes those simplistic ideas of Amber & Nathan.
Read this: http://jayemdiscoveries.blogspot.com/2009/02/utopia-20-creating-world-without-wars.html
Hey Eben,
First of all, congratulations on becoming more involved in politics and government. From DYD to Altitude, I've always been impressed with the depth of knowledge of the topics you teach and your consistent integrity and commitment to your customers. What you teach has always been clear and detailed, however, I always thought you were leaving out one piece of the puzzle; the massive effect politics and government has on all our lives.
I agree with triswimcoach above and disagree with your friend's view about achieving peace. Peace is not a process in and of itself. Peace can only come through individual freedom within a government that GOVERNS rather than RULES.
As your friends pointed out, there is a difference between violence and war and only governments can have wars, no matter what kind of government it is. Even if it is the "one world" or "world view" government that your friends are advancing, because it would always be at war with the subjects it "governs." Yes, we do live in a "global age," but that makes it more important to insure individual freedom and liberty.
I hope you begin to really study this topic with the same thoroughness of your other material. The history of governments, their rise and fall, war and how the loss (or surrender) of individual freedom and liberty lead to the failure of every single government, no matter what it called itself. If you do pursue this you will understand why a government that focuses on "ruling" instead of "governing" and strips individuals of their freedom (or persuades them to voluntarily surrender it) is the true barrier to achieving peace.
If there is anyone that can really dig down to discover and understand the origins and history of governments, war and peace, and then be able to educate others and REALLY begin to make a difference, it's you Eben.
One of the best ways of achieving lasting peace. Is through education. Particularly education that helps us understand each other. World wide education seems to focus more on teaching children how to behave themselves, rather than on understanding, communicating and loving each other.
I posted this question to Amber on the radio, yesterday, 6/20–circa 3:45 PST
"Do you think that it is a universal human need to have world peace?— And if your
answer is "yes," then why do you think more people have not put forth a more
concentrated / focused effort on making it happen?"
I thought it was a valid question-
I think human being do go after what they "truly" want-
You want an ice cream, I'm sure you'll find an ice cream store-
If you want to quit smoking- you will either quit with
willpower or even smoking cessation aids.
If you DO NOT quit smoking ( or lose weight, or anything
else people claim they WANT,)
Freud would the bottom line answer- That you probably
don't want it- You don't really want to quit smoking-
Make sense? I don't think I got off track here, bringing it back-
If you have a goal = World Peace- P5Y
You must determine if this goal
is even a human need or want —
Then, accertain what motivating factors
will cause this human behaviorial shift-
Me: Freud, do people want world peace?
Freud: Do they have it yet?
Me: No, of course not.
Freud: Then they truly do not want it.
That scares me/
Let's say that humans DO want world peace,
but don't have tools, direction, – overall intention
to accomplish quitting war-
like quitting smoking-
Very good comparison-
The smoker kills himself and needs the tools
to lead to promoting his own survival-
If he even wants to quit-
Humans need the tools
to lead to this desired outcome-
Goal= P5Y
It appears people either don't want to
achieve it, or need the tools-
My original question was attempting
to identify what mitivating factors will
lead to this (major) change in human behavior-
Any desired outcome that needs human behavior to
change, when they cannot accomplish the change themselves-
As Tony Robbins would perhaps say, you to get leverage-
Again, this is the direction my radio question attempted to persue.
So- how do you get leverage on the entire human race to change a
pattern of behavior that has been learned behavior for thousands of years-
Forget habbits, these current tendencies / behaviors ( i.e. wars) have almost been
burned into human DNA.
3 weeks they say to change a habbit-
Three weeks isn't ling enough to change these behaviors-
The challenge (P5Y) is attempting to change thousands
of years of bad human habbits-
The lever underneath people form this "leverage" will need to be
of momumental size, ( think the planet Jupitor here)–
Sisyphus had a noble intention- but not enough leverage
to sustain his goal, or varied methods to keep
this from consistently falling back down-
My question had an intention-
Do humans have a "real" need for peace?
What motivating factors will cause this size
leverage to accomplish P5Y, or P(?)Y ?
Freud just whispered to me that based on
past behavior, it would appear that
humans have a greater need for
war and conlict (uncertainty-possible Global destruction)
rather than Peace ( certainty)-
I whispered back for him not to be a pessimist–
His response?
"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a scientist."
*** note: Freud assumes no association
with my comments on this blog.
I'm not going to excuse my
occasional spelling/ syntax errors here-
I am just going to publically blame my
iphone- You can't scroll back up to doulble check
your work-
But you're all smart-
you got my pont-
Peace out- no pun' intended-
First of all, there's nothing more noble than selfless service, so I am grateful to anyone doing their best to help others.
I just scrolled through the comments and a couple of things jumped out:
"World peace IS possible, but only when everyone is AWARE of the very real reasons we are all being manipulated by the 'Few' who ultimately hold the power over the MASS of the world population."
Whoa, I wanna point that this is a total victim mentality. There is not a global conspiracy against us 'normal' people. Nobody in the world is holding back anything from you, and no one is the cause of one's own lack, unhappiness etc. This type of mindset is extremely paranoid and dangerous.
A lot of people have the mindset, 'having world peace means X':
-means I'll be happy
-means life will be better
-means I'll have better relationship, more money etc.
I promise you, if world peace is accomplished, and you're not happy now, or you're not successful now – its not gonna make any difference. You won't suddenly become happy because of an external event.
Dont get stuck in the mindset of, when a future event happens, THEN things will be good.
War is not causing your suffering.
Violence is not causing your suffering.
Nothing in the world is causing your suffering.
God Bless,


text:
Our master bathroom has sliding glass doors on it. Nothing fancy or special about them.
But today I took Miss Stalin into the shower with me. Both to save time and because yesterday while in the tub, in the span of 1 minute that I was out of the room she decided to use the bath water to clean the floor.
That was fun to clean up.
So today, we are in the shower and she realized that the glass doors fog up with steam. She was having lots of fun pressing her hands onto the doors and looking at her hand prints.
"Mommy, look my hands. You try."
I had to press my hands onto the door for her.
"Now I do my butt!"
And she turned around and pressed her little butt against the glass shower doors.
I laughed so hard I cried.


text:
An Austin Texas Chew Again Specialist Can Help You Have A Healthier Smile
If you are tired of having missing teeth and you would like to rectify the problem by seeing an Austin Texas chew again specialist, you will find that there are many things that they can do for you. This is because an Austin Texas chew again expert can provide you with a wide variety of different options such as dentures, implants, crowns, and whitening that will help to replace the teeth you have that are missing and brighten those that are still there. Thanks to an Austin Texas chew again professional, you will no longer be embarrassed by the state of your teeth. Instead, an Austin cosmetic dentist will help you to be proud to show off your pearly whites again. In Austin dentures are one of the most common procedures that are used to deal with missing teeth as they can look just like the real thing. From a dentist in Austin Texas porcelain veneers offer an option to deal with teeth that are cracked or rotted, but not completely gone. With Austin texas dental implants, you can a completely permanent solution to teeth that are long gone as they will be anchored directly to your jaw bone. Finally, an Austin Texas teeth whitening specialist will make sure that all of your teeth are the same shade of white. Overall, this will help you to have the confidence to smile wide and bright once again, even if most of your teeth are fake. Learn more about this topic here: www.cosmeticdentistaustintexas.com


text:
Mold is a major annoyance for any homeowner, and it can also be a health problem, especially for allergy sufferers. You're not helpless in the fight against mold, as the key to fighting mold growth is controlling moisture.
Here are a few moisture-fighting strategies to help you keep mold out of your home.
- Ventilation — A ventilation system pulls contaminated and moist air out of your home, and exchanges it with fresh air. Increasing the amount of airflow to your home will also help control humidity levels, particularly if you install a system designed to eliminate moisture, such as an energy recovery ventilator. Using exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom will quickly draw moisture out, too. During the summer, use your air conditioner to help dehumidify the air, and you can supplement the A/C by using ceiling and attic fans. During dry weather, opening windows is a low-cost method of controlling relative humidity in the home.
- Heating and cooling maintenance — An annual professional tune-up, in addition to helping with other moisture-fighting strategies, will keep your system running efficiently, helping it to combat moisture. Maintenance will also include an inspection of your ductwork to optimize airflow and circulation. Homeowners should clear the area around the furnace and air conditioner to prevent airflow blocks, and change the systems' air filters regularly to increase overall efficiency.
- Fix leaky pipes and other plumbing — Fix these problems as soon as possible. The longer the issue persists, the more moisture will build up. Dry up any wet spots immediately, and after plumbing problems are fixed, ventilate the area well.
- Use a dehumidifier — Portable dehumidifiers work well for controlling moisture in specific areas, especially when the air outside is warm and moist, which makes ventilation less effective. Whole-house dehumidifiers are viable options for controlling moisture throughout the home; however, these system have a higher initial cost than other moisture-fighting strategies.
If you have any questions about fighting mold, contact the experts at Rodenhiser Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. We've been proudly serving the Route 495/128 area for 80 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Solutions Guide.
Air quality image via Shutterstock
Please follow and like us:


text:
What are the Benefits of Wearing Skirts in Summer
Summer time is that time of the year when you need to engage in comfort wear yet avoid yourself from looking terrible. Skirts are garments that are popularly worn in the summer season in almost every part of the year. To know more about how it can be beneficial to wear skirts in summer, read on.
No Fixed Size that you have to Look Into
There is no fixed size that you have to worry about when it comes to wearing skirts. All you need to do is make sure that the waist area of the skirt is one that is made of elastic so that it can stretch easily.
Easy to Find Blouses to Match with the Skirts
Skirts are those that are easy to top off. With a skirt you can wear a blouse of just about any color and of just about any material in order to look good. There isn't any fixed criterion to adhere to in this regard.
No Difficult Maintenance Instructions for you to Follow
Skirts are easy to maintain. All you have to do is wash them every once in a while. If the skirts are some that come vibrant shades like pink, red and blue, it would be a good idea to get these dry cleaned to prevent the colors from bleeding.
Thus, if the above mentioned points are taken into consideration, you will understand why wearing skirts in the summer can prove to be a good thing for you no matter what age you are.


text:
Interesting in starting or expanding a sports writing career? Join the B2 Hoops team! All writing positions are unpaid and are a starting point for new bloggers or for current bloggers to expand their audience and begin a career.
If interested, apply below. If you have any questions, please e-mail us or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Google+.


text:
In 2013 I participated in a Learning Cafe working group on MOOCs for Workplace Learning with colleagues from other corporate organisations. The group concluded that:
MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) can be a mainstream employee learning option. It offers cost effective solutions for organisations with the benefits far outweighing the challenges. L&D/HR need to be proactive in exploring and including MOOCs in learning strategies.
I was invited to be a panellist at EduTECH 2014 alongside two fellow working group members. Jeevan Joshi (Learning Cafe founder) summarised the Working Group's activities and findings, while Tim Drinkall from NBNCo and myself each spoke about our own experiences exploring MOOCs. I presented two perspectives: (1) MOOCs for my own professional development; and (2) MOOCs as an employee learning option in my organisation (where I focus on technical capability development for Supply Chain roles). The views presented in this blog post are entirely my own and do not represent those of either Learning Cafe or my employer.
In summary my experience suggests that:
- MOOCs are a valid option that L&D professionals should include in their professional development portfolio; and
- MOOCs will only be a valid mainstream option for technical capability development when (if?) courses are developed on relevant subjects, and where the organisation supports the learners to apply the content in their workplace and learn from the experience.
MOOCs for L&D Professional Development
I have enrolled in three MOOCs for my own professional development (PD), and completed one. Personal motivation was the key to my MOOC completion, driven primarily by relevance to my immediate needs.
In most instances MOOCs are a self-directed learning experience, for which barriers to entry are very low (no entry criteria, no/low fees). I did not know any other participants, few people were aware that I had enrolled, and there were no adverse consequences for non-completion. This was a low-risk PD experiment. My completion of these MOOCs was dependent on intrinsic motivation. While all three subjects were of interest to me, only the course that I completed addressed specific skills that I had an immediate need to apply. While I skimmed the content in the other two courses and initially made an attempt to join the overwhelmingly large and relatively chaotic online discussions, the subjects weren't a high enough priority for me to allocate time to these MOOCs. Having said this, I did get value from being able to skim the content and look more closely at anything that caught my eye.
The MOOC that I completed was Social Media for Active Learning from Florida State University (FSU). It ran for four weeks with topics on curation, social media lessons, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and privacy & ethics (the latter an important and often overlooked aspect of this subject area). Each topic could be completed independently. Weekly content was presented via three short videos, a one hour webinar (recorded for those who not attend live), and linked readings and tools. To earn a topic badge required posting in response to three discussion topics (self-selected from a longer list), completing and posting a project, passing an online quiz, and providing feedback on the topic. (As a slight aside, I was surprised that I enjoyed earning the topic badges, and suspect that I may not have completed the final topic were it not for the desire to complete the badge set – this has shifted my view on using badges in my work.)
The content and activities were relevant, practical and well-presented. I particularly liked the use of separate discussion threads for each question which made it easy to follow a conversation without interference from other discussion threads. With the exception of the recorded webinars all content ran well on my iPad, so it was convenient to work on the MOOC during my daily public transport commute. There was a lot of feedback provided by the FSU students who formed the course support team. Some discussion did occur on Twitter and my PLN expanded slightly. I really enjoyed the social interaction in this MOOC and looking at the project work completed by others. Most pleasing of all was that I was able to use some of the project outputs in my workplace, and immediately apply the knowledge and skills I picked up during the course.
I now regard MOOCs as a useful additional option for my ongoing PD, particularly where I have an immediate opportunity to apply the content.
External MOOCs for Organisational Technical Capability Development
I joined the Learning Cafe working group as I was attracted to the idea of "free" courses from reputable institutions that could be incorporated into the suite of learning options in my organisation. My organisational learners work predominantly in manufacturing, maintenance, warehousing, distribution, supply planning and scheduling. Over the past year I have searched several times for MOOCs relevant to the technical knowledge and skills of these learners. Alas, there are very few on offer. Even if there were relevant MOOCs available there is no such thing as a free lunch. Effort needs to be put into finding and evaluating a MOOC just as it does any other type of formal learning. (Note that I am deliberately discussing formal learning options at this point). Some learners may require support to effectively engage and learn in a MOOC environment, especially where it is true to the pedagogy of interaction on a massive scale.
Looking at learning through the lens of the 70:20:10 framework (which is used successfully in my organisation), generally a MOOC has the potential to address theory (10%) and the social (20%) aspects of learning. However, for technical skills the experiential learning (70%) requires hands on application of skills in real world context. Some highly motivated and adept self-directed learners will be able to generate the application and reflection required to create experiential learning from a MOOC; many will require support to achieve this. That support may come from an internal group of peer learners undertaking the same MOOC, an interested leader, or an L&D practitioner.
Another option is to blend a MOOC in full or part into a learning program. This is one of the opportunities that Donald Clark sees for use of MOOCs by corporates. In a similar vein, the content of many MOOCs is open source, hence provides another source for curation of material for use in formal and informal learning. This is the extent to which I have used MOOCs within my organisation at the time of writing.
These are some of the activities into which L&D effort may need to be invested in order to effectively utilise MOOCs for mainstream learning. Refer to moocsatwork.com for a framework that identifies other considerations for the introduction of external MOOCs into employee learning.
MOOCs as a Model for Internal Program Design
For many L&D practitioners who have worked within the constraints of 'traditional' course design and the limitations of their LMS, enrolling in a well-designed MOOC will expose them to a broader range of learning methods (e.g. online discussions, use of current resources curated from the internet) and provide examples of how to use these methods well (e.g. discussion thread structure in Social Media for Active Learning MOOC) as well as what not to do (e.g. a lecturer presenting to a camera for an entire series of videos). This is one aspect hotly debated in Ryan Tracey's post on the pedagogy of MOOCs.
I also think there is something in Tanya Lau's point in response to David Kelly's post on MOOCs and the Corporate World:
Perhaps in a corporate setting, MOOCs could play this role – … something which can also help people to build their internal network (…and break silos!?) across the organisation.
I am looking forward to exploring MOOCs further on the upcoming MOOC about Corporate MOOCs, which commences on 16 June 2014.