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Pushing Kids Into Transgenderism Is Medical Malpractice
It is sadistic to use the public school system, which holds a captive audience, to engage in a social gender identity experiment with the nation's young people.
Socially indoctrinating young children toward accepting transgenderism is rampant today in public schools. In Washington state, public schools will begin teaching gender expression to kindergarteners in fall 2017, under newly approved health education learning standards. The gay advocacy network GLSEN received a grantfrom the federal Centers for Disease Control in 2011 for $1.425 million over five years to promote the LGBT agenda in public schools at taxpayers' expense.
By infiltrating the curriculum in our nation's public schools, LGBT activists can groom the next generation of participants. Young people are questioning their gender identity at an alarming rate that seems to be increasing, and are encouraged by educators and medical professionals to experiment with gender transition. Unfortunately, experimentation can cause even more confusion.
Feelings Change, Bodies Don't
I transitioned to female beginning in my late teens and changed my name in my early 20s, over ten years ago. But it wasn't right for me; I feel only discontent now in the female role. I was told that my transgender feelings were permanent, immutable, physically deep-seated in my brain and could NEVER change, and that the only way I would ever find peace was to become female. The problem is, I don't have those feelings anymore.
When I began seeing a psychologist a few years ago to help overcome some childhood trauma issues, my depression and anxiety began to wane but so did my transgender feelings. So two years ago I began contemplating going back to my birth gender, and it feels right to do so. I have no doubts—I want to be male!
Feelings can change. For this man, feelings that were overwhelming in his teens changed after he went to counseling to deal with childhood trauma.
My story is similar. Changing my gender was an empty promise, a temporary reprieve that didn't fix anything. After much psychological counseling, I came to see that my dream of becoming a girl had simply been an escape to cope with deep pain from childhood events. Unfortunately, the so-called earlier treatment of cross-gender hormones and surgery was destructive for my family, marriage, and career, and nearly caused me to take my own life.
Ignoring Science to Push a Political Agenda
Now children in Washington state will be taught starting in kindergarten about the normalcy of wanting to be the other sex. Public schools should not be the breeding ground for any sexual activism by any group at any time. The public school system is holding kids hostage as activists groom the next generation of transgender activists, despite serious harm this poses to children.
The activists who push this agenda in public school studies ignore the science regarding innate sex. An August 2016 review of the scientific literature finds no definitive evidence in research to suggest that transgender people are born that way. This 143-page report from two distinguished doctors from Johns Hopkins University finds there is not enough definitive scientific evidence to suggest gay, lesbian, and transgender people are born as such. More importantly, they affirmed that innate biological sex is fixed and unchangeable. Only gender persona—appearance and behavior—can be changed.
I was a kid who started cross-dressing with my grandmother at the age of four. I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that cross-dressing is a psychological indoctrination. It is sadistic to use the public school system, which holds a captive audience, to engage in a social gender identity experiment with the nation's young people.
Medical Experimentation Can Devastate People
We have known changing genders leads to suicides from reports in the late 1970s that provide a telltale glimpse into the consequences of ignoring the science. Endocrinologist Dr. Charles Ihlenfeld warned about the suicides and unhappiness of transgender clients based on his experience treating more than 500 transgender patients with hormones over a six-year period at colleague Dr. Harry Benjamin's gender clinic.
Medicine has a long history of failing to properly and effectively help people who struggle with unusual emotional and psychological issues. Experimenting with surgery as treatment for psychological disorders is not new. My book, "Paper Genders," gives a 100-year history of these kinds of failures.
This includes psychologist Dr. Henry Cotton. In the early part of the 1900s, Cotton was the head of the main New Jersey state mental hospital in Trenton. He theorized that infections caused mental illness, and was zealous in his effort to cure mental illness by removing the suspected source of infection. He started with removing infected teeth. When that failed, he pulled the remaining teeth and tonsils, then moved on to removing sections of the colon, the stomach, gallbladders, and testicles and ovaries.
Cotton reported a success rate of 85 percent. The New York Times lauded Cotton as a scientific genius whose investigations gave "high hope" for the future, and Cotton became famous in the United States and Europe. Desperate people brought their suffering loved ones to the Trenton hospital for the breakthrough treatment. Kept out of public view were the chilling mortality statistics: 30 to 40 percent of his surgical patients died from his so-called treatment.
From Body Chopping to Brain Blending
The surgical insanity did not end with Cotton. Starting in the mid-1930s, neurologist Dr. Walter Freeman partnered with Dr. Watts, a neurosurgeon, to perform lobotomies as treatment for mental disorders. Freeman believed cutting certain nerves in the brain could eliminate excess emotion and stabilize a personality.
The first lobotomies involved drilling holes in the skull and inserting a rotating knife to destroy brain cells in the prefrontal lobes of the brain. Later, Freeman developed a 10-minute trans-orbital lobotomy in which the brain was accessed through the eye sockets with an instrument that resembled an ice pick. Freeman's procedure did not require a surgeon or an operating room, which allowed Freeman, who was not a surgeon, to perform the lobotomies. Freeman performed more than 2,500 lobotomies in his lifetime.
Results for patients varied. In "The Lobotomy Files: One Doctor's Legacy," the Wall Street Journal says: "Drs. Freeman and Watts considered about one-third of their operations successes in which the patient was able to lead a 'productive life,' Dr. Freeman's son says. Another third were able to return home but not support themselves. The final third were 'failures,' according to Dr. Watts."
During their heyday, both doctors were held in high esteem, but the long-term negative results for a majority of their patients were another regrettable outcome in the history of using surgery to treat mental illness.
Surgery Doesn't Treat Transgenderism
Cotton, Freeman, and Watts were precursors to today's treatment of transgenderism, a mental disorder, with another set of surgeries. They treated patients by pulling teeth, cutting out colons, and scrambling brain tissue, resulting in mortality rates of 30 to 40 percent and a failure rate of 33 percent, respectively. The treatment methods in hindsight seem barbaric.
Today's accepted treatment for gender issues—cutting off body parts and rearranging everything from the Adam's apple, hips, and breasts to the genitalia—seems barbaric as well, and lacking in compassion. The compassionate response is to explore other less extreme options first, before resorting to surgery.
Our long history with treating transgenderism strongly suggests surgery has not been effective. In my journey to gender change, my psychologist told me surgery was the only answer to my problems, and never asked any questions to discover other possible causes of my gender distress.
Today, people write to me about their gender-change experiences. They consistently share how at the time of their transition they were told gender change was the only treatment for their condition. Parents write to me concerned about their adult children pursuing transition because they know no one is considering that trauma from the person's childhood could be leading to this unusual desire. Parents report that gender therapists don't want to know about childhood events. The therapist says if an adult wants transition, he or she can have it.
As with Cotton, Freeman, and Watts, today's surgical gender-change treatments are not submitted to rigorous scientific study to evaluate their safety, effectiveness over time, and unexpected consequences. Those who regret making the transition, who return to their birth gender, and who are lost to suicide aren't counted in studies because researchers can't find them. The statistics are skewed in favor of positive outcomes because the people experiencing negative outcomes are, in scientific language, "lost to follow-up."
Suicide Threats Indicate Mental Illness
Gender-distressed teens will often say something along the lines of "If I don't get puberty blockers or hormones and surgery to transition, I'm going to commit suicide." They mean to demonstrate the strength of their cross-gender feelings and the urgency of their need for transition to everyone who might otherwise urge caution, such as parents, psychotherapists, and endocrinologists.
Threatening suicide is a serious matter that points to the presence of serious mental health issues. When a transgender child uses emotional and psychological blackmail to get fast-tracked towards extreme surgery, it should raise concerns about the person's emotional and psychological health. A suicide threat points to the urgent need for intervention and psychotherapy, not hormones and surgery.
Consider early life events that unfold like this, from an email I received recently:
Help, my daughter is trying to live as a man and desperately wants gender re-assignment surgery.
Her father was a male to male pedophile. He abused our son. Years later my son became homosexual and is married to a man.
My daughter on the other hand was rejected by her dad. She spent her teen years hating men. She began to engorge herself so that guys would be repulsed by her. She developed obsessive disorders and made sure she looked unattractive to men. She accomplished being unattractive and men turned away from her. She decided to be a lesbian. She decided that wasn't for her after a bad break-up. Now she wants to become a transgender.
It's not completely unexpected a young woman like this would seek to become a transgender given the rejection of her father, her appearance calculated to repel men, and a failed lesbian relationship. Her dad's pedophilia, homosexual leanings, and rejection of her would easily keep her from developing a healthy self-image and relationships.
She sees transgenderism as the fix to all this rejection. As a transgender, she can fall in love with herself and avoid rejection. Yes, it is psychologically unhealthy behavior, but it will provide a temporary reprieve from the rejection she has experienced so far in her life.
Young people who consider themselves neglected, abused, or abandoned may turn to self-abusive or attention-getting behaviors. They latch on to anything they can control when all seems out of control. Notice I said "consider." A child can feel rejected when no rejection exists. Perceived rejection can lead a child towards homosexuality or transgenderism because it looks more attractive than the life they have, or allows them to feel in control of their life.
Parents need to take a stand against public schools and government policies that are intended to groom children towards gender change and eliminating male and female sex distinctions. Parents cannot afford to stand silently by while their right to parent their children is eroded.


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Edible Finger Lakes is published four times a year. Please support our efforts by subscribing to the magazine. $20 for four issues (1-year) and $30 for 8 issues (2-years).
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subset: commoncrawl


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Good Samaritan Society
Create Your Career With Us!
Join our not-for-profit organization that has provided over 100 years of housing and services to seniors with a commitment to quality care and service in a Christian environment.
Facility: GSS AZ Prescott Vlg
Location: Prescott, AZ
Address: 1030 Scott Dr, Prescott, AZ 86301, USA
Shift: 10 Hours – Day Shifts
Job Schedule: Full time
Weekly Hours: 40. 00
Salary Range: $15.25 – $23.75
Job Summary
Prepares, assemble baked goods, cooks, seasons and portions food for patients/residents, staff, and visitors of the designated facility, preparing and serving food within guidelines of menu and dietary requirements. Adheres to food quality standards of appearance, taste, temperature and sanitation. Performs washing and cleaning duties to insure sanitation and cleanliness in cooking and serving areas. Maintains labeling and storage of food, equipment, and machinery. Prepares and provides the highest quality and safest food possible to patients/residents, co-workers, team members and guests.
Works with many internal customers, requiring above average communication as well as excellent team work skills.
Displays ability to cook, function and thrive in a dynamic and changing culinary environment. Follows standardized recipes and Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) guidelines to prepare, store and use food and food products. Documents HACCP steps, temperatures and outcomes to assure the safest food possible while following production sheets for daily and weekly menus. Operates equipment such as, but not limited to, mixers, slicers, kettles, combination ovens, food grinders, food processors, ovens, stovetops, induction burners, grills, deep fat fryers, knives, dishwashers, garbage disposals, refrigerators and freezers.
Possesses ability to work independently when necessary. Possesses an understanding of food safety and sanitation processes. Exhibits understanding of basic math to appropriately measure alongside displaying proficiency in reading and understanding recipes. Demonstrates ability to be on feet for the majority of the day and walk far distances throughout the hospital.
High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
Possesses ability to read, write and follow oral and written directions. Ability to perform basic math. Minimum of six months of applicable experience preferred. On-the-job training will be provided.
Depending upon location of hire, Serv Safe may be required to obtain within a designated time frame. Additional endorsements to Serv Safe may be required depending upon location. Fulfill annual continuing education requirements of the department and facility including departmental meetings, safety education and mandatory in-services.
Basic Life Support (BLS) may be required depending upon location requirements.
Depending on location, may be required to drive. Valid Driver's License may be required.
The Good Samaritan Society offers an attractive benefits package for qualifying full-time and part-time employees. Depending on eligibility, a variety of benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, work/life balance benefits, and a generous time off package to maintain a healthy home-work balance. For more information about Total Rewards, visit https://sanfordcareers.com/benefits .
The Good Samaritan Society is an EEO/AA Employer M/F/Disability/Vet. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-877-673-0854 or send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com .
The Good Samaritan Society has a Drug Free Workplace Policy. An accepted offer will require a drug screen and pre-employment background screening as a condition of employment.
Req Number: R-0160897
Job Function: Facilities and General Services
Featured: No


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529 Plan FAQs
Find the answers to your questions related to 529 plans and college savings.
Do I have to use the money at a state school?
No, you can use your 529 plan account assets at eligible colleges and universities in the United States and eligible foreign institutions.
- What expenses can I use the money for?
Money withdrawn from the 529 plan account can be used for a wide range of qualified higher education expenses, such as room and board, tuition, books, and computer equipment. Refer to your enrollment kit for a full list of expenses covered by your state's plan.
- How and when can I take distributions from the account?
You can always withdraw money from your 529 plan account. However, non-qualified withdrawals are subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax. There may also be state or local income tax, interest and dividends tax, or the equivalent. Qualified withdrawals include money used to pay for room and board, tuition, and books. You may NOT take loans against your 529 plan account.
You have several ways to withdraw money (take a distribution) from your Fidelity-managed 529 Plan account:
- Pay college bills online by enrolling now in Fidelity BillPay® for 529 accounts.
- Call a Fidelity representative at 800-544-1914.
- Complete the College Investing Plan Distribution form (PDF).
For money sent to the Beneficiary or directly to his/her school, a Form 1099-Q will go to the Beneficiary, who will be considered the recipient of the money for tax purposes. For all other withdrawals, the Participant will be considered to have received the money and will be sent a Form 1099-Q. Additional documentation (college invoice, statement, receipts) may be required by the IRS to verify that such payments are qualified.
- What if my child earns a scholarship?
You can withdraw the amount of the scholarship award from your 529 plan account without penalty; federal and state income taxes on the earnings still apply.
- Will investing in a 529 plan affect eligibility for financial aid?
529 assets may have a relatively small effect on federal financial aid eligibility because they are considered assets of the parent (Participant) in the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Conversely, accounts that are considered assets of the child (Beneficiary), such as an UGMA/UTMA account, tend to have a greater affect on federal financial aid eligibility in the EFC calculation. See financial aid planning for more information.
- What is Fidelity BillPay® for 529 accounts?
Fidelity BillPay® for 529 accounts is a free online service that allows you to make single and recurring payments to colleges, tuition payment services, the account owner, or the beneficiary. To learn more, view the Fidelity BillPay for 529 Accounts demo. For questions regarding Fidelity BillPay for 529 accounts, please contact a Fidelity representative at 800-544-1914.
Enroll now in Fidelity BillPay for 529 accounts.
Note: Fidelity BillPay for 529 accounts is not intended for custodial UGMA/UTMA use.
- What do I need to know before paying college bills using Fidelity BillPay® for 529 accounts?
To facilitate bill payments to colleges, please include the following information when setting up the recipient of funds:
- The student ID or student account number from your tuition invoice
- The correct payment address, including any specific area or department name required by the school
When making your payment, bear in mind that the total market value of your account is based on the prior business day's market value of the portfolios in your 529 account. This market value may fluctuate between the time you enter your bill payment request and when the money is deducted from your account. If the payment request is not available due to a decrease in market value, you will be notified that your transaction was not accepted and you will need to re-submit your request. If you need to withdraw your entire account balance, please call a representative at 800-544-1914. Note: Payments will be deducted from your account on the withdrawal date.
For 529 accounts invested in multiple portfolios, the amount requested through Fidelity BillPay® for 529 accounts will be withdrawn from each portfolio held in your designated 529 account on a pro-rated basis. If you prefer to provide direction on the specific portfolio from which to deduct the requested amount, please call a representative at 800-544-1914 or fill out the College Investing Plan Distribution form (PDF).
Call a college savings representative800-544-2776
Need more info?Get started with college savings
Understand what it's like to have an account, from choosing a plan to withdrawing funds.
Financial aid planning
Learn more about how much you'll be expected to contribute to education expenses.
1Bank Deposit Portfolio is not an eligible investment selection for Trust Account Registrations.
2Although the underlying deposits are eligible for FDIC insurance, subject to applicable federal deposit insurance limits, the units of the Bank Deposit Portfolio are not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. You are responsible for monitoring the total amount of your assets on deposit at the depository bank, including amounts held directly at the depository bank. All such deposits held in the same ownership capacity at the depository bank are subject to aggregation and to the current FDIC insurance coverage limitation of $250,000. Please see your 529 Fact Kit for more details.
The asset allocation strategy you choose for any Custom Strategy should be based on your investment objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, and other factors you determine to be important. Different asset allocations offer different balances between risk and potential returns. Generally, the greater the stock allocation, the greater the potential for long-term returns and the greater the risk of volatility, especially over the short term. Conversely, the greater the allocation to bonds and/or short-term investments, the lower the potential for high long-term returns but the lower the short-term risks.
The U.Fund College Investing Plan is offered by MEFA and managed by Fidelity Investments. If you or the designated beneficiary is not a Massachusetts resident, you may want to consider, before investing, whether your state or the beneficiary's home state offers its residents a plan with alternate state tax advantages or other benefits.
Units of the portfolios are municipal securities and may be subject to market volatility and fluctuation.
Please carefully consider each plan's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. For this and other information on any 529 college savings plan managed by Fidelity, contact Fidelity for a free Fact Kit, or view it online. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.
Fidelity Brokerage Services, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917


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Whether It is Worth It or Not
Posted on: June 15, 2008
Whether it is worth it or not, you only come to know long after you have started the game.
Only when you have left everything behind... The last and lost roads where man-made means of conveyance can take you, the last pathways where diligent or hysteric four-legged porter friends are able to step, the last marked and then unmarked paths, the last slopes where birds still venture up, the last heaps of stones only humans can struggle themselves up to â€" before beginning an arduous trudge on cracking ice â€" the last somewhat secure solid ground below your feet… Only when you will have left behind even the insecure grounds of snow with black hollow spaces opening in treacherous crevasses and whatever comes afterwards, still offering you some place for your ice axes and for the front spikes of your crampons…
You have to leave behind everything that has to do with horizontal in order to meet with horizon itself. The last few meters, the end of it will at last make you realize whether it was worth doing. By the time the exposed trackless route into the sky itself has taken toll on your entire being, by the time the rarefied air hardly can quench your gasping lungs, by the time a nameless, discrete grace from beyond the veils of headache and muscle pain helps you higher on till your eyes literally reach the level of the ridge and by the time you get the first glimpse of all that is behind this ridge, you will surely know that it is well worth it.
This may be the most breath-taking moment and it may come before you can plant both your feet on the summit or before you can sit on it as in a saddle. The moment when you first get to see what is beyond the ridge-curtain… At first you see only summits emerging above the facing valleys, then glaciers and entire mountain ranges as the totality of a valley or of a wide labyrinth of valleys reveals itself beneath your feet.
This is the precious moment you are initiated in views the other side can offer, a sheer second before you instinctively prevent yourself from stepping further out on the edge. Oh, yes, watch out as it may only be a brim of blank snow that may break down below your weight and may take you into the void... If you have consciously lived a moment like this in its full intensity, you know that the happiest moment of a climb and the moment of standing on the absolute top do not necessarily coincide even if they usually are connected.
It's worth the trouble, now you know. To accomplish the journey, you make the final ritual steps, until nothing more is above you. Here you may do the rest of your personal ceremonials, you may feel proud or lonesome, may smile or may cry, may be overconfident, may cherish self-indulgence, may be grateful or forgetful, may be a hero copied from magazine covers or may be just your humble self...
'Here man can visit, but cannot live', writes Sri Aurobindo when talking about the higher regions, the worlds above our mind's understanding. So true, in the physical and geographical sense, too. You are standing at the place you so much yearned for, you so much strove for. And your only reward is a drift of cold wind splashing icy crystals in your face. Eventually a piece of chunky chocolate or some lukewarm tea still left in the bottom of your thermos. In the very last case, a thought of God, with the slight hope that God is also thinking of you exactly at the same moment…
You are standing at the place that once became your goal, your motivation, your raison d'être, your driving force, your obsession... And you are only halfway! The same arduous way is again ahead of you, you ought to get down where you started from. Down. Well, that's where you really belong to. The realm you can inalienably claim as yours is down there, love it or not. It is for them, and for your tiny self down there that you are doing all this, you better admit it. It is not for some whimsy gods dwelling on imaginary or real ridges of the inaccessible space that you are pushing yourself on and on, groping for the limits of your endurance. It is for the sake of all that is down there and for someone who craves within you to know what is it like, up here, in a realm seemingly ever inaccessible for the common mortal.
You are only halfway! You have to get down, back to the dreams that implemented themselves in and through you. You have to go down again, to dream new dreams and to unfold the fulfilled ones to onlookers. You have to share the gift divine. Yet, you cannot bring them snowflakes, neither pebble... What will you take from the ridge where you met the sky close up?
Take them the sky itself. It is living in your eyes now, once you tasted its vastness, it never leaves your regard. Once you had a mouthful of infinity, its taste will permeate every wish of yours. Once you walked high above the clouds, it is the unfathomable blue depth of space that will make your heart its abode. Share this with those down there. Take care, you are only halfway... But you have the entire sky in you to confirm that it was worth striving.


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Hello all. Whew! I have been one busy busy gal! Starting my new job and lots of other fun things have kept me in a most exciting flurry of activity! 🙂
Don't worry! It's all calming down enough for me to blog a bit more regularly…at least for now! 🙂
I feel like the last time we talked, I was near the end of a project. Hmmmmnnn…what could that have been?
You can see the previous (no sew!) incarnations of this dress right here and here!
I thought it was time to whip out my machine for the final chapter in this thrilling saga!
Since I've already made a dress and a top, I decided to go for (as many of you guessed) a skirt!
I wisely held onto that bottom scrap from #2!
To get started, I did a bit of cutting:
I knew I wanted to go for a funky layered look for my new skirt, and that I wanted it to be fitted.
I took a dress that I really like the fit of, and cut my basic skirt template from that. Pinnage followed.
You can see where I'm using the finished edges for my waistband so they don't overstretch/so I don't have to add elastic to the already-stretchy fabric.
I stitched the base of my skirt together.
Remember those sleeves? I cut them off…
…then I cut those guys apart like so:
I pinned my fun flappy leftovers around the wast…
Then, I stitched them down!
Okay. I THINK I may have solved this problem, but sewing the flappy bits on was a real struggle. :/ My thread kept breaking off and doing this:
I THINK it was just that the thread guide behind the needle had somehow gotten too tight and was pulling the thread (Everything SEEMS to be okay now), but do any of you guys have any idea what could have been going wrong?
Despite a rather frustrating experience (with lots of internal screaming), I still somehow ended up with a fun & creative addition to my wardrobe! 🙂
I was honestly just happy to be done with this one, you guys.
But my new skirt sure had a fun time seeing Zoso (a really fun Led Zepplin cover band) that night!
Mark seemed to have an alright time too!
But enough about my social life! What I really want to know is…
Which version of this dress is your favorite?????
Here's the winner of this One Dress, Three Ways Challenge!


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The JV Red Hawks wrestling team took to the mats during the Christmas break when they traveled to Grand Rapids Christian on December 28, where 12 teams competed. There were seven weight classes, and out of the seven, five Red Hawk wrestlers brought home medals.
Brett Bouwens, wrestling at 112 pounds, brought home first place, and Aaron Brook at 119 pounds took third place. Three wrestlers also took second places: Danny Wier at 125 pounds; Josh Champion at 152 pounds; and Michael Armock at 171 pounds.
The Varsity and JV teams take to the mats later this week at Comstock Park.


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E – The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: What are the environmental implications of the road ahead as laid out by President Obama in his recent State of the Union? — Marilyn Pike, Bethesda, MD
The economy dominated President Obama's recent State of the Union address, but his discussion about energy and the environment took up almost seven minutes—or nine percent—of the hour-plus address. And
Even so, natural gas is cleaner burning than oil or coal, and reducing our reliance on foreign oil is a good thing overall. "Right now American oil production is the highest that it's been in eight years," Mr. Obama said, adding that "…last year we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past 16 years."
Michelle Wilson Berger of the National Audubon Society points out that when George W. Bush told us in his 2006 State of the Union that the U.S. was addicted to foreign oil, some 60 percent was coming from foreign sources. "Now it's just less than half," Berger says, adding: "The trend is going to continue in that positive direction and within a couple decades, it's going to be even less, say something like 36 percent."
Nonetheless, environmental advocates were hoping for less bullish talk from Obama on expanding fossil fuel development of any kind, given the dire climate predictions we are facing. But Obama isn't giving up his commitment to renewables, despite the recent bankruptcy of solar panel maker Solyndra after it had received upwards of $500 million in loan guarantees. "Some technologies don't pan out; some companies fail," stated Obama in the speech. "But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy."
Obama also called on Congress to pass a new standard aimed at boosting wind, solar, geothermal and other renewables, and to extend related tax credits to help diversify and green the country's energy mix, adding that he wants to end tax subsidies for oil companies. In underscoring that Americans don't have to choose between the economy and the environment, he cited the case of the revival of the American auto industry thanks in part to automakers' willingness to innovate to meet aggressive fuel economy standards.
Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund considers Obama's State of the Union "a strong defense of the importance of clean energy to America's long-term economic prosperity."
Speeches aside, 2011 wasn't a bad year for Obama on the environment. He proposed raising the average fuel efficiency standard for new cars to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025—this alone, says Natural Resources Defense Council's Frances Beinecke, "will save drivers more than $80 billion a year at the pump and cut our annual oil use by more than the amount we imported from Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 2010." Obama's recent rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project—which would have transported dirty Alberta tar sands oil across U.S. soil—was another triumph, as were establishing the first national standards to limit mercury and other air toxins from power plants, proposing a visionary national oceans policy, protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining, and supporting clean energy investments at record levels.
Photo: Pete Souza/White House Photo
EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine ( www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: email@example.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.


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TechRadar Verdict
A small upgrade over the Aspire One 532, but a worth netbook nevertheless.
- +
Light and portable
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Well built
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Sleek design
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Strong keyboard
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Sharp, colourful screen
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Bulky battery
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Typically limited performance
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Battery life bettered by others
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Few features
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Not much of an evolution
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Since Asus unleashed its first Eee PC three years ago, almost every laptop manufacturer on the globe has come out with its own brand of netbook. However, while it's great to have a huge selection, many netbooks are difficult to differentiate from each other as they use near identical components.
The main factors to consider are therefore battery life, build quality and usability, as well as the quality of the display.
Acer was one of the first competitors to release its own netbook range, the Acer Aspire One series. The Acer Aspire One 532 was the most recent entry, and while it impressed with a decent build and strong display, it was beaten for features and battery life by the likes of the MSI Wind U160 and Packard Bell Dot S2.
The Acer Aspire One 532 has just been updated, and the result is the Acer Aspire One 533. Quite a lot of the Aspire One 533 is borrowed from the 532, with a couple of additions or tweaks that build on a solid and likeable foundation.
One of the main draws of netbooks is their compact size and featherlight weight, which makes them perfect to slip into a bag or rucksack and take on a trip. Combined with the low cost, this makes them great secondary or backup machines.
The Acer Aspire One 533 is certainly light at just 1.2kg, while the chassis is small enough to fit into almost any bag – even oversized handbags. It's a little chunky for a netbook thanks to the battery, which juts out at the rear, but a thickness of 37mm isn't going to make much of an impact during transport.
Acer has a reputation built on quality, with its Aspire range of laptops and Aspire One series of netbooks proving solid and dependable. The Aspire One 533 is no exception, featuring a firm chassis that can withstand a few bumps on the road.
The glossy lid is just as rigid to protect the display. It's attached by two solid hinges that enable the screen to be tilted almost horizontally, for a comfortable viewing angle.
Although the Aspire One 533's glossy surface is attractive, it does pick up smudges ridiculously easy. Keep a cleaning cloth handy if you're fussy about dust and fingerprints.
The Aspire One 533's excellent build quality means usability is also impressive. A reasonably responsive touchpad is integrated into the palm rest and given a textured finish to differentiate it, which works well.
A separate scroll bar to the right enables quick and simple scrolling through web pages and documents, while gesture support means you can zoom and rotate when viewing photographs and other documents.
Unfortunately the Acer Aspire One 533's pad is rather confined, a common problem related to the compact nature of netbooks.
Netbooks also often suffer from cramped keyboards, but the Aspire One 533's keyboard stretches the full width of the chassis to maximise the space on offer. It's a firm board, although travel is limited.
The Aspire One 533's keys are mostly well-sized and logically laid out. The only casualties of the reduced space are the left-hand keys such as the shift and tab, which are quite narrow, and the arrow keys which are packed into the bottom right corner.
Acer's usual flat design is in place, with no key definition at all, but this proves surprisingly good for touch typing. We can type almost as fast on this as any full-sized laptop keyboard, helped by that bulky battery which tilts the board at a comfortable angle.
Current page: Acer Aspire One 533: OverviewNext Page Acer Aspire One 533: Specification


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Regular price
Watch your designs bloom into vibrant, permanent, pro-quality transfers on any compatible Infusible Ink blank when you create with these five colorful, medium point markers. Draw intricate designs freehand or use your Cricut smart cutting machine to create your custom design on plain laser copy paper. Available in variety of colors and two different line weights, Infusible Ink Pens & Markers bloom into rich, vibrant hues once transferred using high temperatures. The results are bright, beautiful, seamlessly smooth transfers that never flake, peel, wrinkle, or crack!
What is the Infusible Ink process? Unlike an iron-on transfer or vinyl application, where artwork is attached on top of a base material using adhesive, an Infusible Ink heat transfer becomes one with the material itself.
How it works:
The Infusible Ink system also includes Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets in a variety of solid colors and patterns. Plus a growing list of compatible Infusible Ink blanks, including T-shirts, tote bags, and coasters.
What you need:


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Product Description
- Android OS v 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
- Display: 480 x 800 pixels, 4.0 inches and 16M colors AMOLED capacitive multi touchscreen
- Micro-USB v2.0
- Sensors: accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
- Bluetooth v4.0
- 3.5mm jack
- loudspeaker
- GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player And MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
- Predictive text input (Swype)
- Built in Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa/Google+, Facebook, Twitter
- Image/video and Document editor
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Garnet Red Body Color
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
- Battery Standby: Up to 450 h (2G) / Up to 430 h (3G)
- Battery Talk Time: Up to 14 h 10 min (2G) / Up to 7 h 10 min (3G)
Camera Features
- Geo-tagging, touch focus, auto focus, face and smile detection, panorama, CMOS image sensor, digital zoom
- 5 megapixels
- LED flash
- Front Facing Camera: 0.3 megapixels VGA
- Video Recorder: 720p@30fps, Digital image stabilization, Video calling
The Samsung I8190 Galaxy S3 Mini feels your every move with its Accelerator, Gyro, Proximity, and Compass Sensors and also on its multi touchscreen with the latest AMOLED technology. This Galaxy has everything you need in a smart phone, from GPS to Image Editors to its variety of built in applications.
- Power: 100-110-220-240 Volts 50/60 HZ (WORLDWIDE USE)
- GSM Phone: Unlocked
Specifications Dimensions:
121.6 x 63 x 9.9 mm
(4.79 x 2.48 x 0.39
in) Weight: 120g
(4.23oz) Internal
Memory: 8/16 GB, 1GB
RAM Processor: 1 GHz
Dual core Cortex-A9,
1000 MHz Graphics
Mali-400MP Storage
Expansion: microSD,
microSDHC up to 32
GB Battery: Li-Ion
1500 System Chip:
STE U8420 Data
Speed: HSDPA 14.4
Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76
Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE,


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Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Stanley Rabbit in Real Life!
my etsy shop today. One has already hopped away to a new home but one is still waiting for you. I'm hoping to make a couple more over the next little while. I only make a few each year so each one is a limited edition and comes with a birth certificate which also acts as proof of authenticity.
Love Kate xxx
Labels: Stanley, stanley and the hot air balloon
Thursday, June 2, 2016
More Crochet Toadstools!
I wanted to show you some more photos of the toadstools that I made for Little Box of Crochet. Keep in mind though that they are made with different yarn, this is just what I had on hand when I was designing the project.
Thank you for all of your lovely comments over the past few days. They've warmed my heart.
Lots of love,
Labels: crochet toadstools
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Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®
Citrates are used to make the urine more alkaline (less acid). This helps prevent certain kinds of kidney stones. Citrates are sometimes used with other medicines to help treat kidney stones that may occur with gout. They are also used to make the blood more alkaline in certain conditions
Citrates are available only with your doctor's prescription.
This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to medicines in this group or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Although there is no specific information comparing use of citrates in children with use in other age groups, these medicines are not expected to cause different side effects or problems in children than they do in adults.
Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of citrates in the elderly with use in other age groups.
Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.
Although it is not known whether citrates pass into the breast milk, this medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking any of these medicines, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with a medication in this class or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of medicines in this class. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
For patients taking the tablet form of this medicine:
For patients taking the liquid form of this medicine:
For patients taking the crystals form of this medicine:
Take each dose immediately after a meal or within 30 minutes after a meal or bedtime snack. This helps prevent the medicine from causing stomach pain or a laxative effect.
Drink at least a full glass (8 ounces) of water or other liquid (except milk) every hour during the day (about 3 quarts a day), unless otherwise directed by your doctor. This will increase the flow of urine and help prevent kidney stones.
Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. This is especially important if you are also taking a diuretic (water pill) or digitalis medicine for your heart.
The dose medicines in this class will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of these medicines. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.
If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
It is important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits. This is to make sure the medicine is working properly and to check for unwanted effects.
Do not eat salty foods or use extra table salt on your food while you are taking citrates. This will help prevent kidney stones and unwanted effects.
Check with your doctor before starting any strenuous physical exercise, especially if you are out of condition and are taking any other medication. Exercise and certain medications may increase the amount of potassium in the blood.
For patients taking potassium citrate–containing medicines:
For patients taking sodium citrate–containing medicines:
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Stop taking this medicine and get emergency help immediately if any of the following effects occur:
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2023
Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/citrate-oral-route/description/drg-20070114
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Welcome to the Tasmanian Sassafras Heritage Farming Weekend retrospective.
If you wish to purchase any pictures proceeds will be donated to The Historic Machinery Club or Tasmania Inc.
These are large (22MB) photos and take a while to come to screen use "original" size. Please be patient, blurry photos will pop once at full resolution. These are a quarter of the photos taken over the weekend. If you have any questions or would like one customized please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for looking.
Paul Brace
Sassafras Heritage
The Historical Machinery Club of Tasmania hosts the Sassafras Heritage Farming WeekendRead More


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As the recession and Occupy movement encourage people to reimagine work and how they get their needs met in the new economy, Timebanks are catching fire. They are a clever tool to circumvent the scarcity and misdirection of conventional money. Timebanks are at heart a simple concept – you work for an hour, earn an hour credit, and spend an hour with anyone in your Timebank community. Timebanks don't pay taxes or get penalized in benefit reductions because they are more like charitable volunteering circles of mutual aid or relationship-based gift economies than market-based national currencies.
Timebank values are:
We are all assets – we all have something to give.
Some work is beyond price – work has to be redefined to value whatever it takes to create healthy, socially just, and sustainable communities and that work needs to be honored, recorded and rewarded.
Reciprocity – helping works better as a two-way street and we need to work together to build better communities.
We need each other– people help each other to reweave communities of support, strength & trust by creating relationships through exchanges.
- Respect – every human being matters and no one should go without getting their needs met regardless of their position in life. (Stemming from this, everyone's hour is equal in a Timebank.)
You can easily start a Timebank on paper and pen (which is how the first one was created) with a written directory of requests and offers in various skill categories on a bulletin board and an account ledger to track hours exchanged. Or you can circulate notes measured in hours, like Ithaca Hours, or you can create checks or vouchers that can be mailed in or deposited at the Timebank. Another option is to have the Timebank operate through a call center managed by a Timebank broker that facilitates trades and records them on members' behalf. Timebanks existed long before computers and during the Great Depression, unemployed associations achieved a high level economic complexity trading hours on just paper. This is still a great option for more unplugged communities.
Arroyo Timebank– Food Forestry Workshop
However, there are a number of different internet-based Timebank software platforms that exist now to facilitate larger scale, more efficient and decentralized trading. Some of them are free using open source code and some are paid, hosted and externally maintained by companies. Some are flexible and let your community come up with your own rules, like charging in a community-defined unit or charging more than an hours for an hour of skilled work. Others are more strict to follow Timebank rules, particularly in the US where taxes and social security benefits might be an issue if not followed to the letter. The mutual credit currency systems that are similar to Timebanks, but don't follow their rules (like one hour equals one hour) and operate under their own values are more appropriately called LETS (Local Employment Trading Systems). These more market-like systems may use units that represent national currency, allow bidding for prices, and often involve small to medium sized businesses.
Here are some Timebank and LETS software offerings from beginner to advanced:
Community Exchange Systems is a world-wide free hosting exchange platform, that will allow you to do basic trading with no money or technical assistance needed. CES is not strictly Timebank software (it is more like a LETS, but can be set up as a Timebank) and allows you to pick your currency. CES, developed by Tim Jenkins in South Africa, allows communities to trade amongst the 339 exchanges in 34 countries. This is a great place to start if you don't have a techie on staff or any money to shell out for your Timebank project. It's also not the easiest to use software available and we felt it was a little clunky, but it's a good place to start without a lot of resource input.
hOurworld is a national nonprofit organization that offers Timebank software and hosting at no cost. It is fairly basic, but easy to use and you don't need tech staff. Their system is similar to and developed by some of the same staff as Hour Exchange Portland, an extremely successful Timebank. They also offer free software trainings and paid trainings on how to organize a Timebank and how to develop cool applications, like coop and microenterprise development. They are developing fundraising application on their software to help fund their Timebanks. Their staff is awesome – caring, knowledgeable and experienced. hOur World is also seeking to interoperate with Open Source Currency (see below).
TimeBanks USA, also a national nonprofit, just rolled out Community Weaver 2.0, which has more functionality than its predecessor versions of Timebank software, including features to keep your community abreast of events and announcements. All Timebanks under its umbrella are nodes of one system, rather that completely independent Timebanks. Community Weaver 2.0 allows you to produce transaction reports, which is great for grant writing and reporting statistics to validate your funding. Timebanks USA charges an ongoing fee based on membership size for their software and hosting and it is not open source. However, this is a good option for a group without tech help to maintain the site, and where some grant funding is available or the community members can afford small membership fees. They provide an array of trainings at a moderate cost regardless of which software you use, which is helpful since starting a timebank can require a steep learning curve. However, a large national organization providing a one size fits all software, doesn't necessarily fit all communities, which is why some groups make their own software or fork from an open source code base.
Open Source Currency was started by Tom Brown and is used for the Austin Time Exchange Network and the Timebank I coordinate, Bay Area Community Exchange, as well as a number of other forks in development in California, New York and outside the country. Tom sets up forks of the code for nonprofit groups for free, hosting them for a bit, and then spinning them off into autonomous open source Timebanks run by their own staff or volunteers, which can share code development among the forks. All of these forks run on Ruby on Rails, which is a very versatile programming language, but requires skilled techies to maintain and customize. We liked this one the most after doing a survey of what software exists because it already contained elements of Facebook, Craigslist, and Couchsurfing that make it a very useful trading system, but even more so, a community-building software. There are reputation, transparency and relationship features built in. It is the only software other than GETS that I know of that allows you to organize groups within a Timebank to offer internal community trading in private or public groups and also trading with members outside your group as well. It shows all of the transactions and comments people have made about each others' trades, which helps scale trust-building for a larger region like the Bay Area where people don't know each other. It allows you to organize by neighborhood, to trade within your neighborhood or town and also in your greater region if set up as a regional umbrella Timebank, like ours. It sends categorized request and offer emails out to its membership to generate quick responses. The software is continually evolving in functionality. It can be set up with multiple currencies.
Community Forge, Matt Slater's baby, is also a Drupal-based software that could be set up as a Timebank, but its more LETS-like and can be a commercial bartering system. He offers an open source version free to nonprofits, and a highly customized and versatile version with tech support at commercial rates if needed. This is a great option for groups that have access to Drupal coding volunteers. Matt is great person to work with, very generous and into the gift economy and bartering – he also publishes Community Currency Magazine. His systems are used across Europe, especially in France.
GETS Plus, developed as a for-profit venture with radical intentions, is the most highly developed and complex currency technology I know of that allows Timebanking and multiple other currencies on the same platform. It has a baffling menu of 130+ features including mobile phone payment, printed currency capability and credit card processing. It's great for groups that are interested in starting a local business exchange in addition to a Timebank or LETS, want multiple currencies, and can afford the relatively high cost for the extra dazzling functionality. If you have plenty of money from an angel or a business network and you are trying to organize a large geography, GETS is a good bet. Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and Green America Exchange use GETS.
- Some Timebanks also have their own unique software like Rich (Richmond) Hours and Fairfax Village Networks. This is not an option for many groups, because it requires a large financial or highly skilled tech volunteer investment to create the software from scratch, which is no small feat.
Echo Park Timebank- Artists Bailout
Every community has different needs and resources. I encourage you to try out the Timebanks above and choose which is best for the context you live in. All of these platforms are continually evolving and improving. In the end, we may all end up using the same software, but for now I see great strength in diversity and experimentation. In the meantime, if there are any Ruby on Rails geeks that want to lend a hand to our rad open source currency project, please contact me at mira (at) sfbace.org. Go open source and support the currency commons!


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Evollution Series Blood 2.0 Adjustable Grunt Call
Evollution Series Blood 2.0 Adjustable Grunt Call
This is a "Limited Edition" Evolution Series adjustable grunt call, Made Exclusively for East Coast Bow Hunting, So get them before they're gone, The call is fully adjustable from a doe bleat to a swamp buck by just sliding the tone adjuster with one finger, no need to take apart your call to change the tone it can now be done in a second. The call is made from stabilized cholla cactus and dark red alumilite resin with custom engraved gunmetal band and turned and tuned one at a time by me right here in the shop, also hand turned tone channel. Call is marked with the Nor'Easter Logo and the East Coast Bow Hunting Logo, If you like one of a kind calls this is the one for you, Great Looks And Sounds Like the real thing.
Don't forget to check out my Custom Made knives at www.mabcustomknives.com
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The concept of a "staycation," sticking close to home as opposed to traveling, has become quite popular in recent years. With fuel costs and airline ticket prices on the rise, many opt for the convenient – and less stressful – alternative of staying at home. However, making the most of a staycation and actually treating it as a vacation can be a bit tricky. Curious about how to make the most of your time at home? Here are a few tips for getting into the vacation mindset.
- Make a plan. "Decide up front what you want to have at the end of the vacation," says Diane Brennan, life coach and president of the International Coach Federation. Though it's easy to fall into the pattern of lounging around and watching television all day, make sure this is how you want to spend your time. By scheduling activities, you'll actually feel more refreshed at the end. (Surprising but true!)
- Unplug, at least for a little while. While it might be tempting to answer just one email or return a work-related phone call, we all know it can be hard to stop once you've started. So, if you can, refrain from checking work-related emails while at home. In an interview with CNN, Brennan recommended "letting co-workers know that you'll get back to them when you return from staycation, just as you would if you were removed from the technology."
- Think like a tourist. Is there a museum in your town you've always wanted to visit, or a new restaurant you're dying to try? Now's your chance! Take day trips to neighboring cities or pack up your camping gear and spend a night under the stars. You could also try taking a class, such as cooking or knitting. We're lucky in Maine that there are so many activities right in our backyard. My personal favorite is venturing out to the islands in Casco Bay. Though they are just a short boat ride away, the trip truly feels like an adventure.
Tell us, what are your favorite "staycation" activities? We'd love to hear!


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After a Southern California grandmother's cremated remains were stolen from a relative's van, her family is pleading the thieves return the beloved matriarch's ashes.
The Glendale family fears the remains of their doting grandmother, famous for making the "best" chocolate cherry cake, will never be returned.
UPDATE: Grandmother's Stolen Ashes Returned to Family
"We don't care about anything else that's missing," stepdaughter Lily Larocca said. "We can't replace her."
Police believe a team of thieves were checking for unlocked car doors late at night when they broke into the family van and grabbed jewelry, a purse, and the blue leather-covered urn containing the remains of Lois Larocca.
"They must've thought (the urn) had jewelry or booze or something, but it was grandma," said one relative. "We want her back."
A memorial planned for the grandmother has been put on hold. The family just hopes the thieves do the right thing.
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
"Maybe they'll have a heart and bring her back," a granddaughter said.
More Southern California Stories:
- Surfer Wants Consumers to "Just Chill"
- Jurors Defend Verdict in Jackson Family Lawsuit
- The Wheel Inn's Last Rawr
- 2014 "Should Be About It" for Dodgers' Scully
- Erratic Police Chase Ends at Repair Shop
- Students Rally Behind Embattled Transgender Professor
- Cheek, Aplomb, Pathos: LA Storytelling Festival
- One Movie, 450+ Movie Clips


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I know the difference between them but I don't know which is more useful for me. I make websites that are compatible for IE6+. normalize.css recently came out so I'm not sure if it's for modern browsers only, or is it helpful for cross compatibility for older browsers as well. So please tell me if it'll be useful for me to use if I design sites for older browsers.
If you know CSS well, there's no need for it. It's just a style sheet by one designer and if you are a web designer yourself, then you should be able to create a style sheet yourself and know about common browser issues.
The problem with pre-defined style sheets, regardless of whether it's one of the boilerplate stylesheets, Eric Meyer's CSS reset, or this one, is that they're all designed to include every possible scenario that may or may not be relevant to the site you're designing, something you will never need for a single site. So, I'd say use the documentation in these style sheets to learn whatever you have not caught up with yet, and adapt whatever you feel is needed. I recommend against using these style sheets as a base, however, and utilize it as a reference instead.
The problem is that I don't know CSS that well. I struggle with cross compatibility which is why I am using resets. I just want to know if this will be a better option. I guess the only way to find out is to try it.
Hadn't heard of this one, but it's claims and what it does don't line up; it doesn't even deal with the inconsistent paddings/margins and instead screws with a bunch of elements I've never once had a problem with. It's more fat bloated idiocy akin to Meyer's 'reset reloaded' instead of keeping it small and simple.
When a reset grows into a framework, it starts to defeat the purpose of using CSS in the first place, since, well… that's what CSS frameworks do.
The best option is to do without. You say you don't know CSS that well? How do you expect to learn when work is done for you? Personally, I'd much rather see you ask "why does this look different in browser x and browser y" and learn rather than set all to zero and never wonder.
As others have suggested just use resets as a guide and tailor them to suit you own needs. Normalise.css is well documented and if you spent a few hours working through the examples you would soon grasp which issues they address and whether you need to use the rule or not. In practice you need very few of these reset rules as some of the bugs are obscure or not really a big issue.
I've never been a fan of inserting large chunks of code into my pages especially if I do not understand what the rules are meant for because if something goes wrong it becomes very hard to fix if you haven't built it yourself. If you were just designing one page and never designing another site then perhaps it would not be worth investing the time but if a job is worth doing its worth doing properly.


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Tag Archives: Coachella Valley
VALENTINE'S DAY… A Reminder Why Every Day Should Be (Even in 2021)
VALENTINE'S DAY… Why Every Day Should Be. It's become a yearly tradition for me now, so I'm back again this year to extend my personal take on Valentine's Day. Luckily enough for me, my wife feels the same way as… Read More
Posted in Journey Tagged Julian Douglas, Listen Journey Savor, Colosseum, Nicole Abramson, Italy, New Orleans, travel blog, travel blogger, Valentine's Day, Ventura Harbor, Solvang, San Diego, day trip, date night, Catalina Island, Siena, Tuscany, Piazza del Campo, Santa Barbara, Disneyland, Ventura, Palm Springs, Piazza San Marco, Venice Italy, Venice, Puerto Vallarta, Florence Italy, Florence, Old San Juan, Castillo San Cristobal, Ocho Rios Jamaica, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Dunns Falls, Arnauds, Dodger Stadium, Dodgers, Bucerias, Nayarit, Stinking Rose, Beverly Hills, Cozumel, Magic Castle, The Magic Castle, The Huntington, Huntington Gardens, high tea, Caymen Islands, George Town, gondola, gondola ride, Jackson Square, French Quarter, Rancho Mirage, Coachella Valley, Palm Desert, Huntington Beach, Orange County, Lou & Mickey's, San Francisco, Bay Area, Cicada Club, La Quinta, The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, La Quinta Resort, Golden Gate Bridge, Denver, Muriel's Restaurant, Ralph's on the Park, Sausalito Comments Off on VALENTINE'S DAY… A Reminder Why Every Day Should Be (Even in 2021)


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CRS: Congressional Restrictions on U.S. Military Operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Somalia, and Kosovo: Funding and Non-Funding Approaches, May 7, 2007
From WikiLeaks
About this CRS report
This document was obtained by Wikileaks from the United States Congressional Research Service.
The CRS is a Congressional "think tank" with a staff of around 700. Reports are commissioned by members of Congress on topics relevant to current political events. Despite CRS costs to the tax payer of over $100M a year, its electronic archives are, as a matter of policy, not made available to the public.
Individual members of Congress will release specific CRS reports if they believe it to assist them politically, but CRS archives as a whole are firewalled from public access.
This report was obtained by Wikileaks staff from CRS computers accessible only from Congressional offices.
For other CRS information see: Congressional Research Service.
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If you have other confidential material let us know!.
For previous editions of this report, try OpenCRS.
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Congressional Restrictions on U.S. Military Operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Somalia, and Kosovo: Funding and Non-Funding Approaches
CRS report number: RL33803
Author(s): Amy Belasco and Larry A. Niksch, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division; Lynn J. Cunningham and Hannah Fischer, Knowledge Services Division
Date: May 7, 2007
- Abstract
- This report discusses the political context and congressional consideration of various funding and other restrictive legislative language applying to military operations in Indochina between 1970 and 1973. The report also briefly mentions similar congressional actions applying to U.S. military operations in Somalia in 1993 and Kosovo in 1999. This discussion is followed by two tables that summarize provisions that were enacted or considered by Congress and an appendix that cites the specific language for each provision in the tables.
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Inflammation is a primary response to injury and or infection, allowing the body to eliminate pathogens and/or damaged tissue and to initiate repair processes. Low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, is a key feature of inflamed tissue and is due to damage to the local vasculature and increased oxygen consumption by pathogens and infiltrating immune cells. In addition to being a feature of inflammation, hypoxia also induces and regulates the inflammatory response by inducing the release of inflammatory cytokines, directing immune cell infiltration, and tuning the responses of the immune cells themselves. These effects are largely mediated by a family of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs), which serve as the master regulators of cellular responses to inadequate oxygenation and HIFs and their regulatory factors are now emerging as therapeutic targets in a number of disease states. Reviews in this series discuss the roles of hypoxia and HIFs in the regulation of inflammatory pathways, immune cell metabolism, mucosal inflammation, the tumor microenvironment, intestinal inflammation and colorectal cancer, and recovery from radiation-induced gastrointestinal toxicity. Together, these reviews identify a number of hypoxia-regulated processes that could potentially be targeted to modulate inflammation.
Hypoxia is a prominent characteristic of many acute or chronic inflammatory diseases, and exerts significant influence on their progression. Macrophages and neutrophils are major cellular components of innate immunity and contribute not only to O2 deprivation at the site of inflammation, but also alter many of their functions in response to hypoxia to either facilitate or suppress inflammation. Hypoxia stabilizes HIF-αs in macrophages and neutrophils, and these O2-sensitive transcription factors are key regulators of inflammatory responses in myeloid cells. In this review, we will summarize our current understanding of the role of HIF-αs in shaping macrophage and neutrophil functions in the pathogenesis and progression of multiple inflammatory diseases.
Nan Lin, M. Celeste Simon
The role of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in cancer is often correlated with poor prognosis, even though this statement should be interpreted with care, as the effects of macrophages primarily depend on their localization within the tumor. This versatile cell type orchestrates a broad spectrum of biological functions and exerts very complex and even opposing functions on cell death, immune stimulation or suppression, and angiogenesis, resulting in an overall pro- or antitumoral effect. We are only beginning to understand the environmental cues that contribute to transient retention of macrophages in a specific phenotype. It has become clear that hypoxia shapes and induces specific macrophage phenotypes that serve tumor malignancy, as hypoxia promotes immune evasion, angiogenesis, tumor cell survival, and metastatic dissemination. Additionally, TAMs in the hypoxic niches within the tumor are known to mediate resistance to several anticancer treatments and to promote cancer relapse. Thus, a careful characterization and understanding of this macrophage differentiation state is needed in order to efficiently tailor cancer therapy.
Anne-Theres Henze, Massimiliano Mazzone
Mucosal surfaces are lined by epithelial cells and provide an important barrier to the flux of antigens from the outside. This barrier is provided at a number of levels, including epithelial junctional complexes, mucus production, and mucosa-derived antimicrobials. Tissue metabolism is central to the maintenance of homeostasis in the mucosa. In the intestine, for example, baseline pO2 levels are uniquely low due to counter-current blood flow and the presence of large numbers of bacteria. As such, hypoxia and HIF signaling predominates normal intestinal metabolism and barrier regulation during both homeostasis and active inflammation. Contributing factors that elicit important adaptive responses within the mucosa include the transcriptional regulation of tight junction proteins, metabolic regulation of barrier components, and changes in autophagic flux. Here, we review recent literature around the topic of hypoxia and barrier function in health and during disease.
Louise E. Glover, J. Scott Lee, Sean P. Colgan
The tumor immune response is in a dynamic balance between antitumor mechanisms, which serve to decrease cancer growth, and the protumor inflammatory response, which increases immune tolerance, cell survival, and proliferation. Hypoxia and expression of HIF-1α and HIF-2α are characteristic features of all solid tumors. HIF signaling serves as a major adaptive mechanism in tumor growth in a hypoxic microenvironment. HIFs represent a critical signaling node in the switch to protumorigenic inflammatory responses through recruitment of protumor immune cells and altered immune cell effector functions to suppress antitumor immune responses and promote tumor growth through direct growth-promoting cytokine production, angiogenesis, and ROS production. Modulating HIF function will be an important mechanism to dampen the tumor-promoting inflammatory response and inhibit cancer growth.
Daniel Triner, Yatrik M. Shah
HIF1α is a common component of pathways involved in the control of cellular metabolism and has a role in regulating immune cell effector functions. Additionally, HIF1α is critical for the maturation of dendritic cells and for the activation of T cells. HIF1α is induced in LPS-activated macrophages, where it is critically involved in glycolysis and the induction of proinflammatory genes, notably
Sarah E. Corcoran, Luke A.J. O'Neill
Radiotherapy is an effective treatment strategy for cancer, but a significant proportion of patients experience radiation-induced toxicity due to damage to normal tissue in the irradiation field. The use of chemical or biological approaches aimed at reducing or preventing normal tissue toxicity induced by radiotherapy is a long-held goal. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) regulate the production of factors that may protect several cellular compartments affected by radiation-induced toxicity. Pharmacological inhibitors of prolyl hydroxylase domain–containing enzymes (PHDs), which result in stabilization of HIFs, have recently been proposed as a new class of radioprotectors. In this review, radiation-induced toxicity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the main cellular compartments studied in this context will be discussed. The effects of PHD inhibition on GI radioprotection will be described in detail.
Monica M. Olcina, Amato J. Giaccia
Uncontrolled inflammation underpins a diverse range of diseases where effective therapy remains an unmet clinical need. Hypoxia is a prominent feature of the inflammatory microenvironment that regulates key transcription factors including HIF and NF-κB in both innate and adaptive immune cells. In turn, altered activity of the pathways controlled by these factors can affect the course of inflammation through the regulation of immune cell development and function. In this review, we will discuss these pathways and the oxygen sensors that confer hypoxic sensitivity in immune cells. Furthermore, we will describe how hypoxia-dependent pathways contribute to immunity and discuss their potential as therapeutic targets in inflammatory and infectious disease.
Cormac T. Taylor, Glen Doherty, Padraic G. Fallon, Eoin P. Cummins


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Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
One highlight after another.
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Product Details
Multimedia System
- Mercedes-Benz emergency call system
- Communications module (LTE) for the use of Mercedes me connect services
- AMG Track Pace
- COMAND Online
- Burmester® surround sound system
- Touchpad without Controller
- Smartphone integration
- Apple CarPlay
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Price List Latest
|OTR w/o Insurance
|D/payment 10%
|5 years
|7 years
|9 years
|Full loan
|Mercedes-AMG GT C FL
|Mercedes-AMG GT R FL
- interested buyers can place an online booking for only RM5000
- * All the above prices are based in Peninsular Malaysia only. Prices may differ from Sabah, Sarawak and other countries.
- * Prices are subject to changed without prior notice .
- * Installment rates calculated may differ from actual Bank interest rates , subject to terms and condition applied.
Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Specification & Feature
The following are the Terms of Sale for Tigola Vehicles ("Vehicle") made available for booking by Tigola Sales (66332-U) ("Tigola") on the tigola.com.my web site ("the Site"). The person who submits the booking on-line shall be referred to as "the Customer", "you" or "your".
- The booking of the Vehicles contained in this site is available to RESIDENTS OF MALAYSIA ONLY.
- Tigola shall not accept any on-line bookings made outside Malaysia.
Acceptance of your booking for any particular Vehicle or service shall be subject to the final determination by Perodua.
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- The information you supply shall be true, accurate and complete and you will not book under the name of another;
- You are not under 18 years of age;
- The booking and subsequent sale of Vehicles is for your own private use only and you are not in the business of resale, distribution, exportation of Vehicles; and
- Tigola shall be entitled to cancel bookings placed by you if you have misrepresented or if Tigola, on reasonable ground, suspects that you have misrepresented any of the above statements.
- Vehicle Specification – Tigola may revise the specifications of the Vehicle at any time. You agree and accept that this policy may result in difference between the specification of Vehicle finally delivered to you.
- Purchase price – Purchase price wherever appearing in this Terms of Sale shall be construed to be the price of Vehicle at the time of delivery. (Note: the price of the Vehicle may change due to inter alia change in government approved net selling price, standard accessories' prices, duties and taxes, freight rates etc. The cost of this increase shall be included into the price of the Vehicle at the time of delivery.) All prices are in Ringgit Malaysia unless otherwise indicated.
- In the event you choose to purchase additional accessories from our Sales Branches, the purchase price shall also include price of accessories.
- Your booking is deemed to be confirmed upon us receiving a payment of the booking fee for a minimum of RM 500 within 14 days of submission of the Booking Form.
- Failure to pay the booking fee within the stipulated time shall result in the cancellation of the booking.
- Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, booking fee paid shall for all intents and purposes be treated as a deposit and shall be forfeited by Tigola in the event of any failure or fault on your part to complete the purchase or abide by the terms and conditions herein.
- Booking fees paid is not, in any circumstances whatsoever, transferable whether to another person(s) or for the purchase of a different vehicle and shall only be utilised towards the purchase price (as defined herein) upon the completion of sale by you.
- Tigola reserves the right to accept only the official receipt(s) issued by Tigola as proof of payment(s) made.
- Payments by cheques must be crossed and drawn in favour of Tigola and shall be credited only upon clearance of the cheques.
- You shall, within seven (7) days of being notified by Tigola, pay to Tigola, the balance purchase price outstanding (purchase price less booking fee and loan sum, if any) to enable Tigola to proceed with the registration of the Vehicle.
- Tigola shall be entitled to, in default of the payment mentioned in 6(c) above and without prejudice to its right to recover all losses suffered as a result thereof, forfeit the booking fee paid and treat the booking made as cancelled.
- You shall have no claim whatsoever against Tigola over the ownership of the Vehicle until upon full payment of the purchase price to Tigola.
- Tigola reserves the right to demand for payment by CASH of any balance of the purchase price remaining unpaid, if any, at the time of delivery of the Vehicle to you.
- You shall be liable to pay to Tigola interest at the rate of one point five per centum (1.5%) per month calculated on a daily basis from the due date to the date of payment of any sums unpaid as provided herein.
- Tigola shall use its best endeavours to refund any monies paid in excess of the purchase price, if any, as soon as possible after the delivery of the Vehicle.
- Tigola shall register the Vehicle with the Road Transport Department of Malaysia and shall not be responsible for the allocation of registration numbers allotted by the said department. You may at your own expense arrange for tender of a particular registration number in which case you must notify PSSB of the same PRIOR to the registration of the Vehicle by Tigola.
- Tigola shall upon completion of the registration inform you that the Vehicle is available for collection whereupon all risks pertaining to the Vehicle shall immediately pass to you.
- Tigola shall not be liable for any loss suffered by the Customer as a result of any damage whatsoever caused to the Vehicle once the registration of the Vehicle is completed.
- All delivery dates for the Vehicles quoted by Tigola are best estimates only and shall not form part of the Terms of Sale. In no event will Tigola be liable for increased cost, loss of profits or goodwill or any other special, incidental or consequential damages due to late delivery or non-delivery of the Vehicles.
- Upon notification by Tigola that the Vehicle is ready for delivery, you shall, within seven (7) days from the date of, either collect the Vehicle at the place designated by Tigola or arrange with Tigola for the Vehicle to be collected within the said seven (7) days.
- If you fail to comply with this term or if you fail to provide any information or documents or authorisations required to enable the Vehicle to be delivered on the due date, Tigola shall be entitled to forfeit any monies already paid and dispose of the Vehicle at any price and to whomsoever it deems fit, without prejudice to Tigola's rights to claim for further damages for any loss suffered as a result thereof.
- You shall, upon being notified by Tigola of its intention to retake possession of the Vehicle in the event of a default in the payment of any sums still due and owing to Tigola, deliver up possession of the Vehicle (released earlier into your possession) immediately to Tigola. The retention of the said Vehicle by you shall tantamount to an act of trespass entitling Tigola to damages and other remedies as provided by law.
- Tigola shall not be liable for any loss suffered by you as a result of any damage whatsoever caused to the Vehicle once the registration of the Vehicle is completed.
- Tigola reserves the right to amend, delete or alter any of the terms and conditions herein stated as it may in its absolute discretion deem expedient.
- Although Tigola shall use its best endeavours to obtain the Vehicle from the relevant parties, Tigola disclaims all its liabilities and shall not to held responsible for any loss suffered by you monetary or otherwise, as a result of the unavailability of the Vehicle ordered for purchase.
- This Terms of Sale, your performance under it, and any disputes arising under shall be governed exclusively by the laws of Malaysia. By submitting your Booking Form, you expressly consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Malaysia in any and all actions, disputes, or controversies relating to this Terms of Sale.
- Tigola shall not be liable to you for any delay or failure to perform due to any cause beyond its reasonable control.
- Such causes include but are not limited to, compliance with any laws, regulations or orders, your acts or omissions, strikes, acts of God, interruptions of transportation or inability to obtain necessary labor, materials or facilities, or default of any supplier.
- Save and except for any guarantee or warranty provided for by the manufacturer of the vehicle concerned, (to whom you should seek recourse from), Tigola may not be held responsible for any defects whatsoever to the Vehicle delivered to you.
- Any notice required to be given herein shall be in writing and delivered by hand, facsimile transmission, or registered post to the address stated in the Booking Form. The notice shall be deemed to have been received, where delivered by hand at the time of delivery, where issued by fax at the time of transmission and when sent by registered post, two (2) days after posting.
- The notice may also (where you have provided an address) be sent to you at your e-mail address.
- All notices from you to Tigola must carry the e-shoppe Customer registration number.
- You acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the above Terms of Sale
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Mercedes-Benz AMG GT


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What to Do at Death Valley
Top Experiences
In the Furnace Creek area of the park, the panoramas from Zabriskie Point and Dante's View are justifiably famous.
The Scotty's Castle area is known for "the Racetrack," where boulders that mysteriously traverse the dry lake bed leave behind long trails. Also in this area is Death Valley Ranch, better know as Scotty's Castle, a Spanish-style home that appears mirage-like in Grapevine Canyon. Worth taking: a Living History or Underground Mystery Tour of the ranch.
In the Stovepipe Wells area, check out a ghost town, Indian petroglyphs, bighorn sheep, and multicolored volcanic deposits in Titus Canyon. www.nps.gov/deva/faqs.htm
Scenic Drives
Badwater Road is the most popular drive in the park. Along it lie Devil's Golf Course, a big salt pan marked by jagged salt-crystals that caused a writer to remark that only the devil could play golf there, and Badwater, a salty pool close to the lowest point in the park—and in North America. For the return trip to Highway 190, follow nine-mile Artist's Drive, which takes in eons-old volcanic ashfalls colored in blues, greens, and reds thanks to weathering and oxidation.
Another popular drive is Twenty Mule Team Canyon, a 2.7-mile loop winding through otherworldly badlands. Though unpaved, it is accessible to standard vehicles.
Best Hikes
Golden Canyon Trail is a moderate, two-mile round-trip interpretive hike through a colorful canyon.
Badwater Salt Flats is an easy to moderate hike onto a surreal landscape of white salt flats 282 feet below sea level. Avoid this trail in the summer because of extreme high temperatures.
Salt Creek trail features a wooden boardwalk along a small stream, where in spring you may spot rare pupfish. Wheelchair accessible.
Natural Bridge Canyon is an easy half-mile hike to a massive rock span.
Dante's Ridge is a moderate eight-mile round-trip hike past Dante's View, which offers expansive vistas across Death Valley to Telescope Peak. Also visible: Badwater Basin, more than a mile below the ridge. Hike this trail in the early morning with the sun at your back for more dramatic photos.
Thanks to the range of elevations contained within the park (from 282 feet below sea level to 11,049 feet above), it's home to a diverse roster of some 50 mammal species, 307 bird species, and 36 reptile species. You'll likely see roadrunners, ground squirrels, and lizards while visiting the park. If you're lucky, you may spot desert bighorns at higher elevations. In spring, the pupfish, the only landlocked fish found in the U.S., can be viewed along an earthquake fault at Salt Creek, the smallest habitat for a vertebrate animal in the world.
Upending many visitors' expectations that the park is a lifeless wasteland are the 1,000 species of plants that grow here, 50 of which are endemic to the park. Mainstays include cacti, yuccas, and other succulents; creosote brush, desert holly, mesquite, and shadscale; and Joshua trees, pinyons, junipers, and sub-alpine bristlecone pines.
Photo Ops
For a spectacular sunrise shot, position yourself at Dante's View, Zabriskie Point, or at the Mesquite Flat sand dunes. Great sunset shots can be had from Zabriskie Point, the sand dunes, Artist's Palette and Aguereberry Point. Artist's Drive, with its hills of colored volcanic and sedimentary rock, is especially photogenic in late afternoon. The jagged rock-salt spires of Devil's Golf Course make for some surreal shots.
Smart Traveler Strategies
If you only have two hours to explore this sprawling park, drive along Badwater Road, the park's most popular. Stop by Devil's Golf Course and Badwater. Take the Artist's Drive on your return trip along Highway 190. If you're continuing east after your time in the park, visit Zabriskie Point. If heading west, check out the sand dunes.
Hand-held GPS systems containing a self-guided ranger tour to more than 80 GPS hot spots in the park are available for rent at the Furnace Creek visitors center. Ranger-guided programs are available mid-October through mid-April.
- Nat Geo Expeditions
For something different, plan your visit to coincide with the fall or spring migration of the many birds that pass through the park, which, with its wide diversity of habitats, constitutes one of the most impressive ornithological biomes in the entire National Park system.
Excursions Outside the Park
There is more to the Amargosa Hotel than just accommodations: It also is home to the Amargosa Opera House, where floor-to-ceiling murals depict everything from royal figures to monks, nuns, and bullfighters, and weekly dance, comedy, and mime shows are held.
For a glimpse of art off the grid, head to the Goldwell Open Air Museum, situated in a ghost town just east of the central section of Death Valley, near Beatty, NV. Here a group of Belgian artists sited seven unusual sculptures, among them a life-size interpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" and a 25-foot-high representation of a woman rendered with pink cinderblocks. Admission is free.
Guided nature tours and geological walks along the Old Spanish Trail are just some of the offerings at the China Ranch Date Farm in Tecopa, a unique family farm in an unusual setting of cottonwood trees and willows along a meandering stream.
Formed tens of thousands of years ago, the Trona Pinnacles, a National Natural Landmark, consist of more than 500 tufa (calcium carbonate) outcroppings rising up to 140 feet above the Searles Dry Lake basin. The strange landscape is especially dramatic in the early morning, in the evening, and on nights with a full moon.
An abundance of national park system sites are within driving distance of Death Valley. California-based sites include Joshua Tree National Park, Manzanar National Historic Site, Mojave National Preserve, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, and Yosemite National Park. Nevada-based sites include Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Great Basin National Park.


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There are few experiences more painful than being rejected. We vividly remember the hurt of not being picked for a sports team, not being invited to a social event, or not being accepted to university. Our basic human need to belong causes these incidents to stick with us through the years.
Even as adults, at various times in our careers we're not selected for jobs, promotions, or projects; or even less significant benefits such as parking spaces, preferred offices, or new computer equipment. Whether it's fair or not, the hard reality is that everyone cannot have everything.
Accepting rejection however is not an easy process — for children or adults — and many of us handle it poorly. When this happens repeatedly, it often leads to two types of dysfunctional patterns in organizations: entitlement and resignation.
Entitlement is when someone feels that he deserves certain benefits, no matter the reality of the situation. For example, I recently worked with a company that reduced costs by moving staff members into smaller offices and having them share meeting rooms, printers, and other services. A few people refused to accept the new standards, arguing their unique needs for privacy, space, and administrative support. They felt entitled to these benefits and considered anything less to be a rejection of their status and personal self-worth.
At the other extreme is resignation, when people avoid situations where they might be rejected. In the example above, some people resigned themselves to the reduced space by not engaging in conversations about how the design of the office would work. By passively accepting the new constraints, they made sure that none of their ideas were rejected (because they didn't offer any). This may have been psychologically comfortable, but the organization didn't benefit from their contributions and their buy-in to the new facility was minimal.
In light of these behaviors, leaders need to encourage a more conscious and healthy toleration of rejection. While all employees should feel comfortable offering ideas, raising issues, and making observations — they should do so with the knowledge that they may be rejected. If they get discouraged or angry about not having their ideas accepted, they might shut down and stop contributing. Similarly, if employees feel so self-important that the organization should never turn them down, their sense of entitlement will make it difficult to drive constructive change.
It's easier to talk about learning from rejection than to actually experience it. Rejection often triggers painful emotional doubts about our own competence and self-worth, so we either try to avoid it or pretend that it doesn't matter. A more constructive approach is to remember that rejection can be beneficial: It can force us to come up with more ideas, redirect us to different paths, and keep us humble and open to learning.
How has rejection helped or hindered your career?
Ron Ashkenas is a managing partner of Schaffer Consulting and a co-author of The GE Work-Out and The Boundaryless Organization. His latest book is Simply Effective.


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Like Tapose, which made its debut on the iPad yesterday, Paper is a place to store ideas. But unlike the former—which is backed by former Microsoft honcho J. Allard—the latter is more sketchbook than scrapbook, and comes from a group of individuals who once worked on the now-defunct Courier project.
Paper is not only brimming with ideas on how an app like this should be used on an iPad, it's full of ideas on how we should interact with the iPad in general. In this regard, it's much like the to-do app clear. When you first fire up the app, you're presented with an array of Moleskine-esque notebooks to choose from, each containing a different set of sketches or notes or ideas. But that's about as far as the real-world metaphors go. Once the book flips open, you have a single blank slate to work on. To exit from a notebook you merely pinch out. To bring up your tools, you swipe up from the bottoms.
There are five different writing tools, an eraser and nine different colors to choose from. But the other writing tools aside from the fountain pen and eraser cost an additional two dollars. The faster you swipe with the fountain pen, the thicker the line. Don't like a mark? Simply move two fingers counter-clockwise in a circle and it will undo your last major action, bit by bit.
For now, it mostly seems like a tool for compulsive notetakers and sketch artists, but according to The Verge, FiftyThree, Inc. wants to add more functionality to the app, which, in theory, could adapt itself into something suitable for other applications (stashing pictures? storing links?). Paper may not be as advanced as something like Sketchbook Pro, but that's not the point. It's a smartly-designed app that is easy for anyone to pick up and understand, but is also maintains some utility for creators. You can download it now in the App Store for free. [iTunes via The Verge]