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Illegal Mining in Ghana: Genocidal or Just Destructive?
by Kwabena Opong and Kofi Ayim
Since the 15th century gold has been a major export from Ghana, a country that was aptly named the Gold Coast by the first Europeans who stepped on its shores. Indeed Edina in the Central Region of the country, the first port of call of the Portuguese in 1492 was renamed El Mina – the Mine – by the visitors because of the abundance of gold in the area.
According to Akabzaat and Darimani in a study made for SAPRI, the Gold Coast between 1493 and 1600 accounted for 36 percent of the world's production of gold at 8,153,426 fine ounces. Production figures now indicate that gold production has fallen considerably, and that has been the case since the period when the industry was systematized into national economy from the early 1900s.
Ghana now is the world's number six largest producer of gold and number two in Africa after South Africa. Gold mining therefore is a major industry in the country and the employer of a substantial number of people. There are, however, two levels of production of gold in Ghana: legal and illegal. The biggest miner so far is Anglo-Gold Ashanti, which bought up the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region. Among the big boys is Newmont, an American conglomerate, which operates two surface mines in Brong Ahafo and the Eastern Regions respectively. New- mont is relatively new to the industry in the country. Other investors from Australia, Canada and Britain are also involved in the industry. It is difficult to estimate the amount of gold mined illegally but illegal mining employs a sizable number of people, most of who happen to be young and otherwise unemployed. What is galamsey? It is the vernacularized version of "gather them and sell." Galamsey is small scale mining scattered across gold mining areas in the country. There are three kinds of illegal mining: small scale galamsey utilizes primitive tools and is essentially the traditional methods that have been in use since gold was discovered by the people. There is also the galamsey carried out with modern equipment; and then river galamsey.
None of the three categories is, however, legal, and their methods are destructive to the environment and to the miners. Unlike legal mining where premining prospecting is conducted to confirm or invalidate the existence of the mineral, galamseyers dig on mere speculation. Pits and trenches left from past mining operations in some gold mining areas are considered as indications of the presence of gold by current operators. Small scale galamsey work is limited by the manpower and man hours required, but the introduction of modern earth-moving machinery at sites has added a new dimension to the illicit practice.
A single standard mining plot in Ghana is currently about 25 acres and can roughly accommodate six pits of an average depth of between 15 and 20 feet. An operation of this level would employ about 100 people. An excavator machine can accomplish its work within matter of weeks, with its attendant pollution of the air, land and nearby water bodies. In complex operations, pump machines are used to run water to the site to facilitate washing away sediments of rocks. The used water may be pumped back into the river to make room for nearby excavation. Both small and big galamsey operations have one thing in common: pits, tunnels and trenches are al- most not covered after work is accomplished, especially where no mineral is found. The reason is simple: it makes no sense for the operators to reinvest resources in a barren pit.
Uncovered man-holes called "nkomena" in the Twi language always pose potential danger to man and beast. Further, uncovered pits filled with rain water have the tendency to drift into nearby waters with their attendant toxic chemicals. Francis Kokutse in an article in IPS observes that some farmers have had to join the ranks of the galamseyers further to the resulting destruction of farming lands. Perhaps the worst offenders are the water galamseyers, popularly known as "Chan-fan" or its variations thereof. In this operation, a portable powerful drilling machine is placed in a flowing river to dig deeper sucking sand and gravel from the river bed unto a surface to begin the process of separating mineral from dirt and grit. Such operation may be accomplished within a matter of hours with just few people. Because the equipment is mobile, "Chan-fan" operators can go deeper into a forest undetected to carry out their work and retreat. Lack of the needed safety logistics makes illegal mining prone to several dangers. Pit collapses and land- slides are common and several fatalities have occurred.
In a report on galamsey that appeared on www.azibo- pres.org, Mohammed Ilyas writes that on November 11, 2009, an estimated 30 illegal miners (Galamseyers) lost their lives as a result of a landslides and pit collapse at Dopaose in the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region – 14 out of the 18 corpses retrieved were women. The fear of a further landslide prevented the retrieval of the rest of the remaining bodies. Such incidents are normal occurrences in the illegal mining business, but which are obviously disregarded by the operators.
In 1989 the then PNDC headed by former President Jerry John Rawlings passed a law (PNDC law 218) to legalize galamsey. It was intended to curb and/or check the ille- gal operation. Not much was achieved by the law. Ac- cording to a report by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in 2008, galamsey operations have increased several times since 1989. Ilyas writes quot- ing the Ghana Chamber of Mines that the number of op- erators had increased to be- tween 300,000 and 500,000 by 2008. Further to the fatalities involved in galamsey operations are the associated environmental and health-related issues. The contamination of water bodies by such deadly chemicals as arsenic and heavy metals as mercury used to extract gold from the rock and mud has been reported severally in Ghana media. As a result such rivers as Ankobra, Birim and Pra among several others, which have sustained life along their banks for generations, have been heavily polluted, Mohammed Ilya writes quoting Ghana Business News (GBN), March 13, 2010.
In the summer of 2011, several incidents including the flooding of many rivers in Ghana partly due to galamsey activities led to the loss of lives and property in the Eastern Region. The Birim in particular has been so polluted and assaulted with heavy machinery and other equipment that its continuous flow is in doubt. In several parts of the river's path, galamseyers have caused illegal diversions and in some cases, lakes and pools have been created. Josh Harkinson of the Grist Magazine observes in his 2006 article that the village of Dumase in the Western Region has seen an influx of galamsey operators who were flushed out of camps elsewhere following clamp- downs by law enforcement agencies. Harkinson further writes about a pledge made by former President John Kufuor to give land to illegal miners who formed cooperatives. Even though more than 60 galamsey collectives were formed the government could not follow its plans through. In spite of the spike in eco- nomic activities in the village, a recent UNIDO study found high levels of mercury and other deadly chemicals in the main sources of water in the village. The study also found that the majority of villagers sampled — including non-miners — carried unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies. Fortunately, the hills around Dumase that used to attract galamseyers have now been taken over by Bogoso Gold, a legitimate investor that only uses modern technology and machinery without any toxic chemicals and mercury. The galamseyers have been thrown out of town, but the troubles have not ceased. The hills around the village have been pruned down and the rivers heavily polluted.
The company, however, hauls in drinking water in trucks to the village, but economic activity has reduced considerably, because only a few people are employed to use the equipment Bogoso Mines uses to extract the gold. Bogoso Gold built Dumasi a school and community center and provided it with poles and cables for electricity. To some extent, the company will be required to restore the land it has mined near the village with grass and trees. Despite these improvements, Dei, a resident in the village said he preferred life with the galamsey. "There was no disruption of our land, because we had the galamsey, but still enough land for farming," he said. "We wish the mining companies had not come." (Grist Magazine) PNDC law 218 as well as President Kufuor's pledge to provide concessions to illegal miners who form collectives or cooperatives, could not materialize. The idea of galamseyers forming collectives was and is still a good idea. Government could control the activities of the galamseyers. Such could officially involve Ghanaians in the mining sector in Ghana. In a country whose economy is supposed to be growing in leaps and bounds with the discovery of petroleum and gas, there is no excuse for unemployment, neither is there any excuse for the activities of galamseyers. But illegal gold mining is a recourse taken, albeit it unlawful and dangerous, to address unemployment in the country. A recent report in the media says that more than 50 percent of new graduates from universities and polytechnics in Ghana may not be able find jobs. Most operators of Galamsey would otherwise be unemployed. Un- fortunately not much has been done by governments over the years to address the problem. Government must find a comprehensive solution to the problems posed by illegal mining.
While a country like Libya that relies only on oil and gas has gold reserves worth billions of dollars, Ghana with its gold, oil and gas cannot boast of an ounce of gold in reserve to support its economy in these times of global recession. Galamsey does not ensure Ghana's environmental future and the health of is people, but it can be regulated and controlled to turn Ghana into probably the first black African nation to possess a bullion reserve. Galamsey causes loss of needed revenue to government. In the past a third of any amount of gold obtained went to the king or the absolute overlord of the land. Things have changed, of course, and within the available laws, minerals or resources underneath the surface of the land belong to the government even if the land is privately owned by an individual. Law enforcement officials from time to time raid galamseyers as was done at Dumase, but that has not been an adequate deterrent.
The sustained incidence of illegal mining questions the sincerity of the government and its commitment to the people. Like Nero, Ghana's governments, previous and present, play dice while the nation's wealth is being plundered and environment destroyed. Raids that often get reported in the media are mostly sponsored by investors whose concessions galamseyers mine illegally. Is government unwilling to crack the whip on galamsey activities because of the number of people employed in the illegal practice? Or has some policy/decision makers at Ghana's Minerals Commission – the agency that has oversight powers to regulate the mining industry, including small scale mining compromised itself in galamsey activities? And what are the traditional rulers and land owners doing? How are lands leased to galamseyers? Will it be true to suggest that nananom are also involved in the practice? Considering that royalties take time to reach them, and considering also that the traditional rulers do not have as much control over what royalties to be paid as they could by galamseyers, shall we be right in thinking that the continuous practice of illegal mining is actively endorsed by nananom?
Like the chief and people of Dumase, galamsey brings wealth and is also considered as a source of economic boom in the traditional area. Galamsey is prospering because it is now a significant source of employment for an army of young people. The irony of illegal mining is the environmental devastation and the clear and present danger it poses for Ghanaians. Ghanaians know it; the leaders know it; and the miners are also aware of it but nothing is being done to stop it or even regulate it. It is genocidal and does not portend any future for the country. Major water bodies that happen to be sources of water for human consumption are polluted and have become a health hazard.
Ghanaian civil society owes it a duty to the country's future generations to step up to stop galamsey before it renders the country's environment utterly destroyed.It should not take foreign environmental groups to put pressure on governments to act. The floods of summer 2011; the constant incidents of deaths from galamsey; and the pollution of Ghana's most productive farming lands call for a radical approach to stop galamsey. NOW!


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This morning I saw some driving that was remarkable, even by the standards of Memorial Bridge Circle, where as I've written before, I see near accidents daily.
Here's what happened:
I (represented by bicycle icon) am pausing and drinking some water. Driver of beige Corolla with Maryland plates (represented by the satellite icon) finds herself facing an inconvenience: She hadn't meant to follow the lane she was in over Memorial Bridge! Rather than put herself out further, she…just stops at the bridge entrance. Traffic backs up behind her, all the way onto the circle. Car horns are honking. Drivers are freaking out.
Not the driver of the beige Corolla with Maryland plates. She calmly waits for a break in traffic going the other way, does a U-turn, crosses another solid line, and scoots off in the direction indicated with a wobbly red line and an arrow.
While I'm marveling at this advance in driving science (usually you have to go to, like, Madrid to see this sort of thing), a rescue vehicle from a department I can't identify does the exact same thing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Portraits in Richmond
About a month and a half ago I was invited to attend the vernissage for an exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, entitled Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! It was a gala affair to be sure. The museum director spoke, and then introduced the curators who also spoke, followed by a round of applause. Then came the various sponsors and patrons from the Richmond area who were invited to speak, accompanied by dignitaries from France, and there was more applause. Finally, the governor spoke, and the crowd roared with approval. To accompany these proceedings, tuxedoed waiters toting platters of spicy meatballs and jumbo shrimp, with napkins and glasses of wine, moved easily among the coteries. The exhibition had been organized under the auspices of a recently founded consortium of museums in France and the United States called FRAME (French Regional American Museum Exchange). The concept behind FRAME encourages the exchange of collections or special exhibitions originating in regional museums from both countries to be seen aboard.
Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! was FRAME's premiere exhibition generated by the Musée Fabre in Montpellier. The title of the exhibition is also the title of a well-known painting completed by Courbet in 1854. It was sold to a collector named Alfred Bruyas from the region of Montpellier who eventually gave it (along with other important French paintings) to the Fabre in the years between 1868-76. Though superficially charming at first glance, the painting carries an edge of controversy. As if to disguise its message, "Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet!" depicts a simple genre scene in which three men encounter one another along a country road. However, Courbet's intentions were subtler. The painting poses the collector Alfred Bruyas and his escort in the process of greeting the artist. Whereas Bruyas is shown in a humble way with downcast eyes, Courbet has given himself a fully confident gaze. The painter Courbet, who would refuse any association with the official Salon, claims the higher status. For more than two centuries the role of the collector in France was considered higher than that of the painter, but here the terms appear inverted. In 1854, such a representation constituted a form of social sacrilege. Yet, given the prudent masochism to which some collectors will resign themselves, Monsieur Bruyas came to adore the painting as he evidently adored the friendship and immense talent of this itinerant braggart, Courbet.
But there are problems with the exhibition as a whole. As with other art museum blockbusters in recent months, too much emphasis is given to the unimaginative conceptualizing of the artist's work. In this case, Courbet is overly fetishized in order to make the case for the brilliant eye of his collector Bruyas. In fact, very few Courbet paintings were present in Richmond. Such blatant promotional tactics, underwritten by corporate donors and exemplified by conventional installations, were also evident in Manet/Velazquez at the Met and Manet and the Sea in Philadelphia. Following their lead, the display formula employed in the Courbet exhibition was heavily supplemented with prints and drawings, including lesser paintings by such box office accomplices as Delacroix, Ingres, Corot, Cabanel, and bronze horses, lions, and centaurs by the eminent Antoine-Louis Barye (arguably the French equivalent to America's Frederick Remington).
In addition to Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! there was a small satellite exhibition in Richmond worthy of note: a nine-painting exhibition entitled Van Gogh and Gauguin: An Artistic Dialogue in the South of France. In some ways, this exhibition was more directly to the point and thus retained a focus that the Courbet show did not. In addition to these French masters (and here, in this context, I include Van Gogh as French), there was a generous selection of works from the collection of Sydney and Frances Lewis—two of Richmond's venerated benefactors whose artistic contribution to the Museum is undeniable. As I wandered through the various galleries of the Virginia Museum, I became aware of how the concept of portraiture seemed to function as a subtext in relation to the three exhibitions. Within each thematic grouping, I discovered at least one self-portrait that made me stand still and look and, in retrospect, to compare one with another: Courbet's youthful "Self-Portrait (Man With a Pipe), from 1846-47, Van Gogh's agonized "Self-Portrait" (1889), and finally Gregory Gillespie's "Self-Portrait" (1975).
In reflecting on these paintings, I became interested in both the comparative differences and contrasting similarities. The Courbet and the Van Gogh were painted approximately forty years apart two centuries ago, while the Gillespie was painted nearly thirty years ago. In none of these self-portraits were photographs used.
Such auto-portraits suggest psychoanalytic speculation based on the available research and—as the Austrian artist Arnulf Rainer once suggested in relation to his own practice in the 1970s—"special insight." The basic impulse that precedes an expression, as the instrumental philosopher John Dewey once ascertained, is often difficult to access. Here with each of the subjects, the expression has become the issue. To some extent there is a narcissistic core to their self-observations.
In spite of their stylistic and emotional separations, Courbet, painting in his late twenties, and Van Gogh, in his late thirties, have a connection that Gillespie does not share. In Courbet, we sense the artist's self-possession, his narcissistic demeanor echoing confidence in his burgeoning talent. He is portrayed smoking—God knows what!—the slim porcelain stem of his pipe extending unobtrusively from his lower lip. In Van Gogh, we sense much the opposite: the proverbial torment that history has given to his image, the fracture of the self, as he makes every conceivable attempt to represent his flayed ego by positioning himself as the other.
The situation for Gillespie was true for neither Courbet nor Van Gogh. Gillespie's status was different. At the time he painted his self-portrait in 1975, he had few collectors. At the time of his death, his work had attracted numerous admirers and, much like Pavel Tchelitchew, had a nearly cult-like following. Seeing this painting in Richmond brought back many memories. At the vernissage, one colleague remarked that the portrait was almost breathing. Indeed, it was—and there were reasons for this extraordinary likeness, this passage from reality into illusion and back into a kind of metaphysical presence. Having had a brief first-hand acquaintance with this painting nearly thirty years ago, I will chronicle the story as follows:
While living in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1975 with my companion, the painter Rebecca Gabriel, we received an invitation to attend a small dinner in the neighboring town of Easthampton. Rebecca had met a realist painter named Dorothy Gillespie who was married to another realist painter, Gregory Gillespie. As I recall, the Gillespies had a rambling Victorian-style house up on a hill with a smaller house, resembling a shack, across the street. The dinner was going to be held at the shack. We would later discover that the house was partially a living space, but primarily a shared studio space. They had one daughter who, at the time, was around eleven or twelve years old. The dinner included vegetables and fish—trout, I believe—with white wine, and plenty of smoking material. Those were the days when people smoked seriously both before and after dinner.
Once the meal had finished, we adjourned to the house on the nearby hill. Rebecca and the Gillespies had much in common as they talked voraciously about painting. Once in the studio, we spent some time looking at a portrait by Dorothy—a reclining figure—in which her young daughter had posed as the model. Then Gregory led us to his easel where he had been at work on a self-portrait for several months. He was uneasy about it. He confessed that at times his attention would wander to his palette in which he would see forms and faces, hallucinatory images, reminiscent of the Surrealist Dali's "paranoid critical method." But Gillespie kept returning to the portrait, trying to find a resolution. He had difficulty finding the right stasis, the instant of his subject's gaze. The smoking material may have played a role, but his challenge was to fix the gaze of his subject—that is, himself—within time. After an engaging conversation incited by the painting, Rebecca and I left to go home. I remember the discussion in the car on the drive back to Northampton. She found both Dorothy and Gregory to be fascinating in their outlook about painting. Rebecca was taken by the commitment of these artists to intimate realism, by their isolation in coming to terms with a tactile image, by their self-willed estrangement from a social context. Both painters had a vision that propelled their memory through the force of maneuvering paint into a form of representation that was so intensely private, yet open to analysis, open to the experience of being wounded within an hallucinatory world—as if they were separately contained within a solitary translucent shell—where everyday life happened outside the limits of an internal reality made manifest through the fantasy of painting.
Back to Richmond….As I stood in front of this portrait nearly three decades later—the artist sadly no longer with us—Gillespie's work remained convincingly conflicted. I could not distinguish what hair follicles he added or what modulation he made to alter the color of the skin. Somehow the pallor seems a bit darker than I remember. But the intensity of the gaze remains the same. Gillespie stares at himself—a full frontal view—as if amazed at the fact of his being in the world. He does not give us the dissolution of Artaud. He gives us an affirmation, a presence that transcends the ordinary by being too ordinary. Gillespie knew his propensity for the unreal, his interior demons; but to know the real is a kind of affirmation that the unreal also has a place in time, and that often the context of human events in history will make the penumbra between real and unreal tenuous through the artist's process of sublimation, of bringing the conflicts of the world into the psyche, and of the artist's struggle to make sense of them.
Gillespie's fierce containment is different from Van Gogh's outward expressionistic mannerism. By comparison, Van Gogh was more the stylist, the inventor of new forms. Whereas Gillespie's "Self-Portrait" was built on a slow process of sublimation, Van Gogh's was about repression—or rather, the exorcism of a repression too enormous to encapsulate within the conscious world of material things. As for the youthful Courbet, the world was ahead of him, at least for the time being. But his confidence could not predict the circumstances of the history that laid ahead—the struggles of the Paris Commune and his eventual excommunication. Yet within the realm of his youthful confidence, he was able to change the world for a period of time—enough so, that his portentous lights and obsessive darks pointed the way to what in the twentieth century the critics would call "modern."
ContributorRobert C. Morgan
Robert C. Morgan is a non-objective painter who lectures on art and writes art criticism. In 2017, he was given an overview of his career as an artist at Proyectos Monclova in Mexico City. Known primarily for his writing and curatorial projects, Morgan has published numerous books and catalogues internationally, now translated into 20 languages. His anthologies of criticism on Gary Hill and Bruce Nauman were published in 2000 and 2002 respectively through Johns Hopkins Press. www.robertcmorgan.com
The Medici: Portraits and Politics, 1512–1570By Christian Kleinbub
SEPT 2021 | ArtSeen
If you think yourself immune to the seductions of visual propaganda, go check out the current Met exhibition, The Medici: Portraits and Politics, 15121570. It will test you.
Center for Book ArtsBy Megan N. Liberty
MARCH 2023 | ArTonic
Wandering around the flower district of Manhattan, you may be surprised to see a green flag hanging high above the flowers, signaling the location of the Center for Book Arts (CBA) on the third floor, where it has been located since 1999. As artist and designer Ben Denzer recently wrote to me, Despite coming and going to CBA all the time, I can never really get over how much of an unexpected gem it is. The fact that this book utopia is hiding on the third floor of a random building on 27th street has always made me look at all NYC buildings as if each might contain delightful secrets inside.
Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian UnderworldsBy Ann McCoy
APRIL 2023 | ArtSeen
In an age when few dread eternal damnation and the torments of hell no longer function as a deterrent to bad behavior, a stunning exhibition at the Asia Society Museum expands our knowledge of this infernal nether region.
Gilbert Lewis: Portraits 1979 – 2002By Curtis Eckley
FEB 2023 | ArtSeen
In these works, spanning the late 1970s to the early 2000s and presented at Kapp Kapp for his first solo New York exhibition in two decades, Gilbert Lewis distills intimate representations of queer life from the peripherya network of friends and acquaintances who made up the art scene on South Street.


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For my non-American readers please excuse this burst of patriotism, as it is Independence day
Today I wanted to share a few of the aspects of American life I enjoy more after living in China for four years.
Freedom to Report
In China there is a special vocabulary that has evolved out of the need to define events that have never happened before. Words like: "Gutter oil" (Used oil that has had the garbage strained from it, that is reused in restaurants), "Cancer village" (unusually high rates of cancer caused by pollutants) and Naked officials (gov't officials who have sent their assets and family overseas so they can escape when their misdeeds surface).
These are words we don't have in the US, and I think that is largely because of our free press. The ability to report without fear of retaliation puts government oversight ultimately into the hands of the people.
In China even foreign journalists are regularly harassed by local gov't thugs, and contacts are often imprisoned for telling their story. By silencing these forces, China's national gov't is limiting how effective it can be at developing the country in a way that will lead to lasting stability.
Government Regulations
I have a feeling a few of my more conservative friends are shouting at me now, but they have no idea what life is really like without clear regulations.
While China's National government appears very strong, at the local level it is often ignored. That is because China's gov't largely relies on local gov't to enforce its programs, which is pretty ineffective because there is no free press to monitor their actions. So even though China's gov't employs millions of officials, regulations are often ignored.
So the next time you eat a strip of bacon without pausing to contemplate the risks of trichinosis, remember that the FDA makes that moment possible. Or if you get injured at the work place you know that your medical bills will be covered by workman's comp. Or when you drop your child off at school, you know the teacher is not going to abuse them (physically, verbally or sexually). This is gov't in action.
Good gov't (not all gov't) enables citizens to make dozens of transactions and partake in daily activities without worry. While in China we can't even eat breakfast or brush our teeth without wondering if we'll end up in the hospital.
Throwing the bums out
This might be the most important freedom we have. When our gov't officials are corrupt or ineffective at meeting our needs, we know that within a few years, an effective campaign will have them removed from office.
In China some of the party officials who were responsible for monitoring food safety during the melamine tainted milk scandal, that sickened hundreds of thousands of infants, were removed from office. Later they were very quietly reinstated. While the US system of gov't is not perfect, I can confidently say, that people who cover up the death of infants will not be re-elected.
Perhaps even more important than that, we can openly criticize the gov't.
I remember the first time I told a co-worker that I thought President Bush was a terrible President. They were shocked. "We could never say these things," she had said, but she said it with a grin.
I know that there are many people in China who are longing to say these kinds of things, but the gov't fears that it will "undermine stability". I think though that it some ways it helps. Just like the Tea-Party today might not be saying things I agree with, but their right to openly express their dissatisfaction with Obama's policies can lead to important discussions that help us clarify where we want America to be heading.
Someday the Party will realize that these freedoms are necessary for regulating the local gov'ts that are causing them so many headaches.
20 responses to "What living in China has made me appreciate about America"
Tom, at this moment, I am sitting on the sidewalk of 8th street southeast, Washington DC, waiting for the Capitol Hill community parade to start. I have a lot of thoughts to share but I will just settle on a couple of immediate ones.
To be able to sit here watching the Independence Day parade doesn't seem to be something to appreciate, but for a Chineselike me it is. (They are coming, and I will continue alater.)
Happy 4th to you, Tom! I think there are many things that Americans who have never traveled outside of America take for granted (rightly or wrongly). Learning more about the world outside of your immediate surroundings can only help you to become better.
I love China but it does not mean that I love it uncritically. I love America but it does not mean that I love it uncritically. The difference is that in one I can be more open about it.
To continue my thought earlier: In China, on the National Day (October 1st), you can't just go out on your own to either watch the festivities (access to which is always restricted) or participate in the events (all of them organized and staged by work units, that is, the government). I heard that, in the big celebration of 2009, residents of certain areas in Beijing were not allowed to go out on the streets. So, on the 4th of July, when I see different groups of the community, like the one on Capitol Hill I just watched, marching or strolling down the street as part of the parade, smiling and waving to equally happy onlookers, I thought to myself: This is people's day and it belongs to them and they own it, while in China, you have to ask yourself: Whose day is this anyway? Not very many Chinese can honestly tell you it is their day to celebrate. If they are celebrating at all, they do so not out of their own free will, but as a puppet of the power, and many of them simply hate it to death.
I second everything you and "Chopstik" said! In a way, by gaining a new perspective, I have learned more about my home country while living in China than I did in 22 years of actually living in America. There are some things I prefer about China–I love the comparative lack of self-consciousness and the sense of community, especially among middle-aged and older Chinese, that I see in Beijing. I love feeling MUCH safer (the one upshot to such a repressive system?). China's network of long-distance buses and trains are wonderful, and the banks are open on Sundays! I only wish Americans treated foreigners with imperfect language skills with the astonishing warmth and patience I have received in China (although I know my race and class has a lot to do with this).
On the other hand, I will never take for granted being able to openly blast my government in the US and have unfettered access to the internet. I won't take for granted simply being able to breathe, eat, and drink without worrying that all the pollution and chemicals might eventually kill me. As bad as our issues with corruption, shady corporations, our education system, and income disparity can be in the US, it could be so, so much worse. Until you leave the West, it's hard to grasp what an absolute luxury a vast suburban supermarket, a big green lawn, or a bathtub-style shower really is. (See also: access to good coffee and Mexican food) It also breaks my heart a little every time one of my Chinese peers eagerly asks, almost as soon as we've met, how many brothers and sisters I have.
From the PRC Constitution:
Article 34. All citizens of the People's Republic of China who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote and stand for election, regardless of nationality, race, sex, occupation, family background, religious belief, education, property status, or length of residence, except persons deprived of political rights according to law.
Article 35. Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.
Article 36. Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. The state protects normal religious activities. No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state. Religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination.
37. The freedom of person of citizens of the People's Republic of China is inviolable. No citizen may be arrested except with the approval or by decision of a people's procuratorate or by decision of a people's court, and arrests must be made by a public security organ. Unlawful deprivation or restriction of citizens' freedom of person by detention or other means is prohibited; and unlawful search of the person of citizens is prohibited.
Article 38. The personal dignity of citizens of the People's Republic of China is inviolable. Insult, libel, false charge or frame-up directed against citizens by any means is prohibited.
Article 39. The home of citizens of the People's Republic of China is inviolable. Unlawful search of, or intrusion into, a citizen's home is prohibited.
Article 40. The freedom and privacy of correspondence of citizens of the People's Republic of China are protected by law. No organization or individual may, on any ground, infringe upon the freedom and privacy of citizens' correspondence except in cases where, to meet the needs of state security or of investigation into criminal offences, public security or procuratorial organs are permitted to censor correspondence in accordance with procedures prescribed by law.
Article 41. Citizens of the People's Republic of China have the right to criticize and make suggestions to any state organ or functionary. Citizens have the right to make to relevant state organs complaints and charges against, or exposures of, violation of the law or dereliction of duty by any state organ or functionary; but fabrication or distortion of facts with the intention of libel or frame-up is prohibited. In case of complaints, charges or exposures made by citizens, the state organ concerned must deal with them in a responsible manner after ascertaining the facts. No one may suppress such complaints, charges and exposures, or retaliate against the citizens making them. Citizens who have suffered losses through infringement of their civil rights by any state organ or functionary have the right to compensation in accordance with the law.
Thank you for your reminder that these rights exist, now if only Chinese people could actually enjoy them. Every single one of these rights are frequently violated in China, the following response are examples of this off the top of my head. Given more time, I could make much lengthier statements about each. Also it's fun to note that the constitution bans smoking in schools, but that happens daily as well.
Article 34- Recently local candidates tried to stand for elections without receiving party endorsements, and were told that they would not be allowed to participate in the election, some where arrested.
Article 35 -The big exception is that if any of these actions are critical of the gov't they define it as subverting state power, which is punishable by lengthy jail terms -Liu Xiaobo for instance.
Article 36 – In some cases "Normal religious" are not allowed, such as recognizing the role of the Dalai Lama for Tibetan Buddhists. Also religious groups that fall outside of those officially recognized by the state are persecuted – Shouwang Church.
Article 37 &38 -Extra-judicial arrests of journalists, activists, and petitioners are numerous, and have been widely reported on. These arrests that are not in accordance with the law are an insult to the dignity of these individuals.
Article 39 – The homes of people are not only subject to unreasonable searches, but are often even subjected to demolition. There have been hundreds of cases related to forced evictions in the past few years.
Article 40 – There is freedom of privacy, unless the gov't wants to know what you are doing. This is so loosely defined that anyone could be subjected to observation or electronic monitoring without court approval. Journalists in China frequently report that they have been followed, and contacts regularly switch mobile phones to avoid the constant invasion of privacy.
Article 41 – See article 35. Local gov'ts are infamous for silencing petitioners, read "Will the Boat Sink the Water.
Tom, if you haven't seen these two documentaries I highly recommend them:
They're both about the naturalization process, what people have to go through in order to become American, and the people who choose to go through the process and become American citizens.
After having lived in China, I have to say that I appreciate coming from a place where people from all over the world can, through naturalization, become American citizens with all the same rights and guarantees that native-born Americans have enjoyed their entire lives. They're as American as the person whose family arrived in New Amsterdam nearly 400 years ago, and I love that.
Anyway, great comments everyone! Happy belated 4th!
This series of blogs centered around the 4th of July are fascinating! I was in China on the 4th with a group of community college students and faculty. After three wonderful trips to China I wanted to make sure I shared my discoveries about China with some of my colleagues and especially with students who were highly discouraged from traveling to China.
As we moved from Beijing and o each of five cities, i had the chance to speak with a number of Chinese. Silent and vocal, comments are rising slowly from young Chinese professionals and students. I have to be careful in how i write about stories I heard.. In other words, I am censuring myself. I can truthfully say there are "conversations" among Chinese citizens about their government officials and their own plade in China. Some conversations sounded as familiar as conversations I hear in my hometown.in the U.S.
The Celebration of the 90th year of the Communist Party took place on July 1. Some went to the festive activities and some stayed home. Some officials went to Xi'an for a day off. Others continued their daily work. How can we be sure that the Chinese are not discussing who they are and what the future will be? How silent are they?
N.G.T, friend of many Chinese students and faculty
Thanks for the comment about "tort." I will be working with some local businesses who want to sell their products in China. This is an idea they should know about beforehand. Although they are getting help from Asian connections and from State International Biusiness corsortia, I want to make sure that the idea has been presented to them.
Your posts and all comments are very helpful to me! Keep them comng.
http://www.chinalawblog.com/ Is an excellent site for understanding Chinese law. The guy who writes it has been doing business in China for decades.


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Millions of Individuals Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Stand to Benefit from Highly-Accurate, Low-Cost, Captioning Services
Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI), is pleased to announce its receipt of Google's $500,000 Impact Challenge/Disabilities two-year grant for a project to create scalable access to affordable, accessible, and accurate captions for any live event by combining available speech-to-text technology with real-time caption corrections made by event-designated peers in addition to caption streaming via the internet.
TDI will subcontract with IDEAL Group, Inc. to develop the platform for the project. IDEAL will be using an open source code base to integrate the functionalities of using speech-to-text technology to generate and stream a live caption feed that can be corrected by event-designated participants. The web-based prototype is accessible using Android, iOS, and Windows-based mobile devices, as well as any computer equipped with a browser, speech recognition capabilities, and a microphone. When completed, the platform will offer the world's first multilingual, speech-driven, cross-platform, real-time captioning/caption correction services.
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, late-deafened, and deaf-blind, and also those who have a second disability like mobility, are being disenfranchised because events they wish to participate in are not live captioned. A recent Johns Hopkins study (2012) cites that there are 48 million people that are deaf and hard of hearing in the USA, alone. Worldwide this number skyrockets to more than 360 million consumers.
While American Sign Language (ASL) is a good option for many deaf and hard of hearing individuals, there are others who are unable to benefit from ASL. These individuals include deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, deaf-blind, and/or having a second disability who lost their hearing early or late in life after acquiring speech, and have not regularly used ASL.
Many small organizations that host webinars, online courses, and other types of meetings are not able to afford live captioning (CART) services. The reason is that CART services can cost anywhere between $60- $200 per hour, depending on a variety of factors. TDI's platform is being designed to fill this gap by providing high-quality, low-cost, captioning services in instances where the use of professional CART services are not logistically, technically, or financially possible. Our real-time text-streaming caption correction services will allow event participants (who have permission) to make corrections to captions in real-time during events. The corrections will be seen instantly by everyone viewing the captions, both locally and remotely.
Launched in May of 2015, the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities put $20 million in Google.org grants behind nonprofits using emerging technologies to increase independence for people living with disabilities. Brigitte Gosselink, Head of the Google Impact Challenge | Disabilities said, "[We] set out to accelerate the use of technology to create meaningful change in the lives of the one billion people in the world with a disability." She went on to say, "We're thrilled to back Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. as they help build a world that works for everyone."
Steve Jacobs, President of IDEAL Group, Inc. said, "We are thrilled to have been selected to develop this unique highly-advanced system and look forward to using our many years of development experience to benefit ten-of-millions of consumers in all corners of the world."
Claude Stout, Executive Director of TDI stated, "TDI is thrilled and honored to have the Google grant to provide captioning support as an additional resource to deaf and hard of hearing Americans and their hearing contacts in their local communities. Also, with IDEAL Group's support, TDI will seek to collaborate with key stakeholders in a number of countries to make good use of this service."
More information on the Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities can be found here: https://g.co/disabilities


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A New Pen Name–And A New Book
Well, since everyone's talking about this already, I may as well come clean. I have a new pen name, Kris DeLake, and the first book is out in March. This is romance and space opera combined. I like to say that the spaceships go "whoosh!" as they travel through space, which is why I didn't want this under the Rusch name. And the stories are too violent (and too sexy) for the Grayson name. So here's the cover. You can preorder from Amazon or Barnes & Noble–or get it in B&N's brick-and-mortar stores when the book comes out. I just found out that B&N took a huge first order, which is great. I'm sure your local independent bookstore will have it as well
The reviews so far have been tremendous. Publisher's Weekly says:
DeLake (Kristine Kathryn Rusch's newest pseudonym) takes readers on a fast ride with this passionate futuristic tale, the first in a series. Idiosyncratic entrepreneur Rikki Bastogne and straitlaced Mikael "Misha" Yurinovich Orlinski are both assassins in a distant future where killing for cause is often legal. Responsible practitioners join the highly regulated Assassins Guild, which Misha venerates and Rikki despises. Misha hires Rikki to do a job in the hopes of recruiting the indie killer, and when they meet while Rikki is disposing of the target's body, their chemistry is immediate and explosive. At first Rikki is unaware of Misha's true identity, and when she learns it, she is shaken to the core: for years, Rikki has believed that Misha helped his mother kill Rikki's father in cold blood. How he proves her wrong—and how the two eventually learn to work together to combat a threat which could destroy them both—makes for a compelling, hot, and believable tale.
And RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars, with this review:
Set in a universe where murder can be legal, this is an exciting adventure with a hot romance between two fascinating characters. Their profession and the fact that no apologies are made for it make for an intriguing story. One hopes there will be a second story featuring the heroine's friend.
And yes, there will be a second story featuring the heroine's friend. My editor at Sourcebooks and I are just trying to figure out the title.
I will be doing a signing for this book, Boneyards, and Anniversary Day at North by Northwest Books in Lincoln City, Oregon, on March 3rd. So if you're in the neighborhood, drop on by.
18 responses to "A New Pen Name–And A New Book"
@Krista, maybe keep an eye on the Sourcebooks website? (Here's the link to the book.) They often sell EPUBs, though there isn't one there yet for this book.
@Kris, Amazon doesn't sell EPUB format. 🙂
I like the cover. By the Publisher's Weekly review, I'll almost certainly like the book. (I like the complicated names. Memorable!)
Great cover! Congrats and good luck! 🙂
1. That's on my will-buy list, a list that includes the most recent original titles from my all-time favorite author whose books always feature a unique name and an unusual situation or plot idea I've already dabbled with elsewhere before discovering her book.
2. I mention that because your premise—of the highly-regulated assassins guild, and a far-future universe where killing is often legal—matches something I've been dabbling with but not yet developed.
3. I now refuse to be intimidated that you've jumped on the idea I had and will leave it in my to-write pile. 🙂
…Those cover models look familiar to me, though I can't figure out who they're reminding me of. Hrm.
Congrats, Kris! I cant't wait to get my copy! I'm spreading the word.
I LOVE books where the space ships go "whoosh" as they travel through space!
Kris, will there be an epub version available somewhere for us non-Americans? B&N won't take my money because I pay with a Canadian credit card 🙁
Space ships that go whoosh….
HAAHAHA… this is gonna be cool.
*eyes the cover and makes notes*
Yay! My kind of book 🙂
Congratulations! This looks fantastic. I've always loved a Russian hottie. Best of luck with it. And Book #2!
This looks like a hot and awesome new series! They rocked the cover for you too, imo. Go Kris! 😉
Way to nail all my reader cookies. Pre-ordered! Looks awesome, Kris. 🙂
Wow, this one has ka-ching (cash register noise) written all over it, maybe even the alarm bells & whistles of a giant slot payout.
Congratulations, it *feels* beautiful.
Oh, and a book signing "tour" also. 😉


text: IDF Patriot missile shoots down Syrian drone over Sea of Galilee July 11, 2018 Patriot weapons system in action. (Sebastian Apel/U.S. Department of Defense, via AP)(Sebastian Apel/U.S. Department of Defense, via AP)IDF Patriot missile shoots down Syrian drone over Sea of Galilee Tweet WhatsApp Email https://worldisraelnews.com/idf-patriot-missile-shoots-down-syrian-drone-on-northern-border/ Email Print Israeli Patriot missiles shot down a Syrian drone that infiltrated 10 kilometers into Israel's air space. By: World Israel News Staff A Syrian drone infiltrated Israeli airspace Wednesday and was shot down by a Patriot missile fired by IDF aerial defense units in the north of Israel. The army is ordering all boats to clear out of the Sea of Galilee so forces can collect fragments of a drone that entered Israeli airspace from Syria. The alarms sounded in the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley were triggered by the unmanned aerial vehicle's violation of Israeli air space. Here is a video of the Patriot being fired at the drone. -> יירוט נצפה בשמי הצפון (צילום: ״מצב בטחוני גלובלי״) @roysharon11 pic.twitter.com/GHlKuMbAdv — כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 11, 2018 The IDF spokesman confirmed that a Syrian UAV was intercepted by a Patriot missile. "The UAV infiltrated the Israeli border from Syria, the IDF said. "The Patriot aerial defense system identified the threat and tracked it until its interception. The IDF will not allow any violation of Israeli airspace and will act against any attempt to hurt its civilians." Patriot missile


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May this season of hope, joy and love bring with it a renewed sense of gratitude. Wishing you and your families, friends and close ones a very Merry Christmas.
Category: Other
Dec 23
Merry Christmas
Jan 15
Happy New Year 2013!
Wishing all of you a great New Year, filled with joy, memories and many accomplishments. Thank you to all who have visited my site throught the 2012 year despite there not being a lot of updates. This year, my resolution will be to post some more information and engage in more thought provoking blogs.
Dec 31
Happy New Year 2012!
Jan 06


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Although I make it a point to wander around my destinations to discover hidden gems, getting lost is not always my plan. Sometimes, it can be rather frustrating.
This past summer I got lost numerous times during my three days in Montreal. Only once, however, did I have to stop and ask for directions.
On my first day, I set out for Mont Royal, the largest park in Montreal, which was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park in Manhattan. Aside from eating everything in sight and walking through the old city, Mont Royal was on my must-do list for this trip.
I was advised to take the subway, bus, or taxi to the park because it wasn't near my hotel. Unfortunately, I had no Canadian currency at that point. I had hoped to exchange money at the train station when I arrived, but there wasn't one open at the time.
The Grey Hound station near my hotel had a money changer, but he refused to accept American dollars. I resorted to using an ATM that cost me an extra $12 for foreign exchange and non-bank ATM use fees. At least it gave me money to buy coffee before hiking through the park.
It may have been a long walk from the hotel, but I felt fine as I reached the eastern side of Mont Royal. I began my trek through the park along the main dirt road, but soon veered off along narrower trails through the woods, which seemed like a more direct route to the peak. Fortunately, my narrow trails intersected the main road where direction signs were posted, so I knew I was sort of heading in the correct direction.
After reaching the peak where there's nothing but a radio transmission tower, I headed over to the Kondiaronk Belvedere where I could take pictures of the city in the distance. From there, I looked for a trail to take me back the way I came–I asked a few people wandering up along the narrow trails, but they didn't know which way to go either.
And then I got lost.
I took one narrow trail that linked to a main road. I figured it was the right direction. After twenty minutes or so, I decided I probably chose the wrong path. The road became paved and I saw tour buses–something that I hadn't seen along the road on the way up. Rather than walk back up, I continued down the hill, thinking that I wasn't too far off. (Feel free to laugh at my naivety at this point.)
By the time I exited the park, I was lost. I didn't recognize anything and couldn't even find a street sign. My section maps that I printed from Google Maps did not contain this section of Montreal. After wandering another 15 minutes, I fortunately found a couple on bikes looking at a map and asked for help. They weren't quite sure where they were either, but they were close with their guess–I came out on the opposite end of the park from which I entered. From the map, I located subway station that wasn't too far away.
Of course, what would a getting lost story be without at least one discovery? Just down the street from the subway station, I found a farmer's market. The produce looked great and the prices were reasonable. I picked up some fruit for the next few days and hopped on the subway back to my hotel.


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Tree leaves apparently transforming into abundant fall colors are one of the few clues behind an unnamed destination's tourism campaign.
The aptly titled "Destination Unknown" campaign, developed with agency BVK and an unnamed tourism group, is called the first campaign to advertise a region without disclosing the location. The creative features blurry images of fall tree leaves alongside messages like "Don't Miss the Incredible.....In..."
"Conventional tourism marketing can be predictable at times, so we wanted to do something completely different and unexpected for the category and the audience," explains Brian Ganther, executive creative director, BVK. "By building the buzz and intrigue with a mystery destination, we're hoping that people will be curious and follow along with the journey in the media and on social."
Among the few other clues to the destination, the campaign creative is aimed at "adventurous" travelers, who are prompted to visit FallDestinationUnknown.com to gain background information and for a chance to claim a seat on the "Destination Unknown" bus, leaving from Washington, DC on the morning of Oct. 5.
"We're looking for open-minded and spontaneous people who are willing to experience a destination they may not have considered before -- without even knowing what it is," says Ganther.
Obviously, another clue is that the destination is within driving distance of DC. The agency selected that market for its media buy because of its proximity, says Ganther. The messaging will appear in transit ads, radio, targeted digital and social ads as well as local influencer engagement.
"Washington D.C. offers an intellectually curious population, and this campaign definitely taps into that,"
says Ganther. Plus, entrants must be from the greater DC area, specifically, District of Columbia, Maryland or Virginia, to enter or win a seat on the bus.
The campaign will shift into its second phase after the location is announced Oct. 5, says Gather. "Once the destination is revealed and we've shown what the experience is like, we know people will be inspired to take a trip for themselves."
Very clever idea that seems to be well planned.


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Baseball fans will have their share of entertainment this weekend.
The Dizzy Dean High School World Series will hold its annual pre-tournament banquet at 6 p.m. today at the Trotter Convention Center.
The pairings for the four-day event will be determined tonight when tournament organizers find out how many teams will take part in the action.
New Hope High School baseball coach Stacy Hester, who serves as Tombigbee Region Representative for the World Series, said more than 20 teams are expected to compete this weekend.
Last year, 23 teams, including a team from Holmes County (Fla.), participated in the event. Ridgeland defeated New Hope in the championship game at Mississippi State"s Dudy Noble Field.
This year"s title game will be played at New Hope High.
Hester said the ideal situation for tournament organizers would be to have at least 21 teams, which would mean three teams at each of the seven host sites: Caledonia High, Columbus High, New Hope High, Oak Hill Academy, Starkville High, Starkville Academy, and West Point High.
East Webster also will participate in the World Series but won"t play host to any games.
Hamilton and Heritage Academy, which had teams play in the Dizzy Dean regular season, won"t compete in the World Series.
Each team will play the other members of its pool and crossover games against teams from a paired pool. Teams from Caledonia and Columbus, Starkville and Starkville Academy, and Oak Hill and West Point will be paired together.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be at 1, 4, and 7 p.m. Sunday at Columbus and New Hope high schools.
Columbus coach Jeff Cook hopes his squad will be one of those teams. But Columbus might be shorthanded as it looks to win a championship. Rising senior Tyji Hawkins and rising junior Nick Durrah will compete in Meridian this weekend at the State Games of Mississippi.
New Hope also has five players — Dillon Hawkins, Jake Smith, Philip Tice, Jake Upton, Brent Younger — who will play in the State Games.
New Hope coach Chris Ball didn"t return a telephone message to answer questions as to whether his team would have those players available for the Dizzy Dean World Series.
New Hope fielded two high school teams in the regular season, so it might be able to bring all of the players into one team to make up for any player absences.
As for Columbus, Cook said Hawkins" mother will be in Meridian and could provide the players transportation back to Columbus if the game times at the State Games and the World Series don"t conflict.
But Cook isn"t taking any chances. He knows his team, which competed earlier this week at the a team camp at Delta State, will need players like Stefan Hairston, Josh Tentoni, Tyler Blevins, Avery Ford, and others to pick up the slack.
"The kids are real excited about it," Cook said. "Some of these guys this is the third time or fourth time to play in the Series. It is going to be tough with Nick and Tyji at the State Games, but our guys worked hard at the Delta State camp and are really looking forward to playing in the Series."
This year"s World Series will start more than two weeks earlier than last year. World Series organizers moved the event to avoid conflicts with other sports and to afford families and athletes more time away from sports.
Cook said it"s unfortunate that the State Games baseball dates coincide with the World Series, and that it feels like this year"s World Series has snuck up on everyone.
But he said that doesn"t mean there won"t be plenty of fine baseball and competitive games.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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The Farnsworth House in Miniature
Keeping with my love of edible houses, may I present the gingerbread Farnsworth House, courtesy of cake designer April Reed. The New York Times recently did a piece on this yummy version of Mies van der Rohe's modern classic and I instantly feel in love with it! Of course, the price tag on this mini-house is $4,320, so it won't be sitting on my kitchen table anytime soon. On the plus side, 15 percent of the proceeds will be donated to help repair the much larger Farnsworth House in Illinois, so at least you'll know that some of your hard-earned money is going to charity. Click here to check out the piece in the New York Times and here to visit April Reed's Web site.
Posted by dessert girl at 1/19/2009
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Storage facilities are a crucial component of cost and time-to-market to pharma, healthcare and chemical industries. More importantly, the storage needs to be safe because stock from these industries is sensitive to moisture content and temperature, and could be a safety hazard. A storage system needs to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for safe keeping of inventory in these industries.
SILVERLINING understands these industries' requirements – not only of safety but also of easy accessibility of goods, especially because of the typically small size of SKUs.
Some of our considerations in developing your storage facility:
Protected storage environment: Storage facilities need to be free from accumulated waste or vermin. They also need to be able to allow pest-control programs that do not contaminate the chemicals or drugs. The facilities should be dry and temperature-controlled. Our designs are built to maintain such sensitive stock in good conditions.
Easy tracking of stock: Minimizing hand-touch and mechanized tracking of inventory is essential to keep track of usable or expired, recalled or returned stock as well as stock for temporary as well as bulk storage. The design needs to account for a designated area for such stock segregation. Our custom solutions reduce stock retrieval time and keep track of stock with precision.
High safety standards: Pharmaceutical companies need to ensure that their storage facilities are compliant with USFDA and OHSAS standards. Organizations are increasingly being evaluated on the occupational health and safety they provide to employees, and their products are marketed based on the treatment of goods along the supply chain, including warehouse storage. SILVER LINING's expertise in maintaining global standards of safety in storage help pharma companies in achieving all parameters.
Our Value Proposition:
Controlled and protected environment
Custom storage solutions based on inventory sensitivity
Easy access and need-based renewal of stock
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The Sheridan County Conservation District offers a variety of items for sale. These items include:
Maps of Sheridan County
Wall Map-$35.00
8 1/2 X 11 Map Book-$30.00
8 1/2 x 11 Orthophoto Map Book-$35.00
Map Books can be mailed out for $8.00 extra.
Weeds of the West-$50.00
Grassland Plants of South Dakota and the Northern Great Plains-$30.00
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of North America: $30.00
Moisture Probes
Paul Brown Moisture Probes: $75.00
*(For local pick up only)


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In Sanskrit, the language which shaped the Himalayan paths towards fulfilment and happiness, "Mahalaya" means sanctuary or pilgrimage. This is what we hope to offer to those taking steps on their journey with us, by creating spaces to map the path to your true self and to a deeper contentment.
Through yoga retreats, yoga journeys, holistic courses and Yoga teacher trainings in Nepal, step away from daily life and take time to explore yourself, your values and your potential, immersing in a physical, mindful and spiritual practice that will have a profound impact on your life and on those around you.


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Sixteen years after the September 11, 2011, terror attacks, Muslim, Arab, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Sikh Americans still live with the ramifications of Islamophobia as an ideology, including hate violence, law enforcement infiltration, airport discrimination and scapegoating. The recently launched #MySept11MuslimStory campaign seeks to lift the personal stories of this group on this anniversary and beyond.
#Muslims, share your #MySept11MuslimStory on the experiences you've had post 9/11 #September11 pic.twitter.com/NbuUIDvlxD
— Maha Hilal (@Dr_Maha_Hilal) September 11, 2017
Washington D.C.-based scholar and activist Dr. Maha Hilal first announced the #MySept11MuslimStory campaign in tandem with the grassroots D.C. Justice for Muslims Coalition on September 8. The campaign aims to bring these stories of discrimination, violence and hidden pain into the light, and Dr. Hilal's announcement invited others to share their stories during a Twitter town hall between 2 and 3 p.m. EDT on September 11. Dozens of people responded to that invitation with their own testimonials throughout today. Here are 10 stories that illuminate the impact this American tragedy, filtered through Islamophobic policy and rhetoric, still has on this community.
A neighbor down the street put up banner saying "kill all them rag heads" #MySept11MuslimStory
— فاطمة/Fatema (@fatooms427) September 11, 2017
My thoughts are with my son Ibrahim. Worried he'll feel singled out at school, or feel shame, for being Muslim. #MySept11MuslimStory
— Ramon Mejía (@MejiaSouth) September 11, 2017
#mysept11muslimstory is being targeted by state for daring to exist in this body at the nexus of blackness, Islam, womanhood & disability
— Azza عزّة Altiraifi (@Azza_Alt) September 11, 2017
as a Muslim prison chaplain l remember innocent Muslims being beaten&brutalized in jail #MySept11MuslimStory
— Imam Mahdi Bray (@MahdiBray) September 11, 2017
#MySept11MuslimStory is watching the twin towers fall replayed on tv at my catholic high school in upstate NY while my peers stared at me.
— Kashfi (@kashfi_teacher) September 11, 2017
#MySept11MuslimStory being impacted by anti-black racism and xenophobia BEFORE 9/11, just more compounded and overt. #BeingBlackAndMuslim
— Asha Noor (@RajooWeyn) September 11, 2017
#MySept11MuslimStory is not being able to fly without a special call being made because my name was similar to one on the Watch List.
— Taz Ahmed (@TazzyStar) September 11, 2017
#MySept11MuslimStory watching how some on the left have fully adopted neocon/right wing War on Terror rhetoric to justify war crimes
— Ramah Kudaimi (@ramahkudaimi) September 11, 2017
#mysept11muslimstory is worrying about my daughter's safety today because hateful people have threatened Islamic schools.
— Margari Aziza (@Margari_Aziza) September 11, 2017
#MySept11MuslimStory having deal with death threats and getting harassed outside my house and the mosque at age 7
— petty labelle (@damourhaine) September 11, 2017


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Bank of Marin
At Bank of Marin, we strive to build partnerships with our customers and the communities we serve based on respect and commitment. Known for our dedicated local team of bankers who provide quick turnaround, flexibility, and ongoing guidance for our customers' financial needs, we work hard to surpass expectations. We call this 'legendary service.'
We're also passionate about supporting local communities, helping those in need, and partnering with non-profits, schools, and civic organizations. We're proud to contribute to hundreds of non-profits and volunteer over 10,000 hours a year.


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Halilhodzic safe after Japan draw in Australia
Japan's 1-1 draw with Asian champions Australia on Tuesday has made safe coach Vahid Halilhodzic's job at least until the next round of World Cup qualifiers.
The 63-year-old Bosnian, who took over in March last year, had come under fire after the Blue Samurai started the final round of Asian qualifying with a shock home loss to the United Arab Emirates.
A 2-0 win away at Group B whipping boys Thailand and a scrappy 2-1 home victory over the similarly unfancied Iraq were not enough to ease the pressure on Halilhodzic.
The draw in Melbourne, however, prompted Japan Football Association technical director Akira Nishino to confirm the coach would still be in place when group leaders Saudi Arabia visit Saitama on Nov. 15.
"Of course," he told Kyodo news agency. "This is not a bad result at all."
Halilhodzic certainly felt he and his team had won the tactical battle with the Australians, who led the group unbeaten going into Tuesday's match.
"I thought we played a fantastic match. We managed the game with good tactics," the former Algeria coach told reporters.
"If we had been a bit fresher and had more pace, we could have won. I wanted to throw a surprise, tactically. We needed to be efficient.
"Australia can only score from free kicks and corners. I gave very specific instructions ... on set pieces. Australia are Asian champions and we could not afford to take many risks."
The Australian players expressed surprise that a Japanese team with attacking talents such as AC Milan's Keisuke Honda had played so defensively after taking a fifth minute lead through Genki Haraguchi.
Halilhodzic, though, was unapologetic if disappointed not to come away with the win.
"I don't regret a thing," he said. "It's a little bit frustrating. We prepared well tactically. The boys played well, especially in defence. We let them have the bulk of possession. We should have two more points.
"They had very few chances because we maintained our defensive discipline."
The Blue Samurai have seven points after four of the 10 matches in the round and sit behind the Saudis (10) and the Socceroos (8) in Group B.
Only the top two qualify directly for Russia in 2018, which would be Japan's sixth successive finals appearance.


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Disc Dogs to the Rescue! UpDog Challenge
November 10, 2018 @ 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm CST
Team up with Guardian K9 and UpDog for a fun filled day of games! This Event is open to beginners and advanced, no experience necessary!
For more information on registering, sponsoring, or becoming a vendor- just email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
Pre-registration $10 per run – $12 at event
T-Shirt Pre-orders $20 – $25 at event
Photographers will be on site to capture your pup in action! Food truck will also be on site for the mid afternoon cravings!
Entry Form – Pre-Register Today!
Special Thanks to all of our Sponsors!
Mid South Veterinary Services
Rebon Brent Pugh, MS, DVM
MC Automotive
Atoka, TN


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Category: Landscaping
Factors To Consider When Hiring A Residential Landscaping Designer
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Before starting a project, you should hire a residential landscaping designer. A designer will have an understanding of your wants and needs and can help you plan the perfect backyard landscape. They will also have experience in designing different types of landscapes, including front yard landscaping, back yard landscaping, and more. Residential landscape designers will…Read More
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November is American Diabetes Month and what better topic to blog about than how to find out if you have diabetes.
First, let's get the definition, types, and statistics out of the way.
Diabetes mellitus, the fancy name for what's commonly known as diabetes, is a group of diseases that affect how your body processes blood sugar. This sugar is referred to as glucose (another fancy name), which is your body and brain's main source of energy and fuel. If you have diabetes, then that means you have too much glucose in your blood, which can lead to serious health issues. (Definition… Check.)
There are two types of Diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes because it is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. The body does not produce insulin, which is a hormone required to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy for your body to use. Type 2 Diabetes is the more common type, where insulin resistance occurs. Your body doesn't use insulin correctly, which results in abnormal glucose levels. (Types… Check, Check.)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29.1 million people are living with diabetes in the United States. What's even more shocking is 8.1 million don't know they have it because they haven't been diagnosed. (And there are your statistics.)
Now that we've had a brief lesson, let's take a closer look at the common warning signs of diabetes:
1. Increased Thirst and Frequent Urination
This is not a result of you finishing a vigorous workout like P90X or Insanity and downing a sports drink to restore your electrolytes. When you have diabetes, excess sugar (glucose) builds up in your blood causing your kidneys to kick into overdrive, filtering and absorbing what it can. The remaining glucose along with fluids drawn from your tissues are excreted into your urine, causing you more bathroom breaks and dehydration.
2. Increased Hunger
For women around that "time" of month, this part could be confusing. However, increased hunger (or if you want to be fancy- polyphagia) is one of the main warning signs of diabetes. When glucose levels are abnormally high (a.k.a. hyperglycemia), glucose from the blood cannot enter the cells so your body can't convert the food you eat into energy. The hunger pains you feel is from a lack of energy. On the other hand, when glucose levels are abnormally low (a.k.a. hypoglycemia), the body responds by releasing stored glucose from the liver to bring glucose levels back to normal.
3. Fatigue
You feel tired and weak- not because you've stayed up all night binge watching a show on Netflix. Even after you've gotten a good night's sleep, you wake up feeling exhausted and groggy. This is from lack of energy. Where do you get your energy? That's right- the food you eat. Why aren't you getting the energy you need? You might have diabetes. For the sake of redundancy, when diabetes is present, your body is having difficulty converting sugar into energy.
4. Blurred Vision
If you are not wearing your prescription glasses/contacts, then there is your answer. However, abnormal levels of blood sugar can also affect your ability to see by causing the lens inside your eye to swell, which can result in temporary blurring of eyesight.
5. Unexplained Weight Loss
Not that I'm complaining about this one, but if you haven't started a diet or workout and you're just dropping pounds then you should get checked for diabetes. Insufficient insulin prevents the body from getting glucose from the blood into the body's cells to use as energy which causes the body to start burning fat and muscle for energy, hence the unexpected weight loss.
6. Tingling Hands and Feet
Excess glucose in your blood can lead to nerve damage which causes tingling and loss of sensation in your hands and feet. I guess you can compare it to your foot falling asleep? That is never fun…
If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, stop reading this and go get tested for diabetes.
Well, how do you that? Oh yeah, keep reading…
A simple blood test can tell you what you need to know. You can visit your healthcare provider or take matters into your own hands and get a Hemoglobin A1c blood test. This test is used to screen for, diagnose and monitor diabetes and prediabetes.
Just a final thought…
Thanksgiving is around the corner. We all know what that means… cakes, cookies, and carbs- OH MY! Do yourself a favor and get tested for diabetes before you fall into a food coma. Also, EXERCISE! This is the best way to stimulate insulin production and reduce blood glucose levels. So get moving and get tested for diabetes today!
This blog provides general information about diabetes. The words and other content provided in this blog are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately-licensed physician or other health care worker.