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Trail Stop 13
Keel is a small village located in lower Achill. Several writers are associated with Keel and several books have been published about Keel. Chris Newton wrote the book Hugh Falkus, about the broadcaster and film maker who made 'Shark Island', a film about shark fishing in Keem Bay. The sharks were brought back to Purteen Pier, in Keel, from where they were transported to Ballinasloe for producing shark oil and to make cosmetics; the fins were sent to Japan. A book written about Keel Pipe Band called The Band From The Bonny Spot was written by two local men, Anthony N. Lavelle and Kieran O'Malley. It is about the formation of the Keel Pipe Band.
Grace and Paul Henry
J.G Cruikshank wrote the book Person And Artist which is about Grace Henry, her work and her life. Grace Henry was the first wife of the artist Paul Henry who lived in Keel for a time in the early 1900s. Paul Henry wrote the book Irish Portrait and S.B. Kennedy wrote a book about him called Paul Henry.
Other Books
A new book, Sea Meets Land, written by Keel resident Alexandra Van Tuyll, was launched in May, 2012. Escape to the West is a novel written by Geraldine Mitchell about a young girl called Aoife and an elderly woman called Immogen O'Toole who become partners in adventure as they escape to Keel.
Dookinella is the first village after Keel on the way to Bunnacurry. The Memorial Pipe Band Dookinella is a Pictorial History book written about the Dookinella Pipe Band and published in 1998, the year of their fifty years in existence. Dookinella National School Centenary is a book written about Dookinella National School, it was published in 1998 the year of the school's centenary. Sheila Sullivan, who lives in Dookinella, wrote Follow The Moon.
Tom McNamara: From Cleveland to Achill
By Clodagh Cooney, Coláiste Pobail Acla
My Grandfather, Tom McNamara, was born in Cleveland, America. He lived with his parents, his one brother and two sisters. He moved to Ireland in 1938 by boat. The trip took one week on the 'President Roosevelt'. His family moved because it was the time of depression in America, there was no work available for his parents.
Achill, 1938
Achill was very different then, the roads were not tarred, there was no electricity or running water and the only source of heat was the open turf fire. Only priests and doctors and one or two people had cars. Business people and priests were the only people who had telephones.
The 1940s
During 1939 the Second World War started. Throughout the five years of the War there was rationing of food and each household was issued with a rationing book. You had to bring two sods of turf to school every day for the fire in school. The school provided lunches which included a piece of bread with butter and jam and some cocoa. During the summer everybody had to walk to school in their bare feet. Nobody went to secondary school until later years when men spent all year working on building sites in England and their wages were sent home so their children could attend secondary school. Children as young as twelve went to Scotland picking potatoes during the Summer. During Lent and Advent dances were forbidden so this led to many people becoming involved in amateur dramatic groups. In 1946 Hughie Connaghan from Donegal started to teach pipes. Funding from drama groups helped out in buying the equipment. Piping is now a great Achill tradition.
Shark Fishing
During the late 1940s people started to catch basking sharks in Keem bay. The sharks were hauled to Purteen Harbour, where the liver was extracted and refined. Carcases were cut up and transported to the burnhouse in Ballinasloe. This provided work for about one hundred men during the months of March until June.
Since the 1950s
During the 1950s there was an increase in the amount of tourism which led to a lot of houses starting up B+B to cater for the over flow of hotels.
In 1963 a group water scheme supply from Corrymore Lake provided running water for households in lower Achill. This added greatly to the lifestyle of the people, they were able to install bathrooms and central heating. The older people have seen so much change throughout the years, including running water, electricity, computers, ways of transport, and the internet. Lifestyles have changed, some for better and some for worse.
Una McNamara: A Galway Woman in Achill
By Aoife Cooney, Coláiste Pobail Acla
My grandmother, Una, was born in Galway. She had five sisters and six brothers. She has a twin brother living in America. Una's house which she grew up in had two bedrooms and a kitchen. There was no running water and no electricity. They had a farm with cattle, sheep, horses, hens, ducks and turkeys. They grew their own vegetables and also the fowl was a source of food. They had no machinery.
Una had to walk a mile to school every day. Many children had to walk in their feet. She had to bring a sod of turf to school every day for the open fire. People used to write with pen and ink. They had to dip the pen in to a bottle of ink. The teachers were very cross back then and used to slap the children with rods. Nuns used to teach then. The priests used to visit the school and if they found out you had not been at mass you would get in big trouble. Una left school when she was twelve and worked in shops around Galway and Ballinasloe.
The Booley House
Una went working in England for eight years and got married there and had her first child, Annette. She moved to Achill in the 1960s and opened a restaurant, "The Boley House". She then had three more children, Michael, Mary and Noreen.
There was no running water for the restaurant in the early years. They had to carry buckets of water from a well up the road or from a river across the road. Their neighbour, who worked in The Boley, used to heat the water in a big pot over a fire. Things have changed greatly from when she was growing up.
Patrick Gavin
By David Gavin, Coláiste Pobail Acla
My uncle's name is Patrick Gavin. He was born on the first of December, 1951, in the Family home in Keel. His parents were James and Margaret Gavin. James was from Keel and Margaret was from Cork. They met and married in England. Patrick's grandfather was called also called Patrick, he married Mary Bonner who was from Donegal. They married in Scotland and came home to live in Keel. They built the first slated house in Keel. Patrick was a migrant worker in Cleveland, Ohio. Whilst working on a building he fell off the scaffold and died. Mary was left with the responsibility of raising a child on her own. She lived with the family until her death in 1969.
School in Crumpaun
Patrick went to primary school in Crumpaun. His class consisted of five boys and one girl. His teacher was David Quinn. Patrick finished school at thirteen like many young people of his age. He did not go on to second level school.
After School
After leaving school he began work on the family farm until he was 16. He started fishing for a further 2 years, then took up construction until he got a job in the fire service. He worked as a fireman for thirty six years, he retired in 2009. Patrick is a bachelor and continues to live in the house his grandfather built.
Michael O'Malley: Memories of a Keel Man
By Colm O'Malley, Coláste Pobail Acla
Michael O'Malley was born in Dublin in the Rotunda Hospital in 1930. His parents were John O'Malley from Keel and Martha Kilbane from Dooega. Michael remembers the beginning of the second world war in 1939 and remembers when the Prime Minister of England, Neville Chamberlain, said on the wireless: "We are now at war with Germany".
The Emergency
Life in Achill was difficult during the war which was known as the Emergency. Food was scarce and rationed, you were only allowed two ounces of tea a week. He remembers that they used to shore range during that time. Often valuable items would be washed ashore from ships sunk during battle, things like bales of rubber, candle grease and paraffin oil for lamps. The most significant arrival was the "switch on" of electric power in the early 1950s. He says life completely changed then and has been changing ever since.
Michael remembers listening to Mayo playing on the wireless which was powered by a "wet battery". He also was at the 1950 and 1951 All Ireland Finals when Mayo won on both occasions. It took him 7 hours to travel to Dublin in Ted Lavelle's car. He never really got to know his uncles as they all emigrated to Australia and New Zealand. Even his father did not get to know his brothers as he was too young when they emigrated.
Telephone Exchange
Michael took over the post office in Keel in 1956 which included a continuous telephone exchange. This means that the phone had to be answered 24/7 because if anyone wanted to make a phone call from the house they had to ring the exchange first and lots of times he had to get up in the middle of the night to connect people. It continued like this until 1984 when the exchange became automatic.
Comments about this page
Thanks for a lovely collection of stories about people and place. As I child I spent many summers in the 1970s in Keel – in Dookinella in fact! This has brought it all back. We visited the Boley House many times and I have wonderful memories of playing outside as the sun set, and the release after dinner: being let out to play in the dark. I can still picture and hear Una McNamara to this day, and well remember the benign presence of Tom. The photos capture them perfectly. I remember them and the whole family as very hospitable and incredibly hardworking.
And buying crayfish off the boats at Purteen. And all the flat-roofed white houses, as if it was Greece – especially in the blistering summers of '76 and '77. Loads of Germans in the wake of Heinrich Boll. I'll never forget the arrival of a bunch of Aussies in a white Alfa Romeo with surfboards!! Achill was remote but somehow connected and cosmopolitan. Local people seemed to weather it all very easily. What a great place !


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For someone who hasn't had any brain afflictions, it's rather difficult to image what it must be like to be dealing with one. These monsters inside people's heads only show themselves as symptoms, which can be rather frustrating, especially if you don't know what is causing them.
I'm exploring how people with neurodegenerative diseases cope with these monsters, and whether or not seeing them makes any difference.
People who suffer with neurodegenerative diseases are dealing with these "monsters" all the time, and as primarily visual creatures, it's difficult to relate to this monster, when you cannot see what it is doing, or how it is doing it.
So what if you could see the monster? What if you could look at what it is doing to your brain, and how it is affecting different parts of it?
Recently I heard a story (I can't, for the life of me remember on which podcast, so if you recognise the story, PLEASE tell me where it is!!) about a young lady who had chronic back pain, and had tried everything to try and get it under control. Scientists put her into an MRI scanner, and placed a monitor above her head, so that she could see the MRI scan as it was happening. What they showed her were the parts of her brain that were "lighting up" with activity when she was in pain. She described it as a flame, which was almost analogous to the pain she was feeling in her back. By being able to see it however, she was able to control it: to dim the flame, and eventually, blow it out all together.
As primarily visual creatures, we are able to build strong relationships with objects when we see them. So would those with neurodegenerative diseases have a different relationship with their brains (and what's not quite working inside them) if they could actually see where the problems are?
Hammersmith Hospital is home to the Tissue Bank, or Brain Bank as it's more commonly known, and once a week they allow the public to come in and have a look at some brains, and how they are prepared for research.
Here's a tiny snippet of the tour I had. It was incredibly fascinating to see how the scientists prepare the brains for research. This little clip particularly looks at how patients react to seeing brains which have their afflictions, how you can identify if a brain has Parkinsons, and how important it is for the research to get donations.
If you have a neurodegenerative disease, I would be interested to hear how you deal with it, and whether or not it would be different if you would be able to see a piece of brain that showed exactly where the monsters were hiding.
Feature image credit: Jane Black

subset: commoncrawl


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The home-ground advantage didn't help the Panthers when they played the Titans at Centrebet Stadium in Round 4 – the Titans kept the Panthers scoreless in the first half and went on to win 28-10.
It was the third win in a row for the Titans, who had the benefit of a controversial obstruction call going their way.
Tom Humble touched down for the Panthers for what would have been the first try of the match, but it was disallowed because Panthers forward Sika Manu had run into defender Greg Bird.
The Titans led 12-0 at halftime, and the closest the Panthers got after that was when they trailed 18-10 with 17 minutes to go.
But two late tries to Titans winger Kevin Gordon finished the Panthers off.


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Welcome to our website!
Our kits – designed by Derek Wulff – are made of natural, untreated wood, from Forest Stewardship Council (fsc) wood. We like to make innovative products that take time to make, work well, and look cool on the shelf. Yes, they are challenging, but without a challenge, where's the fun?
We hope you enjoy the kits we have to offer and welcome any questions you may have about them, or suggestions for new ones. (Our Leonardo da Vinci line of kits was in response to a request from the National Gallery in London, England, and our Robotic Arm design was in response to a suggestion at a Science Venture camp meeting at the University of Victoria!)
Scroll down and learn about our kits getting picked for a gift guide!
This year they picked two of our products for the teen category – the Sky Surfer – and the Gearbot Catapult. We are excited to have made the list and encourage you to get one and give it a try! While both kits are age rated 14 and over they can be made by kids 8 and over (and launched with adult supervision).


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Ten mathematical habits of mind a teacher created for his sixth grade students:
1. Pattern Sniff
2. Experiment, Guess and Conjecture
3. Organize and Simplify
4. Describe
5. Tinker and Invent
6. Visualize
7. Strategize, Reason and Prove
8. Connect
9. Listen and Collaborate
10. Contextualize, Reflect and Persevere
Math lessons in everyday life. Everyday life lessons in math. Or as has been well said, "applicable to nearly anyone doing anything." See also: Math Circles


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by: B. J. Hathaway
Those of you who've taken live lessons from me know that I constantly encourage practice as an absolute necessity for seeing real improvement in golf swings. Some may even say that I'm a bit of a hard case on this matter so I would like to share some words from a fellow teacher in Texas named Geoff Jones.
Copyright © 2023 Augusta Golf Instruction. All rights reserved. | Golf Professional Websites


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Priest Named As Abuser Leaves Post
By Lisa Black
A former head of the Chicago-based Servants of Mary religious order has announced his intention to leave the priesthood after a victim of his "inappropriate behavior" in the 1970s contacted officials at the Canadian university where he has been teaching.
Rev. John Huels admitted to misconduct involving Michael J. Bland, a Chicago psychologist and former priest who sits on the national review board studying sexual abuse in the church, said Guy Levac, spokesman for Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais.
After Bland and a second victim complained of abuse in 1994, Huels was forced to step down as leader of the religious order, commonly referred to as the Servites, and was barred from working with minors. But since 1997 he has taught graduate courses in canon law at St. Paul University in Ottawa.
Bland wrote to a university dean in March to ask why his abuser was being allowed to work as a professor and had been recently promoted to vice dean. He decided to act, he said, after seeing Huels advertised in the United States for speaking engagements, which Bland thought was inappropriate.
"I'm not doing this out of vengeance," said Bland, who told his story to the U.S. bishops in June when they met in Dallas. "I'm doing this out of [the need for] transparency."
Dale M. Schlitt, rector of St. Paul University, said Huels has resigned as vice dean and has asked for medical leave from his tenured faculty job to be treated for severe depression.
"He won't be teaching or lecturing or participating in the faculty council," said Schlitt.
The archbishop, who is also chancellor of the university, said in a statement released Tuesday that when Huels was hired, he was not informed "of any inappropriate behavior in his past."
"Father Huels has tenure as a professor, and the statutes of limitations in canon law certainly would have allowed arguments that he continue," Gervais' statement said. "It is my hope that his voluntary actions today will bring peace to all involved."
Huels, a former student and professor of canon law at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago who has written extensively on church doctrine, declined via Gervais to comment.
When the sexual abuse allegations were raised, they were substantiated and acted upon according to policies in place at that time, said Rev. Michael Guimon, the current Servite provincial, who at the time heard the complaints as second-in-command to Huels.
"Based on professional advice, it was determined he could accept a non-priestly assignment teaching graduate students," Guimon said.
He said Huels is repentant and is well-regarded for his work. "He has fought for reconciliation and forgiveness," Guimon said.
Schlitt said he did not know if any university officials were informed of Huels' history, but Guimon said he is certain they were.
"The university was aware," he said. "Everybody was informed that needed to be informed."
Bland, ordained in 1987, left the priesthood and the Servite order in 1996. He continues to work part time for the Archdiocese of Chicago, counseling victims of sexual abuse.
"Once again, the sad reality is there are no winners," said Bland, the only victim serving on the Catholic review board, which is examining the causes and scope of sexual abuse by priests. "Many people are hurt in the process when there's a lack of leadership and direction, when leaders are not accurately informed or when there's an omission in making vital decisions."
Bland said he waited years to complain about the abuse--which occurred in New Jersey when he was 15 years old--because he was afraid of the consequences. When he did, he was asked to meet with Guimon in Rome, where Guimon was finishing a four-year assignment.
After returning to Chicago, Bland declined requests that he meet with an attorney and participate in a reconciliation process with Huels.
"I felt re-victimized again, again and again," Bland said in a statement he read in Dallas. "I felt they did not believe me, that my story was not seen as credible, that he was more important than me. It felt to me as if I was no longer one of the good guys but one of the victims to be dealt with."
Bland said that, although he remains close friends with some Servites, he decided to leave the order because of others who questioned his intentions and told him he was a "loose cannon."
"I felt they feared me," he said. "I was pathologized."
Bland, who advocates zero tolerance for sexual abusers, said he believes they need lifelong treatment and should be removed from the priesthood and other leadership positions.
He said he spoke twice on the phone with Gervais last week but declined the archbishop's request that he come to Ottawa to talk about the abuse. "I told him I made my impact statement in Dallas and made my position clear," he said.
Bland said he contacted St. Paul University for personal reasons. "I
am not doing this as a national review board member," he said.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.


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Irish Trained Winners Of The National
In recent years the Irish have had incredible success at the Aintree Grand National but it's association and links go much deeper than that. In fact it was two Irish fox-hunting gentlemen Edmund Bake and Cornelius O'Callaghan who coined the phrase 'steeplechase' back in 1752. It only seems appropriate given the races origins that the Irish have the greatest overseas impact at the Aintree Grand National, which is run over roughly the same distance as the original country chase from St John's Church Buttevant to St Marys Church at Doneraile, County Cork.
Irish jockeys and Irish-bred horses have always enjoyed considerable success at Aintree, and there have been 25 winners of the race trained in Ireland since the first Grand National back in 1839. The first was Coolreagh-bred Matthew who won the race in 1847, the 10-1 joint favourite.
The next was Abd-El-Kader who became the first dual winner of the Grand National in 1850 and 1851. It then took another 24 years before The Liberator triumphed. Trainer Henry Linde and jockey Tommy Beasley came back in force in 1881, winning again with Woodbrook, who revelled in the boggy conditions.
More recently, jockey of L'Escargot Tommy Carberry trained 1999 Irish and English National winner Bobbyjo, who was ridden by Tommy's son Paul. The father-son combo quickly caught on and in 2000 Papillon won, with Ted Walsh training and son Ruby riding his first National.
2003 saw Monty's Pass be victorious by 12 lengths, while Ruby Walsh secured his second National victory on Hedgehunter in 2005. Hedgehunter was a runner up in 2006 behind Irish-trained Numbersixvalverde, Martin Brassil's first runner in the National.
The Irish were successful again in 2007 with Silver Birch who beat McKelvey by three quarters of a length, and again in 2008 with Comply Or Die, proving that the Irish really do have what it takes in the great race!


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As a premier Catholic university rooted in both Jesuit and Marymount traditions, Loyola Marymount University declares its mission to be the encouragement of learning, the education of the whole person, and the service of faith and the promotion of justice. Through the completion of a foundational core curriculum, at least one rigorous major field of study, and through active participation in a community that is dedicated to empowering students to realize their potential in mind, body and spirit, students will be prepared to take their place in the global community and to practice ethical responsibility, promote social justice, and exercise compassionate leadership.
The following four broad undergraduate learning goals are intended to express the expectations for how all undergraduate students will achieve the mission of the university. Under each goal are corresponding student learning outcomes that express specific ways in which students should be able to demonstrate fulfillment of each goal. A pdf copy of the undergraduate learning goals and outcomes can be found here: Undergraduate Learning Goals and Outcomes
For more on the process of constructing learning outcomes, see: Writing Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students will be creative and critical thinkers who are able to integrate and use knowledge and skills from an array of disciplines, possess lifelong learning skills and value new experiences as opportunities for growth.
Integrative learning: Students will be able to integrate knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines to examine questions
Creative and critical thinking: Students will be able to ask questions, solve problems and produce works through the innovation of ideas and concepts and by developing and justifying solutions through critical evaluation and analysis
Written and oral communication: Students will effectively express information both in writing and orally using conventions and forms appropriate to the intended audience
Quantitative literacy: Students will be able to comprehend, create and communicate arguments supported by quantitative evidence
Information literacy: Students will be able to identify information needs, locate and access relevant information and critically evaluate a diverse array of sources
Lifelong learning: Students will value intellectual growth, demonstrate curiosity about the world, and be able to increase their knowledge and skills outside the experience of a classroom
2. Students will have an appropriate depth of understanding of at least one academic discipline, including an understanding of what the discipline brings to light about what it means to be a human being fully alive.
Subject matter knowledge: Students will demonstrate an appropriate level of subject matter knowledge of at least one academic discipline
Test or generate knowledge: Students will be able to test or generate new knowledge using the methodology of at least one academic discipline
Purposes and uses: Students will be able to articulate the purposes and uses of at least one academic discipline
Disciplinary ethics: Students will understand and abide by the ethical standards of at least one academic discipline
Humanity: Students will be able to express what at least one academic discipline contributes to our understanding of the human experience
3. Students will demonstrate transformative growth and integration of their intellectual, physical, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual selves, and through a critical, self-reflective process evaluate and articulate their beliefs, values, faith and culture, as well as understand those of others.
Self-awareness: Students will be able to express how their beliefs, values, faith and culture shape their actions and attitudes
Intercultural knowledge and competence: Students will be able to effectively and appropriately interact in a variety of cultural contexts
Personal beliefs and faith: Students will be able to articulate how their personal belief system interconnects with various faith traditions
Diverse Perspectives: Students will demonstrate that they value the richness afforded by multiple perspectives
Whole person: Students will articulate the growth and integration they experience of their intellectual, physical, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual selves
4. Students will critically reflect on what they have learned to demonstrate reasoned judgment and respect for human dignity in working as ethical, compassionate leaders with and for others to build a more just world.
Respect for others: Students will demonstrate respect for individual and group difference in their interactions with others
Teamwork skills: Students will participate effectively in team problem-solving and decision-making situations
Civic knowledge and engagement: Students will apply their knowledge and experiences to address problems of social justice
Ethical reasoning and action: Students will be able to identify ethical issues and propose effective approaches to their resolution
Leadership skills: Students will lead others with compassion to develop and carry out a shared vision
Habit of service: Students will participate in activities that engage them in the service of human communities and the natural environment


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Category Archives: gluten free
Apple Tuna Almond Salad
I like tuna salad. I just don't like all the fat that comes along with it. For example, According to the menuView full post »
Jicama Fries with Tomato Tahini Dressing
Tomato Tahini can be made into a dip or a healthy homemade dressing for salad. It's great both ways and perfectView full post »
Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie and Ice Cream
This is absolutely delicious and perfect for St. Patricks Day.. I promise your kids are going to LOVE this one. NoView full post »
Roasted Garlic & Cream Cheese stuffed Jalapeños – 3 ingredients
Fresh Jalapeños + Roasted Garlic + Cream Cheese + That is all you need to make this appetizer.. You could of courseView full post »
Baked Pumpkin Maple Doughnuts or donut holes – Vegan
Fall is here and it's pumpkin this, pumpkin that.. I have made 2 ingredient pumpkin brownies, maple pumpkinView full post »
Hamilton Beach Slow Cooker Giveaway and Fall Harvest Detox Soup
Im excited to partner with Hamilton Beach because one lucky reader is going to win their very own Set & Forget®View full post »
cashew mayo – aka egg free mayonnaise
I love the creamy richness of mayonnaise, especially on a fresh tomato sandwich or in potato salad. This recipe usesView full post »
Homemade Marinara Tomato Sauce
FRESH TOMATOES – GARLIC – LEMON JUICE – HERBS – SEA SALT It taste amazing and BLOWS bottled jarView full post »
Ice cream for Breakfast???
Ice cream for Breakfast?!?! SURE, when it's just frozen bananas and fruit…. This machine is going toView full post »
Cheezy Broccoli Bites (Raw & Vegan)
Cheezy Kale Chips are the BOMB!!! Totally addictive in a healthy way! My only complaint is The "cheeze"View full post »
Vegetable Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
Lately, I have been eating more of a Raw Food Diet and hubby is eating a Lo-Carb gluten free diet so this dish isView full post »
Green Juice – Kale, apple, lemon, lime, ginger
Good Morning, Green Juice! Sometimes you just need to give your body a break and This juice is the perfect "pickView full post »
Sprouted Wheatberry Salad
Sprouted Wheatberry Salad. This superfood salad is incredibly healthy & satisfying. Why should we sproutView full post »
Curry Roasted Cauliflower
Such a simple dish but it's so yummy! Slightly caramelized on the outside with a burst of flavor followed by aView full post »
BEST Broccoli Salad – Bartow Broccoli Salad
Broccoli Salad is always a crowd pleaser. This is one of our favorite ways to eat raw broccoli, even the kids loveView full post »


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Donald Trump has broken 50%.
According to The Hill:
"Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is above the 50 percent mark nationally in an online tracking poll.
The billionaire businessman added 4 points to reach 50 percent in the latest NBC News/SurveyMonkey weekly poll, released Tuesday morning.
It's the first time he's reached the threshold since the poll launched late last year."


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Hi, I'm Charles Eubanks, an independent software developer located in Southern California. Frame Advance Productions is the sole proprietership where I hang my many hats.
Below, you can find out a bit about me and my professional background. Thanks for visiting!
As an independent contractor, I've worked on a variety of projects for several clients. Much of the work I've done is still under NDA, but here are a few I'm able to talk about.
Prior to becoming an independent developer, I had the pleasure of working on several high-profile titles at Rockstar Games and Angel Studios. Here is a sampling of the projects I contributed to during that time.


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Postgame Quotes
March 20, 2009
Postgame Quotes
Kansas 5, No. 1 Texas 4
March 20, 2009 – Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas head coach Ritch Price
On the game:
"I couldn't be more pleased, Shaeffer Hall went out and set the tone. He pounded the strike zone, mixed his pitches and gave us a chance (to win). They made a couple of defensive miscues and we were fortunate enough to take advantage of them."
On Shaeffer Hall:
"I think it's one of his best outings of the year. He's had an outstanding season to date. He has given us a chance to win every time he has gone out there. I thought he did a nice job of locating his fastball early. When they started to sit on his fastball he went to his changeup and was able to mix his pitches. That's the only way you can get them out, as good of hitters as they are."
On getting an early lead:
"They have such good pitching and play such great defense that if you are fortunate enough to put a four-spot up on them early on you have a chance, because they are not going to give that up very many times."
On how the team hit the ball:
"We had nine hits and I thought we had good at bats with runners in scoring position. There were some balls that were hit well and it was hard to hit with the wind blowing in the first six innings of the game. I was pleased; I thought we had a good approach against a really good right-handed pitcher (Chance Ruffin) with a good slider. I thought we waited for him to elevate the ball and our guys put some good swings on him."


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The Others
The Others (2001) full movie watch online on 123Movies Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.
Genre: AdventureActor: Alakina Mann, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes, James Bentley, Keith Allen, Michelle Fairley, Nicole Kidman, Renée Asherson
Director: Alejandro Amenábar


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The Just Man lives in his Faith
Table 1 (Tablet 21)
Step 1 - The faith of the first redemption is that of the Sacred Faith revealed to
. The faith that derived from the name ASHER was the Elevated Faith of the Prophet Elijah and the Hidden Faith of Mordechai ha-Tzadik and the Inner Faith taught by Yeshua. The faith of the Final Redemption may be called the Large Faith because it includes all the categories of true faith that preceded it while it itself carries the New Faith of the Completed Signs of the Final New Pact of the Third and Final Redemption, in merit of the chosen Goel, Haim. Also Leviathan's Tablets are called Large for the same reason.
Step 2 - The ALIF of the name ASHER, in the mission of the Prophet Elijah, of blessed mentioning, contains the Hidden Sign of the Resurrection. The SHIN of the name ASHER, in the redemption of Purim, contains the Hidden Sign of the
. The RESH of the name ASHER, contains the Mission of the Sacrificed Ram which includes the two Signs, of the Resurrection and of the Kingdom of Heaven, that were caught in the historical thicket of confusion and misunderstanding. The Messianic
of Yeshua derives from the Initial Messianic Signs contained in the RESH of the name ASHER, Signs which Yeshua received at the School of the Essenes.
Step 3 - The ALIF of the name ASHER relates to the Tradition of the Prophet Elijah, of blessed mentioning. It includes the Prophets of
until Malachi. In it took place the deportation of the 10 Tribes of
, the destruction of the
and the Babylonian exile. During that 70 year exile came the terrible decree and the redemption of Purim. The SHIN of the name ASHER relates to SHUSHAN (
), the Capitol of
at that time, and to the Tradition of Mordechai ha-Tzadik, the first Head of the 36 Hidden Tzadikim of every generation. The RESH of the name ASHER begins historically with the reconstruction and re-inaugurazione of the
, in the hands of the Scribe Ezra.
Step 4 - The RESH of the name ASHER is thus directly related to the holy
. The Initial Messianic Signs of the RESH had the global purpose of strengthening the light of the
and to render it a Beacon unto the nations, as was received in Prophecy. The miraculous war of Hhanuca carried out by the Hasmonians as well as the miracle of Hhanuca were Signs of the Messianic RESH of the name ASHER. Had the people of
become consolidated with the re-inauguration of the
, the
could have become a Beacon of Light for the world.
Step 5 - If that had come about, there would have been the carry-over, so to speak, from the Messianic Signs of the RESH to the Completed Signs of the final EHEYE. Redemptional History is, however, generally in the form: God gives the maximum but the goodness remains unappreciated until it is lost but what has been lost is sought after again, giving place to redemption. Could the Final Redemption not have been brought to the world 3500 years ago, if
had not sinned in the golden-calf?
Step 6 - If the first
had become the true source of light to the children of
, would it not have conducted to a great redemption throughout the world? In the Divine Design of the Redemption, however, Redemption is preceded by exile and exile is the result of
's sins. For so is it in the Historical Design from the beginning. If Eva had not sinned, mankind would not have been 'exiled' into the world. In the world mankind passes through hardship and suffering but it keeps something of the collective memory of the Garden, aspiring to return to the grace of the Creator.
Step 7 - So too in the Divine Design of the Redemption,
is the nation chosen to fall into the sins necessary for its exile, for its repentance and its redemption. This is by no means philosophy. Eve's fruit is an essential principal necessary for mankind's fulfillment. For it is true that mankind does not appreciate what it has been given but it is equally true that mankind's character is such that it cannot appreciate what it has until it has lost it and has seen its contrast on the opposite extreme of 'good'. Nor could Eve have sinned if the Creator, Blessed is He, had not made the Serpent, the great angel expert in casting people to the opposite extreme of 'good'.
Step 8 - One can, therefore, understand the Design only by way of Eve's fruit-meal and even the Serpent cannot remain without his portion. For if he had not made Eve sin, the world would never have come unto its repentance, its correction and its redemption. So too the historical Burden of Israel's selection cannot be understood unless one knows that the children of Israel have been the direct targets of the Serpent's poison a thousand-fold more than all the nations put together for these are the commanded ones in the holy Laws of God received at Sinai.
Step 9 - With one swishing action of the Serpent's tail, he takes entire nations under his clutches and teaches them to kill, to steal, to commit adultery and to serve other gods that justify their evil actions. But Israel has had to combat the cunning itself of the Serpent's venom so that in the end it be the most sagacious among all nations in distinguishing between good and evil, between pure and impure, between moral and immoral and between just and unjust.
Step 10 - The children of
, the descendants of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, have thus been the measuring-rod of God's love and of God's wrath so that, in the end, all
will return to God's love and through
the world will come to know God's ways. Israel is the chosen Instrument, in God's love and in God's wrath, to bring the world to its great final redemption.
has been chosen unto redemption and therefore has it been chosen unto exile and because it was chosen unto exile it was 'chosen', or at least the most vulnerable, to be thrown down by the Serpent so that it correct itself for the sake of all mankind.
Step 11 - In the end, all comes to help us better
understand what is wanted of us by God and to better understand how judgment is made in Heaven according to the actions of people on earth. In the end mankind comes to know what is right and what is wrong by studying the Selection of Israel, the History of Israel, the sins of Israel, the Correction of Israel and the Final Redemption of Israel.
All was shown to Moses, our teacher, when God revealed to him His name, as Redeemer, 'EHEYE ASHER EHEYE. Exile and redemption, exile and redemption, a long, long exile among the nations and the Great Final Historic Redemption of Mankind
Step 12 -
That long, long exile, before reaching the Great Final Redemption of History stood between the RESH of the name ASHER and the ALIF of the final EHEYE
. It is well known in Tradition that Moses, our teacher, chose not to speak of the eventual Babylonian exile before the second redemption of Purim or the eventual long exile among the nations before the Great Final Redemption. Be careful, then, o nations because Israel's Father in Heaven who punishes His chosen Son in His wrath is Israel's Father in Heaven who lifts up His chosen people above all nations when He reveals His love to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Step 13 - For
's exiles were decreed and
's redemptions were decreed and
's Final Redemption has now been revealed and God's promises are in the course of their fulfillment during this Fourth Generation. Now the Completed Signs have come, after 25 centuries of the unfulfilled RESH, to complete the RESH of the name ASHER in the Completed Redemptional and Messianic Signs of the Third and Final Redemption of the Final 'EHEYE', in merit of the Goel Haim. So great is the Historical Surprise that Big Fish Leviathan needs very large Tablets upon which to express his great joy.
Step 14 - For also the peoples of Islam came into history under the time of the RESH of the name ASHER. Christians are found throughout the world. The Jewish people is past its sacrifice and has returned to the
and the language of the Prophets is clarifying itself in the course of
's history.
All desire to know what happens when the RESH of the name ASHER reaches the ALIF of the final name EHEYE
. In truth, this is what all people who believe in the revelation of Sinai are waiting and hoping for although they do not yet know how to formulate it in terms of the Historical Design.
Step 15 - Every time I use the word Large in a redemptional context, I am reminded of a statement repeated to me on many occasions by the Tzadik Haim. The statement itself was given to me for contemplation and it contains for sure many levels of interpretation. "Your great fortune" the Tzadik Haim, would say to me, "is that the teacher is 'large', large in outlook and large in vision. See how I give you space and freedom to do as you like and as you desire. I am not severe with you. If you had been assigned as talmid to one of the other 36 Hidden Tzadikim, you would have had to stay under an extreme severity.
Step 16 - "But the teacher is 'large' (rahhav). He doesn't need to guide you in such a way. The rope is long. I let it out slack to allow you to do as you please. There is time and there is no rush but when the time will come, I shall pull up the rope and you will be where you will be. Remember this, Peretz, the teacher is 'large'."
That was one context of the Tzadik's 'largeness'. There was another, the largeness of view regarding people. As the Sign received after the resurrection of the Tzadik Haim where he embraces the working people of all nations and declares with joy and love "We are all of the same flesh", so was the Tzadik Haim always.
Step 17 - The true Tzadik knows the Sanctity of Sinai. He knows what the Jewish people is. So does he know the entire Tradition of
. He knows what the chosen nation of
means. He knows the laws of separation at every level. The Tzadik Haim was also heir to the Tradition of
which is extremely rich in its own 'separation' from other Jewish Traditions in terms of Wisdom, Rite and Minhag etc. But the Tzadik Haim did not look at people from the standpoint of being Jewish, Christian, Moslem or whatever, but as human beings.
Step 18 - Also the Tablets of Big Fish Leviathan are 'large' because they are intended for the world of human beings from every walk of life. Obviously the Signs of the Reconciliation of the hearts brought by the Prophet Elijah and the 'outlook' of Big Fish Leviathan come together at the time of good fortune. The explanations of that Reconciliation in relationship to Big Fish's Mazalot will be, God willing, the subject matter of the Book of Big Fish Leviathan in the Sign of the Reconciliation of the Prophet Elijah. The purpose of these Large Tablets is to add laughter to the world in understanding the Divine Design of the Great Redemption of EHEYE ASHER EHEYE.
Step 19 - The Divine Design of the Redemption is hidden in God's holy name as Redeemer, a holy name that we have permission to use throughout Sefer Mishnat Haim for the sake of explaining the Triple-Meditation of the FR. The Triple-Meditation is the Meditation of the Triple-Name EHEYE ASHER EHEYE. All SMH is in essence is concerned with explaining the many redemptional and messianic aspects of the Triple Meditation. Since only with the Third and FR the final name EHEYE is revealed, the Triple Meditation, historically could not exist before.
Step 20 - Only with the revelation of the final name is the entire name complete and the Meditation is thus Triple, the Signs of Abraham of the first name, the Signs of Isaac of the second name and the Signs of Jacob and of the Splender of Israel of the final name. In the first name are included the redemption of Israel from Egypt, the revelation of the Holy Torah at Sinai, 40 years in the desert, the conquests of the land of Canaan, the period of Judges, the history of the first King Shaul and the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel in the hands of King David and King Solomon and the First Temple at Jerusalem.
Step 21 - The division of the
represents the breakaway point from the 'open redemption' of the first name EHEYE. After that division the decline of
and of
was constant and it was no longer possible so to speak, to continue the 'process of God's redemption' in the manner of an open redemption of the first name. The process of God's redemption, however, is not something that stops. From the moment that God Almighty said to Moses, our teacher, that His name is EHEYE ASHER EHEYE, the process of God's redemption of
and eventually of the world, never ceased.
Step 22 - The order of
's redemption had to enter hidden phases of the hidden name ASHER which begins historically with the Prophet Elijah, of blessed mentioning. This name historically remained for some 28 centuries until the revelation of the final name. For this is the hidden name and so too, in a general sense, the actions of God Almighty have been very hidden to mankind. Only a very high faith, in the midst of the darkness of the world, has been the inner faith of the heart that has been a source of merit to parts of mankind in all these past centuries.
Step 23 - The Signs of Isaac are called Hidden Signs and the name ASHER is the hidden name of the triple-name. So too, the history of the 'redemption' of all these past centuries has been 'hidden' and because it has been hidden, it has caused great confusion and uncountable conflicts. Nevertheless, it was not the confusion of history that was under the judgment of Heaven but the heart of each person and the actions of each person. The first name was revealed. The redemption from
was witnessed by all. The revelation at Sinai was revealed to all
Step 24 - The first name is the revelation of the Holy God of
and its Redeemer. And in the Torah are revealed the laws of holiness by which the people of
must abide. These laws of holiness had to be in the world because the Presence of God is revealed in the world by way of the Sanctity, the 'Kedusha', as prescribed in the Holy Torah. Israel was the chosen people, descendants of Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, to receive the Sanctity of the revelation of the laws and the Torah during the 40 years in the desert.
Step 25 - Under the hidden name ASHER, the revelation in Kings concerning the Hidden Tradition of the Prophet Elijah requires a particularly elevated faith: the Prophet who stood up against the priests of Baal; the Prophet who resuscitated a young boy who had died; the Prophet who went to Sinai where he received his last instructions from God; and even more than all, the Prophet who ascended and never knew death. We are no longer in the realm of the nation of
. Who was with the Prophet when he went to Sinai? He was alone and it was he who wrote what is revealed there in Kings.
Step 26 - The history of the second redemption of Purim has been so hidden that only the Jewish people knows of it. Not without reason is it called 'hhag la-yehudim' - celebration for the Jews. And who is it that knows that the SHIN of the name ASHER is the SHIN of SHUSHAN and it represents the Hidden Tradition of Purim received by Mordechai ha-Tzadik? The Donkey knows it and that's why he 's telling it to you. And how has the Donkey come to know it? By way of the Goel Haim who is showering upon us the Completed Signs of the FR. We're in the New Purim of the FR and the Donkey couldn't bray down Hamans if he didn't have a New Shin of his own.
Step 27 - But if the ALIF and the SHIN gave 300 years of history, the RESH of 'ASHER' gave 2500, 500 years with the Second Temple standing in Jerusalem and 2000 years of Jewish exile, the extension of Christianity and the formation of Islam. These radical simplifications are necessary for capturing the essential structure of the Divine Design. Ours is not to explain the history of the past 2000 years. There are thousands of books on those histories. History has given Judaism, Christianity and Islam that are rooted in the belief of the Patriarchs and in the revelation at Sinai.
Step 28 - All has been an historical preparation in order to arrive at the final name EHEYE. It is necessary to understand this point with great clarity; not only Judaism and the Jewish people but also the world of Christianity and the Islamic peoples are an integral part of the Divine Design in History. And the Donkey who eats Bread has Three Eyes, one for Jews, one for Christians and one for Moslems. In the Signs, however, the Donkey also brought a Mohawk Indian into the New Pact because with Three Eyes you exclude no one from you vision.
Step 29 - Nevertheless, Sefer Mishnat Haim speaks much less about the Tradition of Islam because we are in the Tradition of the Torah, not in the Tradition of the Koran. That Tradition derives from the blessings of God to Ishmael and is thus rooted in the Torah but it is also a separated Tradition as Ishmael was separated from the house of Abraham. They were separated physically but, as taught me at length by the Tzadik Haim, Ishmael continued to love his father and Abraham continued to love Ishmael. So too in the time of the FR, the two traditions do not impede true sentiments of love and brotherhood between Jews and Moslems.
Step 30 - The Islamic Tradition, on the other hand, luckily I would say, is not properly involved in the Messianic Signs that derive from the RESH of the name ASHER. The Koranic Tradition of Mohhamed is separated from the Messianic Signs because these are part of the Torah Tradition. Not so Christianity which believes itself to be within the framework of the true Messianic Tradition of the Torah and of Prophets. And it is properly here between the RESH of the name ASHER and the ALIF of the final EHEYE that the Tablets of Leviathan become so large.


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RIP Nexus Player: Google confirms end of the road for Android TV box
Google has confirmed the Android TV-powered Nexus Player will not be updated with the forthcoming Android P release.
The company told Android Police the discontinued set-top box won't be privy to the update, which has only been confirmed for Google Pixel phones thus far.
This news was expected. Google hasn't sold the device since the summer of 2016, but it'll still be a blow to those who've picked it up previously.
The 2014 Nexus Player joins the 2015 Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P on the scrapheap. The Pixel C tablet will not graduate beyond the Android Oreo operating system either.
Related: Android P
Of course, Oreo will still work on all of the aforementioned devices. Those outside of the Google ecosystem are used to running phones on older operating systems so it's unlikely to be that big a deal.
Whether Google plans to release the Nexus player with a Pixel-branded Android TV device remains to be seen. However a potential reference to the sequel has been found sitting within the Android source code.
Android P details coming soon
Android P will be fully revealed at Google I/O in May.
The developer preview is currently out in the wild, showing support for cutout (or 'notch') displays as well as new tools designed for devices with multiple cameras.
Notification improvements are also coming with threaded conversation views and quick replies now available. Images will also appear within these notifications.
We'll also see support for the HDR V9 standard, as well as new indoor positioning tech.
Are you sad to see the Nexus Player go the way of the dodo? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.


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If you ever worry whether as an expat you can make an impression on your newly adopted culture, take inspiration from Herbert Kilpin. He started life above a Nottingham shop and founded a sporting titan. Meet the "King of Milan"
Find homes in Italy via our property portal.
Both Italy and Britain have a rich history of playing and supporting "the beautiful game" – football – that has been intertwined at both domestic and international levels for many years. This shared passion enables football-loving British expats to immerse themselves in the Italian football culture. Despite this sporting bond, however, the true extent of the two nation's footballing ties is not common knowledge. To shed some light on this we need to dig deep into the archives.
Kilpin came up with the idea for the red and black kit, saying "We will be a team of devils. Our colours are red as fire and black as the fear of our opponents"
In Italian football history, there is an English gentleman that is often referred to as "the father of Italian football" and "the Lord of Milan". In his homeland almost no-one has heard of him. After years of obscurity in England, however, there are finally plans to honour his memory on the centenary of his death, by erecting a plaque on the house where he was born and raised in Nottingham.
Herbert Kilpin's colourful life
Herbert Kilpin was born on the 24th January 1870 above the family butchers shop in Nottingham. Upon leaving school he went to work in a local lace factory, during which time he cut his teeth on the football pitch for a youth team called Nottingham Reds Garibaldi. The red shirts worn by Kilpin and his team mates evoked those of the troops led by Giuseppe Garibaldi, the hero of Italian unification, who had travelled to the UK in 1864 to visit Nottingham MP and industrialist Charles Seely.
In 1891 Kilpin went to Turin to work for Edoardo Bosio, an Italian-Swiss textile merchant with links to Nottingham lace manufacturing. In the same year Bosio founded Internazionale Torino, believed to be the first Italian football club. Kilpin played for the team but in 1898 left Turin and settled in Milan with fellow Englishman Samuel Richard Davies.
On 16th December 1899, in Via Brechet 1, not far from the Milan's Duomo Piazza, the duo were among the charter members that formed the AC Milan Football and Cricket Club. At the time their main aim was to build a team that could beat Genoa; little did they know that it would become one of the most famous and successful clubs in the world.
Kilpin came up with the idea for the red and black colours for the kit; a deep red like the brick houses in Nottingham and black like the wooden beams. The club coined the phrase "We will be a team of devils. Our colours are red as fire and black as the fear of our opponents". The gossip of the time recalls that Kilpin was a keen smoker and drinker of whisky, and that on his wedding day he left his Italian wife to go play a match in Genoa.
As well as founding the club and being a driving force behind it, Kilpin also served as player-manager. He retired from the game in 1899 because the Italian football federation were against non-Italians playing.
He died on 22nd October 1916, and his humble resting place on the outskirts of Milan was left forgotten, until it was tracked down by a football historian. Following a petition, Kilpin was inducted into the Famedio, the main building of the graveyard, where the tombs of the city's most illustrious sons and daughters are located.
Memorabilia goes to auction
The only known copy of the statutes of the "Milan Football & Cricket Club", printed in 1900, is due to go up for auction on 14th December. It has a starting price of €40,000, but it is estimated to reach €120,000. The 16-page booklet sets out a series of corporate rules and fees of the underwriters, with the names of the club president and directors on the front, including Kilpin.
The face of this Englishman can be seen on banners and scarves at the San Siro Stadium.
The Book
A book has been written about the life of Herbert Kilpin. "The Lord of Milan" is written by Robert Nieri, a UK resident of Italian decent. On 26th October, the anniversary of Kilpin's death, Nieri came to Milan to pay tribute to his hero and promote the book's launch at the University of Nottingham, in the presence of Kilpin's descendants. Nieri also intends to write a children's version of the book, so that they can learn how someone from such humble beginnings managed to fulfil his dreams. As Nieri says, "…with determination and effort, you can get everything."
In Kilpin's honour
The post office in Milan issued a special postmark in Kilpin's honour last month, and people visiting the World Museum in Milan received a free celebratory postcard. The face of this Englishman with the handsome long moustache can also be seen on banners and scarves at the San Siro Stadium, as a symbol of the clubs history. The building where the club was first founded is now a club shop.
Though not lauded to the same extent as in Milan, Kilpin hasn't been completely forgotten in his hometown of Nottingham, where a bus and a pub frequented by local football fans have been named after him. Perhaps most fittingly, youth teams can now compete for the Herbert Kilpin Cup in the area close to where Kilpin lived and played football as a child. Humble tributes to one of the towns previously forgotten sons – "the Lord of Milan".


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Chris Alexander
Age: 48
Background: A former diplomat, Mr. Alexander joined the federal Tories by winning a Toronto-area battleground riding in 2011. As Stephen Harper's immigration minister, he oversaw sweeping and controversial changes to Canadian residency requirements and dual-citizenship laws. In the Harper government's final months, he came under heavy criticism for Ottawa's handling of the Syrian refugee crisis and a "barbaric cultural practices" tip line proposed by him and one of his current leadership rivals, Kellie Leitch.
Notable policies: Mr. Alexander touts immigration as the key to economic growth, pledging to increase Canada's intake of immigrants to a maximum of 400,000 new arrivals a year.
More reading: Alexander 'flat-footed' on refugee crisis
Maxime Bernier
Age: 54
Background: Mr. Bernier left the investment world in 2006 to run for the Conservatives as a star candidate in Quebec. He held several cabinet roles in Mr. Harper's government, including foreign affairs minister, a post he resigned after a scandal over classified files he left at the home of his then-girlfriend, Julie Couillard, who had ties to members of the Hells Angels biker gang.
Notable policies: A die-hard libertarian, Mr. Bernier has promised to dismantle Canada's supply-management system for dairy and poultry, break Quebec's maple-syrup cartel and open the airline industry to foreign ownership. His policies and appeal in Quebec got an endorsement from former leadership candidate Kevin O'Leary, who dropped out of the race on April 26 to back Mr. Bernier for leader.
More reading: Bernier: "I won't change. I want my platform to be the platform of the Conservative Party of Canada" (for subscribers)
Steven Blaney
Age: 51
Background: An engineer and environmental consultant, Mr. Blaney ran for the Tories in 2006 in Quebec, later becoming president of the Quebec Conservative caucus. In 2011, he was promoted to veterans afairs minister and later public safety minister, implementing the anti-terrorism laws that followed the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill.
Notable policies: Mr. Blaney has promised to ban women from wearing the niqab at citizenship ceremonies and polling stations, doubling down on a Harper-era policy that the courts struck down after a legal challenge by Pakistani-Canadian Zunera Ishaq.
Michael Chong
Age: 45
Background: A veteran Progressive Conservative who joined the merged Conservative Party in 2004, Mr. Chong was intergovernmental affairs minister in Stephen Harper's first cabinet, but quit in protest over Mr. Harper's motion recognizing the Québécois as a nation within Canada. As a backbencher, he championed the Reform Act, a private member's bill to give caucuses more power to challenge party leaders. An amended version of his bill passed in 2015.
Notable policies: Mr. Chong has made climate change the centrepiece of his leadership campaign, promising to introduce a revenue-neutral carbon tax.
More reading: Why a Tory leadership candidate backs carbon taxes (for subscribers)
Kellie Leitch
Age: 46
Background: A former pediatric surgeon, Ms. Leitch entered federal politics in a 2010 nomination race in the riding of Simcoe-Grey. In cabinet, she held the labour and status of women portfolios. In the 2015 election, she and one of her current leadership rivals, Chris Alexander, attracted controversy by announcing a "barbaric cultural practices" tip line.
Notable policies: Ms. Leitch has invited comparisons with Donald Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric with her plan to screen newcomers for "Canadian values." She also wants to dismantle the CBC and crack down on environmental activism with new legal penalties for "illegal interference" in natural-resources development.
More reading: Values test could apply to white supremacists, Leitch says in wake of Quebec mosque attack
Pierre Lemieux
Age: 53
Background: After a 20-year military career, Mr. Lemieux entered politics in 2006 as an Ontario Conservative MP. He was parliamentary secretary to Erin O'Toole, one of his current rivals for the Tory leadership, when he was veterans affairs minister.
Notable policies: A social conservative, Mr. Lemieux opposes same-sex marriage and wants to reopen the abortion debate in Parliament.
Deepak Obhrai
Age: 66
Background: Mr. Obhrai entered federal conservative politics with the Reform Party in the 1990s, following its transformations into the Canadian Alliance and Conservative Party in the 2000s. Mr. Obhrai held parliamentary secretary roles for the foreign affairs and international co-operation ministers.
Notable policies: Mr. Obhrai, a Tanzanian-born Hindu who immigrated to Canada in the 1970s, has blamed the Conservatives' 2015 loss on anti-immigration rhetoric and says a new approach could turn the party's image around.
More reading: Why Obhrai thinks he can lead the party back
Erin O'Toole
Age: 44
Background: Mr. O'Toole served in the Canadian Armed Forces for a decade before practicing law. He was briefly the veteran affairs minister, inheriting the contentious portfolio from Julian Fantino as the Harper government tried to mend relations with veterans' groups over cuts to services and benefits. The Ontario MP unsuccessfully ran for interim leader of the party after the 2015 election, and served as opposition critic for public safety. Mr. O'Toole's father, John, represented the same riding at the provincial level.
Notable policies: Mr. O'Toole wants to address youth underemployment and student debt through targeted tax credits. His immigration policy would restructure the Temporary Foreign Worker and Provincial Nominee programs.
More reading: For Erin O'Toole, a chance to win by being No. 2
Rick Peterson
Age: 62
Background: Mr. Peterson is the only candidate currently in the race who hasn't held political office. In 2014, he failed in a bid to become leader of the B.C. Conservative Party. He has deep roots to the Conservative Party, having been an active member since the mid-1980s. Mr. Peterson is fluently bilingual and runs his own business in Vancouver.
Notable policies: He opposes any type of values test for citizenship but would like to implement tiered security screening and increased terrorist surveillance. He would also like to eliminate all corporate income taxes.
Lisa Raitt
Age: 49
Background: Prior to working in politics, Ms. Raitt was an executive at the Toronto Port Authority. She has represented the Greater Toronto Area riding of Milton since 2008. When the Tories were in power, she managed multiple cabinet portfolios, including transport, where she became Ottawa's point person on the deadly Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013. While in the opposition, she served as the party's finance critic.
Notable policies: Ms. Raitt plans to introduce balanced budgets, repeal carbon pricing legislation and prioritize the development of Canada's natural resources.
More reading:Lisa Raitt on running for leader as husband battles Alzheimer's
Andrew Saxton
Age: 53
Background: Mr. Saxton represented the riding of North Vancouver for seven years before losing his seat in the 2015 federal election. Prior to being an MP, he was a businessman who worked in global finance. He was parliamentary secretary for multiple cabinet portfolios: the Treasury Board president, minister of Western Economic Diversification and minister of finance.
Notable policies: Mr. Saxton is running on an economic platform of lower taxes and balanced budgets.
Andrew Scheer
Age: 37
Background: Mr. Scheer is the youngest leadership candidate but has spent nearly his entire adult life in politics, having served as a Saskatchewan MP since 2004. He has no prior experience in cabinet, but did serve as House Speaker for four years, the youngest person ever to hold that office. Mr. Scheer currently has the most support from within his own caucus, with 23 MPs and six senators endorsing him.
Notable policies: Mr. Scheer is running on a fiscally conservative platform, promising to balance the federal budget in two years, open up the airline industry to foreign competition and create tax exemptions for parents of students in independent schools and parents collecting Employment Insurance benefits.
More reading: Why Andrew Scheer could be the next Conservative Party leader
Brad Trost
Age: 43
Background: Mr. Trost, a Saskatchewan native, worked as a geophysicist before being elected to the House in 2004. In opposition, he was the Conservative critic for Canada/U.S. Relations. He is a staunch fiscal and social conservative who is against marriage equality and abortion.
Notable policies: Mr. Trost promises to vote for anti-abortion bills or motions in Parliament and wants a bill to outlaw sex-selective abortion. On immigration, he wants to suspend entry to Canada from "countries or regions that support, encourage or harbour terrorists or Islamic extremism."
Who's dropped out?
Tony Clement
Why he dropped out: Mr. Clement dropped out of the race in October, 2016 prior to the first leadership debate. He cited an inability to meet the fundraising goals that he had set for himself when he started his campaign
Who he supports now: Mr. Clement threw his support behind Mr. Bernier in December in part because of the latter's willingness to take on Canada's agricultural lobby.
Kevin O'Leary
Why he dropped out: Mr. O'Leary, the TV star who many presumed to the front-runner at the time, dropped out of the race on April 26, a month before the convention. He said his decision was based on an estimation that he could not win the 2019 election due to a lack of support in Quebec.
Who he supports now: Mr. O'Leary is backing Mr. Bernier primarily because of the Quebec MP's potential to deliver results in his home province. The two have been campaigning together ahead of the convention.
What happens next?
Leadership race: The party elects its new leader in Toronto on May 27. The deadline for new members to join the party and be eligible to vote for the leader passed on March 28.
The old leader: Mr. Harper won't be attending the convention where his successor will be chosen in order to give the new leader an "opportunity to shine."
The current leader: Rona Ambrose, the party's interim leader, plans to resign her Commons seat when the House begins it summer break. She's leaving politics to join a Washington-based think tank, the Wilson Center's Canada Institute, where she'll work on Canada-U.S. trade issues.
With reports from Globe staff and The Canadian Press
Photos: The Canadian Press, Reuters, Ben Nelms for the Globe and Mail, Gloria Nieto for The Globe and Mail


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Gankra Skull Charm - by 3DKitbash.com
This is a fast-printing skull charm of Gankra! One of the three monsters that you can buy here: http://www.3DKitbash.com/monsters - Be very careful, they're cranky!Toys
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This is a fast-printing skull charm of GANKRA! He's one of three articulated Monsters by 3DK Toys that prints support-free. You can buy the full monster .STLs here:http://www.3DKitbash.com/monsters
This little charm features a print-in-place, articulated jaw, and is ready to impress! Do you need a demonic keychain for Halloween? How's about a satanic looking cheetoh? Or what about just making something that would be incredibly painful to step on??? - GANKRA has you covered on all these fronts!
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Former 'The Daily Show' host Jon Stewart got heated while speaking to members of Congress about extending health care funding for the 9/11 first responders on Tuesday.
Stewart appeared before lawmakers from a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday to advocate for the permanent funding of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.
"As I sit here today, I can't help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting health care and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to," Stewart said in his opening remarks. "Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders; and in front of me, a nearly empty Congress."
"It's an embarrassment to the country and a stain on the institution and you should be ashamed of yourselves, for those who aren't here, but you won't be because accountability doesn't appear to be something that occurs in this chamber," he said.
The next day, legislation permanently authorizing the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously.


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On the last edition of The Voice of Europe radio program, we extensively covered the "debate" that took place in the joint meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality in the European Parliament[1].
As one can hear in the news report, or see in the full video of the debate[2], only one individual in the chamber (the only man in there besides the chair) actually said that it is not the job of the politicians to decide who sits or who should sit on a boardroom of a private company. All the others engaged in a pat-each-other on the back competition, which is, in fact, the preferred activity in the EU. It even has a name: "the community method" – in which basically the consensus is forced upon individuals.
The proposal of the European Commission (drafted by our old friend Viviane Reding[3]) basically states that the EU should have the right to sanction private companies if they don't have at least 40% women in their boardrooms. At first, it was only about companies listed in the stock market but, as one can see in the "debate" – it's about literally any company, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In other words, if you are a man and have a small company with two other men, you must employ at least one woman and put her in the boardroom, otherwise, the EU may eventually shut you down. That is, of course, provided that the recession generated by the economic prison of the Euro won't shut you down or that she won't file ludicrous sexual harassment charges and make you pay her enough money to lead your small company to bankruptcy.
In Eastern Europe, in late 1940s, the same thing was introduced by the Soviet Union (only it was about "the proletariat" and not women) and soon after the complete nationalization of the economy happened.
Moreover, the initial proposal of the European Commission contained a provision according to which companies that had less than 10% of the underrepresented sex should be exempted from this measure[4], therefore admitting that forcing construction companies to hire more women or nursery homes to hire more men is just not going to work.
However, the aforementioned joint meeting established that this provision should be eliminated through Amendment 8 [5] because heaven forbid someone might be able to avoid being screwed by the Eurocracy. Their justification for this is this:
Exempting branches just because they are dominated by one gender would consolidate such one-sided gender domination
All companies must comply with the obligation of enhancing gender-balance and therefore, no exemption should be foreseen. Particularly, the Directive offers to all companies flexibility in adopting adequate procedures, fitting the needs of their sector. Finally, non-executive directors usually perform supervisory tasks and give input on general management tasks which are not directly linked to sectoral issues.
See how this goes? Forcing companies to conduct their business according to the feminist principles of equality of outcome is not Soviet-style authoritarianism – but it's "offering flexibility" to the businesses. Up is down. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is knowledge.
In the documentary Hjernevask (Brainwash), the former Norwegian Commissioner of Equality of Opportunity, Kristin Mile, tasked to try this kind of social engineering in Norway explains clearly that whatever the State tried (including coercion, like the EU wants to try now) only lasted for one or two years, and after that, the businesses either closed down, moved into another country, or just simply started to break the law and allow the natural tendencies of individuals to manifest themselves[6]. The Norwegian "egalitarian" State tried for decades to force more men to enter into nursery and more women to enter into engineering and construction. It didn't work. And it will never work. Men and women are inherently different and will inherently want to work in different fields, regardless of what the gender ideologues or the bureaucrats from Brussels or Oslo believe.
Basically, the final form which will reach to a vote in the European Parliament this fall openly states that women must be preferred over men, even if the objective reality suggests otherwise.
Also, to say that non-executive directors usually perform supervisory tasks and give input on general management tasks which are not directly linked to sectoral issues is simply incorrect. The chief of a construction site, for instance, is a non-executive director. How can someone correctly manage a construction site if that person never actually worked in the field? Well, according to the European Union, it doesn't matter.
The original proposal of the Commission tried to have a little common sense embedded in it, albeit only marginally – but the joint meeting eliminated all that. For instance, the original proposal stated that:
In order to attain the objective laid down in paragraph 1 [that is to have 40% women on boards – author's note], Member States shall ensure that, in the selection of non-executive directors, priority shall be given to the candidate of the under-represented sex if that candidate is equally qualified as a candidate of the other sex in terms of suitability, competence and professional performance, unless an objective assessment taking account of all criteria specific to the individual candidates tilts the balance in favour of the candidate of the other sex.
However, the part in italic was removed[8] claiming that it's redundant. Well, it might be redundant in the La-La Land in which the MEPs seem to live. But in the real world, if you have to choose between a pregnant woman and a single man, one will choose the latter. And this is for the simple reason that the labor laws in Europe entitle the woman to an up to three years of maternity leave – during which the company must still pay taxes for her, save her job, and the company is also obligated by the law to receive her back after three years, upgrade her salary to the level from that time (but not downgrade it – in case things go wrong during her three year vacation!) and grant her the benefits as if she worked in the past three years (that is paid vacation days) – in other words, another two to three months of vacation paid directly by the company.
For an SME, these kinds of provisions are impossible to meet.
Another provision of the European Commission's proposal, in the Article 4, paragraph 2, states that[9]:
The number of non-executive director positions necessary to meet the objective laid down in paragraph 1 shall be the number closest to the proportion of 40 per cent, but not exceeding 49 per cent.
By this standard, if the board of an SME has two men and one woman, then the "objective" and the "progress" is attained. However, after this joint meeting, the provision became[10]:
"The number of non-executive director positions necessary to meet the objective laid down in paragraph 1 shall be at least 40 per cent.
Therefore, by this standard, an SME must fire one of the men and hire a woman otherwise the EU will come and shut the SME down in 2017. Is anyone still in doubt as to whether the EU is up to ruin economies through promoting female superiority?
This measure, if approved by the European Parliament in the next plenary, will hurt the remaining struggling SMEs, take the level of institutionalized misandry to a whole new level and will eventually backfire against competent women as well – for the simple reason that the competence of every single female manager will be put into question when negotiating (both internally and externally), given the likelihood enshrined in the law that they might not have ended up there by virtue of their merit, but by virtue of their sex.
The European Union is already de-industrialized and recession is hitting more and more countries. This measure will just make more companies move their business outside the EU (Ukraine and Serbia are increasingly attractive in this regard) or shut down their operations completely. And, more importantly, the national governments won't be able to do anything to prevent this because if this becomes a directive, the national government is coerced to adopt it in the national law.
This Friday, on the Voice of Europe, we will discuss this measure thoroughly and come up with ideas as to what individual MRAs can do in order to stop this. One might want to check the list of feminist MEPs and prepare to start writing letters.
This is not a joke! The economic freedom of men and women living in the European Union is in serious danger!
[1] http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avoiceformen/2013/07/12/the-voice-of-europe-prostitution – The news report starts from 30:50
[2] http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ep-live/en/committees/video?event=20130709-1115-COMMITTEE-JURI-FEMM – Full video of the joint meeting
[3] http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/feminist-lies-feminism/eus-feminist-crusader-never-stops/
[4] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0614:FIN:en:PDF Full text : European Commission's proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving the gender balance among non-executive directors of companies listed on stock exchanges and related measures – p. 25, paragraph 6
[5] http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/cj02/dt/938/938160/938160en.pdf – Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality in the European Parliament – Working Document – p. 6
[6] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiSWqwWbFEg – Hjernevask – Likestillingsparadokset (Brainwash – The Gender Equality Paradox) – Full episode. Kristin Mile's explanations start at 4:20 (in Norwegian)
[7] op. cit. Proposal – p. 24, Article 4, paragraph 3
[8] op. cit. Working Document – p.6, amendment 7
[9] op. cit. Proposal – p. 24, Article 4, paragraph 2
[10] op. cit. Working Document – p.5, amendment 5


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Here Are SEVENTEEN's Vernon And Joshua's Favorite Bags That Cost Over $3K
While the average person spends anywhere from $20-300 USD on a single bag, SEVENTEEN's Joshua and Vernon flexed by revealing their favorite ones were well over $1,000 USD.
The "2 MINUS 1" duo sat down with Vogue Korea to reveal what was in their bags but couldn't do so without sharing the bags in question. Joshua was happy to show off his "first expensive bag" that he wore every day for three years, wearing it so much that it had scratches on its buckle.
The Saddle Bag is made by the luxury French brand Dior. Joshua's bag is in the color Black Dior Oblique Jacquard and sells for a nice $3,400 USD. Like Joshua, Vernon also had expensive taste.
While Joshua had his bag for three years, Vernon purchased his backpack less than a year ago. Since his previous backpack "got drenched in rain," Vernon decided to upgrade to something that would prevent that from happening again.
Being stylish yet practical, Vernon purchased his backpack from the Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta. He chose the Medium Waterproof Leather Backpack that sells for $3,450 USD.
Although their bags come with hefty price tags, the quality seems to be worth the price. Joshua's bag looks nearly brand new even after three years of constant use.
Watch Vernon and Joshua share the details on their favorite luxury bags they wear daily.


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El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures. The common goals of all Día programming are to:


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Informal caregivers worldwide are faced with the dilemma of maintaining their health and meeting the caregiving demands of their loved ones. This study explores the health outcomes of caregiving, caregivers' health-promoting practices and the challenges to providing care among caregivers to children orphaned by AIDS in southwest Uganda. A descriptive design and interview questionnaires were used to collect data from 204 caregivers. The average age of the caregivers was 41.36 (±10.9) years and most of them (53%) were grandmothers to the orphans. The majority (65%) of the caregivers were caring for at least three orphans, had been in the caregiver role for more than five years (61%), and stated that their health had been negatively impacted by caregiving (61%). According to self-reports, the most common new health problems since taking up the caregiving role were chronic ill health (97%), social isolation (95%) and mental stress (92%). The health-promoting practices most often engaged in were eating a balanced diet (67%), seeking spiritual support (58%), and performing self-care activities (44%). The challenges to caregiving most often reported were poverty (88%) and a lack of time to seek personal medical care (59%). The predictors of self-reported poor health among the caregivers were stress (odds ratio [OR] = 3.43; p ≤ 0.01), caring for three or more orphans (OR = 2.19; p ≤ 0.01), female gender (OR = 1.77; p ≤ 0.01), and having spent more than five years as a caregiver to an orphan (OR = 1.35; p ≤ 0.01). The findings suggest that caregivers commonly experience poor health and their health-promoting practices are inadequate. There is a need for organised and formal health-promotion programmes for caregivers of children orphaned by AIDS, especially in rural areas of developing countries. Interventions for health promotion can be achieved through integrated programmes that provide health education, social services, respite from caregiving and counselling.
|Original language
|Pages (from-to)
|Number of pages
|African Journal of AIDS Research
|Issue number
|Publication status
|Published - 2011
- Africa
- Grandmothers
- Health outcomes
- Orphan care
- Quantitative research
- Rural settings
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases


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Trump was sworn in just over three weeks ago. It has felt like months.
There has been a lot of terribleness, but also silver linings. One is the incredible show of resistance to Trump's agenda. It's bigger and more beautiful than I could have imagined. The other is the deluge of interesting articles and essays dissecting every aspect of the Trump administration, but also – and perhaps more importantly – articles challenging us to think critically about the ways we're trying to create change.
Since January 20th, I've had dozens of tabs open with half-read articles and even more bookmarked for later. It has been a lot to take in. I imagine others are feeling the same.
So, I sat down and read all the most interesting articles I've come across and have included a snapshot from 10 of my favorites below.
Our cynicism will not build a movement. Collaboration will.
Author: Alicia Garza
Hundreds of thousands of people are trying to figure out what it means to join a movement. If we demonstrate that to be a part of a movement, you must believe that people cannot change, that transformation is not possible, that it's more important to be right than to be connected and interdependent, we will not win.
If our movement is not serious about building power, then we are just engaged in a futile exercise of who can be the most radical.
This is a moment for all of us to remember who we were when we stepped into the movement — to remember the organizers who were patient with us, who disagreed with us and yet stayed connected, who smiled knowingly when our self-righteousness consumed us.
Think the Women's March wasn't radical enough? Do something about it
Author: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Liberals become radicals through their own frustrating experiences with the system, but also through becoming engaged with people who became radical before them. So when radicals who have already come to some important conclusions about the shortcomings of the existing system mock, deride or dismiss those who have not achieved the same level of consciousness, they are helping no one…
The point isn't to bury our arguments. If we want to win people to more radical politics, we must learn how to make our arguments while operating in political arenas that aren't just our own… We must do a better job at facilitating debate, discussion and argument so that we talk about how to build the kind of movement we want. But endless social media critiques with no commitment to diving into that struggle for the kind of movement we want is not a serious approach.
How to Maintain Your Sanity During Politically Insane Times
Author: Deborah L. Davis, Ph.D.
- Walk the middle ground between complacency and hysteria.
- Don't succumb to clickbait.
- Slow down your quest for information.
- Limit your screen time.
- Expand your advocacy beyond Facebook.
- Post responsibly.
- Spend your energy wisely.
- Don't cave into your baser instincts.
- Seek out ways to buoy your spirits.
- Excel in life.
The big lesson of Trump's first 2 weeks: resistance works
Author: Matthew Yglesias
The main concrete victories of resistance thus far are:
- House Republicans abandoned a plan to gut the Congressional Ethics Office.
- The Trump administration abandoned a plan to cancel Affordable Care Act enrollment advertising.
- The VA was granted an exemption from Trump's hiring freeze.
- 500,000 green card holders were granted exemption from Trump's immigration orders.
- The Department of Defense has secured permission to grant exemptions to the ban for Iraqis who work with the US military.
- Most dual citizens (Germans, most recently) seem to be getting exemptions from the Trump ban.
- A House Republican plan for a massive sell-off of public lands has been canceled.
Those walkbacks do not, unfortunately, change the reality that Trump's cruel new approach to immigration will continue to hurt people. The threat to the health insurance of millions remains real.
But this is still a remarkable amount for a new president to need to walk back in his first 10 days in office.
A 10-point plan to stop Trump and make gains in justice and equality
Author: George Lakey
- Recognize that we represent the majority, not Trump.
- Strengthen civic institutions and their connections with targeted populations.
- Play offense, not defense.
- Link campaigns to build movements.
- Link movements to create a movement of movements.
- Avoid one-off demonstrations.
- Heighten the contrast in confrontations between the campaigners' behavior and our right-wing opponents.
- Aim to unite around a vision for justice, equality and freedom.
- Make the vision more real by extending new economy institutions and coops.
- See U.S. polarization as opportunity.
'Data-Driven' Campaigns Are Killing the Democratic Party
Author: Dave Gold
For four straight election cycles, Democrats have ignored research from the fields of cognitive linguistics and psychology that the most effective way to communicate with other humans is by telling emotional stories. Instead, the Democratic Party's affiliates and allied organizations in Washington have increasingly mandated "data-driven" campaigns instead of ones that are message-driven and data-informed. And over four straight cycles, Democrats have suffered historic losses.
We Democrats have allowed microtargeting to become microthinking. Each cycle, we speak to fewer and fewer people and have less and less to say. We all know the results: the loss of 63 seats and control of the House, the loss of 11 seats and control of the Senate, the loss of 13 governorships, the loss of over 900 state legislative seats and control of 27 state legislative chambers.
Yet despite losses on top of losses, we have continued to double down on data-driven campaigns at the expense of narrative framing and emotional storytelling.
The Labor Movement Must Learn These Lessons From the Election
Author: D.D. Guttenplan (interview with Jane McAlevey)
The Nation: What's your critique of advocacy?
McAlevey: That it can't win any serious fight. It can win a small gain. There's a role for advocacy, there's a role for mobilizing, and there's a role for organizing. There's even a role for charity…
It's just that the key argument I'm making in the book [is that] to win the hardest fights—like to win a presidential race, to reclaim the United States of America at the statehouse level, to actually tame global capital—we cannot rely on advocacy and mobilizing to do it, because they surrender the most important and only weapon that ordinary people have ever had, which is large numbers.
People think when they go out to a protest, "Hey, that's large numbers." I went to Occupy—wasn't that a lot of people? That's what we all think.
Question one: What people were there? Question two: Did we do a power analysis that told us what it would take to actually occupy Wall Street in a significant way?
It isn't just "Can we get some people to a rally?" It's who are we getting to a rally, it's who got them to the rally, and it's how long can we sustain the rally? That's a really, really fundamental difference. Are ordinary Americans in large numbers turning out to challenge Wall Street? Or are a handful of the most predictable, sane, wonderful, and lovely people that we see at every rally—the same ones—back on the steps of Wall Street? That's not doing it.
Organizing is about base expansion. We have to significantly expand the base of people in this country who are standing with us, from which we then mobilize. That's what we've stopped doing since about the early 1970s.
The Nation: You also talk about the difference between activists and leaders. I think that's pertinent in the same way.
McAlevey: Yeah, it's absolutely crucial. Mobilizing is an activist-driven approach. Activists are the already converted who are not full-time professionals, or it could be full-time professionals in the movement—either one—but it's people who are already with us…
The problem is, our numbers aren't great enough anymore, because we've let our base wither for about 45 years. At the same time progressive movements were shifting from grassroots organizing to an activist-centric and staff-centric mobilizing model, the right wing in the 1970s—starting with Phyllis Schlafly [defeating] the Equal Rights Amendment—began to build a huge grassroots base.
A Yale history professor's powerful, 20-point guide to defending democracy under a Trump presidency
Author: Timothy Snyder
- Do not obey in advance.
- Defend an institution.
- Recall professional ethics.
- When listening to politicians, distinguish certain words.
- Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.
- Be kind to our language.
- Stand out.
- Believe in truth.
- Investigate.
- Practice corporeal politics.
- Make eye contact and small talk.
- Take responsibility for the face of the world.
- Hinder the one-party state.
- Give regularly to good causes, if you can.
- Establish a private life.
- Learn from others in other countries.
- Watch out for the paramilitaries.
- Be reflective if you must be armed.
- Be as courageous as you can.
- Be a patriot.
In Venezuela, we couldn't stop Chávez. Don't make the same mistakes we did.
Author: Andrés Miguel Rondón
Don't forget who the enemy is: Never forget that you're that enemy. Trump needs you to be the enemy, just like all religions need a demon. A scapegoat. "But facts!" you'll say, missing the point entirely.
Show no contempt: The worst you can do is bundle moderates and extremists together and think that America is divided between racists and liberals.
Don't try to force him out: In Venezuela, the opposition focused on trying to reject the dictator by any means possible — when we should have just kept pointing out how badly Chávez's rule was hurting the very people he claimed to be serving.
Find a counterargument: It took opposition leaders 10 years to figure out that they needed to actually go to the slums and the countryside. Not for a speech or a rally, but for a game of dominoes or to dance salsa — to show they were Venezuelans, too, that they weren't just dour scolds and could hit a baseball, could tell a joke that landed.
[Note from Matt: I feel this article misses the mark whith its definition of 'populism'. The larger points remain thought provoking, so it's included here.]
It may only take 3.5% of the population to topple a dictator – with civil resistance
Author: Erica Chenoweth
At no time in recorded history have people been more equipped to effectively resist injustice using civil resistance.
Today, those seeking knowledge about the theory and practice of civil resistance can find a wealth of information at their fingertips. In virtually any language, one can find training manuals, strategy-building tools, facilitation guides and documentation about successes and mistakes of past nonviolent campaigns.
Material is available in many formats, including graphic novels, e-classes, films and documentaries, scholarly books, novels, websites, research monographs, research inventories, and children's books. And of course, the world is full of experienced activists with wisdom to share…
Crucially, nonviolent resistance works not by melting the heart of the opponent but by constraining their options. A leader and his inner circle cannot pass and implement policies alone. They require cooperation and obedience from many people to carry out plans and policies.
Two additional articles worth mentioning are "Trial Balloon for a Coup?" and "The Data That Turned the World Upside Down." Both of these articles spread like wildfire and each had compelling counter-point articles explaining problems with the analysis in each: "Weak and Incompetent Leaders act like Strong Leaders" and "Will the Real Psychometric Targeters Please Stand Up?"
David Frum (How to Build an Autocracy) and Ezra Klein (How to stop an autocracy) also had an interesting back and forth worth highlighting.
Honorable Mention: The Indivisible Guide – An in-depth guide on influencing members of congress, written by former congressional staffers.
Photo Credit: Julia DeSantis