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As part of a new initiative funded by the State of California, Center for Council will partner with
the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), to train LAPD officers in
Council practice and mindfulness. The intensive program, Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy and Resilience (POWER) Training, is the first training of its kind to be certified state-wide for police and correctional officers through POST.
Center for Council's POWER Training features a robust science-based curriculum, supporting the understanding and integration of mindfulness training and compassion-based dialogic practices. This innovative six-month course teaches participants to cultivate an enhanced awareness of themselves and their surroundings, and an ability to acknowledge and articulate thoughts and emotions without immediately reacting to them. These principles aid in decreasing use of force and officer-involved shootings by providing a path to de-escalation that is discerning and compassion-based, rather than reactive.
Through learning the practice of Council and engaging in selected mindfulness activities, participating officers will receive training in wellness-related areas such as stress management and self-care. The course will explore issues of implicit bias, use of force and de-escalation, as well as cultural diversity, and community policing. Officers will meet weekly in "Council Huddles" to explore together the ways the curriculum and weekly mindfulness practices are impacting them.
Center for Council is thrilled to continue to expand our work with law enforcement agencies. The organization is deeply committed to addressing systems where compassion-based practices can positively shift the culture and build a more connected and resilient community for all.
We are very pleased to announce the launch of our newest program: the Organization Wellness Project! Formerly called the Social Justice Council Project, the Organization Wellness Project is designed to serve and strengthen those working on the front lines of social justice in Southern California. This year's project will engage the staff of 10 dynamic organizations from across the region, representing powerful and diverse work within the social justice sphere.
Our new cohort includes these participating organizations:
Esperanza Community Housing Cooperation
Los Angeles Black Workers Center
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance
Haven Hills
Step Up
National Council of Jewish Women
Rainbow Services
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice
Community in Schools of Los Angeles
We are thrilled to be partnering with these 10 wonderful non-profits to help integrate the practices of attentive listening and heartfelt dialogue into their critical and much-needed work. The Council practice has been proven to enhance communication and strengthen connection between individuals, supporting more resilient, creative, and collaborative work environments.
Though the evolution of the Organizational Wellness Project, Center for Council continues to support mindful communication and authentic, non-judgmental dialogue, helping build internal cohesion within staff, as well as more dynamic engagement with the communities that organizations serve. Non-profits selected for this cohort will participate in a series of on-site community-building experiences, coupled with immersive Council training for a select internal team. Center for Council will also provide mentoring and hands-on support as the site team integrates the practice of Council into each organization's culture and operations.
"We're so excited to be partnering with a diverse group of remarkable organization in this round of the program," says Executive Director, Jared Seide. "We've learned so much about really listening to our participating sites' needs, and customizing our work to their unique culture, ethos and approach. The practice of Council truly strengthens Center for Council as an organization--and it's inspiring to see how nourishing the practice can be for our partners!"
The Organization Wellness Project is made possible through the generous support of The Angell Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Organizational Wellness Project.
A Family in Council
It wasn't until a year after getting involved in the Inmate Council Program that I mentioned Council to my family; and that was only because I was invited to speak at Center for Council's Social Justice Council Project celebration via speakerphone. Before the event all my family knew about Council was that it was a group that I attended on Tuesday nights and that the program was helping me make significant changes in my attitude and my outlook.
That event was where my family experienced first-hand exactly what I did each Tuesday night in the Delta Yard Chapel. They got to sit in Council circles; they shared stories about their lives; they learned about The Four Intentions that setup the foundation for the Council practice: speak from the heart, listen from the heart, be spontaneous, be lean of expression. They listened to the stories of other participants sitting in the circle and heard so many similarities to their own narratives. At the end of the day, my family walked away with a better understanding of what it was that I was doing, and they had so many questions for me: "Why didn't you tell us about this thing that you do?" "Do you know all of these people?" "How do we get involved?" "Can we do Council too?" They didn't' know that Center for Council existed outside of the prison setting.
From that day forward, in most of the conversations that I had with my wife, Jolene, there was some mention of Council. After witnessing how much Council had changed my outlook and behaviors, and experiencing the joy she felt after engaging with the practice herself, Jolene joined the Trainer Leadership Initiative. And because we both were now involved in the program, we would discuss how we would practice Council with our kids during their visit to Salinas Valley State Prison. Jolene and I were started using Council techniques when we'd talk with each other; we weren't arguing like we used to. We were actually listening to each other, paying attention to each other, and before we knew it, our marriage improved. We couldn't wait to have a Council with the kids. When we finally did, it brought our family closer together.
Our first Council experience as a family was very emotional. After giving the kids a brief description of what Council is and what we would be doing I then placed some pillows on the floor, arranged in a circle, to sit on. And I even left a place for the empty seat. I put a blanket on the floor for our center and now all we needed was a talking piece. There wasn't much to choose from in that family visiting unit so we settled on my daughter's hairbrush and a NERF football. I then went over our prompt and demonstrated the process of making a dedication. After that, we dropped into Council. The conversation began light and lively, and as we shared our story and our truth we began to carry the conversation deeper. Giving our kids the space to talk honestly about what they were experiencing while I was in prison gave me a better understanding of who they were and what they were going through. I was able to look at them with compassion and empathy and actually understand their perspective. It was amazing to actually HEAR their stories. Sitting in that family visiting unit gave us all the time that we needed to explore and address all the issues that we hadn't had a chance to talk about. And, because Jolene and I knew how to navigate all the emotions that were coming up, holding this family Council was very restorative. It didn't matter that we were in a family visiting unit, in that moment that space was sacred.
We still have Council as a family, and when we can't sit in the circle because of time or space, we always try to use the Four Intentions as a guide in our everyday conversations. We know how to give each other our full attention.
Center for Council is partnering with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the University of Southern California to host a series of public screenings and panel discussions exploring ways to build bridges between seemingly disparate groups. Bringing together international peace builders, policy makers, formerly incarcerated individuals, and law enforcement officers, these events will focus on rising above the polarizing views of "us and them" to create a healthier and more compassionate society at-large.
The first event in the series, hosted at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles on March 14, 2019, 6:30pm, at 6505 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, will begin with a screening of Center for Council's short documentary: Cops and Communities: Circling Up. The film, an insider's look at the organization's most recent project of the same name, documents a gathering of law enforcement officers, community activists, and formerly incarcerated individuals, meeting for the first time, searching to find commonality amidst their diverse backgrounds. As the participants share stories from their lives and listen to the stories of those around them, labels and prejudices yield to a recognition of our shared human journey, former adversaries become allies, and new, deep connections emerge.
After the screening, noted international peace-builder John Paul Lederach, State Senator Holly Mitchell, and Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman will speak on the power of celebrating our common ground and shared humanity. RSVP for this event here.
On March 28, 2019, at 7pm in USC's Ray Stark Theatre, 998, 900 W 34th St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, Center for Council will again screen Cops and Communities: Circling Up. The panel discussion following the film will feature Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries, along with Samuel Escobar, a leader of Center for Council's programming during his incarceration in state prisons, and LAPD Lieutenant Gena Brooks, supervisor of a cohort of officers who have been participating in Center for Council's officer training program. RSVP for this event here.
Each panel will be moderated by Jared Seide, Executive Director of Center for Council.
Bios of panelists:
State Senator Holly Mitchell, was described by the Los Angeles Times as "the legislature's moral compass." Senator Mitchell has proven to be a social justice champion in the state legislature. Her many successes include improving human services, expanding access to healthcare, defending the civil rights of minorities and the undocumented, and reducing the numbers of children growing up in poverty.
John Paul Lederach, Professor Emeritus of International Peacebuilding is an acclaimed author, scholar, and pioneer of Restorative Justice work around the world. Lederach is known for his work in conflict transformation and conciliation work in Colombia, the Philippines, and Nepal, and countries in East and West Africa.
Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman is the Director of Youth Learning and Engagement at Temple Beth Am, providing organizational, educational, and spiritual leadership. As a community activist, he serves as a rabbinic adviser, activist and outreach expert for issues related to LGBT inclusion, Women's issues, and education.
Father Greg Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Father Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame's 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.
Lt. Gena Brooks is Lieutenant in the South Bureau of the Los Angeles Police Department. She was introduced to the practice of Council as part of Center for Council's Wellness and Resiliency Skills Training for law enforcement officers in 2018.
Sam Escobar was introduced to Council as a member of the inaugural Inmate Council Program at Salinas Valley State Prison. Having witnessed the impact of Council in his own life and in the lives of his fellow inmates, as well as in the lives of his family members, he has become passionate about carrying this work into a world in need of connection.
Sam's Story: The Last 120 Days
On April 6, 2018, I was found suitable for parole by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Board of Parole Hearings. The work I had done to transform my perspective and character had paid off. I had no idea that it was after I was granted parole that I would go through the real fire. The last 120 days of my sentence were the hardest, most challenging days of my time in prison. As soon as word got around that I would be out on parole, inmates who had never challenged me before became aggressive toward me. Not because they were bigger or badder than me, but because they knew I had something to lose. They knew that I wouldn't respond to their advances the way that I would have in the past. It was then, as I was walking away from the insults and the challenges, that I realized that I was, in fact, ready for freedom. In all my years in prison, I had never been tested the way that I was during this time. I surprised even myself when I responded to their challenges with empathy and compassion.
Nobody warned me about the anxiety that kicked in as the days turned into weeks and months. When you're granted parole, there is a review process that can take up to 120 days. Your case goes before a review committee and then goes to the Governor for a final decision. Even though you may be granted parole, the decision is not final until the Governor's review, or until the 120 days is up. I went from knowing my release date to not knowing. At any point during the review process, the Governor has the power to reverse or affirm the parole board's decision. And if at any time during the process you get into trouble, that decision could be affected as well. I've never had so much hanging over my head. And still, this wasn't the worst part.
The worst part of my last 120 days was the toll that this waiting period began to take on my family. I had been away for approximately 17 years. I had never been physically present in my children's lives; they were all born while I was incarcerated. The most time that we've ever spent together was in a "family visiting" cottage. Our lives were built around me being in prison. So, although we all were very excited about the news that I'd been granted parole, we had no idea what to expect. All we knew was that there were a lot of changes headed our way and the anticipation made it worse; the slow pace of the review process only added fuel to the fire. We caught ourselves arguing over things that we've never argued about before.
So, there I was, trying to navigate the parole transition period, not doing anything that would jeopardize the parole board's decision, while at the same time trying to handle family life and the anxiety of moving through all of it. There was a point where I began to feel overwhelmed and I decided to just sit in my cell and stay out of the way. I cut myself off from my routine, from the prison world, and in doing so, from some of the things that had been keeping me going in prison. I began to get agitated, angry, and frustrated that things weren't moving along at the pace that I hoped or expected they would.
I am thankful that I had the practice of Council to help me explore and hold all these emotions and unexpected twists and turns that life was throwing at me. As I was facilitating Council circles during this process, there were stories of patience and perseverance coming from my fellow inmates that helped me cope with the issues I was facing in my own life. If I didn't have the skills that I had developed in Council—to find comfort in stillness, an ease in the unknowing, and the ability to listen to the stories of others—I believe I wouldn't have made it through my last 120 days inside. It was in the collective wisdom of the Council circle where I found my strength and peace. It was there in the circle with my brothers where I found my way home.
Council Trainer Feature: Ray Tucker
Ray Tucker is one of Center for Council's senior trainers. A former law enforcement officer, Ray leads Council trainings for incarcerated men in prisons across California as part of our Inmate Council Project. He has also trained numerous professional organizations in the Southern California region, helping them to integrate elements of the Council practice into their company culture. We sat down with Ray to learn a bit more about how he first found the Council practice, and what propelled him to want to become a Council trainer.
Center for Council: What was it that encouraged you to make the shift from working in law enforcement to facilitating Council circles?
Ray Tucker: In January of 1994, I had an experience as a police officer, that no academy ever trains you for. They train you to shoot, but they don't train you to know what it feels like to shoot someone. They cannot prepare you for what that experience is like. For the next five or six months, I wasn't able to talk to anyone about how that incident affected me and impacted my life as a police officer as well as my personal life. I carried that experience with me. My work ethic declined, I started showing up late for work, sometimes I didn't bring my weapon home. There were times when I went to work with no bullets in my gun.
I went through a period of not being able to make decisions in my life, big or small. I couldn't even decide what clothes to wear. I didn't feel like I had a safe place to go to talk about what I was experiencing. I didn't feel like I could share with other officers what I was going through, so I didn't say anything to anybody. About a year later, after much thought, I decided that it wasn't safe for me, or for my fellow officers, to continue working on the force, so I retired.
In 1995, I was looking for an ethnically diverse middle school for my daughter. One of the schools I was considering, Palms, had just started a Council program the year prior, which really interested me. In my research before enrolling her in that school, I had the opportunity to sit in a parents' Council circle. At the end of that Council I felt so connected to the parents and so connected to the school itself. I decided to send her there and join the Council program as an intern to learn how to facilitate Council circles in the school myself. I've been doing Council ever since that time.
What drew you to become a Council trainer?
Since I had retired from law enforcement, I was looking to do something that would make a difference in the lives of young people. A really positive difference.
In addition to the regular parents Council at Palms, all 6th and 8th graders were also participating in Council. I would sit in the classroom and observe the Council circle with students and learn from the experienced facilitator that was leading it. After about two years of interning, I became a co-director of the Council program at Palms.
Did you feel that something shifted in you after that first Council circle, or as you began to understand the practice more?
I don't know if something changed in me, but Council spoke to me. I immediately felt how amazing it was to listen to the stories of others and realize how connected we are even though we don't know one another.
After being involved in Council, I truly believe that, if there had been a program available for officers that allowed them to openly talk about what was going on and what they were going through, I could have stayed in law enforcement. Council would have been an opportunity for me to really verbalize and express what I was actually going through. I think having a program like Council could be so beneficial to officers who might be going through something similar, or might just need a way to be more deeply connected to one another.
What did you daughter think of Council? Did she take to the practice as well?
She took to it immediately. It helped her integrate into the middle school experience in a healthy way. I think Council helped her find her voice and learn about other people in an organic environment. She was able to develop friendships and relationships with people she didn't know before. At that time at the school, it was 30% African American, 30% Caucasian, 30% Hispanic, and 10% other so it was a really rich opportunity for her to learn about other people with other backgrounds.
What was the Council practice like in schools? Did the students enjoy it?
It built a culture of caring amongst the students and a sense of being connected not only to one another but also to the staff and teachers, because the teachers were able to share their stories in the Council circle as well.
One weekend someone sprayed graffiti in the school and when the kids came back and saw it they were really upset about it. The student who had done the graffiti happened to be in my Council circle. We held a Council about the incident, both for the students who were angry about what had happened and for him as well. He was able to come and sit in Council and talk about what he did and why he did it, and it really helped the kids heal around the incident because they were able to hear his story. It was so beneficial for him too, to have the courage to share that story and have his story be accepted by his peers. It was really healing for everyone.
This year's Social Justice Council Project Celebration honored our non-profit partner organizations participating in the Social Justice Council Project. Held at the LA River Center and Gardens, this day-long program explored the impact that Council can have on an individual and a community. It also celebrated what happens when we take time to simply listen to one another without critique and speak from the heart without worrying about how we might be perceived.
Center for Council was thrilled to have so many partner organizations there to celebrate. Staff from participating organizations exchanged stories and ideas about how they are implementing Council into their organizational culture or using it personally, as a way to cultivate compassion for others, find a greater sense of clarity, strengthen their communication skills, and develop a more rooted belief in themselves within the day-to-day.
Hearing how organizations are using Council was an uplifting reminder of how significant the elements of Council truly are, even when practiced outside the circle. Many reported that sitting in Council with their coworkers had brought them immensely closer, and that they are more apt to collaborate with one another on professional projects. One of the most basic elements of the Council practice is the circle in which participants sit to tell their stories and listen to one another. The circle's shape enables each participant to see and be seen, neutralizing normative hierarchies of gender, race, or job title.
It was an impactful day for all of us at Center for Council, to be able to witness our friends—old and new—coming together to share in our mission of fostering individual and communal compassion and empowering heartfelt, honest dialogue to promote collective understanding and resilience.
Before being released from prison, I worried that the world I would be returning to would be a scary place. On my very first day outside, I noticed that most people walking down the sidewalks of LA were looking down at their phone or some type of device that connected them to social media. People didn't take time to look up and acknowledge one another. Nobody was paying attention to what was going on around them; or next to them; or who was behind them at the checkout line at the grocery store.
In prison you learn very quickly to notice EVERYTHING. "Keep your head on a swivel" are words to live by. Paying attention in prison will save your life. Even when you're on the yard playing sports or chess— your attention is never fully on the game. You're scanning the yard from end to end as a lifeguard would a swimming pool, looking for signs of danger. If you see someone digging in the dirt it's likely that he's burying a weapon or pulling one up. If they're digging in their waistband it's likely they're pulling out a weapon or putting one away. You learn to look for the signs. Most of the time the people you're watching are watching you watching them; and the correctional officers watch us all. There is a lot of eye contact in prison, acknowledgement of one another. You really feel noticed. It is even a sign of disrespect to walk past someone without taking the time to acknowledge them in some type of way—a nod of the head, a smile, a hand shake, even a simple hello.
When I joined the Council program I learned about "reading the field" and paying attention to body language and things that were unsaid. What got me the most is that I had already mastered these skills. So when we learned about mindfulness and paying attention to the present moment without judgement, these teachings only reinforced and put into words what I was already doing. After I became a Council facilitator I was applying these tools in a more positive way, to really benefit myself, and they stayed with me for the course of my time in prison. Council enhanced these skills for me, my awareness of what was happening around me deepened. I was NOTICING more. And the more I noticed about the world around me, the more I noticed about myself. What began as a means of survival became a way of life for a different purpose: the bigger picture, the third consciousness, the reason why we do Council, and that has carried over to the way I interact with the free-world.
What I have been encountering out here, though, is that people don't live by the same rule of thumb: sometimes I get weird looks when I say hello, or good morning. Other times people seem shocked to receive a friendly smile or help from a stranger. But then there are the ones that seem to be as alert as I am. There is a familiar look in their eye; they have the look of someone that has been on a prison yard, having to play by the rules as a means of survival. Usually they can be spotted by the tattoos they wear, their piercing eyes, or the weathered look of someone that has spent a little too much time in the sun. I may not personally know this individual, but with the simple nod of the head we have a connection. It feels good to be seen.
Everyday I wake up and I set the intention to acknowledge the world around me in all of its forms. It may be a random stranger that needs to be heard like a guy I met at a gas station that just wanted to congratulate me for having such a beautiful family. He didn't even know that I was just released from prison only hours before. Or it may be a cashier at a Walmart that wanted to talk about her brother that was released from prison after serving twenty-nine years. Or even a homeless person on the sidewalk that asked me for a cigarette. Or the police officer that helped me find the train station. In all of these encounters we shook hands and introduced ourselves, and walked away with a smile and a sense of humanity. In all of these encounters I walked away feeling refreshed and relieved to find that the world isn't such a scary place after, all as long as we take the time to see one another.
"I never knew what would come of me joining the Inmate Council Program, but when I saw what it did for me and my family I was convinced that this is something that I want to do for the rest of my life." – Sam Escobar
Sam Escobar was introduced to the Council practice during his time in Salinas Valley State Prison. Skeptical of the Inmate Council Program at first, Sam spent many sessions watching other men in the circle speak honestly about their lives, often unearthing emotions and offering up a vulnerability previously unseen within the prison setting. Seeing this unfold within the circle, Sam realized that Council was a space where people would leave their comfort zone, speak openly from the heart, and let their guard down—something that, growing up in gang culture, Sam was vehemently warned against. Sam says he came to see that the authenticity and vulnerability he was experiencing was a result of the unique quality of nonjudgmental listening that the program participants brought to the circle.
It took Sam a little while of observing how the group held space and what others were sharing before he was able to get out of his own comfort zone and open up. In a story for ATTN, Sam writes:
"For someone who was once involved in street gangs and prison gangs and who participated in race riots and prison stabbings, letting my guard down was a big turnaround. I no longer saw other inmates through the lens of the gang, as the enemy, but as a prospective member of the Council, someone who could fill the symbolic empty seat in the circle. I see them as someone waiting to be heard, listened to, understood with compassion and empathy, potential links in this chain of peace and human kindness."
Over the next few years, Sam became the Chairman of the group and helped expand the program throughout the prison, and even introduced Council to interested officers. Earlier this year, Sam was released on parole. His Parole Commissioner made special note of the transformation Sam had undergone due to his participation in the Inmate Council Program and his leadership of Council circles within the prison community.
We are thrilled to welcome Sam back into the Los Angeles community and even more excited to announce that Sam is now an official member of the Center for Council team! As Center for Council's new Outreach Associate, Sam will help us present future programs to agencies and individuals and work with our team in visioning new program opportunities. We are honored to have him speak about his unique and impactful experience working with Council and how it has the power to transform individual lives just as it did his. In addition, Sam will be lending his voice to our Center for Council narrative, contributing stories and articles about his time transitioning back into the community from prison and how he continues to integrate skills he learned practicing Council in the face of both challenges and new opportunities that arise for him. Keep an eye out for Sam's stories in the coming weeks!
Changing The Way We Work
The Department on Disability is one of the 15 organizations currently participating in our third round of the Social Justice Council Project. The Department on Disability ensures that all city programs, facilities, and services are accessible; supports people with disabilities and those impacted by them; and provides prevention and education programs for those at risk or impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Center for Council recently spoke with the Department on Disability's Chief of Staff and Public Information Officer, Nicole Willett, to get a sense of the impact that the Social Justice Council Project has had on the agency and its staff members. Nicole reported an experiential shift in their organizational culture; one both unique to the Department on Disability and simultaneously echoed in the experiences of so many other organizations who have participated in our Council Training Program. Nicole talked about how staff members have extended the practice of Council past the circle and into the office, noting that Council circles have encouraged collaboration between departments and created a warmer, friendlier environment for staff to work in. Read her interview to learn more about how Council can create a cultural shift within a professional environment.
Center for Council: Was the staff at the Department on Disability open to the practice, did anyone have any reservations going in?
Nicole Willett: One of the important things for us was that I was able to personally vouch for the training and trainer. We have trainers come in a lot for other programs and other trainings that aren't aware of cultural pieces around disability or aren't comfortable addressing contexts of race or gender. I really wanted to know we would have a trainer that would be inclusive.
I coordinate all of the trainings in our department and it's the only training I've never gotten a complaint about. Everyone felt that it was very inclusive and that the trainers were open to shifting language as we asked them to. That was a really key part for us.
Did you notice a shift within your organization?
People enjoy the slowing down and the coming together. We're a small department, we have a huge mandate, and it's go-go-go all the time. A lot of time it's not go-go-go all together.
There has been a greater understanding among all of our staff members. Council's fundamentals of attentive communication, in that there is no interrupting and an encouragement to listen without judgement, has allowed people to feel comfortable in sharing their stories.
Have you noticed a shift in how your organization operates?
People are more willing to assume good intent among their co-workers and there's much more communication about personal things like, "how's your son doing?" around the office, which generally helps to boost the mood. I have noticed more willingness to collaborate across divisions, where before if staff members didn't know one another that collaboration wouldn't have happened. Across our department, there is an increased ease of collaboration.
Did you notice a personal shift, or was there anything that came out of the training that surprised you?
My boss, our Executive Director, has really taken to the practice and wants to use it in every aspect of our department as well as personally. He has commented numerous times about how it has changed his life. And, you know, he was very open to it already, but it was really cool to see how he embraced the practice of Council so fully.
The Social Justice Council Project is made by possible by a generous grant from The Angell Foundation.
For the first time ever, Center for Council has begun working with Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers. The Wellness and Resiliency Skills Training is intended to teach mindfulness techniques and the Council practice to mitigate on-the-job stressors and enhance performance, cultivate awareness, and improve community relations. Currently taking place in the LAPD South Bureau, our program is led by Center for Council Executive Director Jared Seide and Richard Goerling, a police Lieutenant who regularly brings mindfulness workshops to police agencies around the country. Center for Council's program focuses on enhancing skills for wellness and resiliency that support self-awareness, self-regulation and situational awareness, leading to a healthier culture of policing, more adept stress management, and more skillful relations with communities.
The Wellness and Resiliency Skills Training format includes an immersive training workshop, followed by weekly mindfulness and Council practice assignments for small groups of participants. The six-month program is comprised of four modules with exercises and readings that explore physical, mental, emotional, and energetic awareness. The curriculum offers a deep exploration of the science and experience of mindfulness and compassionate communication as it relates to stress, resiliency, performance, and community building. Unlike other mindfulness programs, the Wellness and Resiliency Skills Training presents an interactive, engaged, and on-going series of workshops and activities that provides participants with the tools and skills to integrate this work into their professional and personal lives. The Council process is a flexible and peer-led format for integrating the material covered over the course of the program and is intended to offer an ongoing and sustainable resource for deepening individual skills, building community, and strengthening team support. The response thus far has been overwhelmingly positive and engaged, with participants reporting that they have been "sleeping better and being more mindful" and are more easily able "to decompress at the end of the day."
For Center for Council, this program has been years in the making. "We are deeply committed to building compassion-based practices to foster individual and community health -- and a critical priority for us is supporting law enforcement officers in an effective and holistic way," explained Center for Council Executive Director Jared Seide. We are thrilled to expand our reach to law enforcement officers working in our Los Angeles communities.
For the first time in the festival's history, SXSW broadened its 2018 programming to include a series of workshops and panels exploring spirituality in the 21st century. With topics ranging from spirituality in political activism to the challenge of creating spiritual communities online, the inclusion of the series represents a shift in the traditionally arts- and tech-focused festival to include a wider audience, and demonstrated a willingness to tackle deeper cultural issues of inclusion, connection, and meaning.
Center for Council Executive Director, Jared Seide, spoke on a panel, "Finding Spiritual Community Both On and Offline," as part of SXSW's new spirituality series. Seide, along with Rabbi Neil Blumofe, explored the triumphs and challenges of community building in the digital age. The discussion shed light on a multitude of ideas and challenges we face in our technology-heavy world, one in which we are increasingly connected to our screens, but not each other, and the information we receive about our world is carefully curated, particularly through the algorithms engrained in the social platforms we use. Much of the information that comes to us is intended to confirm our biases, and sometimes stoke our fears, in service of the agendas and platforms that want to keep us engaged.
Seide explained at the panel, "Our brains are designed to process complex, non-linear, environmental information. We orient to and depend on a diversity of input to understand community, to figure out how we feel about safety, about belonging, about compassion. We depend on sensations and micro-expressions and body language and that mysterious sense we get when we feel 'some kinda way.' That stuff doesn't come to us through technology, at least not yet. We really need to show up, with other humans, face-to-face, in real time. We need to convene. We need to connect. And I'm worried that our over-reliance on our screens just reinforces our diminishing experience of real relationships; it diminishes our relational skills; it diminishes community. We crave connection, and human contact, but that's not what we get from screens. Online interactions, and now VR, can extend some experiences, and maybe extend our reach, but these things cannot replace human connection."
Center for Council is thrilled to be at the forefront of these exchanges. In a time that favors advancing technology, how can we hold on to practices that reinforce human connection, build community in the physical realm, and foster compassionate relationships between individuals?
Stories of Council: Mathew's Story
Mathew was introduced to the practice of Council through Center for Council's Inmate Council Program at Correctional Training Facility, in Soledad, California. Through the program he found a practice that enabled him to internalize and reflect on what had been brewing inside him before imprisonment. It also helped him consciously create a new way to move through the world so that he can connect with and relate to those around him, regardless of their difference in backgrounds or ideology. The Inmate Council Program helped him articulate his thoughts and feelings about how he had previously existed in his community.
Stories of Council: Randy's Story
Randy has been the warden at both Correctional Training Facility and Salinas Valley State Prison, in Soledad, California; he is currently a Commissioner on the Board of Parole Hearings. After learning about the practice of Council and witnessing the transformation and shift in attitudes of the prisoners who participated in the Inmate Council Program, Randy facilitated a circle with his correctional facility staff. It was an informal circle, around a small conference table in his office, but the effect of that single practice was no less profound. In a working environment where being vulnerable is discouraged, where the traumas and stresses that one is exposed to while on the job can be overwhelming, Randy knew how important it was to create a space for his employees to be able to be open and honest.
Stories of Council: Jolene's Story
Jolene's husband, Sam, had been in prison for over a decade when he began participating in Center for Council's Inmate Council Program. It was through him that she discovered the practice of Council, a space where she could talk about what was really going on in her life. For Jolene, Council filled a much-needed void and reconciled the inability to share her story and connect with people around her. Center for Council has impacted Jolene's entire family in profound ways.
Center for Council sat down with Jolene to learn more about her story. Jolene explained that she and Sam were married and then divorced while he was in jail. Their son and daughter rarely talked to their father and Jolene wasn't able to speak with her family about what was happening with Sam. After they had separated, Jolene began to notice a change within Sam; he was kinder, more empathetic with her when they spoke and during visiting hours. Jolene was hesitant at first, wondering if the change she was witnessing would last. After a while she asked Sam what had caused this shift within him. It was through him that she learned about Center for Council.
Stories of Council: Edward's Story
Edward encountered Council for the first time at Ironwood State Prison. He was one of the first participants to sign up for the Inmate Council Program there and became a leader within the group after completing both the Council 1 and Council 2 training workshops offered by Center for Council trainers.
Edward was incarcerated for 27 years before being called for an interview this summer before the Board of Parole Hearings. That interview led to the granting of parole and Edward is now in the process of reintegrating himself into the San Diego community. Edward credits the success of his rehabilitation efforts, and the granting of parole, to skills and perspectives he learned in the workshops and practice groups offered by the Inmate Council Program.
When CDCR's Office of Public Communications arranged for Center for Council to videotape inmate testimonials about the impact of the program, we were struck by Edward's extraordinarily clear and insightful perspective. His articulation of the power of the work of Council remains a highlight of the short film on the Inmate Council Program (find the link below). Center for Council caught up again with Edward recently and asked him to share his thoughts on the reentry process and how the practice of Council has helped him transition back into the world outside the prison gates. Edward's passion and positivity is contagious; it is apparent that he doesn't take a thing for granted.
Center for Council: Edward, could you tell us about your experience in general with Council and what it has meant to you?
Stories of Council: Loren's Story
Loren is the Senior Program Director of Leadership & Summer Programs at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), an organization that provides free programs in academics, arts and athletics for underserved youth in LA. As part of Center for Council's Social Justice Council Project, Loren helped to organize a Council training program for 30 staff members, in January of 2016. He recalls it being a wonderful experience that gave him a depth of understanding about the practice of Council and offered his staff the experience of listening deeply to one another and sharing personal experiences in a new way. Developing a regular practice of Council has given staff members a new sense of the possibility of sharing that can happen at HOLA, both amongst staff and with the youth that they serve.
Loren: I work at a non-profit youth center called Heart of Los Angeles, or HOLA. I'm Senior Program Director, head of the Leadership Department, and I help to coordinate summer programs here. I've been with HOLA for 16 years, and I came to this work with a background in theatre, so I started off incorporating a lot of theatre games that I've noticed, in the world of Council, are also commonplace: ice breaker games, team-building activities, etc. I used those activities to build communication skills, connection between the kids, and jumpstart some self-reflection.
3 Minute Storyteller Sits Down with Center for Council Director Jared Seide to Discuss the Need for Compassion in Today's World
"We have a responsibility to step up to the enormous suffering that is caused by buying into this illusion that we are not profoundly interconnected and interdependent."
– Jared Seide, Center for Council, in an interview with 3 Minute Storyteller.
Shannon Mannon, founder of 3 Minute Storyteller, sat down with Center for Council director Jared Seide to discuss the critical need for Council practice in our challenging and increasingly-polarized world. Shannon relates her own introduction to the power of empathy-based practices like Council and how the simple act of listening attentively and sharing authentically can transform a community and foster compassion and alliance.
Read about Shannon's unique experience with Council practice and her compelling story by clicking 'Read More.'
Center for Council Launches the Third Round of Its Social Justice Council Project
We are so pleased to announce the launch of the third round of our Social Justice Council Project! Designed to serve and strengthen those on the front lines of social justice work in Southern California, this year's project will engage with 15 organizations from across the region.
Program participants include: Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, Brotherhood Crusade, Community Health Councils, Los Angeles Department on Disability, The Mixteco/Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), My Friend's Place, Para Los Niños, Project ALOFA, Proyecto Pastoral, Rosemary Children's Services, Social Justice Learning Institute, Safe Place for Youth, and Youth Action Project.
For the first time, two law enforcement agencies will also participate in the program, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. We are eager to include officers in this round of the project, acknowledging their critical place in the social justice continuum, as well as the enormous challenges they confront managing stressful situations and cultivating positive community relationships. Council can be a powerful new resource in this environment.
Immediately following the Council training workshop that Center for Council's Director Jared Seide led for the NGO Dejusticia in August of 2017, Dejusticia staff traveled to southwest Colombia to hold a conference with human rights activists from around the world. Council practices and perspectives were incorporated into the conference, as Dejusticia's Executive Director César Rodríguez Garavito shared in the email he sent to Center for Council, excerpted below.
We're still recovering from the exhilarating workshop with 19 human rights activists from around the world last week. One of the first things I wanted to do post-workshop was to thank you kindly on behalf of the Dejusticia team and the community of fellow activists that was established last week, thanks in no small part to your teachings and generosity during the Council training.
Center for Council Director Jared Seide recently traveled to Bogota, Colombia, to consult with and lead a Council training workshop for the human rights organization Dejusticia. Below is a reflection on his experience there, and the tremendous importance and applicability of Council in today's world.
Two days before our Bogotá Council Training began, FARC guerillas handed in their remaining guns. The historic Colombian peace accord, agreed to in the Fall of 2016, stipulated that all arms be surrendered between June and August of 2017. And while the peace process has been hailed as a success, some signs of trouble have appeared. In a referendum intended to demonstrate public support for the negotiated agreement, the vote was very close – with "NO" votes garnering slightly higher number than "YES" votes. Underlying this ambivalence were some profound cultural issues that may prove a real hindrance to a lasting reconciliation and peace. As coalitions mobilized to advocate for a political solution, issues of religion, economics, gender, as well as forgiveness and justice, were activated and in some ways played out just under the surface of the public relations campaign around the referendum. Cultural issues touching on "traditional values," economic disparity, environmental degradation, and political corruption seem to have corollaries to the American political landscape.
Center for Council Director Jared Seide delivered a talk at the Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago (ZLMC), on June 4, 2017, during an "Introduction to Council" workshop for that community. In this talk, Jared speaks about the practice of embodying compassion through Council, the way in which Council can intervene and reintroduce the human touch in systems, and the context and history of Center for Council.
ZLMC is a community committed to promoting social justice and the "Three Tenets" of the Zen Peacemakers: Not Knowing, Bearing Witness and Taking Compassionate Action. Jared describes the way in which the practice of Council encourages "listening from the heart" so as to open to the fullness of the human experience, the celebration of our "common ground," and the collective wisdom of community.
"Allowing ourselves to preference 'not knowing' for a little bit," he says, "opens this world of connection – and our capacity to recover our innate human goodness in community."
Listen to Bart Campolo's intimate conversation with Center for Council Director Jared Seide on his podcast, "Humanize Me."
Bart is a secular minister, speaker, author and Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California. Son of renown evangelical minister Tony Campolo, Bart's public journey of finding his voice, and helping to shape a new humanist path of service has been the subject of a book, a documentary and feature stories in many outlets, including The New York Times. His popular podcast invites thought leaders in the areas of community building and service to explore and explain ways they have found to support this critical work bringing together individuals and communities. Bart's 60-minute interview with Jared in an engaging and powerful interchange (though it takes a few minutes to get going – don't be deterred, it's worth the listen!).
Listen now by clicking below.
The California Correctional Peace Officer Association (CCPOA) has taken an important step in addressing officer stress, burnout and dysfunction. Recognizing that a negative correctional environment is damaging to the mental, emotional, and physical health of correctional officers and inmates alike, is damaging to the quality and efficacy of rehabilitation programs aimed at reducing recidivism, and is costly to local governments as well as the state, CCPOA hosted a by-invitation policy convening on Officer Behavioral Health and Wellness, March 27-28, in Sacramento.
A cross-section of individuals were invited from the corrections, healthcare, curriculum and training, research and policymaking communities. Presentations and discussions touched on the way a stressful workplace and career can cause adverse health issues and how the toxicity and dysfunction often found in the corrections environment impacts everyone involved.
Officers spoke compellingly about how the job had impacted them: "You have to become somewhat shut off – unfortunately that leads to being jaded and mistrustful because you see ulterior motives in everyone…" Union leaders spoke on their behalf: "We want our members to hear that it's okay to feel, it's okay to care," said one.
A recent survey presented some striking preliminary findings: 1 in 3 correctional officers have people in their lives who have expressed concern about their mental/physical health; 30% binge drink on a regular basis; 1 in 9 have considered or attempted suicide and 69% say they would "get out of corrections" if they could find a suitable job in another arena. Interestingly, 88% of correctional officers want more "stress management training."
Mindfulness And Resiliency In Law Enforcement: Richard Goerling Visits Center for Council
Our team of veteran and prospective Council trainers spent a dynamic and energized day with Detective Lieutenant Richard Goerling, of the Hillsboro Police Department in Oregon. In addition to his experience in the Coast Guard, Richard has worked in civilian law enforcement for over twenty years and has extensive experience in patrol operations and criminal investigations. He has developed a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training for first responders focusing on resiliency and performance/leadership in a policing environment.
Over the last decade, Richard has spearheaded the introduction of MBSR-based training into policing in the United States and is a leader in the greater cultural transformation toward a compassionate, skillful and resilient warrior ethos.
News and Stories
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September 2019


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More than 50 posts have been cut at the University of the Creative Arts, with many staff being moved on to part-time contracts.
About 50 people have taken voluntary redundancy, while 11 others - including four academics - remain at risk of being forced out. In addition, four members of professional support staff have fallen victim to compulsory redundancy.
Among those who have changed to fractional contracts is Ashley Howard, the head of ceramics and director of the MA in contemporary crafts, who has been moved from a full-time post to two days a week.
Also facing a cut is Colin Webster, the university's head of glass who delivers courses at all levels. He has been moved to a three-day-a-week contract.
A spokesman for the University and College Union said the UCA had originally sought to make 83 compulsory redundancies, "despite never making a plausible case to justify the job losses". He added that the university "only gave the unions a complete list of 'at risk' posts in March, during the latter stages of the formal consultation process.
"The UCU has ensured that staff who move on to a part-time contract will receive compensation where they lose more than 0.2 full-time equivalent of their contract, and staff who find themselves on a lower grade will see their pay protected for four years."
Unison and the UCU wrote to the university's governors on March saying they had "grave concerns" about the individual consultation process being followed.
The university was not meeting its statutory obligation to provide a rationale for the redundancy and to consult on it in a meaningful way in all instances, the letter said. The unions also asked the university to withhold £93,000 budgeted for managers' performance-related pay while jobs are still at risk.
A spokeswoman for the UCA said: "The university held collective consultation with the UCU and Unison, commencing 22 December and concluding on 6 March. This process was meaningful and enabled us to fully explore ways of minimising compulsory redundancies. Alongside the collective consultation process, individual consultation with those at risk has also taken place."
She added that the review of staffing levels was intended in part to eliminate duplication of posts resulting from the merger of its founder colleges.
"Maintaining the student experience has been a key concern, with staff-to-student ratios and teaching hours being protected throughout this process," she said.
Art and craft courses, with heavy teaching loads, are likely to suffer as universities tighten their belts during the recession. The Crafts Council warned recently of a "concentration of course losses" in glass and ceramics.
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text: Agents of Dreamland- Caitlín R. Kiernan March 16, 2017 Aaron Besson Kiernan's recent Agents of Dreamland novella is a lean but impactful recaad. It mixes the best parts of the X-Files, Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions, and Lovecraftian horror with a touch of noir into a disturbing tale of What Is To Come. The story centers around a government agent known as The Signalman who takes part in a case to take down a Manson-variety doomsday cult leader. When he and his team get to the cult's compound, what they find is vastly more than a New Age collective gone wrong. The Signalman's discovery heralds the potential end of life as we pleasantly know it, and sets him on a course filled with dread both immediate and impending, help and hindrance from the darker corners of the earth, and the blessing of never knowing how really, really bad it actually is at the moment.This is a very non-linear story, so be prepared for some jumping around chronologically. However, this quality puts the emphasis on the relevance at the time that the reader is experiencing the particular scene, as opposed to relevance through linear progression. You find out what needs to be known when it is impactful to the story, rather than when it happened in the story's linear timeline. While it may cause some confusion, some patience with the storyline and the cumulative tension that builds throughout the reading is well rewarded. I finished Agents of Dreamland hoping that Kiernan would write more stories of any length in this world she's created, assuming…but that would be telling too much. Agents of Dreamland is available here.


text: Secrets To A Good Night...Of Sleep! Sleep is your body's way of recharging and rebuilding. So get to it!A lot of things are happening when you sleep: your body grows; your brain files away memories into long-term storage so you can remember new new things better; and your mood is reset so you feel rested and refreshed. None of these things happen in just 10 minutes. Here are some tips for getting a good night's sleep. READ MORE


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A Romantic, Sophisticated Wedding at Greystone Hall in West Chester, Pennsylvania
For the couple who met at their college library and bonded over Harry Potter, it was only fitting that Nicole Gillis (32 and an early childhood consultant) and Nkosi Sharpe (32 and a legal technology project manager) incorporated a literary theme into their summer wedding. With a classic color palette of blush, mint and silver, they crafted a romantic and sophisticated celebration of their marriage, which took place at Greystone Hall in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Nicole and Nkosi opted for a self-uniting marriage. "This gave us the freedom to create a ceremony that was truly reflective of us as a couple," Nicole says. They said their vows on the lawn of the estate with contributions from some of their closest friends and family members. Guests enjoyed "Berry Potter" and "Tumbler of Fire" signature cocktails as they roamed the mansion's grounds during cocktail hour. At the tented reception, dining tables were swathed in lace and and adorned with candelabras, books and bouquets of peonies and succulents. After a dinner of cozy comfort foods, Nkosi surprised Nicole on the dance floor with a performance of Lenny Kravitz's "I Belong to You," with his family accompanying him on musical instruments. "Our wedding was a one in a lifetime experience and we loved sharing all the amazing memories we created that day with our closest friends and family."


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Native Instruments Maschine 2 v2.6.1 Mac Torrent Crack Free Download. Available now, MASCHINE 2.5 introduces dynamic new Perform FX and updates the Library with all-new projects, kits, and presets for all versions of MASCHINE – free for all MASCHINE 2 software owners.
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Sparkle Swap
We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results. (Herman Melville)
Hello my sweet friends. I hope the beginning of September is treating you well. My 2-year blogiversary is around the corner and to help celebrate, I am hosting a Sparkle Swap!
This swap is all about bringing cheer to a fellow blogger. Send a package with 4 unique gifts — a bit of sparkle, a treat that soothes, something sweet, and a surprise. In return, you will receive snail mail love from a new friend.
To participate, sign up by leaving a comment below with one thing you're looking forward to this season.
Some key details:
- The swap is comprised of 4 gifts — a bit of sparkle, a treat that soothes, something sweet, and a surprise that your buddy will love.
- To participate, you must have a blog + need to be willing to ship internationally.
- Registration ends Saturday 9/10/11 at 5:00 pm EST. Leave a comment to join!
- Please mail parcels by Tuesday 9/20/11.
- Open, enjoy and blog about your package when you receive it!
Once registration is closed, I'll email surveys out to collect addresses, likes, dislikes and anything else you want to share with your swap partner.
By leaving a comment below, you are agreeing to the details outlined above. Let me know if you have questions or special requests.
Are you lovelies ready to start swapping? Let the sparkle, delight & snail mail love begin…
Image Credit: Meet me in outer space by Misserion


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We declutter, organize and stage. Our network of professionals include landscapers, painters, carpenters, web designers and resellers (books, albums, furniture, art and antiques) We can even wait for and supervise repairmen at your home.
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We pick up prescriptions, deliver dry cleaning, drop of donations to charitable organizations and we will bring you the tax receipt! We transport the elderly to medical appointments or other appointments. No need for you to stress trying to get across town at the end of a busy day!
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In order to understand your objectives and timeline, we will schedule a complimentary consultation. After the initial consultation we will provide you with a detailed proposal.
For NEW clients we offer a 6 for 5 Special-6 hours of our time for the price of 5! Out of pocket and out of area expenses billed separately.
We look forward to getting started-please contact us for a quote.


text: Rotarian Mike Schroeder, right, introduced Brian Buchanan at a recent Fulton Sunrise Rotary meeting. Brian is the new principal at G Ray Bodley High School. Brian started his career at Potsdam, then went on to SUNY Cortland before becoming an 8th grade teacher in Oneida. He then was promoted to principal of the elementary school before coming to Fulton. Brian currently resides in Oneida where his wife is a first grade teacher. They have two daughters, ages 6 and 10. Also pictured is Johanna Dominguez, exchange student from France. The Fulton Sunrise Rotary meets every Friday at 7 AM at Fulton's Riverside Inn.


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|Leda at work
Well, I'm piggybacking on Cole Porter to get "Duso" into my headline. It's a stretch, but worth the effort, because an afternoon there was drenched in holiday season magic.
A friend whose opinion I respect suggested just before his death in April that my copy was long-winded and my references obscure. I reminded him, citing "Hamlet," that "Brevity is the soul of wit" and underscored the point with a familiar Latin aphorism: "Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio." ("When I labor to be brief, I grow obscure.")
So I'll limit my remarks on a simply delightful visit to Duso's to four points.
One is that, having grown up on the east side, I expect a trip to the west side to bring with it some of the pleasures of travel abroad. Duso's didn't disappoint.
We were exposed to the wondrous and unfamiliar cultural highlights you simply can't get in the South End: new drinks such as Chicken Cock, pumpkin pie and grapefruit vodka, and a Fireball/RumChata mixed drink.
Next, I met a man I'd seen naked a hundred times, but not for 48 years, a friend of the G-man's. We played high school basketball together under Lefty Franz at St. Stan's. The showers were
|On the wall at Duso's
Third, while trekking down memory lane, it turns out that the G-man's wife is the sister of the woman who married my best friend from high school. Small world -- except for the last names in the Polish South End. They try not to leave any letters out.
Finally, our bartender, Leda. You don't meet women named Leda on the east side of the river. She indulged me as I recounted to her for the millionth time, I'm sure, the story of the famous Leda. One of the gods, in this case Zeus, comes down from heaven as a bird, in this case a swan, and impregnates a virtuous queen, in this case Leda.
Hilarity ensues, in this case the Trojan War. You can read all about it in Yeats' "Leda and the Swan."
You simply don't have that kind of talk with women named Mary Jo.
See the hairy guy's report on Duso's: An old Midland Street bar with new lingerie, old signs, games, no food but $1 pints any old time


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Polar Rising
A glacial berry blast of goodness. Succulent strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries piled high with an icy menthol exhale.
Snapbacks and Skinny Jeans
What do you get when you combine the usual blueberry with the unusual pomegranate custard?
Just like any good poser, this super sweet fruity vape changes flavor depending on the device, wattage, or build. But, one thing is for sure, it's even better than the original.
Nana's Berries
Expect the unexpected. Sweet and tangy strawberries, blueberries, and bananas blended with rich vanilla ice cream make this the perfect summertime vape.


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About Giclée Prints
A giclée print is the highest quality print available today. Giclée, (commonly pronounced "zhee-clay") is French for "to spray." In brief, it is a process where the original image is digitally captured and in a collaborative effort of artist and master printer, the image is refined to be as faithful to the original as possible. Often it takes the artist to distinguish between the two.
In the giclée process, a very fine stream of archival pigmented ink is laid down upon thick, museum quality watercolor paper. Because no screens are used, the prints have a higher apparent resolution than offset lithographs.
Giclées are produced one at a time. Depending upon their size, this intricate printing process can take up to an hour or more for each print. This process offers one of the highest degrees of accuracy and richness of color available in any reproduction method. The end result is a beautiful reproduction with the look and feel of the original painting.
The giclée print has become highly regarded by many of the world's important fine artists, collectors, galleries, and museums. Prominent art museums such as the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have hosted exhibitions featuring giclée prints.


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e-mmediate is a blended product of ACH and check guarantee in a one step process. This 45 minute webinar discusses how to facilitate electronic payments "e-mmediately" for deposit directly into your DDA account within 2 business days, and those payments are guaranteed. No worries about NSF's; the process works like credit card transactions for only a fraction of the cost (30-40% less). Join us for this free webinar and learn how "e-mmediate" can give you the tools to increase your sales and reduce credit card processing fees. This webinar is a continuation of the series previously conducted in conjunction with our Affiliate Partner; Fifth Third Processing Solutions (FTPS) entitled "Managing Down the Cost of Credit Card Acceptance."
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Medical Office Practice (With CD-ROM)
If you are entering a new profession as a medical office assistant or just need to refresh and hone your skills in the front office, Medical Office Practice, 7e is a must. This simulation of working in a medical office will make you feel as if you are on the job. Daily tasks are assigned based upon the normal occurrence of these tasks in a real office setting. This natural progression of tasks helps bridge the gap from learning to actually being on the job, making your transition to the workforce seamless.


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For tee shirts, our minimum order quantity is 500 pcs.
Thank You For Visiting Us.
Only Teez » Archives for March 2018
A dry fit t-shirt was first introduced a few years back when the popularity of the fitness lifestyle was soaring high. The advantage of wearing a dry fit tee was immense and soon this started becoming prominent. Athletes and fitness maniacs started exploring the tees more only to find out that they are indeed what they offer. What are the advantages offered by a dry-fit t-shirt that makes them so popular? Keep reading to find out. The material suits your skin One of the most redeeming qualities of a dry fit t-shirt is its ability to complement different skin types. Since dry fit tees come in multiple textures and combination of fabrics, you should feel at ease wearing the same. Read More
Graphic tees have been in style for youngsters since many years now. Somehow, in spite of the fast paced world of fashion, graphic tees have survived and become timeless in many ways. If one were to look deeper into it, these t-shirts would probably be the equivalent of Elizabethan Plays in English Literature. Philosophy aside, we have decided to examine what gives these apparels their command over the ever changing world of millenial fashion. Take a look – It's Versatile If a few months ago, Captain America: Civil War graphic tees were being bought by retailers from private label t-shirt manufacturer, now it's probably Black Panther. The contents of graphic tees are ever changing and one could literally put their Read More
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For the launch of the 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Take Time Off' campaign, the brand partnered with artist Dario Calmese, along with six other esteemed photographers and videographers. Highlighting the "31Tribe", the campaign is a celebration of creativity and community.
The phrase "Take Time Off", for me, means freedom. Given the current political and social environment we find ourselves in, it's a phrase that resonates with me on multiple levels. All at once, it's a command that places power and agency in the hands of the individual, and in so doing, creates space for a life full of potentialities. It's a call to rest. A call to be curious. A call to explore.
Traveling, for me, has become as necessary as bread, and it's with this spirit that I created the videos and wrote the accompanying music. With dance being a universal language; a thread woven throughout all cultures, it was a natural place to go when thinking about "Take Time Off". Musically, I wanted to fuse Phillip's Chinese-American heritage with my own Black American culture, and sieve it through our shared love of travel and the exotic. There are vocals from the Peking Opera interspersed with blues harmonica riffs. African talking drums overlaid with Chinese Erhu strings. It's a sonic testimony to the richness one can experience when self-care is prioritized.


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As many of you may know, Brother Rick Case has been our Elder "House Manager" for the past few years now. He has put countless hours into soliciting bids for repair work and upgrades, as well as rolling up his sleeves and putting a lot of his own "sweat equity" back into the house. Heck, he's even made his own kids work on the house! As Jay Webb will attest, this is a very difficult and time consuming job (which is why I think Jay asked Rick to take it over around 2am one Alumni Weekend – and Rick agreed).
Unfortunately there isn't enough space to print the pictures of the improvements in this issue (which include a rebuilt roof / railings off from the library, new fascia / gutters, new outside wing sheathing & painting, etc. So, you'll just have to come back for Alumni Weekend to see for yourself.
Kudos to Rick for doing such a great job.


text: I love the simplicity and rustic nature of this workspace vignette. I can picture a large window overlooking a lush forest or a lake in the woods. So many warm tones in one place...and yet, it works! The wood against the industrial metal and brass accents is what surprisingly makes this room feel soft. The natural textures in the jute rug and woven basket also bring elements to soften the space.Read More


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Install the WordSolver Android App!
3 Definitions of Quirks
The definition of quirks, the meaning of the word Quirks:
Is quirks a scrabble word? Yes!
- n. - A strange attitude or habit
- n. - A narrow groove beside a beading
- v. - Twist or curve abruptly
Quirks is worth 19 points in Scrabble, and 20 points in Words with Friends
There are 6 letters in quirks: I K Q R S U
20 words found using the letters in "Quirks"
5 Letter Words
4 Letter Words
3 Letter Words
2 Letter Words


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More than Bread
Ken Onstot
Scriptures: John 6:25-35, 41-59
After feeding 5000 people with five loaves of bread, I can
see why the crowd wanted to make Jesus king. Think about it. Here is someone who could help the poor without raising taxes, who could heal the sick without raising medical costs, who could defeat enemies without going to war, and who could raise the minimum wage without fear of inflation or anyone losing their job. He is the perfect candidate for President of the United States.
Only Jesus is not running for President. He is campaigning
to be the Lord of our lives, and that is not what the crowd had in mind. So Jesus says to them in verse 27, Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. By the way, when Jesus uses the term Son of Man, he is referring to himself.
But the crowd is still thinking about the economy, if not
their retirement portfolios. In verses 30-31 they say to Jesus, What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. The crowd wants Jesus to guarantee them daily bread, just as Moses did for the people of Israel in the wilderness. But Jesus wants them to have more than bread. Jesus wants them to have the Bread of Life. The real gift is not the bread. The real gift is Jesus himself.
St. Augustine once told this parable: Supposed a man should
make a ring for his betrothed, and she should love the ring more wholeheartedly than the betrothed who made it for her. Certainly, let her love his gift. But if she should say, The ring is enough. I do not wish to see his face again, what would we say of her? (quoted in Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo.)
That is precisely what happens over and over in Johns gospel. People
get excited about what Jesus does for them: turning water into wine, feeding 5000 people with five loaves, healing a man born blind, but they fail to see that the real gift is Jesus himself. The miracles are only provisional. The wine Jesus produced eventually ran out again. The 5000 people Jesus fed eventually got hungry again. The people Jesus healed eventually got sick again. Even Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead eventually died again.
All the miracles Jesus did are meant to be signs pointing to the
greatest gift of all: the gift of Jesus himself. In verse 35 Jesus says, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. He is not talking about an unlimited gift card to Costco. He is talking about a relationship to the Creator of the universe that can never be taken away from you by anything or anyone. The engagement ring is not the real gift; it is only a sign. The real gift is the person giving it.
But how do we receive this relationship? The fiancée enters a
relationship by putting on a ring. But how do we living 2000 years later enter a relationship with Jesus?
At this point Jesus says something really strange, verse 51: I am the
living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
The crowd is mystified by this. They say, How can this man give us
his flesh to eat?
At this point it would be easy for Jesus to say, Good grief. Cant
you understand a metaphor? Im talking about how I will give my lifemy fleshon the cross. A metaphorical interpretation of Jesus words would be so easy. But that is not what Jesus says. Instead he doubles down on graphic physicality. He says, Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Suddenly Jesus sounds like a character from the Twilight novels. How physically graphic can you get?
Actually, even more graphic. In the next verse Jesus says, Those who
eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, but this time Jesus uses a different word for eat. Its a word that in Greek means to munch, to chew noisily. Basically Jesus says, Those who chomp on my flesh and drink my blood will have eternal life. Is Jesus just being gross? No, he is being unmistakably physical and tangible.
Every Bible commentary I have ever read on this passage agrees. Jesus
is talking here about communion. At the last supper Jesus said, This is my body broken for you. This is my blood shed for you. When we eat the bread of communion and drink the cup of wine or grape juice, we are entering into a relationship with Jesus. It is physical and tangible, just like an engagement ring. When we receive communion we are not just thinking about Jesus, we are, in a sense, engaged to Jesus. Thats why Jesus is so graphic, so physical, in describing it. The Christian faith is not just a mental exercise. It is not just a philosophy of life like Buddhism, or a set of guidelines for living like Islam or Judaism or Dr. Phil. The Christian faith is a relationship to a real flesh and blood human being whose death and resurrection transforms our lives forever. It is less like reading a self-help book and more like getting engaged.
Now let me be clear. We do not worship the bread or the grape juice.
We do not believe that the bread or grape juice turns into Jesus any more than the engagement ring becomes the groom. We do believe, however, that when you receive this bread and grape juice in faith, you receive a real relationship to a living Savior. Its like receiving an engagement ring. What you get is not just a symbol but a new relationship to a real person.
In a book called Take This Bread: the Spiritual Memoir of a 21st
century Christian, Sara Miles describes the first time she received communion. She grew up not going to church at all. Her parents who were militantly atheists who raised her to avoid religion like the plague. Sara herself grew up skeptical of religion just like her parents. But one day during a walk on Sunday morning, she decided on impulse to go into a church near her home in San Francisco. She writes,
I had no earthly reason to be there. Id never heard a Gospel reading, never said the Lords Prayer. I was certainly not interested in becoming a Christianor, as I thought of it rather less politely, a religious nut. But on other long walks, Id passed the beautiful wooden building, with its shingled steeples and plain windows, and this time I went in, on an impulse, with no more than a reporters habitual curiosity.
I walked in, took a chair, and tried not to catch anyones eye. We sat down and stood up, sang and sat down, waited and listened and stood up and sang, it was all pretty peaceful and sort of interesting. Jesus invites everyone to his table, the woman [leader] announced, and we started moving up in a stately dance to the [communion] table in the rotunda. It had some dishes on it, and a pottery goblet.
And then we gathered around that table. And there was more singing and standing, and someone was putting a piece of fresh, crumbly bread in my hands, saying the body of Christ, and handing me a goblet of sweet wine, saying the blood of Christ, and then something outrageous and terrifying happened. Jesus happened to me.
I still cant explain my first communion. It made no sense. I was in tears and physically unbalanced: I felt as if I had just stepped off a curb or been knocked over, painlessly, from behind. The disconnect between what I thought was happeningI was eating a piece of bread; what I heard someone else say was happeningthe piece of bread was the body of Christ, a patently untrue or at best metaphorical statement; and what I knew was happeningGod, named Christ or Jesus was real, and in my mouthutterly short-circuited my ability to do anything but cry.
All the way home, shocked, I scrambled for explanations. Maybe I was hypersuggestible, and being surrounded by believers had been enough to push me, momentarily, into accepting their superstitions.
Yet that impossible word, Jesus, lodged in me like a crumb. I said it over and over to myself, as if repetition would help me understand. I had no idea what it meant; I didnt know what to do with it. But it was realer than any thought of mine, or even any subjective emotion. It was as real as the actual taste of the bread and the wine. And the word was indisputably in my body now, as if Id swallowed a radioactive pellet that would outlive my own flesh (pp. 57-59).
Thats what Jesus means when he says, Those who eat my
flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. At this table you are invited not just to think about Jesus but to be engaged to him as the Lord of your life. Thats the real gift, because when everything else in your life is gone, he will still be there.


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Raymond Martin
Raymond was a natural leader ~ whether in his career, his faith community or in the stands cheering on his children and grand-children. His charisma and compassion drew people to him, and those around him were fortunate to share in his joy. His absence leaves a void, but the cherished memories he made with family and friends will forever keep him close in their hearts.
To ensure your generosity and support are acknowledged, Raymond's family has requested that memorial contributions be made through IN MEMORY OF to the
Parkinson's Disease Foundation
The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF) is a leading national presence in Parkinson's disease research, education and public advocacy. Their strategy for ending Parkinson's is to build a team of leaders in research, health care and the patient community, and then mobilize them to work toward the cure together.
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Included in Season Ticket
BACH does it all! We are proud of the diverse range of our repertoire - from our roots in Baroque music to today's most exciting new works by living composers. This concert features John Corigliano's Fern Hill as its centerpiece and includes a wide variety of works on the theme of gratitude by Aaron Copland, Stephen Paulus, Dan Forrest, JS Bach, and GF Handel. Join us for Music Director, Joseph Baldwin's inaugural concert with BACH.
Kasey Stewart, mezzo-soprano


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Training Well Matters Part 4 – A Plan that Matters
"Plan the work and work the plan."
I don't know who first coined this phrase but it is so true. But it seems that many churches don't have a plan, they simply "hope" that what they are doing will make a difference.
Sure, there are many things we can't plan for in ministry. We can't plan the work of the Spirit. However, if we have a sound theology, understand our ministry landscape and have innovations that matter, we can create a plan that brings together the best of all that we have for the sake of the Gospel.
Do you have a plan for your ministry? Or is most of what you are doing a reaction to your surroundings?
Do you have goals? Do you write them down?
Does your congregation have a written plan that it is living into? If not, maybe it's time.
Here's a brief overview of what a plan can look like. Of course, this takes time, diligence, and prayerful discernment, but it can be a good start.
- Mission, Vision, Values – If you don't have this, it is imperative that you develop these. In other words, know what God is calling you to do (mission), discern where God is calling you to go (vision) and be clear on the non-negotiables of your identity (values).
- Elevator Speech – If you are in the grocery line out in the community what would you want people to say about who you are? What would you say to others if they knew nothing about your church? Your elevator speech is a paragraph that gets to the heart of the identity of your congregation. It's the story that people tell to others that compels them to want to know more or engage in your community. Take some time to create one, you'll be surprised at how much it will help your community be more clear about their mission.
- Major Goals – Pick three. What are the big three goals that your church has that are unique to you and drive you forward in faith? Goals like "every person will have five faith-nurturing relationships" or "every household will practice faith daily" are a couple that I've seen churches take on. Then look at these goals daily and continue to evaluate how you are doing.
- Strategies – Finally, what practices do you put in place to reach those goals? Often this is an accumulation of small things that lead to the accomplishment of major goals. What are those daily steps you are taking that are leading people to transformation?
The Gospel is about changed lives. The Gospel also calls us to not stand still and hope that things change. We are called to "go" which includes creating a plan on how we will go. So go with a plan, go with God and witness changed lives.
Developing a ministry plan is one of the major results that comes from our Certificate in Children, Youth and Family ministry training. Join me for one of our fall schools.


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channing house - senior housing
Seismic Upgrade - Base Isolation
Palo Alto, CA
Architect: B. H. Bocook Architect
Contractor: Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction
How do you seismically retrofit a 10 story senior housing facility while remaining fully functional?
RPSE proposed a particularly innovative solution for it's time: base isolation. This project was the first base isolated retrofit project to be approved by OSHPD.
The construction, with a modest $18M budget, faced many complex construction procedures and challenges, such as clamping, jacking and saw cutting sections out of 1,000,000 pound loaded columns for inserting 4000-pound isolator units, while life on all 10 floors above went on every day.
2002 / SEAONC Excellence in Engineering Award


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Old Is Better Than New1504 Fredericksburg RoadSan Antonio, TX 78201United Statesph: firstname.lastname@example.com
Grand Selection of our very best reclaimed used old vintage antique stained glass leaded windows! These are the highest quality workmanship done by hand from England. These windows are from 40 to 100 year old. Size include the wood frame of window. Let us know what colors & size you are looking for! We have access to hundreds of windows. We have more window selection on our other pages!
Check Facebook page first with windows added weekly! After 3 weeks we post here. Most of our current items sell within the first 3 weeks.
Click on picture at bottom right corner for price and size.
The age of most of these window is between 1900's - 1950's estimated date. Due to production of those years, some of the glass will have small bubbles or lines in glass. Also the wood frame will have some paint pealing due to age. Some of the old windows have been re-framed with new wood or repaired. The above stained glass leaded windows are cleaned, no cracks on glass and the wood frame is sturdy and in good to excellent shape. If shipping, Please as for picture for inspection.
UPS ships and package our windows. UPS requirement the windows to be bubble wrap around the stained glass window and sometime double boxed. Insurance covers both the cost of window and shipment.
Contact us by email: email@example.com or call or text 210-364-4564.We welcome your questions and queries. Please see our Coupon page for complete contact information.
Copyright 2010 Old Is Better Then New. All rights reserved.
Web Hosting by Yahoo!


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Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Baby Sack Dress TUTORIAL
Here is the tutorial from the dress I posted earlier that I made for my daughter. This dress is a little different because it is not a halter, and actually fits! She had a little girl cousin that is only 3 months older than her, so I made the girls matching dresses! Here is the tutorial.
First I just roughly measured my daughter, then I cut out a shape kind of like a trapeze dress would look like. I made it about four inches longer than I wanted to account for the top and bottom hems.
Then I hemmed up the sides about 2/3 of the way, leaving room for the arms and the top seam.
FIRST hem the arms, then fold under twice for the hem of the top. Make sure it is open on both ends so there is room to put the ribbon through.
Then, using something to push the ribbon through, push it through the front, then continue the ribbon to the back of the dress. You should end up with both ends of the ribbon on one side of the dress.
I taped my ribbon to a crochet hook and pushed it through.
FINISHED PRODUCT! It ties on one side, and looks like a cute little sleeveless dress. VERY EASY!
8 comments:
Very sweet and very cute! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
SO cute! I would love it if you would link up to my Tuesday Confessional link party going on now: http://www.craftyconfessions.com/2011/07/tuesday-confessional-link-up-2.html. I hope to see you soon!ReplyDelete
~Macy from Confessions of a SAHM
So cute! And what a darling little baby!ReplyDelete
Found ya on Tea Rose Home : )
Come check out my awesome giveaway!
Super cute!! Love the dress! :)ReplyDelete
Gorgeous dress - as is the one on the post before! It is lots of fun dressing little girls!ReplyDelete
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
So cute! Great tutorial!!ReplyDelete
Very adorable and so easy to do!ReplyDelete
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Google them and then decide if you think I was serious or not...Desinger said:Even if you are not good at drawing do you think you can post a sketch of what you mean in Lego terms so I can decide if it is possible.Paperballpark said:Can you make a mobius band element?
How about a Penrose triangle?
I always wanted some of those in my mocs.
Why not a weapon hat?Desinger said:I may also make minifigure parts like weapons, hats, etc
I already have a bag full of 0x4s. 4x0s on the other hand....jmeninno said:If I may, you should focus your efforts on something revolutionary. The 2x4 red brick has come and gone. The 1x4's been done. The future? A 0x4 brick. I think many of us here would get behind this.
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A story of visuals.
What an incredible day it's been for the FitFam community! On Saturday, October 27th, more than 150 people came together to celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year (167 if we're being specific). The costumes, the challenges, and the FitFam spirit made the 3rd annual FitFam Halloween Huangpu Hustle our best event yet.
We picked our favorite moments out of 1,097 photos taken that day that best amplify the essence of what our community is about - genuine fun and appreciation for all the connections made.
A special thank you to our wicked team of photographers Jadranko Marjanovic Mare, Theo Niculae, Olivier Yao, 77, Wang Gen, and WD who came out in full force to capture our un-boo-lievable spirit! 🎃