text:
The representatives of Manitoba's population pass legislation in a magnificent building but few realize that it is entirely based on occult and masonic principles. The great amount of details in this recreation of Solomon's Temple reveal the importance of secret societies and hermetic philosophies in today's democracies. This article, written by collaborator Harm One, explores the numerous occults symbols in this public building. Comments in blue added by Vigilant.
There is no shortage of Gothic elements in North American architecture, in addition, an abundance of neo classical and esoteric designs from various periods are seen in a number of buildings, in any given city. But, Winnipeg, Manitoba, is home to a very unique architectural example of the masonic term, hidden in plain view. Just a few kilometers from the exact geographical center of North America, is Manitoba's Legislative building (MLB) finished with with tyndall limestone, complete with marine fossils. It sits on 30 acres of parkland on Broadway, the outskirts of downtown Winnipeg.
It's quite the spectacle to be seen from the outside alone, but upon exploration of the interior one finds the design to include an integration of Christian, Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian and Jewish imagery, combined in an alchemical fashion with the most ancient magic tradition of Hermeticism. Although for years we didn't pay much attention to the building itself, the high pressure lighting around the MLB kept us hanging around as kids to abuse the lights; when you stare into them long enough your colorful view of the world is reduced to a strange, purple psychedelic effect, an adolescent activity known as "purple hazing". Little did we know what this building actually represented, even though it looked us dead in the face for the most part. Only in 2006 did the degree of masonic influence incorporated in the MLB became mainstream news, with the Winnipeg Free Press and others who did extensive and exclusive reports, exposing countless numbers of sinister symbols while propagating it as a very positive and good intentioned project to "celebrate rebirth". The dedication and show of power relating to Hermeticism throughout, is what I partially consider the most important symbolism in the MLB.
Solomon's Temple – The Three Holy Rooms
The most interesting aspect of the MLB? Arguably it's the fact the building is in proportion to the original Solomon's Temple, according to researcher Frank Albo (FA) from the University of Winnipeg. The researcher studied the measurements and details of the MLB and concluded that all the proportions have been meticulously kept. The original Temple of Solomon was constructed during the 10th century BCE, and was eventually brought to ruins by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. A second temple would be built four hundred years later in the same location as the first, in Jerusalem, on the holy city's highest point of elevation. It was the center of worship, and generally a meeting place for the Jewish people of Jerusalem. The original was designed by Hiram Abiff who presented the plans to King Solomon. Historically, masons place Solomon's Temple in very high regard; it's place in the spiritual hierarchy, and as an initiatory theater of thought. Upon entering the MLB from the front you will enter a great hall which is a perfect square, and each side is 66.6 feet long. According to Albo, the 666 is a reference to the occult work "De Occulta Philosophia" by Cornelius Agrippa. While the number 666 is usually associated with the beast of revelation 13, there are several different possible meanings. Most relevant to the MLB according to the media, its relation to the sun and its power of life; one finds when you add the numbers 1 through 36 together it adds up to 666. The significance of 36 being the number of constellations controlled by the sun.
Back to this hall, you are first greeted by two life sized bison statues, intricate in their detailing, with the intent to capture the protective magic of the bulls in ancient temples, they are believed to ward off evil by the ancients.
Right in between the bulls you find the grand staircase, bearing 3 flights of 13 steps each, of brown veined Italian marble.
Walking up the stairs you enter the level directly underneath the Golden Boy, the room with the dome ceiling which houses a circular alter and geometric wheel, surrounded by a tessellated marble border. An eight pointed star figures in the center of the lower room beneath the alter, known as the Pool of the Black Star. The star was also a symbol of Babylonian goddess Ishtar, it is directly aligned with the Statue of Hermes.
One is to stand directly on the star to speak into the above alter and hear their voice transformed, a relay of the harmonics in a most amazing and chilling way creating a perfect harmonic 5th. This area of the MLB is also designed in accordance with a sacrificial chamber, one where the gods of the underworld received power through sacrifice, the departed souls, led by Hermes, to the underworld. Apparently the veined marble near the star is meant to be a metaphor for the blood of a sacrificial victim, according to Frank's accounts. All of this in a room that's perfectly centered underneath the upper dome, on top of which the Golden Boy sits and faces northward.
Moving across the hall to another room known as the lieutenant-governor's reception room or what would be the holy of hollies in Solomons Temple. More representation of Hermes is found in this room, not only that, but when converted to masonic cubits the dimensions translate to 20 by 20 cubits, the same measurements stated in the first book of kings, in the Bible. Just above this room, on the outside, an Ark of the Covenant replica is sculpted in a central aerial position, in stone, and also in proportion to the biblical Ark of the Covenant which was kept in the temple.
On top of all the old church renaissance you still have the Golden Boy at the peak of the building, perhaps the most important aspect of all this: a shiny
and very impressive 17 foot bronze cast coated with real gold. The Golden boy is a metaphor for Hermes Trismigestus, the father of alchemy, occult philosophy and who taught the wisdom of light, stands on one foot gracefully with a torch in one hand and wheat in the other. Hoisted on the dome in 1919, he faces north, towards Winnipeg's notorious North End. At night the statue shines just as much as when the sun is upon it. In the spiritual realm, the alchemical symbolism in the MLB holds weight as alchemy was often used to communicate more than just words. It's the union of opposites and much more.
On the main tower that houses the dome, there are 4 groups of 3 sculptures of life sized figures, each one representing either earth, wind, fire and water, or they could be viewed as Science, Agriculture, Art and Industry. Not only are the four elements represented in the form of these life size groups, according to Frank Albo, the golden boy presides over the 4 elements for the purpose of "unifying" them and "transmuting them into gold", another important process of alchemy.
Egyptian Motifs
The MLB also captures the deeper and darker magic of Egypt; two great sphinxes grace the roof of the main tower, one of which faces the rising sun, while the other one faces the setting sun, hidden in plain view, and in life size. The sphinxes also bare hieroglyphic inscriptions that translate to the name Thutmosis III. He is known to masons that Egyptians to be the most precise of magicians, and their lineage being claimed by the Rosicrucians. In the same area on the MLB, hieroglyphic references are also made to the sun god Re, with a hieroglyph that translates as reading "The everlasting manifestation of the sun god Re, the good god who gives life". These kind of inscriptions are what's to be expected on the walls of ancient tombs and temples, not hidden on the roof of a government building.
Secondary Features
Summing up the major secondary features included in the MLB : you have the two great sphinxes on the roof (which bear inscriptions of the sun god Ra), multiple pairs of life sized bison, the head of Medusa, cattle skulls and other apotropaic designs throughout including lion heads, various lamps and lights (symbolic in nature), one of which located in the rotunda represents Jesus, with twelve lights surrounding one central one, gold rose pedals throughout, male and female faces meant to symbolize the offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite (Hermaphroditos), a tree of life mural in the legislative chamber by Augustus Tack, sculpting by Georges Gardet (statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments, and Solon of ancient Athens), sculptures by the Piccirilli Brothers, prepared by Albert Hodge, astronomical themes such as the re enaction of the procession of the equinoxes through optical illusion in the sanctuary. Certain construction dates were scheduled for days when the planets were aligned. In the park like setting surrounding the building, there are many clusters of lights, 3 perfectly
round bulbs in each cluster.
There are also various monumental statues on the property including Louis Riel, who is facing south and away from the building, on the south side. On the opposite side you find a monument of the queen, who is facing north, and various other figures around the yard.
An argument deeming it hypocritical that the practice of politics is taking place in a highly ecclesiastical temple replica is an argument that should be made, whether there's any validation or even interest with the mainstream or general public is another question. Upon learning about the architectural details of the MLB, one could only imagine that it was designed specifically for practitioners of the occult arts on an eternal quest for knowledge, and to perhaps achieve divination through the physical and spiritual purification of beauty using experimental imagination, the union of opposites, and sexual magic. Regardless of all these possibilities it's hard not to call it a morally uplifting experience, walking the halls and staircases of the MLB, transcendent in nature and spiritual were the effects of the designs, items throughout the halls brushed off on you ; the elegant furniture and sculptures, the ornamental decor/materials, different patterns, the apparent precision of the measurements, hieroglyphs and paintings, etc. As was the case with the original temples in Jerusalem, a sense of spiritual redemption is unquestionably felt throughout the building, having seen it myself.
The Architects and their Motives
Frank Simon is noted as the primary architect involved, a man who was heavily influenced by members of a masonic lodge called "Simple Hearts of the Polar Star", which is underneath the wing of the Grand Orient of France. Simon originally had won a contest offered by the Manitoba government in 1911, but a shadow figure named Septimus Warwick actually has gotten the credit in Europe for working drawings of the building. Simon seems to be the front man for his masonic brothers. In the mind of Simon, execution of geometry in the building would rely on a divine miracle, and although the building was never completed due to financial problems and delays with World War I, having esoteric motifs conflict so intimately with Christian aspects makes for an undeniably transcending and sublime piece of architecture. In regards to why the building was built, Simon was quoted saying "Men and women cannot be happy or good in surroundings that are commonplace, ugly, uninspiring". Using the "golden section" method which goes back to Vitruvius, Simon and his team achieve some perfection in the geometrical detailing, a certain sense of beauty that is undeniable. According to Albo, who no doubt has the deepest understanding of the characters involved in the conception of the building, Simon intended to produce with the MLB, a subliminal effect through the architecture that would "impel people towards virtues such as faith, hope, morality and charity". But if this is true, is it safe to assume there are evil motives in the minds of men to go along with the positive ones? Experimental imagination and this kind of symbolic magic employed by Simon has everything to do with being successful, knowing yourself, and finding a higher path up above. But could be used for evil, voodoo, and sacrificial means as well. Being a pupil of Frank Albo's, I gathered much information throughout my time in university, but ended up with more questions than answers. When it comes to possible motives for the construction of the MLB, an imaginative person could draw several sinister conclusions based on ecclesiastical connections and actual facts. Winnipeg is a highly masonic city, and is still active in that regard. It has also been described as a place with a high level of psychic energy. Creator of Sherlock Holmes Conan Doyle once said of Winnipeg "I came away with the conclusion that Winnipeg stands very high among the places we have visited for psychic possibilities". Doyle was in Winnipeg attending a seance at a house where several master masons used to gather to summon the dead.
To Conclude
The sheer beauty and majesty of the Manitoba Legislative Building is certainly awe-inspiring. It is in perfect contrast with the modern trend of faceless and sterile buildings, solely conceived for practical purposes. After analyzing the symbols, one can however question the spiritual significance of the building. The sides of the great hall measure exactly 66.6 feet, 666 being the number of beast of the Revelation and the number commonly associated with Satan. The Pool of Black Star contains the eight-pointed star of Ishar, the Babylonian Goddess of sex, fertility, love and war. Her cult involved sacred prostitution and she was considered the "courtesan of the gods". Ishtar is also a representation of Venus, which is referred to as the Morning Star – the other name of Lucifer. Another interesting symbol is the statue of Moses bearing horns on his forehead. Michelangelo has portrayed Moses in a similar manner at the Church of S.Pietro causing a great deal of controversy. While the profane are told that the horns were simply a result of a mistranslation of the Bible, their true meaning are revealed to occultists:
"So with horns, Michelangelo acclaimed Moses a man of power and station far greater than lawgiver of a local tribe. With horns he saluted him not only as one who had stood in the presence of God, and had realized, had become at-one with, his own divinity, but nobler far, as a man fulfilled who had returned — for some do not. Only the few come back, down the mountain, in order to teach and lead mankind."
-Eloise Hart, Theosophical University Press
Horned Moses represents the man which has obtained divinity by his own means, through mastery of sciences and magic, spiritual attainment and knowledge, a concept embraced by the luciferian doctrine. Furthermore, the symbolic depiction of Jesus Christ as a Masonic Initiate reflects the esoteric concept of Christ as the "perfected man". In other words, occultists believe that each can become his own Christ by going through the spheres of the Mysteries. Finally, the numerous ram heads carved inside and outside the building are quite reminiscent of the horned figure of Baphomet.
All these strange features lead us to wonder: who are governing our democracies and what is their true object of worship?
Related Videos


text:
Twist, a little hole-in-the-wall eatery in Forestville, serves the most substantial food in town.
We're talking big plates of good food, the amount of food you might find at an all-night truck stop somewhere along Interstate 40 near Oklahoma City. It's big food, but it's not mystery meat and gravy. It's California cooking with world influences writ large.
Twist opens at 11 a.m. except on Sundays and Mondays, when it is closed. If you get up late or like breakfast for lunch, check out chef Jeff Young's Daily Scramble ($12.95 ?). On a recent visit, he scrambled organic eggs and lit them up flavorwise with chorizo, mushrooms, spinach and English farmhouse cheddar, turned the scramble onto a plate, and filled it out with hash browns and griddled toast. This is the kind of breakfast that will carry you right past dinner, if need be.
The place is small, and the nine stools at the counter are often filled. There are some seats outside if the counter is full, and Toni Echols, chef Young's wife who serves the food and buses the tables and does everything that Young can't do, will bring your food outside to you.
Like any good diner, the prices are reasonable, but this being Forestville, the beverage list is better than most. Here's a half bottle of Merry Edwards 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir for $32, and a whole bottle of 2010 Wine Guerilla Sonoma County Zinfandel for $24. If you want beer, there's Racer 5 IPA, Scrimshaw Pilsner, and yes, the obligatory PBR. Eleven non-alcoholic drinks include Boylan's black cherry and root beer, San Pellegrino citrus sodas, coconut water, Arnold Palmer iced tea and lemonade, and more.
The daily pasta special changes with the chef's whim, but on a recent night it was Spaghetti with Chicken ($12.95 ?), a big plate of tasty pasta and tender chicken tethered to the flavorful bass note of mushrooms and set afire with sweet, fruity and spicy-hot ground Aleppo pepper flakes.
Besides the pasta special, there's a daily Twist special. Salmon and Red Snapper Curry ($13.95 ) was on the chalkboard recently, laced with mushrooms in a rich Southeast Asian curry sauce properly layered with spices. The snapper tasted fine with the curry, but something in the distinct flavor and aroma of the salmon fought with the spices.
Want a light lunch and looking for a salad? You can get them at Twist, but bring your hunger for the Trio of Salads ($12.50 ). You get to choose three from six salads offered. Good choices are the roasted chicken salad with cashews, cilantro and Serrano chilies; the organic roasted beet salad with an herb vinaigrette; and bright green Brussels sprouts with carrots, toasted crushed walnuts and an orange sambal dressing.
Bring a friend or business acquaintance and pick at the delectable Cheese Platter ($14.50 ?). The platter features warm, panko-encrusted Laura Chenel goat cheese; Bellwether Farms' "Carmody," made with creamy Jersey cow milk; Bleating Heart's exquisite washed-rind and aged raw sheep's milk cheese, called "Fat Bottom Girl" after a Queen song, and the Central Coast Creamery's "Holey Cow," a cow's milk cheese with Swiss-like holes. It's all accompanied by a chunk of honeycomb, spicy fig and walnut chutney, griddle toast and dried fruits and nuts.
Of the two sandwiches tried, the Tri-Tip Sandwich ($13.95 ?) was the better, with charcoal-seared grass-fed beef, bacon, red onions, organic greens and creamy horseradish sauce on a toasted soft bun. The shredded pork in the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.15 ?) was unpleasantly tough and hard to eat. The meat was mixed with house-made barbecue sauce, topped with cole slaw, and served on a toasted rosemary focaccia roll. Both sandwiches come with salad.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
For product availability, please select your "Ship to" state above.Got it, I'll ship to California
New Customers Save $30 off $100+* with code AUGNEW30
New Customers Save $30* with code AUGNEW30
*New customers only. One-time use per customer. Order must be placed by 8/31/2018. The $30 discount is given for a single order with a minimum of $100 excluding shipping and tax. Items with pricing ending in .97 are excluded and will not count toward the minimum required. Discount does not apply to corporate orders, gift certificates, StewardShip membership fees, select Champagne brands, Riedel glassware, fine and rare wine, and all bottles 3.0 liters or larger. No other promotion codes, coupon codes or corporate discounts may be applied to order.
Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Critical AcclaimAll Vintages
Home to perhaps the world's most easily recognizable Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir that lends a unifying thread to all of its wines. But despite common misconceptions, the wines from this region at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island are anything but homogenous. With well-draining stony soils and a dry, sunny climate, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, which helps to preserve natural acidity in their fruit.
The region's specialty, Sauvignon Blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass, and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones and vineyards sites as well as fermentation, lees-stirring, and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings from one another. Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot Noirs, elegant Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer, and a wide range of Chardonnay styles, as well as more experimental varieties like Grüner Veltliner and Syrah.
A crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character, Sauvignon Blanc is responsible for a vast array of wine styles. A couple of commonalities always exist, however—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. The variety is of French provenance, and is important in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. It also shines in New Zealand and California, while Chile and South Africa are excellent sources of high-quality, value-priced Sauvignon Blanc. High-quality Sauvignon Blanc is also produced in Washington State, Australia, and parts of northern Italy.
In the Glass
From its homeland in the Loire Valley, where citrus, flinty, and smoky flavors shine through in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, to Marlborough, New Zealand, where it is pungent, racy, and "green" (think grass, leaves, gooseberries, and bell peppers) and tastes of grapefruit and passionfruit, Sauvignon Blanc has something to offer every wine drinker. In Bordeaux, it is typically blended with Sémillon and Muscadelle to produce a softer, richer style. In California, any of the aforementioned styles can be emulated.
Perfect Pairings
The freshness of Sauvignon Blanc's flavor—from bell pepper and cut grass to passionfruit, gooseberry, and ripe kiwi lend it to a range of light, summery dishes including salad, seafood, and mild Asian dishes. Sauvignon Blanc settles in comfortably at the table with notoriously difficult foods like goat cheese and asparagus. When combined with Sémillon (and perhaps some oak), it can be paired with more complex seafood and chicken dishes.
Sommelier Secret
Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is the proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (an herbaceous aromatic compound) inherent to each member of the family.


text:
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." - Shakespeare's Henry V
As luck would have it, I got to look inside the working life of today's diesel truck technician this week, courtesy of three top-notch pros - Matt Wheeler, Pat Driscoll, and Michael Willoughby, along with added insight from Ken Carter, their service manager or "head coach" as he prefers to call his position.
Wheeler, Driscoll, and Willoughby all work for Rush Enterprises, at the Rush Truck Center in Oklahoma City. They'd each spent 10 long months taking training classes to prepare for the "entrance exam" to Rush's second annual technician skills rodeo held this week in Nashville TN. All three passed, joining 57 of their colleagues from other Rush Truck Centers around the country at the competition.
What struck me the most about this particular group of techs - whom I quickly dubbed "The Oklahoma Crew" - was their calm approach to the contest, leavened with considerable humor. Talking with them during breaks during the day and over drinks in the evening, I learned their shop - like most truck service centers, I suspect - is a close-knit fraternity, where the techs kid each other mercilessly as a way to break up the tension they work under, trying to unravel and fix an ever-widening range of complex vehicle problems on tight deadlines for customers.
"Keeping up with the changes in technology is what I think is our biggest challenge," said Wheeler, a seven-year Air Force veteran whose been at Rush's Oklahoma City site for 11 years now. "For a guy to come in here fresh from school and start working on these engines today, it can be really overwhelming."
Wheeler has the highest energy of the bunch: quick to laugh and tell a joke, even one at his own expense. ("I don't like heights," he told me. "Which left my father wondering why the hell I joined the Air Force!") A heavy equipment repair specialist stationed in Alaska for years, fond of heavy-metal T-shirts and a prized leather Harley Davidson jacket, Wheeler jumped at the chance to repair trucks somewhere - anywhere - in warmer climes after he left the service.
Driscoll is the relative newcomer to the group, an expatriate from Canada that's been in Oklahoma City for two years but whose experience in diesel engine repair spans nearly three decades. "I wanted to work on motorcycles, but there wasn't any money in it," Driscoll explained to me. "So I went into diesel engine repair."
He still raced motorcycles in his spare time, up until 1994, largely in multi-day, 100-mile or more off-road endurance contests, suffering a broken foot and ribs along the way. But when his wife finished nursing school at the same Canadian hospitals were going through layoffs, they decided to try their luck south of the border. His classic Canadian accent ("Repairing trucks is fun, eh?") coupled to a nearly constant smile ("He's ALWAYS smiling!" said Wheeler) made him an easy fit for the Oklahoma crew.
Willoughby followed the most unlikely path of them all into the business. Built like a boxer, sporting a shaved head and a series of complex tattoos, he started out in a lawn mower repair shop, then spent a five-year hitch in the Army repairing Soviet armor and Vietnam-era Sheridan tanks for the "Red Teams" in war games training in California.
He literally joined the diesel truck technician ranks with no truck experience at all, yet more than made up for it with unstinting hard work - and would be the only one from the Oklahoma crew to join 11 technicians in the final round of the competition, winning $3,000 and a $1 an hour raise in the process.
"I may not have talent, I may not be fast, but you will NEVER outwork me," he said. After 12 years in Oklahoma City, Willoughby believes he knows why people like him become - and stay - technicians, despite the grease, the scraped knuckles, sweltering heat and cold, and the fast-paced technology upgrades that keep them hunched over computers more than they turn wrenches much of the time.
"Repairing trucks is like a puzzle - you want to figure it out and you HATE to give up," he explained. "You also feel perpetually like the new kid, telling yourself 'I can't WAIT to get experience, because then this job won't be so HARD.' But what you really are is a full-time student - you are always learning something new. This job will make you mad many times, but it's never boring. If you get bored, then there's something wrong."
"It's such a fast-paced business now that you can't afford to be set in your ways," noted Ken Carter, the service manager at Rush's Oklahoma City site. "It takes a special personality to do this: you must have a passion for it." Originally from Massachusetts, Carter has worked on trucks and engines his whole life, starting around age seven helping out in his dad's trucking business, followed by vocational school, work for Caterpillar, running his own shop, then joining Rush about eight years ago.
"We have about 25 technicians, five managers - one assistant manager, three shop foreman, and a warranty manager - and me," he said. "I'm like the head coach - focused on strategy, finding and hiring the best players. My managers are like offensive and defensive coaches, focused on developing and executing the individual plays."
It's a wry comparison; one Carter delivers with laughter and an easy smile - traits that carry over into how he deals with his crew on a daily basis. For to Ken's mind, the most important asset in any shop is chemistry and teamwork: that's what really makes a shop function at a high level.
"That's why I am a coach, in that my job is to figure out how to pull a team together," Carter said. "They didn't hire me as just a manager either - they hired me to think, to find ways to do things better. And I can't do this alone - all my guys help me do it. That's what great about our place: no one has an ego and they don't watch the clock. They all help each other out."
It's tougher now on the whole crew, as their two best and beloved senior technicians died back to back this year - Melvin Young and Charlie Sossaman. "They were like uncles, looking out for me," recalled Willoughby, who still gets emotional talking about them. "They would watch out for you and yell at you sometimes, but that's because they wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt - and that you remembered what they told you 10 minutes ago. In many ways I felt like I grew up in this shop; it felt just like a family at times."
"They were absolutely great guys," added Wheeler. "Melvin actually wore out a hammer working there - a hammer! Who wears them out? But he also taught me you don't have to be fast - just persistent. Charlie taught me how to think - sometimes telling me the wrong thing to see if I'd figure it out."
Now, Wheeler and Willoughby both find themselves taking on the role Melvin and Charlie played for so long. "One of the most poignant moments for me - upsetting yet also neat - was when one of the younger techs asked me for help and I told him, 'Go find one of the older guys.' Then he came back to me and said, 'You're it.' That stopped me in my tracks," said Willoughby.
But it's also a responsibility they are both accepting, too. "It's like the old saying: 'Give a man a fish, he has a meal. Teach him to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.' But then most of the younger guys would rather us just give them the fish," said Wheeler.
But Willoughby added thoughtfully that this is the way it works in the diesel technician world - knowledge isn't just acquired from books and the classroom; it's handed down from one generation of techs to the next. "It's really not me in this shirt - it's Melvin, Charlie, and all the technicians I've learned from in here. They taught me all that I know. I am their hands now."


text:
OLPC Solomon Islands
From OLPC
Cook Islands -French Polynesia - Kiribati - Nauru - New Caledonia - Niue - Palau - Papua New Guinea - Samoa- Solomon Islands - Tonga - Tokelau - Tuvalu - Vanuatu
Congratulations SIDS: 2014 is the UN International Year for Small Island Developing States - SIDS !
- Read all about it at http://www.sids2014.org
- Remember: 2008–2017 Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty
- Remember: 2005-2014 Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (2005-2014)
- Remember: The 2012 theme: "Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices", a topic to which OLPC aligns closely.
- The priority areas, chosen by the SIDS
Evaluation Report by ACER available April 2010
The Trials described below in three schools in rural Solomon Islands were evaluated independently by Australian Centre for Education Research, the report was commissioned and is now published by the Solomon Islands Ministry of Education. You can download it here:
Download the report here (pdf)
Media release (Solomon Star newspaper, April 14th 2010
Observations from visitors
Read report of visit to Batuna by visiting Professor Laura Hosman
Read report of visit to Patukae by visiting Professor Laura Hosman
Marovo Wiki Project (UNESCO) Oct 2010
One weakness in the series of pilot OLPC projects in the Pacific has been an inability to show clear curriculum linkages. Related to this is the need to train teachers to incorporate the ICT into daily class work, when there is no official guidance given on such matters. A project in Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands, that is pulling together many interesting threads may be able to overcome these challenges through a content-focused project-based approach that is aligned strongly with the national curriculum and national education strategy. The OLPC pilot at Patukae Primary School is participating in this project using an XS school server customised with the addition of MediaWiki.
Trial deployments, July 2008 and saturation reached March 2009
Trials have started at Batuna, Patukae and Sombiro in Solomon Islands, in July 2008. In March 2009 the three trials schools were saturated with the addition of 300 laptops.
The schools do not yet have convenient day-time charging or school servers.
In June/July 2009 an independent evaluation of the OLPC trials will be conducted by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
- YouTube video from Patukae showing a teacher using the laptops in a real maths lesson, teaching number line to Grade 1 students, August 2008
- Video of Sombiro teacher training, with teachers describing lesson resources created during training
Press release
Visit the deployment report here.
Approved Objectives and Evaluation framework
Feedback from teachers
- Bernard Rapasia, Senior TVET Officer, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (Email: col AT mehrd.gov.sb)
- David Leeming, Technical Advisor to People First Network (PFnet), Honiara, Solomon Islands and OLPC Coordinator, SPC
- Elnah Tati, Project Officer based at Batuna (Email: elnah.tati AT gmail.com)
The following people have also been instrumental in the evolution of this project:
- Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
- Ian Thomson, 2020 Communications Trust, New Zealand
- Michael Hutak, Regional Director, Oceania, OLPC Foundation.
- Sam Taufao, IT Manager, SPC
- John Budden, Economic Infrastructure Advisor, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
- Technical Working Group let by Dr Robert Whelan, University of the South Pacific (USP)
Photo Gallery
Click on any picture to enlarge:
Girls at Henua, Rennell with a B2
Permanent Secretary Barnabas Anga inspects a B2 at Vuranimala
Projects for both the languages below have been opened in the OLPC Pootle server for localisation:
We are also working on localising the text-to-speech synthesisor (Speak activity) for Pijin.
To view the Solomons initiative within the broader Oceania effort, see OLPC Oceania.
Funding from ISOC
The Internet Society, ISOC has announced project funding of USD $10,000 towards the Marovo Learning Network project, which includes the Solomon Islands Trials for OLPC. This is to be administered via SPC and will fund a local project officer and contribute to the provision of school servers and power supplies.
Background to Solomon Islands OLPC
Solomon Islands, north of Australia and part of Oceania, is the first site in the Pacific region to have a substantial program of OLPC laptops in remote schools. The entire Pacific region is represented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Dr Jimmie Rodgers Director-General. The many islands that make up the Solomons are served by 9 VSAT satellite dishes on sites denoted as Distance Learning Centres. These were established using EU funding, and are administered by the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development. The project is named the Distance Learning Centres Project (DLCP).
Pilot sites are located at Bekabeka, Patukae and Batuna primary schools on Gatokae island in the Western Province of the Solomons, where they currently share 22 B2 and 10 B4 laptops. The machines at Bekabeka already have access to satellite signals via a VSAT which is now connected to Batuna via wireless networking. Patukae will be connected via another VSAT installed under the SPC's Pacific RICS programme in May 2008.
As part of the current trials with 75 gifted XO-1s, the whole of Year 1 will be saturated in Batuna and Patukae primary schools, with Bekabeka to follow.
Videos from Bekabeka, demos with B4s, Nov 2007
- Small boy inside: Children learning from each other.
- Jari girl outside : Girls in control...
- Hand over training at Batuna: Short video of a training session handing B4 XOs to Batuna children
Despite the favourable developments in recent years, the position of many Pacific Islands countries (PICs) in terms of educational performance remains among the poorest in developing countries. For example, according to recent population statistics, the Pacific population in the age group 6-17 years is estimated to be over 2 million. Of this, over half is not at school. Over 90% of those not at school are located in rural areas and outer islands .
If we look at the latest census data for PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, FSM and Tuvalu, there are more than 1.77 million 6-17 year olds. In the Solomons we can see that of a population of about 410,000 there are 124,000 (30%) in the 6-17 year age group, of whom 40% are not at school. In rural areas, the non-attendance rate is much higher. In other PICs, the percentage of young people is even higher – 58% of the population of Kiribati are 25 years or younger. The challenges facing the PICs to support and improve the livelihoods and services of these majority populations in rural areas are immense. Many national reports point to the lack of infrastructure, essential services, basic hygiene, primary education, high costs and poor quality of services as major hurdles. The challenges to reach out to remote and rural communities are substantial but the advent of new technologies that are robust, low cost to deploy and operate, portable and that integrate with Internet connectivity provide opportunities that were not previously available.
In this task, the high proportion of young people will work favourably. It has been shown that young people are by far the group most likely to take up new technologies and become active in the global flows of information . Young people are therefore an ideal group to focus on, in leveraging ICT for development.
PFnet and DLCP
In the Solomons People First Network (PFnet) [1] was started in 2001 through a UNDP programme as a community networking service to reach (some of) the 85% of people living in rural areas. After set-up, PFnet is an ultra low cost model – using HF radio email and solar power. All the "email stations" are community-managed and the network grows as new groups mobilize and come forward to request stations. PFnet follows a bottom-up approach where everything depends on a strong pillar of community support and their active participation.
In 2002, PFnet was involved in distance learning trials with the University of the South Pacific (USP)'s Honiara Centre. This led to the Distance Learning Centres Project (DLCP) [2] being included in the EU and NZAid-funded Education Sector Investment and Reform Programme (ESIRP).
The Distance Learning Centres Project (DLCP) is establishing rural learning centres equipped with VSAT broadband access, building on the well-tested PFnet model to ensure community partnership/ownership and sustainable multi-use operation. In this context, the Ministry of Education sees the OLPC initiative as having potential for further expanding the DLCP model to reach out further into the communities and remote areas, with linkages to a full spectrum of educational services - literacy, livelihoods, academic, technical, teacher professional development.
The Ministry of Education priorities under their National Education Action Plan (NEAP) are to strengthen basic education for all, including continuing education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The need is greatest in rural areas and the DLCP is one component that addresses this by creating new learning opportunities through the distance mode. The Ministry wants to expand the DLC network to other schools and education institutions such as Rural Training Centres. In this respect, DLCP is collaborating with the S.I. Association of RTCs (SIARTC) to develop an ICT strategy for TVET.
Furthermore, the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) of the Ministry is currently undergoing reform, in which the potentials of ICT – including that existing, such as the DLC network, etc - are to be assessed for integration into the national curriculum.
Pacific RICS – Pacific Rural Internet Connectivity System
The availability of Internet access is critical to programs that wish to interact and exchange information with remote communities, and the satellite broadband VSAT technology is very appropriate for the purpose. Furthermore, it can be extended to surrounding areas through terrestrial wireless "Wi-Fi / Wi-Max" coverage. In this context, SPC has recently announced that funding has been obtained for a Pacific Rural Internet Connectivity System (Pacific RICS) that will utilise a new VSAT hub and improved regional satellite coverage as a result of the AMC23 satellite, to provide access for remote communities in the PICs. It is hoped that the OLPC sites will benefit from the RICs programme.
Marovo Learning Network
Two wireless networks aimed at education are emerging in Marovo Lagoon. These are
- Eastern Marovo network connecting to the VSAT at Bekabeka Distance Learning Centre under the EU-funded DLCP project, and
- Central Marovo network to be connected to the VSAT at Patukae school, under the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's RICS programme.
The former has been completed.
The Ministry of Education, via DLCP, has been collaborating with regional organisations including the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and University of the South Pacific (USP) to develop a regional plan for OLPC linked to the Pacific Islands Forum's Digital and Youth Strategies, with SPC taking a lead role.
As part of a series of proposed regional pilots to test models and assumptions prior to a full-scale roll-out, trials are being run in the Marovo Lagoon area of Solomon Islands. The trials are implemented by the DLCP in collaboration with other regional organisations, as part of a wider initiative known as the Marovo Learning Network, with the following objectives:
- To demonstrate how VSAT access can be extended to surrounding areas through terrestrial wireless coverage
- To extend the impacts of the distance learning centres to technical and vocational education and training (TVET)
- To demonstrate the OLPC laptops in a rural village setting and measure their impacts
To provide connectivity, a wireless link is being established between Bekabeka DLC and Batuna Rural Training Centre (RTC). The geography is suitable for wireless networking with villages scattered around the lagoon-side with good lines of sight.
A number of organisations are collaborating with DLCP, Batuna RTC and the Marovo community in this project.
- 2020 Communication Trust (New Zealand)
- University of Queensland (UQ), Marine Science Department
- Conservation International
- American Museum of Natural History
- Internet Society
- The Waikato University part-owned company Rural Link provided technical support and the hardware for the wireless networking, with thanks to Prof. Murray Pearson.
Batuna is central in Marovo Lagoon and is a social and economic hub. Besides the large RTC, there is a secondary school and the main clinic for the Lagoon. Connecting Batuna RTC and then linking to the clinic, providing public access and so on, would be expected to create many positive development outcomes. Marovo Lagoon is a globally unique environment with diverse natural and cultural assets that make it the premier tourist destination regionally and recognised as a potential World Heritage site globally. Unfortunately the abundant natural resources of Marovo has attracted commercial exploitation by logging and fishing companies and led to significant environmental and social impacts.
Under the SPC's Rural Internet Connectivity System (RICS) programme [3], a VSAT will be located at Patukae school in the beginning of 2008. As of mid-February, the equipment is arriving in country. A suitable site for a wireless access point connected to the VSAT has been identified with the potential of connecting 10-15 other schools.
Linking the OLPC trials to conservation and environmental education
A key tactic in the trials is to link the distribution of the laptops to existing educational programmes in Marovo Lagoon. These programmes can be delivered, monitored and managed through the laptops and supporting infrastructure.
In order to establish the wireless link, collaboration has been formed between DLCP and 2020 Communication Trust.
Support has been pledged for the support of the operating costs of the Batuna facility for the first 3 years, through the University of Queensland (UQ) Conserving Marine Biodiversity in Marovo Lagoon project, which is attempting to addresses the unsustainable extraction of natural resources and subsequent environmental impacts.
Marovo communities have expressed a desire for stronger local capacity to manage the environment and biodiversity of Marovo Lagoon through appropriate application of cultural knowledge and systems. The UQ project aims to achieve this through the establishment and implementation of locally-based resource management strategies, facilitated and supported through the provision of expert scientific, anthropological and legal advice. One of the key components in building a local environmental governance capacity is education. The OLPC platform will provide a means to distribute locally appropriate environmental education materials across a broad spectrum of the community. Educational materials available electronically would complement UQ's existing hard copy materials and open up possibilities for wider distribution across the DLC and OLPC networks, focusing on young people and working with schools in the communities.
The UQ team have expressed an interest to assist in the development and use of the proposed DLC link to the Batuna RTC. UQ are already working both with Marovo communities directly, and with the Ministry of Education to ensure complementarity with the national curriculum.
Furthermore, Conservation International (CI) and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), who also have conservation programmes in Marovo Lagoon, have also expressed an interest in collaborating in order to leverage the new networks created by DLC and OLPC.
Over the past five years, CI has pioneered in the implementation of such agreements in a wide variety of contexts around the world, most recently in collaboration with the AMNH in the Morovo Lagoon of the Solomon Islands. AMNH has been active in conservation and basic scientific research projects the Solomon Islands for the past ten years.
Collaboration for communication, social development and natural resource management in the Marovo Lagoon is therefore proposed.
CI and AMNH propose to utilize the networks created by DLC and OLPC to support the development of a network of community conservation agreements on Gatokae Island and the neighbouring Morovo Lagoon. Broadband access would facilitate more effective management and protection of the area's extraordinary biological diversity via direct communication among community conservation staff as well as between local conservation managers and regional support staff in Honiara.
The network would also provide invaluable communication between conservation managers in Morovo and other community conservation projects in the Solomon Islands and around the world via a community conservation "learning network" that Conservation International is currently developing. A technical working group on OLPC has been created at the University of the South Pacific and they will be consulted in the project design and implementation.
The OLPC Solomon Islands Trials
OLPC trials will be conducted in Batuna and Patukae, in association with their communities, the Batuna RTC and the schools. The pilot will use the 12 B4 units donated by OLPC for familiarisation and will attempt to procure more for the full trials.
The specific objectives of the trials are to design an OLPC implementation plan using participatory development methods, involving a wide range of stakeholders from the grassroot communities through to service providers, the Solomon Islands government and their development partners, and then to:
- Distribute the OLPC laptops already obtained by the MEHRD (DLCP) to target school-age individuals in a selected community at Batuna and build capacity of children, school teachers and other resource persons in their use;
- Provide Internet access and a sustainable resource centre at Batuna and Patukae to which the OLPC network will connect, and which will provide ongoing support and access to server-based resources;
- Demonstrate how educational programmes can leverage the OLPC laptops to deliver educational content. The collaboration suggested in this document is ideal for a pilot, because the driving force for the trial already is in place. It is envisaged that MEHRD and other providers will eventually develop content for this mode, but this takes time. Therefore, the strategy will be to:
- Partner with two or more existing projects in Marovo with strong educational components and existing content and interactivity that could be delivered through the eLearning mode; namely (i) the UQ Conserving Marine Biodiveristy in Marovo Lagoon project and (ii) Conservation International and the American Museum of Natural History's Marovo programmes;
- Create an eLearning presence in the Curriculum Development Centre and use the above-mentioned programs as a case study to develop capacity that can then be applied to meet the curriculum development needs of the Ministry;
- Develop a curriculum implementation plan based on the above;
- Build partnerships to ensure the ICT networks are sustainable, and that address community ownership and buy-in, financial sustainability, growth, and capacity;
- Monitor and evaluate the impacts of the OLPC trials, disseminate results and make recommendations to the Solomon Islands Government and stakeholders, OLCP Oceania Organisation and regional stakeholders for follow-on large scale roll-out.
Objective measurements and research questions
The measurements to be made, and questions to be raised by the pilot, will concern the following:
- Implementation: what is the best way to distribute the laptops to children?
- What usage patterns develop in the user group?
- Do the laptops impact on literacy, numeracy, and information literacy in the students and their families, and communities, and if so, how?
- What are the most effective ways of delivering educational content using the XOs, and how effective are they for this purpose?
- How can the educational usage be directed towards meaningful ends, such as livelihoods, employment and further education?
- How can the laptops best be made to assist teachers in the classroom in the delivery of the curriculum?
- How can teaching practices be adapted to make best use of the laptops in the classroom?
- What are the most practicable method that PICs can adopt for creating local content linked to the needs of their educational systems?
- What recommendations can be made in terms of national collaboration to achieve optimum impacts from the distribution of the laptops, including towards the MDGs?
- What national policy recommendations can be made to create an enabling environment for this purpose?
- At the end of the pilot period, are there any measurable differences in attitudes to learning in the laptop owners group as opposed to a control non-owners group?
- Are there any changes in the attendance rate of school students participating in the pilot?
- What impacts/changes are observed within the village society as a result of the distribution of laptops,?
- What risks can be avoided and advantages encouraged?
- How well do the laptops perform in technical terms: networking, accessing content, power requirements, response to harsh environment?
- What are the main technical challenges and risks for a larger regional roll out and what strategies can recommended to meet them?
The pilot will also measure the actual total costs in terms of finance and of time of participants, and identify key indicators for future rollouts.
A fuller, detailed set of measurements and research questions will be agreed in consultation with the stakeholder groups. Questions will then be grouped into sections on planning/analysis, project design, implementation, and evaluation. The research methods, which may include focus groups, data collection, interviews, survey, observation and other methods will also be clarified at that time, and will refer to the literature for frameworks on measuring impacts of ICT in education.
Pre-trial familiarisation programme
Ten B4 prototypes have been circulated through the three sites involved in the trials, namely Bekabeka, Batuna and Patukae. The process involved:
- Establishing a local committee with membership from the primary school and wider community to oversee decision making such as the process for distributing laptops and coordinating with the project;
- An initial hand-over training for ten selected standard 1 (6-7 years) students plus older "mentors" and their teachers;
- A period in which the students "own" the laptops and are encouraged to use them at every opportunity, and their teachers to consider ways of using them in class work;
- Feedback will be obtained through questionnaires sent to the teachers, who will note their observations and also consult with parents and the students themselves.
The purpose of this exercise is to gain early indications that will assist in the design of the main trails, and to cement the partnership with the communities.
- The school generator was turned on at lunch time to allow mid-day recharging as well as the evening.
- During the familiarisation activities, only Bekabeka school had Internet connectivity.
At this stage we can only describe some initial subjective impressions:
- Great enthusiasm prevailed throughout, including with the teachers;
- Students acquired user skills at different rates. The quicker ones immediately began to help the others;
- The most popular activities were Record, Speak, Chat and TamTamMini;
- Teachers began to see the potential for specific learning objectives very quickly. For instance, the Speak activity as a tool for literacy training.
Problems that we noticed included:
- About 30% of the batch suffered from severe touch pad instability. This could only partly be reduced using the "four finger salute";
- One battery failed after a few weeks;
- It was recognised that the early age children, 6-7 years, have the potential to gain most from the laptops in terms of acquiring learning skills. However, most children in this age group needed quite a lot of assistance in the early stages to learn the basic keyboard skills and understand the basics of using the device
Outcomes of this exercise:
- A standard process for handing over the laptops to a group of children, involving a lesson plan, older students as mentors and full participation of primary school teachers;
- A participatory process to ensure the community has ownership and is empowered to make collective decisions regarding the project.
- A distribution plan for the main trials, involving rotating ownership. The committees at Batuna and Patukae both agreed on a system whereby groups of students (according to the numbers of laptops to be procured) will "own" the laptops in rotation, with periods of 1-2 weeks. This will ensure that everyone is included in the trials and that there are no disputes or jealousies. It will also widen the study group despite the limited numbers of laptops available.
We also tested the robustness of the laptops with an unplanned drop test! Five of the laptops experienced an accident when they fell from a railing 2m onto concrete. There was no damage observed to any of them! However, we do not intend to repeat the test!
Progress as of Jun 2008
The following outputs have been completed.
- Demonstrations made with B2 laptops at distance learning centres at Henua, Rennell and Vuranimala, Central Province. [4]
- Community consultations with Batuna RTC and community and community agreement signed.
- Collaboration with Rural Training Centres initiated.
- Consultations held and support obtained from Bekebeka Community High School
- Agreement made with UQ on salary support for a Batuna-based resource person and trainer, for 3 years. A suitable person, Mrs Elnah Tati, has been recruited.
- 2020 Communications Trust successful in obtaining USD 15,000 from Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) for the purpose of establishing the wireless learning network in Marovo Lagoon, including wireless equipment and computing equipment for Batuna RTC
- Curriculum Development Centre briefed and a focal point person identified, Mr Phillip Samani, to be the Curriculum Development Office with eLearning responsibility
- Wireless antennas installed at each end of the Bekabeka-Batuna link.
- Repeater site installed on Mt. Mariu
- Remaining wireless, solar and computing equipment ready to be installed in January 2008
- Batuna RTC computer centre operator Elnah started two weeks training at Bekabeka DLC
- 10 B4 laptops deployed with children selected by teachers at the local Primary School, Bekabeka (mid Nov 2007). The children have ben allowed to keep the laptops and their experiences will be recorded in January 2008. This is a "pre-trial" demonstration or familiarisation exercise (see video clips above).
- In February 2008 the 10 B4 laptops were handed over to Patukae Primary School for three days intensive familiarisation afterwhich the laptops were handed to Batuna Primary School where they will remain. Management committees for the trials have been launched at Batuna and Patukae.
- Trials with 75 gifted laptops to commence in June 2008 at Batuna and Patukae schools.
Regional outcomes linked to the trials:
- Panel session on OLPC in the Pacific held at the Pacific Chapter of the Internet Society's PacINET 2007 conference, held in Honiara, Aug 2007, featuring Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director General SPC, John Budden, Infrastructure Advisor, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ian Thompson, 2020 Communications Trust, Rangan Srikhanta, Treasurer, UN Association of Australia (NSW Branch) and David Leeming, Manager of DLCP. [5]
- Presentation on OLPC made at the Forum Leader's meeting in Tonga, October 2007, to Heads of State of many regional countries
- Presentation on DLCP featuring the OLPC trials amde by David Leeming at the Pacific Forum Education Minister's Meeting, Auckland, NZ, Nov 28th 2007 [6]
- OLPC's Professor Barry Vercoe visits Bekabeka, Nov 2007 [7]
- ISOC announce $10,000 project funding towards the Marovo Learning Network initiave(Jan 2008) [8]
- Marovo wireless link established and Batuna online, Jan 2008
- Main trials started July 2008 (see above)
- Resources, literature and research about ICT4D and ICT in education in the Pacific Islands [9]


text:
November 2010
November 2010
New & Noteworthy
Memorializing Veterans
Looking for ways to learn more about our nation's veterans in your classroom? Check out a host of resources, including the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and "Take a Veteran to School Day" on History.com. Or explore the meaning of national war memorials and those found in your own backyard through teaching guides and videos. Learn more.
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
One way to get young children excited about history is to challenge them to be history detectives. Using the mystery, "Why did the American beaver almost become extinct in the 1840s?", this teaching guide from Lisa Cooper outlines strategies and includes downloadable materials to teach what historians do when investigating the past. Read more.
Teaching the Transcontinental Railroad
The transcontinental railroad had a major impact on the American West. In "Ask a Master Teacher," find primary source materials such as documents, photographs, and letters related to the railroad's construction and the laborers who built it, as well as links to PBS lesson plans on the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act. Read more.
The Multiple Dilemmas of Abraham Lincoln
In this interactive historical simulation, students put themselves in the shoes of Abraham Lincoln as he faced five critical decisions between his election in November 1860 and the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861. While designed to be completed online, this lesson can be modified for classrooms without computer access as well. Learn more.
Historical Thinking
Teaching American History
Slave Receipts
When analyzing primary sources, sometimes the smallest details can bring out undiscovered connections. Watch as historian Tom Thurston closely examines an 1853 slave receipt for a woman named Mary and her child, Louisianna, and places their story into the larger context of law, the economy, and the world of slavery just prior to the Civil War. View here.
Working with K-3 Teachers
The TAH grant project, Blessings of Liberty, focused on the often-underserved K-3 teachers who need specialized strategies to teach historical thinking skills in age-appropriate ways. In this video, Alice Reilly and Cynthia Szwajkowski from Fairfax County Public Schools (VA) discuss the need for offering historical thinking resources to K-3 teachers and share some of the positive outcomes. View here.


text:
Bob Brookover and the Imaginary Devout
Making the rounds on Twitter this morning was an article by Bob Brookover titled "Inside the Phillies: Who needs sabermetrics?" It was the annual advanced statistics hit piece from Philly.com, which occasionally likes to claw at the vital new frontier of advanced analytics from the threshold of its own industry's grave. As Mr. Baer likes to point out, I should not bother to engage with it, nor with the tired debate that surrounds it, since, quite simply, the nerds have already won. Even putting aside the renewed hype surrounding Moneyball, advanced statistics has penetrated almost every front office in baseball (but not the Phillies, if this piece is to be taken at face value), and its influence continues to blossom.
This offseason, the Cubs rushed to acquire one of the more prominent frontmen for analytical front offices, Theo Epstein, and paired him with Jed Hoyer, a man with a background in baseball but who had also worked with Epstein on the Red Sox in the mid 2000s. The Astros, after interviewing Keith Law, who blends equal part scouting and statistical analysis into his evaluations, ended up poaching Jeff Luhnow from the Cardinals. The 45-year-old, taking over for the ignominious Ed Wade, has an educational background that blends business and engineering, including an MBA from Northwestern University. Luhnow then hired former Baseball Prospectus pitch f/x guru Mike Fast, as clear a sign as any of the tack that organization will be taking.
This is not to mention the Rays, who have had a young, analysis-oriented front office running the show for several years (as detailed by Jonah Keri in the book The Extra 2%), or the Mets, who, financial catastrophe notwithstanding, did hire a trio of postmodern executives in Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi, and Paul DePodesta. Gigantic, multi-million dollar baseball franchises want nothing more than to persist and remain as profitable as possible, and this impetus inevitably leads them to hire executives that are innovative, open-minded, and knowledgeable — people that will embrace all the information available to them, and use it in the most effective way possible. Naturally, these people are drawn to the wealth of data provided by advanced statistics.
The "war," insomuch as it ever existed, is over. Brookover and company are sportswriting's own Hiroo Onodas, hurling impotent volleys into the darkness, failing to realize their "enemy" long ago left the engagement. This is, in part, why articles like Brookover's are so charmingly futile and anachronistic. It's difficult not to read it with the same minor amusement as when one watches a child kick a table he'd just stubbed his toe on, only to injure himself further.
But there is also the glaringly obvious reality that Brookover invested zero energy into supporting research for his piece. Unlike Brookover, I don't get paid to write about things, and I likely never will. But if I were to set out to write an article about, say, free range chicken farming, I might be so bold as to go and interview a farmer, or seek out the most well-regarded literature on the subject, or, hell, at least run a few google searches. Brookover clearly did nothing of the sort. His "sabermetrics" bogeyman is constructed of decade-old marginal metrics and other statistics and concepts that are only seen in parodies of traditionalist invective. He brings up VORP several times. This, appropriately, makes me nostalgic for the days of Fire Joe Morgan, but it has not been a widely-cited metric in many years. PERA is also mentioned, which makes me think that maybe, at one point, he deigned to open a copy of Baseball Between the Numbers, but he failed to talk about ERA estimators that are actually frequently used, their purposes, and (since it would fit his narrative) their own individual shortcomings. He discusses the "equation" (seriously) of OPS, which undertakes the enormously complicated task of adding two numbers together, as if it were some mystical numerology. Brookover allows Charlie Manuel to say this —
"When you're sitting there and a guy brings up sabermetrics, they don't know nothing about that guy, and that may be the biggest thing," Manuel said. "Sometimes a guy will look at you and say, 'Why did you play that guy, he's 1 for 16 against that guy with seven punch-outs?' But when I've watched that guy, he might be 1 for 16, but nine of those at-bats the guy hit about three or four balls hard.
— either not realizing or not caring to point out that any sabermetrics guru worth his salt would laugh at using a 16 at bat sample to evaluate how a batter matches up against a pitcher. Manuel, to his credit, says he appreciates the amount of data contained in OPS and OBP. Actually, he came out of it looking the best, far better than Brookover at least. Amaro seemed to believe that the gap between his minor league OPS/OBP and major league performance was something notable, as if any advanced analysis would try to use raw minor league data to project a player's major league performance. If the key to war is knowing your enemy, it's no surprise that Brookover has been overrun. What gratification is there in setting up an easy effigy to burn if you can't even make it resemble your target?
Maybe his greatest failure, though, is missing the folly of war in the first place (although, as in every piece of this kind before it, Brookover doesn't miss an opportunity to make a tired reference to a certain Edwin Starr ditty). In the third paragraph Brookover writes that "[t]he most devout sabermetricians will try to tell you that there is no better way in the world to evaluate players than through their convoluted equations." This, to be blunt, is utter garbage. I'm sure in some recessed, dark corner of the internet, you can find some miserable wretch who comes close to fulfilling Brookover's sad stereotype. But it is overwhelmingly the case that sabermetrics advocates acknowledge the need to combine advanced statistics with accurate, reliable scouting in order to get anywhere at all. Keith Law harps on this regularly. The aforementioned Jeff Luhnow said the following when he was hired:
There's a misperception about what the winning formula is. You can't be the elite scouting and player development organization without the best scouts and coaches in the industry. Those are baseball people who have been in this their entire life and use their good judgment and experience to make decisions.
The complementary part is adding a whole new area, which is really utilizing whatever technology and whatever capabilities are available, whether it's understanding medical assessments, understanding performance histories, different ways to evaluate character. There's a lot of science that can be added to the equation.
But it's really all about gathering up as much valuable information as you can, organizing in a way that makes sense and making the best possible decisions.
The true "devout sabermetricians" know that scouting and advanced statistics desperately need each other to be usable, and that one must intimately understand the purpose and limitations of the metric he or she is citing. This is why things like sample size are so often brought up, and why the internal battle over UZR among the statistically-minded rages on. Clear-minded, responsible consideration of statistics is the first priority for the "devout," and, funnily enough, it's something that completely escapes writers like Brookover. All of the sudden, when their narrative needs boosting, they'll discard all of their inhibitions about the abuse of statistics and throw around RBI, fielding percentage, or 15-at-bat pitcher versus hitter matchups as it suits them.
That's the most absurd facet of pieces like these, which appear in media across the country. There is a pathetic pretense that they're cautious of numbers, that the "devout" rush to recklessly apply a number to any and everything. But it's entirely too transparent that it's not numbers they're concerned about, it's your numbers. They aren't my numbers. They're some other numbers. Those other numbers indicate that, all too often, the final analysis is far more nuanced and complicated than they (unfairly) think their readers are willing to put up with. The numbers they have — RBI, small sample quirks, antiquated counting stats — make for some snazzy headlines and rabble-rousing discussion pieces that, superficial as they are, help spoon a little syrup into the desiccated gullet of print media. The rest of us, interested only in finding out as much about the game we love as possible, embrace the heaps of useful data offered by both traditional scouting and advanced analysis. We don't always know what we're doing, or which (if any) conclusion can be drawn, and that's why an informal peer-review is always taking place, on the internet and elsewhere. It's not a church stuffed to the rafters with devout, it's a vibrant, self-auditing community of people who regard baseball with the same pure veneration that some traditionalists would like to claim a monopoly on.
My dad was unquestionably the first and primary inspiration for my interest in baseball. He delayed wedding my mother because it was the fall of 1980 and the Phillies were World Series-bound; he took me to countless Phillies games as a child; he coached and sometimes umpired during my unfruitful but enjoyable little league career. He's been watching the Phillies since the 1950s, and he certainly doesn't share the same enthusiasm for advanced statistics as I do, and I wouldn't expect him to, nor care whether he does or not. Because, like normal human beings, we can have discussions that transcend one particular approach to appreciating baseball. Still, because he is a smart, open-minded man, he doesn't limit himself to the traditionalist comfort zone. He mentions the things he reads about Bill James, or interesting observations that arise out of a more advanced analysis of some historical player or season. Occasionally I'll bring up a statistic like ERA+ or WAR, with a brief explanation, and he'll (to a stunning degree of accuracy) list historical players who he guesses would rank the highest. Just as there is a vital interchange between traditional approaches and newly-conceived analysis in the operation of baseball franchises, and in the work of blogs like this one, casual baseball discourse is also best served when these ideas are freely exchanged.
I don't know Bob Brookover beyond his writing. I'm sure he's a good guy who loves baseball just like the rest of us, and that he and I (or you) could have some interesting, mutually enjoyable discussions about baseball and the Phillies. When it comes to pieces like this one, beyond the woeful execution, I question the motive and the necessity. In a month, baseball will begin again, and we'll all be too happy and engaged to fixate on articles like this. But in the relative quiet of spring training, I'd sooner work to prevent the car wreck than spend all of this effort rubbernecking.


text:
Beautiful, laser cut cake topper. Cut from 3mm high quality hardwood plywood. Suitable for: weddings, anniversaries, birthdays etc. · Approx: dimensions: 14.5m · Personalised with your surname/names, and a special date. Please allow 5-7 working days for engraving and despatch of goods.
✦ Buying your cake topper is as Easy as 1 2 3!!! ✦
-----STEP 1----- [Purchase the product]
During check-out, please leave your information in the "Notes to Seller" Section
✦ Couple's Last Name OR First Names
✦ Wedding/Event Date
-----STEP 2-----[No Proof]
Please note* to help speed up the process, we do not send proof's.
-----STEP 3-----[Production & Shipping]
Production timescale can vary, at certain times of the year, we will proceed to production and ship
your cake topper with 5-7 business days.
2-3 weeks
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Request a cancellation within: 24 hours of purchase
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Please add your personalisation details in the message to seller box at checkout.
Due to the manufacture process of our wooden products. Some will have burnt, rustic edges. This is normal. However, if you feel you may need them with a cleaner look. You can gently give them a wash with a little wash-up liquid, pat and lay out to dry. Do not soak or immerse in water for any long periods.
Many of our acrylic products, will arrive with a protective film on the front. You will need to remove this before us.
Jul 13, 2018
Perfect! Can't wait to have this on our cake!!😂
Jan 25, 2018
Jan 8, 2018
Jun 23, 2017
Perfect! Hopefully it will raise a few smiles on the big day!


text:
Extend Your World
Lesson 9 of 19
Objective: SWBAT use the information gained from words in print to create an image that shows comprehension of setting and plot.
- The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
- Set up whiteboard
- Lesson vocabulary words from the Reading/Writing word wall:imaging, theme, details, illustration, plot, setting
- Extend your World powerpoint (with room examples and jungle images)
- Ipad or computer with jungle sounds playing as you read
- Kids need crayons
- Imaging with Support worksheet
- Imaging**/Visualizing Strategy Poster (to be used throughout the unit)
I chose this book because the kids can relate to having a bedroom and dreaming in their bed. The imagery and illustrations allow the students to enter a 'dream world' where lots of magical things happen. It also has great detail words that I'll be focusing on to help the kids understand that author supports the reader with details in the words and illustrations.
** "Imaging" is the term that my district uses for "visualizing". In order to stay true to the district expectations, I'll continue to use this verbage. Visualizing is a critical skill for 2nd graders because they need to 'go deeper' in the text. By visualizing as they read, they are creating and tweaking images in their minds as they actively read. This kind of 'close reading', forming images using text, verifying and changing those images, and ultimately comparing their images to the author, creates critical readers and deepens comprehension.
Resources (5)
Let's Get Excited!
Underlined words below are lesson vocabulary words that are emphasized and written on sentence strips for my Reading & Writing word wall. I pull off the words off the wall for each lesson, helping students understand this key 'reading and writing' vocabulary can be generalized across texts and topics. The focus on acquiring and using these words is part of a shift in the Common Core Standards towards building students' academic vocabulary. My words are color coded 'pink' for literature/'blue' for reading strategies/'orange' for informational text/'yellow' for writing/'green' for all other words)
Common starting point
- "When I was a girl, my mom told me I could decorate my room any way that I want. My theme was flowers and I put lots and lots of flowers all around the room and painted it pink."
- "Does anyone else have a bedroom with a nature theme? Let's look at this powerpoint slide to see some cool settings that people use to decorate their bedroom. "Can we make a list of other nature settings that you could use to decorate a room?"
- You may want to stick to nature themes. My kids raised their hands and offered "Star Wars" and "Puppy Pals" but that doesn't really apply to the idea of extending their world.
I am working on imaging/visualizing throughout this unit by helping students realize that this powerful reading strategy can really deepen comprehension. Take a look at some of my other lessons, utilizing the 'Imaging/Visualizing' poster mentioned in the materials section: Imagine That-Make a Picture in Your Mind, Pictures in the Snow-Imaging, Picture This-Lost and Found on a Mountain, Oh No! Duck for President-Imagine That!, and Imagine What An Inchworm Would Say.
Resources (1)
Resources (1)
Teacher's Turn
Explain the task
- "Today I brought a book about a boy who decorates his room in his mind. The plot is full of some GREAT IMAGES and there are details to make that make his room a magical place. We can picture these images because of the detail words that he uses."
- "The story today is literature and allows us to imagine a place beyond a normal bedroom and extend our world. Many times, it's fun to read the plot of these fantasy books like this because we can do some imaging and go to a make-believe fun world in our imagination."
- "Authors use these words to support their readers' understanding. They add details and help us go beyond our four walls. I'll add to our imaging/visualizing chart:
Imaging/Visualizing helps us to extend our world.
- "When you draw today, I want you to add as many details of the room as you can based on the text you hear.. I'll stop between each page so you have time to draw. Let's see if we can extend our images beyond the school to another setting."
- "When you're done drawing, you can write the detail words that help you choose your drawing. Then I'll show you the illustration so you can compare."
- Pass out the worksheets.
- Read the first page and show the picture and then read the second page (starting with "Where will he sleep?"…) but don't show the picture.
- "Let me think about the details that the author uses… 'moss that looks like little starts/leaves that are fresh and green/crickets to sing/bullfrogs to tell him stories'…..WOW great details!!!"
- "On my paper, I'm going to draw some of these images and add the words to the side."
- Let's check the text again. I think we can add some details." This is what our discussion sounded like when we were adding details based on text.
Guided Practice
- "Now I'll read the next pages (don't show the picture). What should I add to the room? What were the details?" Take ideas and draw and then list the words: shiny wet leaves, slide around, tree stumps with bark, boulders
- "Lots of great descriptive details. It's important to pay attention to the author's details so you can form an image that makes sense. If I were to ask you why you drew a tree stump, you could say that the author added that detail."
- Here's my sample worksheet.
- As we discussed, my students listened to the text and one student student picked up on details that I missed. Great imaging and listening skills!
Resources (3)
Students Take a Turn
Explain the task
- "Now it's your turn. I'll read the pages, hide the picture and let you draw. If you need help, take a look at the pictures on the screen."
Read and give students time to work
- Read the pages, hide the picture and let them use imaging to draw. Show the pictures when they're done drawing. They should write details on the bottom of the page.
- Remember to ask them to add to their images - a basic sketch is not enough.
- Read to the last page and have kids compare their final images with the image in the book.
- Here's my picture that I created along with the students.
- As you work, let students comment if they notice a 'theme'? One of my students saw the theme given the images and her imaging and connection became even stronger.
- Here is a student worksheet 1 and student worksheet 2.
- "How did this imaging help you? What did you think about the descriptive details – were they helpful?
- "Compare your images with a friend. What was the same or different? Here are some of my students comments on pictures with the same details but different images and their comments on different images."
This discussion is really the crux of the lesson. Students have varying drawing abilities and some are better at imaging than others. My real goal is the discussion of how imaging helps. I want students to internalize that we all have different images, based on background experience and that we can compare, verify, adjust or conceptualize a new image by looking at the illustrations in the text. This kind of introspective learning, using information gained from the illustrations and word in a print to demonstrate understanding of the plot and setting (RL.2.7) allow the student to 'take charge' of their own learning.
Resources (7)
Share What You've Learned
Share what you know
- Now it's your turn to 'extend your world'. Flip over your paper and think about how you can extend your world of your bedroom. What kind of bedroom would you like to have? What images can you add? Let's think of some ideas – remember we need details".
- "Let's look back at the list that we started with. You can choose one of these or do your own. Extend your world and make it a really cool place to sleep!"
- Give the kids time to draw and then invite them to come up and show ideas.
- Here's one of my student's projects.
- As a class, we discussed imaging and how it helps. This is a student's reflection how imaging helps her.
Scaffolding and Special Education: This lesson could be scaffolded up or down, depending on student ability.
Students with limited language ability will need help writing detail words. I would write them on the board or slate to help them with spelling. They should be able to draw images, but may need help spelling details for their own 'extension'. Here is one of my student's projects. His images were not the best, but he did understand the purpose of the lesson.
For those with more ability, encourage them to use higher level descriptive words.


text:
|Previous job
|Back to results
|Next job
Senior Solicitor/Associate – Civil Litigation – Edinburgh
Unique opportunity for an experienced Litigation Solicitor to join award winning practice based Edinburgh.
Interesting and varied caseload dealing with a wide range of Litigation matters; acting on behalf of clients and individuals within the Court of Session with some exposure to the Sherriff Court and Employment Tribunals.
The ideal candidate will have gained experienced representing both pursers and defenders within the areas of employment law, contentious and advisory experience, in addition some exposure to insolvency law would be a distinct advantage.
This role also includes commercial disputes, contractual and property disputes as well as public law matters.
In depth technical skills and an understanding of ADR procedures, coupled with your proactive approach to demonstrating commitment to providing a continuous high level of client service are prerequisite.
Please contact Michelle for further information.
Application Details
Sharri Plimbley


text: Ring Details: These entries will require a special talent to be able to focus on the wedding rings in a way that hasnt already been done. Please leave all clichés at the door. Your shots of the rings can, either be set-up and controlled by the photographer or captured as they were found.


text:
Three of Liam Payne's friends were taken to hospital on Monday (02Sep13) after a horrific fire broke out at the One Direction star's London apartment.
The singer reportedly accompanied the three victims in an ambulance after a heater on the balcony of his penthouse exploded, destroying 80 per cent of the patio.
A source tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "His friend went to fill up the gas for a heating lamp, there was some sort of accident and the whole balcony went up in flames."
Payne, who celebrated his 20th birthday last week (29Aug13), is believed to have been inside the property at the time of the accident, and none of his bandmates were present.
The singer's unnamed pal suffered 20 per cent burns to his hands and face in the blast, while another man and a woman were treated for superficial burns to their hands.
Officials are currently investigating the cause of the fire.


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
When Allan Herschell first began producing carrousels in the 1880s, he was fortunate to have a local population of talented carvers to draw his workforce from. Over the decades, advances in technology brought first metal and then fiberglass animals, and the hand-carved horse became a thing of the past. While modern animals undoubtedly offer a number of technological advantages, the beauty and craftsmanship of the hand-carved horses from the golden age of carrousels are unmatched.
Unfortunately, woodcarving is increasingly a lost art in American society. But the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is helping to keep the tradition alive for future generations. Offering both beginner and intermediate/advanced carving classes, the Carrousel Museum has the perfect opportunity for both skilled carvers and those who have never touched a chisel.
A spring carving class series takes place Saturdays, March 2, 9, 16 and 23. The beginner level class meets from 9 a.m. to noon, and is aimed at students who have no carving experience or are self-taught carvers who lack specialized technical training. Participants will work on a different project each week, including carving in the round and relief carving, as well as learning the basics of tool safety, sharpening, material selection and finishing. The cost for the beginner level classes is $90 ($85 for Carrousel Society members), and is open to anyone ages 18 and up. Fee includes instruction, a tool kit to keep, and materials for projects; students bring a pencil to class.
Carvers with a minimum of three years carving experience can sign-up for the intermediate/advanced carving classes, which meet from 1 to 4 p.m. This series covers more advanced carving skills, and participants will work on larger projects over the course of the month. For this spring, participants will carve two projects: a tree spirit face and either an 1812-style eagle or a carrousel shield face. (Students may alternatively work on a carving project of their own choice, to be guided by instructor, but must supply pattern and wood). The cost for the intermediate/advanced classes is $85 ($80 for Carrousel Society members). Fee includes instruction, pattern and wood for group projects. Students must have their own tools, including gouges for relief carving, two 6-inch (or larger) C-clamps, and a pencil.
All classes are taught by Doug Bathke, a trustee at the museum who has been carving for 49 years and teaching for 38.
Reservations and pre-payment are required by Feb. 28; call 716-693-1885 to register. Classes are a series and cannot be taken individually. Fees are non-refundable after the first class. Maximum enrollment is 12 students for the beginner class, 10 students for the intermediate/advanced class.
The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum is housed in the historic Allan Herschell Company Factory building at 180 Thompson St., North Tonawanda. For directions and further information about special events, programs or group tours, visit www.carrouselmuseum.org, call 716-693-1885 or email [email protected].
This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.


text:
BNY Mellon Shanghai Office Address, Phone Number, Email– fax number, with reviews and all other important information is available here. So, as this post we are here to provide you contact information of Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) in Shanghai. Here, we are providing all important information like how to contact BNY Mellon Shanghai office department, how to get BNY Mellon customer care Shanghai, etc. We are here providing information something through this post and something through external links. You can find here BNY Mellon Shanghai phone number and contact details and helpline number, etc.
How to contact BNY Mellon Shanghai Office Team
The head office team is available to help you every time, you can get customer support through several ways including visit at office, phone number, email, as well as FAQ section. You can use any one option for your any type of query, complaint and feedback.
Contact BNY Mellon Shanghai by Phone and Email:
- Address: The Bank of New York Mellon, 41st Floor, Hang Seng Bank Tower, 1000 Lujiazui Ring Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200120, People's Republic of China
- Phone Number: +86-21-38661166
- Fax Number: NA
- Email: NA
Website: www.bnymellon.com
Customerserviceaddress.com always strives to provide you complete and right information as per your needs. If you want to find out other office address, phone numbers, and emails, so you can visit here any time, and go for your query. Here, you can search about how you can contact with brands, companies, organizations, as well as service centers.


text:
Cerebral Palsy: Help for Speech ProblemsSkip to the navigation
Topic Overview
Some people with cerebral palsy have problems moving their mouths to form words correctly. Some have hearing loss, which affects their ability to speak clearly.
If your child is having problems speaking clearly, talk with your doctor. Hearing tests, speech developmental questionnaires, and other assessments may help determine the best course of treatment.
In most cases, speech therapy with a professional is recommended for these problems. But you can also help a child with cerebral palsy communicate more effectively by:
- Looking directly at the child while you are speaking.
- Talking slowly.
- Using pictures or objects while you are speaking.
- Reading with your child and using picture books. Try to get the child involved in the story by saying, for example, "Show me the fire engine" or "Where is the cat?"
Speech therapy may include using:
- Sign language (hand and body movements) or special boards (with pictures, words, or letters on them). People who do not speak clearly can learn to communicate better using these tools.
- A hearing aid. This device may benefit people who have trouble talking because of hearing loss.
- Computers to increase the volume of a voice that is very faint.
- Specialized computer programs. Some programs help improve speech through practicing lessons. Other programs are designed to allow a person who does not speak at all to communicate through objects or symbols.
Related Information
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Current as ofMay 4, 2017
- Top of Page
Next Section:Related Information
Previous Section:Topic Overview
- Top of Page
Next Section:Credits
Previous Section:Related Information
- Top of Page
Current as of: May 4, 2017
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics & Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
© 1995-2018 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
By Brendan O'Brien
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Former U.S. Olympic runner Suzy Favor Hamilton, one of the biggest U.S. track and field stars of the 1990s, worked as a prostitute over the last year to cope with depression, the middle-distance champion said in an apology on Twitter.
Favor Hamilton confirmed what she called a "double life" after an online tabloid site, The Smoking Gun, reported the story on Thursday, including details that she had charged $600 an hour while working for a Las Vegas escort service.
The three-time Olympian, and multiple All-American and U.S. champion from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, tweeted that she became a prostitute because it provided coping mechanisms to deal with struggles in her marriage and her life.
"I realize I have made highly irrational choices and I take full responsibility for them," she tweeted on Thursday. "I am not a victim here and knew what I was doing."
Using the alias "Kelly Lundy," the attractive, fit, blonde-haired Favor Hamilton, 44, traveled to cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston with dates, The Smoking Gun said.
"As crazy as I know it seems, I never thought I would be exposed, therefore never hurting anybody," she tweeted.
She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she runs a real estate firm with her husband and does motivational speaking and promotional work for the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association and the Disney running series.
The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association said on Friday it had terminated its agreement with Favor Hamilton, who helped promote potatoes as part of a healthy diet.
"We are deeply sorry to have learned about Suzy's struggles. We did not see this coming," said Duane Maatz, executive director of the association.
On her Twitter feed, Favor Hamilton cited depression as one of the causes for her actions and that she had been seeking help from a psychologist for the past few weeks.
She disclosed to the Smoking Gun that her husband, a lawyer and her college sweetheart, knew that she worked as a prostitute and tried to stop her.
"He wasn't supportive of this at all," she was quoted as saying.
Favor Hamilton ran in the 1992, 1996 and the 2000 Summer Olympics. She also won nine NCAA titles and 14 All-American awards during her illustrious career as a middle-distance runner.
During the 2000 games, she ran into controversy when a Nike commercial depicting her attempting to outrun an attacker was pulled after the shoe company received complaints that the spot downplayed violence against women.
Favor Hamilton is also remembered for the 2000 games in Sydney for falling during the 1,500-meter final. She revealed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in July that she fell on purpose after realizing she was not going to win the race.
In addition to Nike, she has also been endorsed by Reebok, Oakley and Clairol, according to her site. Nike said on Friday that its contract with her ended in 2006.
"I cannot emphasize enough how sorry I am to anyone I have hurt as a result of my actions and greatly appreciate the support from family," she tweeted.
(Editing by David Gregorio, Greg McCune and John Wallace)


text:
Over the past couple of years, I have been diving back into the tech communities out there to get brought back up to speed. In addition to training for new technologies online, I not only wanted, but needed to have a face to face community to compare what other designers and developers are doing. Being self-employed, one can… Read more »
Posts Tagged: web design
Kevin Buckstiegel is an independent web designer and developer based in the Chicago area.
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Recent Posts
Kevin brings a rare combination of clean, conservative on brand design sensibility combined with an uncanny ability to push creative boundaries and design way out side the box. Rarely do I encounter someone with Kevin's level of creativity who understands and thrives on cutting edge technology.
- Challis H.
Need a hosting recommendation?
No problem! With almost 20 years of experience under my belt, I can easily recommend SiteGround for your website hosting. I have spent many years searching for a company that provides not only top-notch service, but also a caring, sometimes hand-holding, human side of a business relationship. Their tech support will win you over the first time you contact them. Sign up with them below or contact me and I will help you with the process.
"I have hired Kevin to do the front-end design of many web sites, including our flagship site. He has the unique ability to take our general ideas and transform them into visually stunning designs. His attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile and make sure every single little pixel is in place makes him a standout amongst freelance web designers."
- Ajay G.
- Ajay G.


text:
It's all in the 'stache
Are you ready? Click the link, mothertruckers! You will be amazed!
The grandmaster
Feeling like Katrina with no fema
Like Martin with no Gina
Like a flight with no visa
First class with the seat back I still see ya
In my past, you on the other side of the glass
Of my memory's museum
View Tag Cloud
Forum Rules