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Linking Environment Activism and Other Struggles: An Anarchist Analysis
by Warren McGregor (ZACF)
Movements for ecological awareness and protection, such as those against climate change, are making important contributions to social understanding regarding the effects of industrial production and consumption. However, many arguments and analyses against ecological destruction and for environmental protection are seemingly not based on a class analysis and not informed by the lives of working class people. Thus many of these analyses do not question the systems of domination that lie at the root of social inequality and ecological devastation: capitalism and the nation state.
What follows is an anarchist analysis [1] of a way forward for linking environmental awareness and protection to working class and poor people's issues (as do movements for environmental justice), as an attempt to make these relevant to the majority in our society. In doing so, I argue that ecological protection must be intrinsic to any fight for social, political and economic freedom, as ecological destruction impacts immediately on all our lives and especially those of the working poor. However, it is only a working class-led social revolution against social and economic domination that can ultimately guarantee a world that not only meets all our needs and desires, but a world in which sustainable co-existence with nature is fostered and secured.
What is Anarchism?
For many readers, the terms anarchism and anarchist conjure a variety of images, many of which might not be favourable, and many of which are inaccurate and down-right wrong.
Anarchism [2] is a revolutionary, libertarian form of socialism. It is a political ideology that is against domination of all kinds:
- economic (capitalism: state or market-led),
- political (best exemplified in the form of the nation state) and
- social (in the form of the varieties of hierarchies of power that exist in society between genders, age groups, sexual orientations, abilities, races, etc.).
Because anarchism directs its attention at and seeks to fight against all forms of hierarchy and domination in society, class is not only defined in terms of whether or not you own the means of production, but also whether or not you control the means of social administration and coercion. Therefore, the ruling class is made up of the big capitalists and the managers of the state – in the government, military, state-owned enterprises (parastatals), police and the judiciary/courts. The working class is that which does not own nor control – it produces wealth for the benefit of those who rule and own. However, the working class includes the unemployed, home-based workers, women (especially) who go unrewarded for the daily tasks they undertake to ensure a safe, clean home and meals for the family, those working in the informal economy, etc. Together with the peasantry, who are exploited by landlords, banks and the state, they form the popular classes. It is the popular classes as such that, for the anarchists, have a revolutionary potential to recreate society – one that is classless and stateless; a society without domination or exploitation.
Why am I saying this?
The ideas we have about past and present society, ways of struggling and what we want for the future inform the strategy and tactics we choose to use in attempting to create social change. The key to fighting against both capitalism and the state, to building free, or libertarian socialism, is that we should be seeking always to develop the strength and fighting ability of our organisations of counterpower in the workplaces (revolutionary, or syndicalist trade unions) and the communities (revolutionary mass-based social, or civic movements).
Environmental Destruction is a Working Class Issue – the Production Question
We as anarchists feel that the ecological problem we face is not industry and production in and of itself, but the way production is organised and controlled and how goods are distributed. Most modern industrial techniques make inefficient use of resources (both human and other) and many are based on the use of resources which are scarce (such as fossil fuels, e.g. oil, coal, etc.) and which produce massive waste and huge levels of pollution. Also, much of production is ultimately useless to the vast majority of people who can't afford the goods produced (gold watches, big houses, yachts, etc.) and who need other goods for their daily needs (housing materials, nutritious food, adequate clothing, etc.). As a result much of what is produced is dumped and literally thrown into the sea [3]. However, anarchists reject the argument that economic development and economic growth always leads to the destruction of the environment. The implication of this type of argument is either that environmental crisis is unavoidable and that we should just "grin and bear it", or that the world's economy must be drastically shrunk, and industry replaced with small-scale craft and agricultural production.
What we require, however, is an economic growth and development that takes into account human needs and the availability of resources. For this we need anarchist social economics – and the anarchist society. The problem we are faced with is not excessive consumption, since most people, especially the popular classes, are short of housing, decent health, jobs, transport, education, etc. The problem is wasteful production for the world's ruling minority. In the anarchist society production to meet the immediate and longer term needs of society will not only be entrenched, but will need to be greatly expanded.
We argue that it is not technology and its development in and of itself that is problematic, but capitalist and state uses of technology that systematically under-invest in useful, necessary and ecologically sustainable technology in favour of "high pollution-high profit" technology and weapons of war for elite power and control.
We also reject a purely "developed" versus "developing world" argument that states that poorer countries (in the so-called "Global South") are made poor and their poverty and underdevelopment is sustained by richer countries (the so-called "Global North") who are also the biggest polluters. These arguments also fail to incorporate a localised class analysis and thus fail to see hierarchies of control within all countries. Because capitalism and the state always result in the accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of a few, this means that there is huge inequality in the countries of the "North" between its ruling and working classes.
South Africa might be a "developing" country, but is, relative to the size of its economy, one of the biggest polluters in the world [4]. The ecological crisis is clearly due to the excessively high consumption of the ruling classes of the so-called "developed" and "developing" worlds and the massive industries created to produce for their desires.
What the Anarchists argue for
We argue for a decentralisation and collectivisation of decision-making and production.
Why? Because:
1. Capitalism is a wasteful socio-economic system that over-produces niche products for the minority who can afford them. It breeds competition between private owners of productive means whose goods are made by exploited wage-slaves and then exchanged through a market for profit and perpetual growth. Most production techniques today use fossil fuels (as mentioned above).
Thus capitalism's drive is towards profit and expansion and not efficient, sustainable productive practices. Importantly, because of its nature, as to produce things based on exploitation and for sale, it ultimately under-produces for people's needs [5] and is a system that generates regular crises.
2. States are also responsible for ecological destruction. Competition between states for power and control over people and land leads to the development of huge war industries and war technology adapted for industry. These have obvious serious negative implications for people (injuries, death, refugees, etc.) and the environment (the terrible effects of current nuclear technological failures, etc.).
State-owned enterprises contribute massively to ecological destruction [8]. In South Africa, the nationalised and capitalist enterprise Eskom uses the energy released from burning coal to generate electricity. Eskom has plans to increase its use of coal for electricity. This puts into serious contradiction the South African government's role in the Congress of Parties (or COP) -17 which took place in late 2011.
Competition between states for resources (such as oil, natural gas, land, etc.) breeds conflict and war not only between countries, but also within countries, e.g. the diamond-funded civil wars of west Africa of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Also, states are not willing to enforce strong ecological protection laws against capitalist bosses and themselves as owners because these would cut into the profits and the states' own tax revenue.
3. Many solutions to ecological and social degradation don't question a hierarchical order of social organisation; or if they do they focus on eliminating one form of control while usually ignoring other dimensions of oppression.
Under capitalism, solutions to ecological crises are based on consumer choice – a green consumerism – whereby customers choose to buy products and make choices that will supposedly help to sustain the environment, e.g. buying electric cars and energy-saving light bulbs, going vegetarian or vegan, recycling, living in eco-villages or eco-squats, etc. This form of consumerism, however, is based on an inadequate and incorrect analysis as to where the pollution problem actually lies – at the doorsteps of big industry, not individuals, and certainly not the working class and poor. Green consumerism is then, ultimately, a class-based choice and doesn't question the role of capitalist production in creating and exacerbating ecological destruction. The majority of people, the working class, does not have the financial ability to afford these products and lifestyle choices (due to the very nature of capitalism) and thus does not have the financial power to shift production to more sustainable, "greener" means.
There is also no evidence to suggest that a "greener" capitalism will adequately provide for society's energy needs. For example, it may produce fuel efficient or electric cars, but what production procedures were used to make these cars, and how will electricity be provided for them? Energy will still have to be bought, and the many "service delivery" struggles around South Africa show that most of our people cannot afford energy.
Ecological crises DO NOT, however, signal the end of capitalism itself, and we should guard against such thinking. Due to resource pressures, e.g. oil shortages, etc. and people's struggles, capitalism will be forced to "go green". However, this transition to different kinds of technology will be, at best, slow and lengthy and will not alter the class relations of who controls what. Also, weapons production, ultimately, cannot by its very nature be green, never mind the devastating impact it has on people the world over.
Calling for more state intervention is another solution offered. However, this model of production and distribution is still not outside a capitalist framework as it serves to centralise control of resources (land, factories, water, air and people) in the hands of those lucky few who manage and control the state apparatus. One needs only reflect on the terrible environmental records of the former East-Bloc countries to see that a centrally-planned or state-led development model is not an automatic solution to ecological and social degradation (Steele, 2002).
Linking the Class Struggle to the Environment
Development and Growth: issues brown and green
The working class and poor bear the brunt of economic and political domination and ecological destruction. Not only are we forced into wage-slavery (for those of us lucky enough to find work), but our class also carries the burden of the externalities of production (those effects of production, like waste and pollution, that the bosses in the state and capital don't pay for). We also lack the ability to make decisions to affect and control industry.
The working class is forced to perform the most unclean and dangerous jobs – jobs which threaten and take the lives of workers on a very regular basis. Capitalism and apartheid have also forced the majority black working class of southern Africa to live in poorly serviced communities close to production sites where the surrounding air, soil and water are heavily polluted. Unlike us, the bosses and the rulers (including the black politicians and businesspeople) are protected from the effects of their greed and appetite for power by their air-conditioned offices, luxury suburban homes and ostentatious holiday resorts far away from polluted zones.
Therefore we must organise and mobilise for the struggle against capitalism and the state for a democratic and sustainable economy and society. We need a big movement of the working class and poor – a counterpower – that would, for example, fight for conversion of power stations to clean technologies for free electricity provision, for free and quality public transport, for sustainable growth to improve living standards worldwide, for cleaner, safer working environments. These organisations would also exist as centres of democratic social education and training, developing an anarchist counterculture equipping us for the road of struggle ahead and for the future society beckoning us towards it.
We must organise and fight for an ecologically-sustainable development and economic growth in order to deal with poverty and under-development. We will still need a massive programme of house-building, provision of electricity, water, food, etc. and large scale ecologically-sustainable industrialisation is vital to this end.
Industrial technology holds a number of advantages over small-scale craft production as to meeting the ends of development and growth. Industry can produce many types of goods on a larger scale and at a faster rate than craft production, and can thus not only increase the level of economic growth, but also help shorten the working day, and free us from many unpleasant jobs.
A safe environment is a basic need for the workers and the poor of South Africa, the region and the world. The environment is not just something "out there" such as the veld [7] or the sea. The environment also refers to where people live and work. As such, we can distinguish between "green" ecological issues (like wildlife, trees, etc.) and "brown" ecological issues (like workplace safety and community development). The two are obviously connected: brown ecological issues (like lack of sewerage facilities) directly affects green ecological issues (like marine life) when authorities dump waste into the oceans. Also, human-exacerbated climate change will have devastating effects on the world's poor and development in terms of destructive floods and disastrous droughts. Tackling brown issues must generally take into serious consideration green environmental conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.
The class and ecology struggles
Many working class people in South Africa have been alienated by the actions of sections of the local environmentalist movement. These sections generally focus their attention on wilderness and wildlife conservation and climate change, and tend to be based amongst a white middle class. The contrast in focus of struggle is revealed when, for example, environmentalists strongly supported the state's establishment of nature reserves. But many of these reserves were established by the forced removal of rural communities, who lost their land and access to natural resources such as fishing areas and building materials. The campaign to save the St. Lucia nature reserve that began in 1989 generally failed to consult the people who lived in the area, many of whom had been forcibly removed when the reserve was set up. To add insult to injury, many of these nature reserves were (until the 1990s) reserved for "Whites only" and can only be enjoyed by those with leisure time and money. These practices can only breed contempt for conservation issues and programmes among the poor, the majority of whom are black.
Related to this is the fact that few environmental organisations in South Africa address environmental issues of direct relevance to the working class. To use the distinction we drew above, many focus on "green" environmental issues as opposed to the "brown" environmental issues that working class people tend to emphasise. We do not, however, support the drawing of a simple distinction between "brown" and "green" issues and having that as a battle line for separate struggle. We do not uncritically support struggles that focus solely on one issue. We must defend "the veld" and the wondrous beauty and necessity of nature – an intellectual, emotional and physical need for human life and development. We do not reject "green" issues, but seek to use "brown" issues to mobilise people for organisations of counterpower around both "brown" and "green" issues.
Thus we must organise and fight for sustainable technologies and safer working conditions, but not at the cost of the workers and the working class. We cannot accept job losses and an increase in the costs of services imposed on the working class and poor by a company (whether controlled privately or by the state) seeking to remain competitive in a "greening" capitalist environment.
The working poor must engage an environmental justice that builds the capacity and the strength of our organisations to fight against capitalism and the state – against oppression and hierarchy. We need to continue to build working class counterpower by focusing on winning demands from those who rule; but we need to make sure that in fighting for these day-to-day gains, these struggles act in building the strength of our organisations – using this terrain of struggle as the working class gym, so to speak [8]. We should always make sure that in waging this fight, we are not co-opted by capitalism and the state and their agents – that our demands are won and not lost to the idea of building the nation, or to accept that our fights are threatening jobs. The nation exists for the ruling class; job loss serves to accumulate profit!
COPs and robbers?
With these perspectives in mind, we must seriously question working class mobilisation for COP-17 and other such conference calls. Did our presence at COP-17 build the power of our social movements and worker organisations? What will happen now that the activist party in Durban has passed? Did our presence there contribute to building a counterpower to both capitalism and the state, or even to ecological degradation?
We also need to ask questions of the conference itself. Was COP-17 a site of decision-making or another in a long line of meaningless ruling class talk shops? If the United States was one of the notable absentees to signing any resolution (as this might jeopardise profits and the balance of global power), will any COP-17 mandate carry significant power? Of course not, and the results of the conference were a major disappointment to environmental activists both local and international, many who move from one conference to another yet achieve no positive result. There is still no change to South Africa's macro-economic strategy and its use of productive resources. Thus, surely we need to question what we are aiming for and how we seek to get there.
Comrades, we are not saying not to go to conferences like those, but we would stress that we, as activists, ask ourselves these questions and decide where our struggles would be better focused if we decide against going to protest. We should also make decisions based on honest and democratic reflection of the benefits (like networking and popularising our struggles) and losses of attending such protests (like using precious limited resources and energy sending comrades to workshops and marches for a few days, and at the behest of organisations that we don't control).
We should use protests and other forms of demonstration to build sustained mass formations of counterpower. Our protests should reflect and energise mass structures and not be, as it seems today, something of a "rent-a-crowd" substitute for organising and/or re-energising mass formations. We must not allow our movements to be used to swell the ranks of protestors so as either to placate NGO sponsors, or the authoritarian, undemocratic desires of leaders [9]. These structures should be strong and sustainable enough so that they exist and grow between events. This we see as opposed to a politics of summit-hopping, which could rob activist organisations of vital resources and energy and which might see little achieved in the way of having demands met.
Environmental justice and the working class – for anarchism!
As stated above, revolutionary mass organisations are required to fundamentally challenge and defeat capitalism and the state. These organisations of counterpower must seek to use mass direct action to achieve their goals as opposed to elections and lobbying to put new or different leaders into the ruling class. These electoral and reformist strategies only serve to perpetuate our subjugation to authority and domination. Throughout history, the working class and poor have only ever achieved rights through struggle!
This struggle has to be international. We must work towards global popular class solidarity against the exploitative and consumerist upper classes. We should not let ourselves be drawn into divisive "developed" versus "developing" world arguments and characterisations that ultimately divide the working class into nationalities; but seriously challenge and destroy divisions within the class based on race, gender, nationality, etc. We must come again to the realisation of working class commonalities across borders.
It is the consumerist upper classes, the capitalists and the state bosses, that are the real polluters – the real enemy! We have nothing in common with them! We should be organising against capitalism and the state, as single-focus protest movements (for electricity or water), vital for organising people in their communities, can easily be sidelined and might also not seek to build links across the popular classes.
Anarchism offers us that path. It is a path that develops the fighting capability of our organisations to move away from petitioning the state and capitalist elite for a few more crumbs from the table of the ruling class. Anarchism offers us the path of class struggle to move towards claiming an entirely new table for ourselves, one at which all can feast as equals.
- This piece is an edited version of a discussion document presented by the author at the October 2011 International Labour Research and Information Group (ILRIG) annual Political School held in Cape Town.
- For a thorough examination and explanation of what anarchism is, its historical origins, and debates around anarchist strategy and tactics, see M. Schmidt and L. van der Walt's book titled Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism. Published by AK Press.
- For example, huge amounts of plastic waste are being deposited into oceans causing waste dumps twice the size of the United States; see: http://www.ecology.com/2008/08/14/pacific-plastic-waste-dump/; see also http://www.environment911.org/144.The_Effects_of_Ocean_Dumping to read about some of the effects of ocean dumping.
- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions for a list of the world's leading carbon emitters.
- See Herbert Read's Kropotkin: Selections from his Works.
- See, for example the harmful effect on Venezuelan society and ecology inflicted by the state-owned oil company, the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA, Petroleum of Venezuela), the fifth largest oil company in the world, in the documentary film Our Oil – and Other Tales by the Gattacicova Collective; see also J. Cock's book titled Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa for figures of pollution in South Africa and land degradation by the early 1990s.
- An Afrikaans word meaning field, usually used in English to denote a wide and flat open rural space.
- A term coined by the Italian anarchist Errico Malatesta (see the ZACF's James Pendlebury's article titled Tangled Threads of Revolution at: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/James_Pendlebury__Tangled_Threads_of_Revolution.html) and an idea also developed in Rudolph Rocker's Anarcho-syndicalism.
- For an account of the COP-17 protest mobilisation and presence, see a piece by the ZACF's Jonathan Payn titled Towards a Truly Democratic Left: an Anarchist Assessment of the DLF at Cop-17 detailing the exasperating experience of many activists who were part of the Democratic Left Front entourage, at: http://anarkismo.net/article/21515 and a pre-COP-17 analysis by the ZACF's Shawn Hattingh titled Not Another Fucking COP Out at: http://www.anarkismo.net/article/21271 .
- Cock, J. (1991). Going Green: People, Politics and the Environment in South Africa. Oxford University Press.
- Pendlebury, J. (2009). "Tangled Threads of Revolution: Reflections on the FdCA's "Anarchist Communists: a Question of Class"". Available at: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/James_Pendlebury__Tangled_Threads_of_Revolution.html. Accessed on 11 November 2011.
- Read, H. (1942). Kropotkin: Selections From His Writings. London: Freedom Press.
- Rocker, R. [1938](2004). Anarcho-Syndicalism, AK Press: Edinburgh/Oakland.
- Schmidt, M. & van der Walt, L. (2009). Black Flame: The Revolutionary Class Politics of Anarchism and Syndicalism. AK Press: Edinburgh/Oakland.
- Steele, C.N. (2002). "The Soviet Experiment: Lessons for Development", in Morris, J. [ed.]. Sustainable Development: Promoting Progress or Perpetuating Poverty?. London: Profile Books.


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Gabby Douglas tugged on America's heartstrings when she discussed the rough road of racism and bullying that eventually led her to 2012 Olympics gold. However, those who worked with Douglas at the gymnasium in Virginia have denied Douglas' claims, calling them "hurtful and without merit."
Douglas sat down with Winfrey and told her story on "Oprah's Next Chapter," which aired Sunday on the OWN Network. She explained to the television host that life as a gymnast was not always easy. She told Winfrey about how she was once referred to by another gymnast as her "slave" while training at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach.
"I felt being bullied and isolated from the group," Douglas told Winfrey about the alleged racism and bullying at her gym, adding, "Is it because I'm black? Like, those thoughts would go through my mind."
She eventually left the Virginia gym for a gym in Iowa. But now the head of the gym and those who 16-year-old once trained with are denying Douglas' allegations.
"Gabby's remarks were hurtful and without merit," Excalibur Gymnastics CEO Gustavo Maure said in a statement to E! News. "We've had more African Americans in elite and on the national team than any other gym in the country (5, 2 of them in Olympic Trials or Olympic Team Camp). Her African American former teammates will answer this serious accusation. (1st statement untruth, she was not the only African American gymnast training in the gym) We are good people. We never were knowingly involved in any type of bullying or racist treatment, like she is accusing Excalibur."
Multiple gymnasts whom Douglas trained with have also spoken out against her allegations, with some saying that Douglas was not only not a victim, but she was also one of the favorites.
"This is absolutely ridiculous," Randy Stageburg, a former Senior International Elite and National Team member, told GymNewstics.com. "Gabby was never a victim, in fact many would say she was one of the favorites. I am not saying that she never felt bullied because when you are in a sport with a bunch of girls it is [bound] to happen. However, anything that she may have felt was never about race and I can assure you everyone at some point has felt bullied. I never once heard her complain about girls being mean, funny how it is just now coming up."
Kristina Coccia, a former Senior International Elite, backed up Stageburg's comments, saying: "I know numerous gymnasts who experienced nothing but fantastic memories from Excalibur. Pay back the money you owe, stop playing the victim and respect the coaches who got you to the Elite level. Because the Excalibur family is one that I personally remember during my career. This entire story makes me sick sometimes."
Although her comments on "Oprah's Next Chapter" have been refuted, the teenage gymnast has had to deal with racism in the spotlight.
Douglas' hair was a topic of conversation during the Olympics, but the teen handled the remarks graciously. "I don't know where this is coming from. What's wrong with my hair?" Douglas, who was the first African-American U.S. gymnast to win gold in an all-around competition, previously said. "I'm like, `I just made history and people are focused on my hair?' It can be bald or short, it doesn't matter about (my) hair."
"Oprah's Next Chapter" airs Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on OWN.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said Gabby Douglas was the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in an all-around competition. Douglas was the first African-American U.S. gymnast to conquer such a feat.

subset: commoncrawl


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"The Simpsons" writer Mike Reiss has scripted "I'm Connecticut," a satirical play that will preem Dec. 1-10 at Connecticut Repertory Theater on the U. of Connecticut campus in Storrs. Paul Mullins directs.
Play tells the story of a thirtysomething Connecticut native, now living in New York, trying to come to terms with his apparent lack of personality, which he attributes to his upbringing in the New England state known as "the land of steady habits."
The show's cast hasn't been nailed down, though Joyce DeWitt ("Three's Company") has been set for one of the major roles.
Connecticut native Reiss has written for "The Simpsons" for 18 years and co-wrote "The Simpsons Movie" and "Ice Age 3." He also co-created "The Critic" and Showtime's "Queer Duck." A children's book author, Reiss composes puzzles for NPR and Games Magazine.


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2017 Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Contest winner: "Box Set" by Sue Burton
We're very happy to announce Sue Burton's "Box Set" as winner of the 2017 contest. Here's what Faith Adiele (this year's judge) had to say in choosing Burton's essay:
"'Box Set' is a beautiful argument for the lyric essay, demonstrating how the form marries poetry and inquiry to tackle important subject matter, both historic and contemporary, personal and political. The typography and title offer sly commentary on the institutional control exerted over women's bodies recurring throughout history, while the formal patterning performs how the narrator's life and work is haunted by unanswered family questions. The essay achieves orature, a masterfully woven tapestry of voices culled from letters, newspaper clippings, whispered rumor, family questions, personal testimony, legal documents, musings."
"Box Set" will appear in Issue 20.1 in January, available at AWP in Tampa in April.
2017 Fourth Genre Steinberg Contest
Submissions are closed now for the 2017 contest. Writer, activist, and memoirist Faith Adiele has the essays chosen as finalists, and we hope to be able to announce her decision in early June. Find out all about Adiele's "faith-based initiatives" here. The winning essay will appear in the January 2018 issue.
2016 contest winner and finalists
Molly Gallentine's "Powder House" was selected by this year's judge, Ned Stuckey-French, as the winner of the 2016 Fourth Genre Sternberg Essay prize. "Terminus," by Wilfredo Pascual, was named runner-up. Both will be published in Volume 19.1 in January (and available @ AWP in DC).
Other finalists:
"A Trial of Wearing Our Dead," by Riley Bingham
"Ghosts in the Frame," by Alysha Hoffa
"Etymology," by Sandra Gail Lambert
"This American Life," by Jennifer Lee
"Of Rimrocking Right," by Dale Rigby
"Hot Dog Curry," by A. Sandosharaj
"We Were…Us," by Lia Woodall
"Eighty-Eight," by Jessica Yen
Cate Hennessey's "Beets" wins a Pushcart Prize …
Published in the fall of 2015 in issue 17.2, "Beets" has been selected by Pushcart editors for Pushcart Prize XLI: Best of the Small Presses, which will appear in cloth and trade paperback in November. We're ecstatic for Cate!
A new podcast featuring Marcia Aldrich …
This time on "Off the Page," we talked with former Fourth Genre editor Marcia Aldrich about how reading, editing, and teaching has influenced her writing.
We're notable!
Eight essays appearing in Fourth Genre this past year were listed as Notables in Best American Essays 2015! Congratulations to Amanda Giracca, Penny Guisinger, Robert Long Foreman, Judith Adkins, Patrick Mainelli, Patricia Park, Jill Christman, and David Naimon (whose "Third Ear" was also listed in Best American Travel Writing)!
2015 Fourth Genre Steinberg Essay Contest winner: "Ossification" by Kaitlyn Teer
We're very happy to announce Kaitlyn Teer's "Ossification" as winner of the 2015 contest. Here's what Kate Carroll de Gutes (judge for this year's contest) had to say in choosing Teer's essay:
The narrative in "Ossification" really held me–skeletal and familial without being trite, it's not just another grandparent narrative. I was surprised, even though the title should have alerted me, when I realized the section headers were actually the spinal markers, and I immediately read the entire piece again, mapping each section's content to the bony prominences of their headers. I also liked–and I know Judith would have, too–the writer's use of digression, from science catalogs to black ice to the continuity of standing at the sink doing dishes. Judith believed strongly in digression, Here's a bit of her take on it in a piece about lyric essay she wrote for Seneca Review:
"Too bad," said my wonderful professor, "that you have so many good ideas, and no vehicle with which to express them." Well, I had a vehicle, but it just wasn't the one he recognized—the language of the scholarly article. It just didn't dot the i's or cross the t's or proceed logically on its way to its point. It circled and spiraled; it doubled back; it digressed and prodded; it spoke in tongues. And yet I knew I knew what I knew—knew it in ways that, if I thought to remember, sounded a bit like my father's way of knowing something that he then had to prove. But since there is no such thing as "proof" in literature, it seemed to me that all I had to do was find a way to show the direction of my thoughts. Demonstrate them. Point the reader toward my inconclusive conclusions.
"Ossification" does this beautifully. It spirals like a spine with scoliosis, twisting 'round until the reader has a full picture, but no answers to the mystery of the body, the heart, and the families that hold both.
"Ossification" will appear in Issue 18.1 in January 2016, alongside essays by Julie Marie Wade and Denise Duhamel, Jacob Appel, Katherine Standefer, and others.
Spring 2015
Issue 17.1 of Fourth Genre features the winning essay from the 2014 contest by David Zoby, along with essays by Beth Richards, Dawn S. Davies, Patrick Madden, Robin Silbergleid, and many more. Individual copies were available at AWP 2015 in Minneapolis. Information on subscribing to Fourth Genre can be found here. You may read this issue via Project Muse (if you have access), purchase individual essays here, or buy an individual print-on-demand copy here.
Fourth Genre Pushcart Nominees 2015
We are excited to announce our nominations for Pushcart 2015:
Patrick Madden, "Spit"
Liz Falvey, "Ultimate Gifts"
Gary Garvin, "Above the Rooftops of Paris, a Non-memoir"
Stephen D. Gutierrez, "Hopper at the Train Yard"
Brandel France de Bravo, "Transutopia"
Dawn S. Davies, "Pie"


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FALKE® is committed to developing stylish fashions for modern people, whether the occasion calls for freshly patterned socks, top athletic performance, or even the most luxurious of tights. FALKE's forward-looking approach to current trends showcases fine design in quality knits and nylons for men and women alike.
The main maxim of FALKE quality culture is: quality for quality's sake! Each and every detail deserves to be perfected with expertise and passion. FALKE has been working passionately to achieve that for more than 100 years.
FALKE caters to those whose style of living and dressing reflects a good deal of self-confidence. Their scenery is populated by indefatigable globetrotters, polyglot adventurers, fanatic perfectionists, and sensitive intellectuals. The equal spirited friends of FALKE expect a perfect translation of their aesthetic concept of modern outfits. FALKE offers a variety of sharp-looking dress socks, opaque and sheer hosiery, and sport inspired no-show and knee-high socks. Their design, along with matching harmony of fabrics and color, guides their taste to reality.


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Community Colleges across the U.S. are seeing growth in their student populations, but not from the kind of students who walk onto a schools actual campus. According to a new study over 500 community colleges done by the Instructional Technology Council, enrollment growth is being driven almost entirely by the surge in online learners.
In 2006, the overall student bodies of community colleges across the U.S. grew by just 2 per cent, but online study grew by over 15 per cent. As a result, the community colleges are now finding themselves overwhelmed by a demand for more online courses than they can supply.
Taking "Distance" Out Of "Distance Learning"
Ironically, many of the new distance learners enrolling in these programs aren't really at a "distance" at all. Many simply sign up for e-learning courses at their local community college because they want to get a degree at a lower cost, and they actually prefer the online learning experience to that in a live classroom.
For the colleges, the greatest challenge lies in delivering teaching in the areas considered less friendly to the online classroom format: nursing, engineering, art, music, speech and others. The new surge is also making it necessary for community colleges to make rapid investments in the technologies needed to deliver quality online learning, and the bring in new professors who are comfortable working in the distance learning format.


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This item has a $20 shipping surcharge in addition to standard shipping.
Pattern Maker's Woodworking Vise
Copied from the famous Emmert Pattern Maker's vise, this is the most versatile stock control device you've ever imagined. First, of course, it's a large, heavy and powerful cast iron bench vise.
The patternmaker vise's unique mounting system makes it far more than that. Unlock a lever and the vise rotates 180° to reveal a pair of carver's jaws just 2" wide, which stand 2-1/8"
above the flat jaws to hold small or oddly shaped objects above bench level. Rotate the vise just 90° and you have open vertical clamping for working on legs, panels, and other tall pieces.
Loosen another lever, and the entire vise swings upward up to 90°, putting the jaws parallel to the benchtop or at any angle in between. Main jaws are 13-3/4" wide by 5" deep, with
a maximum working opening of 13".
In any configuration, a crank on the front jaw can vary its alignment by up to 5° left or right, perfect for holding tapered legs or other stock. A 5-3/4" x 5" cast iron auxiliary
jaw that mounts in the right side of the vise tilts 20° up or down, providing another option for holding tapered work. Pairs of spring-loaded dogs face each other across the main jaws; they
set up to 2-1/4" high for 3- or 4-point control of virtually any shape. The owner's manual is startlingly clear and thorough, including a precise template for marking and mortising your bench
to house the vise.
Vise includes complete mounting and operation instructions and 4 dogs. Weighs 60 lbs.
CLICK HERE to read Terry Chapman's blog entry about the Pattern Maker's Vise
CLICK HERE to download a PDF with Pattern Maker's Vise Installation Instructions
Pattern Maker's Vise
Pattern Maker's Vise - Installation
Pattern Maker's Vise Use
Notice to residents of California: Please read our Proposition 65 warning.


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Interwebz points (or interwebs points) are an unofficial currency of internet chatrooms and discussion boards. They don't count for anything, but some folks still "collect" them as a badge of honor. Originally used positively as a means of recognizing another's kindness, may also be used sarcastically to highlight another's status as a noob.
Thanks for the awesome vacation suggestion, TheTopDog, +10 interwebz points for you. ASSMUNCH1337, your suggestion sucked, -1,000 interwebz points for you.
by poetcetera May 25, 2010


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Shipping tips for your holiday giftsPosted: Updated:
One of my family's favorite holiday gifts every year is arrival of the cookie tin from Michigan. We gather around a giant tin of Grandma Steinmetz' delicious cookie creations all ready to grab our faves. Each time with bated breath we'd open the container hoping they survived the trip whole. Now Grandma Steinmetz was a premier packer so we were rarely disappointed.
This year, there's a return to handmade and homemade holiday gifts so I researched some easy tips that should help your goodies and fragile items arrive safely to their destination.
Shipping Holiday Gifts Tip #1
Make sure your cookies don't arrive as crumbs I started by taking a look at how the pros pack cookies and found that many send them stacked on their edge rather than shipping them flat. Think about the cookies you buy in the store, most come stacked on edge. They survive a huge shipping adventure so I figured there must be something to it.
Here's the trick for homemade treats First, think about what kind of cookies travel the best. Think dry and firm, or, chewy. These will make the trek better than cake type recipes that tend to fall apart or squish. They also tend to last longer, which is important since they may take a week or so to arrive at their destination.
You'll need some wax paper or, I found Press and Seal paper to be perfect. Now simply take about six cookies, and lay them back-to-back and front-to-front on their edge. Wrap the paper around it to form a neat package. This keeps them on their edge and compact which makes them less likely to break.
Shipping Holiday Gifts Tip #2
Use the double box technique for fragile items I learned this from the pros. If you have something exceptionally fragile pack a box in a box.
You'll need a box sized to fit your items and then a larger box about 2 inches bigger on all sides. Using bubble wrap, Styrofoam " noodles" or even tissue paper or shredded paper and pack your fragile item carefully. Seal the inside box, and place it in the larger box. Now, surround all sides with another layer of filler. This will absorb any bumps and bounces along the way. This technique really works well. Takes a bit of time but really does the trick with fragile and perishable items.
Shipping Holiday Gifts Tip #3
Key deadlines to remember for your holiday gifts Remember the sooner you ship, the more you will save. So here are the key dates for shipping your packages holiday 2008. The deadlines are if you want packages to arrive by December 25.
December 4 - Military Mail to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan December 11 - Military Mail to other locations December 15 - The busiest mail day of the year! December 16 - Parcel Post - the most economical method! December 20 - First Class/Priority Mail and Flat Rate Priority Mail December 23 - Express Overnight Mail - the most expensive option!
Keep the Flat Rate Priority Mail option in mind for your shipping. This is one size of specific box available at your post office that allows you to fill it up and ship it for $9.80 in the U.S. They say, "If it fitsit will ship." This is a great option for lots of items. Ask about it at the post office.
Shipping Holiday Gifts Tip #4
Consider online bill to/ship to Options Most all online and catalog vendors offer some version of a bill to/ship to service. This allows you to purchase an item and send the billing information to you and the gift to the recipient. They don't get the price or any of the payment details. This will save you plenty on shipping because you're essentially paying the lower bulk rates of the retailer.
And last but not least, I found an intriguing website that lists all the shipping deadlines and details for most major retailers from Amazon to Zappos. Check it out at .
Are you like me? Each year when I get all my packages shipped I take a deep breath. And I usually have a moment when I swear I'm just sending gift cards next year. But, of course each year I find the perfect gift for the perfect person and start all over again. Oh well!
Live and Learn.


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Ideal Saddle Company
Highland & Cob | Ramsey Show | Working Hunter | 1350 GP | VSD Event
International Event | Grandee | Jessica | Suzannah 1650 | Roella
Highland and Cob (H&C)
H&C, short for Highland and Cob. The saddle is particularly
useful in fitting these breeds.
Designed on a special tree ensuring an extra wide head means the saddle fits over more of the breadth of the withers and ensures improved weight distribution.
Available in brown or black
Sizes: 16.5",17", 17.5", 18", and 18".5
Widths: Medium, Wide, X wide
Ramsey Show
This saddle has flat panels which allows the saddle
to sit close to the horse, and be discreet, whilst showing off the horses
Available in brown (black to order only)
Sizes: 14",15", 16", 17", and 18"
Widths: Medium, Wide, X wide
Working Hunter
This is an ever popular design of working hunter saddle, discreet yet functional. (Point straps are avaiable upon request). The saddle is available with wool flocked panels or insert panels (to order).
Available in brown (black To order only)
Sizes: 14",15", 16", 17", and 18"
Widths: Medium, Wide, X wide
saddle was launched in 2006 on a new design of tree to suit well-developed
horses in full work. A useful saddle-fitting tool
The cut of this saddle means it falls between a General Purpose and a VSD.
Sizes: 16.5", 17", 17.5" and 18"
Widths: Medium, Wide, X wide
International Event
A multipurpose saddle with molded kneepads to ensure maximum comfort
and control
The International Event was first launched over 20 years ago and this design was quickly established as a 'best seller' and remains so to this day. A true General Purpose saddle especially good for work over fences.
Available in brown or black
Sizes: 16.5", 17", 17.5",18", 18.5" and 19"
Widths: Narrow, Medium, and Wide
VSD Event
For the customer wishing to ride staighter we have developed the VSD Event. Also great for the shorter legged rider. Available in brown or black
Sizes: 16.5", 17", 17.5",18", 18.5" and 19"
Widths: Narrow, Medium, and Wide,
This is a more forward cut GP saddle and can be used for jumping and hunting particularly useful on flatter backed horses where riders want optimum weight distribution and support. Available in brown or black
Sizes: 17", 17.5",18", 18.5"
Widths: Narrow, Medium, Wide and extra wide
Since its launch on the 286 tree the Jessica has been a true winner.
Designed to meet continual demands for a comfortable, affordable and
functional dressage saddle, it has been met with constant praise. The
primary advantage of this tree is to allow a wider gullet which allows
freedom of movement and at the same time increases the bearing area
in contact with the horse - giving more opportunity for horse and rider
to realise their full potential.
Available in brown or black
Sizes: 17", 17.5",18", 18.5"
Widths: Narrow, Medium, and Wide, Need to add 1650 and 1350 dressage
Ideal Suzannah 1650 Dressage Saddle
The 50 Range of saddles are designed for use by fit horses in training
and competition.
Well-schooled horses develop a back profile that necessitated a new tree design; here is the result - A serious saddle for the serious rider. The wider seat profile and steeper cantle improves the balance and stability of the rider.
Available in a variety of seductive finishes for improved feel
Sizes: 16.5" 17" 17.5" 18"


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A woman's breasts do determine a lot about her overall appearance, especially her sexiness. Women with average or small breasts have been depicted as the more sexy lot, why those with big ones go to great extents just to have them reduced. Whatever your personal preference is, what's important to note is that there are several clinics in London that help in breast reduction.
What causes big breasts?
Although genetics play a big role in determining the size of a woman's breasts, most of them come as a result of fat accumulation. When one gains weight, it tends to be deposited around the abdomen, thighs, and in the breasts. As such, there is a connection between the size of your breasts, and the body fat you possess.
How is breast reduction done?
Usually the doctor will first examine you and advice you accordingly. Often, it is the fat around your breasts that is medically removed, to leave you with firmer and leaner breasts. Liposuction is the safest and most preferred mode of removing this fat. The liposuction london procedure will suck the fat out of your breasts till the desired shape and size is acquired.
What are the benefits of breast reduction?
Breast reduction boosts your confidence, and boosts your sexiness. This means that one gets to have their breasts reduced into a size they are proud of. Thousands of women are silently battling self esteem issues occasioned by the size of their breasts. They don't regard themselves as "sexy" enough for their partners, or men in general. But once a breast reduction procedure is done, they get a totally different look that makes them irresistible to stare at!
One can browse online in order to get the best breast reduction London expert for this procedure.


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Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 90914
Error messages after kernel upgrade (2.4.20-13.7)
Last modified: 2007-03-27 00:03:52 EDT
From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.3) Gecko/20030314
Description of problem:
Some quotas program related error messages are appearing while starting /
stopping the server since the system was upgraded to kernel-2.4.20-13.7 ( See
RHSA-2002:206 @ https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2002-206.html ).
Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
How reproducible:
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Upgrade to latest available kernel (2.4.20-13.7)
2. Reboot the server
3. Some error messages does appear concerning quotas
Additional info:
I took the quota-3.06-9.src.rpm file present in the RawHide repository and did a
--rebuild of the package against RedHat7.3.
I don't have any error messages anymore...
Proposed fix: Provide an updated version of the "quota" program in the updates
The new kernel is compiled with quota v.2 only. The quota package in rh 7.3
seems to require support for v.1. The platform should be changed to all. rh 7.2
also seems to be concerned.
I think severity should be on security level.
I hope bug #68274 is no longer an issue. If it is, I think it should be fixed too.
*** Bug 91159 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***


text: Hajia Aisha Buhari has been presented with a portrait of her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari as a military administrator in Northeastern Nigeria 39 years ago. According to the pictures obtained from Facebook, the Nigerian first lady was presented with the picture during a recent visit to troubled Borno state. Check out the photos below:


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In a spectacular misunderstanding sparked by an accidental cell phone call, a worried wife caused SWAT teams to swarm the Winnetka school where her husband works, officials said today.
The wife received the disturbing, garbled call from her husband's phone Monday evening, Winnetka police said.
"You know how when you sit on your phone when it's in your back pocket and it calls the last number that was dialed? His wife was the last number he'd dialed," said Winnetka police Chief Joseph De Lopez. "The conversation led her to believe there was someone holding him hostage."
In the popular vernacular, it was a butt dial, the bane of many a chagrined cell phone user. This time, it led to a frantic 911 call from a wife. Soon, more than 30 gun-toting officers converged on Carleton Washburne School, which also houses the District 36 offices where the man works.


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Mobile Web Browser for PC is a lightweight web browser that has the capability to load websites created for mobile platforms.
The browser uses one of the following agents: Android, iPhone, iPad, Chrome and Internet Explorer 8.
. Freeware download of Mobile Web Browser for PC 1.0 Beta, size 0 b.
PC to Mobile Text Messaging Tool is useful to create and send bulk SMS including personal, SMS, marketing and advertising messages from PC to other mobile phones in one single click at both nationally or international mobile networks. Phone messaging tool is time saving and cost effective utility as it provides features to send text messages. Free download of PC to Mobile Text Messaging Tool 1.0, size 6.52 Mb.
Our Spy Software is top-10-rated a Complete Stealth Monitoring Spy Software.
Win Mobile Spy App w PC Monitoring is a Complete Stealth Monitoring Spy Software. With Win Mobile Spy you can monitor your 1) Local PC or 2) Remote PC or any 3) Mobile Phone. It is a complete all monitoring package.
Our Mobile Spy includes PC Remote. Free download of Win Mobile Spy App w PC Monitoring 31, size 36.35 Kb.
Boost Mobile Duo (Software Package) is a comprehensive Boost Blackberry Enterprise Solution to meet your company's needs. Currently our mobile software package includes a combination of eMobiStudio's two best selling Boost Mobile applications - MemoryUp Pro (Mobile RAM Booster) and NetworkAcc (Mobile Network Accelerator).. Free download of Boost Mobile Duo v3.0, size 594.94 Kb.
Here we are going to implement a tab view for mobile devices using J2ME platform..We have done a lot of the project.. this is a small project in fact..Please cooperate with us
Tab View for Mobile device 1.0 License - GNU General Public License (GPL). Freeware download of Tab View for Mobile device 1.0, size 0 b.
Bulk SMS Software provides facility to send group text messages from PC via connecting USB modem, Windows, Android or GSM technology based mobile devices. Text messaging software works without internet connection and allows user to compose and send text message in multilingual language over worldwide. PC to mobile messaging application provides. Free download of Bulk SMS Software 22.214.171.124, size 2.47 Mb.
Business mobile text messaging software allows user to forward short messages from your Pocket PC, PDA to mobile phone on any network. Text messaging application allow Pocket PC user to send personalize SMS, event alert, notification, greetings, invitations, promotional campaign, job alerts and more from Pocket PC. PDA SMS sender tool works on any. Free download of Send SMS Using Pocket Pc 22.214.171.124, size 73.73 Kb.
GodswMobile Windows Mobile Transfer Suite is a software package which contains two mainly functions - sms transfer and contacts transfer. With this package, you could transfer both mobile text messages and contacts to pc. The mainly difference between this mobile backup package and other backup software is this package contains a desktop pc. Free download of Windows Mobile Transfer Suite 2.0, size 1.31 Mb.
Data Doctor Pocket PC sms advertising software specially designed to send text messages from your Windows based mobiles to other cell phones. Pocket PC messages broadcasting utility sends unlimited text sms on both national and international GSM and CDMA mobile phones via Windows OS based Pocket PC, PDA and smart phone device. Advanced sms sending. Free download of Pocket PC SMS Advertising Software 188.8.131.52, size 220.20 Kb.
View, play and download all your PC media on your mobile phone in real-time, conversion is done automatically for you using the screensize and audio/video capabilities of your cellphone. For example, click on a mp3 file on your PC and have it downloaded as a ringtone on your mobile phone. View your PC's content on your mobile phone and view. Freeware download of Mobile Media Center Express 18.104.22.168, size 0 b.
Orneta Notepad is a basic text editor for Windows Mobile based Smartphone's that you can use to create simple documents. The most common use for Notepad is to view or edit text (.txt) files. Editing Functionality: Selection mode can be used to select words or characters for editing purposes. Cut text to move it to a different location, or. Freeware download of Orneta Notepad for Smartphone 2003 2.0.2, size 69.20 Kb.
CHS Mobile Trader is a feature rich Futures and Options derivatives trading application provided by CHS Hedging, LLC. Account holders can trade on products and exchanges supported by CHS, and are able to view real-time portfolio activity and market data, where available, to assist in making important trading decisions. Cheta Mobile seamlessly. Freeware download of Cheta Mobile 2.3.2, size 3.46 Mb.
KarPocket is karaoke and midi player for Windows Mobile 6 / 5, Pocket PC.KarPocket play karaoke files with expansion .KAR and usual MIDI files on Windows Mobile, Pocket PC devices. The song text is displayed on the screen on a background of the varying images. Features: -change of the background images in intervals between verses of song; -change. Free download of KarPocket 3.3, size 3.03 Mb.
River Past Windows Mobile Recorder is a easy-to-use, fast, and powerful screen video recording software for Windows Mobile Smartphone and Pocket PC devices, running WM5 or WM6.Windows Mobile Recorder runs on a standard Windows PC, and record off screen video from a connected SmartPhone or Pocket PC device. By offloading the video encoding to a PC,. Free download of River Past Windows Mobile Recorder 1.0.15, size 8.22 Mb.
Foxit Reader for Windows Mobile is a PDF reader application for a variety of mobile devices, including Pocket PC, Smartphone and Windows CE. It supports Windows Mobile 2002/2003/5.0/6.0 and Windows CE 4.2/5.0/6.0. Foxit Reader allows users to easily view a variety of PDF documents and find texts inside PDF documents. It is specially built on Foxit. Free download of Foxit Reader for Smartphone 1.2Build0602, size 1.74 Mb.
BlueBlitz Magic Beamer is a new kind of mobile marketing tool, which enables anyone to send and receive any kind of file (including text, movies, J2ME programs and more) to any mobile phone from a PC. Magic Beamer works similar to WLAN hotspots and also includes WLAN technology in addition to Bluetooth.
MagicBeamer Features
One Stop. Freeware download of Magic Beamer 4.5, size 5.33 Mb.
Get up-to-date information from various enterprise systems in a single unified feed on your mobile phone. The intelligent Worklist manager gives you a consolidated view of relevant enterprise activity ranging from purchase orders released to HR policy updates and even advanced process analytics
Whether it's a simple leave approval or. Freeware download of Cherrywork 2.1, size 3.77 Mb.
SharePoint View Boost : a free SharePoint view web part enables users to collapse and expand SharePoint columns in SharePoint Standard List Views.
Collapse SharePoint columns on SharePoint list view;
Expand SharePoint columns on SharePoint list view.
SharePoint View Boost is a free tool to enhance user experience on. Free download of SharePoint View Boost 18.104.22.168, size 297.51 Kb.
PC Activity Monitor (PC Acme) is an ultimate invisible and undetectable easy-to-use monitoring and surveillance tool for both networked and personal PCs. It is professional software that captures all users activity on the PC. All data collected by the monitoring are saved to encrypted log file. It is a powerful management tool for users and. Free download of PC Activity Monitor (PC Acme) 6.5.1, size 1.17 Mb.
Photos Manager is a quick and easy tool to find and view photos and images on your PC and networks. It has a search facility to find any photo you thought was lost. The lists can be sorted and the "mouse over" feature shows the photo without any clicks. Any photo can be viewed full screen and the whole photos is fitted into the screen.. Free download of Photos Manager 1, size 1.13 Mb.


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Automating the way local government works
Easily process and track applications, permits, inspections and licenses with GeoTMS. Launch our solution department-by-department, giving you room to grow when your agency is ready.
Key Benefits
- Increase productivity by spending less time answering status questions and more time with critical tasks
- Easy to install with user-friendly installation tools and simple point-and-click technology
- Easy to customize the application and which permits, licenses, complaints, inspections and certificates that you need with administration tools
- Enable easy access by allowing the general public, contractors and employees access to critical data and even apply online using your forms
Whether you're in the Building, Health, Fire, Engineering or Public Works department, create, track and print permits and licenses with ease. The permitting modules allow your agency to manage permitting, licensing and sign off, with access to activity tracking, checklists and reports.
Manage and track all inspections, and gain the flexibility of scheduling inspections, recording violations, issuing certificates and generating reports with one solution.
Automate the planning review process and track applications, hearings and decisions for historic related reviews and results from a Zoning Appeals Board. GeoTMS allows you to create custom determinations or application types, send notices, record hearings and conditions, and more.
Manage data exchanges between GeoTMS information and a copy of your assessors' information. Compare and update parcel, structure and project information with file analysis features that compare GeoTMS, GIS and assessor files. Provide executives, administrative staff and other personnel within government to view GeoTMS data and manage complaints. Engage the public with access to view GeoTMS information online. Capture fees and create summary reports for virtually anything that you track in GeoTMS.
Coming Soon: GeoTMS 10.4! This latest version of GeoTMS brings modern field inspection technology to our tried and true desktop application. Using Windows-based tablets (like the Microsoft Surface Pro) your inspectors will be able to record inspection results, capture signatures, take photos of the site, print checklists in the field (with a mobile printer) and send inspection results back to the office through the cloud.