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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
The Potential Dilemmas
Decent Starting Pitching, Solid Bullpen Help, Timely Hitting and Making The Routine Defensive Play, all traits Our Washington Nationals are finally showing as we begin the third week of the 2007 Season. No doubt, this Franchise has a long way to go before becoming a consistent winner, yet Our Nationals are slowly becoming a team--bonding while four of its most expected work horses are all sitting on the sidelines, recovering from injury.
In a matter of weeks, Cristian Guzman, Nook Logan and Ray King will all return to the 25 man active roster. Since all three went down, their replacements have all fared well. Even Nats Management would have to admit Ronnie Belliard, Ryan Church, Chris Snelling and Saul Rivera have helped turnaround the young season. And, I am not even considering Dimitri Young. Who's sole reason for being A Washington Nationals is due to Nick Johnson's slow recovery from his broken femur.
Belliard has played well in Guzman's absence. Except for two boots in the field (one coming last night), Ronnie has played second base on an All Star Level. Not only that, he has raised his game at the plate, consistently getting on base. Belliard's been a table setter in the two hole, keeping rallies alive. Only with Felipe Lopez, batting second behind Alfonso Soriano last year, has Washington had such success with their two spot in the batting order. And, you gotta love Number 10's Batting Style at the plate. If any player could rightfully call themselves Manny Ramirez, Jr-its Ronnie Belliard. At times, he swings like a Manny Clone. Since both grew up in New York City together, maybe they also learned the game together. Ramirez though has far more power.
Ryan Church is molding himself into the solid player everyone believed, except for Frank Robinson. MY MAIN MAN!! set free by Our Manager, Manny Acta is simply playing baseball, performing up to his potential. Number 19 is a POWER BAT and a decent, although not spectacular outfielder. How much better would Ryan Church be right now, if no one had messed with his head over the first two seasons of Nationals Baseball in Washington. We will NEVER KNOW!!
Chris Snelling is an exciting, heady, gamer. "YODA" would rather run into a wall in a vain attempt to make a catch, than just honestly give up on it. No one is sure whether his bulky left knee will not give way, but what does anyone have to lose. This 25 year old Aussie from Down Under can play baseball. Whether as a starter or role player, Chris Snelling, rightfully has earned important playing time.
And, as I wrote about last night, Saul Rivera is the perfect bullpen complement. Number 52 is versatile. Rivera can go long or short, set up man or closer, no roles seems to affect his performances. After a rough start during his Rookie Season last summer at RFK Stadium, mostly due to Major League inexperience, Saul has been one of Washington's most consistent relievers. This 29 Year Old Native Puerto Rican is coming into his own and developing into a fine Major League Pitcher.
When Guzman, Logan and King recover and are ready to return, what moves does General Manager Jim Bowden make? More importantly, who gets the starting roles, barring any further injuries?
Without a doubt, Kory Casto is sent down to AAA Columbus. Casto is a fine prospect, good hitting skills and a plan at the plate. Yet, so far this early season, Kory has been outmatched hitting against more polished Major League Pitching. Casto needs to refine his game with The Clippers and learn to hit the Cut Off Man in the field. Something Number 5 has yet to do in April playing left field. No one within Our Washington Nationals are down on him. Jumping from AA Ball to The Majors is not something every player can pull off. Kory Casto will be back in A Nationals Uniform-sooner, rather than later.
D'Angelo Jimenez is gone. His days are numbered. A true journeyman now, Jimenez may well have a decent bat, but he simply can't field the ball consistently well anymore. Which reminds me of Josh Wilson. Wilson performed rather well in Spring Training, hitting solidly and making most of the routine plays in the field. Jim Bowden at one time in March claimed four other teams were calling him about Josh's availability. Yet since the regular season began, Wilson played poorly at shortstop in the second game of the season and has been banished to the bench, receiving virtually no quality playing time. I would love to know if anyone is calling Bowden now about Josh Wilson. If so, lets move him.
Then, there is Ray King. "Everyday" Ray is known for having a rubber arm. Bowden picked King off the baseball scrap heap in an attempt to bolster Washington's Bullpen with a situational lefty. King if successful, would certainly return a mid-level prospect in July to The Nationals near the Trade Deadline from a contender. Left Handed Pitchers are such a hot commodity in the game. Those players that can perform this chore seem to last forever. Although King has not fared well so far this early season, I can't see Bowden giving up on him, and letting Ray go for nothing. Ray King is a Washington National only to see a young prospect returned for his services to another club. If Bowden can get something for nothing, during a total rebuilding season, its a great move. This is how you "steal" prospects.
But, that also leaves Saul Rivera, once again, as the man on the outside, looking in, unless Our General Manager can move a low level prospect to Minnesota to keep Levale Speigner and send him to The Minors. Bowden is not going to give up on Rule V Draftee Levale and try to pass him through waivers, so soon. Number 36 has struggled in his few Major League outings over the past two weeks. But, outside of Shawn Hill, there might not have been any more impressive pitcher in The Major League Camp in Viera, Florida than Levale. Speigner is here to stay, until he proves himself worthy, or not.
Makes me feel bad for Saul Rivera. He is just so deserving.
Finally, 2nd base, shortstop and centerfield--who gets the nods?
As much as so many wish for "THE GUZ" to just go away, it simply is not going to happen. Our Washington Nationals are not going to dump his contract. For better, or worse, everyone needs to see whether Guzman can still play the game, provide a solid batting average (.260 or so) and still field his position well. If healthy, Number 15 is a better choice at shortstop over Lopez. Cristian would also make himself tradable. Felipe has a terrific arm, but is too erratic of a fielder. FLop at 2nd, Guzman at Short, with Belliard playing the key backup role, is a decent set up. Belliard can also play third base, if Ryan Zimmerman needs a breather.
Personally, I am all for Ryan Church remaining in centerfield and Snelling in left for the time being. Nook Logan is a terrific outfielder that covers some serious ground. But, I have always felt the number of runs he saves defensively never overcomes his offensive shortcomings. As a fourth outfielder, late inning defensive replacement, situational hitter, Logan has VALUE. Everyday playing, Nook is more a liability. Sorry.
Now--can we TRUST that NICK JOHNSON will be FULLY RECOVERED to play 100% come August 1st? Does it really matter? Dimitri Young is providing some serious power filling in at first base. Where would Our Nationals be without Bowden signing Young out of nowhere land. Young may not be much of fielder, but his bat has been potent--and key to two of their four wins so far. At the rate Dimitri Young is playing, he, more than any other current player on Washington's Roster will be highly sought after by American League Teams looking for a Designated Hitter down the stretch run. Lets hope Dimitri continues to rejuvenate his career. Young could prove extremely valuable later this summer (Belliard as well) in trade.
As I said a few months back, The Team Our Washington Nationals field in April, may well not be the team we see come May. And, unquestionably will be a far different ballclub come late summer and early fall. Our Washington Nationals are in perpetual motion. A very interesting dilemma, watching Our Washington Nationals transform before our very eyes.
PS--I sure would love to see a Healthy Alex Escobar. That man can play!! Escobar in Center, Church in left. Power, Defense and Arms in the outfield, alongside Austin Kearns. I can live with those three starting everyday.
All Game Photos--(AP)--Photographers--Julie Jacobson, Nick Wass, Gregory Smith, John Bazemore
Posted by Screech's Best Friend at 4/17/2007 11:00:00 AM
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Forest City Eyes a Profit on Barclays Center
Developer Forest City has high ambitions as it seeks new investors in the Barclays Center.
The company is expecting any new investor will pay a price that values the arena substantially above its cost, according to a Forest City official.
Left unclear is how much of Forest City's 55% ownership stake in arena, which cost about $1 billion to construct, will be sold. The company is planning to keep some financial stake in the property, the official said, although the precise amount is subject to negotiation with a buyer.

subset: commoncrawl


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Zebra TLP2824 Plus. Print technology: Direct thermal, Maximum resolution: 203 x 203 DPI, Print speed: 102 mm/sec. Standard interfaces: Serial. Maximum label width: 2.54 cm, Maximum label length: 0.991 m. Colour of product: White. Power requirements: 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
The ultra-compact TLP 2824 Plus™ bar code label printer, for print widths up to 2.2 inches/56 mm, brings powerful performance to applications requiring both direct thermal and thermal transfer printing. It includes a 32-bit RISC processor for faster formatting and first label out, an auto-sensing serial port, and co-resident EPL and ZPL programming languages. Available options include additional memory, 10/100 Ethernet, label peeler, and receipt/label cutter.Its ease of use—including Zebra Setup Utilities software for simple setup, OpenACCESS™ design and clear media window for simple media loading and monitoring, and an instant reset button—results in increased workplace efficiency. Offering flexible connectivity and options, the TLP 2824 Plus fits easily into a variety of applications.


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Tag Archives: wedding dress stains
The Guide to Removing Stains
So, I'm always THAT girl who spills their drink or has some type of stain on me! For instance, yesterday–I had a hot date. *GASP* and I was about to run out the door, but realized I had deodorant down my entire … Continue reading


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5 Comments:
- At Sunday, July 16, 2006 5:25:00 PM, Zanzounito said...
Reminds me of this proverb:
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
- At Sunday, July 16, 2006 5:27:00 PM, Ramz said...
those are priceless :)
hehe, bashar looks so cute in that caricature.
and the truth is always funny, of course.
- At Sunday, July 16, 2006 7:27:00 PM, Mojoski said...
I think Israel just hope you will all wake up and destroy Hezballah so you can all live in peace.
- At Monday, July 17, 2006 8:49:00 AM, Nightstudies said...
Heh, they should drop tee shirts that say "Israel attacked my country and all I got was this stupid tee shirt"
- At Monday, July 17, 2006 8:51:00 AM, Nightstudies said...
I mean, you wouldn't have thought of blaming Syria, Iran or the terrorists without a cartoon dropped from a plane, right?


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In most cases, there are two types of valedictorians: 1) the overachiever—the person who works harder than everybody else, takes unbeatable notes, organizes study groups, and does whatever it takes to get ahead and stay ahead in the classroom; and 2) the wiz—the person who grasps everything faster than everybody else, has never had to really work hard at their craft, and seems to move on from one idea before fully developing it. In the case of hip hop's two young(ish) Brooklyn valedictorians, Talib Kweli is the overachiever, and Mos Def is the wiz.
They've only made one album together, and they've basically worked as solo artists for the last 7-8 years, but I figure it would be pretty fitting to do a Primer on the two of them together.
1. Definition, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. My first introduction to Black Star (as they are known when they are a duo) came in a Mizzou dorm in '98. I was making a tape of a friend of mine's hip hop collection (he owned turntables and lots of vinyl), and he insisted that I record their first single. That song was called "Definition," and it knocked me over. I set a record for how long it took me to completely wear that tape out, then I headed to Slackers in downtown Columbia to buy the whole album.
(Seriously, how great was late-1998 for hip hop? Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Vol. 2: Hard-Knock Life, Outkast's revelatory Aquemini, and Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star all came out in the last four months of the year. Those might be the best four hip hop albums of the last decade!)
Black Star was one of my first introductions into underground hip hop. I've loved hip hop for a long time (as have hundreds of thousands of white males my age), but until that point, about the furthest-from-mainstream I'd ventured was Aquemini. Even though Common and The Roots had been around a while by that point, I discovered them because of Black Star. Black Star was my gateway drug.
2. (Re)Definition, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Something that immediately showed Black Star's uniqueness was this creative departure—they took "Definition's" chorus, threw it behind a different beat, and created a brand new song with a completely different feel. Focusing on a theme of "too much violence in hip hop," "Definition" and "(Re)Definition" are two of the most musically intense songs on Black Star, as the rest of the album focused on old school hip hop techniques and departures into the jazzy, soulful sounds of acts like The Roots and Common (Common actually had a verse in "Respiration"). There was intelligence and quality oozing out of every song, from "Brown Skin Lady" to "Thieves in the Night." When I bought the cd for myself there was an insert advertising the then-upcoming Mos Def solo album, and though I'd known of these rappers for less than a year, I'd never found myself looking forward to a hip hop album this much before.
3. Ms. Fat Booty, Black on Both Sides (Mos Def). Despite the horribly unfortunate name of this song, this is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever. It's also one of the rarest, in that it's a non-cheesy hip hop love song. There aren't many in this category. This song is great simply because of Mos' lyrics and impeccable delivery.
She spot me like paparazzi; shot me a glanceIt's at this point, about a quarter of the way through his solo debut, that you realize that Mos is one of the most charismatic and talented musicians (in any genre) in the last few decades. Whether he's telling you about a failed relationship or injustice or pain, you believe every word he says, and you want to hear what he has to say about just about anything.
In that catwoman stance with the fat booty pants, Hot damn!
What's your name love, where you came from?
Neck and wrist blazed up, very little make-up
The swims at the Reebok gym tone your frame up
Is sugar and spice the only thing that you made of?
I tried to play it low key but couldn't keep it down
Asked her to dance she was like "Yo, I'm leavin now"
Scene three: weeks of datin', late night conversation
In the crib heart-racin', tryin' to be cool and patient
She touched on my eyelids, the room fell silent
She walked away smilin', singin' Gregory Issacs
Like "If I don't...if I don't...if I don't..."
Showin' me that tan line and that tattoo
Playin Sade's "Sweetest Taboo"
Burnin' candles, all my other plans got cancelled
4. Four Women, Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek). You get the impression that Mos Def has never written down a lyric in his life. He just walks into the studio and nails his part. (Not saying that's what he does—I have no idea—but that's how it feels when I'm listening to him.) No matter what he's saying in his lyrics, a laid-back feel almost always pervades his vocals. Kweli, on the hand...you get the impression that he works for it. Hard. Like, lots of notebooks of lyrics in his bedroom. The Chuck D-esque intensity which which he tends to deliver his vocals and the slightly more harsh sound of his voice perfectly complemented the smooth Mos on Black Star. However, Kweli quickly proved that he was more than capable of carrying an album by himself. While Mos was putting out Black on Both Sides, Kweli was preparing his first solo work, Reflection Eternal with DJ Hi-Tek. It was good, but it was no Black on Both Sides, which was the best album of 1999. Amazing, however, was the hidden track, "Four Women," a take on an old Nina Simone song. And honestly, Kweli has really turned himself into hip hop's Nina Simone—powerful, opinionated, talented...and a bit bitchy. But he gets his point across and writes some of the more poignant lyrics around.
I got off the 2-train in Brooklyn on my way to a sessionNot just any rapper would even think to attempt painting a portrait of four women in different stages of struggle and life, much less do it well.
Said let me help this woman up the stairs before I get to steppin'
We got in a conversation she said she's 107
Just her presence was a blessing and her essence was a lesson
She had her head wrapped
And long dreads that peeked out the back
Like antenna to help her get a sense of where she was at
Imagine that—livin' a century
The strength of her memories
Felt like an angel had been sent to me
She went from nigger to colored to negro to black
To afro then african-american and right back to nigger
You figure she'd be bitter in the twilight
But she's alright, 'cuz she done seen the circle of life
5. Get By, Quality (Talib Kweli). Mos may have won the first round of the solo album battle (though it was a split decision), but Kweli's more prolific output and increasing maturity have won the later rounds. "Get By" is, simply, the most inspirational hip hop song of the past decade or so, and likely the best song either of these artists has put out, together or solo. This Voices of Civil Rights article/column was beyond complimentary:
In a genre that has rightfully been criticized for its sexism, materialism and violence, rapper and native Brooklynite Talib Kweli is quite possibly the most prominent artist today in the tradition of socially conscious music.Some lyrics:
This morning I woke up feeling brand new/I jumped up feeling
my highs and my lows /And my soul and my goals.
The lyrics are from "Get By," a populist anthem praising the heart and resilience of everyday people. The song appears on Kweli's album "Quality." In the opening verse, Kweli urges his listeners to become politically active: Even when the condition is critical/and living is miserable/your position is critical.
"I definitely feel like hip hop artists have more musical knowledge than any generation before us because the nature of hip hop is to build on the past," he says in his trademark raspy voice and deep-Flatbush accent. "The more you get invested in hip hop the more you learn about other music."
Songs of conscience may not come to mind immediately when one hears the words "rap music," but hip-hop is making an important contribution to the tradition of protest music and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. "There are a thousand hip-hop songs that share those themes," Kweli points out. If anyone believes differently, he says, "they just aren't listening."
We keep it gangster, say "fo shizzle", "fo sheezy" and "stay crunk"It's pretty clear that Kweli has a goal—to use whatever fame he can garner to affect positive change in the world. He's an artist and an activist (though, as he's sure to tell you, not a politician). And his music is the perfect example of the good that can come out of hip hop.
Its easy to "pull a breezy", "smoke trees", and "we stay drunk"
Our activism's attackin' the system, the blacks and latins in prison
Numbers in prisons—they're victims—lackin' the vision
And all they got is rappin' to listen to
I let them know we missin' you, the love is unconditional
Even when the condition is critical, when the livin' is miserable
Your position is pivotal, I ain't bullshittin' you
Now, why would I lie? Just to get by? Just to get by? Get fly?
TV got us reachin for stars
Not the ones between Venus and Mars, the ones that be readin' for parts
Some people get breast enhancements and penis enlargers
Saturday sinners, Sunday morning at the feet of the Father
They need something to rely on, we get high on all types of drugs
Man, all you really need is love
To get by ... just to get by ... just to get by ... just to get by
Our parents sing like John Lennon, "Imagine all the people", watch
We rock like Paul McCartney from now until the last Beatle drop
This reminds me of a passage I read recently from a Wright Thompson (Mizzou grad!) article about a couple of players from the Portland Trailblazers visiting Memphis' Civil Rights Museum (h/t to True Hoop, a fantastic basketball site, for pointing this one out to me).
They walk past the bombed-out wreck of another bus, past photos of angry white faces at lunch counters, past metalwork from the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They listen to gospel singers belt out freedom songs.In a lot of ways, I've stuck by hip hop the way I stick by Mizzou and the Pittsburgh Pirates (though at least hip hop rewards me occasionally...at least maybe once a year), and it's because of artists like Kweli. Hip hop is entrenched in its hair metal stage at the moment ("I'm so cool! Look at what I can buy! Look at the women that are in my pool!"), but everything is cyclical, and when people start looking for value in hip hop again, hopefully they'll find that in Kweli.
"Hip-hop was freedom songs when it first came out," Bowles tells the group.
"Now it's about how many cars you got," Aldridge says.
6. What's Beef?, Chappelle's Show (Season 1, Episode 12). For once, I was ahead of the curve on something. In February 2004, Season One of Chappelle's Show came out on DVD to almost no fanfare...and ended up one of the best-selling DVD sets of all-time. Nobody knew the influence this show was having until stores were swamped with requests. How does that show I was ahead of the curve? Because I was driving around mid-Missouri the night of its release, trying to procure a copy before everybody else. It was a great show, and I watched every episode at least twice, but the reason I wanted the DVD so badly was so I could watch this performance by a briefly reunited Black Star.
One of the great things about what Chappelle did was, he went out of his way to say, "If people are actually liking what I do, and I have this bright light being shone on me, then I'm going to shine it on my friends, too." He began featuring musical acts like Black Star and De La Soul, getting them some extra exposure. It was this thrown-together song that had the biggest impact on me. Kweli went first, and his verse was solid—he actually ended up using it as a verse in the first song on his next album, The Beautiful Struggle. But Mos, who hadn't been too prolific lately because he was too busy becoming an award-nominated actor (it's really not fair when people are so good at so many different things), came up with a Pantheon-level verse of his own. So many references in so little space, however a lot of it was based in reference to the 'feud' between Jay-Z and Nas at the time—I will always think that it was at least partially made up to sell records and get attention.
Beef is not what Jay said to Nas7. Black Jack, The New Danger (Mos Def). I'm getting carried away here. I'll try to limit the copy-pasting of lyrics, but it's just so much easier to show the profundity of what their saying than to actually try and describe it myself. Maybe I'm just being lazy. Anyway, after doing quite a bit of acting and fighting with record labels, Mos finally returned to action in 2005 with his second solo album, The New Danger. He brought with him a hard rock band called Black Jack Johnson (named after the heavyweight champion, not the surfer/acoustic rocker, of course). About half the album was recorded with the band, and it's a pretty interesting experiment. The plain old hip hop is pretty solid too, but only because Mos has so much talent. The first time I listened to this album, all I could think was, "I can't wait to see what he does next time," because while he went in interesting directions, it didn't sound like he had put as much time into this one as he did on Black on Both Sides. It's pretty hard splitting time between being a badass musician and award-worthy actor, and I think it shows on New Danger. "Black Jack" is one of the more interesting experiments, taking off from a standard blues guitar lick and bassline and incorporating mostly Mos' singing, not his rapping.
Beef is when workin' n----s can't find jobs
So they're tryin' to find n----s to rob
Tryin' to find bigger guns so they can finish the job
Beef is when the crack kids can't find moms
Cause they end up in a pine box or locked behind bars
Beef ain't the Summer Jam for Hot 97
Beef is the cocaine and AIDS epidemic
Beef don't come with a radio edit
Beef is when the judge is callin' you "defendant"
Beef, it comes with a long jail sentence
Handed down to you in a few short minutes
Beef is when your girl come through for a visit
Talkin' bout "I'm pregnant by some other n----"
Beef is high blood pressure and bad credit
Need a loan for your home and you're too broke to get it
And all your little kids is doin is gettin' bigger
You're tryin' not to raise 'em around these wild n----s
Beef is when a gold digger got ya seat and a
A manicured hand out like "pay me n---- or I'm tellin' your wife"
Or startin' up some foul rumor that'll ruin your life
Beef is when a gangster ain't doin it right
Another gangster then decided what to do with his life
Beef is not what these famous n----s do on the mic
Beef is what George Bush would do in a fight
Yeah, beef is not what Ja said to 50 (another feud reference, this one between Ja Rule and 50 Cent)
Beef is more than Irv not bein here with me (couldn't tell for sure what he said in this line)
When a soldier ends his life with his own gun
Beef is tryin' to figure out what to tell his son
Beef is oil prices and geopolitics
Beef is Iraq, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip
Some beef is big and some beef is small
But what y'all call beef is not beef at all
Beef is real life happenin' everyday
And it's realer than them songs that you get at Kay Slay
Also notable about The New Danger was the bit of trouble Mos got in for his anti-industry song, "The Rape Over," in which he said both "some tall Israeli" (Lyor Cohen) and "quasi-homosexuals" were running hip hop, getting him called both anti-semitic and homophobic. You get in less trouble when you do something harmless, like threaten to kill somebody on your record. The song got removed from later versions of the album, but since I bought it the first day it was out, it's on my copy. I'm special. Or hopeless. One or the other.
Anyway, any excitement I had regarding Mos' third album, however, was tempered when I read an interview with him a short while after New Danger came out. He expressed his disgust with the major labels and said he was going to crank out his third album pretty quickly so he could fulfill his contract and do what he wanted to after that.
8. Broken Glass, Beautiful Struggle (Talib Kweli). The best song of 2005. When you're dealing with pain and wasted lives, not every song can be hopeful like "Get By." Sometimes you have to tell the story of those who didn't manage to just get by. With one of the best beats Pharrell Williams has ever produced, this song is the perfect combination of hard-hitting music and lyrics, telling the story of a girl with "dreams too big for a small town" who crashed and burned when she hit the big city. Not much else I can say beyond that...just a perfect hip hop song.
9. Ms. Hill, Right About Now (Talib Kweli). The best way to show just how prolific Kweli has been over the last few years is to look at the volume of 'non-release' releases (sometimes referred to just as 'mixtapes') he's put out (Mos does this too, but Kweli does it more). One of the better ones was 2005's Right About Now. It's nothing special, really...the beats are relatively primitive and predictable, and he seems to have saved his best lyrics for official releases, but he just has too many great songs and verses to share, and quite a few of them will end up on these collections. The most notable song from Right About Now was "Ms. Hill," a tribute to Lauryn Hill, an amazing artist and friend of Kweli's, whose struggles with the music industry, religious machinery, and herself, have been pretty well-documented.
10. Dollar Day (Katrina Klap), True Magic (Mos Def). Two songs came out within, it seemed, just a week or two of Hurricane Katrina, that perfectly captured the anger and outrage that millions felt (and only thousands apparently still feel) about the neglect and abandonment of hundreds of thousands of people every bit as American as you or me or Mos Def or anybody else: Ben Harper's "Black Rain" and Mos Def's "Dollar Day (Katrina Klap)." I posted the video for this song a while back.
The thing about Mos Def, compared to most other musicians (and celebrities in general), is that his conviction doesn't just last until the next big party. Outside last September's MTV Video Music Awards, Mos got himself arrested for performing "Dollar Day" in the street without a permit, putting on an impromptu concert to remind people of things they were starting to forget.
I can't, however, say that Mos' third album, True Magic, truly followed up on the creative momentum stirred from "Dollar Day." As I said above, this was cranked out a year after New Danger, and Mos cared so little about its success that he didn't actually produce any liner notes or anything for it. If you go to your local Best Buy, you will likely find it in a clear plastic case, nothing but a disc and a price tag. And, after showing potential with Black Jack Johnson, he ditched it for True Magic. Again, it's listenable because of Mos' talent (he did get a Grammy nomination for "Undeniable," after all), but let's just say I'll be expecting a lot more out of him next time around, when he's on an indy label and not realizing that his success would put money in pockets of the suits at Geffen Records.
Mos Def and Talib Kweli will always be thought of in the same boat, and I doubt it bothers either of them too much (other than in the context of the roughly 14,526,353 times they've heard "So when are you gonna put out another Black Star album?" in the last 8 years), and while I could have pretty easily made a "Primer" about each of them individually, I figured that accentuating their differences best highlights their relative strengths. These two Brooklyn MC's are the best hip hop has to offer and have been for quite a while. One is a charismatic presence, one is a workhorse. Both of them respect hip hop's history and constantly tinker with ways to move hip hop forward.


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Either way, it's our fault for being poor, black and single with Children.
By now, we have all seen the video of Toya Graham beating her son on live television in front of millions. The response to this has been varied in all communities. Black mothers are echoing this woman's sentiment. We understand her fear and loss of control. Some of us see this situation as another example of the Black Single mother emasculating and destroying her young black man, humiliating him in front of millions. The video has been shared so much, I'm tired of seeing it.
But let me tell you what this really is. Let's start with what happened. Toya is at home watching coverage of the unrest in her city and she sees a familiar lanky frame in the midst of what she perceives as imminent danger. She recognizes the child she gave birth to 16 years ago and fear ensues. "Aww hell nawl," Toya says, as she storms out her house to the location she recognized her child. When she arrives, its mayhem all about. Her sights zoom in on her intended target, confirming what she saw on television. That was indeed her child in the middle of all this. Toya was not concerned about no damn politics, a television film crew, teaching her child a lesson or educating him on the nuances of societal racial disparities right then. She could do that shit once she got him out the line of fire.
Was she wrong? Oh yes, she was! She was wrong. Do I condemn her? Hell no! We are out here having to raise these young black men without a father's guidance. We can't teach these boys how to be men having never been one. We all make mistakes raising these black men out of fear. At the forefront of our minds is how much harder their lives are going to be because they are BLACK MEN and there ain't shit we can do about it. We do what we have to do to make sure they are prepared for that and keep them alive. But we can't do it all. We make mistakes and end up doing stuff like Toya did. Only, our loss of self-control isn't being used as a referendum.
These days, Black Mothers live in a constant state of anxiety. My son leaves my home, there is no rest for me until he walks back through that door. My biggest fear is my child being murdered at the hands of some bigot, then being turned into a thug to justify his death. It used to be Heights!
While the White Media is applauding her for losing all control and assaulting her child, let's not lose sight of what would have happened under circumstances that didn't have Toya's child in the middle of the Unrest. If this had just been a regular, non-riotous day. Toya Graham would be in jail and her son would be in CPS Custody. To ignore that fact is dangerous. Do not let these white people fool you into unnecessarily beating up your children and getting their approval. Because honey, trust and believe, they are not going to be applauding your black ass. They will be taking you to jail….
"but…but…y'all just told me to smack my kid around when he steps out of line." "No black lady, only if he is stepping out of line with our authority, damn yours!"
Black Single mothers are damned no matter what we do. We are vilified, called everything but the child of God. We are blamed for the amount of Gay Black men. We are blamed for the emasculation of black men. We are blamed for wanting to be independent when we are often looked down upon as trying to make some other man our kid's new Daddy. When children of single black mother's fail at some shit; WE ARE BLAMED!
A lot of us walk around with the guilt associated with having to raise these babies by ourselves. A lot of us are angry to have to be raising these babies by ourselves. Breaks are few and the pay is nonexistent. We're constantly on call. We miss a work day, the household finances will be thrown into disarray. And regardless of how we ended up a single parent, it is ALWAYS our faults when our children go astray of what we've tried hard to teach them.
I hear a lot of you asking "WHERE THE HELL ARE THE PARENTS OF THESE RIOTERS?" Probably at work, SHIT! People have so much judgment to throw around and it's exhausting trying to be every gotdamn thing you think we should be. Whether or not our circumstances are our faults are not; who the hell are you to judge Toya or any other woman who feels it necessary to do whatever it takes to protect their children? Until you have had to lead this thankless life, shut up.
Toya Graham is not a hero. She is a sister who did what she felt she needed to do to protect her child. If that's the case…WE ALL SOME HEROES IN THIS BITCH! There were mothers snatching their sons up off the streets during the Civil Rights movement, during the LA Riots and every moment of black unrest in History. Toya is no different from them. None of us are. Being faced with the situation of your beloved child in imminent danger will make you lose all rationality, common sense, forethought, logic, and wherewithal. You are not giving a damn about who is around, who's watching, who got their damn cell phone camera on! You are trying to get that baby, that beautiful child that you would walk through a hail of bullets for, out of danger and safe back at your damn house. What sensible parent can't understand that thought process?
I know Toya regrets her actions. Faced with a similar situation when my son was 16 and I lost control, I regretted it soon after. But my baby was not dead. So fuck that regret! I'll live with all the regret on earth if that means Isaiah Johnson can live to meet his potential. So, fuck you and your judgment on how I go about making that happen.
BLACK FOLKS WITH THAT RESPECTIBILITY POLITICS BS AND OBAMA: Please shut up. Please stop telling me that I need to beat my child into submission in order to keep him in line. That is exactly what White Supremacy teaches your black asses and has all throughout history. You are conditioned to believe that sparing the rod will lead your child down a path of destruction. A path that leads to being shot by police. No Negro! This is White Supremacy telling you: Beat your child into submission so we won't have to shoot them. Teach them not to defy us or WE WILL! Maaaaan, fuck you all. WHOLEHEARTEDLY! Mostly for echoing and cosigning these devils like some damn Signifying Monkeys!
Don't you see what they are doing? What you are helping them do?
Oh and stop quoting Martin Luther the King to back up your ignorant arguments. The Good Reverend Doctor understood the hearts of his people who were constantly ignored, stepped on, belittled, berated, jailed, lynched and missing. Even if he didn't condone the violent reaction of rioting, he could not ignore the injustices to his people that caused them to behave so irrationally and desperately. Be more like Doctor King if you gon quote him like Jesus…mmmKay!
WHITE MEDIA, FOX NEWS AND WHITE PEOPLE IN GENERAL: You are not fooling anyone but these New Blacks I was speaking to above with this agenda. You are purposeful with your derision and condemnation of the black community. Yet you never seem to find fault with your precious white sons and daughters when they tear up shit after their favorite coach gets fired, or their sports team loses, at a Pumpkin festival, at a Surfing competition, after a football team lost, after a baseball team WON! (Yes all real situations)
You will not distract me by turning Toya Graham into a referandum of what White people feel all black parents should be like. Snatching up our kids and beating them down, publicly humiliating them so you all won't have to get your hands dirty doing it yourself. After all, this is post-racial America. It would be frowned upon to snatch him out his house and string him up while thumping the bible to justify it. So you use your exaggerated view of black criminality to justify murdering our babies in broad daylight. "That boy was too black, I feared for my life." Nah, I'm not sleep. A lot of us aren't sleep. Which is why we're out here like this rebelling against this lopsided ass society!
You're using Toya. Soon as you're done with her, you will throw her away to the place you throw all the black people who gain your attention just long enough to serve as an example on how to be good lil sycophantic Nigras. Toya had the unfortunate reaction she had to her fear and ended up unwittingly becoming a spokesperson for White people's disdain with Black America. That's not her fault. Stand behind her and her boy.


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this chocolate box filled with my wishlist or any sparkling things i found and fancy about ^o^
my chocolate box menu this month :
hey it's new year!! what do i want this year? hmm….i dunno actually haven't find anything yet. perhaps a graduation would be great. and something like a tiny lil' shop for my hunk-ree passion 😀
so first thing's first:
then maybe sometimes after that, i'm going to start thinking about this:
and soon after that maybe some family vacation ! i wanna go to Bali this year. i have one bestie there and it would be very nice to be able to visit her and having fun 🙂
ok as long as i haven't wander around very much lately, and this is not even January yet! think i'll post something nicer soon 😀


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Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Feathered Friends
Hmmm, yes, well...a peacocks rear is probably what you expected to see first thing when you opened up todays blog entry from me, but even the backside of a peacock is pretty to me. Emerald hasnt gotten in his big boy feathers yet to impress the girls, but he is working on his angle, practicing. The white one is a boy too, but he doesn't display as much as Emerald does. Right now I can't remember his name, so forgive me.
Okay, so here are two shots that aren't all rear end...
In the fishpond news, it isnt good news. Unfortunately I really didn't THINK ( I know, big surprise) about how HOT it is out here with no shade, and that the pond was BLACK and would just soak up the heat from the sun. I managed to kill the two fish that Teddy gave me. On the upside, she ribbed me about it and said I did in one day what she has been trying to do for sometime now. Nobody seemed very upset to see these fish die except me. I told Ian, Shelby, Teddy, and no one seemed to really care, so I quit beating myself up about it. In light of this, I won't be getting any more fish for the pond until I come upon a good solution of keeping the pond cooler. Shade is the obnious choice but I was also reminded of what I do to keep all the buckets and pails of water cool for the animals drinking water, something that may have saved the lives of the fish, but, the thought came too late. I freeze 2 liter drink bottles filled with water and toss them into the drinking water of all the animals and rotate them out once they are melted with more frozen ones.
On a happier note, my best serama girl was sitting on five little tiny eggs under a pallet laying beside the sultan pen and after 21 days has hatched out five perfect
little babies. Saturday night came a terrible torrential downpour. Lightning, thunder, heavy rain, lots of wind. We were on the road home from Newnan going up Highway 27 headed right for the storm, and it was a storm for sure. I am not going to risk my life for chickens, but as soon as I felt it was safe after we got home I ran out and lifted the pallet and made a pocket with the front of my shirt and put the babies in there and carried mom in. I put them in a carrier and put a heat lamp on them. I was so afraid she would sit on them even if under the pallet was flooded and would end up drowning them. It was damp under there, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Enough talk, here are Sheila and her babies. One picture is of Jack, Sheila, and the babies. :) Daddy had liked this little fellow and I named him after Daddy. After these two paired up, her name became my Mamas name of course.
The duckies have grown so much...I can't tell them apart, but I named them, Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Tod, like the name Todd, except one d, for The Other Duck. ;) They are a fun bunch.
Its time for me to close this entry now. Two days in a row is a record for me isnt it? Maybe I will surprise us all and have an entry tomorrow too. ;)
8 comments:
- Adirondackcountrygal said...
Kelly, I have been enjoying catching up with you! You sure have been busy! Linda
- August 4, 2009 at 4:09 PM
- madcobug said...
Those peacock are so pretty and they have really grown. The baby chicks are beautiful and I am glad that they were ok during all that rain. I remember that storm going through here, I suppose it was the same one. To bad about those fish.Poor things. The ducks are very pretty and so white looking. Hugs, Helen
- August 4, 2009 at 5:02 PM
- Paula said...
Nice to see your pretty animal pictures here again.
- August 4, 2009 at 7:15 PM
- Astaryth said...
I do not have (nor have I ever had) one of those ponds. Having said that... I still might have a solution for you LOL! Why not try water Lilies? They are beautiful, would shade the water and might even be a food source for the fish! The other solution is to figure out where the best source of shade would be (i.e. what would block the sun at the hottest part of the day) and put a bench or even a bench with a trellis or umbrella to block the sun during the hottest part of the day.... don't you just love when people who don't have something still want to give you tips on what to do with it? ;p
Loved the peacock pics. They are such cool birds.
- August 5, 2009 at 2:09 PM
- peggy said...
Sheila is gorgeous!!!!
- August 5, 2009 at 5:40 PM
- JOHN said...
So good to se you blogging and posting pics.I love it and cant wait.A third day would be great.Wont you stop by mine and see all my animals.Ok two dogs and turtle,but come and check them out. Take Care
- August 6, 2009 at 11:19 PM
- Linda's World said...
Kelly, those little chicks are darling. You're such a good mama to all your critters. It seems you go above and beyond what most people would do. The peacocks are beautiful. There's place called Mary Hill Museum down on the Washington side of the Columbia River. They keep peacocks on the grounds because they apparently will kill any rattle snakes that slither in from the surrounding desert area. Have you ever heard that about peacocks? Linda in Washington
- August 7, 2009 at 12:57 AM
- Lisa said...
All of the pics are gorgeous but you already know your animals are beauties!!! Sad about the fish. If you put plants in...lillies in pots or floaters it might be enough to keep it from getting so hot. Just a thought. Good to see you again.
- August 9, 2009 at 12:09 PM


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I keep saying this, but I'm going to say it again. August is my birthday month! Hehe. That means I will try to post as often as I can this month (hopefully everyday), and most of it will be related to my birthday since I will be turning 18 this month. If you didn't know already, in Filipino culture, a girl turning the age of 18 is very special.
I will be sharing 18 more facts about me! :)
I will be sharing 18 more facts about me! :)
- My birthday is on August 25.
- I really want a vlogging camera for my birthday! It's on the top of my wishlist.
- I actually did not enjoy making youtube videos at first, but now I really want to post everyday because it is so much fun.
- My debut will be held at a garden, so I hope it does not rain.
- I am a total neat freak! I have to clean everything everyday.
- I love writing. I hope to write a book someday.
- I have never been to a different country. I hope I get to travel this year.
- I am an incoming freshman in college.
- I will be taking up BS Psychology.
- I love change.
- I want my room theme color to be black, white, pastels and metallics.
- I also want to buy a suitcase for my birthday because I'm really hoping I'll be travelling a lot when I am 18.
- I am excited to live on my own because I know that it'll be spotless if no one else is with me. LOL
- But I am scared at the same time because ghosts... Idk I'm a coward HAHA
- I've have been watching more Filipina Youtubers recently.
- I love Janina Vela, ThatsBella and saytiocoartillero.
- I am really excited for college! I really want to make new friends.
- I am looking forward to back to school shopping! I'll post a haul for sure.


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It pays to read. Not long ago I came across this paragraph in a book on tree maintenance, and thought it very succinct in describing what is going on invisibly inside the tree during times we might think it is fully dormant:
Cambial activity shuts down first at the top of the tree, then in the trunk, and lastly in the roots. Therefore a tree may well have an active root system well after visible growth or leaf drop has occurred. Also, the upper roots of trees in the ground are the first ones active in the springtime.
Makes you think, doesn't it? Another complicating piece of the puzzle is that the top of the tree is much more cold hardy than the root zone. The tags we see on nursery containers that read 'Hardy to_' assume you will plant it in the ground, where tree roots are designed to be. Those cold ratings are for the top only; roots are more tender. Quite a cautionary tale for those growing bonsai. Roots are calibrated to be in the ground, not in a pot.
There are a couple of important lessons here. While light frosts in the fall will ease a tree into dormancy, unseasonably deep cold in the fall may kill the tree because the roots are still active. Spring is the usual time to be careful of hard frosts, but fall must be watched too. Furthermore, if we live in a mostly mild climate with infrequent arctic blasts we should be aware that bonsai may never go fully dormant, retaining active roots throughout winter.
Healthy roots of most hardy trees and shrubs are fine with light frosts in the upper to mid 20′s (F), which helps to ease them into winter dormancy, but lower than that they need better protection such as placement on the ground or in an unheated room, greenhouse, or coldframe.
Those bonsai spending their winter holidays out on the benches may need a careful weather watcher (that would be you!)
(Reference: Tree Maintenance, P.P. Pirone, 1988)


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Wednesday afternoon: The team scrambles to finish the car for the final tech inspection; as they worked, they were surrounded by press, competition officials, and co-competitors who expressed their amazement at the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of the build, a testament to Joe's lean/agile/scrum model.
Wednesday, 4:55 p.m.: The team proceeds toward final inspection. As they rolled the car out of the garage toward the inspection bay, the entire place erupted in applause, with co-competitors even helping push the car. Team WIKISPEED had captured everyone's hearts. Tweeted and retweeted throughout Wednesday and Thursday was the message @ZAPalias: Congratulates team @WIKISPEED for a heroic display of teamwork, makes us proud to be part of @progautoxp.
Wednesday evening: A few of our dedicated team members, exhausted but proud, mug for the camera after final inspection.
L-R, back: Tom Boulac, Bryan Ford, John Justice, Jeff Carter, Joe Justice, Keith Boulac
middle: Mary Wilkes, Lisa Ford, Tom Dunn
front: Ruth Justice Stafford, Ginney Justice


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Topic: Mozart Serenade in E-flat (K375)
This octet has a few passages where the bassoons are noodling in the background - one of which is repeated G-Bb-Eb-Bb (slurred) around middle C. (Sixteenth notes, quarter = approximately 120) Any suggestions for making this go smoothly? With the standard fingerings it sounds hopelessly messy, at least in my hands. I have the extra Ab-Bb trill key if that helps (but not the articulated mechanism, which I suspect would be much more helpful).


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Gertrude Stein in her salon, writing. Photo by Man Ray, 1926.
(Image courtesy the Man Ray Trust and the Yale Collection of American Literature,
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.)
11/1/12 - 12/16/12
The Muse at Home explores how and why we live with art, and the many ways art inspires
our work. Art and objects from the homes of 27 faculty and staff in the departments
of Studio Art, Art History, and the Tang Museum will be on display. Among this number
are thoughtful collectors of contemporary art, researchers who gather material related
to their field, and enthusiasts with one cherished piece. Works range from contemporary
art to African textiles, and from illustrations by William Steig and Saul Steinberg
to a Dresang stoneware teapot and an early twentieth century tea service. The exhibition
includes excerpts of interviews conducted by Curatorial Assistant Rebecca Shepard
in which participants talk about the art they own, and how it relates to their endeavors.
Related text and programming (see below) includes discussion of the history of collecting
and the many motivations of those who collect art today.
The Muse at Home
Opening reception on Thursday, November 1, 5:30 - 7 PM
Participants are: Lisa Aronson, Ian Berry, Yvette Cortes, John Cunningham, Katie DeGroot, Ginger Ertz, John Galt, Deb Hall, Katie Hauser, Mimi Hellman, Megan Hyde, Elizabeth Karp, Trish Lyell, Doretta Miller, Deborah Morris, Victoria Palermo, Robert ParkeHarrison, David Peterson, Vicky Riley, Paul Sattler, David Seilor, Rachel Seligman, Rebecca Shepard, Joanne Vella, Kelly Ward, John Weber, and Matt Wilt.
Related programming:
Panel talk: Above (and Beyond) the Couch: How and why we live with art
Thursday, November 8, 5:30 p.m., Schick Art Gallery
Katie Hauser, Elizabeth Karp, Trish Lyell, and Robert ParkeHarrison
Four contributors to the exhibit - an art historian, a museum collections manager, and two artists - speak about the various motivations for collecting art, and how living with art enriches our lives.
Lecture: Inge Reist, Director of the Center for the History of Collecting at the Frick
Tuesday, November 13, 7 p.m., Davis Auditorium
The Schick Gallery is pleased to present guest lecturer Inge Reist, Director of the Center for the History of Collecting; Reist will speak about the history of art collecting in America and about the close connection between art collecting, patronage, and the history of art.
Panel talk: Collecting in the community
Tuesday, November 27, 6 p.m., The Arts Center Gallery, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
Artists, gallerists, and collectors share their experiences related to building collections of art by local and regional artists.


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I 've just bought the 3206, and my problem is :
When i shortcut probe with ground, my chanel A have 1,6v and my chanel B have 0v. if I reverse the probes, I have the same thing on channel A.
I can't remove offset with 5.13.9 picoscope software in settings menu. No choice chanel appeared.
What can i do ?


text: Share: Comments Print November 11, 2012 at 8:30 PM What's open, closed Monday Posted by Katherine Long Here's a list of things that will be open or closed on Monday, in observance of Veterans Day. On-street parking will be free in Seattle. In Seattle, garbage, food and yard waste, and recycling will be picked up on the regular schedule. Bellevue pickup also will be on a regular schedule. Most major banks and credit unions will be closed. All U.S. post offices will be closed. Seattle Parks and Recreation community centers and pools will be closed. King County Metro Transit bus routes will operate on a reduced weekday schedule on Monday. Customer service will be closed. Community, Sound, and Everett transit buses will operate on a regular weekday schedule. Pierce Transit buses and shuttles will operate on a weekday schedule. The Pierce Transit administrative offices and the Bus Shop locations will be closed. Kitsap Transit will operate on Saturday hours. Washington State Ferries will operate on a regular schedule Monday. Comments | More in General news | Topics: Veterans Day


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Depicted above in the Indian votive stupa carved in relief: Offering of Kusa Grass by Sotthiya the Grasscutter to Siddhartha (Buddha Sakyamuni), Kusana period ca. second century CE, 101 CE – 200 CE (Collection of Central Archaeological Museum, Lahore, Pakistan. Photo: The Huntington Archive
Skt: कुश (kusha) – and kusa grass – OnlineSktDict
Pali: kusa m. a blade of grass, sacrificial grass, good — Source: Kusha grass
Kus, kush, kusha grass — Brahmin
Not much is written about the etymology and origin of the word "kusa" (the word means "grass" in Japanese), although tomes have been written about the sacred "sword of life", the "Kusanagi" that is part of the imperial regalia of Japan and a component of the conquering tale of "Grasscutter" sword of Yamato Takeru (see The Search for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Lost Imperial Sword of Japan – the tale is too familiar and well-known that we will leave its details out of the discussion, focusing only on the etymology of the common word 'kusa' in the Indian and Japanese languages. A lot of scholarship and speculation, however, surrounds the word "kusanagi" and its roots, which have been attributed to Altaic or Tungusic origins:
Proto-Altaic or Tungus words for serpent: "A link between 'serpent' and the sword-name OJ kusanagi is not difficult to postulate, even though one essential link in the etymology remains missing. New Korean kulöng'i 'a serpent, a large snake' (Martin et al. 199 a) …The Proto-Tungus form, reflected also closely in the Korean, would be *kulin- ; to this the Korean has added its reflex of the Tungus animal-name suffix * -ki(Miller 1989: 147 sqq.), for a proto-form as *kulinki. To associate this with OJ kusanagi we must postulate that the *-/- in these Tungus and Middle, resp. New Korean forms goes back to earlier Proto-Altaic *- /2 – in a proto-form *kul2 in-, this would regularly have yielded an Old Korean *kusinki which was then borrowed into Old Japanese to appear …" — Professor A. Miller (and noted by N. Nauman)
We would like to suggest, notwithstanding the above interpretations, that a clear and direct Central Asian provenance for the Japanese word 'kusa' (and hence, 'kusa-nagi' may be found in the 'kusa' and 'kusha' grass forms found in the Rigvedic Sanskrit, Proto-Indo-European (PIE) languages, both ancient and current, from the regions of North-west India, as well as all over the Hindu Kush valley area from whence the kusa grass traditions are rampant and its Vedic/PIE word usages recorded (these was also the approximate regions that were formerly populated by the Indo-Sakka (later known Kushan and Khotanese-Sakka peoples).
The origin of the word 'Kusa"'
"The word "kusa" is a word from the ancient Sanskrit language. In the fullness of time, the word came to be used in India as a name for a storied, ceremonial sacred grass: the kusa grass. Behind the legendary kusa grass lies one of humanity's great myths. The legend of a "sacred grass" rises out of the mists of time at the beginning of history in the ancient East.
Just as a human mother nourishes her offspring, humanity at the beginning of history perceived a "great vegetal mother" whose green plants made human life possible through nourishment.
Humanity's ancient legend of a special "sacred grass" (the kusa grass), pays tribute at its root to this concept of a great vegetal mother whose botanic bounty sustains all life on earth."
— The kusa seed society (Jaipur Rajasthan)
'Kusa' and its 'kusha', the close cognate form, are still in use today in many parts of India — the Desmotachya bipinnata (Salt-reed grass) is an Old World perennial grass, with long usage in human history medically and ritually. A meditational mat called the kusha ashan mat still being manufactured in India and musti kusa grass is sold out of Jaipur, Rajasthan, where the use of 'kusa' grass is universally known. The Kachchwaha people of Jaipur, Rajasthan, belonging to the Kshatriya-warrior caste of Hindus, trace their origins back to the sun, via Kusa#, who is the twin son of the god Rama (see "History of Jaipur" ).
'Kusha' grass has continuing ritual significance for the Vedic, Hindu and Buddhist religions.
In many sacrifices, branches or leaves of sacred plants, such as the kuśa plant (a sacred grass used as fodder) of the Vedic sacrifice and the Brahmanic pūjā (ritual), are used in rituals such as the Zoroastrian sprinkling (bareshnum), or Great Purification, rite, in which the notion of fertility and prosperity is combined with their sacred characters — Boyer's "Ceremonial Object").
The plant (also known as Daabh, Darbha, Darbhai) was mentioned in the Rig Veda for use in sacred ceremonies and also as a seat for priests and the god. From the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam (Chapter 8: "Markandeya's Prayers to Nara-Narayana Rishi"):
SB 12.8.7-11: "After being purified by his father's performance of the prescribed rituals leading to Markandeya's brahminical initiation, Markandeya studied the Vedic hymns and strictly observed the regulative principles. He became advanced in austerity and Vedic knowledge and remained a lifelong celibate. Appearing most peaceful with his matted hair and his clothing made of bark, he furthered his spiritual progress by carrying the mendicant's waterpot, staff, sacred thread, brahmacari belt, black deerskin, lotus-seed prayer beads and bundles of kusa grass."
Also recorded is the Srivaishnavam (or Brahmin) traditional "practices widely used by Indian Brahmins all over using a Holy Grass named Dharbham or Dharbai. The botanical name is Eragrostis cynosuroides and Hindi they call as Kus or Kusha" (See "Dharbam the Holy Grass" by TRS Iyengar).
And in the Hindu books:
Puranas and Upnishads describe that this grass came into existence after Samudra Manthan, the churning of cosmic ocean. When demigods and demons got ready to churn the cosmic ocean of milk, there was no one to support the base of Madhara mountain. Lord Vishu took the form of Tortoise [Kurma Avatar] and gave the needed support. During the churning, the hairs of the tortoise came out and washed away to the shore. These hairs turned to Kusha grass. — Punitra Yatra: The sacred grass called dharbai or kusha grass*
Most significantly, a clear connection can be seen between 'kusha' grass with its sword-like quality, and the killing of serpents:
"The sanctity of dharba, also known as kusha (or, kusa) grass, is as old as the Indian gods. Puranas tell how Vishnu assumed the form of the Cosmic Tortoise (Skt. kurma) whose shell served to support Mandara, the mountain that served as a dasher in the Churning of the Sea of Milk. As the mountain rotated, several hairs were rubbed from the tortoise's back. With time, they washed ashore and became Kusha. …
Another myth explains that when the pot of Amrita was set on the sacred grass, the children of Kadru (Garuda's stepmother) were determined to get some of the elixir. Ever-watchful Garuda, to prevent their attaining immortality, quickly snatched it away. The snakes ended up licking the the leaves in hopes that some drops had fallen there, but they were so sharp that the poor serpents' tongues were sliced in two.
Later, when the amrita [nectar of immortality] was obtained as a result of the churning and distributed among the gods, some drops fell on the grass which further sanctified it imbuing it with healing properties. Therefore, in the traditional hair-cutting of Vaishnava toddlers, the hair is touched with kusha before it is cut.
It was used as a ritual seat as far back as the Vedas, and the Bhagavad Gita (ch. 6) stipulates that, covered with a skin and a cloth, it is the appropriate seat for meditation. Therefore, it was one of the first offerings made to the Buddha.
Kusha, whose name signifies sharp in the sense of acute, is the root for the Sanskrit word for "expert," kosala. That is because the edges of the long leaves that grow in pairs along the tall stems are very sharp, so like the sword it is a symbol for discernment or "discriminating wisdom."
It grows beside brackish (salty) water such as is found at the mouths of rivers and is a kind of tussock grass; that is, it grows in clumps" — Kusha Grass, (Khandro. Net)
The allegorical uses of 'kusa' in the Indian legends approximate that of the Japanese Kusanagi Legend, thus suggesting to us, that the choice of the naming of the sword as 'kusanagi' was not incidental, but was instead, a careful borrowed reference to its sacred and allegorical serpent-slaying qualities.
The kusa grass and serpent-slaying associations may also have arrived in Japan via Korea's Indian connections with Ayodhya, from which the legend of the Kusha king (who was the twin of Luv, and one of the two sons of Rama# see the next paragraph) came. The city had ancient connections with the Gaya kingdom of ancient Korea due to an alliance with the Ayodha-Indian princess who was sent to the Gayan kingdom to marry King Suro in 48 AD (see Kim clan and the Princess Heo Hwang-ok). The Kusha king is also said to have subdued in battle the Naga king, Kumuda, which has an affinity to the allegorical idea of the Kusanagi, subduing the serpent (see King Kusha)…for Naga king means Serpent king. Hence, the Indian legend could have been the origin or indicate a close and common source for the word 'Kusa-nagi' ('nagi' is known to be a female snake 'naga' deity, or alternatively in the Japanese context, a 'cutting' or 'mowing' sword)… in which case, 'nagi' here could be a cognate of the Iranian aki–nakes sword.In another myth cycle involving 'kusa' grass, Kusha is said to have taken over the Kosala Kingdom (ruling from Ayodhya) from his father, Rama, and is also believed to have founded a city called Kushapur (today called Kasur). Also called "Kush," he was believed to be the ruler of a kingdom centered at Kasur in ancient times. According to the legend of Kusha, the sage Valmiki created another copy of Luv using his divine powers when he thought that wild animals had taken away Luv while he was away for prayers, so Kush or Kusha was so named because he was created out of divine kusha grass, see "The story of Kusha grass and the birth of Kush – The son of Sri Ram and Sita". The Raghuvamsha of Kalidasa also mentions the names of some of the kings of the Ikshuvaku dynasty. (Source: Ikshvaku dynasty's – Kusha and Kushapur vs. Luv-and-Luvpur). The Genealogy of the Ikshuvuku dynasty includes the following:
Atithi, the son of Kusha
Nishadha, the son of Atithi
Nala, the son of Nishadha
Nabhas, the son of Nala and so on……..
Luv (Lav; Loh) or Lava was said to have created a kingdom elsewhere purportedly Lahore (in the Ramayana: we find that, Lava and Kusha were the sons of Rama). It is believed he did so to the Northwest (present Punjab). He founded the city of Luvpur (or Loh-Awar [Loh's Fort]; today known as Lahore). The Mewar Lineage descends from Luv.
From Central Asia to East Asia:
The usage of the sacred reed grass 'kusa' as meditation mats for ascetics, together with other ritual 'kusa' ritual practices, likely spread eastwards to Tibet and China, probably along with the growth of Buddhism, and from there to Japan via either Tibet or China (see the 17th c. Silk Painting below "Buddha Enthroned on a Mat of Kusa Grass", Photo: Smithsonian Institution):
The Indo-Sakka or perhaps Kushan monks or hybrid Sakka-Chinese migrating peoples could conceivably have brought their customary practices to Japan. A kind of herbgrass-cake called 'kusa–mochi' is popularly made and eaten in Japan, and the origin of 'kusamochi' is said to have come from China:
"the custom of eating KUSAMOCHI first began back in ancient China, where bitter grasses were believed to be effective in expelling from the body impurities and evil spirits. This notion was imported to Japan in the Heian Period (794-1192) though a different type of herb was used as the most common ingredient (母子草 hahakogusa or gogyou)." — Bitter herb an important component of traditional spring sweet kusa-mochi
* The text also informs us that "Darbha or Kusha grass is a special type of grass which is used in Hindu rituals for purificatory process. This grass is wore as the ring in the ring finger of the person who is performing the rituals." "All kind of evil forces like, ghosts, spirits, demons, etc. keep away from the place where it is used. This is considered to be the holiest of all the thirthas here, and is believed to be the spot where Gowtama Rishi finally secured Ganga on earth by spreading the Kusha or the Durva grass around her. Kusha grass is considered purifying, and rings woven of it are sometimes worn in worship to keep the hands ritually pure." This suggests a Central Asian source for the practice of the chinowa harae purification ritual where Shinto devotees go through the purification ritual of walking through grass rings (see "Chinowa", Encyclopedia of Shinto).
Incidentally, a Kusa swamp exists in Kenya Africa, from which the grass for the making of papyrus and mats is sourced (see Utilization and conservation of papyrus plants for sustainable livelihoods in Kusa swamp, Lake Victoria, Kenya). It is however, beyond the scope of this article to investigate whether the roots of 'kusa' usage go back all the way (via ancient migrations) to Africa, or whether the word is related to the Melanesian myth of the Kusa Kap bird. The word 'Kusa' also appears as part of the name of the mythical bird 'Kusa Kap', a folktale of Melanesian New Guinea, and islands of the Torres Strait.
For a followup on this theme, read "The adoration of the sword: 'Kusa-nagi' grass-cutter conquering swords and dragon-slaying swords
Sources & readings:
Nauman, Nelly 1992. "The Kusanagi Sword" Nenrin-Jahresringe: Festgabe für Hans A. Dettmer. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1992, S. [158]-170
Punitha Yatra: The Sacred Grass called Darbhai or Kusha Grass
Witzel, Michael. 2009. The linguistic history of some Indian domestic plants. Journal of BioSciences 34(6): 829-833 http://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/8954814
Kusha grass (Rigpa Shedra website)
Kusha ashan mat (Rudra Yoga store)
Desmostachya_bipinnata (Wikipedia)
AuBoyer, Jeannine "Ceremonial Object"
"The search for kusanagi-no-tsurugi, the lost imperial sword"
"Dharbam the Holy Grass" by TRS Iyengar
Kusanagi (Wikipedia)
Kusha_(Ramayana) (Wikipedia)
The Search for Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Lost Imperial Sword of Japan
The Encyclopedia of Shinto article, "Chinowa harae"
About akinakes URL: http://akinakes.wordpress.com/about/
"The story of Kusha grass and the birth of Kush – The son of Sri Ram and Sita"
Utilization and conservation of papyrus plants for sustainable livelihoods in Kusa swamp, Lake Victoria, Kenya


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As the leaves fall and we put our gardens to bed, seeds keep next year's garden alive in our imaginations. They grow in our dreams.
And as you gear up for the fast approaching holiday season, everyone here at Victoria Gardens wants to encourage you to forgo the usual mall picks, and give everyone on your list the promise of spring.
What better way to do that than with Hudson Valley Seed Library Art Packs? Here are some fun gift pairings we put together for everyone on your lists:
The carnivorous plant theme is a great gift for kids of all ages. The Venus Fly Trap lures insects into its clutches with a sweet smell, and when the unfortunate victim lands, the open jaws snap shut! (What entertainment!) A good match for these Muncher Cucumbers with teeth!
For the dreamer on your list, this fairytale-inspired grouping matches mercury glass mushrooms with Tiny Tim Tomatoes and stain glass inspired hummingbirds and butterflies. The colorful insects are on clips for your tree or suction cups for anywhere!
For the introspective thinker on your list, give the gift of Zen with beautiful glazed Buddha heads and an assortment of seeds. (They have all winter to contemplate which ones they'll plant.)
Just like the lady you love, Orchids have an elegant and long-lasting bloom. A sure winner for moms, sisters, daughters, and granddaughters alike, by the time the flower fades; it will be time to start her favorite seeds inside.
For the gardener who has everything, we recommend this pair of garden defenders. The praying mantis garden stake is more of a talisman, where as the packet of Good Bug Blooms will bring real insect predators to the garden to eat aphids and other destructive garden pests.
And for every Secret Santa in the office, we recommend pairing Hudson Valley Seed Library Art Packs with these animal ornaments for a very affordable, adorable gift.
You can find these and other great gift ideas, indoor plants, and gift certificates at Victoria Gardens on Rt. 213 and Cottekill Rd between Rosendale and High Falls. Now that Rt. 213 is open, it's easy to get to us. For directions, hours, and more gift ideas, visit our website www.victoriagardens.biz.
*Of all the reasons we at Victoria Gardens love Hudson Valley Seed Library, and there are many, (they help maintain food diversity with heirloom varieties, their regional seeds are accessible and affordable, plus Ken and Doug are just so gosh darn cute!) the reason we love HVSL the most is their fun and fabulous art packs.
Local artists and local seeds are only the beginning of what has become a network of people and local small businesses cultivating a different kind of consumption. In the spring we carry organic, heirloom vegetable starts, which are grown at Regeneration Farm on Clove Valley Rd. in High Falls (3.5 miles away). Many of the vegetable starts are from HVSL seeds (Ken and Doug are only a couple miles away from Regeneration). So from seeds to our greenhouses, your baby veggies have traveled less than 5 miles! Talk about shopping local!*
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Hudson Valley Seed Library Guest Blog
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Over time I felt the need for bigger chest and still have a good cleavage.....
Being a FX fan, I sorted out a supplier of FX gels and rubbers (also fun people to know at Halloween time). A purchase of a clothes mannequin (female front half shell for $25) and some self drying clay ($20), I created a busty mannequin, followed by a mould (I would like to point out that my first cast mould of a lovely working girls breasts did not work out - but was still lots of fun). I would like to caution people working with molten rubbers & plastic, not to pour it on to their fingers - it hurts. Anyway soon the flesh coloured gel rubber cooled and solidified like bouncy jelly, just waiting to be shown off.
Lots of my older girlfriends were envious after feeling them.
I did at one stage buy the breast forms for women who had breast removal, but a size D in these were so wide and tall, that trying to fit 2 in one bra was nearly impossible without getting a double chin. so they went in the bin


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Your student can shine on the ACT or SAT. Every student can.
We know this because we've seen students outperform their and their parents' expectations time after time by following Testive's learning philosophy and process. No matter their academic history, students can discover the master within and come out of the test feeling confident and capable. But that's not to say it's easy. Mastering the ACT or SAT takes grit and it requires students to be thoughtful and decisive about how they manage their time. It's easy to misallocate the hours one devotes to test prep, and it's easy for it to be inefficient and ineffective, yielding mediocre results.
This guide outlines how our learning philosophy has helped thousands of Testive students improve their ACT or SAT scores significantly. Mastery isn't about absorbing tips and tricks that help students game the test (although, there is a bit of that). It's a philosophy that, when put into practice, helps students grow both intellectually and emotionally. It's a personalized path for each student that builds problem solving skills your child will use throughout his or her academic and professional life. Regardless of whether you plan on getting a Testive coach, please use this guide to help your student succeed. Everything in here can be implemented with $30 worth of materials, a Testive account (free), and an internet connection.
Of course if you are interested in Testive Coaching, you can learn more by reading some of our testimonials & score results or by signing up for a consultation.
The Catalysts of ACT & SAT Test Score Improvement
When a student attempts an ACT or SAT question (or any academic challenge for that matter) there are two major factors that indicate his or her probability of answering that question correctly: knowledge and behavior.
- Does the student have the knowledge to answer this question correctly? This is the obvious one. On the ACT or SAT, knowledge could mean a particular grammar concept, the geometric rules of a circle, algebraic formulas, etc.
- Does the student demonstrate the behavior that is typically used when answering this question correctly? This one is more abstract. On both standardized tests, behavior could mean timing and pacing, checking one's work before submitting an answer, writing out variables in a formula, deconstructing sentences when looking for errors, etc.
On any given question, a student who has a strong grasp of the content being tested and demonstrates strong problem solving behavior will have a high likelihood of answering the question correctly. This logic can be extended to the entire test: students with a strong grasp of the content and who behave correctly to each question will have a high likelihood of receiving a high score.
Not surprisingly, this gives us the two major catalysts of score improvement: knowledge gain and behavior improvement. Pretty straightforward, huh?
Not really.
The reason why students experience only moderate success with most other test prep methods is they encounter too few opportunities for knowledge gain, and rarely (if at all) focus on the behavior improvement that will accelerate personal growth and score growth.
And the truth is, this is really difficult. Out of the 3.2 million students that take either the ACT or SAT each year, there are 3.2 million different paths to personal growth. Each student has unique strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, and circumstances. Therefore, classes and books that are designed to be used by the median student are effectively designed to be used by nobody.
Testive is designed differently. Every part of our student experience—our online platform, coaching interactions, each student's custom schedule—is designed to bring the opportunities for personal growth to the surface and amplify their magnitude. Regardless of whether you choose to work with a Testive coach, you can use these six essential elements of Testive's coaching process to ensure your student will encounter as many opportunities for knowledge gain and behavior change as possible.
- Establish baseline skills
- Study the optimal content
- Spend more time reflecting than practicing new content
- Build a schedule that you can keep
- Enlist the support of a guide
- Create urgency where none exists
Establish a Baseline
Take two otherwise equal students, Lisa and John, as an example. Both Lisa and John spend 50 hours studying the same 10-chapter SAT prep book, with each chapter representing a different SAT topic. John starts on the first page of the book and completes each chapter one-by-one totaling 50 hours of prep. Lisa, on the other hand, dedicates five hours to a practice test (both completing and reflecting) then spends her next 45 hours studying her biggest areas of improvement in the book, but only makes it through five chapters. Who would have the larger score increase?
The answer is difficult to say for sure. Randomness and test stress certainly play a role in actual results, as does the fact that Lisa likely missed some opportunities for knowledge gain and behavior improvement in the five chapters she never studied. But the smart money is on Lisa, since she used a more effective, efficient prep method, and likely encountered better opportunities for improvement. While John was wasting time studying content that was way too easy or way too hard for him, Lisa was laser focused on areas where she could make larger score gains. Said differently, Lisa's strategy has a much higher "return-on-prep" ratio than does John's.
A junior year PSAT is a good baseline for the SAT, but there's nothing better than the real thing. That's why we recommend taking a previously administered SAT in the College Board's Official Guide. You can buy it on Amazon.
If you're planning on taking the ACT, you can take their version of the practice test, the ACT Plan, and purchase the ACT study guide on Amazon.
Study the Right Content
After Lisa completes a practice test, she can use Testive's website to upload her results and generate a custom score report for free (below). This will show a student's ability for each area of the test and identify specific strengths and weaknesses.
We encourage every student to learn like Lisa. By establishing a baseline, she's able to measure her ability and make important prioritization decisions. But establishing a baseline is just the start. The next part is identifying her three biggest weaknesses—the parts of the test where she'll encounter the most opportunities for knowledge gain and behavior improvement—leading to the most efficient score growth. Looking at her score report below, her biggest opportunities all lie in math: data, algebra, and geometry. She should relentlessly practice those areas until they turn into strengths (we have a suggested way of doing this, which we'll cover later).
Once Lisa attains a desired improvement in a specific area of the test, say geometry, she should deprioritize it and add another category to her active routine, say modifiers. Using this method, students like Lisa will focus on no more than three areas of improvement at a time, and be able to dig deeper and find more opportunities for knowledge gain and behavior improvement than if they covered more content, but just stayed on the surface.
Constant and consistent measurement means you can always study right at the edge of your ability level. It's important that this measurement doesn't stop at the baseline, as it should inform a student's prioritization leading right up to test day.
Spend More Time Reflecting Than Practicing New Questions
We are trained to think that the more questions a student answers correctly on an assessment, the more learning has occurred. Our schools work this way. When a 9th grade geometry teacher completes the course work on angles, it's usually concluded with a test and sometimes a debrief session before moving onto the course's next subject, perhaps circles.
So it's easy to see why students assume that repetition will lead to mastery. Just like in 9th grade geometry class: the more questions you answer correctly, the more you've learned. So students should focus their time repeating new practice questions eventually getting more and more of them correct, right?
Assessment is not a measure of learning, it's a measure of understanding and ability. Learning is what takes place between assessments to improve one's understanding and ability. Repetition will lead to mastery, but if and only if it's paired with thoughtful reflection.
Incorrect answers are the fuel of score growth. They unlock behavior improvement and knowledge gain. They should be a student's best friend, yet they are somehow the single most underutilized resource in test prep and perhaps education in general.
We recommend students spend 2/3 of their time reviewing and reflecting missed content, and only 1/3 of their time attempting new questions. Why don't you take a couple of minutes and answer this question:
How'd you do? There are three questions you should ask:
- Did I answer the question correctly? (the answer is 26, by the way)
- Did I answer the question quickly enough? (the average Testive student spends 47 seconds on this question)
- Did I answer the question with high confidence?
If your answer to all three of these questions is yes, then you're ready to move on. If your answer to one of these questions is no, then there's a good learning opportunity in reflection. If that's the case, Testive offers you three options to go deeper on this question.
First, you can watch an answer explanation video:
Secondly, you can review learning content associated with this topic. Lastly, you can even watch a 30 minute class, Testive Study Hall, dedicated to the topic:
Once you've identified your mistake, you'll be asked to reflect on what you can do differently next time to answer a similar question correctly. This is the most important part of Testive's learning philosophy. It's where students build awareness of the knowledge they must gain and the behavior they must improve in order to boost their scores.
On it's own, a single question reflection is valuable. But reflecting becomes much more valuable once a student has completed hundreds of reflections and can identify patterns among them. That's when reflections become a very powerful tool to identify behavior change that is sometimes very difficult to pinpoint.
Create a Schedule That Works for You
In our SAT Starter's Guide we said that the magic number is 100 hours. You can see big score improvements by investing less time, we've certainly seen many students do so. But somewhere around the 100 hour mark, if learning efficiently, is where your personal growth will plateau. Pushing beyond this plateau, while still a worthwhile goal, will require a substantial redoubling of effort and a bigger time commitment. The choice belongs to the student, but a coach can help with the decision.
Studying for 100 hours is not an easy ask. Today's high school students keep schedules comparable to the busiest of corporate executives. They balance school work with athletics, part time jobs, extracurricular activities, family obligations, college applications, and their social life. Adding in 100 hours to prepare for test prep doesn't seem fair.
We agree. It isn't.
However, remember that the biggest skills you learn by studying for the tests are also skills that help you later in life (arithmetic, grammar, and literacy). Students of ours that master American English grammar, for instance, routinely report to us that it helps them write more persuasively allowing them to enter better colleges, get better jobs, and lead more productive lives.
The most important strategy to creating and sticking to a productive schedule is making practical commitments. "I'm going to prep for 100 hours in the four months prior to the test," is an awful commitment because it's not actionable. A much better method is to create milestones and set up a weekly routine that will work for your schedule.
We consistently find that students who establish and adopt a routine early in their preparation achieve much higher score improvement. That's why the first thing we ask a new Testive student to do is make daily and weekly commitments:
Then we send students text message reminders to ensure they follow through with their commitments. And we notify them when they miss a study session that they committed to. Commitments are only valuable if they result in actions. That's why it's important to constantly measure and reevaluate one's commitments.
Get the support of a guide
Think back to a time when you learned something profound. Something that challenged your understanding of the world, something that changed your life. Close your eyes and put yourself in that environment for a moment.
Anything you notice?
Our guess is that there's someone else by your side. Were we right? If so, it's (unfortunately) not because we have telepathic powers. It's because mentorship is as powerful a learning tool as we know.
Just think about some of the greatest learners in history: Plato had Socrates, Luke Skywalker had Yoda, Peyton Manning had his father, Archie. Truly effective learning requires vulnerability and motivation, and we believe both are best served through human interaction.
Remember earlier when you read about the importance of identifying weaknesses and prioritizing on which content to focus on? Well, it turns out this is really difficult to do by oneself. A guide's support brings an external perspective that makes students better and quicker at identifying knowledge gaps and behavioral improvements. Put simply, collaboration multiplies every other part of Testive's learning philosophy.
At Testive, our coaches are our guides. They support their students in many different ways, but there are four that are most important. We think they're the four critical roles that any guide should play when supporting a student with the SAT:
- Planning & Motivation – Establishing reachable, yet ambitious, goals and setting up a schedule to execute them. Victory requires pushing beyond an enumerated target.
- Identifying and Encouraging All-Star Qualities – We all can benefit from external praise when we do great things. This is what helps smart people become winners.
- Prioritization – Time is finite, and it's difficult to decide when to switch between areas of the test. But consistent measurement and an external point of view can help.
- Detecting Obstacles to Success – Everyone stumbles. In the absence of a coach, many students endlessly repeat behaviors that don't lead to growth.
Among Testive students, those with coaches have a 47.6% higher effort grade and spend 234.1% more time on the platform than those who do not. Accountability is a powerful tool.
Here's the bad news: parents (typically) are not well suited for coaching their children (hear us out.). That's because good mentorship requires a high degree of vulnerability from the student. Without this vulnerability, it is difficult for students to expose their weaknesses and engage in real personal growth. Because of the structure of the typical parent-child relationship, it is difficult for students to demonstrate enough vulnerability for great personal-growth.
Here's the good news: you also don't have to pay for mentorship. We've seen plenty of students be wildly successful with the support of a friend, an older sibling, a cousin, or a caring neighbor. Of course, if you are considering a more structured program, Testive's one-on-one SAT coaching alongside our online platform may be a good option. Plus our coaches are smart, awesome people who inspire us everyday.
Create Urgency Where None Exists
By now, you know nearly everything about Testive's learning philosophy. But there's one last thing that we need to discuss; the silent killer that has proven time and time again to spoil a student's success on the ACT or SAT.
Let's say it's February 1st. The last calendar year expired a month ago and Americans have two and a half months left until tax filings are due. Everyone knows taxes are important, afterall the average family has a $2,500 check waiting for them on the other side. Yet only a tiny fraction of America's taxpayers have completed their returns before February. Why?
Because no matter how important taxes are, they are not urgent (at least until just before the deadline). The ACT or SAT is seen through the same lens by students as taxes are by taxpayers. It is often on the horizon and is never as urgent as other tasks that occupy our daily lives.
Just think of homework. Students know that if they don't complete their homework on a Wednesday night that they are vulnerable to public embarrassment in class on Thursday and potentially a poor report card being sent home. With unstructured test prep, no such forcing mechanism exists. It's much easier for a student to say, "Oh well, I'll just do it tomorrow." And this daily procrastination often perpetuates into full blown neglect.
Making matters worse is the fact that the ACT or SAT and taxes are very much not the same. Taxpayers are capable of receiving the same refund no matter if they file on January 1st or April 14th. The SAT/ACT is different—a student's highest potential score diminishes as the student approaches the test date. If there were a chat that plotted a student's potential improvement and urgency to improve over time, it would look something like this:
So the idea is to create artificial urgency to move the urgency curve up for your student. We've found three essential ingredients for doing this:
The best commitments have three components. (1) They are highly specific. What will you do and when will you do it? (2) They are recorded somewhere. And (3) they are shared publicly. On Testive, students make commitments on their calendar which is shared with their coach and their parents. If they don't meet these commitments, everyone is notified.
We learned the importance of measurement at the top of this guide. To be really good at something, you have to figure out a way to track it. Did you make two out of 10 sessions last month, eight out of 10, or 10 out of 10? The difference matters. One thing is for certain. If you want to become outstanding, you need to track your progress. For example, you can use Testive to track your test prep progress by day.
If you truly want to be successful creating urgency, you'll also need to create accountability. This usually requires another person. You'll need to instruct that person how to hold you accountable. They need to check in on your tracking every day to verify that you have met your commitment. You'll also need to set up two sets of policies. (1) What will this person do when you succeed at meeting your commitment (positive reinforcement), and (2) what will this person do when you fail to meet your commitment (negative reinforcement). Big, long-term, amorphous projects such as preparing for the ACT or SAT require accountability. Get some!
And that's a wrap…
So that's it. Testive's secret sauce. How we help students achieve mastery on the ACT or SAT not through tips and tricks, but through disciplined, thoughtful, and efficient learning. We certainly hope this guide helped you. If it did, please consider sharing it with your friends who might also benefit from it.