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My Personal Timeline
This was an assignment for my Psychology class. This was a very meaningful and interesting project as I had to reflect on the man I am today and the events that shaped who I have become. However, this is probably more than you ever wanted to know about me, but I figured I would post it as I am attempting to chronicle my general body of collegiate work on this website. Enjoy!
When I look at myself in the mirror today, I see the reflection of a man whom is very different from the person that I envisioned myself to be as I was growing up. I have not become the fireman, police officer, rock star, or any of the other pie-in-the sky visions that I had of myself based solely in childish fantasy. Looking back on the events that have defined my life has been an extremely enlightening experience, but before I discuss what this jaunt into self-reflection has meant to me, let me take you through the journey that I experienced when I was researching and pondering the events of my life that have led me to the place where I currently exist.
My story began twenty-six years ago in a small German hospital in Nuremburg. I was born to a pair of loving parents whom were extremely excited about the new bundle of joy that they had brought into the world. My mother's pregnancy was mostly uneventful. She received quality prenatal care as my father was a lieutenant in the United States military. Also, it was important to her to give me every advantage possible even during her pregnancy, so she abstained from ingesting any material that could be deemed harmful to me while I was in utero. This included caffeine, which was an admitted struggle for my mother, but the sacrifice was worth it as it was for her baby boy. Although my mother's pregnancy was fairly typical for a healthy twenty-three year old, my birth presented a severe challenge to the attending physician. As I was descending down the birth canal, it quickly became apparent that there was an issue. My progress gradually slowed until finally coming to a complete halt. This can be a deadly complication during delivery, so the doctors wasted no time and began working diligently to free me from the prison of flesh in which I had become lodged. The doctor grasped my head with a pair of forceps and began to pull me out. Unfortunately, the forceps broke because I was so tightly lodged. The doctor repeated this process twice more, finally extricating an exaggeratedly cone-headed, healthy eight pound nine ounce baby boy.
My first year of life was spent in Germany. My mother did not have the best circumstances in which to begin her adventure in motherhood due to the fact that my father spent many months of the first year of my life in the field training with his unit. One other major obstacle that is completely foreign to many in the world today revolved around the difficulty in which my mother had in communicating with her family in the states. There was no internet, so e-mail and Skype were not in the picture. She had to call the operator to schedule an international call and then sit by the phone for hours and wait for the operator to call back. These phone calls were very expensive which led to a very limited number of calls. This was a trying time for my mother as she had no family and very few friends on whom to depend, but she weathered the storm like a seasoned veteran, providing a wonderful, nurturing start to my life that was full of love and affection. Three days before my first birthday, my father was reassigned to Fort McClellan, Alabama and my family excitedly left Germany to head home to the states. Fort McClellan was more than simply a reprieve from the foreign theater. It was a homecoming as well because this was the area in which both my parents had grown up. Therefore, my mother and father went from having no support as new parents to having overwhelming support from mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc.
According to my mother's records regarding my physical and mental development, I was ahead of schedule on every milestone that a child is supposed to reach during this period. I was sitting by 22 weeks, crawling by 33 weeks, and walking by 39 weeks. I said my first word at four months and my first sentence at 13 months. Apparently, during this period I exhibited a streak of independence that was difficult for my parents to correct. My mother recorded a story of when I was eight months old. She said that I had just gotten in trouble and instead of crying; I stood defiantly and stared at her red-faced with clenched fists. This independent streak was also evidenced in the first sentence that I spoke when I was 13 months old. I boldly stated to my mother one morning "I want to go" as we were preparing to leave for my grandmother's house. My mother also noted that I would sit around for extended periods of time doodling on paper with a pencil and that I loved books.
I also experienced two physically traumatic events during this period of life. When I was 11 months old on the way back to Alabama from Germany, I fell into a bathtub and chipped my front two teeth. The trauma actually went on to negatively affect the development of my permanent teeth in later years. Also, when I was 15 months old, I stepped on a floor heater and had to be treated in the emergency room for severe burns on my left foot. This injury did not seem to have any lasting effects.
The strong family relationships that were fostered during this period after my family returned from Germany with the members of my extended family still play a role in the decisions that I make in my life now. Although the relationships that I had with the members of my family were strong, my mother cannot remember me experiencing any separation anxiety. I spent several days a week with a babysitter as my mother was finishing college and my mother said that I also socialized well with other children. I believe that trust was established, rooting from these relationships, allowing me to successfully move into the next stage of Erikson's psychosocial development.
During my early childhood, my mother also has recorded that I was ahead of schedule on many of the expected developmental milestones. I was potty trained by the age of two and had an extensive vocabulary. My mother noted that I understood the meaning of many words and could perceive the meaning of unknown words based on context fairly early in my development. I was talking conversationally in sentences relating to the world that surrounded me and to the adults with whom I spent the majority of my time. One of my favorite activities during this time was riding my big wheel and playing ball with my father in the yard. During the later years of this stage, I participated in organized sports.
I had surgery early on during this stage in my life. My recovery was speedy, but any surgical procedure has the potential to set back the development that a child has accomplished. My first brother was also born during this time. My mother noted no regression in development related to either one of these potential obstacles. My fine motor skills were slightly underdeveloped during this period. This may be due to lack of opportunity to exercise these skills as my parents were extremely conscious about messes inside the house. This lack of early development still plagues me to this day, manifesting itself in my extreme lack of manual dexterity.
My parents fostered an extremely secure environment for me to explore the world around me. My father had a good, secure job in the Army and my mother was able to spend the majority of the day with me, so my physical needs were all met. My emotional needs were also met as there was plenty of love that was lavished on me by family during this time. This fostered autonomy within me by giving me the security to know that I could explore the world confidently. This allowed me to once again progress into the next stage of psychosocial development. The fact that my parents allowed me room to make mistakes and grow also fostered a strong sense of initiative within me, giving me the strength to undertake new tasks and to understand that failure is just a step to a future success.
My middle childhood featured the first move that I can truly remember. We left my hometown in Alabama and moved to Lansing, Kansas. I remember this being one of the toughest things that I had ever experienced because I had to leave behind all of my extended family who had played a very important role in my life to that point. Going from many caregivers to solely my parents was a hard transition to make, but the skills that had been fostered in my earlier stages of development were extremely helpful in dealing with this new challenge.
An additional difficulty that confronted me during this stage of development was rooted in my parents' desire to better the living situation of our family. Both my mother and father began and finished their master's degree programs during this period in my life. In addition to my parent's schooling, my mother returned to work. This meant many nights with babysitters. Some sitters were better than others, but honestly, I believe that my brother and I felt slightly abandoned due to the time that my parents had to spend away from us. Upon review, this could not be farther from the truth, but I do remember feeling as if I had to fend for myself emotionally during this time. I had developed close friendships with several of the children in my neighborhood that also helped to sustain me during this tumultuous time in my life.
Scholastically I did well. However, I did have a strong aversion to homework. There were nights that I would sit at the kitchen table for hours in defiance because I did not want to do my work. My parents were firm and consistent with my discipline and with their expected standards; therefore, I eventually learned that I was not going to get out of homework and it made my life so much easier to just complete it as quickly and accurately as possible. My father also spent a year away from the family in Korea, which added to the stress that pressed in on me during this time of my life. In the middle of the fifth grade, my father returned from Korea and we had to move to Fort Lewis, Washington. This was yet another extreme change during this period of my life causing me to leave the circle of friends that I had developed and moving farther away from my extended family.
Although my scholastic achievement was good during this time, I felt as if I never really fit in socially with my peers other than the close friendships that I had fostered with the other children who lived in my neighborhood. I always felt as if I was not good enough to fit in socially and was afraid of embarrassing myself. This is a fear that I have never truly overcome. I have a strong desire to please people and I believe that much of that desire is rooted in unresolved feelings of social awkwardness and extreme fear of embarrassment that began during this time in my life.
I am fairly certain that all the changes that occurred during this period of my life limited my feelings of industry as I had to learn several new performance standards for different babysitters, teachers, and parental structures throughout this period. I do believe, however, that I did achieve industry and was able to take ownership of my accomplishments and abilities. It was during this period that I also developed a love for music, which has become one of the most important driving forces in my life today.
Moving from my middle childhood and into adolescence was a strange transition; although, I am certain that this is a difficult transition for everyone. Again, at the onset of this time in my life, my family was uprooted and moved first to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for my seventh grade year and then back to Fort McClellan for three following years. This period was marked with extreme physical and mental changes as puberty began to work its awkward magic inside my body.
I was a late bloomer and that caused many confidence issues that took many years to overcome as I was the target of much ridicule regarding my small, underdeveloped stature. During this period, the desire within me to please people became even more important because I desperately wanted to fit in. Erikson's major milestone for this period has to do with the individual establishing his or her identity. I can honestly say that this was not the primary concern of the beginning of my adolescent period. I just wanted to stay off the radar. I was very small, weighing in at 75 pounds in seventh grade. It was difficult to watch the other boys changing into young men while it seemed that I remained stuck in the trappings of childhood. The others noticed, of course, and pointed this out at every opportunity that was presented to them. Honestly, this was probably the most difficult aspect of my early adolescent years. However, shortly after I turned thirteen, I discovered the most amazing relationship that challenged me to be different. This relationship continues to challenge me even now.
Shortly after moving back to Fort McClellan, I was befriended by a young man who was fairly well known within the small school that I attended. Through this relationship, I was invited to church and eventually to a relationship with Jesus. The moment where I met Christ was the moment that my life was changed forever. This is when I began to understand what my identity was supposed to be based upon what the Bible states about how our individual lives are supposed to look. It was not easy to pursue Christ with reckless abandon as it goes against the social norm and the expected behaviors of society, but I have never made a more important and worthwhile commitment.
My academic achievement was of chief importance to me during this time, but I also wrestled and did fairly well in both. I was consistently on the "A" honor roll and was a state place winner in wrestling. I hung out with the "nerd" group and that suited me just fine as the competition fostered within this group pushed me to greater heights academically. I felt socially awkward and was slightly terrified of girls until puberty really began to take hold of me during my sophomore year in high school. Unfortunately for my burgeoning libido, we again moved in between my sophomore and junior years of high school. This was terribly traumatic as I was involved heavily in my youth group at church and was fairly popular in my high school. I moved from a class of 60 students to a class of 280 students and a high school that was five times bigger than the small school that I had left. Talk about culture shock.
During this time, I sank into a fairly deep depression that colored much of my junior year. I had a difficult time adjusting to the new social network, but my academic achievement did not fall off as this was still of prime importance to me. The second semester of my junior year changed everything. My pursuit of Christ had waned during this time of extreme depression, but, thankfully, His pursuit of me had never changed. I met a young man on the first day of second semester who would help to foster a change my life forever.
Through this young man, I met the first girl that I truly loved. Fortunately, she was the only girl that I would ever have to date and would be blessed to marry in the future. Thanks to the relationship that was fostered with the young man whom became my best friend, I was finally able to find a group in which I fit. This was the local youth group at the church that my friend attended. Through this group, I was able to develop the strongest social network in which I have ever been privileged to take part. This group helped me to find who I really was inside and who I was in Christ. I had several adult mentors that were also extremely vital to my personal development during this time.
I find it a curious task to set goals for my future as I ponder what God has planned, because the only thing that I do know is that I don't know anything. However, I do feel that it is vital for everyone to establish a strong set of goals that line up with scripture in order to set the direction for their lives, always remaining open to the fact that God has the right to change those goals and the direction in which my life is headed at any moment according to His perfect will. First and foremost, my goal is to look as much like Christ as possible and to do whatever it takes to make my life look like His, experiencing true worship on a daily basis. This encompasses my psychosocial, biological, and cognitive goals as each are an important aspect in truly reconciling myself to the image of Christ. The importance of this goal cannot be understated as it is the driving force behind my very existence. Everything that I do must line up with the purpose for which God has created me. If this does not occur, then I will find myself outside the will of God, and this is not a destination that I am willing to take my life.
Biologically speaking I would like to lose 40 pounds and to get back into shape, so that I can freely participate in the sporting activities that I used to enjoy and once again be happy with my personal body image. Cognitively I have pledged to become a lifelong learner because when we stop using our capacity to learn, we lose much of our ability think and reason. These are two abilities that I hold in extremely high regard, and, due to this, I will always be enrolled in a class of some sort and a Bible study as well in order to continually foster my cognitive and spiritual development. Finally, psychosocially I desire to have a small group of close friends on whom I know that I can depend on no matter what the situation. I have already accomplished this goal to a certain extent, but I am always on the lookout for new relationships.
During the course of writing this assignment, I have had to come face to face with many of the major events in my life that have led to me becoming the man that I am today. This was an extremely enlightening experience. Prior to this assignment, I had never truly taken a comprehensive look at the struggles and triumphs that have shaped my life.
The first thing that really stuck out to me was the fact that all of my early developmental milestones were accomplished ahead of the expected schedule, specifically focusing on my ability to manipulate and understand language. It appears that I have always had a love for words and that I have been blessed with an innate ability to communicate my thoughts. This was the first time that my mother and I had ever deeply discussed my early development. My mother told me that I was always a smart child and that I was truly inquisitive as well, asking many questions to better understand my environment.
Although the study of my early development was enlightening, the study of my middle childhood was truly fascinating. I was able to look back at many of the events that shaped my behavior during that developmental period and understand the lasting effects that those behaviors and personality traits had on my early development and even persisting into who I am today. For example, socially, I never truly felt as if I fit in with my peers. This might have stemmed from the chaotic environment of regular change in which I spent my middle childhood. I still have problems feeling like that to this day; however, I have changed the way in which I cope with this perceived personal stigma. In my middle childhood I retreated into myself and maintained only a few very close friendships as this was where I was comfortable. Now, I am much more extroverted, but the motivations of my behavior have not changed. I still continually seek the approval and praise of other people.
I can most definitely see how the tumult of my middle childhood affected my adolescence. These issues compounded with the fact that I was a late bloomer made the early part of my adolescence extremely awkward socially and even within my own psyche. This was a difficult time, but the lessons that I learned during this time again helped to shape me into the man I am today. Without the early adversity during this time period, I do not know if I would have ever felt the need for Christ, which would have made the rest of my life utterly meaningless.
I believe that God never wastes a hurtful, awkward, or joyous moment. I know everything that happens in this life truly does happen in order to bring us closer to our glorious Creator. Looking back on the entirity of my short life, I am thrilled to see how God has woven all of the events of my experience together to make me the man that I am today. I am thankful for the fact that even in the darkest times in my life, I have always had a loving God looking out for me and shaping me as the potter shapes clay. Understanding the past has given me a better understanding of my present situation and, in turn, has given me a new perspective for my future. I am looking forward to seeing what plans God has on the horizon that He is going to allow me to be a part of and humbled to know that before time began, His plan for me was set into place. Above all else, I am thankful for the obedient sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross that has enabled a wretched sinner like me to find the most amazing love that a person can experience on Earth. Looking back at all the great times, the destitute times, the times spent on the mountain top, and the tough moments spent in the valleys, I can sum up my life in three simple words: God is good.


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In the green awareness community I live in, "sustainable" is a word that is used a great deal. As it should be. It is a call toward something deeper than anything….anything….this culture offers. Do I need to put down one thing in order to lift up my ideal of sustainability? No, in this case, though, its a simple observable contrast. Our culture does not glorify what sustains us. Look at what we eat and buy: hamburgers made from cows herded on the plains of the Amazon. Oh, you didn't know the Amazon had plains? It does now. Thousands of ancient jungled acres cut down in order to raise enough beef to satisfy the unsatisfiable appetite of all fast food nations. And what do we buy? Trinkets and furniture which last a couple of years before we tire of them, toss them, and buy the next batch. True.
Yes, you are reading judgement in my above lines……I'd like that not to be but its all true. Even if I were able to offer the above without judgement, it would still be true.
And this lifestyle does not sustain us. It weakens us. It will kill us.
The other day, ok a week…a week has gone by…ok maybe two weeks, I dumped a large asparagus fern in the dining room. It's lovely tendrils grasped me as I was tidying up and the whole thing came tumbling down into a dirt ball, cracked pot mess. I sighed, and walked away. In fact, I totally ignored the whole mess for over a week. Kurt, dear kind Kurt, offered to replant it but didn't want to just swoop in and deny me of the joy of cleaning the mess. Or deny me an opportunity to actually touch nature.
Today! Today we cleaned up the mess. As we knelt at the apparent suffering of this gorgeous plant, he pointed out the root system, asking if I'd ever seen anything like it. Well, I had never seen an asparagus fern before I moved to this house so chances were really good I had never seen the root system.
The roots of an asparagus plant end in little water filled pods. They look like plump pumpkin seeds in size, shape and color….filled with moisture. Kurt explained that this their method of sustainability and they are not dependent upon the unreliable watering that either human or nature brings it. It will live a long time off of these pods. The pods are not their first line of water consumption, as they do enjoy being watered at intervals particular to them: Once every two weeks in the winter.
I think about what sustains me. What are my pods? Well, Kurt would be a pod of life sustaining moisture. My girlfriends on YS (its a secret name) who create space to explore the wildest nonlimits of spirituality as we seek what is truth and what is Sacred are sustaining. My practices of spiritual deepening which lead me under the surface of my daily life into the realm of Spirit and mystery. I've likely got enough fuel on my bones to sustain me a good long time should I only have bread and water to eat. But then that would run out.
Back to my little rant at the start, what in our culture, in our lives is surface and quick, and what is sustainable. Now, the next question is, what do you give your money toward? Your time toward? Do you drink up the regular watering and tuck a bit away down in your hidden pods for a day when the surface freezes, time stands still, and you don't have access to the things that skim across your daily life? Are we actively preparing our sustenance?
I've recently made a small place of prayer in my house. I have large places of prayer in my house already, but I was lacking a place to go to with focused attention. There is now a small altar where I can use the meditation stool that Kurt made for me, light a candle or 3, gaze at the moon out the window, or into the flame and go deep, deep within. This adds the life giving elements that will sustain both my surface as well as my hidden roots. These prayers are often just hummed, or breathed, or spoken in the vernacular of the space, taking me to silence. A minute? 20 minutes? The length of time does not matter as much as the depth that is plumbed.
Oh God of secret sustainment,
I turn to you
in times of the daily beat,
and you sustain me. You make me last. You cause me to
plump up in the waiting,
hold forth in the possibility,
set aside for the future.

subset: commoncrawl


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It's true, the interior surface of our VSSL Flask is glass (Si02). Coming at you through the miracles of modern science.
The process that's used to make this happen is called atomic-layer deposition, or ALD for short. It's a method of laying down the atoms required to make glass (Si02) in a highly-controlled way at the atomic level. This method is far superior to any coating process as the glass bonds to the interior surface at the molecular level and can't be broken or removed.
What's truly amazing about this process is that it is being used on a high-end brand of squeezable water bottles in high volumes! The glass layer that's deposited is really thin and flexible, so there is never any risk of it fracturing or detaching from its underlying surface.
This method is patented worldwide and has been used in several other far more technical applications, including for the long term storage of pharmaceuticals where there is zero tolerance for any type of degradation or leaching. Despite the large amount of data provided to us, we've still done our own extraction analysis and the results were as expected.
[ extraction analysis samples ]
The upside of this process:
Glass (Si02) is BY FAR the most superior material for storing booze.
The downside of this process:
It's expensive, and it adds an additional process and shipping step as the processing is done in California.
But we think it's worth it and we don't like the idea of anything affecting the taste of our booze...or our customer's.


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It Takes More Than Fact Checks to Beat Populists6 November 2017 | 12:20 | Bloomberg
Voting-behavior researchers are increasingly convinced that while fake news influences voting intentions, fact-checking it doesn't correct that shift. A recent paper based on material from this year's French presidential election, however, goes further than that: It shows that voters presented with the actual facts pertaining to a populist politician's pet subject become more likely to vote for the populist.
The finding -- and the other recent research into voter behavior -- presents a challenge both to mainstream media figures and to politicians trying to hold the fort against populist rivals. They shouldn't assume the mantle of ignorance fighters: They lose voters when they're uncharismatic and inept at building convincing narratives.
The paper, by four Paris-based economists -- Oscar Barrera, Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, Emeric Henry and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's chief economist Sergei Guriev -- describes an experiment involving 2,480 potential voters and three misleading statements on immigration by Marine Le Pen, who made it to the run-off round of the French election.
Le Pen said her impression from looking at photographs of refugees arriving in Europe was that 99 percent of them were men -- so, if they left their families at home, how could they be fleeing security threats rather than seeking economic advantage? She also maintained that because only 5 percent of immigrants coming into France have a work contract, 95 percent of them ended up unemployed and on the government dole. And she argued that, while during World War II "there were surely many French, believe me, who had good reasons to flee the Germans and yet, they went to fight against the Germans" -- so today's Syrian refugees, too, should have stayed and fought.
In fact, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the share of men among refugees crossing the Mediterranean into Europe in 2015 only reached 58 percent. According to French official statistics, almost the same share of immigrants and native-born French was in the workforce (54.8 percent and 56.3 percent respectively) and unemployment among immigrants was 18.1 percent compared with 9.1 percent for the native-born. During World War II, a quarter of the French population crossed from the German-occupied part of the country to the South, which avoided the invasion.
Le Pen's "alternative facts" were of the same variety populists have been using throughout Europe and in the U.S. As elsewhere, French papers hastened to correct the record after Le Pen's remarks were reported; as with Donald Trump in the U.S., there was a lot of talk during the French campaign about the media's duty to keep the electorate accurately informed in these post-truth times.
The researchers divided the subjects into four groups -- one that was only given the Le Pen statements, one that received both these statements and the actual facts, a third one that only got the facts and a control one that was given no new information. Voting intentions were measured before and after they reviewed the information. The team checked whether any shifts in Le Pen's favor were just cheap talk by having the subjects play a game in which they were asked to share money with a Le Pen voter: Previous research shows people are more willing to share with like-minded individuals.
Exposure to Le Pen's rhetoric -- with or without the fact-checking -- resulted in a 7 percentage point shift in voting intentions in Le Pen's favor. That's consistent with recent American findings about the uselessness of fact-checking Trump by a team led by Dartmouth's Brendan Nyhan. Both in the U.S. and in France, most people learned the actual facts and could answer questions about them -- but that didn't affect their resolve to support the populists who had contradicted the facts. "Respondents -- particularly Trump supporters -- took the corrections literally, but apparently not seriously," Nyhan and collaborators wrote.
The more surprising finding in the French study was from the group that only viewed the actual facts from official sources. They were 4.6 percent more likely to vote for Le Pen. The researchers ascribe that to "the backfiring of the factual information on voting intentions through raising the salience of the populist agenda." Some voters who never give a thought to immigration statistics are clearly unhappy about a majority-male immigration wave that results in twice the unemployment rate of the native-born French; they don't need Le Pen to exaggerate the problem, and they're not told why immigration might be good for them -- for example, to counteract a population decline, maintain economic growth, fill many service jobs that would otherwise remain vacant. That might also explain why fact-checking Le Pen doesn't work: People already convinced by lots of negative material about immigration don't tend to change their mind when they hear that the statistics are exaggerated.
"Our results suggest that confronting alternative facts with correct numbers is not enough," the Paris team wrote in a Vox.eu article describing their research. "To be effective, fact checking needs to be more than a journalists' or pundits' enterprise. The correct facts need to be embedded in a narrative with persuasive argumentation and conclusions – and delivered by a charismatic politician. The result of the 2017 French presidential election is consistent with this conjecture."
That, of course, is the reference to the election's winner, Emmanuel Macron, who managed to package his narrative more convincingly than Le Pen and whose charisma was at least on a par with hers. That's a lesson for Americans still traumatized by the Trump victory: A candidate up against a populist rival needs considerable personal magnetism to win, even when facts are on that candidate's side. There's nothing post-truth or social media-driven about that: In the 21st century, political talent still matters at least as much as substance, if not more.
The takeaway for us in the media is more complex. It's natural for journalists to seek objectivity by only reporting facts and not taking sides with politicians. But when a charismatic, telegenic or merely outrageous populist politician hogs coverage, as Trump does, and as populists do everywhere, voters get more of his narrative, and any commentary -- even fact-checks that reveal the populist's lies -- increases the salience of his pet subjects. True objectivity during a political campaign requires giving equal exposure to eloquent counter-narratives. That is, if they exist.
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All opinions, assessments, and statements, expressed in interviews, are personal and Focus Information Agency bears no responsibility for them.


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November 22, 2012 15:56 ET
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 22, 2012) - The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), will announce a new tool that gives Canadians useful, timely and official advice so that they can make informed decisions about international travel.
Additional material will be available at Media Kit after the announcement.
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
For more information or to schedule a subsequent interview:Joshua ZaninDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs(Americas and Consular Affairs)613-944-2300Foreign Affairs Media Relations OfficeForeign Affairs and International Trade Canada613-995-1874
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Here we go! The long anticipated dresser reveal.
*I'm sure you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats.*
First off you'll need your essentials: Venti Carmel Macchiato, ice water, a screw driver and Adele on Pandora.
Then you'll need:
*A dresser
*Sandpaper block
*Paint brushes, rollers, and paint pan
*Fun knobs to replace old hardware
And yes, I did buy a dresser with a plant hanger screwed to it.
Don't ask!
If your dresser has deep gauges or holes, you'll need some wood filler as well.
Fill holes and gauges. Wait 15 minutes. Sand down. Repeat if necessary.
My favorite part of refinishing furniture has to be sanding! So therapeutic.
After you sand, clean off the dust.
At this point you might want to prime, but as my dad says, "you don't need no stinking primer!"
Take off the old hardware. Fill any hole or rings with wood filer and sand away!
Get your paint ready to go.
This color is called Cappuccino White from Glidden.
It's not a pure white, which I love. It has flecks of browns and gives more of a creamy finish.
Paint first coat.
Let dry and repeat for a second coat.
Luge that baby up three flights of stairs.
Guess who strong armed this beast by herself?!
Add your pretty knobs.
Found these beautes on pickyourplum.com!
Stand back and admire your work!
Wanna look inside?
I'm so glad you asked!
The top drawer holds linens for the dinning room table.
I didn't realize how much stationary I had until I started putting it all in the drawer.
Oh dear.
Crafty business and such.
Fabric (and my foot!)
Random plates and platters that hardly get used.
Ah, it feels so good to have that all done!


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Do you just need to clean a few stains on your rugs or carpets? If the stains are fairly small, you can get rid of them using your own home-made remedies. Depending on the size of the stain, and how long it has been there, removing it from your carpet can either be easy or very tedious. Some stains on carpets will come out easy while others will require more than one application of spot remover solution.
However, when it comes to keeping our Countryside Park customers happy we take our job seriously it is not just a walk in the park. Once you hire The Carpet Cleaning Co. Sacramento, you will be guaranteed to get the best service out there for your carpet.
Sacramento Carpet Cleaning Services guarantee to stand by the best cleaning methods. Since they use the state of the art and modern technology in doing this, you get better service for your carpet. Carpet Cleaning Sacramento CA utilizes steam cleaners, special solution, and tools in cleaning the carpet, use of different soap solutions for different type of stains be it grease, oil, chemical or any other that is very tough for you to remove, leaves you very satisfied knowing that you are getting the best quality job for your carpet.
Quality – Since these companies employ trained professionals and you are assured of high-quality services. The Carpet Cleaning Co. Sacramento is the best carpet service in the area and is being done by highly trained technicians with expertise in what they do. They are also regulated to use the industrially acceptable standards and therefore you will get the best quality at the right price.
Best environmentally friendly products – Countryside Park Carpet Cleaners in Sacramento utilizes the most environmentally safe and acceptable products that are harmless to your family.
Sacramento Carpet Cleaning – Doing it yourself can get labor intensive especially if you have a large spacious home. If you wish to keep it sparkling clean, then that requires a lot of your effort and time. With lifestyles becoming so busy due to pressure from work and home, you are rarely going to have the time to do a thorough cleaning.
So, having the thought of cleaning yourself is going to be a hard decision. Luckily, now there is Countryside Park carpet cleaning that offers cleaning services for both your home and office. Accepting the help from these carpet cleaners will make you enjoy the benefits of a fresh & spotless home or office and free from any allergens.
Carpet Cleaning Tips in Sacramento
You've been looking forward to that spaghetti bolognaise all day and finally, you're home from work and able to get started on the cooking. Of course when you have little ones they can get over-excited trying to help mummy serve the dinner, and the next thing you know their little hands have lost their grip on the plate and you have pasta and tomato stains all over the carpet!
This may seem like a complete disaster, but with the right ingredients and these handy carpet cleaning tips you can get that awful stain right out:
Thinks You Will Need
- A spoon
- Paper towels
- Cold water
- White vinegar or lemon juice
Step 1 - Pick up all that fallen spaghetti and scoop as much of the excess sauce as possible with a spoon. Start from the edge and work your way inwards to prevent the sauce from spreading over a larger area.
Step 2 - Absorb any tomato juices that have soaked into the carpet by blotting with paper towels. Do not rub at the stain or it will damage the fibres.
Step 3 - Pour cold water over the whole stained area and blot again.
Step 4 - Pour white vinegar over the stain and let it sit for twenty minutes.
Step 5 - Rinse the area once more with cold water and blot until it's dry.
Alternatively, you can use lemon juice instead of white vinegar, the citric acid works to break up the stain.
If your carpet is in need of a thorough deep clean, then you should call a carpet cleaning company. The carpet cleaners will use state of the art carpet cleaning machines and non-toxic cleaning products to remove every last trace of those nasty food and drink accidents caused by mummy's little helper.
Copyright @ Carpet Cleaner Ltd
Carpet Cleaning Pet Stains - How Hard Is It To Remove?
A few years ago a new piece of equipment was introduced to the carpet cleaning industry that will change it forever. This technology will replace the standard carpet cleaning wand and all the back pains and soreness.
When a technician uses a standard carpet cleaning wand he has to push the wand back and forth to achieve a "scrubbing" motion. The "scrubbing" loosens tough dirt and oils from the carpet and the vacuum extracts it all out. Generally the technician moves the wand in only two directions, backward and forward. If the particular area requires more extraction the technician may turn perpendicular to his original position and extract from the opposite directions.
This requires physical strength and stamina and can wear a man out. The new technology is called rotary extraction because it has moving heads that spin in a circular motion. These rotating heads spin at over 200 RPMs. That is much more efficient than scrubbing back and forth over and over. It is virtually impossible for a technician to achieve 200 passes per minute with a standard wand.
And the best part, the rotary extraction method extracts from all directions. On the bottom of the rotating head are 3 vacuum inlets and 3 spray jets. The jets and vacuum inlets spray and extract from every direction while the head is spinning. Because the machine is extracting from all directions more water and soil is taken from the carpet, therefore dry times are significantly reduced and results are much better.
There are a few different machines that fall into this category. One machine has two smaller heads rotating in different directions for maximum extraction. This machine has to be pushed back and forth but has wheels so it glides across the floor. Another machine has just one rotating head but is significantly larger to make up the lost area. This machine "floats" on the carpet. The spinning head allows for it to move like a buffer. To control the machine you lift the handle up or down and it will float right or left, respectively. This machine does not need to be pushed.
The maintenance on these machines is pretty similar. The manufacturer recommends using your vacuum extraction hose to clean the bottom of the machine after every job. That's all there is to it. These machines are built very strong so you don't have to worry about breaking your investment.
This machine will significantly improve your quality of work and take major strain off of your body. Your clients will be impressed and your referral's will sky rocket. This machine will truly work wonders for your business.
The Carpet Cleaning Co. Sacramento
1618 Alhambra Blvd Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 706-3211


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Claremonte Motor Lodge
19 spacious comfortable units with air conditioning/heat pumps. Free access to local swim gym 500 meters down the road. Close to city centre and restaurants.
- Per night
- $150 - $250
Contact Us
1 / 2
Located in the heart of Hastings city centre, Claremonte Motor Lodge is ideally situated for you to enjoy Hastings, Napier and the surrounding Hawke's Bay region.
Close to Hawkes Bay Regional Hospital Omahu Road Hastings.
We have Sky guest select with 50+ channels in every unit. We offer 19 comfortable, stylish and warm units with heat pumps / air conditioning to relax in. Please come and enjoy Claremonte Motor Lodge,the best Hastings Accommodation & our genuine Kiwi hospitality.
Physical address
Claremonte Motor Lodge, 714 Heretaunga Street West, Saint Leonards, Hastings, Hawkes Bay, 4120, New Zealand.
Opening times
- Business hours:
- 7.30 am - 9.30 pm
- Months of operation:
- All months of the year
Facilities and Features
- BBQ Facility
- Breakfast
- Children Welcome
- Disabled Access
- Gymnasium
- Internet (Public Use)
- Proximity to airport:
- approx 20 mins by car
- Proximity to coach terminal:
- approx 5 mins by car
- Proximity to town:
- 500 meters to city centre
- Number of rooms:
- 19
Pricing and Conditions
|High season
|Low season
|(Sep - Apr)
|(May - Aug)
|Per night
|$155.00 - $250.00
|$150.00 - $250.00
- Other charges:
- rates are for 2 people, extra persons $20 each
- Further pricing information:
- Cancellations made up to 7 days before the booked date incur no charges. Thereafter, the deposit may be retained. Cancellations with less than 48 hours notice may result in the total amount for the booked accommodation being charged.


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Sun Staff Report
BOSTON -- The fight against gang violence got a boost in Fitchburg, Lowell and other communities across the state Tuesday.
Lowell received $531,920 in state grant funds to bolster its efforts combating gang violence. Almost $6 million in grant funds were made to 15 communities and 11 research partners through the Shannon Community Safety Initiative.
UMass Lowell is one of the research partners; the Lowell campus received $49,980, while both the Lawrence campus and Haverhill/Methuen campus received $24,994.
"Shannon Grants support critical programming that provide education, training and employment direction for young people at risk of becoming involved in youth violence or gang activity," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. "Our partnership with cities and local organizations enables crucial outreach to vulnerable youth, diverting them away from gangs and towards positive and productive futures."
The grants provide funds to communities that: demonstrate high levels of youth violence and gang problems, submitted a comprehensive plan to work with multi-disciplinary partners, and committed to coordinated prevention and intervention strategies.
Funded strategies include social intervention and opportunity provision programs, as well as gang task force personnel costs and overtime.
"The communities and partners who take part in this program have given themselves the tools necessary to make a serious impact on youth violence and gang activity," Secretary of Public Safety and Security Dan Bennett said in a statement.
Other municipalities that received grants on Tuesday include Boston ($1 million), Springfield ($552,526), Worcester ($494,825), Lawrence ($221,216), and Fitchburg including Gardner ($138,687).
Follow Rick Sobey on Twitter and Tout @rsobeyLSun.


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Plastic surgery results should be beautiful and very natural.
Creating natural results requires an in depth understanding of aesthetic proportions of human body, training and experience and lastly a lifelong commitment to advancement of the art and science of plastic surgery.
With the popularity of cosmetic surgery increasing worldwide, there are more and more doctors both locally and overseas who are trying to capitalize on this demand, so it has never been more important to research the Surgeon performing your cosmetic procedure. Most patients are unaware that many doctor who call themselves 'Cosmetic Surgeon' actually have no more training than your local general practitioner.
Your only safeguard when choosing your Surgeon is to insist on a "Specialst Plastic Surgeon" who is a member of the Astralian Society of Plastic Surgeons. To learn more about Dr Turner and his qualifications and experience see below.
Professional Affiliations


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Most of the action on the beach at the moment is occurring down at the low tide line. If you look there is extensive development and changes in the sand bars. You can read the direction of the longshore drift of the sand by analysing the sand bars.
Look to find which end the bar is connected to the beach. If this is at the southern end of the sand bar the net longshore sand drift will be going to the north. If connected at the northern end the net longshore sand drift will the going south.
Note: Diagrammatic only & not to scale
The mechanism of longshore drift on a long sweeping beach like Venus Bay is fairly easy to explain. The wave hit the beach slightly obliquely (this depends of ocean currents and nearby coast and sea floor topography) and carry some sand particles up the beach in the same direction that the wave was travelling as it hit the shore. Then the wave receded but now the water runs down the gradient of the beach (ie at right angles to the beach) so some sand is again washed back but following this new flow direction. so the sand particles zig zag up and then down the beach moving them along the shore a little as each wave carries them up the beach.
Very much related to the development of sand bars along the Venus Bay beach are Rip currents. These are feed with water but the lagoons and depressions that form behind the sand bars water coming over the bars has to run along this hollow to get back out to sea. Sometimes it quickly erodes deep gutters (a favourite pace for surf fisherman at higher tides) or pot holes. Often the sand near the deeper pots holes is very loose and unconsolidated because it is recently transported there.
Over the past few years the longshore drift has been dominantly to the south but this year It would appear that the general sand drift has turned to the north. It would be nice if all those interested observed the sandbars and posted their observations of sand drift as comments here or as messages on Twitter using the either hashtag #VBOP or to @VBOP
Eg for twitter
@VBOP beach one sand bars show sand drift to north


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In this tightening economy, seeing your property make progress in its value and aesthetics plunges..
Most Australians like to invest in properties. One of the latest trend in property investment..
Deciding on which home to buy requires some careful thought. The most important thing to..
When you buy a new house, you are always on the lookout for the best..
Owning a houseboat is like owning vacation property. You probably only use it a limited..
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Garden Furniture Spain a web-based portal to give you access to explore different varieties and the latest trend in online furniture. We have initiated our small step in 2008 in Spain, with increasing consumer demand and sales we expanded our business in 2009 in France. Along with Spain and France, we are supplying to customers in Europe, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Poland, Denmark and many such countries. Being in furniture field isn't an easy task, we are always in search of latest trend and competing with the market to provide you best furniture throughout. You would be happy to get new furniture designs and trends always with us.
If you are in search of aluminium garden furniture, wicker garden furniture, cast aluminium garden furniture or any other sort of Outdoor furniture, we provide you with the best solutions. Outdoor furniture comes in an array of materials each has their own specific style and different characteristics. You should be aware of their attributes before bringing them to your home or patio. While buying you should be sure about climatic conditions, usage of your furniture, designs, colour, area and many other aspects. Primary step for buying furniture is getting a proper guide and a good vendor who can provide you solutions for your need, with us you can have a great online shopping experience.
As outdoor furniture has gained popularity worldwide, there is Rattan garden furniture UK which is demanding throughout. Rattan is considered as one of the finest and flexible materials for outdoor furniture. Rattan comes in many designs and colours, it gives you the option of budget-friendly furnishing. Rattan also bears the extreme factors of atmosphere and goes well for years. We have Rattan garden furniture sale going on, where you can get a good discount and best furnishings.
Garden furniture also needs maintenance and proper care offseason. We have a solution of garden furniture covers; it can give extra life to your furnishings and protection all season around. Enjoy buying perfect elements for your house or patio within the comfort of your home. You can also join the chain of our happy customers by buying and adding testimonial at gardenfurniturespain.com.


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Homeware Headquarters offers laundry products which include soft grip pegs, flower pegs, peg baskets, dryers and hangaway. Leaping Frog Soft Grip Peg offered by Homeware Headquarters has a design that does not make pinch marks on clothes.
Every peg has a soft rubber compound which has been designed to grip the clothes in a safe manner without doing any damage to the fabrics. The Soft Grip Peg has been treated with UV which prevents the clothes from fading. Soft Grip Peg is available in a wide range of colours as well.
Leaping Frog Peg Basket from Homeware Headquarters is included under pegs. Leaping Frog Peg Basket has been made from UV treated and strong plastic.
The Leaping Frog Peg Basket has been designed to hang on the clothes line. It is available in a wide range of colours. The Leaping Frog Peg Basket is an ideal companion to the new flower pegs or soft grip.
The Leifheit drying range offered by Homeware Headquarters is a German brand which is well known for developing innovative and high quality cleaning and laundry products for the global market.


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North Carolina is one of 23 states that have a tax on illegal drugs. I can't speak to the way the others work, but in
A few days ago Darwin Bisping, a pizza delivery man who says he uses marijuana for medicinal purposes, and his housemate in
Bisping and McCart each were taxed on 18,053 grams of marijuana and also were charged $25,274 in penalties and $406 in interest.
Bisping said he uses the drug to calm nerve problems and to help him swallow food after esophagus surgery. He also disputes the weight of the marijuana that was seized.
"This ain't about justice, this is about money," he said.
These taxes are ridiculous and hypocritical. Only a quarter of the money raised through this tax goes to education and the other 75% right into the pocket of the arresting agency. That money is probably a nice addition to the cash cow of asset forfeitures they get. When there is this much money on the line for police, is anyone actually surprised when they choose to arrest medical marijuana patients and peaceful suppliers rather than focusing on the dangerous, but less lucrative, criminals? I'm not.
That's a lot of money for one pot bust. Imagine if all the marijuana growers in North Carolina (there are a lot) paid even half the current tax in order to safely and legally grow marijuana. Police would require fewer resources (probably why they are usually vehemently against decriminalization initiatives), and we could pump a ridiculous amount of money into education, one of the few things proven to actually reduce drug use.
And, you know, allowing people in severe physical pain to alleviate their sufferings without fear of prison; financially crippling, bullshit taxes; ineligibility from food-stamps and public housing; disqualification from participating in the Big Brother/ Big Sister program; or inability to find work would be some nice perks as well.


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Hotels in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin
Search & Compare Lake Hallie Hotels
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Best hotels in Lake Hallie
Lake Hallie overviewLake Hallie is a relaxing place surrounded by picturesque views of waterfalls and lakes. You'll enjoy the abundant bar and dining choices. Spend a relaxing day at Irvine Park and Carson Park when the weather is nice. Make some memories at Lake Hallie Golf Course and Bravo Salon & Spa. If you're looking for a family- and business-friendly getaway, Lake Hallie is for you.
Where to stay in Lake HallieWhether you're planning to stay for a night or for the week, the area around Lake Hallie has accommodations to fit every need. Search for hotels in Lake Hallie with Hotels.com by checking our online map. Our maps display the areas and neighborhoods around all Lake Hallie hotels so you can see how close you are from landmarks and attractions, and then refine your search within the larger area. The best Lake Hallie hotel deals are here with our lowest price guarantee.
How to get to Lake HallieFly in to Eau Claire, WI (EAU-Chippewa Valley Regional), 2.6 mi (4.2 km) from downtown Lake Hallie.
What to see around Lake HallieFun activities in the area include these attractions:
- • Lake Hallie Golf Course
- • Ojibwa Golf Course
- • Hickory Hills Golf Course
- • Irvine Park
- • Carson Park
- • Florian Gardens
- • Lowes Creek County Park
- • Lake Wissota State Park
- • Bravo Salon & Spa
- • Cook-Rutledge Mansion
- • Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology
- • Heyde Center for the Arts
- • Chippewa County Historical Society
When to visit Lake HallieIf you're still deciding when to visit, here are the seasonal norms to help you plan:
Seasonal temperature averages
- January-March: 49°F day, 5°F night
- April-June: 82°F day, 28°F night
- July-September: 83°F day, 42°F night
- October-December: 65°F day, 7°F night
- January-March: 3.50 inches
- April-June: 10.35 inches
- July-September: 12.05 inches
- October-December: 5.16 inches


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Routes : North America : United States : Wisconsin : Devil's Lake : Devils Lake Bouldering : Jigga-Beautiful Soup Boulders : beautiful soup
beautiful soup - V8Average Rating : 0.00 out of 5
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Description:start on the left part of the wall and go to a razor crimp then huck for the rail. the original traverses out right on a fairly simple traverse. there is a direct finish as well. see keymaker for more info.
Submitted by: crazyscuba on 2005-12-17
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Route ID: 72554


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Maryland rockers LIONIZE celebrate superheroes, sci-fi, Micro Machines and ballistic missile hit parades in their music, making them kindred spirits to fellow statesmen and fuzz rawk warlords, CLUTCH. On their fifth album and first for the CLUTCH-backed Weathermaker Music, LIONIZE reportedly scrubbed through four notebooks of ideas and parts for thirteen songs. Pared down to the eleven groovy smacks comprising "Jetpack Soundtrack", the trio enlisted the help of CLUTCH, LAMB OF GOD and KING CRIMSON producer Machine plus Jean-Paul Gaster himself to tighten up their songs. Suffice it to say, the dividends are huge.
It's safe to assume LIONIZE has a fair trace or two of CLUTCH lurking inside their throwback blend of funk rock. "Lazarus Style" from "Jetpack Soundtrack" could sit nicely on "Pure Rock Fury" or "Blast Tyrant", but fortunately, LIONIZE have a lot more going on in their camp, first and foremost, mondo energy. As far distant as could be from their reggae-splashed 2008 debut album "Space Pope and the Glass Machine", LIONIZE takes their later-explored Coverdale-Hughes era DEEP PURPLE affinities to a different level on "Jetpack Soundtrack". The appropriately titled "Evolve" sounds like MKIII PURPLE brought to an even funkier plane. Hammond organs from Chris Brooks prevail on a lot of the songs here, and they're sprinkled partly in the key of seventies R&B and fusion and partly as rock thunder, lending sugar sweet and syrupy textures to "Jetpack Soundtrack"'s dripping throb.
"Jetpack Soundtrack" is a loud and tireless album loaded with heaps of funk and pimp strides found on "Amazing Science Facts", "Electric Reckoning", "Breather", "Skynet" and "Reality Check". Bassist Henry Upton and guitarist/vocalist Nate Bergman are a true team, figurative to the other's success and it's a joy listening to them trade off in spots and skate together in others. Bergman is rock nectar personified on the mike and he represents the counterpunch to "Jetpack Soundtrack"'s unending clout.
The infectious title track carries a super-cool glide where "Galactus and Magneto bounty hunt for Han Solo" to the tune of humming, organ-swirled verses and blaring distorto-rock in the vein of CLUTCH on the choruses. Everything about this song is catchy and snapped tight, straight down to the scratchy guitar solo and the piloting groove. Right afterwards, "Replaced by Machines" stamps on the volume a bit with drawling slide riffs that are shoved into the song's heavy thrust. A gnarly bass and guitar tag solo maintains the throb of the song as it invites LIONIZE's listeners, as Neil Fallon himself would in sarcastic fashion, to sit down and kick back with whatever ails you as robots assume autonomy over our lives.
With Weathermaker Music backing them up, LIONIZE is all but guaranteed to become a sleeper hit of the year. "Jetpack Soundtrack" goes for broke with every single thread kept harnessed yet operating at full maximum. "Sea of Tranquility" is the slowest this album gets as a revisit to LIONIZE's reggae roots and it rings as a phlegmatic, if guitar-punctured, dub-ripped closer to an album that gave all it had prior to.
Very few albums sound this exciting these days. Galactus is always hungry and even that celestial glutton might be satiated by "Jetpack Soundtrack".


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Bring a few ideas that you want to get input on from other teachers. Lesson ideas or tools.
Bring a mobile device, laptop, iPad, chromebook to take notes and gather ideas
What to wear - it is a casual event! Jeans, sneakers and your favorite teaching or tech T shirt could be a great discussion starter.
PAECT is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Pennsylvania Association for Educational Communications and Technology
45 East City Line AveP.O. Box 302Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004


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I'm going to start with an addition that demonstrates true chutzpah. (For those of you not familiar with the Yiddish term, it is difficult to translate directly, but can best be described as the quality displayed by a man who craps on his neighbor's doorstep, then knocks and asks to borrow some toilet paper.) Kansas' contribution to the art of chutzpah is found on page 78 of the standards, which are available as a pdf file on the Kansas Department of Education website:
Additional Specificity: a. Biological evolution postulates an unguided natural process that has no discernable direction or goal.
That "additional specificity" is one of the items added to the standards by the Board of Education. Not satisfied with merely adding all sorts of completely false "evidence against evolution" to their curriculum, the KBoE has apparently decided to follow up by redefining evolution in a way that makes it explicitly atheistic. Apparently, they aren't sure if lying to their students with their bogus examples of "evidence against evolution" will be enough to convince everyone to abandon this "atheistic science", so they have decided to bear false witness about what evolution actually is, means, and implies.
An earlier version of this item, which shows up in one of the balloons on the side, actually had a little more detail:
Deleted: a. The National Association of Biology Teachers statement on teaching evolution acknowledges the unguided nature of the evolutionary process by explaining that the process "has no discernable direction or goal, including survival of a species." (adopted 1995, revised May 2004).
I do have to admit that the more recent draft is an improvement over this, but only because the newer version contains one fewer lie. The National Association of Biology Teachers statement does not say that. The supporting material does contain that quote, but the usage in the KBOE draft is at least slightly - wait for it - out of context:
Natural selection is the primary mechanism for evolutionary changes and can be demonstrated both in the laboratory and in the wild. A differential survival and reproduction of some genetic variants within a population under an existing environmental state, natural selection has no discernable direction or goal, including survival of a species.
The difference between saying "evolution" and "natural selection" is subtle, but quite real.
There is a also a subtle but important difference between saying that something "has no discernable direction or goal" and saying that something is "unguided". The first statement is a description of a simple scientific fact. The second is a non-scientific, philosophical assessment, and does not necessarily follow from the first.
And this is not an innocent or innocuous mistake. The KBOE has been informed, repeatedly, that the statement in question is dangerously inaccurate:
The eight dissenting members worry that teaching evolution as suggested by the majority of the committee "will necessarily have the effect of causing students to reach an uninformed, but 'reasoned' decision that they, and all other human beings, are merely natural occurrences, accidents of nature that lack intrinsic purpose." In reality, nothing in the standards suggested by the writing committee would cause students to reach such a conclusion. Ironically, only the statements suggested by the eight dissenting members would actually produce such a misconception: "1. a. Biological evolution postulates an unpredictable and unguided natural process that has no discernable direction or goal. (p. 14)." It is clear that the eight authors of the minority report strive so mightly to mislead students as to the meaning of evolutionary theory in order to "balance" their own distortions with a non-naturalistic (supernatural) story of origins that lies entirely outside the realm of science.
Kenneth Miller, review of Science Standards
Additional Spec. 1a. The Revisers use the NABT statement as a citation for the
following: "Biological evolution postulates an unpredictable and unguided natural process that has no discernable direction or goal. Actually, the NABT statement is:"The diversity of life on earth is the outcome of biological evolution—an unpredictable and natural process of descent with modification that is affected by natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, migration and other natural biological and geological forces."
Thus it is factually untrue that the NABT statement contains any wording concerning guidance, direction, or goal. This is disingenuous, at the least, on the part of the Revisers.
E. O. Wiley, review of Science Standards
5) (p. 14) Proposed change: "1. a. Biological evolution postulates an unpredictable and unguided natural process that has no discernable direction or goal. [see NABT Statement on teaching evolution]"
All scientific theories, including evolution, remain silent about "guidance". Weather processes may be guided by a Deity, yet all meteorology assumes is that weather can be explained by appeals to highs and lows and cold fronts, etc. whether it is "guided" or not. Furthermore, the NABT statement does not support this proposed change, as the NABT statement mentions nothing about "guidance".
Douglas Theobald, review of Science Standards
Those three are just a sampling from a set of reviews of the proposed standards that are available on the Kansas State Department of Education website. It is possible, if not probable, that some of the members of the KBOE have not actually read those reviews of their changes, since they admitted that they didn't read the standards, either. Ignorance and gross incompetance, however, are not exactly the best of excuses for the garbage that the KBOE is trying to teach innocent students.
The new public mantra f0r the religious, anti-evolution bigots may be "teach the controversy" or "teach the evidence against evolution", and it might sound appealing, but that's not really what they are asking. What they are asking is that they be allowed to take your tax dollars and use them to lie to your children so that their narrow-minded beliefs will not be hurt by the harsh winds of reality. They have no honor, no shame, and if they feel that their motives are pure, no morals when it comes to choosing their methods. But they are popular enough to win elections. They should scare you. They certainly scare me.


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A sweet and delicate aroma of Japanese Rose Buds. A creamy-foam shower gel with a quantifiable, lasting moisturising effect. Wheat Proteins form a protective film on the skin; as a result help maintain its natural moisture levels. Active Aloe Leaf Juice, rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc and Antioxidant Enzymes, enhances the immune system of the skin, while helping to reduce skin ageing, due to its ability to stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis. Skin will feel velvety soft with an essence of Rose Buds
Dermatologically Tested. Mineral Oil Free. Silicone Free. Propylene Glycol Free. Ethanolamine Free.
Can be used in the bath or shower. Apply a sufficient quantity in to the palm and massage across the body and rinse.
Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum (Fragrance), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Arginine, Benzyl Alcohol, Castoryl Maleate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Helichrysum Arenarium Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Lactic Acid, Linalool, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-7, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Gluconate, Tocopherol.
Where reviews refer to foods or cosmetic products, results may vary from person to person. Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of The Hut Group.
(2 Reviews)
I love this shower gel! great smell and feels luxurious!
Wed Feb 25 04:46:32 GMT 2015 by
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This shower gel is lovely. It has a rich lather and leaves your skin with a lovely smell of roses, but not too heavy. A little seems to go a long way. I use it at the gym and come away feeling refreshed.
Fri Nov 14 15:59:14 GMT 2014 by
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"Heart and Aneurism Treatment second to none in my..."
About: The Royal London Hospital The Royal London Hospital London E1 1BB
Posted via NHS Choices
Anything else?
I have been under the care of Bart's and the Royal London for almost three years now. I have been treated extremely well and always with courtesy. If anything is wrong, it is in the contacting of patients from the appointments team. They seem to be a bit slow sometimes. However, department secretaries/administrators appear to have this covered, albeit at the last minute! All of the Medical Professionals I have met have been excellent ambassadors of the hospital and of the profession! I know I am in safe hands when I attend any of the hospitals in the group. I give 10/10 for the London Chest/ The Royal London/ St Bartholomew's. And I am very happy to endorse them as excellent examples of NHS care.
Response from The Royal London Hospital 4 years ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to make such a positive comment about the Neurosurgery department at the Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will be passed onto the service manager to share among team members.
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Recently I was talking with a staff member of a larger church. She consistently fears the stability of her job. She never knows what her pastor is thinking. She's considering looking for a new position, not because she doesn't like her work, but because she isn't sure about the future of her work. She claims that living with uncertainty is the standard when working on this church staff.
I've learned over the years that communication is one of the most important aspects of the field of leadership. In fact, it may be the thing that makes or breaks a leader's success.
When a leader fails to communicate, it actually communicates a great deal to the organization. Unfortunately, it's not always an encouraging message. The unknown invites people to create their own scenarios, which rarely turns out well for the leader, the team, or the organization.
Failing to communicate says to the people on your team:
You don't care – You are apathetic towards the emotional and practical needs of people on your team.
You don't know -You may not be brave enough to say so, but, don't worry, others are probably saying it for you.
You can't decide – Your team thinks that you're incapable of making a decision, either because you're afraid of people's reactions or you're not a strong enough leader to make a decision.
You don't value – Your silence produces perhaps the most dangerous scenario when people believe you don't think they are worthy of knowing. Put yourself in their shoes and see how that one feels.
What's the bottom line?
Communicate through a decision.
Keep people informed along the way.
Any questions?


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DGA docu noms go to first-timers
EmptyFive first-time nominees drew DGA documentary nominations Tuesday, while the Hungry Man and MJZ production companies each figured in a pair of the guild awards' noms for commercials.
Nominated for outstanding directorial achievement in documentary for 2006 were: Amy Berg, "Deliver Us From Evil" (Lionsgate Films); Michael Glawogger, "Workingman's Death" (Lotus Films, Quinte Film); James Longley, "Iraq in Fragments" (Typecast Pictures/HBO Documentary Films); Arunas Matelis, "Before Flying Back to the Earth" (Studio Nominum); and Jean-Henri Meunier, "Ici Najac, a Vous la Terre" (Little Bear).
"At its best, documentary filmmaking elevates the disparate elements of lives and events into a narrative that is both compelling and insightful," DGA president Michael Apted said. "It takes a skilled director to achieve this feat, and this year's five nominees exemplify that devotion and storytelling expertise."
Apted also praised the commercial nominees.
"It takes great skill to tell a compelling story in under 30-60 seconds," he said. "These five commercial directors have mastered the format, using their talent, craft and imagination to provide us with some of the most innovative filmmaking out there today."
The Hungry Man nominees included Bryan Buckley for "Animal," a commercial for client American Express, and "More Mayo" and "Manthem" for Burger King, along with David Gray for "Transvestite" and "Mugger" for the Tribeca Film Festival, "Jesus Throws" for Full Tilt Poker and "Born" for Ebay.
MJZ nominees included Dante Ariola for "Snowball" for Traveler's Insurance and "First Taste" for Coca Cola, as well as Tom Kuntz for "Fruit Pants" for Altoids and "Trade" for Skittles.
Also nominated was Joe Pytka of the Pytka production company for "Clydesdale American Dream" for Budweiser, "Preparation" for Disney and "Where Were You" for the World Trade Center Memorial.
Winners in all categories of the DGA Awards will be feted at the program's 59th annual gala, set for Feb. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Century City.


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Bricks specifications
|Bricks per square metre – 76mm
|Bricks per square metre – 70mm
|Bricks per square metre – 62mm
|Brick Weight
|approx 3.5kg
|Brick Dimensions
|230mm x 110mm
|Bricks per pallet
|Pallet weight
|approx 1.7 ton
Mortar joints
Make the true beauty of your clay bricks come to life with the right colour mortar and joint that suits your vision.
Colour Variation
All natural clay Bricks and Pavers are sold as a blend. Due to the manufacturing process, some colour variation will occur.
We recommend when laying clay bricks or pavers to work from three pallets at any one time. Blend bricks and pavers evenly to provide a mixture of colour. Cleaning information
Bricks are made from light burning clays. A characteristic of all light burning clays is that they contain small quantities of natural salts, called vanadium salts. These water soluble salts can leach to the surface of bricks and crystallise as moisture dries from the brickwork.
Click here for more detailed care and cleaning information for bricks and pavers
Technical Manuals
We offer an extensive range of technical manuals for you to download from our site – CLICK HERE
The following specifications and technical manuals are available for you to download.
- Brick Cleaning Manual
- Building in Bushfire Areas
- Clay Paver Coping on Concrete Pools
- Design of Free-Standing Clay Brick Walls
- Construction Guidelines for Clay Masonry
- Full Brick
- Wind & Earthquake
- Fire Resistance Levels for Clay Brick Walls
- Design of Clay Masonry for Compression
- Serviceability
- Detailing
- Clay Paving Design & Construction
- The Brickwork Manual
- Thermal Performance
- Energy Efficiency and the Environment
These publications copyright of Think Brick Australia. They are reproduced here by permission.
While the contents of these publication are believed to be accurate and complete, the information given is intended for general guidance. This information does not replace the services of professional advisers on specific projects.
Local or state regulations may require variation from the practices and recommendations contained in these publications.
Littlehampton Clay Bricks and Pavers disclaims any liability whatsoever regarding the contents of these publications.


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NIMBYs in Iowa
Here are a few ways to tell if you or your loved one is a NIMBY:
- You are opposed to large scale livestock operations, but you buy your meats at WalMart because they are the lowest cost.
- We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, so you purchase a hybrid...SUV. This, in turn, uses more energy to build and to dispose of the batteries when its life is over, and your overall mileage doesn't improve considerably.
- You are opposed to GMO (genetically modified organism) corn and soybeans, but you don't care about the farmer having to use more toxic insecticides if GMO corn is banned.
- You request that your local grocer (again, WalMart) stock organic foods, but only if they are microwavable and come in disposable, sealed containers.
- You drive 100 miles each way to see Al Gore's "The Inconvenient Truth".
- You complain about nitrogen levels in rivers and write letters to the DM Register, but think nothing about the "Weed N Feed" you applied to your lawn.
- You're against a new packing plant coming to town because of the "rif-raf" it will draw, but you wouldn't dare check the IDs of the landscapers you've hired.
- You decry big pickup trucks as gas guzzlers, but think nothing of driving across town for a chocolate latte at Starbucks.
As you can see, NIMBYism and environmental hypocrisy are very close in nature.
To read more from the Iowa NIMBY point of view, click here, here, and here.


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Blogman – Minimal WordPress Personal Blog Theme
Blogman is a clean and minimal WordPress personal blog theme with flexible layout and color option which perfectly suits for creative bloggers to showcase their content in most effective way. The theme is bootstrap compatible, so fits on any screen and works with full potential. Blogman can be used to create website for freelancer, personal blog, content writer and other blogging niches.
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After 5 days of intense, inspired and constructive exchange, Nyeleni Europe 2011, the European Forum for Food Sovereignty, closed yesterday. The Forum adopted the first European Declaration on Food Sovereignty. Over 400 delegates from European countries committed to strengthening their collective capacity to reclaiming community control over food system, to resisting the agro-industrial system and to expanding and consolidating a strong European movement for Food Sovereignty.
Over 120 organisations and individuals, representing civil society and social movements, discussed the impact of current European and global policies. Together they developed a comprehensive platform and a set of principles to achieve food sovereignty in Europe. The Forum emphasized the contribution of voices of young people, woman and food producers, whose concerns are often overlooked. This diversity and richness of experience enabled the Nyeleni Europe 2011 Forum to identify a common framework, and to define a joint action plan based on a democratic and participatory process.
The Declaration proclaims, "we are convinced that a change to our food system is a first step towards a broader change in our societies". The Forum delegates strongly committed to taking the food system into their own hands by:
- Working towards an ecologically sustainable and socially just model of food production and consumption based on non-industrial smallholder farming, processing and alternative distribution.
- Decentralizing the food distribution system and shortening the chain between producers and consumers.
- Improving working and social conditions, particularly in field of food and agriculture?
- Democratizing decision-making on the use of the Commons and heritage (land, water, air, traditional knowledge, seeds and livestock).
- Ensuring that public policies at all levels guarantee the vitality of rural areas, fair prices for food producers and safe, GMO-free food for all.
At this time of political volatility, social and economic crisis, the delegates of the Nyeleni Forum for Food Sovereignty reaffirmed their vision of unity that emphasized the right of all peoples to define their own food and agriculture policies and systems, without harming either people or precious natural resources, as Food Sovereignty implies.
That's why we demand food sovereignty in Europe now.
Source: Nyeleni 2011. European food sovereignty forum


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Annie the Musical Audition Dates:
Adults: September 18 and 19 at 6pm
Children: September 23 at 1pm
Waterville Opera House Dance Studio, 93 Main Street, Third Floor
Annie the Musical Show Dates:
December 1, 2, 8 at 7:30pm
December 3, 9, 10 at 2pm
Character Descriptions
Annie (Age: 10 to 13) A3-G5 Annie is a complex little girl who's a tough, streetwise urchin, but is nevertheless vulnerable when she thinks she might lose what has become most important to her: a newfound "family" who loves her. The actor who plays Annie must be strong vocally and musically, capable of vocal projection without strain. Although she is at times aggressive or crafty, the audience should never doubt Annie is a friendly and caring child; she will go to any extent to gain the love of a family to which she can belong.
Orphans (Age: 8-13) The girls are gritty, neglected and vulnerable, yet basically honest and potentially lovable. Actors portraying them must be able to have mischievous fun with each other as well as "sibling-style" fights. Each should be able to create and shape her own character. Children auditioning for these roles need to have vocal strength and be visually expressive. All of their blocking and movements must appear motivated and strong.
Note: Stated age is "playable" – not actual. For more information: Click here.


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Progress Resumes on Welcome to Pia Carrot 2
I haven't heard from Grant in a while. Not giving up per se, but I've started working on the remainder of the script myself. I started around March 7th and finished another 10% of the script bringing the total completion for a first draft to 60%.


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Godiva's Winter Series traditionally kicks off with Tom Fowler's legacy event, the Run for the Donuts, a cross-country team relay unlike any other.
Date: Sun., Oct. 14, 10 AM.
Time: Registration begins at 9:00 am. Race starts at 10:00 a.m.
Location: Durham Academy Upper School at 3601 Ridge Rd (intersection with Pickett Rd). in Durham
Race Director:
The Lowdown: You'll be assigned along with two others—whom you might or might not know—to a team that vies with all the other randomly constituted teams in a spirited relay race. You might even win donuts! You'll memorize your team number and shout it out at appropriate transitions to aid the sometimes addled timekeepers, or simply to signal an endorphin release.
Each team runs five loops of a cross-country course comprising grassy fields and wooded trails. All three team members run the first two loops together at the pace of the slowest teammate, with one then dropping out and the two remaining runners continuing the third loop together at the pace of the slower runner of the two, to be followed by one of those two dropping out and just the remaining runner running the fourth loop, to be replaced in turn by the teammate who dropped out after the second loop, who then runs the fifth (and final) loop alone. So each teammate runs multiple loops of the course—singly at his/her own all-out pace or perhaps at a slower teammate's speed when running in tandem.
Got that? If you need some help, Race Director Ronnie Weed's explanation of the Run for the Donuts rules is a mouthful.
When all teams have completed their fifth loops, the director and time-keepers apply their vaunted science to work out each team's Donut Index™—the team's finish time in seconds divided by the sum of the team members' ages in years—with the lowest index determining which team gets the most prized donuts.
Inspiration: Quite often, neither the fastest nor the oldest team wins. Alas, the youngest team never has.


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Imagine Designs provides a broad range of Internet related services including web site design & development, online marketing, hosting, e-commerce and more. We are located in Denver, Co., but provide our services nationwide. Let our consultants help take your business into the Internet in a big way. We design not only websites, but websites that work.
With Imagine Designs you can:
- Create a web strategy for success
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Reserve your spot for our Music Video Workshop October 21-23rd at Portland Community Media!
Music Video Workshop: October 21-23, 2016
Register here by October 1st to reserve your spot.
Friday October 21st: 5-8pm
Saturday October 22nd: Noon-7 pm
Sunday October 23rd: Noon-7pm
Portland Community Media
2766 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
Over the course of three days, we will help participants to develop, film and edit a 1-3 minute music video that will screen at POWFest in March 2017. The instruction portion of POWGirls will consist of media production training; pre-production (collaborative story creation, storyboarding) camera operation, audio recording, and post-production using industry-standard software. This is a great way to build your resume and/or reel.
Enrollment Limit: 12
Participants should be 15-19 year old girls who are interested in learning how to make a professional movie with a team from start to finish. Girls may be interested in pursuing further studies in drama, film, TV, advertising, marketing, business, etc.Participants must commit to attending every day of the workshop; the work is intense but fun!
It is POWFest's goal to be inclusive of all women's voices, regardless of race, class, age, religion, ability, sexuality or gender presentation.
$150 + $25 application fee (to secure spot). Pay via check or PayPal link below.
If your family cannot afford full tuition, please complete an application for financial aid on the registration form. NO APPLICANT WILL BE TURNED AWAY DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS.
To get information on future POWGirls workshops, sign up here!
Sponsor a POWGirl! For a contribution of $500 you can sponsor a POWGirl for one of our 2017 Workshops.
POWFest, MetroEast Community Media and The Faerie Godmother Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation have partnered to host POWGirls, filmmaking workshops for girls.
Our mission is to help girls 15-19 realize their power, creativity and voice in media production and encourage them to explore opportunities as future media-makers. We want to encourage girls to be creative, tech-savvy leaders who will help realize gender equity in media industries. We want to foster the POWER of WOMEN in MEDIA. POWGirls is a trans* inclusive organization, supporting all girls in their media education. It is POWFest's goal to be inclusive of all women's voices, regardless of race, class, age, religion, ability, sexuality or gender expression.
Check out the awesome features on POWGirls in The Portland Mercury and Willamette Week.
Check out the POWGirls films here!
If you have questions or would like to donate to POWGirls, please contact Executive Director Tara Johnson-Medinger at email@example.com or 503.267.1126.


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Disquiet campuses: Dalits resisting Hindutva
by V Geetha - Reproduced Courtesy Hindustam Times
The disquiet on our university campuses is troubling, to say the least, and this is not an unease that has come upon us suddenly. However much we wish to make a case for our universities as being spaces for dialogue and dissent, we have to reckon with the fact that many are bureaucratic fortresses as well, whose administrators are loath to let go of their privileges, based on birth and State office. Appointments to key posts within universities, including of vice-chancellors, are determined by parties in power, and men and women that parties favour, or are happy to favour party purses. This is an open, dirty secret, at least in regional universities, which, like caste, we don't wish to acknowledge or engage with. Over the last year and more, there has been sustained student protest over such appointments and their consequences in south India — in Madurai Kamaraj University and Pondicherry Central University.
Institutional decay, which affects the prospects of students who look to the State to support their educational endeavour, occurs in diverse ways; while corruption and nepotism are its most obvious expressions, these conceal other equally malign tendencies. For instance, in a state like Tamil Nadu, both State and private educational players insistently and glibly celebrate educational success, without asking too many questions about its content — though there is enough evidence to show that not all is well with universities in the state, and that some of them have been arraigned by the University Grants Commission for not being the centres of excellence they claim to be. Institutional decay happens also on account of ethical indifference, in abundant evidence in Hyderabad Central University (HCU), where neither the vice-chancellor who was in office when Rohith Vemula died, nor the man who was chosen in his place, deigned to acknowledge the scale of the tragedy that had occurred, but instead looked to protect themselves, and their office.
Sadly, this state of affairs is seldom consistently challenged, except by those who are its victims. Even when challenged in particular contexts, institutional decay is not something we seek to debate with alacrity, as we do, for instance, threats to free speech or anti-fascist politics. This also means that we are not always aware of or take mindful heed of developments that are likely to truly transform our university spaces. On account of the concerted efforts of Dalit families, activists and community elders determined to ensure access to higher education, and demographic shifts in the composition of students in higher education, we have today a vibrant culture of Dalit-Bahujan intellectual labour and activism on many campuses — HCU has been home to such a culture for a while now, as is the English and Foreign Languages University. And there are many others whose stories stand to be told.
Besides, there are individual teachers, or reading groups who have actively promoted anti-caste cultures, and facilitated meaningful discussions to do with caste inside and outside the campus. Dalit teachers in several moffusil colleges — in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, for instance — have sought to create inclusive classrooms where social and cultural issues could be actively debated — given the largely OBC and Dalit presence in these colleges, this has proved both fraught as well as productive. Where no protocols exist, either in the syllabi or in the larger campus culture for speaking critically of caste, such efforts have proved enormously valuable. Writer Perumal Murugan, when he was in Namakkal, which he left last year due to casteist bullying, had built a reading and discussion circle, whose members went on to write on their experiences of being born and raised in particular castes. Subsequently collected into a volume titled Caste and I, it has proved to be a rich resource that tells us a lot of what has changed and not changed in rural and moffusil contexts, including in youth cultures and educational institutions.
It is in this context that we may want to re-examine the disquiet on our campuses — for clearly these have to do as much with the articulate power of expression on display by young Dalits as with resisting Hindutva and the State's high-handedness. Vemula's eloquence and universalism proved cumbersome to an establishment devoid of imagination and oblivious to social suffering. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar's speech irked the Hindu Right because the young man, with an indigent background dared to embrace several strands of critical thought and traditions of protest, which, when thought together, threaten casteist nationalism and a manuvadi State. Kumar's invocation of Jai Bheem, his criticism of the venality of economic and political power and Brahminism, his clarity about raising the blue flag alongside the red communist banner, his endorsement of the right to justice for minorities — these suggested a new politics, brought about largely by the justness and critical content of Dalit political reasoning.
At stake today for all of us committed to free speech and a happy, creative culture of youthful idealism and defiance is not only the life world that is JNU, but the vibrant intellectual world of the Dalit-Bahujan youth as well. For the latter to flourish, the institutional decay of our public universities needs to be addressed — for it is only in spaces that are truly open and collectively experienced will Dalit-Bahujan practice and thought acquire the weight and resonance to anticipate a caste-annihilating and, therefore, fraternal politics and society, not only within the university but outside its precincts as well.