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Source: Repost: Why "Autism Awareness" is Not Enough: Steve Silberman (and friends) explain "Autism Acceptance"
[Originally posted by Steve Silberman in NeuroTribes blog, April 2, 2012.]
"The Structure of Flame" by autistic artist Jessica Park. Courtesy of Pure Vision Arts: http://purevisionarts.org
In 2007, the United Nations passed a resolution declaring April 2 World Autism Awareness Day — an annual opportunity for fundraising organizations to bring public attention to a condition considered rare just a decade ago.
Now society is coming to understand that the broad spectrum of autism — as it's currently defined, which will change next year with the publication of the DSM-5 — isn't rare after all. In fact, "autism is common," said Thomas Frieden, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last week in a press conference. The subject of the conference was a new CDC report, based on 2008 data, that raised the official estimate of autism prevalence among children in the United States from 1 in 110 to 1 in 88.
The CDC's announcement brought out the usual range of conflicting responses and disputes about causes and cures. Mark Roithmayr, president of the fundraising organization Autism Speaks, immediately branded the report proof of an "epidemic," though Frieden and other experts were careful to point out that the apparent increase was likely "the result of better detection," rather than a true spike in the population of autistic kids.
That theory is bolstered by two recent studies in South Korea and the United Kingdom, which suggest that autism prevalence has always been much higher than the estimated 1-in-10,000 when the diagnostic criteria were much more narrow and exclusionary. What's changed now is that — in addition to the radical broadening of the spectrum following the introduction of diagnostic subcategories like Asperger's syndrome and PDD-NOS — clinicians, teachers, and parents have gotten much better at recognizing autism, particularly in very young children. That's actually good news, because by identifying a child early, parents can engage the supports, therapies, modes of learning, and assistive technology that can help a kid express the fullest potential of their unique atypical mind.
No matter where you stand on the rising numbers, there is one undeniably shocking thing about them. Once that 1-in-88 kid grows to adulthood, our society offers little to enable him or her to live a healthy, secure, independent, and productive life in their own community. When kids on the spectrum graduate from high school, they and their families are often cut adrift — left to fend for themselves in the face of dwindling social services and even less than the meager level of accommodations available to those with other disabilities.
Meanwhile, the lion's share of the money raised by star-studded "awareness" campaigns goes into researching potential genetic and environmental risk factors — not to improving the quality of life for the millions of autistic adults who are already here, struggling to get by. At the extreme end of the risks they face daily is bullying, abuse, and violence, even in their own homes.
On March 6, a handsome, friendly, 22-year-old athlete in Sunnyvale, California named George Hodgins was shot by his mother Elizabeth, who then turned the gun on herself. The bodies were found by George's father Lester, a Bay Area park ranger. The horrific crime became a cause célèbre in the media and the special-needs blogosphere — one that focused primarily on speculation about the kind of suffering that could have driven a mother to such a desperate act. George was posthumously diagnosed in the news as "low functioning and high maintenance," and sometimes his name wasn't even mentioned in the ensuing discussion, as if the young man was a bystander at his own murder.
Vigil for George Hodgins, Sunnyvale CA
In response, an autistic self-advocate in California named Zoe Gross organized a vigil on March 16 for disabled victims of family violence like George. Holding candles aloft under a tent pitched at Sunnyvale City Hall, autistic men and women of all ages — along with parents and allies from the disability-rights community — read the names of those who had been killed, with a poignant eulogy for the disabled victims of the Nazi eugenics campaigns that paved the way for the Holocaust. As drizzling rain fell around the warmly-lit tent, George's former teachers at the Morgan Autism Center shared vivid memories of an energetic boy who loved listening to music and getting in the pool to swim. Instead of painting him as little more than a source of anguish and grief for his mother, who was struggling with her own psychological issues, they recalled him as a sweet, cheerful, engaged, and enthusiastic student who used assistive technology to communicate.
For autistic activists like Gross and Paula C. Durbin-Westby, a professional book indexer and choirmaster at her Episcopal church in Virginia, Autism Awareness Day is not a cause for celebration. In their eyes, the dire messaging designed to frighten wealthy donors into opening their wallets every April 2 — such as the infamous 2009 "I Am Autism" video, which framed the condition as a terminator of marriages that works "faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined" — reinforces dangerous negative stereotypes and increases the stigma faced by autistic adults, most of whom don't wake up in the morning yearning for a cure or wishing that their peers on the spectrum had never been born. Instead, members of groups like the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network look forward to an era when their community no longer faces violence at home or discrimination in the workplace, in housing, in education, in the legal system, in health care, and in society at large.
Two years ago, Durbin-Westby proposed that autistic people and their families and friends recast April 2 as an occasion for promoting acceptance and understanding rather than vague "awareness," and reclaim the day as an annual opportunity to celebrate their community's diversity and vitality. "I started Autism Acceptance Day as a corrective to the ubiquitous negative images we see every April," she recalls. "The first World Autism Awareness Day referred to autism as an 'equal destroyer.' From videos that talk about autism as some sort of soul-sucking demonic persona, to 150 empty strollers signifying that autism has robbed parents of their toddlers, navigating April for many Autistics has been like walking through a field of (stroller-shaped) land mines. No more! Autism Acceptance Day takes back April and puts it where it belongs — into the hands of Autistic people, supportive family members, friends, and communities."
Durbin-Westby's notion of rebranding April 2 in a more positive and proactive light is catching on with local autism advocacy groups worldwide. The Autism Society of Northern Virginia recently declared April to be Autism Acceptance Month, and other groups are getting onboard via social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Obviously, even a month of acceptance will not be enough to dramatically improve the lives of people on the spectrum. What could be done to make the world a more comfortable, respectful, and nurturing place for millions of autistic kids and adults — now, starting today?
That's the question I posed to a group of self-advocates, parents, and teachers that included Nick Walker, an autistic aikido master who founded his own dojo in Berkeley; the first openly autistic White House appointee, Ari Ne'eman; Emily Willingham, one of the sharpest science writers in the blogosphere; Lydia Brown, a prolifically articulate and thoughtful 18-year-old self-advocate at Georgetown University; Todd Drezner, director of Loving Lampposts, a groundbreaking documentary on autism and neurodiversity from a father's perspective; and the editors of Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, which is my personal recommendation for parents to read after their son or daughter's diagnosis.
The ideas generously offered here — from outlines for education and public-policy reform, to calls for more 24-hour businesses and innovative assistive technology, to persuasive arguments from the trenches for transformations of attitude — are a road map to a more equitable neurodiverse society that will help all 88 out of 88 kids to maximize their creative potential.
Lydia Brown is an Autistic student at Georgetown University who interns for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. She blogs at Autistic Hoya.
1. Accept us. Autism is a part of who we are. As sure as skin color or sexual orientation, we cannot change being Autistic. Acceptance starts by understanding that we are not broken, defective, or diseased. We do not need to be fixed or cured. There is nothing wrong with us. Yes, autism is a disability, and yes, some Autistic people are very severely disabled. Accepting our autism does not mean ignoring or denying disability; it means accepting us for who we are, as we are.
2. Respect us. We are people, fellow human beings. We deserve to be treated with the same respect afforded to our non-Autistic peers. Respect starts by understanding that we are full and complete human beings, with individual personalities, life experiences, goals, and preferences. We deserve an education, access to communication, and a place in society as we become adults. We deserve to live without fear of being abused, manipulated, or hurt. We are not less than.
3. Support us. Because we are disabled in varying degrees and in multiple ways, we need support, services, and accommodations to successfully navigate a world not made for us. Supporting us starts by understanding that we are usually the people who can best define what types of support and services we need, especially once we become adults. Some of us may need services throughout school and or higher education. Some of us need help with seeking and keeping employment. Some of us need help with living independently or semi-independently, or with activities of daily life. Without appropriate supports, we will not have equal access and opportunity.
4. Include us. We deserve equal access and opportunity throughout the community and throughout our lifespans. Inclusion starts by understanding that we are part of the community and deserve to be included in it. As children, we may not be ready immediately for full inclusion, but full inclusion should be the ultimate goal for every Autistic child. Full integration into the community means living outside institutional or segregated settings and working outside a segregated setting. If we need accommodations or support to fully participate in the community, then provide those accommodations. We need to belong.
5. Listen to us. Too many conversations about us and issues that affect our lives take place without any of us present. Listening starts by recognizing that we have valid, legitimate, and important things to say about our lives and about the issues that affect us collectively. Like any group of people, we are not homogeneous in opinion or ideology, and this diversity is part of the Autistic community. Yet we must be included in any conversation about us, because decisions made by policymakers, school administrators, and grant reviewers often impact our daily lives and our future outlook. We can speak (or write or sign or type) for ourselves, and it's time to listen.
Shannon Des Roches Rosa is the mother of an autistic son and an editor of Thinking Person's Guide to Autism. She blogs at Squidalicious.
1. Watch movies about real autistic people. We need to uproot and replace the Rain Man as a cultural stereotype. Most autistics are not savants — and most autistics are not like most other autistics. I recommend Todd Drezner's Loving Lampposts as the autism movie that everyone should see; it showcases the wide-ranging and complex abilities of people on the autism spectrum.
2. Be a role model of autism understanding in everyday life. Autistic behaviors like flapping and humming may not make sense to strangers, but they almost always have a function for an autistic person. If you see a person like my son behaving quirkily in a public place, it's OK to smile and nod — especially to model that understanding and acceptance for kids. (We will move on if our behaviors become disruptive!)
3. Welcome us. Many autistics and autism families feel isolated, even within their extended families and immediate communities. If you aren't sure what we need or how to include us, ask! We would so much rather be asked — even if we need special arrangements, even if we might have to leave early, even if we have to say no — than never get included at all.
4. Seek autism-friendly autism education resources. When looking for autism education resources, ask yourself: does this agency, book, or website support and respect autistic people and their families? If the answer is "no," then go elsewhere — no matter how well-established, funded, reviewed, or popular the resource is. I direct people to The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Rethinking Autism, Wrong Planet, and Thinking Person's Guide to Autism as starting points.
5. Demand support for autistic adults transitioning out of school. Autistic people, like anyone else, deserve the best possible quality of life — yet there is no comprehensive infrastructure to support their transition out of school and into the real world; not at my home state of California's level, not at the federal level. The transition can be especially harrowing for autistics who need significant day-to-day support. My son and his peers deserve better.
Carol Greenburg is an autistic self-advocate, a consultant for families of kids with special needs, and mother of an autistic son.
1. Respectful autism awareness cards widely available commercially so I don't have to keep reinventing this wheel for the material I hand people introducing my son or myself. Nothing long-winded or rude, but a teaching moment should not have to start with an apology for autistic behavior.
2. Whatever your own neurostatus, put yourself on a 30-second pause before you react to somebody whose public behavior you find off-putting.
3. Require autism awareness training with the input of autistic self-advocates for every single educator in the US, not just special Ed teachers. I've heard this is done in Japan, why can't other countries follow suit?
4. More retailer sensitivity toward customers with sensory issues. It would be nice if the staff in restaurants and stores would show greater willingness to dim lights and turn down music. Sensory seekers like my son can find loud environments and control their personal music volume. Sensory avoiders like me can't go inside many public venues.
Paula C. Durbin-Westby, founder of Autism Acceptance Day
Paula C. Durbin-Westby is an autistic self-advocate who blogs at paulacdurbinwestbyautisticblog.blogspot.com.
1. Think of autism as a disability and a difference, not a depersonalized "disorder." When a person has a disability, that person is still a human being. That person with a disability has a body, a mind, interests, dreams, and goals, even if you can't discern them. Only people have rights under the Developmental Disabilities Act and other protective legislation. A disorder can be "combatted," "cured," "prevented," and "eradicated" in any manner (including questionable goals, treatments, or interventions) that researchers and others see fit. A person with a disability has the right to be who they are and to be accepted for who they are, without the need for a "fix" or "cure."
2. Realize that not all behavior is intentional communication. What we call "behavior" is what can be observed. Many behaviors cannot be observed; they are internal, and are as important as any outward activity. Do not assume you know the reason for or function of a behavior, especially if you are making the assumption based on why you think a non-autistic person would be doing that same behavior. Behaviors are tied to ways of navigating the world. Where behaviors are simply "odd" or different, there is no need to expend energy on doing anything other than supporting the person and working to end discrimination based on harmless behavioral characteristics. Education should focus on the strengths of Autistic people, not on making us "indistinguishable from our peers." By the way, our peers are other Autistic people.
3. Augmentative and alternative communication for all! Communication takes more than one person. A communication device is not communication. Research priorities and dollars should refocus on communication needs. A variety of communication systems may be needed, even for a single individual, depending on circumstances. AAC can benefit Autistics who do have speaking capability as well as those who do not use speech to communicate.
4. Eliminate the use of restraints and aversives. Not every "challenging behavior" needs a take-down response. Consult Autistic adults, who have insights into strategies that can be used to replace the dangerous and trauma-inducing use of these aggressive techniques. Do not automatically restrain people who are self-injuring — use pillows or other soft objects to deflect self-injurious movements. Learn de-escalation techniques. Do not automatically restrain someone who is kicking a piece of furniture. Let them calm down. Help them calm down. Find something for them to kick that is cheaper or less concerning. Restraint is meeting aggression with aggression. What does it teach? Think about that.
5. Teach children to respect and accept differences, including disability. This suggestion has ramifications far beyond the disability world. A general acceptance of others who are different from us is a necessity in a world that is becoming more globalized. Disabilities are no exception. Pretending to have a disability for a day is not enough. Children without disabilities need to meet and engage with those who have disabilities, with someone acting as a facilitator of those encounters where necessary. Children (and all people) need to learn that people with disabilities are both very different from and very similar to them. Find common ground as well as nurturing and appreciating differences, even differences that are considered "difficult."
Emily Willingham is a writer, scientist, partner, and parent. She manages the Double X Science site and blogs at The Biology Files.
"Life is easy to chronicle but bewildering to practice." — E.M. Forster, novelist
1. Practice perspective taking. It's ironic that autistic people are expected to have trouble with insight into others when so many people have trouble with insight into autistics. Everyone should try on the other person's shoes and walk around in them for a while.
2. Practice not judging. It's hard not to judge. We make countless judgments big and small, every day. But before you judge another person, remind yourself that behavior is communication. Rather than judging, ask yourself, "What is that person's behavior saying that will help me understand better?"
3. Practice compassion. It's a corollary to the first two, and it's not easy. That's why it takes practice.
4. Practice being yourself. The best possible way to understand how hard anyone's personal battles can be is to understand how much you fight yours every day. What are your obstacles to just being You? Everyone has them. Behind every social facade is the deeper reality of who we are as individuals. If you find yourself in there and accept that person, you may find it more natural to accept the deeper reality of others, as well.
5. Practice courage. It takes courage to do any of these things. Being the one who takes perspective, works not to judge, practices compassion, and embraces personal individuality is a courageous act that can separate you from social norms and make you stand out, sometimes uncomfortably. Autistic people do it every day, purposely or otherwise. You can, too. Bring your courage, and acceptance easily follows.
Kassiane Sibley is an autistic activist and gymnastics coach. She blogs at Time to Listen.
1. Stop killing us, and stop glorifying our killers. Every time an autistic person is murdered, people fall over themselves to feel sorry for the killer. That's pretty terrifying if, like me, you are actually autistic right this minute. Stop. You are not supposed to side with killers, empathy does not work that way.
2. 24-hour EVERYTHING. A lot of us hate crowds. A lot of us are stuck with mass transit. A lot of us are just not daytime people. If things were open 24 hours, not only would we create jobs, but those of us who are at our worst during normal business hours would have the energy to get way more done for ourselves.
3. Turn the volume and the lights down. Just in general. Nothing needs to be as loud or as bright as it is. Save some energy — and save everyone's processing energy, not just mine.
4. Listen and look more for substance than style. Sometimes it's hard enough to make what we mean clear, especially if we struggle with language. Please take what I say as what I meant, rather than deciding that I am mean or rude or inconsiderate or whatever for not wrapping it in bubble wrap first. What I said is far more important to comprehension than how I said it — I promise.
5. Tolerance and awareness are nowhere near enough. Teach acceptance, early and often. Little kids take their cues from the adults around them, mostly. Teach them, from a very young age, that some people are not like them and this is AWESOME. Tolerance says, "Well, I have to put up with you." Awareness says, "I know you have a problem and are working earnestly to fix it." Acceptance says, "You are amazing because you are you, and not despite your differences, but because of them." That rocks. Make that the norm.
Jennifer Myers and her son Jack
Jennifer Byde Myers is co-founder of Thinking Person's Guide to Autism and director of the Myers-Rosa Foundation.
1. Change the word "talk" to "communicate." When my son was younger, therapists just wanted him to talk. They still call it speech therapy. Talking is overrated. We don't care if he "talks" we want him to be able to communicate his needs effectively so he can lead the life he wants to live, not the one we think he wants to live.
2. Invest in education. Train the aides that work with people with autism. Fund the supports that are federally mandated in the schools yet remain unfunded by the feds. And invest in the education of every American so we can have a future with people who are knowledgeable and able to teach, provide professional services and lead our country in a way that encourages inclusion and equality.
3. Stop electing bigots. If a political entity is willing to say that gays, or single mothers, or people of color are less valuable to society, or are less worthy to receive respect and fair treatment under the law, how likely is it that a minority that is as diverse as the autism community will receive respect and needed services. Vote for the changes you want to see.
4. Put fences around parks, or at least part of the park. It's not that I am too lazy to keep an eye on my son, but really, if I mess up for even a minute, he could end up as a hood ornament. I do not take him to parks that don't have at least three sides blocked from traffic, and consequently he has missed out on a lot of parks. Recreation should be enjoyable for everyone on the outing, and safety is paramount.
5. Create an Autism Corps, like the Peace Corps. Train a generation of young men and women to work with autistics who need support with daily living skills like grocery shopping, or getting to work. Give parents and caretakers respite by providing free or very reduced rate childcare. A trained support network could provide an infrastructure for autistics to lead more independent and fulfilling lives.
Stephen Shore is an autistic self advocate, author of Beyond the Wall and Understanding Autism for Dummies, and professor at Adelphi University.
1. Move the conversation from tolerance and acceptance of individuals on the autism spectrum to understanding and appreciation. ("Tolerance and acceptance" give a sense of putting up with something, whereas "understanding and appreciation" suggests valuing the contributions that individuals with autism bring to humanity.)
2. Know that if everyone were the same, the world would be a very boring place.
3. Understand that often the most important thing to a person on the autism spectrum about employment is making sure the job is done right. (Suggests that quality of workmanship is often the primary motivator of completing a task.)
4. Recognize that autism is. (Autism is neither good nor bad. It just exists, and it's up to us to make as much good from the condition as possible).
5. Empower others to lead fulfilling and productive lives. That's the greatest gift we can give to an individual on the autism spectrum, and to the rest of humanity (That way, the individual on the autism spectrum will be fulfilled and productive, and society will receive the great benefits of that person reaching their highest potential.)
Garret Westlake is the Director of the Disability Resource Center at Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus. He is also the CEO and Founder of STEM Force Technology, a company that provides coaching and employment services for individuals on the autism spectrum.
1. Hire someone with autism. You don't need to look very far to find exceptional people with exceptional talents.
2. Learn from someone with autism. You might learn a new skill, a joke, or a fact, but you will definitely gain perspective, understanding, and appreciation for how someone else sees the world.
3. Abolish average education. Why do we strive for broad mediocrity in education? Encourage outliers. Create access and accountability in education for student strengths — not weaknesses.
4. Understand autism as diversity. If we still struggle with issues of race, gender, and sexual identity, where are we with accepting disability? Disability is diversity too.
5. Laugh. Everyone needs more of it. We can all do it together.
Ari Ne'eman is the President and co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. He currently serves as Policy & Program Evaluation Committee Chair for the National Council on Disability.
It has often been said that the United States lacks a national disability policy — instead, we have dozens of different disability policies, each developed for a different part and level of government and often conflicting with each other. The story of US disability policy is one of the slow development of different laws, programs and infrastructures, many of which still operate based on outdated and obsolete assumptions regarding the degree to which disabled Americans could be included in society. This reality significantly hinders the full realization of the civil and human rights of Autistic people and other people with disabilities. What would a national disability policy look like if it was aligned with the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
1. Values-Based Policymaking: Research and science have always played a large role in disability policymaking, in large part due to a history of disability being viewed mainly as a public health issue. But while science can tell us much about how the world is, it falls to values to tell us how the world should be. When assessing the quality of different forms of service-provision, we should think about both efficacy and ethics.
2. De-Medicalization: Over the course of the last forty years, the de-institutionalization movement has made tremendous progress in closing large residential facilities which segregated disabled people from society, shifting funds into more individualized supports in local communities. Although this is an important first step, ensuring that people with disabilities have access to choice and self-determination requires more than just moving from larger to smaller housing. It also requires a real sea change in how we approach disability services. We require a shift from the expectations of institutional life — which presumes a hospital environment, in which medical experts make decisions about patients — to the expectations of home life — where staff providing support to a person with a disability are working for the person and the pursuit of their goals and judgement.
3. Equal Protection of Law: Many of the worst injustices faced by people with disabilities would be considered illegal and the source of considerable public outrage were they to occur to a non-disabled person. Federal law allows for people with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage. States with bans on corporal punishment nonetheless allow the use of "aversive interventions" — the inflicting of pain as a means of behavior modification for children and adults with disabilities — despite the fact that the two are indistinguishable from each other. When disabled people are killed by family members and caregivers, public sympathy is often with the killer, who will frequently receive a more lenient sentence than if they had murdered a non-disabled person. Only when labor laws, protections from abuse and torture, and other relevant legal rights are applied equally for people with and without disabilities will we move forward as a society.
4. High Expectations: Much of our disability policy is predicated on low expectations that can often become self-fulfilling prophecies. Students with disabilities who take the alternative assessment rather than the standard means of assessing student achievement are more likely to be segregated from the general education classroom, less likely to have received any literacy instruction, and frequently lack access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication supports that could help them better perform at their full potential. People on Social Security's two disability income support programs (Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance) face a maze of bureaucratic regulations that often discourage or prevent attempts to return to the workforce or to save in order to develop assets. Changing the expectations our society has for people with disabilities was one of the main goals of the ADA. Now it is past time for the rest of our country's disability policy infrastructure to catch up.
5. Disability as Diversity: There is a long history of both the public and private sector working to try to encourage diversity in education, the workforce and elsewhere in society. Unfortunately, people with disabilities are often excluded from these efforts. For example, much of the recent push on the part of the federal government to close disparities in health care outcomes on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation excluded people with disabilities as yet another important under-served population. Many private sector affirmative action programs forget to or deliberately do not include disability, a failure that exists in higher education as well. Fortunately, some progress has been made in this sector, with the Obama Administration making the employment of people with disabilities within the federal workforce and among federal contractors a major priority. More work needs to be done to ensure that whenever we talk about addressing the needs of underserved populations or creating more diverse classrooms and workplaces, people with disabilities are not left out.
Liz Ditz blogs at I Speak of Dreams.
1. Universal acceptance of the idea that "human abilities are a constellation, not a linear spectrum." Universal acceptance of the big idea that different brains come with different strengths and weaknesses, and societies need all kinds of minds to be robustly healthy. This is big-picture neurodiversity, embracing not only autism, but ADHD and other neurodivergencies now called dyslexia, dyscalculia, and so on.
2. Radical restructuring of the American pre-K-12 model along these lines: Make early childhood education a highly-valued, trained, and compensated profession (right now, early-childhood teachers make poverty wages and have little training in elements of recognizing neurodiversity and providing appropriate supports to kids who struggle.)
3. Make high-quality universal early education available to all, including specialized services and remediation, without having to qualify by testing. We know that there are areas in which autistic people (and other neurodiverse people) struggle, and these areas are often evident in very early childhood. But getting help now requires going through testing, evaluation, and qualifying and continuing to qualify for "services." If we had a highly trained cadre of early childhood educators, some if not all of the helpful services would be available as a matter of course to students who needed them.
4. Make pre-K-8 teaching a highly valued, highly trained, and highly compensated profession, adopting some proven elements of the Finnish model:
All teachers have undergraduate degrees in a field of study other than education.
All teachers have graduate degrees in education.
Entry into teacher-training graduate programs is highly selective.
Teachers have several years of post-graduate mentoring with gradually increasing responsibility (as do physicians, with the progression of medical school > internship > residency before independent practice model.) As a result, teaching is a high-status and high-prestige profession, with a great deal of expertise gathered over years, and with continued professional development over time.
5. Eliminate the "wait to fail" and medical model for children experiencing school difficulties. Step in when pupils start to lag behind.
"A factor contributing to the success of the Finnish system is the use of early and powerful intervention when a student begins to fall behind. Frequent diagnostic testing ('formative testing') at early stages reveals students who need extra help, and the Finns provide it intensively, with one special-needs teacher for every seven special-needs students in some schools. The McKinsey report points out that, in Finland, about a third of students receive remediation." — Patrick Basset, "The Finnish Model"
6. Replace the "medical model" with the "diversity model." It turns out that all kids can learn, given good teachers, early and intensive intervention, and a supportive school and peer culture. U.S. schools need to move from a medical model (learning disabilities) to a diversity model (learning differences), and re-orient themselves to identify, value, and use a student's strengths as "workarounds" and palliatives to weaknesses.
7. Focus on equity rather than competition.
"Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality. In the Finnish view, as Sahlberg describes it, this means that schools should be healthy, safe environments for children. This starts with the basics. Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance." — Anu Partanenen, What Americans Keep Ignoring about Finland's School Success, The Atlantic.
Todd Drezner is the father of an autistic son and director of Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic.
1. Anyone who asks "Where are all of the autistic adults?" must make a donation to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
2. We should no longer describe autistic people as "high functioning" or "low functioning." Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously defined pornography by saying "I know it when I see it," and many of us feel the same way about defining "low functioning" and "high functioning." But our instant definitions don't hold up under scrutiny.
3. Every major autism organization in the country (and every minor one for that matter) should have at least three autistic people on its board.
4. Parents who receive a new autism diagnosis for their child should immediately be issued a copy of Jim Sinclair's "Don't Mourn For Us" and a list of resources to help them. These should include websites like The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, blogs by autistic adults such as Autistic Hoya, and blogs by parents of autistic children like We Go With Him and Mom-NOS. Should there be additional room on the list, it might also include a few resources to avoid.
5. Fox should immediately cancel "Touch."
Nick Walker is an autistic educator, author, psychologist, activist, parent, and martial arts master. He holds an M.A. in Somatic Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies, where he currently teaches in the Interdisciplinary Studies program. He is founder and senior instructor of Aikido Shusekai, an aikido dojo in Berkeley, California.
1. De-pathologize autism and autistic people. Autism is a natural form of human neurodiversity. Labeling it as a "mental disorder" or a "disease" has no scientific basis, has no benefit for autistic people or their families, and leads inevitably to stigmatization, shame, and marginalization. Blind people, Deaf people, and many other disabled people get the services and accommodations they need without being labeled as having mental disorders. We don't have to call autism a disorder or a disease to acknowledge that it's a disability that can require accommodations. Stop worrying about the latest changes to the DSM criteria, and just remove autism from the DSM entirely, like homosexuality was rightly removed years ago.
2. Use the language of diversity, not the language of pathology. Language matters. The language that is used in talking about autism and autistic people affects how autistic people are perceived — by themselves, by others, by society – and thus how they are treated. In an autistic-friendly world, anyone speaking of autistics would observe the same linguistic conventions that civilized, non-bigoted people observe when speaking of any other social minority group (e.g., African-Americans or gays). You wouldn't say that an African-American "has negroism" or "suffers from blackness," so don't speak of an autistic person as "having" or "suffering from" autism.
3. Forget "normal." Recognize that when it comes to human diversity — including the diversity of minds — "normal" is a highly subjective, culturally-constructed fiction. Recognize that there is no "normal" mind, and that conformity to the local conception of "normal" is in no way synonymous with health, well-being, or personal fulfillment – and is, in fact, often in direct conflict with those things. A healthy, thriving autistic person looks very different from a healthy, thriving non-autistic person. In nurturing the development of autistic individuals, the goal of parents, educators, therapists, etc. should be to produce healthy, thriving, autistic people, rather than autistic people trained to stifle their true selves in order to pass as "normal."
4. Equal protection under the law, broadly interpreted and strongly enforced. Recognize autistic people as a social minority group, grant them the same legal protections that are (or should be) extended to ethnic minorities, interpret those protections as broadly as possible, and rigorously enforce them. When an autistic person is abused for acting autistic, prosecute it as a hate crime. Anytime an ABA "therapist" grabs an autistic child's hands to stop her from stimming, prosecute it as criminal assault and as a hate crime. Individuals and organizations that speak of autism as a "disease" or "tragedy," and talk of "curing" it, should be prosecuted for hate speech and incitement to violence, just as if they were advocating a "Final Solution to the Jewish Problem." Anyone involved in seeking or implementing prenatal tests for autism or any other sort of prenatal prevention of autism should be prosecuted in international court under the Genocide Convention, which classifies as genocide any attempt to prevent births within a targeted group.
5. Work for global peace and economic justice. Many non-autistic parents worry that if they don't subject their autistic kids to extensive (and expensive) "treatments" to bring them closer to "normal," the kids will never be able to take care of their own basic survival needs, and will end up in awful institutions or on the streets. This is an entirely legitimate concern. But the reason it's a concern is that we live in a world in which the forces of global capitalism have replaced the true spirit of community with an artificial sense of competition, isolation, and "every man for himself," and in which all but the most wealthy are kept in a constant condition of anxiety and fear of scarcity. This is not the natural state of humanity, and not the way the world has to be. Every disabled person in the U.S. could be supported for life on a fraction of the money that our government spends killing people in the Middle East each year – to say nothing of the funds that would be available if we made giant corporations and the wealthiest 1% of Americans pay their fair share of taxes. Instead of working so hard to change autistic people in the name of helping them survive in a cruel world, why not work to make the world less cruel?
Julia Bascom is an autistic self-advocate who blogs at Just Stimming.
Obviously a lot more than these five things needs to be changed — but without these five, the rest won't matter.
1. Stop killing us.
2. Stop abusing us.
3. Start recognizing our communication.
4. Slow down. Value us.
5. Stop killing us.
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg is a wife, mother, writer, and artist on the autism spectrum. She blogs at Journeys with Autism and edits and publishes the site Autism and Empathy.
1. Understand that there are many ways to communicate, and that one is not better than another. I can't read nonverbal signals. I have auditory delays. I need a little extra time to find the words. Sometimes, my words go up over mountains and down through valleys before I know that I've made myself clear. It's not going to change, and my inability to change should not mean social exclusion. Please remember that I have the same need for connection and inclusion as you do.
2. Slow down when you speak. I need time to process what I hear and to come up with a proper response. Just as an able-bodied person should give space to someone attempting to board a bus in a wheelchair, or a hearing person should take a moment to write back and forth with a Deaf person ordering food in a restaurant, so a non-autistic person should take a moment to listen to and to communicate with an autistic person.
3. Remember that talking with a disabled person is not an heroic act. There is absolutely nothing required in the way of superhuman patience to communicate with a person with a disability, and stopping to listen to someone with atypical communication, far from being a charitable act, is an act of bringing a fellow human being into human community. Social inclusion and interaction, when someone desires them, are basic human rights that no disabled person should have to request, and that no able-bodied person with an ounce of ethical understanding should refuse.
4. Go outside your comfort zone. However uncomfortable, awkward, or annoying it may feel to deal with someone who puts out unexpected nonverbal signals (or none at all), or who speaks in an atypical manner (or not at all), it doesn't hold a candle to how excruciating it is to go through the world isolated because people just feel too uncomfortable, awkward, or annoyed to deal with you. The discomfort, awkwardness, and annoyance of able-bodied people may only last a minute, or a half hour, or an hour, and then they go back to their regularly scheduled lives. Please imagine how it feels to keep meeting up with a world full of people who turn away, every day, because their discomfort trumps our longing.
5. Put yourself in our shoes. It is vital that able-bodied people consider how soul-wearying it is to keep trying until one finds those people who simply accept the awkwardness — my awkwardness, their awkwardness, our awkwardness — and make a connection. It hurts the heart to keep going out and trying. Ask yourself: What is keeping you from extending a word, a listen, a desire for connection to us? And how does your failure to use your social skills to bring other human beings into community translate into a social disability located in autistic people, rather than in the able-bodied world?


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In this interview I talk with Scott Monty—head of social media for Ford Motor Company—and the man in charge of Ford's social media presence and initiatives like TheFordStory.com.
When you think of Ford, you might think "old American car company." However, under the direction of Scott Monty, Ford has become one of the leading big businesses in America using social media to connect directly with consumers. And it certainly seems that Ford is on the right track to success, recently reporting 1 billion dollars in profit!
In this video, you'll learn how Ford uses TweetUps to help Ford executives connect with customers across America and how Ford is humanizing its brand. Scott also provides advice to other businesses that are looking to capitalize on social media. Scott also has a little fun, as you'll see…
What did you think about the video? How has your opinion of Ford changed in recent years?

subset: commoncrawl


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I did a minicomic back in high school, a sci-fi sorta thing. Because I can't let go of anything, I'm trying to get that going, again.
Nothing more to show than this sketch, which is not by me, but by Roxxy Goetz. (I can only take credit for the lovely red lines.) If things work out, she'll be doing the drawing.


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Photo of the Week: Empowering Kenya's Next Generation of Women Entrepreneurs
May 17, 2013
The Young Women in Enterprise program is giving entrepreneurs like Rose Amachi the skills and confidence to build thriving business and become leaders and mentors in their communities.
Three years ago, Rose Amachi, a shy young woman from the Kawangware slum in Nairobi, Kenya, completed the Young Women in Enterprise (YWE) program and opened a small tailoring business out of a semi-permanent house in her community. Today, the 24-year-old is a confident and successful business owner who is inspiring other girls to follow their dreams. Rose saved enough money to buy a new sewing machine, expand her inventory and move her growing business, Lucky Outfitters, to a larger and safer space. She even hired another young YWE participant and became a mentor in the program.
With support from the Nike Foundation, the Young Women in Enterprise program has equipped more than 4,000 adolescent girls and young women like Rose with the skills and support they need to enter safe and productive economic opportunities. Training modules in life skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and employability prepare the participants to either launch business enterprises or transition to wage employment. For many of the young women—who have faced discrimination, violence and diminished opportunities in Kenya's urban slums—the confidence, social networks and mentorship they gain through the program are as invaluable as the business skills.
Learn more about TechnoServe's Young Women in Enterprise program.
Related Blog Posts
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Over 15 million Ethiopians rely on coffee for their livelihoods. This is one of their stories.
3 Stories of Climate Change Resilience in Action
To celebrate Earth Day, TechnoServe shared stories and lessons of climate resilience from our work in Africa, India, and Latin America.
Ask a TechnoServe Expert: Mefthe Tadesse on Climate Change Resilience
"Ask a TechnoServe Expert" is a new series where our staff members, who work on a range of important global development issues, answer your questions. In this edition, Ethiopia Country Director Mefthe Tadesse answered your questions on climate resilience.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Shares of Avon Product Inc., Groupon Inc. and Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. made big moves in U.S. trading Friday, while Apple Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. were among top trending tickers.
Top tickers trending
$AAPL: Apple AAPL, -0.57% stock closed down 2.6%, at one point forming what investors call a "death cross," which occurs when its 50-day moving average crosses below its 200-day moving average.
Still, this may signal a short-term bottom for the iPhone maker's shares as the stock tends to recover and three months later, often outperforms the S&P 500 60% of the time, said Collin Monsarrat at Birinyi Associates Inc. in an analysis issued earlier this week.
Meanwhile, reports late Thursday suggested that the judge in its patent case against Samsung Electronics Ltd. 005930, -0.84% could trim the $1 billion verdict awarded by a jury in August. See: Judge may lower $1 bln Apple verdict
Apple may also be pressured by news that the preliminary University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters consumer sentiment index fell to 74.5 from 82.7 in November. It is the biggest one-month drop since March 2011. See: Consumer sentiment dives in December
@KrazRS: $AAPL hits the "death cross!" Fanboys everywhere bow their heads. #Fearthereaper?
@ZachShackleford: Christmas list: $AAPL to flatline or die so we can finally move on to new stocks.
@InvestCliff: $AAPL; Apples are falling from the tree at a rate of -2.35%
$GS: Goldman Sachs GS, -0.86% shares slid on news it will pay $1.5 million to settle civil charges that it failed to properly supervise a former trader who concealed an $8.3 billion futures position in 2007.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission had also filed civil charges against Matthew Marshall Taylor, the trader, in November for defrauding Goldman Sachs, The Wall Street Journal reported. Goldman settled without admitting or denying wrongdoing. See: Goldman to pay $1.5 mln to settle with CFTC
@GEQSense: Goldman made billions in manipulating the markets.. $1.5M is like throwing dollar bills to strippers by $GS
@TheArmoTrader: Goldman Sachs fined $1.5M...In the time it took you to read this tweet, they already made that money back. $GS
$AIG: American International Group AIG, +0.27% shares closed 2.6% higher on reports that the company is holding talks to sell a controlling stake in International Lease Finance Corp., its plane-leasing unit, for more than $5 billion.
The potential buyer is a consortium led by New China Trust Co. and includes the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. and the China Aviation Industry Fund, a person familiar with the situation told The Wall Street Journal. Barclays PLC BARC, -1.21% owns a 20% stake in New China Trust. See: AIG holding talks with Chinese consortium to sell aircraft leasing unit
@crowdturtle: $aig DEAR MANAGEMENT. PLEASE SELL EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE SINK AND BUY BACK SHARES
@shaneblackmon: $AIG lockup on AIA ends Dec 10th, and a deal with ILFC would likely give enough cash to take down majority of Treasury stock
$NFLX: Netflix NFLX, -1.35% shares slipped 0.2%.The DVD rental and movie streaming company said in a filing late Thursday that it received a Wells notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company and Chief Executive Reed Hastings face a civil enforcement action for alleged violation of disclosure rules over a Facebook post by Hastings in July.
Hastings in July had touted the company's streaming-subscriber growth, saying that monthly viewing for the company's streaming service had exceeded 1 billion hours "for the first time ever" during the month of June.
In its SEC filing on Thursday, Hastings called the regulatory action "a fascinating social media story," and explained that he believes "posting to over 200,000 people is very public, especially because many of my subscribers are reporters and bloggers." Read more about Hastings' Facebook post
@MoonRock: $NFLX Alright, let's try it again, over 90 close today, eh?Icahn, PoisonPills, Disney, SEC, let's see where this one can go on his own:)
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@mytfine: Just curious, how many companies can take over $NFLX at once? Maybe we can get a 6-way partial share?
@reformedbroker: BTW, who are these 200,000 people who are Facebook friends with Reed Hastings, anyway? $NFLX
Shares of Avon AVP, -1.27% rose 5.3%, the best on the S&P 500 SPX, -0.58% after investment news website Seeking Alpha cited a rumor that Coty Inc. may make another offer for the company.
In May, Coty raised its offer for Avon to $24.75, or $10.7 billion, after Avon rejected its earlier offer of $23.25 a share. When the second proposal was also rejected, Coty walked away from the deal.
Groupon GRPN, -2.00% shares soared 23% on a Bloomberg report that Google Inc. GOOG, -1.41% may reconsider buying the online daily deal provider. Google apparently was interested in Groupon before it went public, Bloomberg said. See Bloomberg story: Groupon surges on Google takeover speculation
Yelp YELP, -1.34% shares recovered from a 4% decline on Thursday to add 5.3%. Unique visitors to Yelp rose 18% year-on-year in November, compared to 11% in the previous month, Deepak Mathivanan, an analyst at Susquehanna International Group, said in a report.
Amarin Corp. AMRN, +2.30% shares slumped 19%. The company said on Thursday that it was going to hire its own sales force to launch its new cholesterol-reducing, fish-oil pill Vascepa. Investors had expected the company to launch the drug with a partner.
Big Lots Inc. BIG, -3.54% is the worst laggard on the S&P 500, shedding 5.7%. A $10 million stock sale by Chief Executive Steven Fishman made about a month before the company told investors that sales had slowed may be subject to a Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, citing a person familiar with the matter. However, Big Lots told the newspaper that the trades were properly made and the SEC had not been in contact.
Nexen Inc. US:NXY shares fell 6.6% on speculation that the Canadian government will shortly announce its decision on the proposed $15.1 billion buyout of the company by China's Cnooc CEO, -2.35% The talks were triggered by reports that Canada's Industry Ministry will hold a press briefing late Friday.
Smith & Wesson US:SWHC shares declined 8.6%. The firearm maker reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded estimates but there are signs of weaker demand, said Rommel Dionisio at Wedbush in a report.
"We note that the company's order backlog is now $333 million, down sequentially from $392 million last quarter and $439 million two quarters ago. While still high on a historical basis, this appears to indicate dealers who place such orders do not expect the now-yearlong industry demand surge to last that much longer," he said.
Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. US:VTSS shares slid 13%. The company is offering an undisclosed number of shares, and is planning to use the proceeds for working capital and possibly to reduce debt.
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Hotel The Quarters Watford
- Useful information
- Location
- Opinions
Property Location In the heart of Watford, The Quarters by Bravo is close to Watford Market and Vicarage Road. This hotel is within close proximity of Bushey Museum and Art Gallery and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.Rooms Make yourself at home in one of the 100 air-conditioned rooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as laptop-compatible safes and desks.Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as a 24-hour fitness center, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and wedding services.Dining Grab a bite to eat at the hotel's restaurant, which features a bar, or stay in and take advantage of 24-hour room service. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge. Breakfast is available daily for a fee.Business, Other Amenities Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Planning an event in Watford? This hotel features 360 square feet (33 square meters) of event facilities. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
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Useful information: Hotel The Quarters Watford
Other names for Hotel The Quarters Watford:
Watford Moathouse
Park Inn London Watford
Park Inn
Location: Hotel The Quarters Watford
The Quarters Watford - Aeropuerto recomendado: Londres (LHR-Heathrow) - 21,5 km / 13,4 mi. Las distancias se calculan en línea recta desde el alojamiento hasta el lugar de interés o aeropuerto y no siempre son representativas de la distancia real de viaje.Las distancias se expresan en números redondos.


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AHHHH…FINALLY! After MANY trips to multiple baby stores and buying all of the soft carriers on the shelves (only to return them the next day) I found Mamma's Milk! The design is PERFECT! Simple, classic, VERY easy to adjust and most of all it's a quality product that my seven week old son LOVES! This product is a LIFESAVER! You must get this into every moms and dads hands!
-Dana S., Timmonsville, SC
Looking for Baby Carriers or Baby Slings? Choose Mamma's Milk. Mom-Designed, Family-Owned, and Made-In-The-USA from the highest quality materials. Our Invisibly Adjustable design means that you look thinner without excess fabric, yet still get the amazing customized fit that changes with you as you lose the baby weight. With over 10 years of experience, Mamma's Milk has become an award-winning brand and a "Top 10 Celebrity Mom Must-Have," according to Life & Style Magazine, and it's easy to see why. Invisibly Adjustable slings help you look good and baby feel good. We specialize in high-quality Baby Sling Carriers, Baby Wipe Dispensers, Diaper Changing Clutches and other specialty baby products. Mamma's Milk is a leading award-winning brand for Baby Slings and Baby Carriers and Diaper Clutches.


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AmericanGreetings.com is a service of American Greetings Corporation, Copyright © 2019 AGC,LLC. All rights reserved.


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PRINCETON — For many people, birthdays are all about getting gifts, but for Pat Polson, her birthday has been about giving gifts.
The Princeton woman is celebrating her 75th birthday by doing 75 random acts of kindness for family and friends, neighbors, community members, strangers. She began her acts of kindness mission in mid-April and has about 10 more acts to go.
Polson said she came up with the idea about six months ago after reading a magazine article about a woman who had done a similar thing in celebration of her birthday. Polson, who turned 75 years old on May 1, decided to start her mission in mid-April and to give herself one month to complete her 75 random acts of kindness. After all, 75 is a big number, she said.
The Princeton woman prepared for her mission by jotting down a list of ideas for the random acts of kindness on a sheet of paper. She has kept adding to the ideas list until it is now more than three pages long. It's been great coming up with the ideas and watching the list grow, she said.
As she thumbed her way through her ideas list, Polson talked about what fun it's been to do the random acts of kindness, like the time she took plastic bags each filled with eight quarters to give out to people at a local laundromat. Or, there was the time she paid a late fine for someone at the Princeton Public Library. She's given out packages of gum at her grandson's ballgame and left bigger than usual tips for waitresses.
Since she has a lot of flowers in her yard, Polson has taken flowers to a doctor's office, to a neighbor she doesn't see very often, to the friends in her prayer group, and to the office at Perry Memorial Hospital where her granddaughter works. She has taken fruit to the Princeton Police Station and written letters of appreciation to city leaders. One time, she bought a book of stamps, divided those stamps into groups of four, and gave them to people coming into the post office.
The list continues. She's prayed for more people than normal, written letters to her grandchildren, fixed food for others, and made donations to local agencies and groups. She's even put out nesting materials for the birds to use in her yard.
Polson said she has tried to be creative and to do things which she wouldn't normally do, to go above and beyond in giving to others. Some random acts of kindness have cost a little bit of money, but others haven't.
With more than 60 random acts of kindness already completed since April, Polson said her project has reinforced something she already knew about people.
"It doesn't take much to make others and yourself happy sometimes," Polson said.
As she does her random acts of kindness, Polson also gives the person a small card, made by her daughter, telling about how Polson was celebrating her birthday by doing random acts of kindness. The card goes on to say "I hope you enjoy it, and pass it on."
And that, the "passing it on," could be a random act of kindness given back to Polson.
In sharing her story publicly, Polson said she doesn't want to draw attention to herself, but rather to maybe encourage someone else to start their own random acts of kindness mission. And they don't have to wait until their 75th birthday to start, she said.
Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.


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As the battle deepens in Gaza, so too does it deepen in the cyber arena.
Al Qassam, the military wing of Hamas, just responded to IDF's brutal threat over twitter.
The response is not unusual. Militant organizations around the world have become very tech and social media savvy. The IDF has also released a video of the strike on one of Hamas' top leaders, and has been basically live blogging the war over twitter.
The whole operation, dubbed Pillar Of Defense, is in response to a recent spate of back and forth strikes between Israel and Gaza militants.


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Enjoy these photos, then send us your own!
We want to include your favorite family photos in our Family Album! Please provide your name, address and phone, along with the first names and ages (optional) of the people in the photo and where they are from. We will accept original photos (no ink-jet prints) and electronic JPEG files (at least 300 dpi.)
You can bring in original photos or send them to Lori Robinson, Saginaw Valley Family Magazine, 203 S. Washington, Saginaw, MI 48607-1283. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like your photo returned.
Send electronic, JPEG files, to email@example.com
Send your photos in anytime before deadline. We will copy and hold until the appropriate issue and return your originals ASAP!


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Hot Springs to Buy Evans Plunge for $1.5 Million
HOT SPRINGS - The Hot Springs City Council has unanimously voted to buy Evans Plunge, the oldest operating tourist attraction in western South Dakota's Black Hills.
Residents of the town in an election last month narrowly approved the purchase of the warm mineral water park, which has been up for sale for years.
The Rapid City Journal reports that the city will pay $1.5 million for the site. The deal will close July 1.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Free Entry
By night, you can enjoy the lights of the iconic Wineglass Water Tower for kilometres in either direction. By day, you can get much closer - visit the pretty park at its base and see just how tall this local landmark is up close. The tower itself holds a million litres of precious water and its bowl weighs almost 400 tonnes. It gets its name from its unusual shape, which is actually more like a cocktail glass than a wine glass.


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NEW HAVEN, Conn. - In a tradition as strong as Yale swimming's, records are rarely safe from year to year, let alone decade to decade. When they are broken, it is often by tenths of a second, tiny increments that mark each generation's progress. But in their Dec. 3 win against the University of Massachusetts, a quartet of Yale freshmen shattered the pool record in 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 6:43.58. That was more than SIX SECONDS faster than the previous record (6:49.92), set by Fordham in 1976.
That record came the last time the Kiphuth Exhibition Pool, built in 1932, hosted the Eastern Championships. Despite an Eastern League Championship, numerous All-Americans, and over 150 home meets since, the record had never fallen.
Then came Saturday, the Bulldogs' second shot at the 800 relay this season. The first was a win at the Terrier Invitational, a six-team, three-day meet big enough to feature an event not typically on the dual-meet dockett. Normally, those meets end with a freestyle relay, but it is often the 200-yard or 400-yard edition. According to Robert J.H. Kiphuth Director of Swimming Tim Wise, coaches have some leeway in choosing events, and while the 800 is not on the Harvard-Yale-Princeton program, he wanted to put his talented freshmen "in that position and give them the opportunity" to down the 35 year-old mark.
In all likelihood, it won't be nearly that long before the record falls again. The four members of the record-breaking squad, Josh Ginsborg (1:40.91), Andrew Heymann (1:40.69), Alwin Firmansyah (1:41.72), and Rob Harder (1:40.26) were all swimming in their first home meet and not even halfway through their first season of Division I training and competition. At last season's Ivy League Championships, on full rest and completely tapered, the Bulldogs swam a 6:40. But to post a 6:43 four months ahead of that, without the immense and particular preparation afforded the Ivy Championship meet, is impressive.
Also impressive is the individual breakdown of that type of performance. In order to post the time they did, Ginsborg, Heymann, Firmansyah and Harder had to average 1:40.90 splits on their 200-yard times. Only three Yale swimmers swam the 200-yard freestyle in relays in that time last year at any point in the season, and all three of those times - from junior Mike Dominski, sophomore Pat Killian and sophomore Ed Becker - came at the Ivy League Championships in early March.
But this year's freshmen class has impressed since day one. Harder, a Redding, Conn. native, won his first individual event as a Bulldog when he dominated the 1000-yard freestyle against Columbia Nov. 12, and has continued to be one of the top Elis in distance freestyle. Ginsborg has combined with Harder to give Yale quite the freshmen 1-2 punch in those events, most recently edging Harder for a win in the 200-yard freestyle against UMass earlier in the meet (1:40.17), while also taking home a win in the 500-yard freestyle that day.
While Harder and Ginsborg have emerged as forces in the freestyle, Heymann and Firmansyah have dominated in other events this season. Both have been major components of Wise's relay squads this season, but Heymann has also been one of the go-to swimmers in the breaststroke. Heymann won the 100-yard event against the Minutemen. Firmansyah has been a big winner in the butterfly early on, and took home the 200-yard victory Saturday.
The record-breaking win was a fitting end to the Bulldogs' 2011 competition schedule, an exclamation point on the first part of a season largely punctuated by the success of a freshmen class that has lifted Yale to contender status in the Ivy League. The Elis' second - and final - home meet of the 2011-12 campaign will also be their first of 2012, a date with Cornell Jan. 7. So while Saturday's record may be safe for the remainder of this year, the Bulldog freshmen will have ample opportunity to rewrite the long and storied Yale record book in their careers in New Haven.
Report filed by Chelsea Janes '12, Yale Sports Publicity


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Scissor Sisters' Del Marquis Offers Free Mix Tape
Photo by G.
Are you ready to have a solo kiki? Scissor Sisters' guitarist Del Marquis is prepping for a spring release of his debut solo album "Slow Nights" and to whet everyone's appetite, he's offering a free mixtape for a limited time. The 6 track mixtape features Xavier (on an ultra funky cover of Jermaine Jackson's "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy") and also features members of Prince's former band the New Power Generation! Download "Tickle" on Del's official site while supplies last (link will open in a new window).
And you can also watch a Not Safe For Closed Minded People video for "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" on Paper Magazine's official website.
If this doesn't make you have a kiki, I don't know what will.


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http://youtu.be/rQMUNe6m6CI UPDATE: It's happening!! The date has been announced for the demolition of the last remaining unused,original bridge pier. The new date is tomorrow, FRIDAY JANUARY 31st at … [Continue reading]
The Last Blast (At Last!)
World War II Ship in Madison
The USS LST 325 cruised past the Port of Madison, Indiana today on her Kanawha River Cruise voyage. (You can keep track of her progress here) The World War II ship will pass through and stop in Madison on September 12 and be docked for tours until … [Continue reading]
"Buy-Sell-Trade" on Main St
The Madison Buy-Sell-Trade store has quickly become a popular shopping spot in downtown Madison. It's a cross between an antique store, a pawn shop and the coolest yard sale ever. You'll find things for the kids, cool collectible items, and tons … [Continue reading]
Golden Kitchen Restaurant
The owners of the Hong Kong Kitchen are opening a second location on the Madison Hilltop. Driving downtown is not a big deal, unless you're on lunch break and need to eat fast. So here is one more reason to eat Chinese food in Madison, … [Continue reading]
Twinkies Comeback
The famous golden snack cake has finally returned to store shelves! Hostess,the bakery company known for their snack cakes,bread,and fruit pies closed up shop and ceased production after filing for bankruptcy following poor management decisions … [Continue reading]
Downtown Italian
I've been hooked on Franco's Family Restaurant for several months. You won't find a better lunch menu Madison. But this place really comes alive at night. The pictures below are your free sample. Franco's Italian Restaurant - 119 East Main … [Continue reading]
Block Party!
It really was that fun. At least that's what everyone is saying about the street party hosted by Dr. Geoff Walburn & Rivertown Chiropractic. 401 East 2nd Street - Madison, IN 47250 Wait?! Dunk booths for your spine adjuster and physical … [Continue reading]
Smoothie Bar?
Yes, this is finally happening. A member of our downtown network tipped us off about a new offering at the Cultivate Nature Shop. 108 East Main St. Madison, IN 47250 Holistic smoothie and juice bar. #Aces The pictures below speak for … [Continue reading]


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Actor Charlie Sheen has asked a Los Angeles judge to put a stop to his child support payments to his ex-wife Brooke Mueller while she seeks treatment in rehab as their twin boys are no longer in her care.
The "Anger Management" star had previously agreed to pay the former real estate agent $55,000-a-month to cover the expenses of their sons Bob and Max following their split in 2010, but the 4-year-old boys were removed from Mueller's home in May after child welfare officials suspected she was using drugs again.
She subsequently sought professional help to kick her longtime struggle with substance abuse and checked into a medical facility, where she remains under doctors' supervision.
Sheen's second wife, Denise Richards, offered to temporarily take in Bob and Max so they could spend time with their half-sisters, Lola and Sam, and the move was given the official seal of approval by a judge in May.
Now the TV star is taking action to stop boosting Mueller's bank balance as he is convinced the child support funds are being used to cover the costs of her treatment, reports TMZ.com.
Sheen has also reportedly offered to increase the amount he hands over to Richards in support payments to help her out as she looks after all four children, in addition to her adopted baby girl Eloise, but Richards refused the gesture.
Richards previously stepped in to look after Sheen's sons in 2011 when Mueller sought treatment at another rehab facility.


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Vintage Check Down-filled Hooded Puffer Jacket
€520.00 €520.00
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- A showerproof down-filled puffer jacket in our Vintage check, complete with a cosy fleece-lined hood.
- Outer: 100% polyester
- Trim: 100% wool
- Lining: 79% polyester, 21% acrylic
- Sleeve lining: 100% polyester
- Filling: 80% duck down, 20% duck feathers
- Wadding: 100% polyester
- Concealed press-stud and zip closure
- Press-stud flap pockets
- Velcro-tab cuffs
- Machine wash
- Imported
Item 80040201


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Riding Unicycle in the Snow Is the Next Great Innovation [VIDEO]
Getting around in the snow is a huge pain, but let's give credit to this outside-the-box thinker.
This person decided it would be wise to skip the car, keep the feet off the ground and ride a unicycle in the snow. That's right, a unicycle. Not a bicycle. Because that would be too practical, right?
Hmm, unless you're running late for your job at the circus, we're not really sure how practical this is.


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Collaboration is Hot … Cisco Upgrades to Cisco WebEx Social!
If you've been following my blog, you are familiar with the collaboration journey that Cisco has been taking over the past three years. We launched our initial version of our collaboration platform, known then as the Integrated Workforce Experience powered by Cisco Quad, back in November 2010. Several releases have occurred since that time. But, this week, we believe we have truly crossed the threshold with our upgrade to WebEx Social – with a new name, new look and new experience for all Cisco employees globally.
A big part of the platform's development has been employee feedback. Initial stages weren't as fast, as usable or as simple as they could have been. So, we've responded to employees' requests with WebEx Social—a platform we believe addresses many of the common issues and offers overall improvement to the user experience. Most importantly, we've created a single, unified, higher performing platform for communication and collaboration.
What's equally fantastic is that WebEx Social also brings a new collaboration experience to customers. Cisco Quad, the platform powering IWE, has joined the WebEx product family and is now called WebEx Social, both internally and externally. The name WebEx Social reflects the convergence of Cisco collaboration solutions. All the products in the portfolio will have a common user interface and will work with each other to provide a powerful, unified experience for customers and employees.
One of the keys to WebEx Social's enhanced performance is Cisco's construction of a large content delivery network (CDN), which will enable the platform to distribute content more locally to users through multiple data centers located around the world. The CDN will continue to expand over the next year, resulting in even higher performance over time.
WebEx Social offers a number of new and enhanced capabilities—each designed to help employees do their jobs better and more efficiently. The platform's key functionalities include:
- Email integration—Users can set personal preferences, create community posts and add comments to existing posts or community discussions – directly from their Outlook email.
- Posts—Three new templates have been added and users can post questions to experts based on expertise tags in profile.
- Search—Designed with a cleaner look and feel, users will see results for people, community and information above the fold.
- Communities—Managing community functions is easier and includes more capabilities.
- Application Changes—Application names are searchable and descriptions are available directly from the application ribbon.
- Self-Support Resources—WebEx Social Help offers improved navigation and an enhanced layout, as well as Chat Now support.
In addition, we've integrated even more transactional applications we call EasyApps @Work. Some examples of these apps are My Paid Time Off, My Expenses, My Approvals, "My Bugs" for Engineering and My Management Central for all managers.
For many of us, the movement of social networking into the workplace is uncharted territory—and a change that creates anxiety for some. But when you think about it, work really has become social. Which is why my advice is to start using these social technologies so that you can redefine your processes and allow greater social interaction, both internally across the enterprise and externally with your key constituents.
Happy Collaborating!
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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Mike Davis Named Engineering Student of Year, March 20, 2000
SOCORRO -- Michael Davis, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at New Mexico Tech, recently was named the university's "Engineering Student of the Year."
Recent Tech graduate Julie Ann Wiens and current Tech senior Timothy Sande were named runnerups for the prestigious award.
Davis, Wiens, and Sande were chosen to be honored this year from a field of several top-notch New Mexico Tech engineering students by engineering faculty members at the state-supported research university. The decisions were based on their superior academic performances, engineering work experiences, and involvement in other engineering activities.
Michael Davis, who is a 1995 graduate of Gallup High School, is the son of Fred and Toni Davis of Gallup.
In addition to his regular classwork at New Mexico Tech, Davis worked this past summer as an engineering intern for the Hewlett-Packard Company.
Davis currently serves as corresponding secretary of the New Mexico Tech chapter of the Tau Beta Pi national engineering honor society.
Julie Ann Wiens, a native of Moriarty, is a December 1999 graduate of New Mexico Tech.
Wiens, who also is a 1995 graduate of Moriarty High School, is the daughter of Keith and Chris Neel and Jay Johnson.
She currently works on a full-time basis at the university as a teaching assistant with New Mexico Tech's electrical engineering department and as a robotics research assistant.
"I've been putting together autonomous robots, which are then marketed to high schools so that younger students can begin their education in robotics," Wiens says.
In 1997, Wiens was selected to participate in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program and worked that summer as a "storm chaser," collecting rain and hail data for Colorado State University.
While an undergraduate at New Mexico Tech, she served as chapter treasurer of Tau Beta Pi.
She also was the captain of the New Mexico Tech Women's Volleyball Club and still remains active in Tech intramural and City of Socorro volleyball leagues.
Wiens also continues to be an active member of the university's Student-Produced Leisure Activities at Tech (SPLAT) group.
"New Mexico Tech is a great place to be if you are serious about your education," Wiens relates. "It can be tough at times, but the education you receive is well worth the effort."
Before coming to New Mexico Tech, Timothy Sande, a senior majoring in petroleum engineering at New Mexico Tech, was home-schooled in his hometown of Kalama, Wash.
Sande is the son of Jack and Debbie Sande of Kalama.
In addition to attending classes at New Mexico Tech, Sande currently is working for Tech's petroleum engineering department on a U. S. Department of Energy research project which is
investigating natural fractures present in gas formations throughout northwest New Mexico's San Juan Basin, the nation's second largest gas-producing area.
Last semester, he worked as an instructor in a reservoir engineering laboratory at the university.
Sande serves as a vice president for both the New Mexico Tech student chapters of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Tau Beta Pi. He also is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
When he is not pursuing his studies or working on his various research projects, the Kalama native teaches juggling classes, plays table tennis and Ultimate Frisbee, enjoys backpacking, and picks out a tune or two on his guitar.
"New Mexico Tech is a challenging school," Sande says, "and I have learned the basic engineering skills that I will need in the petroleum industry. . . . I have made a lot of friends, and have really enjoyed my three years here."


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Hunter Hayes Brings 'Somebody's Heartbreak' to 'The Tonight Show'
Three-time Grammy nominee Hunter Hayes performed his latest single 'Somebody's Heartbreak' on 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' on Thursday (Feb. 7) looking as poised, polished and cute as ever.
The singer, who enjoyed breakout success in 2012 on the back of his smash hit 'Wanted,' delivered an easy, breezy rendition of the lovelorn song. His black guitar was decorated with 'Faith to Fall Back On' lyrics, which were splashed across the face of the instrument in white lettering, as were the cabs and the scrims in the background on the stage.
The visuals made it feel like a Hunter Hayes show -- as opposed to an appearance on a late night talk show, where an artist is usually dropped into the middle of a set without all their normal accompanying bells and whistles.
Pay close attention about two minutes in, when Hayes knuckles down hard on his guitar. He clearly has some serious camaraderie with his axe!
The 21-year-old rising star will be playing the first-ever Taste of Country Music Festival this summer, booked June 13-15 at Hunter Mountain in New York. He'll also be at the 2013 Grammys this Sunday (Feb. 10), hopefully leaving the ceremony for Music's Biggest Night with an armful of gold statues.


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This is the first web comic I ever made. It is a PARODY of the Animal Crossing games. Join Tails as he'll have to deal with greedy raccoons, Rampaging Rhinos, Demonic Snowmen, and a lot more. Lots of animals join in too such such as Moe, Rosie, Kiki, Sable, Able, Red, K.K. Slider, and of course Nook. Welcome to Arosukir!
Otakon 2007
June 22nd, 2009, 8:41 am
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Woman Chris Brown Allegedly Pulled A Gun On Speaks Out
It's all anyone can talk about this morning, and as Chris Brown remains at the centre of a police stand-off at his Los Angeles home, the girl at the centre of the scandal, who alleged Brown threatened her with a gun, has spoken out.
Baylee Curran was partying with Chris Brown and friends at his home when the incident occurred.
Talking to "TMZ Live" Curran revealed she had partied with Chris in the past and he was always nice, but this time he appeared to be out of it ... on drugs or alcohol.
She says she came to his house with a friend, spent a little time in the hot tub, and then walked back inside where a member of Chris' crew was displaying a piece of jewelry.
The chick that claimed Chris Brown put a gun to her head ... pic.twitter.com/tfkMEihSEf— ITSBIZKIT (@itsbizkit) August 30, 2016
Baylee says when she admired it the guy went nuts, and then Chris followed suit by demanding she "get the f*** out" and pointed a gun at her.
The craziest part ... as she tried to leave she says Chris' people wouldn't let her take her cell phone until she signed a non-disclosure agreement.
She refused to sign, and she and her friend left. She then took to Instagram to address the public with her side of the story.
Source: TMZ


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Color: Red
Interior: Cloth
Drive Train: 4WD
Transmission: Automatic
Vin: 1FTFW1ETXCFB61877
Engine: V6 Cylinder Engine
Mileage: 103,554
Stock #: B61877
Lara's Trucks
Laras Trucks
4420 Buford Hwy. NE
Holding the title of America's best-selling pickup truck for 34 years running is no small feat, which is why the 2012 Ford F-150 pickup deserves every accolade it receives. With stiff competition from Ram and Chevy, not to mention Toyota and Nissan's full-size entries, Ford refuses to rest on its laurels, continuing to improve the F-150 full-size pickup with new features and better mechanical components. Last year, Ford gave the F-150 all-new engines and transmissions, and this year there's expanded use of an electronic locking rear axle replacing the old limited-slip unit. Yet, despite all its improvements, the 2012 Ford F-150 remains a tough workhorse designed to tackle big payload and towing jobs. With class-leading capabilities, impressive fuel economy and the only turbocharged 6-cylinder engine in the segment, the more than 30 different version of America's favorite pickup truck should continue to set sales records and send the competition scrambling to keep up.
Built Ford Tough isn't just an advertising slogan, it's the reason the Ford F-150 is the best-selling truck in the country. An impressive range of models and options permits the F-150 to be everything from a simple work truck to a super-plush family hauling machine.
With its strong resale and reliability ratings, about the only reason not to like the 2012 F-150 comes down to whether you like its bold and boxy styling.
The 2012 F-150 pickup receives a few important new features, beginning with the addition of Hill Start Assist and the inclusion of neutral tow assist on all 4x4 trucks. A new automatic 4x4 system is added to Lariat and higher trims, while a new FX Appearance package adds flat-black wheels and accents, black leather seats with red piping, and FX graphics. The FX Luxury package gains heated and cooling front seats.
Despite its impressive payload and towing ability, the 2012 Ford F-150 doesn't ride like a stiffly-sprung work truck. In fact, it rides more like a plush Lincoln SUV. Every version of the F-150 we tested was devoid of a rough ride, with no shudder or hopping over rough or unpaved roads and a level of quiet unheard of (no pun intended) in a full-size pickup. Each version also provided ample power, with the least-liked engine being the base V6, and the most appreciated being the new twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6. Thanks to the F-150's electric power-assisted steering (EPAS), we experienced a level of steering feel and control that belied the big Ford's size and heft. Perhaps most impressive was the towing demonstration in which we hauled 20-foot trailers with absolutely zero drama, thanks in large part to the pickup's trailer sway control, rearview camera and integrated trailer brake controller.
Tailgate Step Designed to deal with the awkward and potentially dangerous chore of getting into the pickup truck's bed, the integrated tailgate step on the 2012 Ford F-150 scores big. It deploys easily and even offers a safety hand-hold. Roomy SuperCrew Cab The cab in the 2012 F-150 SuperCrew is so roomy it out-measures some full-size sedans. In fact, the rear-seat legroom is absolutely limousine-like, and the mechanically-articulated second-row seat flips up and out of the way, delivering an ample 57.6 cubic feet of space behind the front seats.
The 2012 Ford F-150 has a sophisticated yet practical truck interior. Knowing that the hands controlling the F-150 will often be clad in some type of glove, be it work or ski, the F-150's design team has created buttons, knobs and switches that are slightly oversized, widely spaced and easy to reach. A thoughtful center console design can swallow two or more laptops or tablets; there are even slotted ridges along the sides for holding hanging files in place. In fact, there are clever storage compartments throughout the 2012 F-150's cabin for holding everything from beverages to cell phones. There are even two 12-volt outlets, one on the dash and one in the console, for recharging portable electronics, and an available 110-volt outlet. As for overall comfort, we think the F-150's contoured front seats are among the most comfortable in the class. The same goes for the rears seats, at least those on SuperCrew models.
With the exception of one generation late in the 1990s, the F-150 has always had an easily-identifiable boxy shape. The 2012 Ford F-150 continues the tradition but adds a healthy dose of oversized ornamentation (think grille, bumpers and mirrors) usually covered in chrome on upper trims. The 2012 F-150 features a strong front end, powerful shoulders and a tall bed wall creating a nice, deep box. Those tall bed walls, however, can be a bit of a hindrance when trying to access a tool box or gear in the bed's center. Understanding this problem, Ford offers an extendable side step on most models. Ford's 3-bar grille receives varying styling treatments depending on the trim level, ranging from simple black plastic pieces on base trucks, to a black mesh grille with the Ford name spelled out in huge block letters on the SVT Raptor, to a chrome-slathered behemoth found on the King Ranch and Platinum versions.
The 2012 Ford F-150 full-size truck comes in flavors ranging from plain vanilla all the way to banana split with whipped cream, nuts and sprinkles, but one thing all levels share is a robust, hydro-formed, boxed-section chassis that offers superior torsional rigidity while actually being lighter than the old-fashioned ladder frames of the past. The level of standard safety equipment is truly outstanding, including AdvanceTrac with RSC traction and stability control, anti-lock brakes (ABS) and Safety Canopy side-curtain airbags with roll-fold technology for enhanced head protection in rollovers and side impacts. Safety is also enhanced by front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, "smart" airbags and seatbelts, a second-row center head restraint and integrated spotter mirrors.
For those who really use their pickup trucks as trucks, the 2012 Ford F-150 offers some exclusive options that are right on the money. Our two favorites are the integral tailgate step that makes clambering into the box easy and the spring-out box side steps that make reaching into the vehicle's deep cargo box much more convenient. Also earning high marks are the stowable bed extender and beefy cargo management system. And for those who have ever left a tool on a work site, never to see it again, the Tool Link radio-frequency identification tracking system enables you to maintain a detailed real-time inventory of the tools and/or equipment stored in the pickup box. When it's kick-back time, Ford's SYNC, SIRIUS Travel Link and a high-powered Sony brand audio system help you while away the time.
Do you want a gasoline engine or a gasoline engine? Perhaps the only shortfall with the 2012 F-150 is the lack of a diesel option, but the four available gasoline engines – two V6s and two V8s – offer reasonable fuel economy, aided significantly by the addition of a 6-speed automatic transmission. A twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 is offered, a first for this segment and an engine that promises both strong performance and good fuel economy. Both the 3.7-liter V6 and 5.0-liter V8 are fitted with fuel-saving twin-independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) technology and, for towing needs, nothing can beat the two-valve-per-cylinder 6.2-liter V8's best-in-class 11,300-pound tow rating. 3.7-liter V6 302 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm 278 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/23 (2WD), 16/21 (4WD), 12/17 (2WD, E85), 12/15 (4WD, E85) 3.5-liter V6, Twin-Turbocharged 365 horsepower @ 5,000 rpm 420 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500 rpm EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/22 (2WD), 15/21 (4WD) 5.0-liter V8 360 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm 380 lb-ft of torque @ 4,250 EPA city/high fuel economy: 15/21 (2WD), 14/19 (4WD), 11/15 (2WD, E85), 10/14 (4WD, E85) 6.2-liter V8 411 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm 434 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm EPA city/highway fuel economy: 13/18 (2WD), 12/16 (4WD)
With more than 30 different variants, the 2012 Ford F-150 pickup pricing chart covers a wide spread. Regular Cab XL models have a starting Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) right around $24,000, while a fully-laden Platinum SuperCrew can run well over $50,000. Somewhere in between those two extremes is where most buyers will find themselves. A look at the Fair Purchase Price on kbb.com shows the typical transaction price being paid for the 2012 Ford F-150 in your area, so be sure to check it out before you set out to buy. The 2012 Ford F-150 is expected to retain a better-than-average residual value, with the SuperCrew models at the top of the chart, followed by the Regular Cab and then the SuperCab. Over a 5-year period, the F-150's projected residual value is expected to be nearly on par with the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra, better than the Ram 1500 and Nissan Titan, but slightly below the Toyota Tundra.
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I bought this polish a while ago, right when it was being discontinued (sad, right?) because I loved how vibrant it looked. And it's super vibrant. It's blue hexes and squares with a smattering of purple hexes in a blue tinted base. I layered it over a dark blue jelly, although it'd probably have the same effect over black.
This took about 1 regular coat then 2 coats using the dabbing method. I love it, it's super shiny and eye catching.
On the subject of blue, it's bluebonnet season in Texas :) I went last weekend with a couple of friends to try and take some pictures. It was overcast and it's not quite peak in the season yet but I got a couple of good pictures :)
They're so pretty! Especially gorgeous when you see the field as a whole while you're driving down freeways.
One can find Happy Hands at their Facebook here and their Etsy here!
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Address the emotional issues that can become barriers to good self-care with this invaluable guide.
Diabetes Burnout is an interactive book that addresses the emotional issues that contribute to poor glycemic control and provides guidance to overcoming the barriers to good self-care. Worksheets help you assess your current state of motivation and establish a successful plan of action. This book addresses not only your frustrations, but also how burnout may contribute to poor self-care, high blood glucose & later complications. A series of interactive questionnaires and self-evaluations guide you toward overcoming barriers to good control.©1999 American Diabetes AssociationSoftcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 360 pages
this book is exactly what I needed at the time that I found it would recommend it to everyone who feels that they have had enough
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