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Advocates of migrant rights and their families Kanlungan Centre Foundation Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit organization engaged in direct service, advocacy work, research, and policy interventions for Filipino migrant workers who are survivors of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, workplace abuse, and non-payment of wages, as well as their families and their communities.Founded on July 17, 1989
Friday, September 18, 2015
Listening, watching and speaking out: Acting in solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers
Listening, watching and speaking out:
Acting in solidarity with migrants and asylum seekers
The unfolding chaotic and distressing situation in Europe largely stems from the dominance and longevity of government policies focused on securitisation aimed at deterring migrants and asylum seekers from entering.
This continues to lead to untold human suffering and many deaths.
In recent weeks migrants and asylum seekers have protested and marched in Europe standing up for their rights and demanding humane treatment.
"If we could go anywhere else we would, but we have family in... I need to be with them"
"Why are they making me risk my life to be with my family when I know I should get asylum if I get there?"
"Freedom, freedom, we want peace."
"Stopped waiting, started walking"
"We walk, we walk…. We make our own decisions, not wait for solutions""We are people too"
People begun to listen and a movement of solidarity has begun offering a 'welcome', transport, voluntary assistance and a place in their homes.
There have been petitions and demonstrations in solidarity in Europe, around the world and online calling to:
save lives, protect people, change mindsets, recognise 'our common humanity',
open borders, 'welcome refugees'; recognise the contributions and labour demand for migrants and refugees; take a stand for 'what type of community, society we want to be'; an end to policies that separate families and to put a 'heart' back into policy making.
They have also made visible EU states complicity in the creation of many of the 'root causes' for peoples movement for protection and better livelihoods that means that they particularly have a responsibility to act.
Now is the time to unite and continue the call for human rights-based migration policies with decriminalisation and safe and legal routes for migrants and asylum seekers.
Join the people's movement – Stand up for all migrants! Act in solidarity with them!
Monday, September 14, 2015
Closer to Home: Calling Again for Solidarity with All Migrants!
Closer to Home: Calling Again for Solidarity with All Migrants!
We mourn and are deeply saddened by the loss of life of 61 people from Indonesia who drowned travelling in an overcrowded boat in poor weather. They were attempting to return home from Malaysia to Tanjong Balai, Indonesia to share the Eid al-Adha holiday with their families. Amongst the dead were 37 men, 23 women and a young girl, whilst 20 were rescued by fisherman and a search and rescue operation.
Malaysia's refusal to officially recognise its true demand for labour in its economy contributes to the creation of these undocumented workers, who can be exploited as cheap labour without social protection. There is estimated to be up to 2 million undocumented Indonesian migrants workers in Malaysia. Denied safe and legal routes these low-income workers are forced to make dangerous clandestine journeys resulting repeatedly in tragic preventable deaths.
Untold deaths at sea of migrants are appallingly becoming a familiar sickening phenomenon in the region (and elsewhere in the world) – many Rohingya have died trying to escape systematic persecution for decades; many people have died over the years on perilous sea journeys as undocumented migrants, with smugglers or at the hands of human traffickers; or as forced labour in the fishing industries. Where is the justice for all these deaths? The daily reality for too many low-income migrant workers continues to be living in fear and face discrimination, exploitation, violence and death.
Now is the time to put people before profit!
These human tragedies of migrants that spark media frenzy are in reality often the latest exposure of long-standing situations that represent in part states' resistance to: develop and enforce rights-based migration policies, recognise labour demand and migrants contributions; and respond and guarantee rights of asylum seekers fleeing war and persecution. This visibility of these human rights violations demonstrates there must be a strengthened call to protect through prevention.
We must act to provide and ensure migrants can live in dignity without risking their lives.
In response to the rising number of deaths of migrants we often rightly call for recognition of our common humanity to act. However the credibility of this call will be weakened if we don't also insist that it is regardless of immigration status, nationality, religion, race, gender or any other status of migrants.
We must value all human life equally, everywhere.
We reiterate our Regional Call for Migrants' Rights:
Now is the time for ASEAN member states to demonstrate the collective political will to convert responsibility into practice and demonstrate a commitment to the rights-based protection and access to justice of all migrants.
Now is the time for ASEAN to show solidarity, respect for human rights for all and move beyond rhetoric to abide with the principle of being people-centred.
We urge the entire ASEAN community to unite and be in solidarity all migrants
- Remain vigilant and steadfast in ending these injustices against migrants.
Let us always act in solidarity to guarantee the rights of all migrants
to protection and justice everywhere in the world
Kanlungan Centre Foundation, Inc.
77 K-10 Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
In Solidarity with All Migrants and Asylum-Seekers
In Solidarity with All Migrants and Asylum-Seekers
We mourn and are deeply saddened by the image of a Syrian toddler named Aylan Kurdi who drowned whilst trying to cross the sea to seek refuge from his war torn country. Aylan was just one of many migrants and asylum-seekers around the world who struggle everyday to escape intolerable situations and seek a dignified life worth living. Whilst asylum-seekers flee war and persecution, there are also many migrants everyday escaping poverty, abusive and exploitive workplaces and forced labour that also demand our compassion and action on their rights.
Migration policies focused on securitisation with minimal humanitarian intervention have dominated over rights-based policy for too long, leading to an enormous number of deaths and untold human suffering. Blocking land borders by building fences between Morocco and Spain has led to migrants risking their lives and dying in appalling numbers by taking the alternate route across the Mediterranean Sea. The UK government has responded only with fences to the people's suffering in Calais. Whilst Hungary is building fences and blocking the travel of asylum-seekers and detaining them in camps; rather than organising their transport to European countries like Germany and Sweden who are fulfilling their duty to guarantee rights and provide protection.
Labeling the situation a 'migrant crisis' and now 'refugee crisis' has contributed to the justification of securitisation policies. Unfortunately this also conflates with humanitarian migrant organisations use of 'crisis' language in their rush to help.
In reality, 86 percent of the world's refugees are living in developing countries. The influx of migrants into Europe in 2015 is only 0.068 percent of the EU's population, thus there is capacity to accept them. These situations are not something that have suddenly happened - they have been going on for a long duration with states lacking the political will to act and cooperate on recommendations for safe and legal routes for migrants and asylum-seekers. Instead the smugglers have organised their unsafe perilous journeys or they have fallen victim to human traffickers leading to untold human tragedies.
Reframing the people as refugees rather than migrants has also contributed finally towards more compassion and greater pressure on Governments to act with campaigns such as "Refugees Welcome". As this builds there is immediate relief that asylum-seekers may now receive a more united EU response to recognise and guarantee their rights under the 1951 International Convention on the Status of Refugees. Hopefully given the massive resettlement that is currently required in the world, it will also ignite similar campaigns elsewhere in rich and developed countries.
What will be the impact of this on anti-migrant rhetoric and discourse that undermines rights? Kalungan is concerned that in a similar way to the so-called 'boat crisis' in South East Asia, that there is a false dichotomy being constructed between migrants and refugees, with the latter being privileged as 'more deserving' of our empathy and protection. Bangladeshis who suffered at the hands of human traffickers had rights too and were no less deserving of our compassion and rights-based intervention than the Rohingya. We must challenge this construction to avoid negative long-term effects in the politics of protection of migrants.
Let us act in solidarity with all migrants!
We call for the following for all migrants and asylum-seekers in Europe:
1. Immediately expand and intensify the search and rescue operations of the women, men and children, whose lives remain at risk at sea in overcrowded boats.
2. Provide organised transportation to countries fulfilling their duty to guarantee their right to asylum.
3. Provide rights-based protection in all EU countries and immediate medical attention with state funding.
4. Release those who were inhumanely confined in detention. Provide humane treatment and safe
open accommodation for all.
5. Comply with the obligation to protect children as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, (1989).
6. Do not send them back to face persecution and death - Respect the norm of non-refoulement.
7. Facilitate access to justice with free legal services.
8. Monitor and protect these people from any further human rights violations.
9. Guarantee their rights under the 1951 International Convention on the Status of Refugees - grant asylum, not just humanitarian rescue and assistance.
10. Challenge consistently any dehumanising anti-migrant language and behaviours, including myths and negative stereotypes.
11. Revoke laws that prevent family reunification
12. Suspend the Dublin Regulation, under which the EU country where a migrant first arrives is supposed to process the migrant's asylum claim.
13. Act now to create a comprehensive, co-ordinated and ambitious regional binding solution for safe and legal routes for all migrants into Europe. Do not externalize the problem risking even worse human rights violations.
Recognising our common humanity regardless of nationality, race, religion or other status
Let us always act in solidarity to guarantee the rights of all migrants to protection and justice everywhere in the world.
Kanlungan Centre Foundation Inc.
77 K-10 Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Email: email@example.com
Migrants' Challenge to the Philippines Bureau of Customs
Migrants' Challenge to the Philippines Bureau of Customs
'Handle with care' - this is the note usually attached to the balikbayan box. This box has come to represent the traditional way Filipino migrants extend their love and affection to their loved ones back home. The sacrifices of every migrant worker is somewhat eased whenever they connect with their families by sending their remittances and the much awaited balikbayan box.
The recent attempt by the Bureau of Customs, headed by Commissioner Alberto Lina to impose random physical inspection of balikbayan boxes in order to counteract smuggling and loss of revenue shows blatant disrespect for this important family tradition and all migrant workers. These hardworking people were responsible for a record-high contribution of USD 24.3 billion in remittances in 2014, yet they are disrespected by being likened to smugglers and their important family connection pursued for careless disruption.
What did this proposal reveal about the political issues and financial interests that surround this issue?
1. Commissioner Lina instead of targeting the migrant workers and tarnishing them with petty criminality, should focus on the big-time smugglers and the enormous amounts of vital revenue lost to our impoverished people. How much revenue is lost on smuggled luxury cars and items for the rich? How was it possible that large containers of waste coming from Canada were not detected by our customs and able to enter the country freely? We want to see big smugglers put behind bars first, then perhaps the office might gain some credibility.
2. Forwarding companies like that of Commissioner Lina's business Air 21 , which has an average annual shipment of 5 million balikbayan boxes would definitely have benefited from the stricter rules. Private forwarding companies already have easy access to their
customers data thanks to the poor data protection associated with tracking of boxes.
Subsequently, migrant workers are now routinely bombarded with advertising. Additionally inappropriate use of this data by his company allows government agencies to forward documents and notices pertaining to labour cases to migrants – how much profit does his company make from this? How much revenue is lost to the duty exception given to selected forwarders?
3. There are numerous complaints of lost and damaged balikbayan boxes from migrants and their families. Is the government not concerned about the desecration of the box that connects filipino families? What is the Bureau doing about minimising delay in delivery due to inspection, compensating for lost and stolen items and holding those responsible to account? What legal mechanism is there for migrant workers voice to be heard, apart from resorting to social media to complain?
4. Before subjecting the migrants care packages to scutiny, let us first open the accounts of employees and all officials working in the bureau. For every Filipino it is an open secret that the Bureau of Customs is tainted with corruption and bribery issues. Even shippers and cargo forwarders will attest to the rampant corruption. Whilst migrant workers and their activities come under ever increasing surveillance and control, transparency and accountability of government agencies continues to remain elusive.
5. It is appalling that this issue has been exploited by political rivals of the current administration and even aspiring presidential candidates to boost their political campaigns. This insensitivity demonstrates how politicians view the migrant workers in general: as 'milking cows' for remittances and later as captured votes for the election. Shame on politician's for using this emotive issue for migrants to advance their political agenda!
There must end to the creation of any policies that place an additional burden on migrant workers. Let us see evidence of real commitment to the social welfare of these filipinos rather than just viewing them through an economic lens. The government's focus should be to prioritize services offered to migrant workers and their families, especially women migrant workers who are often victims and survivors of abuse and exploitation.
Stop harassing the migrant workers and their families!
Kanlungan Centre Foundation Inc.
77 K-10 Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Call for Justice for All Domestic Workers!
Call for Justice for All Domestic Workers!
We celebrate International Domestic Workers day, recognising the significant contribution of domestic workers to the global economy and to everyone's lives.
We must unite on this workers day in international solidarity to demand human and labour rights and justice for all women and men who perform domestic work.
Domestic workers are situated in structural inequality within the global neoliberal political economy; the local economy and households
Around the world neoliberal agendas have led to a growth in inequality. The human cost of structural adjustment programmes imposed in developing countries has been harsh - from budget cuts to privatisation policies aimed at reducing the role of the state and the deregulation of the market to open the local economy to global competition and foreign investment. There has been a shift from an informal sector to an informal economy with more precarious exploitative and unprotected forms of jobs and a decline in wages. It is in context in which women and men contemplate migrating to work overseas.
We call for an end to migrants being forced into low-wage domestic work by challenging the unjust conditions and policies that deny them a meaningful 'choice'.
Everyone is thinking of going overseas because of poverty [inequality - no redistribution], to find a good job that will be enough for the family, especially with the increasing cost of living with privatization.
I went overseas to work because of a problem with my husband.
The problem here in our country is a lack of jobs and the salary is much higher in other countries.
For someone like me who could not finish studying I cannot work in an office only as a domestic worker or factory worker. I really want to be a teacher.
Kanlungan has found 60 to 70% of domestic workers are either college graduates or tertiary educated. Despite their education these women were forced into underemployment as domestic workers.
If I could choose a job, I would want a better job like simple office work as a secretary or a job that will make you known and rise up in a position more. I would like to serve in the government in order to help the poor.
Overseas job opportunities are highly gendered with women migrant workers only being offered employment in low-wage 'feminised work' such as domestic work, caregiving, entertainment sectors and nursing.
All domestic workers in a Kanlungan survey said NO - they would not want their daughter to be employed in domestic work.
Some workers are denied the opportunity to migrate due to lack of resources.
The Philippine government's aggressive labour export policy, especially of domestic workers leads to the promotion of cheap labour to compete with other sending countries. There are contradictory policies between regulating labour migration whilst at the same time targeting a 1 million deployment per year. The government promotes domestic work by creating and marketing the concept of 'super maids' and 'world-class domestic workers'.
We recognise reduced levels of state public accountability for family under neoliberal regimes in some countries and gender inequalities in families has led to a greater demand for the labour of domestic workers without subsequent recognition of its value.
Decent work and dignity for all domestic workers worldwide
We are one with migrant domestic workers who suffer injustices in the workplace:
No freedom, you are always incarcerated- you must be free to do what you want. No proper wages, rape, 24/7 work, physical abuse, not enough food, not enough rest especially in the evening and not having a weekly day off; being viewed and treated as lowly, stupid or a slave; cannot protect themselves from abuse or exploitation without further threat of violence or loss of job and being sent home; sometimes being framed up, accused of stealing; not having their own sleeping quarters or room; and the high cost of placement fee.
We recognise some domestic workers have a positive migrant experience based on suwerte suwerte lang - luck, through the random encounter with a 'kind' employer, rather than recognition of their entitlement to labour rights in the workplace.
We condemn the expectation that domestic workers 'perform' a subordinated role, which makes them particularly susceptible to violent abuse. Many are subject to control and surveillance practices by their employer and recruitment agents; some end up in forced labour situations. Stigmatizing societal and state stereotypes, derogative labels and the commoditised marketing by some recruitment agencies, shapes the inhumane treatment of migrant domestic workers.
We call for an end to so-called 'protection' for women domestic workers being conflated with confinement to oppress in some workplaces, training centres and shelters. This gendered system of control has led to social exclusion and created unsafe living conditions for women migrant workers where physical and sexual violence occurs. There must be rights-based gender sensitive social protection for domestic workers.
We recognise the wider structures of inequality and lack of resources that impact upon the domestic workers' ability to claim rights and call for their transformation.
In keeping with the neoliberal agendas of privatization, states have created the conditions for private actors including employers to control low-wage migrant domestic workers. Exclusion of domestic work from labour laws; the impunity of recruitment agents and employers; lack of enabling conditions for access to justice; gender inequality and resistance by states to commit and comply with international instruments to protect the rights of migrants workers: All are significant in creating structural conditions for exploitation and abuse of migrant domestic workers.
Participation of domestic workers is the foundation upon which justice for domestic workers must be built
Now is the time to unite and show solidarity with domestic workers - to move beyond treating domestic workers as the 'subject' and paying lip service to their empowerment.
Let us end the culture of consultation: domestic workers must be central in all stages of policy-making and importantly the framing of their struggle. There must be direct capacity building rather than a hierarchical chain with no real evidence of transfer to the migrant workers themselves.
We must be vigilant against the growth in neoliberal 'technical advocacy' with its professionalization of advocacy where trained 'experts' speak for domestic workers. This reinforces their subordination and adds another layer to the 'migration industry'.
Now is the time is build the direct collective bargaining power of domestic workers in trade unions and associations.
We must build and strengthen the commitment to a grassroots movement to: forge solidarity; ensure activist thinking from the position of the disadvantaged; to ensure framing and mobilisation is based upon what domestic workers want; to improve their situation and emancipate them.
As with any movement, those affected must speak for themselves.
We call for solidarity with migrant domestic workers by:
§ Recognising domestic work as work
§ Building and supporting solidarity between domestic workers
§ Ensuring migrant workers are well represented in conferences on their situation.
§ Strengthening labour and women's movements support for the domestic workers' struggle.
§ Ending human and labour rights violations of migrant domestic workers and demanding rights-based gender sensitive social protection
§ Challenging the dominance of neoliberal policies and inequalities in the global political economy and migrant management approaches that limit social and gender justice.
§ Calling for the ratification and compliance with the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (C189); the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families and the Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Justice for all domestic workers!Domestic Workers Unite!
77 K-10 Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Email: email@example.com
Call for Rights-based Protection and Justice for All Migrants!
Call for Rights-based Protection and Justice for All Migrants!
We welcome the humanitarian response of governments who have begun search and rescue of the Rohingya and Bangladeshi people at sea and offered them temporary refuge.
Migrants trapped at sea on boats is not a new phenomenon in the region, neither is the daily reality of the struggles and plight of refugees and many migrants forced to live in fear and face discrimination, exploitation, violence and death. Visibility of this long-term problem of brutality rite large demands both protection and justice.
The latest exposure of mass graves and trafficking camps on the militarised Thai-Malaysian border has again rendered visible the tragic consequences of the regional conditions of: inequality and injustice; the decades-long persecution of Rohingya people and inadequate refugee protection; systemic corruption; the structural labour demands for trafficked and smuggled people in our economies (and lifestyles) and beyond; restrictive immigration policies; and lack of commitment in practice to rights-based labour migration and protection for low-income workers.
These conditions have allowed the criminal large-scale trafficking industry to flourish for years, despite being an open secret in the region.
Now is the time for ASEAN member states to demonstrate the collective political will to convert responsibility into practice and demonstrate a commitment to the protection and access to justice of all migrants.
Now is the time for ASEAN to show solidarity, respect for human rights for all and move beyond rhetoric to abide with the principle of being people-centred.
We call for action by ASEAN member states, the ASEAN people, and the International community to:
Intensify the search and rescue operations of the women, men and children whose precious lives remain at risk at sea in overcrowded boats.
§ Monitor, guarantee rights and provide transparency of the human rights situation of all those who have made it ashore.
Establish an independent oversight committee, inclusive of civil society.
§ Provide humane treatment and safe open accommodation for all who have been rescued at sea or from the brutal hands of traffickers.
§ Ensure that family members remain in contact and comply with the obligation to protect children as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
§ Provide rights-based protection for all with access to free legal services and health care - with initial assessments of need by a qualified professional.
§ Recognise the devastation of sexual violence on women lives: provide psychosocial support and prosecute perpetrators.
§ Do not send the Rohingya people back to face persecution and death - Uphold the principle of non-refoulement and respect their agency to escape.
§ Respect the mobility rights, right to life and development of Bangladeshi people. No deportation without due process.
§ Investigate and ensure justice for all those who died and their families left behind.
Move beyond humanitarian assistance to prevention and justice: No more repetitions. Develop comprehensive regional binding solutions that address the long-term conditions responsible for the deaths and devastation of an untold number of lives over the decades.
We urge the entire ASEAN community to unite and be in solidarity with these people - Remain vigilant and steadfast in ending these injustices against migrants.
Rights-based Protection and Justice for All !!!
Kanlungan Centre Foundation, Inc.
77 K-10 Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
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Public blockchains such as NEM allow anyone to join the network to freely share and receive data. However, most businesses require their information to be kept confidential. In such cases, NEM provides a customizable approach through their permissioned ledgers an based on NEM technology, Mijin provides this powerful functionality. In such cases, NEM provides a customizable approach through a private permissioned ledger option based on the same NEM platform technology. Tech Bureau provides an excellent packaged NEM private blockchain solution in the form of their Mijin product.
NEM provides the ability to seamlessly build upon any previous systems that have been developed in the blockchain arena, without the need for rewriting any existing code.
"Our mission is to reduce the costs of financial infrastructure to 1/10th of present costs, by 2018."
Tech Bureau CEO, Takao Asayama
Tech Bureau is a FinTech and cryptocurrency company that develops software and services based on blockchain technology. Tech Bureau has developed Mijin the private blockchain software based on NEM technology, and Zaif, a Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange platform.
Mijin offers seamless integration with existing systems offering all the benefits from blockchain technology with minimal changes to the codebase.
Mijin blockchains operate on a peer-to-peer network that does not require expensive equipment nor redundant infrastructure.
Being a permissioned ledger, Mijin allows its users to establish a secure and private peer-to-peer network with little to no setup efforts.
Mijin is used in production environments delivering over 4.000 transactions per second (tps) and zero downtime.
Mijin infrastructure accomplishes zero downtime systems as long as there is at least one node that continues running on the network.
Unlike it's public counterpart, the private network does not require transaction fees to ensure network integrity.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: This article focuses on sustainability information in large-sized companies in Europe. The aim of this article is to examine sustainability information in large-sized companies in European countries and the effect that the different national cultures might have on how sustainability is informed. The theoretical frameworks used are stakeholder theory, legitimacy, accountability, and national culture. The study has a qualitative approach, and data were collected during the spring of 2017 from 100 companies in five European countries (Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden). Data were collected from websites, written documents, and other secondary sources. The results show that there are both differences between companies within each country and between countries. Companies in different countries focus on different aspects of sustainability in their information. The theoretical contribution this study makes is a model that can be used as a tool when discussing sustainability among large-sized companies in Europe. Practical implications include new knowledge of national differences between large-sized companies in how they work with sustainability, which could be of use to companies trying to enter other European markets.


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[NOTE: If you are happy, and don't want to become highly frustrated (with me), do not read this blog post. It's "special."]
Going to the store for groceries or just going for a walk, always gives me ideas for topics to write about.
The latest one was an idea to a post called The Chair Conundrum. It's about why people are so gung-ho about sitting in the same spot all the time. And how they will act like a childer when you sit in "their" chair. I am not talking about the La-Z-Boy occupied by the Head of the Household, but seats in a public environment. Mostly in schools or at work.
Anyways, when I have bought the groceries, and I'm walking back home from the store, I will get more and more excited about writing. When I get home, the excitement will only increase until the last food item has found its temporary home inside my refrigerator.
But then, I will grab a newly purchased snack (chocolate or something equally bad for me), sit down and watch an episode of American Dad. After all, I just walked all the way to the store and back. I deserve a small break before starting to write.
However, after watching the first episode, I will always watch the next one, and then the third one. Before I know it, I will start binging. And increasingly feeling worse and worse, crashing from my creative high as well as my sugar high. I usually observed the actions of Roger the Alien, while thinking: "That is me." Minus the drugs and alcohol abuse, of course. I am a goddamn bum, that will never deserve to look other people in the eyes as equals.
I end up going to sleep as a broken man, trying to forget the failure of the day. The sun will come out tomorrow, and so on.
But I know that the next day the process will repeat itself. And I'll still believe that I'm going to write when I get home.
My God! Do I make myself sick sometimes. What the actual fuck! Oh, I can't bring myself to write, and I'm feeling sad about it. Tough. People are dying out there, and I'm all like: "Woe is me because I can't put words together."
You know, while I'm writing this, I'm listened to God Knows. A song that appears in a anime I never have seen and probably never will. But the song is kickass! However, I don't understand the lyrics (because it's in Japanese). Of course, that is actually a good thing if you are writing. It keeps your mind more focused on the task at hand.
The YouTube video to the music is a bit weird. The band consists of a bunny girl, a girl witch, and two ordinary school girls. The Bunny girl is the vocalist and plays the guitar; the witch is a backup guitarist; one of the regular school girls is on bass (As I understand it, the bass has four strings); and the other ordinary school girl is on drums. The one guy that sticks out from the crowd is this casual-headbanging guy. He is all like: "Yeah … YEAH, I like this, it has great casual-headbanging-tempo!"
I can't believe how idiotic it is to write this text. It will not bring any benefit to the reader, only confusion. (https://youtu.be/QHmH1xQ2Pf4?t=23s).
I don't know what happened. No, that is a lie. I wrote directly from my "stream of consciousness." This is me without any rules of structure, baby. I could most likely, with the power of the Internet, create a decent essay with well-structured paragraphs and a thought-provoking message. But screw that for now.
Wow! That was forced. And it's not endorsed. … I'll stop now.
Since I'm already complaining, can I ask something to you native English-speakers? Why the hell are you guys set on writing the word "business" the way you do. The only way for me to remember how to write it is to go "busy-ness." Language is hard enough to learn without all this pronunciation trickery. Stop making it even harder for me. It's time to stop!
Of course, I know the word "business" is probably not the worst offender of this crime, but it has lately come under my radar for some reason.
I like cats. They are just so cute and lovable. For example, look at this gif here!
Oh, that was a puppy dog*. But the point still stands, cats are adorable.
*: Or at least the link was to a puppy, it might have been taken down in the future.


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[4 stars]
Altered Carbon is solid science fiction. This also means it has struggled to find an audience. If you want real science fiction set in worlds that have been thought through and, sure, with plenty of violence and skin, you need to see and support it, or we'll lose another opportunity.
This series was ably adapted for Netflix by Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Terminator: Genisys), based on Morgan's award winning book. The world has some holes and gaps, but it is a believable society based on how the tech affected it. The show also has some incredibly complex plotlines going through it. In fact, probably a bit too complicated at times…the last couple of episodes have to rush to the end with a lot of rapid exposition to fill in the answers that are being revealed.
Driving the action, Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad) puts in one of his better performances. Alongside him is a kickass detective played by Martha Higareda (Royal Pains). A slew of great minor characters are around them, but it is their show through and through. Worth calling out, though, are Chris Conner's delightfully weird and fun Poe and Dichen Lachman's (Dollhouse) powerful and complex Reileen.
Adult science fiction is rare off the big screen (and not particularly prevalent on the big screen either). Typically, what is offered is something between Star Trek and Game of Thrones. In other words, something that may tackle tough issues, but usually in watered down or palatable ways without actually working through the true implications of the world that was created or the consequences of actions. Flash and action often substitute for actual logic and plot.
There are some exceptions. Humans is a current show that tries to tackle and deal with the implications of AI. Sense8, as well, took on a world altered by the possibility of gestalt entities. Farscape tackled an empire structured society with significant biotech. But, more often than not, you end up with something more like Stargate, Orphan Black, or The Walking Dead, all highly entertaining, but not good science fiction.
So, if you want the real stuff (with a bit of HBOness to it, without the HBO) jump on Altered Carbon so we can get another season. Even if we don't, this 10 ep run is self-contained enough to not leave you hanging, but there is so much more to explore if they're given the time to do so.


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Humble Pie
This article is a formal apology for publishing and distributing false doctrine.
A message to our readers
Dear Reader,
From the start, the purpose of Believethesign.com has been to provide evidence to support truth. Having grown up in a Message Church, the truth being supported was naturally that William Branham was Elijah the Prophet in fulfillment of Malachi 4:5 and Revelation 10:7. In the fall of 2011, we changed the main scripture reference of the website to "Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) in order shift the focus of the site clearly onto Jesus Christ.
The driving force behind this change is that we uncovered a number of significant issues with the evidence supporting William Branham's prophetic ministry, as he proclaimed it. Since that time, we have also uncovered issues with his honesty, his healing ministry, and his word of knowledge.
In 1963, William Branham said:
What you now read on Believethesign.com should be an accurate historic account of William Branham's life. By bringing to light supportable evidence, we hope that you find yourself in a better position to separate any pits from the pie.
However, there is another analogy that concerns us even more.
In 1965 William Branham said:
This quote was made over 50 years ago. As a result, the question must be asked: Is it time to move on?
While our responsibility is simply to present the truth in love, our concern is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been replaced with a bowl full of rotten manna in Message Churches. Some of our major concerns are are described in the pages that are linked from this page (just click on the colored headings to go to the detail pages). Why it took so long for these things to surface is not clear.
If you find that the evidence on this site has misled you in the past, we apologize. Furthermore, if you can find anything in this website that is not accurate, please let us know and we will change it.
Thankfully, humble pie is always fresh.
Problems With Prophecies
The following list contains the articles on Believethesign of prophecies made by William Branham. Beside the prophecy is a short summary of an issue that calls into question the validity of the prophecy. Some of these prophecies may still come to pass, while others cannot because they are in the past. The unfortunate truth is it appears that William Branham was more "miss some" than "hit some" with his prophecies.
Click on headings if you want to read detailed commentary on a particular issue.
The Vision of the Meetings in South Africa
The Voice on the Ohio River in 1933
Florida under water
Are There Any Real Prophecies???
If William Branham was not accurate with even one of his prophecies, then this calls into question his authority as an infallible prophet. While some of these prophecies may still come to pass, other have definitely missed the mark. In the end his prophetic scorecard appears to be "you hit some, you miss some", and not something you can trust.
General Credibility
Was William Branham honest? If he can be shown to have distorted the truth or if his stories are constantly changing over time such that he cannot be believed, this would cast doubt on virtually everything that he said. The following list contains issues that will raise questions regarding his honesty, integrity and truthfulness. Some of these concerns have only recently come to light but they are now sufficient in number to raise genuine concern on the part of anyone who is a follower of William Branham.
Many followers of William Branham are prepared to excuse the lack of credibility by pointing to Biblical characters such as David (who committed adultery with Bathsheba) or Jacob (who lied to obtain the birthright). The problem is that the New Testament does not allow for such latitude in morality. For example,
Click on headings if you want to read detailed commentary on a particular issue.
The Explanation for His Poor Grammar
Doctrinal Issues
William Branham did teach things that can be supported by the Bible. However, some of William Branham's theology is just plain wrong and some of his teaching suffers from what we call "Lazy Theology" (he did not take the time to really understand what the Bible said on an issue). These are both serious problems from someone that held himself out to be a divine interpreter of the Bible.
Also, a number of William Branham's significant teachings appear to have been borrowed in large part from other men. The details of our finding on this issue can be found in our article on Plagiarism.
The primary purpose of this website is to provide a balanced, unbiased information on the ministry of William Branham. We therefore have a number of articles that discuss his doctrinal teachings. We have not removed them, but over time will be augmenting them with comments relating to how they relate to a more orthodox position. Some of these teachings include:
Seven Church Ages, Seven Seals, Mystery Babylon
If you are curious as to a sample of William Branham's doctrines that we feel cannot be supported by scripture (we hope to have articles on these issues in the future), they include but are not limited to:
For more on this topic, please read our article on Doctrines.
Problems with Eyewitness Testimonies
When this site was created, we were very selective regarding the testimonies that were posted on this site. We verified testimonies, checked them with records we could find, interviewed people we knew and trusted, and looked for respectable character references. Despite our best intentions to present verifiable evidence, we have had to remove a few testimonies of people who we could no longer trust.
We encourage you to be vigilant before relying on the testimonies of witnesses.
A Prophet Visits South Africa, by Julius Stadsklev
We have also learned of many sad stories of physical, sexual and mental abuse by Ministers and others in the Message. One thing we have learned is that the Message may look clean from the outside, but it has a dirty core and bad fruit. Ern Baxter said this about William Branham's ministry years ago:
Prophecy of his passing
In early 1964, a prophecy was communicated to William Branham that he would pass off the scene before the end of 1965 because of an error he would make. We have researched this prophecy as detailed by Kenneth Hagin and Gordon Lindsay's wife Freda, and found it to be accurate enough to cause concern.
If you have evidence that you are willing to share that can answer any of the following questions, we would love to move any of these items from "serious problems" to "good evidence", or update our summary of specific prophecies.
Where do we stand now?
Here are some simple questions and answers that will outline the perspective of the editors of www.believethesign.com:
The gifts of healing and of the word of knowledge are gifts of the Holy Spirit that are placed in the church for the benefit of all. There is no scripture in the New Testament that state that these gifts are vindication for a special prophetic ministry.
William Branham seemed to really, really want to be an Old Testament-style prophet. Sadly, the Old Testament prophets were not able to live up to the law that they were under. Solomon had the gift of wisdom, but ended up worshiping false gods. Samson had the gift of strength, but ended up powerless to temptation. Even Moses and David had faults that got them in trouble with God.To become an Old Testament prophet, William Branham had to start teaching the law. He began focusing on outward conformation to the "rules" in the Bible (tithing, hair, divorce), and eventually left the weightier matters.
Today, if you go into a message church, you will often hear a long sermon that will likely end with a focus on outward conformity (proper clothes, hair, doctrine, pray more, be more sincere), the "vindications" (stories about his healing and discernment ministry) or comparisons (such as, "I'm glad we're not like secular Christians who aren't saved by knowing Message doctrine, like we are"). You will also find people who just can't seem to conform to the preaching, others who can willingly meet all the rules but don't understand why, and people who need (but are unable to access) the healing that is being preached and promised.
The sad part is that these people are all Christians who have simply forgotten the power of faith in Jesus' atonement, and replaced it with faith in a gifted man.
William Branham said that every man will get caught by money, power or women. For him, what originated as a gift of healing became a display of power over diseases, which seems to have ultimately led to a desire for dominion over the church through his "my way or the highway" preaching.
So, William Branham's life may more closely parallel Solomon's life, or Samson's life, than Elijah's life. Or, he may have been a complete fraud.
If you experienced "disequilibrium" when you read this article (frustration, nausea, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, or other similar symptoms), this is only natural. It is a condition that is referred to as Cognitive Dissonance.
The main question is where do we go from here? The answer is back to the grace of the New Testament covenant. Sound strange? If so, it's because we as message believers haven't realized (or forgot) that it was Jesus' blood, and not William Branham's doctrine, that has kept us clean before God. Even though we really know that in our hearts, we haven't let it permeate our being like the scriptures teach.
So, this letter is an encouragement to get back to our first love, Jesus Christ, and the Good News of his grace. If you need help, please click on this link.
May the Lord Jesus Christ lead you in his light,
Jeremy Bergen, Editor


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Confessions, Realizations, and Intentional Blindness
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Here I sit one year post the official termination of a marriage that spanned nearly three decades, several years post separation, nearly a decade post a major downturn in my life that greatly affected my behavior, the behavior of others once close, my present, my future, and the lives of people I deeply love.
For those of you that have followed my writings through the tumultuous times of the last ten years or so you've seen my desperation, my attempts to breathe, my attempts to laugh off serious issues, and my running from demons clawing at my soul. Many of you saw what I couldn't, or wouldn't, see.
At the time I had no valid reasons to explain why I was running except that I felt as if I was trying to escape something deep within my being that was constantly tormenting me. I could never exactly pinpoint where those feelings came from. I only knew that they were there, they were real, and they were killing me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ashamedly I must admit I never saw how my downfall pulled others into blackness as well.
I had many theories, some valid and some I now feel were me grasping for straws to explain what was happening and were so very wrong. We all have different perceptions of what we go through, some true, some partially true, and some totally wrong. Choices I've made, as we all have, fit squarely into all of those categories. I only want to, need to, focus on mine. I was unable, at the time, to see how in trying to control my out of control mind I ended up, unintentionally, controlling what I thought I could, and in doing so left a wake of damage.
In the midst of it all I lost track of my true self, I made terrible (although unknown at the time) mistakes, or as someone I dearly love pointed out "choices." I realize I wrote a while back that I would tell the story in detail in the hopes of helping others. What I've come to realize on this bumpy journey is that the only details I need to focus on are the ones that caused my personal downfall, the ones I brought on myself, and not to look to the actions, real or perceived, of others. I can explore those in privacy, with my therapist, and not cast blame on someone when I really need to be searching for the reasons behind my own failures and bad choices, and not tarnish the reputations of others in the process.
Four people close to me shook me, some gently and some harshly, into the realization that in doing so I was avoiding looking at the damage I caused, taking ownership for it, and because of that I was avoiding real issues with me that I was before afraid to admit and therefore unable to work on.
I want no further finger pointing, blaming, harsh words or vague insinuations. I want to focus on myself, my healing, my wrong actions, and becoming a better person. What's past is past, although it continues to haunt me, and I think enough time has past that, with the help of those that know me best, I can look back and identify my failings. I don't want to speak of my opinions regarding what I perceived of the failings of others. That won't help me heal, it will not allow me to focus on what I need to repair myself and the damage I caused, it would only divert me from what I need to change in myself and hurt my loved ones more, and I don't want that to happen. I hope that makes sense, you have to remember I'm 53, blonde, and my thoughts are scattered much of the time.
I'm a writer. I write for many reasons. One is to better understand myself, one is for my own therapy, one is to make people chuckle, and one is to encourage those in similar situations. I started this particular blog when I was wrongly diagnosed with bipolar disorder 2. My intentions were multi-pronged in that I wanted healing, self awareness, and I had read so many blog posts of others continually whining about bipolar that I wanted to show people they could take charge of what they were dealing with and not allow their diagnosis control them. I had good intentions with what I thought I knew at the time, but in doing so I miserably failed my loved ones, and most importantly myself.
I've avoided writing during these past few years for a several reasons. One was that the confusion that filled my brain wouldn't allow me to focus. Another is that, even though I didn't do a good job at it, I thought I was avoiding "vengeance." I didn't do a great job at that. I'm impulsive and at times I have written about my feelings, and personal situation, in a way that hurt others perhaps in order to do just that veiled as an attempt to help myself, perhaps for therapy, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps....
In doing so I hurt those I should have protected. You would think that with as much therapy as I've had I would have realized many things, and I failed in spectacular ways, in so many areas. I have forgiven everyone I perceived that had hurt me, and I have asked forgiveness of those that I know I have hurt.
I'm emerging from the darkness that had enveloped me with the help of those that witnessed my demise, my changing personality, my fleeing my own demons. I've never pretended to be perfect, but I did attempt to appear more pulled together than I was. I was attempting to control my out of control life. In saying that I am not blaming anyone, I am simply saying my life was out of control and on a downward spiral.
Was I the only one in the wrong? No I wasn't. Everyone involved made mistakes, choices, mainly unintentional, but I don't want to spotlight those, I only want to work on myself so I can be what my Creator intended for me, and to do my best to bring glory to Him. I realize some of you have different spiritual beliefs, and I respect them, I'm not preaching to anyone, I'm only trying to get back on track for myself and for those I love.
To the people that have helped me this past week or so, you know who you are, I have to thank you for everything you all have done to allow me, or force me, to take a deeper look at myself. You have made me see were I was blind, or unwilling to see the actions of mine that contributed to this perfect storm. I hold nothing against you, I can only thank you for stances you took, reaching out when you did, and loving me in spite of my craziness. Those actions you took have helped me emerge from the darkness I had surrounded myself with in the attempt to control my very out of control world.
After a very long conversation a couple of days ago I realized how deeply I affected a person I had tried to protect my entire life. I was in mama bear mode and didn't see, until just recently, I should have known when the time was right to step away from mama bear mode and allow my child the ability to breathe, learn, make mistakes, grow, think, fight, on her own. In fighting to protect her I didn't see I was slowly killing her. I'm not sure if it's normal not to know where the boundaries are with an adult child, or if we all have to learn by trial and error. One thing I can honestly say is that I was blind and needed emotional slapping to be able to realize my failures and address them.
I have a lot of work to do on myself. I've always known that but it hurt too much to get to the root of what I need to in order to be the best I can be for not only myself but for those I love, those I encounter, and those I influence in ways I don't know I do.
I value your insight, I ask for your help, and I cannot begin to express in words how much your support has meant to me through the years.
I do have one thing to ask of a few of you that are stalking me for no reason other than to gossip, burn up phone lines, or talk smack. I know who you are, you know who you are. If you have no interest in me other than to talk smack, stop stalking me from Massachusetts and Texas.
A Work In Progress,


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Most VPN service providers offer services globally and thus charge in US Dollars rather than in local currencies, so we've listed pricing in Dollars for the sake of simplicity. Bear in mind that when you click through to the actual deals, you may find the prices automatically displayed in pounds, or whatever your native currency may be.
Here are the best deals we found for getting around ISPs trying to slow down our connections:
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This easy-to-use VPN has 1,000 servers across 20+ locations with support for up to five devices. TunnelBear is a great choice for novice users as it is simple to setup and includes a wide range of native clients for desktop and mobile. The company also offers a free plan that limits users to 500MB per month but with this deal you can raise it to 5GB.
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Check out the best VPN services of 2017 and visit thebestvpnfor.me to get the best VPN deals and offers on the market, straight from our VPN team.


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I hooked up a force-sensitive resistor with a 10k ohm resistor as my analog input, and a RC servo motor to a breadboard and Arduino microcontroller to see how analog input can control a servo motor. This was a really fun lab.
The FSR sensor returned a range of values 0 to 800, but when I mapped the full range of values to the servo motor's angles, the wheel only spun 3/4 of the way around. So, then I tried using a range of 0 to 500, and that worked much better and made the wheel spin 360 degrees! I attached little red and green wires to the top of the wheel to show the "spin".
This code will tell the microcontroller to move the servo as the value of the FSR changes:
int servoPin = 2; // Control pin for servo motor int minPulse = 500; // Minimum servo position int maxPulse = 2500; // Maximum servo position int pulse = 0; // Amount to pulse the servo long lastPulse = 0; // the time in milliseconds of the last pulse int refreshTime = 20; // the time needed in between pulses int analogValue = 0; // the value returned from the analog sensor int analogPin = 0; // the analog pin that the sensor's on void setup() { pinMode(servoPin, OUTPUT); // Set servo pin as an output pin pulse = minPulse; // Set the motor position value to the minimum Serial.begin(9600); } void loop() { analogValue = analogRead(analogPin); // read the analog input Serial.println(analogValue); pulse = map(analogValue,0,500,minPulse,maxPulse); // convert the analog value to a range between minPulse and maxPulse // pulse the servo again if the refresh time (20 ms) has passed: if (millis() - lastPulse >= refreshTime) { digitalWrite(servoPin, HIGH); // Turn the motor on delayMicroseconds(pulse); // Length of the pulse sets the motor position digitalWrite(servoPin, LOW); // Turn the motor off lastPulse = millis(); // save the time of the last pulse } }
Servo Motor Control with Arduino from Suzanne Kirkpatrick on Vimeo.
3 Responses to "Lab – Servo Motor Control with Arduino"
on Jan 6th, 2012 said:
Thanks for interesting topic on servo and programming. I have a question ! i would like to bring the servo arm back to its orignal position after 2 minutes how would i do that in the program.
only started progamming a couple of weeks ago so still a beginner.
Thanks for the article
Regards Terence
on Feb 16th, 2014 said:
can a 360 servo be set to move like a 180. ex : i want it ti pos 36 then to pos 360
Please Wait


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Introducing the Fan List
April 29, 2014
Dave Coffin
We've got the most powerful fan filtering tools in the industry. We track all your fans' activity and put the power in your hands.
Detailed Fan Data
We gather loads of data about every single one of your fans. This gives you the power to maximize your brand's visibility and profit. We keep track of their spending habits, personal contact information, promotion activity, even their whereabouts with FanCheck.in.
Powerful Fan Filtering
All that data can be hard to digest, so we created a filtering tool that will let you target specific groups of your fans. To understand the
power, you have to experiment, but here are some examples of how specific you can get:
Find fans that...
- ...live in Massachusetts AND have NOT bought your Live in Boston album.
- ...have purchased your first album, but have NOT purchased your second album.
- ...live within 30 miles of San Francisco AND have gone to at least one of your events.
- ...checked in to your show in Austin, but did NOT download the live recording.
- ...have spent between $1 and $100 AND live in Dover, New Hampshire.
- ...have been to at least one event but have never bought or downloaded anything.
- ...live near Albuquerque and are a VIP fan.
If you want to save certain sets of fans, you can create groups. For example, if you want to quick access to all fans that checked into events in January of 2012, save them into a group.
Saved Searches
Saved Searches are just like groups, except they update automatically. For example, if you save a search of fans in Boston, any new fan from Boston will automatically be added to that saved search. You can then use that saved search to send Emails or Promotions without having to build the whole search again.
Import your fan list into your Nimbit account and start building relationships with your fans today!


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Dear DFS,
I have been working in the same career for many years, but was just recently laid off. Now I am on the job search again, and I'm interviewing with people who are half my age. I haven't been making it to the second round of interviews, and I think I may be coming … Read More


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A search widget helps your customers search for products in your store. You can change the look of the search box itself or use apps to enhance the search.
In this article:
Change search widget design
You can change the look of the search box using CSS.
1. Input box styles:
/* Input box styles */
input.ecwid-search-widget__input[type="text"] {
width: 100px; /* change width as needed*/
height: 20px; /* change height as needed*/
border: solid 1px red; /* change border color */
background-color: blue; /* change background colour */
font-size: 12px; /* change font size in search field */
color: #000000; /* change font color in search field */
change #000000, #ffffff color code as you need according to HTML colour chart
2. "Search" button styles:
/* "Search" button styles */
button.ecwid-search-widget__btn {
width: 20px; /* change width as needed*/
height: 10px; /* change height as needed*/
border: solid 1px #ffffff; /*change border color */
background: transparent url(image/button_search.png) no-repeat bottom center !important; /*add background image*/
Replace the image/button_search.png with the real absolute path to the background image. For example:"http://www.example.com/images/button_bg.png"
3. The search box on Instant Site
.ec-minicart.ec-minicart--pill .ec-minicart.ec-minicart--rect {
border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;
.search-panel .text-field {
background-color: #F3F6F9;
border: 2px solid #DC230A;
Enhance search functionality
Ecwid provides several approaches to broadening search functionality.
You can use one of the Ecwid apps for adding an advanced search to your store.
CloudSearch allows you a various feature set beside the autosuggest:
- synonyms – add similar words to show the same results when searching
- promote certain products when a visitor searches for a specific keyword
- view search stats in your Ecwid Control Panel
This is a paid app with a 30-day free trial.
Product Search Enhancer
The Advanced Search feature, allows to filter by price, categories, keyword, etc.
The app settings allow to customize the widget according to your needs:
- configure Autosuggest
- change the Mouse Hover Popup
- add a custom search field to your site pages
This is a paid app with a 7-day free trial.
Clickable Brand
This is a paid app with a 14-day free trial.
Filter by Color
- Your customers can filter catalog for single or multiple colors
- You can add color filters for a clean, organized layout – your colors will become a part of parent categories
- You can create and add your personal color collections to speed up the process
This app is free.
Alternatively, you can use our Product Filters API to tune up the search in your store according to your needs. Please refer to this article for details: Product Filters API


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Attraction Information
- Parks and Playgrounds
Ages: all ages
Venue type: Outdoor
Goltho Gardens offers 4.5 acres of varied gardens, with plenty to see whatever time of year you visit. A great place for nature fans and budding gardeners.
The Nut walk is at its best during the spring, lined with hazel trees and full of daffodils, catkins, forget me knots and other lovely flowers. Later in the year, the hazel canopy provides a great secluded spot.
The Prairie garden is full of floating grasses and later flowering plants, while the Wild Flower Meadow is filled with wonderful old fashioned grasses and dog daisies, and is a great place to spot butterflies.
There is also a beautiful rose garden, and the Potager, which is a formally laid out working garden that feeds the 3 hungry families who live at Goltho gardens. This gives kids a great chance to learn more about where some of our foods come from. Make sure you take a look over the gate to see the orchard full of cherry, plum and apple trees, and also free range chickens!
- Restaurant Onsite
- Snacks Available
- Onsite Shop
- Toilets Available
- Baby Changing Available
- Disabled Toilets Available
- Wheelchair Friendly
- Pushchair Friendly
- Parking Available On-site
Getting There and Contact Information
Lincoln Road, Goltho, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 5NF, England
Click here to visit Goltho Gardens's website
01673 857768
Standard Opening Times and Pricing
Opening hours
Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 - 16:00
Adults: £5.00, Kids: Free


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All kinds of CRAZY!
Their letters are in yellow, whilst mine are in black & white.
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As I sat there at L.I.A. looking up at that tv and those crazy eyes it was all too obvious what was up. The reporters were celebrating the incredible story of this woman escaping her kidnappers unharmed, interviewing her family, and praising God.
A stranger next to me leaned over and said "She got cold feet because of the wedding. You just wait and see."
Then, sure enough, after questioning, she confessed it was all cold feet. It all also couldn't have been more ironic considering the situation I was in at that moment, but I'd prefer not to get into that right now.
But I fucking love this story. I went to sleep each night there in Michigan with a smile on my face reviewing the highlights of Jennifer's tale.
I believe that this is a pulling back of the covers on the modern Christian family in America. This is suburban USA. These are my hate mailers! This is exactly what happens! Do you see? Do you see?!?
John Mason (refered to as the "love-struck laughingstock" in the Daily News) wouldn't have sex with her until they were married, and they hadn't even lived together yet! And look into her eyes!
Isn't anybody keeping a watch on these adult children? Marriage is a fucking legal contract! Isn't anyone accountable anymore?
If your bride has googly eyes, you need to stand back and reexamine what you're doing! If she sees bilboards up with her face on 'em sparking a nationwide manhunt for her and she stilll hides from you, you need to stop and think maybe this isn't the person you should be having kids with and commiting the rest of your life to.
And iIf your husband-to-be has just found Jesus Christ and refuses to live under the same roof with you because of his promise to God, you shouldn't come out from hiding for at least another year!
Christ, I don't know. Fucking 32 years old and acting this way? Don't get married! Your problems don't have to be everyone else's too! What can I say? I thought I was going somewhere with all of this. I can't believe how adults are acting. What is love?
All opinions, writings, illustrations & designs are that of Normal Bob Smith (C) 2000 - 2012


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The Hausa Service of the BBC may be on the verge to flout pressure from the Presidency and National Assembly trying to stop it from airing the controversial interview granted to it by the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari.
Daily Trust quoted a source within the Abuja Bureau of the BBC as saying that there was a letter from the Presidency asking the BBC Hausa not to air the interview.
The source, who seemed to know a lot on the matter, also stated that the Speaker of the House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara, tried to informally dissuade the media house from airing the interview.
It was also gathered that the son of Buhari's powerful nephew, Mamman Daura, have been called to get the BBC not to use the interview.
In the interview granted to the BBC Hausa, Aisha Buhari had said those who worked for the president have been abandoned for those who don't even have voters card.
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The First Lady also expressed fear of rebellion from the fifteen million people who voted her husband.
She said: "This worries us a lot now. Because they believe they are the ones who suffered, but are no where today.
Those who didn't do anything who don't even have voters' cards are the ones in position, doing everything." "What I am afraid for them is the rebellion of 15 million people."
It was learnt that some prominent persons in the President Muhammadu Buhari kitchen cabinet have reached out to the BBC not to air the full interview as it is suspected that the First Lady might have said more injurious comments.
However, the source maintained that the British Broadcasting house would not withdraw on its promise to air the interview as an independent media organisation.
The source, who craved anonymity, however, stated that the only condition that can make the service not to air the interview is for the interviewee, Aisha Buhari, to decide against it.
Even in that case her voice recanting what she had said in the interview would be aired.
Therefore, a part of the interview will be aired in the service's morning broadcast tomorrow. It will be aired in full on its programme, 'Gane Mini Hanya', on Saturday.
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text: Brenda has been a resident of Ottawa for the past 20 years, but originally hails from Southern Ontario. She joined the Military at the ripe age of 19 fresh out of high school, which is where she got her super duper admin WOW skills from. She has been married for 30 years to a fellow triathlete. She has a back ground in fitness (Pilates, indoor group cycling instructor, Level 1 Triathlon Coach). She spent 8 years in the duathlon world, and moved into the triathlon world 7 years ago. She recently completed Ironman Mont Tremblant 2017 making that her 3rd Ironman Finish. Her interests involve all things triathlon but she loves to trail run in the summer and snowshoe run in the winter as well.


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An infant blood pressure machine is preferred by pediatricians. There are many pieces of equipment that can be used to measure blood pressure in infants, and the main principle in their use is how to use them correctly to ensure a correct reading is obtained. An infant blood pressure machine may have cuffs of variable size that can be changed to be suitable to the child having their blood pressure observed, but it is very important that the right sized cuff is used; otherwise a false reading will be obtained.
It's very important to keep the child calm whilst they have their blood pressure taken. Most children dislike this procedure as it can be uncomfortable; therefore if any sort of excitation occurs in the infant, this may ultimately cause a false reading. Dolls or other interesting toys can be used to try and keep the infant occupied whilst having their blood pressure taken. It's also a good idea to let the child explore the machine to try and lessen their fear of it.
Infant blood pressure machines usually have a digital read out, there is no excuse in this day and age especially in western countries for children to have their blood pressure taken with an old fashioned mercury type sphygmomanometer. It would be virtually impossible to take it this way anyway as the child would become very distressed.
Infant blood pressure machine components often comprise washable parts so if the infant soils parts of the machine, they can be cleaned easily. Some parts of infant blood pressure machines are also disposable, which reduces problems with cross infection if the instrument does become soiled.
The infant blood pressure machine should be thoroughly washed every time it is used, If it is not cleaned thoroughly, disease causing pathogens may spread from one child to another, thus creating problems for the infants. The infant blood pressure machine of course should be capable of revealing accurate measurement of blood pressure.
The infant blood pressure machine is supplied with a bag with a double handle which resembles a carry bag in appearance. However, both the valve and the cuff are separate. Velcro strips are usually attached often for easy manipulation.
All people using Infant blood pressure machines should be trained in their correct use. Most firms which produce this type of equipment will gladly give training in it's usage, after all it is in their best interests to ensure users are happy with the equipment they are providing.


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Dear Mother,
I'm a home grower looking to kick things up a notch. I'm curious about what sort of new technology is available for folks like me. I don't have a huge yield, but enough that it would be great to have some innovative help to make my plants grow big and strong. Also looking for tips for how to handle the intense summer heat that has been happening lately and whether or not it will impact my plants.
— Groovy Gardner
Dear GG,
You're in luck! One of the awesome aspects cannabis legalization is all the fancy technology that has been created to help both commercial growers and smaller, home gardeners like yourself. Let's take a look at some of the newest products out there and what they're all about. We'll also talk about tech for growers in extreme temperatures and what's out there for them.
One new product that's just hitting the market is called Seedo, and it helps home gardeners with the initial stages of cannabis growing. Seedo is one of the first fully-automated hydroponic grow systems — and it's only the size of a mini fridge. This new tech is perfect for folks living in a small space where they can't retrofit an area for indoor growing. All you have to do is plant your seeds and Seedo does the rest: water, light, nutrients, temperature and humidity. You don't have to do a thing, though you can keep tabs on progress via a phone app.
Seedo Homelab via
I asked Seedo CEO Uri Zeevi how he came up with the idea for the product, and he sent me the following reply:
"The innovator who engineered Seedo used to work for a company that grew lettuce automatically. At the time, most of my geek friends working in hi-tech companies like Intel, IBM, and others didn't have reliable access to marijuana. He saw a need for a way to grow cannabis at home without having to be an expert grower, so we decided to create Seedo. We met when he had his first prototype and we decided to partner together to make the Seedo dream come true."
From a techie-stoner's dream to reality! Seedo is great for folks just starting out with a home grow, as well as those in extreme climates, since you're able to have your plants grow at the perfect temperature without having to do much work on your end (besides plug the mini grow house in!).
Above, BloomBoss FUSION 600 LED Grow Light via
Besides grow systems like Seedo, there are a lot of new types of lighting products that can help boost the output of a home grower. Take the aptly-named company BloomBoss, which sells various LED lights for indoor grows. In general, LED lighting is something you're going to want to check out. There are a variety of reasons (from cost to energy saving — go green!) folks are starting to turn to LED over traditional lights. What makes BloomBoss a cut above the rest? The company makes super energy efficient products (especially compared to traditional grow lights), which not only means cheaper bills for you, but it also makes them ideal for extreme temperatures. And, speaking of extreme temps, BloomBoss lights have an active thermal control that automatically shuts down the light if things get too hot — something that is beneficial for folks living in extremely hot climates.
These are just two of the awesome new products out on the market. There are so many more like these that will not only make growing easier for you, but will help protect your precious plants from extreme hot and cold temps. And don't forget that there are products out there with other uses that can make growing cannabis at home easier. Perhaps you'd like to pick up an infrared thermometer temperature gun that can tell you the body temperature of your plant, helping you to balance the air temp around it if need be. Or snag a macro lens for your smartphone, which can help you deduce trichome maturation!
Good luck and happy growing!
— Mother


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Given the lack of bold ideas and apparent absence of any sustained strategic vision to resume the official normalization process, the RSC plans to expand its effort in support of the "policy process," through the formulation and presentation of formal and informal policy ideas, initiatives and recommendations.
This activity follows our past work in two main areas: efforts to engage prominent retired diplomats and officials, and other high-profile figures to solicit a range of new policy ideas and suggestions, and the focus on utilizing "alternative venues" where both countries have "unofficial" diplomatic relations, based on their interaction within international organizations (NATO, OSCE, Council of Europe, UN, etc.) and other third-party institutional forums (BSEC, or the Black Sea Economic organization, most notably). Such informal contacts and diplomatic interaction between Armenia and Turkey government officials need to be better leveraged in order to encourage and better prepare for the subsequent return to more official diplomatic engagement.
The specific objectives of this initiative centers on the formulation and presentation of formal and informal policy ideas, initiatives and recommendations, aimed at both targeting decision-makers and helping shape public opinion through a process designed to facilitate a sharing and exchange of ideas and views. This process is conducted through a series of closed meetings and seminars, as well as some public events, utilizing a select group of retired politicians and policy makers from Armenia and Turkey, as well as other interested third parties. These eminent figures contribute new ideas and policy recommendations based on their personal and professional experience, including a broader strategic vision for the future relations between both countries. The participants have helped us to formulate a set of policy recommendations that have been presented to Armenian and Turkish government officials.
The concrete outputs of these activities consist of the formulation and presentation of formal and informal policy ideas, initiatives and recommendations, including a set of policy recommendations that have been presented to Armenian and Turkish government officials in February-March and June 2015. These were also supplemented by a high-level working session in September 2015 (for this event, organized with our Istanbul-based strategic partner Kadir Has University, the RSC secured its own independent funding). Future output, therefore, will center on the results from these "brainstorming" sessions, and the subsequent release, dissemination and publication of the sets of new proposals and policy recommendations.
The overall outcome from this effort is to formulate and present formal and informal policy ideas, initiatives and recommendations, with the added benefits of increasing civil society support and providing more "political cover" for the governments to re-engage in the normalization process.
On September 13, 2018, Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development (UFSD) hosted a workshop on "Exchange of Best Practices in Plastic Waste Management between Armenia- and Turkey-based CSOs and Practitioners." The workshop is part of a project that contributes to the development of cooperation between environmentalists, waste management practitioners, businesses and local authorities of Armenia and Turkey through sharing best practices in plastic waste management. The grantee, Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development in partnership with the Union of Diyarbakir Young Businessmen organized a 1-day workshop in Diyarbakir with participation of 20 representatives of local authorities, plastic waste management practitioners, environmental CSOs, businesses in the field of plastic waste separation and recycling from Armenia and Turkey. The workshop was followed by a study visit to Plastic Waste Recycling Plant in Diyarbakir, as well as a follow-up exchange workshop in Yerevan. Based on the results of the study visit and workshops UFSD will produce a booklet on the best practices of plastic waste management in Armenia and Turkey. The project will result in an increased awareness of stakeholders of the plastic waste management practiced on the other side of the border, as well as will provide an opportunity for networking between practitioners and businesses focusing on plastic waste management. Representatives of local authorities may consider replicating the best practices in plastic waste management in their own communities.
This activity took place within the framework of the Sub-grants Scheme implemented by Eurasia Partnership Foundation as part of the "Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalization Process" programme, funded by the European Union and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.