text:
Since 1958, the Onslow Art Society has given painters, potters and other local artists the ability to display their work for their neighbors.
Since 1958, the Onslow Art Society has given painters, potters and other local artists the ability to display their work for their neighbors.
�Our goal is to put on shows for people in Eastern North Carolina to show their art work,� society President Johnnie Lee Scott of Richlands said. �There aren�t a lot of shows in Eastern North Carolina, and we believe our shows give artists a place to show off their art work.�
On display now at the Council of the Arts in downtown Jacksonville are selected entries for the society�s autumn show, �Images,� which has been held since 2000. Work submitted to �Images� is considered and selected by a juror for display at the Council of the Arts. Among those selected works, prizes are awarded to 10 pieces. Along with ribbons, winners receive a cash prize according to their placement. Here are the award winning artists on their work and their submissions.
Susan Pelletier, �The Girls,� acrylic � Claire Armstrong Best-in-Show Award ($300 prize)
This year�s best in show was a painting by Susan Pelletier of two young women spending time together in a Parisian caf� in the years between the World Wars, which the Cape Carteret-based artist describes as her favorite era in history.
�There�s something magical about that period,� Pelletier said. �The clothes, the hats, the scarves � There�s something magical about the old black and white movies.
Pelletier said art is a lifelong passion and her career, as she�s worked with her husband, Lanny for three decades in a pottery business. During an eight-year hiatus from that business, though, Pelletier said she started painting seriously, even as the Pelletier�s business started up again this year.
Pelletier�s portrait of the friends bonding over wine is meant to convey a love of life and the people who make life worth living.
�It�s all about friendship and a love of fun and wine,� said Pelletier.
Pelletier said the award was a high honor for her, albeit an unexpected one, that she hopes will propel her to greater professional exposure.
�I was really shocked when I found out I won Best in Show,� said Pelletier. �It�s an enormous honor to win this award. I�m very proud.�
Pelletier�s �The Girls� is on sale for $2,200.
Alan Tromba, �Monotony,� lithograph � Clair Armstrong Endowment Award ($200 prize)
Taking home the Endowment Award this year is Alan Tromba of Jacksonville with a somber, downbeat piece called �Monotony,� depicting a scarecrow preparing for yet another day in the field, keeping the crows at bay. According to Tromba, the painting came from an idea he had while studying art at East Carolina University.
�I was drawing how I was feeling about going to work and doing things that weren�t necessary or particularly exciting,� Tromba said. �Going to work, being criticized for what I was doing � that�s what drew me to draw the scarecrow, sitting, watching everything around him.�
Tromba�s lithograph (an art style where a picture is printed on a plate onto a sheet) earned him the first major award of his career, a fact that he couldn�t keep secret.
�I was highly excited,� Tromba said. �I told everyone I knew to come and see it. I couldn�t go anywhere without having a big grin on my face. I hope to continue doing lithography and putting myself out there because of it.�
John Echo, �Fallen Angels,� mixed media � OAS Memorial Award ($150 prize)
�Fallen Angels� was an intensely personal piece for Baltimore native and now Sneads Ferry resident John Echo.
�(The subject of the painting) is my daughter,� Echo said. �She was a good student, but she fell to piece�doing the wrong stuff and hanging out with the wrong people.�
Echo�s mixed media piece used water color, pen and ink and colored pencils as well as gold leaf (a thin metal made of several different materials, including gold, silver and copper) which can be seen around the shoulders of the girl in the photo. What looks like a collar of a T-shirt is actually a halo that Echo said once sat on top of his daughter�s head. Echo said this piece was a way for him to cope with the disconnection he has felt with his daughter as of late.
�It�s like when you have a death in the family,� Echo said. �You never get over it, but you get used to it.�
Echo said �Fallen Angel� is a departure for him, as he usually works as a carver, but said the mixed medium he used for �Fallen Angel� allowed him more expressive freedom. Echo said he was pleased with the prize he earned at the show, but also said he hopes to continue improving in his primary medium of carving.
�It makes you feel good to realized you�ve made some accomplishments,� Echo said. �I�ll never be a Michelangelo, but I feel pretty good about it. It gives you a little more confidence.�
BF Reed, �Proclivity,� mixed media � Onslow County Artist Award ($100 prize)
BF Reed�s �Proclivity,� an abstract mixed media piece, earned the longtime artist and former school teacher the Onslow County Artist award, the most recent in a long string of honors she�s received over her career, which Reed says may stretch beyond the realm of her life.
�I�ve been an artist for at least all of this life time,� Reed said.
Reed, who also makes more realistic works in oils, pastels and watercolors, said her abstract work gives her the opportunity to let viewers get into her mind and identity, often inserting fragments of poems into her pieces. For Reed, �Proclivity� is a piece that encourages viewers to persevere through hard times.
�Life is tough for all of us, but you have to put one foot forward and keep going,� Reed said.
Reed, whose works have been presented to the likes of Hillary Rodham-Clinton and the Coca-Cola Company, said the award was an honor, but is only a recent step in an ongoing journey.
�I have a need to do this,� said Reed. �It�s a requirement. I want to keep doing it and getting better at it.�


text:
The body of fallen Commando Lance Corporal Todd Chidgey has been returned home.
An honour guard and bearer party of fellow soldiers from the 2nd Commando Regiment escorted his casket from a RAAF C-17 aircraft to his waiting family at the Richmond RAAF base.
He died in Afghanistan last week, Australia's 41st soldier lost in 13 years of involvement in Afghanistan.
Army chief Lieutenant General David Morrison said Lance Corporal Chidgey was a loyal mate and a talented and professional soldier and his loss would be deeply felt by all who knew him.
"He died while in the service of our nation in an operational theatre, and today we are honouring this service as we grieve his passing," Lieutenant General Morrison said at the ceremony.
Special operations commander Brigadier Dan McDaniel said Lance Corporal Todd Chidgey, 29, was an experienced and respected member of Special Operations Command, loyal, diligent and committed to the service of his country, his mates and his family.
"Lance Corporal Chidgey's mates now mourn his loss alongside his mother, father, brothers and partner. He will be missed but never forgotten by the 2nd Commando Regiment and wider Special Operations Command community," he said.
Lance Corporal Chidgey died as a result of what defence says was a non-combat related incident. His body was found in a room at the Australian headquarters at the base at Kabul international airport.
He was serving with the protective security detachment, providing protection for a senior Australian officer in Afghanistan.
The Australian Defence Force Investigative Service has launched an inquiry. Defence will release further information once the investigation is complete.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tell us about your current career position.
I am a final year graduate student in the Laboratory of Dr. Carol Williams, of the department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). I am a research assistant and thus train junior graduate and medical students that come through our lab, in molecular and cellular techniques. I also provide guidance to these students with their research projects.
What are the key experiences and decisions you made that have helped you reach your current position?
When I earned my BSc. in Chemistry, I decided to challenge myself and pursue a M.Sc. in Chemistry. My plans were to get a job with my M.Sc., work for two years and then return to school to pursue a PhD. My Thesis advisor, Dr. Wardeska, saw the potential, drive and passion I had for knowledge and research, and in the last semester of my program, he asked me if I had started applying to PhD programs. I told him about my plans to get a job and pursue a PhD later. He looked at me and shook his head saying "go get your PhD." He told me I will be selling myself short if I decided to end up with a M.Sc. This interaction reinforced my desire to further my education and I immediately applied to several programs in Chemistry and Pharmacology. I was admitted into both types of programs and my next step was to decide what I wanted to pursue at this level. To challenge myself, broaden my knowledge and expand my technical skills, I accepted the offer from MCW. It availed me the opportunity to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. Tumor biology has always been a field that I was interested in and I have always wanted to contribute to the better understanding of cancer. Once I got to MCW, I decided to pursue this interest. Because there are several labs at MCW that study tumor biology, I had to figure out which specific aspects of cancer biology (genomics, immunology, signaling, or cancer susceptibility etc.) I was more interested in. This process was facilitated by the Interdisciplinary Program (IDP) that allows incoming students to rotate through at least 4 basic science labs during their first year, with the objective of figuring out what research projects and labs they are interested in. I chose my current lab because I loved the research, enjoyed the lab dynamics, and my PI (mentor) is very enthusiastic.
How did you first become interested in science?
I always did well in my science classes but I credit my interest in science and my desire to pursue a career in science to my high school Chemistry teacher. His enthusiasm and love for Chemistry sparked an interest in me.
Were there times when you failed at something you felt was critical to your path? If so, how did you regroup and get back on track?
As a graduate student I have had several challenges and failed experiments. I have spent months working on optimizing experiments that don't seem to work. I have been discouraged, but I have learnt to talk myself out of discouragement and to move forward. Sometimes it takes longer to get over the discouragement, but I keep encouraging myself till I get over it. I am a Christian and thus I encourage myself with Scriptures. Importantly, these experiences have helped me to grow and mature into a better scientist.
What advice would you give to young persons from under-represented backgrounds who want to pursue a career in science similar to yours?
-I'll say believe in yourself, be assertive and use every challenge as a stepping stone to get you to the next phase of your career and/or research project. People will tell you that you won't make it, you are not good enough, or you don't have what it takes. Don't let this discourage you, instead allow this to be a challenge to you to work hard and prove them wrong.
-Research is tough, so it is important to take the time to figure out what kind of research you are passionate about. As I mentioned above, my institution MCW has a vehicle to facilitate this process, the IDP program. Other schools do offer similar programs but if you are interested in a school that does not offer such a program, I advise you to contact the labs you are interested in and apply to do summer lab rotations. Most institutions offer summer programs/internships for high school and college students. A summer rotation could help you figure out what you are interested in, it provides an opportunity to get to know the people you will potentially be working with, get to know the lab dynamics. You will spend 4-6 years of your life in graduate school in this lab, so it is important to find an environment conducive for your studies, growth and maturation as a scientist.
-Mentors have different mentoring styles, and figuring out what style works best for you might be important. You can talk to postdocs/students/technicians in the labs you are considering to join and/or the PI(s) about their mentoring style. However, don't expect your mentor to meet all your scientific needs. In this career, you'll need more than one mentor. I have mentors who mentor me on different aspects of my career from what statistical tools to use in my data analysis, to career preparation, management and development.
-Where possible, hold leadership positions. These positions will allow you to gain leadership skills and also to meet and interact with people (network). I have served at different positions throughout my academic career. Recently I served as my departmental (Pharmacology) representative on the GSA, the student member on the Course Evaluation Committee, and I am currently one of the founders and treasurer of a minority association (USBR) at MCW.
-Most Science PhD programs offer a stipend and cover the tuition of their candidates. Stipends are competitive and require candidates to either teach or perform research duties. To qualify for a stipend you will need to have good grades. Plan your graduate career ahead of time (high school, college), study hard and keep your grades up.
What are your hobbies?
I love sports. I play volleyball and tennis. I also enjoy regular movie nights with friends. When I get a break from science (not often), I travel and explore new places.
What was the last book you read?
I am currently reading "Reposition Yourself: Living Life without Limit" by T.D. Jakes. Before this I read "Making Great Decisions" by the same author. T.D Jakes is such an inspiring author. These books talk about rediscovering yourself by taking new challenges, changing your decisions or making new decisions to change your life experience positively. They challenge the reader to re-ignite the fire of their dreams and to soar to higher heights.
Do you have any heroes, heroines, or role models? If so, describe how they have influenced you?
I have many role models who have influenced and shaped my career, person and life. These include some of the great teachers and mentors I have been blessed to have in my career path. My High School Teacher, Mr. Molu, was instrumental to my decision to study science. Dr. Wardeska helped to reinforce my desire to pursue a PhD. My boss Dr. Williams has nurtured my scientific thinking and invested so much time and efforts in me. She is an exemplary mentor and I hope to do justice to the wonderful training I have received from her. My parents taught me to believe in myself and to strive for the best. Mediocrity was never an option when I was growing up. My mom taught me the value of not giving up but working harder when things get tough.
I currently mentor a group of under-represented high school students in my community (Milwaukee Academy of Science). I volunteer some of my weekends to help them with their science projects and to hopefully be a positive role model for them.
What is it that keeps you working hard and studying science every day?
Challenges! The challenges I face have been the driving force that has kept me working hard. I decided to pursue a PhD in Pharmacology and not Chemistry, though I had a solid background in chemistry and not biology at the time. This I did to challenge myself. I have since then learnt a lot and continue to do so with each day. At each stage of my academic career, the challenges I face keep the fire for science burning in me and push me to work harder to get to the next level. The rewards that come with these challenges are immeasurable. The satisfaction of making a novel discovery and knowing that you are advancing science makes it all worthwhile.
Elizabeth Ntantie can be reached at email@example.com.
11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110Phone: (240) 283-6600 • Contact us Privacy Policy© Copyright 2018 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology


text:
Events Calendar
Women's Commission Meeting
Date and TimeMonday, October 8, 2012
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
General Meeting for the Women's Comission. All are welcome to attend!
Patty Stow Bolea, associate professor of social work and a Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center faculty fellow, will lead the discussion, "Mentors, Mentees, and Protégés," at noon in room 1142 of the Kirkhof Center.
Bolea will discuss a practical framework for thinking about being a mentor or a mentee/protégé. The event is part of the Women's Commission year-long mentoring theme.
For more information, contact the Women's Commission at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The mission of the Grand Valley State University Women's Commission, formed in 1996, is to advocate for all women on campus by acting on their issues and by promoting equity and social justice, ever conscious of the intersection of race, class, gender, and orientation.
Women's Commission email@example.com


text:
A list of bars, carts and restaurants of just where to find vegan grub that's more than a hummus plate or basket of fries after 10pm. It includes 38 businesses, their addresses, neighborhood, late night hours, and recommended offerings.
If you think of more, please leave a comment!
Portland's Late Night Vegan Eats
Originally Compiled by Jess and the vegan internet in Summer 2010 for the 2010 Try Vegan Guide to Portland
Sometimes you have a hankering for vegan poutine at midnight. Sometimes you really want a tofu burrito. Sometimes you simply can't sleep without a bowl of pho.
Read on, late night dining enthusiasts…
3356 SE Belmont St, SE/Belmont, 2am
It's tragic that they've dropped the herby, housemade meatball sandwich, but you can still order their White Bean Cassoulet vegan (but, minus the duck !?!…what a way to start this) and enjoy the lounge or back patio come nicer days.
Backspace Café – all vegetarian
115 NE 5th Ave Old Town/Downtown, till 11pm Sun-Wed, till 12am Thurs-Sat
A vegan gamers' paradise that's also home to rotating art and live shows.
Recommended: Philly Steak Sandwich, Broccoli Goddess Salad, Club Vegan
4801 SE Hawthorne Blvd., SE, 4pm-2:30am (full menu till 1:30am, bar menu after)
BOG is one hell of a dive bar. It's dark, moody and illuminated with strings of grape-shaped lights to fit with the theme. Happy Hour is from 4pm-8pm, featuring $2.50 wells, $1.50 PBRS (75 cents on Thursdays?!?), chips and housemade salsa, and a small basket of really good handcut french fries for $2. Other vegan options include the Spicy Red Lentil Dahl, BOG Bento Bowl, and Avocado Sandwich (specify vegan). Note: There's a Chicken Fried Tempeh entrée on the online menu, but it's no longer available.
1028 SE 12th Ave, SE, 2am
Snacks include curried chickpeas and spiced black beans & rice in this cozy bar, where the big draw is 20 ounce pints, pinball, and the $1-3 small plate offerings.
118 Northeast 28th Avenue, NE/Burnside, 2am
Apparently people come here to watch sports and for some music video night; I tend to find myself here with friends for cider (because it's always on tap) after viewings at Laurelhurst Theater. There's a standard hummus plate and red curry. Anyone know if their housemade veggie burger is vegan?
2821 Southeast Stark Street, SE, 2am
Whenever you want to feel really hip on SE Stark. Tasty vegan offerings include the Hellfire Burrito, Portobello Sandwich, Tofu or TVP tacos, and really solid French fries – of which the Veganshizzle is a big fan.
Bye & Bye – all vegan
1011 NE Alberta St Portland, OR 97211, NE/Alberta, 2am
What do you need to hear? You're crazy if you haven't been here yet. There's the BBQ Platter, Grilled Cheese, Meatball Sandwich, Eastern Bowl, etc. – not to mention the drink list and bartenders.
Recommended: BBQ Platter with bbq tofu, black eyed peas, collard greens and bread with Earth Balance
4342 SW Beaverton Hillsdale, SW, 2:30am
Reppin' for SW. I think I went here once years ago on an adventure, because one thing remains the same: You must request the special vegan menu.
1412 Southeast Morrison Street, SE, 2am
Home of Vegan Prom 2010, Crush is open late in inner SE and has more vegan options than I'd realized. They include grilled mushroom skewers, falafel, and rich mocha cake.
2521 SE Clinton St, SE/Clinton, 2am
If we've met, you probably know that I adore Dots. Hold onto your seat, but they actually added a new vegan item to their menu this past year – the Vegan Pita.
Recommended: Vegan Platter, Hot & Spicy Fries with Tofu Sauce, Vegan Geek Salad
SE 47th & Hawthorne, Coming Soon to NE Lombard, 11am-11pm
I finally visited this all day & late night (with a walk up window!) deli, and all I can say is, I never want to make my own sandwich again.
Recommended: Start a sandwich with a roll of Dave's Killer Bread, add layers of Field Roast, Vegenaise (put a V on the mayo selection) and pile on the complimentary toppings.
El Brasero cart
SE 12th and Hawthorne, SE, 2am or later
I'll be honest, I've never eaten here because I'm more into the other late night options in Cartopia, and they're more expensive than Los Gorditos. However, there are many vegan options and Soyrizo can be found across the menu.
8218 N Lombard, NoPo/St. John's, till 2am Mon-Sat, till 1am Sundays
I've yet to go, but my Stumptown Vegans partner has a full review here. Can you say, Frito Pie? Are you looking for a late night with warming Southern grub in St. John's?
1027 NE Alberta, NE/Alberta, 2:30am on Fri & Sat
Look, I dig their trippy school bus seating. A lot. And now I want a vegan grilled cheese with roasted jalapeno for lunch.
P.S. They have plans to open a new cart, er bus, on SE 28th
2114 SE Clinton St, SE/Clinton, 4am
Late night delivery and takeout pizza, bread sticks (floppy, but good!), seitan nuggets (worth getting at least once) and calzones. Flavorful sauce and nooch, too.
Recommended: Vegan Greek Calzone with a side of sauce.
Hungry Tiger Too – has a separate vegan menu
207 SE 12th, SE, midnight
Greasy spoon and dive bar hybrid, mere blocks away from the Vegan Minimall.
Recommended: Vegan corn dogs ($1.25 on Wednesdays), Tofuffalo (40 cents on Thursdays), Club Sandwich, Giant Pancake, Butternut Wontons, Tots!
Langano Lounge
1435 SE Hawthorne Blvd, SE, 2am
Because you never know when you may find yourself looking for a moody dive bar that serves Ethiopian veggie dogs floating in a sea of spicy lentils.
LaurelThirst Public House
2958 NE Glisan, NE, 2am
Live music, tofu and veggie rice plates, housemade veggie burgers. I clearly haven't been in years.
2204 NE Alberta St # 101, NE/Alberta, 2am
Do vegan-friendly establishments outnumber the rest on NE Alberta yet? Mash Tun Brewpub is just south of Alberta on 22nd, and has a few vegan offerings, like falafel and tempeh things.
Recommended: Spicy Tempeh Things
3552 North Mississippi Ave. , Mississippi neighborhood, open till 1am Fri & Sat, till 12am otherwise
This pizza parlor and pub offers vegan cheese, vegan pesto, vegan pies, and slices. Quite likely the best vegan thin crust in Portland, and I dig any place that features chopped pepperocinis on their slices. Thanks to Josh at That Vegan Site for the tip!
Recommended: Garden Party and Historic Pies
2100 SE Clinton St., SE/Clinton, 2am
For when you don't want to go to Dots, this nearby lounge offers a lot of seating, a nice back patio, and a surprisingly good stir fry – and hand cut fries, don't fret.
Recommended: Veggie stir fry with fried tofu, Fried Tofu with Peanut Squash sauce, Mint Fava Falafel
5101 N Interstate Ave, NoPo, 2am
I haven't been, but I hear "good things" about their housemade black bean burger.
53 NW 1st, Old Town/Downtown, 10pm-3am, Fri & Sat
Their Soylent Green vegan sandwich is highly regarded.
Perierra Creperie
SE 12th and Hawthorne, SE, 2am or later
A member of Cartopia offering savoury and sweet, gluten free vegan crepes. I vote savoury.
Pho PDX – has a separate vegan menu
827 SW 2nd, Downtown, 12am-4am Fri & Sat
One of my favorite places to get lunch is this indoor food court downtown. They added super late night hours last year – for when it's 2:14am and you must have vegan pho.
Recommended: Tofu Udon Curry Noodle Soup, Tofu Salad Bun, Pho Vegan
SE 12th and Hawthorne, SE, 2am or later
Possibly home of Portland's best French fries. It's a hotly debated topic. Order a cone or vegan poutine and consider.
Recommended: Fries with Veganaise, Truffle Ketchup, Vegan Poutine
Pyro Pizza
SE 12th and Hawthorne, SE, till 1am W, Thurs & Sun, till 3am Fri & Sat
When this cart housing a wood-fired oven opened last year, I was consistently blown away by their crust and ingredients. My last two experiences turned slightly burnt, and then super chewy, but I'll definitely return to see what's up. Oh, and bike delivery is coming soon and they sometimes have vegan seitan sausage~
Recommended: Margherita pizza with vegan cheese ($1 extra) and housemade sodas
Red & Black Café – all vegan
400 SE 12th, SE, 11pm
Stop by Portland's anarchist, vegan café just before they close for a bite and quite likely, a show or reading.
Recommended: TLP sandwich, daily soup, housemade chai, kombucha on tap
1000 SE 12th Ave, SE, 2am
This place has a cozy front yard with plenty of fireside seating and special nooks, only takes cash, and offers Veggie Skewers, a hummus place, and a couple other vegan-friendly options.
211 SW Ankeny, Old Town/Downtown, 2am
The housemade black bean burger can be prepared vegan, and Big Note: only one bowl/sauce combo is vegan. Make sure to ask which one! And then, remind me.
Someday Lounge – all veg
125 NW 5th Ave, Old Town/Downtown, 2am
For when you're downtown and looking for a cocktail and vegan food. Shares a kitchen and similar menu with Backspace Café.
1223 SE Powell Blvd, SE, 24 hours
This shop is home to round the clock Stumptown coffee, vegan pastries, bagel spreads, and more. Good place to get some work done for the insomniacs in town.
Tube bar – very vegan friendly
18 NW 3rd Ave, Old Town/Downtown , 2am
Pure Portland greatness. Bunnied walls, duct taped seats, Daiya, and ham tube. What else do you need to know?
Recommended: Professor Nanotear muffins, Vegan Ham & Cheese sandwich plate
4306 N Williams Ave, NoPo, 2am
Haven't been, but they apparently have a Sloppy Jane, and that's cool.
Voodoo Doughnut – shelf of vegan donuts
22 SW 3rd Ave, Old Town/Downtown, 24 hours
Quite possibly the biggest and smallest tourist destination in this city – and set to expand into Berbati's in the future. Make sure you order from the vegan shelf, most yeasted varieties are available both ways.
Recommended: Try both the vegan cake and yeasted donuts. I'm a McMinnville cream and Chick-O-Stick gal, myself.
Voodoo Too – shelf of vegan donuts
1501 NE Davis, NE, closed 3am-6am
See above. This time, on the East Side and with pinball.
SE 12th and Hawthorne SE, 2am or later
This cart is home to deep fried pies of rotating sweet and savoury varieties. If they have a seasonal, vegan pie (such as the PUMPKIN!) order it immediately. Fruit pies are nearly always vegan, just make sure to check the sign to see what's up. Request the vegan fryer, and order some sweet tea or kombucha.
Recommended: Marionberry, Peanut Butter, Savoury Vegan Breakfast
15 SW 2nd Ave, Old Town/Downtown, 2am
Another spot for when you're downtown and looking for a cocktail and vegan food.
Recommended: Vegan pizza with white bean spread, Tofu wrap, Yam fries with Tomato Chutney
And now, a sampling:
The infamous Bye & Bye cocktail (also available non-boozy as a Floor Punch)
Pints at the Basement Pub
The Donut Case at VooDoo, downtown (an entire shelf is now vegan yeasted and cake donuts!)
Fried Pies at Whiffies
Fried Tofu ($4 during Happy Hour) at the Night Light Lounge
Mini Pizzas at Tube
The Vegan Platter at Dots
Butternut Wontons at Hungry Tiger Too
Spicy Tempeh Things at Mash Tun
Yam Fries and Potato Chutney from XV
VooDoo's McMinnville Cream Doughnut
Last Year: The Veganshizzle and Jess Present: Our Favorite Vegan Friendly Bars! 1/22/10


text:
It's just a little wooden block, smaller than a cigarette pack.
It was used on a printing press long ago. It's old and worn, worth only pennies. But for two people — strangers, connected only by history and kindness — it carries irreplaceable value as a tangible reminder of a particular time and person.
Margie Isaacson knew that person well: Earl "Ike" Isaacson, her husband of six decades. She's now 90, sharp and lively, living in an impeccable apartment in Far North Peoria. A good day might mean a poker game with friends in the complex; a really good day might bring her a day's jackpot of winnings, sometimes upwards of $5.
As an adult, the Missouri native relocated to Peoria, home to several relatives — and new opportunities. One involved an impromptu invitation from a fellow in her neighborhood. Heading out on the town with his girlfriend, he suggested Margie join them on a double date. He offered to bring along a co-worker from a mechanic's shop on Main Street. She agreed, soon finding out that Earl Isaacson — a beer-drinking, fun-loving grease monkey — cleaned up well.
"I thought he was a nice guy, and he dressed nice," Margie Isaacson says with a smile. "And he treated me really well.
"The rest is history."
They wed the next year, then raised a small family in Peoria. He later worked for P&PU Railroad as an engineer before retiring in 1982. Along the way, though gregarious otherwise, Earl Isaacson didn't much talk about the past. Perhaps he thought his pre-Margie days just weren't as special.
He'd grown up in the farming burg of Raritan, population 250, about 15 miles southwest of Monmouth. By age 23, he'd become bored with working the family farm. So, in early 1941, he saw the Army as his only chance at a new career — in something, anything.
"He just signed up," Margie Isaacson says. "He wanted to get off the farm."
The Army made that happen, perhaps faster than he could've imagined. And he learned to work with his hands. With the 411th Engineer Base Shop Battalion, Earl Isaacson would build LVT amphibious landing craft in several far-flung locales, including New Guinea and Guam. His favorite spot was Cairns, Australia, enjoying its friendly people and lifestyle.
Later, back home, he felt little impulse to discuss his four years of service and two Bronze Stars. But he did enjoy gabbing about Australia. So, in the 1980s, the Isaacsons visited his old haunts in Cairns. They took plenty of photos, adding to the small collection of black-and-whites from his service. Otherwise, when he died at age 89 in 2007, Margie Isaacson had almost no mementos from his Army days.
That changed recently — thanks to an old, wooden printing block that had been forgotten for 70 years.
In 2012, Art Kane went to an estate auction near Raritan. Kane, now 68 and retired as president of the State Bank of Raritan, poked around two big boxes filled with miscellaneous items. Kane wanted just two things inside: a thermometer and a calender from the 1940s. But the two boxes were auctioned as a parcel, which he won with a bid of $100.
Later, he sorted through the boxes. An amateur historian, he was intrigued by 30-some blocks once used at the defunct Raritan Reporter. During World War II, the weekly paper would print short biographies on area servicemen.
How did those blocks get into the auction boxes? Apparently, they were passed around in similar fashion several times: via estate sales. At the last stop, the blocks gathered dust, untouched for years.
The front of each weathered block carried a photo. Most had a name and publication date scrawled on the side.
"If someone else had won the bid," Kane says, "they might've just seen them just as a novelty."
But Kane saw them as treasure, if put in the right hands.
He looked over the names, a couple of which he recognized and gave them to each serviceman's family. But with others, the search was tough. Raritan is close-knit but sparsely populated. Some of those names on the blocks hadn't been seen in years. Kane had to search records — old photos and books — in search of lineages.
It's hard work. After two years, he has managed to find the right families for eight of the blocks.
"They appreciate it," Kane says. "It's been nice to be able to do that for them."
Kane, whose father had known Earl Isaacson, managed to connect Isaacson to a niece with a different surname. The niece called Margie Isaacson and told her about the printing block, used on the Raritan Reporter press on Aug. 20, 1942.
"I was really thrilled," she says. "I was just thrilled that I'd have something from his younger days, and that it could be passed down to the family."
The block carries more than just a fading photo. It offers something to hold on to — an actual relic of history that was around at the same time as a 24-year-old Earl Isaacson.
"It's like an artifact," Margie Isaacson says in wide-eyed wonder. "After all these years, for it to turn up, that's just remarkable. I'm so thankful."
The block in her hands, she stares into the face of a young soldier who would become her husband. Then she slowly draws the block to her lips for a quick, playful peck — a kiss to old memories, a kiss in new gratitude.
PHIL LUCIANO is a Journal Star columnist. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com, facebook.com/philluciano, 686-3155 or (800) 225- 5757, Ext. 3155. Follow him on Twitter @LucianoPhil.
Luciano: Peoria widow reunited with husband's World War II relic
It's just a little wooden block, smaller than a cigarette pack.


text:
Diamond Returns, Twins Lose 4-2
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Scott Diamond matched Matt Harvey for four innings. Not good enough.
"I was hoping for better," Diamond said after his first start since elbow surgery in December, a 4-2 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday.
Diamond (0-1) allowed only two hits through the first four innings. Then Marlon Byrd homered leading off the fifth, the first of seven straight hits against the Twins in a four-run inning.
"Getting out of the third inning I was pretty pumped by that and thought it was a big step," said Diamond, who retired three in a row after Jacob Turner's leadoff double.
Diamond gave up all four runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings.
"Diamond was all all right for his first time back here," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He felt fine but got some pitches up in the fifth inning. A nice performance. He was kind of cruising right along and was doing everything OK. We'll take that for his first performance of the year."
Byrd's homer was a 414-foot drive into the second deck. Collin Cowgill and Daniel Murphy hit run-scoring singles that chased Diamond, and David Wright had an RBI infield hit off Josh Roenicke.
Harvey (3-0) didn't allow a hit until Justin Morneau homered off the right-field foul pole with two outs in the seventh inning at a chilly Target Field.
New York provided the offensive support when it strung together seven straight hits for the first time since Aug. 1, 2001, at Houston.
Harvey pitched past the seventh for the first time in 13 career major league starts. He allowed one run and two hits in eight innings with six strikeouts and two walks. His ERA rose from 0.64 to 0.82.
"That's a horse. That guy can really wing it," Gardenhire said.
Despite a 35-degree gametime temperature, the 24-year-old right-hander pitched with his sleeves rolled up and reached 97 mph.
Before Morneau's homer — his first this season — Minnesota's only hard-hit ball came on Eduardo Escobar's lineout to first base in the third.
Bobby Parnell allowed an RBI double to Josh Willingham in the ninth, but held on for his first save. With Willingham on second, Parnell retired Morneau on a flyout and threw a called third strike past Ryan Doumit to end the game.
After starting 4-2, the Twins have lost five straight. Other than Morneau, they couldn't get to Harvey.
"He's a power pitcher but at the same time he located all three of his pitches," Twins second baseman Brian Dozier said. "In and out, his slider was really working. Faced him a lot in the minor leagues and he was fastball-curveball, but now he developed that slider."
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
MANHATTAN - Kansas State was coming off two tough losses on the road, and its three leading scorers were struggling to make a shot against Texas Tech's length and athleticism.
Leave it to a less-heralded cast of players to come through in the clutch.
Will Spradling scored a season-high 17 points, Nino Williams added 13 off the bench and the Wildcats (15-6, 5-3 Big 12) made a series of foul shots down the stretch to preserve a 66-58 victory Tuesday night.
Kansas State wound up getting 25 points from its bench.
"We've done it in other games. This isn't the only game we've relied on them," Spradling said. "Our bench has been a real factor for us."
Especially the way their stars were struggling: Marcus Foster had two points on 1-for-8 shooting, Shane Southwell missed all six of his 3-point shots and finished with four points, and Thomas Gipson scored seven before fouling out.
"We knew they had a deep bench," Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said, "and they utilized it very effectively."
The Red Raiders (10-11, 2-6) closed within 48-47 midway through the second half, but the stingiest defense in the Big 12 kept answering the call, and Texas Tech never regained the lead.
The Wildcats made 12 consecutive free throws in the closing minutes to seal it.
"The first half we came out real slow. In the second half we started to pick it up," said Jaye Crockett, who led Texas Tech with 15 points. "We just did it too late."
Dusty Hannahs finished with 14 points for the Red Raiders, who have lost eight straight in the series. Jordan Tolbert was held to three points on 0-for-3 shooting.
"It's not good enough," Hannahs said. "We can't just pride ourselves on moral victories."
Kansas State methodically built a 32-20 halftime advantage on the strength of its defense, which made the Red Raiders look downright silly in the way it harassed them around the rim.
Crockett managed just three points and two boards in the first half, and Robert Turner was the only Texas Tech player to make more than one field goal - he had two.
"We were missing a lot of easy shots," Crockett said with a shake of his head.
As awful as the Red Raiders were on offense, though, they actually jumped out to a 9-8 lead. But the Wildcats answered with a 16-2 charge, taking advantage of 10-minute stretch in which the visitors were 1 of 10 from the floor and turned the ball over four times.
"They're real aggressive, and they were switching when they needed to switch," Crockett said. "They follow good defensive principles and they made it work."
Until the second half, when Hannahs spurred Texas Tech's comeback.
The sophomore guard scored nine straight points shortly out of the break, and a 3-pointer by Crockett got the Red Raiders within one. Kansas State tried to regain control with six quick points, but Hannahs buried another 3 to answer the run.
"We were giving up easy layups in the second half and letting them get easy shots," Spradling said, "and that's when we turned it on the defensive end and made stops."
Spradling made a couple of foul shots, and then Wesley Iwundu scored a sloppy bucket at the rim after a scrum in the paint to give Kansas State a 58-52 lead with 2 1/2 minutes to go.
Crockett made a couple of free throws to cut into the lead with 45 seconds left, and Kansas State promptly threw away the inbounds pass. But before the Red Raiders ever got a chance to set up their offense, Spradling picked the pocket of Randy Onwuasor to get the ball back.
Spradling was fouled and made both free throws, and the parade to the foul line began in earnest. Southwell added two more moments later, Williams added the next two, and Spradling made two more with 6.2 seconds left to seal the victory.
"You have to give them credit. It was a gut-check," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "We made some plays down the stretch and we've been able to do that."


text:
On March 5, 2001, a student showed up to Santana High School with a gun. He killed two people — Bryan Zuckor and Randy Gordon — and injured 13 more.
Michael Silvia, a friend of Gordon's, was there. Though Silvia wasn't physically injured, that day changed the direction of his life.
More than 10 years later, Silvia is now an entertainer.
He plays both the characters Sarge and Potato Head in the touring production of "Stomp." And his own company, Knack Entertainment, puts together shows around the country, most of them about bullying. He speaks to students through music and dance about the dangers of bullying, telling them firsthand the devastation it can bring.
Silvia, 30, was born in El Cajon and grew up in Santee. He talks about that traumatic day and why it inspired him to reach out.
Q: You were a student when there was a shooting at Santana High. Can you tell us a bit about what that day was like?
A: A fellow student, who was constantly being bullied, brought a gun to school and opened fire in an outdoor hallway. The day of the shooting changed my life forever.
Q: How did the experience lead to what you're doing now?
A: I learned how fragile life is and how much I was taking for granted. I want to educate individuals about bullying, its effects and how it can be prevented.
Q: Why is it important to speak out about bullying?
A: Because it is prevalent, not only in schools, but in all aspects of life from childhood to adulthood. The definition of bullying is very broad these days, and it is important for individuals to recognize when it is occurring, whether it be physical, mental or verbal. Students don't understand how much bullying can impact someone's life. I make it a point to encourage students to put their energy into bettering themselves by following their dreams.
Q: Can you explain what you do when you speak to students?
A: I've written and produced an awareness program featuring drumming, dancing, comedy and audience participation. Students react positively to my program because we encourage their participation and offer solutions to real life situations involving bullying. My performance differs from others, as I have thoroughly educated myself on the topic and discuss/role play several different scenarios of bullying throughout the performance. Most programs I've viewed, or have been a part of, just put on a musical performance for the students. I feel that educating the students as well is pertinent to combating bullying.
Q: Why did you decide to audition for Stomp?
A: As a child, I got my first glimpse of Stomp and I was fascinated with the character named Potato Head. I took my first drum lesson when I was 9 from a great drummer named James Morton. My mother and James were very persistent about learning to read music, and I must say they were right. I learned to read music and it has helped me get ahead of the competition every time. It was always my dream to perform in the show, so I decided I would fly out to Manhattan to audition in the fall of 2005. Saying that I was nervous would be an understatement; I swear my heart stopped a few times during the audition.
Q: How was the transition from Santee to New York?
A: Complete culture shock. My first "welcome to NYC" experience, I woke up to a winter wonderland in Jamaica, Queens. Unbeknown to the harsh winters on the East Coast, I put on a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers (which most of us would do coming from San Diego) and I opened the front door. Seeing all the snow on the ground for the first time took my breath away. With a huge smile on my face, I started down the steps and through the yard. After encountering a large patch of slick ice, I lied on my back for a few minutes staring at the white sky. I then realized this is not San Diego.
Q: What did you learn about New York theater while you worked there?
A: That I was very fortunate to have my job and that a lot of performers would kill to have that job. I also learned the importance of implementing an exit strategy, so that when the time came to leave the job, I could leave elegantly, and most importantly not feel stuck.
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: How calm I actually am; my characters on stage seem to be opposite of that. I also collect and fly RC (model) planes and can just about repair anything.
Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: A barbecue with my family and friends, and dinner at the Hotel del Coronado, where I proposed to my soon-to-be wife, Ciara.


text:
MELBOURNE, Fla. - As the number of children diagnosed with autism continues to climb -- one in 88 children -- parental demand of therapies that work intensifies.
This summer an 11-year-old Melbourne boy named Shea Edmondson-Wood discovered a passion and found his therapy in the surf of Florida's beaches.
His dad Craig says when they went to the beach, the boy saw somebody surfing and said, "I want to do that."
His parents were apprehensive. If he couldn't do it or didn't like it, they felt it could mean a meltdown.
But the results showed them they had nothing to fear.
Shea got his surfboard, a blue Mohawk and turned into a rock star. His parents can't believe the change.
When he's at the beach, Shea even has an alias: The Puzzled Surfer.
The name represents his Asperger's Syndrome, a type of autism which affects his behavior and interaction with others.
"I know as a mom, I'm used to being in a store and, 'OK, Shea, try not to turn in circles.' Do all the typical things autistic kids tend to do, turn in circles, play with their hands and wonder, 'OK, who's looking at me thinking my kid's crazy," says his mother, Sheri Edmondson-Wood.
Shea's dad describes him as brilliant, incredibly smart, and very sensitive.
But up until the beginning of this summer, he says, "I would describe him as quiet."
"It's amazing. Out here, he's just a totally different 11-year-old person. And there's only one reason for it: because of all the attention they give him," said dad.
"They" are volunteers from Surfers for Autism and they treat him and others like rock stars. Shea calls them his crew.
The non-profit group hosts free surfing clinics for kids with autism all over Florida, and the goal is to create a fun and safe environment that lets these kids be themselves and even more.
"Once we get a kid in their first wave, the transformation is complete and total. we have non-verbal kids saying their first words. We have kids that don't like to be touched, bear-hugging instructors, sometimes walking hand-in-hand on the beach and they just come out of their shell in ways that don't happen outside the water," Gary Rossman a representative with Surfers for Autism told Local 6.
The first time Shea got on a board with Surfers for Autism, his sister Leah saw a change in her big brother right away.
"The first day I didn't know he could handle it, but the first time he got on, he surprised me," said Leah.
Shea quickly responded to Leah, saying, "I know, because I was so good."
The surfing clinics may be free but travel is not, so his mom and dad set up a website called Puzzled Surfer. It tells Shea's story and raises money to help him get to as many of the surfers for autism events as possible.
Shea says he plans to keep surfing so, "I can become the master."
His sister says he wants to be a professional surfer someday.
Shea also loves to be active on social media. Local 6 found out about him through Twitter. She says he loves counting the number of new visitors to his site, but not as much as surfing.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Difference between revisions of "Acceleo/Next/e4"
m (→Architecture of the prototype)
m (→UI development on e4)
|Line 27:
|Line 27:
= UI development on e4 =
= UI development on e4 =
Quickly after that
Quickly after that to test some other UI technologies . First tried the CSScan see the the and CSS.
Since testing the UI, also tried XWT. XWT is not, I think, a part of the e4 platform but since it's coming with it, I tried it at the same time. I've always loved the idea of creating the UI with a WYSIWYG and after that serialize the UI, because let's face it UI code is always ugly and you can't picture the result easily. I was not fond of the tooling of XWT and I would have preferred something based on an EMF model butit worked even if the binding system was quite complicated. I am not sure that I will use it again but with improvements, I would gladly try it again. The property view, here has been created with XWT.
= First look at the prototype =
= First look at the prototype =
Revision as of 04:34, 8 January 2011
Acceleo is a code generator who implements the Model to Text tranformation language standard from the OMG (MTL). Acceleo generate codes from an EMF model with templates. It can generate any kind of source code, and you can find in the examples and tutorial some generator for Java, XML, Python, etc. Acceleo can be used in a stand alone environment to compile MTL files and to execute the code generation. You can also use the compiler and the engine with a good old java project. You can find more about the features available in Acceleo here.
Context of the development of the prototype
During the summer 2010, one of the member of the Acceleo dev' team started, at Obeo, to work on that prototype in order to evaluate the new Eclipse platform, e4. In order to do that we started to create a prototype of Acceleo running on e4. So first let's clarify a thing or two. E4 is the project that has been created to develop and test the technologies that will be included Eclipse 4. At the time, the first release of Eclipse 4 has been made with components of e4. This version of Eclipse 4 contained the JDT, and all the classic tools of the Eclipse platform. Those tools are the same as in Eclipse 3.6 Helios and the are running on the top of a compatibility layer. This compatibility layer allows people to run Eclipse 3.x plugins on Eclipse 4.
Acceleo on the compatibility layer
We tested Acceleo with the compatibility layer and it's fine, there were a bug or two here and there but most of the features were fully functional. The goal of that prototype is to have Acceleo running on e4 without the compatibility layer.
Acceleo on e4
At the time, e4 was a nice set of APIs and frameworks but since most of the existing code of the Eclipse platform had not been ported yet to e4, there were several problems with the transition from Eclipse 3 to e4. The first and biggest problem was the fact that the bundle org.eclipse.ui had not been ported to e4. Which means, if you wanted to create some UI element you pretty much had to start from SWT/JFace widgets. And when we worked on this prototype, it was before the release of Eclipse 4.0 and there was pretty much no documentation except a tutorial or two from Lars Vogel and some examples on the CVS like the Simple IDE from Tom Schindl which was a great source of inspiration for this prototype.
Architecture of the prototype
Let's see the architecture of the prototype first. Since at the time, the platform was just a nice set of APIs, we pretty much had to build a complete RCP application from scratch. The base of that application had to offer the basic functions of the Eclipse IDE. For that we started to create the UI model of this basic application.
In e4, pretty much all the UI extension points have disappear from the plugin.xml and there are now contained in a single EMF model which describe the UI. You can see that the organization of this model allow us to manipulate all the UI concepts more easily. Since it's an EMF model you can also use all the tooling created by the modeling community. That basic EMF model allow us to describe the base of this RCP application. With this, we started to create the ui bundles of the Acceleo prototype that would contribute to this basic application. These contribution are also done thanks to an EMF model as you can see it in the next screenshot.
UI development on e4
Quickly after the beginning of the realization of that prototype, we decided to test some other UI technologies available with e4. First we tried the CSS. You can see in the next screenshots the prototype with and without CSS.
So let's be clear with the CSS on e4, it works, it' easy to use, it is the same old CSS that everybody knows. Yet we didn't succeed in creating something beautiful with CSS because we are not designers and we will stick with the default look and feel anyway. But for a RCP application, CSS can be a very simple way to customize efficiently the design of your application.
Since We were testing the UI, we also tried XWT. XWT is not, I think, a part of the e4 platform but since it's coming with it, I tried it at the same time. I've always loved the idea of creating the UI with a WYSIWYG and after that serialize the UI, because let's face it UI code is always ugly and you can't picture the result easily. I was not fond of the tooling of XWT and I would have preferred something based on an EMF model butit worked even if the binding system was quite complicated. I am not sure that I will use it again but with improvements, I would gladly try it again. The property view, here has been created with XWT.
First look at the prototype
So here you can see the prototype running, with the editor and some very basic features. I would like to point out that working without the org.eclipse.ui bundle includes having to create an editor back from a simple TextViewer. All the nice classes like AbstractTextEditor are gone. The problem is that with the TextViewer comes lots of JFace object manipulated by their interface like the annotation model for example. Those interface are nice but since their only implementation is in org.eclipse.ui, you cannot have the quality of an Eclipse 3 editor with markers, auto-completion or quick fixes unless you are the guy who wrote it in the first place.
Working with the new platform
The communication with the Eclipse platform is know done in a very different way thanks to dependency injection. This change pushed us to modify some part of our architecture to go to something closer to a service based architecture. You can see here some example of dependency injection with e4. After some difficulties at the beginning, I have to say that the dependency injection is a very nice way to communicate with the platform and with other bundles. It was easy to determine where each injected value was coming from in this small environment, but I have the feeling that debugging dependency injection in a crowded environment may be a bit more painful. Anyway, some major Java enterprise frameworks switched to dependency injections years ago, it didn't kill them, personally I loved it in e4.
I also used the new event system of equinox, the event admin, in order to send and receive events across the platform. It is one of my favorite features in e4. This is a way to replace the traditional observer pattern. Instead of communicating one with the other, the provider of the event and the listener of the event are communicating thanks to the platform and as such have no idea were the event is coming from and who is listening to the event. If it is well used, it could reduce the dependency between components inside the platform. My only fear was to overused it.
Features of the prototype
As you can see it the prototype possess the basic function of Acceleo with the editor, the compiler and the engine to generate code. During this small demonstration, we will create a small Acceleo project, in this project we will have a very small template (it is not a demonstration of what Acceleo is capable of after all) and then with this small project and with a small EMF model we will generate a small html page describing each EClass of the model.
In order to sum up this experiment, I would like to say that I am looking forward working on e4. Dependency injection appears to be a very nice way to interact with the platform. I am looking forward the first version of the JDT in order to try to improve this prototype and maybe create the first elements of what could be one day Acceleo 4.
This report was presented at the "Modeling symposium" during "Eclipse Summit Europe 2010" in Ludwigsburg, Germany by Stephane Begaudeau.


text:
Domain name registration
We believe your domain name is your online identity and belongs to you. Our services give you unrestricted control of your domain. Why not transfer your domain to Gandi?
The validity period of one of your domains has reached its expiration date or you want to renew a domain of someone you know.


text:
13.2 Planning Activities
Responsibility for Planning Activities
Before planning an activity, leaders consider the spiritual and temporal needs of members. Leaders seek the guidance of the Spirit to determine what kind of activity would help meet those needs. Careful planning is necessary to ensure that activities accomplish gospel-centered purposes and meet the needs of those who participate.
Under the direction of the bishopric, the ward council oversees the planning of ward activities. When an activity is for a specific organization or group in the ward, it is planned under the direction of the priesthood or auxiliary leaders who are responsible for the organization. When an activity is for the entire ward, the bishop may assign responsibility for it to one or more organizations represented on the ward council. He may also assign responsibility for an activity to other individuals or to a committee, working under the direction of the ward council. Normally these assignments are temporary for a specific activity.
Under the direction of the stake presidency, the stake council oversees the planning of stake activities. For more information about stake activities, see 13.3.
Strengthening Families
Leaders ensure that activities strengthen the family rather than compete with it. Some activities can be family centered, giving families opportunities to participate together. Activities should support parents by teaching their children to be faithful followers of Christ.
Leaders also ensure that activities do not become so numerous that they put undue burdens on members.
Encouraging Participation
Those who plan activities strive to have participants be actively involved, since participating is usually more beneficial than just observing. One way to encourage participation is to have members use their gifts, skills, and talents in the activity.
Those who plan activities should make a special effort to reach out to new members, less-active members, youth, single adults, people with disabilities, and people of other faiths. Leaders should be sensitive to any special circumstances of participants, such as physical limitations, family concerns, and cultural and language differences.
Church activities should follow and teach Church standards. They should provide a wholesome environment where participants can develop friendships with others who have similar beliefs and standards. Activities should be
Dress and grooming should be modest, tasteful, and appropriate for the activity. The bishopric or stake presidency determines the dress standards for activities. Leaders who plan an activity may recommend dress standards that are consistent with gospel principles.
Substances that are contrary to the Word of Wisdom are not permitted at Church activities or on Church premises. Persons who are obviously under the influence of alcohol or other drugs must not be admitted to Church activities.
For more information on Church standards, see For the Strength of Youth.
See 13.6.20.
Balance and Variety
Leaders should plan a balanced activities program that includes a variety of activities. Members should have opportunities to participate in activities that appeal to their interests. Members should also have opportunities to support others in their interests. Planning a yearly calendar helps leaders achieve a balance of service, cultural arts, and physical activities without creating excessive demands on members' time.
The following paragraphs provide some examples of worthwhile activities.
Service activities provide opportunities for members to show love for those in need, whether or not they are members of the Church, and feel the joy of helping them. These activities could include visiting the sick or lonely, fulfilling welfare assignments, beautifying Church buildings and grounds, and participating in community projects.
Cultural Arts
Cultural arts activities provide opportunities for members to develop their talents and interests. These activities also nurture creativity, confidence, communication, and cooperation. They could include talent shows or performances in dance, music, and drama. They could also include the celebration of local or general Church history.
Sports, Recreation, Health, and Fitness
For information about Church sports activities, see 13.6.21.
Recreational activities can vary according to the resources available in the area. These activities may include historical commemorations, camping, hiking, or pursuit of hobbies. Recreational activities can often be planned so that families can participate together.
As individuals, as families, and as Church groups, members are encouraged to participate in activities that contribute to their health and fitness. These activities may include walking, jogging, aerobic and other exercise programs, health classes, and fitness training (see 13.6.25, item 2).
Scheduling Activities
Church activities should be planned as far in advance as reasonable. They should be included on the stake or ward calendar. Leaders should keep parents informed of activities for children and youth.
If an activity will be held at a meetinghouse or another Church facility, planners reserve the facility in advance to avoid conflicts with other activities or meetings. Each meetinghouse has an agent bishop assigned by the stake presidency. He oversees the scheduling of the meetinghouse facilities, though he usually appoints another person to do the actual scheduling.
Monday nights are reserved for family home evening (see 13.6.10).
Funding for Activities
Leaders ensure that expenses for activities are in accordance with the current budget and finance policies of the Church. The following principles apply.
Most activities should be simple and have little or no cost. Expenditures must be approved by the stake presidency or bishopric before they are incurred.
Stake and ward budget funds should be used to pay for all activities, programs, and supplies. Members should not pay fees to participate. Nor should they provide materials, supplies, rental or admission fees, or long-distance transportation at their own expense. Activities in which
Possible exceptions to the funding policy in the preceding paragraph are listed below. If the ward budget does not have sufficient funds to pay for the following activities, leaders may ask participants to pay for part or all of them:
If funds from participants are not sufficient, the bishop may authorize one group fund-raising activity annually that complies with the guidelines in 13.6.8.
In no case should the expenses or travel for an annual camp or similar activity be excessive. Nor should the lack of personal funds prohibit a member from participating.
For a possible exception in funding large multistake or area events for young single adults, see 16.3.7.
For guidelines about funding travel that is associated with activities, see 13.6.24.
Funding for Equipment and Supplies
If possible, equipment and supplies that the ward needs for annual youth camps are purchased with ward budget funds. If these funds are not sufficient, the bishop may authorize one group fund-raising activity annually that complies with the guidelines in 13.6.8.
Equipment and supplies purchased with Church funds, whether from the ward budget or a fund-raising activity, are for Church use only. They are not for the personal use of individuals or families.
Church funds may not be used to purchase uniforms for individuals.
- Home
- Handbook 2
- 13. Activities