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Living With Climate Change In The Arctic
Living With Climate Change in the ArcticText & photos by James Ford
In the late spring of 2000, a group of 52 hunters from Arctic Bay, a small Inuit community on the northern coast of Canada's Baffin Island, were hunting narwhal from the edge of the sea ice. But things didn't go according to plan, recalls Levi Barnabas, a 41-year-old hunter and local politician. A strong wind from the south caught the group by surprise, detaching the ice they were on from the mainland and blowing them out towards the sea. Unable to reach land and approaching open water, Barnabas and several others radioed for help. Luckily, an icebreaker sailing nearby was able to dispatch a helicopter to rescue the stranded hunters. All were saved, but many lost their valuable equipment, including snowmobiles, sleds, guns, rowboats, and VHF radios. Stories of Inuit getting into difficulties while hunting are increasingly common. For the Arctic Bay group, the rapid onset of a south wind was unexpected and came without the usual warning signals, such as predictable cloud cover.Unfortunately, such problems may become the norm for Inuit,who depend heavily on the local environment to support small hunting and fishing settlements across Greenland, northern Canada and Alaska, and northeastern Russia.
In 2004, I traveled to two Inuit communities in Canada's Nunavut territory,Arctic Bay and Igloolik (700 and 1,300 residents, respectively) to find out how people are being affected by climate change and to assess what future change may mean for the region. The trip highlighted the magnitude of problems posed by climate change but also demonstrated the adaptability of Inuit. Even so, social, cultural, and economic challenges threaten to undermine this adaptability and, if not addressed, could ultimately compromise their ability to cope with future environmental change.
On my first trip to Arctic Bay, an elder told me,"The world is different now."Over the past decade, he has witnessed unprecedented changes in the Arctic environment, including later freezing and earlier break-up of the sea ice in the fall and spring, more unpredictable weather, and stronger and more frequent winds. He had also seen greater temperature extremes, increased summer precipitation, and declines in the number and range of mammals, particularly seals.Other residents of Arctic Bay, and of Igloolik to the south, told similar accounts of changing climatic conditions beyond expected natural variability.
These observations are not unique to Canada's Nunavut Territory. In 2004, scientists with the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, a comprehensive study of climate change in the Arctic, reported that the region as a whole has undergone the greatest warming on Earth in recent decades, with annual temperatures now averaging 2–3 degrees Celsius higher than in the 1950s. This warming has affected the region's ice and hydrological balance: the late-summer Arctic sea ice has thinned by 40 percent in some parts and shrunk in area by roughly 8 percent over the past 30 years. Precipitation has increased by around 1.2 percent per decade since the 1950s, and rain-on-snow events are far more common.
These changes pose significant risks and hazards to communities across the Arctic.Most of these risks are associated with hunting activities. For the 155,000 Inuit living in the region, hunting is more than just a hobby; it is a way of life that underpins the social, cultural, and economic fabric of community life. People spend a significant amount of time on the land, hunting, camping, and traveling outside their settlements, and must deal with the changing natural environment in their daily lives. In Arctic Bay and Igloolik, the unpredictability of the weather has caused the most concern. Before venturing out on the land, hunters typically look to the sky to decide if it's safe to go out—assessing cloud height, form, and direction as well as the wind and other environmental conditions. Predicting the weather is essential to anticipating and responding to travel dangers. Strong winds, for example, can be treacherous while boating on exposed water in the summer. In the winter, they can cause whiteout conditions and rapidly disintegrate the ice during late-season break-up.
Over the past several generations, the weather has been fairly predictable. In the summer, explains Atagutak Ipeelee from Arctic Bay, for "three or four days it would be calm,with bad weather lasting less than three days." Bad weather would also be associated with wind coming from a certain direction. Today, the bad weather—mainly strong wind—appears without warning and lasts longer than in the past. Changing climatic conditions have made traditional knowledge, through which predictions are made, less dependable." Normally,when the wind starts coming, it comes gradually and then it gets stronger later on," says Lisha Levia, a resident of Arctic Bay."But today,when it starts getting windy, it comes on really strong. I cannot predict the weather through looking at the clouds when I used to."Leah Otak agrees, echoing the concerns of many hunters in Igloolik: "[The weather] seems to be all mixed up now." Identifying signs of hazardous conditions has become increasingly difficult.
Olayuk Kigutakarjuk of Arctic Bay appreciates the dangers posed by changing conditions only too well.While traveling on a snowmobile with her husband one autumn, they plunged through thin ice hidden under snow—a hazard that has worsened with climate change.Both were lucky to survive. Igloolik's walrus hunters face similar perils, as a sudden shift in the wind direction from the south/southeast to the north/northwest on an outgoing tide would strand them on drifting ice.
Changing climatic conditions are affecting the accessibility of hunting areas as well. In the colder months from October to July, community access to these areas—open water for fishing, snowy caribou runs, the ice edge where seals gather— depends on the condition of the sea ice and snow. Later and longer freeze-up in the fall delays the start of harvesting, as harpoon seal hunters and ice fishers must wait longer before they can travel safely on the ice. For Inuit from Igloolik, the longer freeze-up is particularly frustrating: the village is located on a small island, and hunters cannot venture into the surrounding area until the ice is thick enough to cross.
In the summer, access to hunting areas depends on the condition of inland trails, which can get muddy and nearly impassable when the upper layer of permafrost melts and the summer rains pool. It also depends on the ability to use boats. The stronger and less-predictable summer winds limit small motor boats from accessing certain grounds because the vessels do not offer protection in rough water. For some hunters, this rising unpredictability spells danger and unnecessary risk. "Because of the weather, I stayed mostly at home [last summer]," notes Joe Arnatsiaq.
Despite the new challenges they face, Inuit communities are coping in innovative and effective ways. In anticipation of potential weather-related dangers, many residents now make extra preparations before they go out. David Kalluk of Arctic Bay, for instance, takes "extra everything, extra grub and extra gas" in case a sudden change in conditions means he has to spend more nights on the land.And the community's narwhal hunters,who harvest at the ice edge during the annual spring break-up, now carry small boats on their sleds to avoid being stranded on drifting ice.
Other residents have simply become more risk-averse. They avoid traveling on the land or water if they have reason to believe the weather is going to be bad, they return quickly if weather conditions deteriorate, and they are more vigilant during their day-to-day activities. Some have stopped going out altogether at certain times of the year, altering the timing and location of their activities in response to changes in the accessibility of hunting areas. "The main reason I don't go to [the] floe edge [in late spring] anymore is because of the wind," explains Koonark Enoogoo of Arctic Bay.Many hunters have also adopted new technology, using global positioning systems (GPS) at the floe edge to detect if the ice is moving, carrying VHF radios to contact the community in emergencies, and consulting satellite images of the sea ice to identify areas to avoid.
That Inuit are managing these changes comes as no surprise to John MacDonald, a long-time resident of Igloolik and former director of the Nunavut Research Institute. "If [Inuit] weren't adaptable they wouldn't be around," he notes.Unpredictability and a certain amount of change are characteristic of Arctic life and define the very nature of hunting. Hunters have an intimate knowledge of the Arctic environment through their own experience on the land and from knowledge and skills passed on by elders. This collective social memory, known as Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ; pronounced cowyee- ma-ya-tu-kang-eet) enables risks to be managed.Hunters know the dangers of hunting, precursors to certain hazardous conditions, survival techniques for bad weather, what equipment to take along, and what preparations to make. The more experienced hunters are able to use traditional methods for navigation if they are caught out in bad weather.
Like other forms of indigenous knowledge, IQ is dynamic—continually evolving in light of observations and trial-and-error experience. In the face of increased unpredictability, Inuit have combined this traditional knowledge with their experience of changing conditions to take appropriate precautions to ensure safe and successful hunting.
Strong links between family and friends, another characteristic of IQ, have long facilitated survival in the Arctic and continue to play an important role today. The sharing of locally harvested animals and plants, for instance, is considered obligatory between family and friends, and occurs with others in the community at certain times of the year or when necessary. Sharing traditional food underpins Inuit food security as changing environmental conditions make certain hunting areas inaccessible to those who lack the equipment, knowledge, or time to harvest their own food.
Diversity and flexibility in resource use is also important in facilitating Inuit adaptability.Harvesting is opportunistic: hunters will harvest game when and where it is available, taking advantage of specific local conditions. As climate change creates new situations, such as a later ice freeze-up in the fall, they take advantage of this by extending the fishing season and waiting until freezing occurs to resume normal activity.
While climate change is a major worry for residents of Arctic Bay and Igloolik, an even more pressing concern is the social fallout from the transformation of these traditional subsistence- based societies to "southern" wage-based economies.
Unemployment in both Arctic Bay and Igloolik stands at over 20 percent, and alcoholism is a major problem. Nunavut's suicide rate, at 77 deaths per 100,000 people, is one of the highest in the world and six times higher than in the rest of Canada. Meanwhile, the switch from traditional diets to processed, store-bought foods has led to rising levels of obesity and diabetes, particularly among younger generations.
But social and environmental problems are linked: as these social changes occur, they are undermining the very characteristics of Inuit society that have facilitated cultural resilience to wider changes in the natural world.
Of particular concern to both communities, and to indigenous communities across Canada's north, is the erosion of traditional land skills among youth. These skills used to be developed through learning by doing, explains David Kalluk of Arctic Bay.Young children, primarily boys,would be taken out on the land by their fathers and grandfathers. Through observation, experience, and trial-and-error, they would attain the knowledge required for safe and successful hunting.
But with school and other distractions such as TV and computer games, few younger-generation Inuit are learning this way today. "They're not observing and they're not out there hunting," says Arctic Bay's Tommy Tatatuapik. Consequently, skills necessary for safe hunting and travel are being lost or insufficiently developed, including methods of navigation and making snow shelters, dealing with certain dangerous situations, dressing appropriately, stocking supplies for trips, and identifying precursors to hazardous conditions.
"We have lost the skills so much," laments James Ungallak of Igloolik. "What would have not been dangerous 50 years ago is now dangerous." Arctic Bay's Leah Kalluk has similar concerns: "[The younger generations] either get stranded or go into dangerous spots because they [are] not listening to the elders." Indeed, there have been numerous cases of young Inuit getting into difficulties on the land—and changing climatic conditions are making it even more dangerous for them.
The erosion of traditional skills in younger generations is compounded by an erosion of traditional family structures and sharing networks, emerging inter-generational segregation and loss of respect for elders, increasing dependence on technology, and reliance on outside financial support.All of these are straining the mechanisms through which Inuit manage climatic and environmental conditions.
Both social and environmental concerns will only worsen as the Arctic undergoes further climate change in the decades ahead. By 2100, average annual temperatures are projected to rise 3–5 degrees Celsius, and precipitation is expected to increase roughly 20 percent, according to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report. The report also predicts a more significant decline in the extent of sea ice, increased ice instability, and even greater weather extremes. While Inuit are able to manage the changes in climatic conditions today, vulnerabilities associated with the transition from a traditional lifestyle, particularly among youth, make future prospects more worrying.
Ultimately, the ability of the residents of Arctic Bay and Igloolik to manage future environmental change will be constrained or enhanced by the resilience of traditional livelihoods and the strength of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. The nature of the change will also be important, as rapid and unpredictable climate alterations would be more problematic. Timing is also key. Changes in environmental conditions at dangerous times of the year (such as during ice freeze-up and break-up), including increased instability, thin ice, and less-predictable winds, have been most troublesome to date. Further changes would create additional risks. Unfortunately, existing climate models are limited in their ability to predict how climate change will affect environmental conditions at specific times of the year.
As they witness this new reality, Inuit organizations have become increasingly vocal in raising awareness of the magnitude of Arctic climate change and in advocating action to reduce emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. In June, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), an international non-governmental organization representing Inuit communities across the Arctic, announced plans to file a petition with the 35-member Organization of American States to pressure the United States to do more to cut its emissions. The group has accused the U.S. government of violating Inuit human rights by fueling climate change. For her work for Inuit rights, ICC chair Sheila Watt- Cloutier was recently awarded the $100,000 Sophie Prize.
The ICC and other Inuit groups have been less effective, however, in addressing what communities can do to cope with climate change at a local level. This is an important issue for many residents who are experiencing climate change in their everyday lives and who face the specter of even greater change in years to come.Most communities would prefer to avoid the fate of Shishmaref, a small Inuit village in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska,where residents are preparing to move their entire settlement to more solid ground as the shrinking sea ice, thawing permafrost, and frequent sea storms erode their island.
Several Nunavut residents offer insights into what can be done. Atagutak Ipeelee notes that bigger boats would better navigate the strong winds and improve the safety of hunters during the late-spring narwhal hunt. In Igloolik, Abraham Ulayuruluk would like to see subsidies that would allow hunters to buy the extra gas, food, tents, and other supplies they need in the face of changing conditions. This includes funding for more safety equipment, including satellite phones and GPS units, as well as affordable insurance to cover equipment lost or damaged in climate-related hunting accidents.
Opportunities also exist to address the social issues that plague many Inuit communities, and thus to indirectly strengthen their ability to cope with future change. These include policies to promote and preserve traditional Inuit knowledge and to improve the safety of hunting among youth.
In Igloolik, the Inullariit Society, established in 1993 to preserve and promote culture, language, heritage, and traditional values, now offers "Land Camps" during which elders take young Inuit on the land for weeks at a time to teach hunting, survival, and safety skills. Because Inuit knowledge forms the basis for Inuit cultural identity, spirituality, and values, its preservation and promotion is key to addressing concerns at the community level.
By considering climate change and the full range of coping mechanisms in local planning, budgeting, and other decision making processes, Inuit communities can act to hedge against any future challenges they are likely to face. This approach, known as "mainstreaming"may be the best way to prepare for the inevitable changes ahead.
James Ford is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. His research on Inuit vulnerability to climate change is part of the ArcticNet project.
For more information about issues raised in this story, visit www.worldwatch.org/ww/inuit/.
Global warming tests traditional ways.


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Copper Rose Henna Hamsa Hand Necklace
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The holiday season is the time of the year when most people have the most parties and functions to attend … which for us girls translates into more excuses to get dolled up and try the latest trends,fashions and beauty looks! And since there are so many bold and beautiful Spring/Summer 2013 makeup trends that would be perfect to wear to the parties and outings this the festive season, I thought I would share five of the hottest ones right now!
1) Bright Coloured Matte Lips
Bold, bright coloured lip colours are the perfect way to dress up any outfit which makes them perfect for the festive season! The way to wear the look and be on trend now is to keep your lip colour matte … which means leave the lip-gloss at home, and keep your lip colours shimmer free! Scarlet red and neon shades like fuchsia and coral are colours that are hot right now! This trend is perfect for both day and night functions … During the day keep your eye makeup 'barely there' with just some mascara and maybe pearl coloured eye shadow (if you must have eye shadow), keeping the focus on your lips. For a night out you can go all out with smoky eye in a neutral colour like gray, brown or black. Personally I love the neon lip shades for summer and these lipsticks are what I use to get the look.
2) Sparkly and Mettalic Eyeshadow
If you're a fan of glitter and shimmer then no fear, just keep it on your eyelids and you will be on trend! Metallic and shimmery smoky eye makeup is absolutely perfect for a night out! If you use neutral coloured eye shadow to get the look pair it with the bold coloured matte lips mentioned above and you're good to go! If you're going with a more fun colour like the aqua blue in the picture above then stick to a nude lip colour and keep the focus on your eyes. This Stila eye shadow palette is perfect to create some smoldering metallic looks for a night out during the holiday season!
3) 60's Inspired Makeup
Bold eyeliner, eyelashes and eyebrows paired with matte skin and nude or red lips is what makes this sexy all eyes on my eyes look! This is another look that's perfect for a night out and because it's usually done with neutral or nude eye shadow shades it ends up having that sexy but sophisticated look which is perfect for the office party! Here's how to take the look from the'Runway to the Real way'.
4) Colourful eye makeup
Pops of colourful eye makeup in the form of eye shadow, eyeliner and even mascara is a huge trend for summer and can be perfect for day or night holiday events! Pink, aqua blues and green are some of the most trending makeup colours at the moment. Although these looks from the runways don't look very wearable there are lots of wearable ways you can wear the trend … For day time a hint of aqua blue or pink eye shadow just swept across the lid with some mascara or just a line of aqua blue or green liner on the lower lid would be perfect. For night time you just have to add some liquid eye liner and maybe a bold lip and your good to go! You can see how I wear aqua eye shadow for a summery daytime look here.
5) Very Dramatic Lashes
Dramatic lashes are always trending in my books, but the kind of lashes that are trending now are extremely long, extremely full, and obviously fake … While this look can really bring out your eyes and make anyone look gorgeous, it's probably best left to be worn at night if you are going with fake lashes. This is how I get my everyday dramatic lash look sans the fake lashes.
Hope you guys liked my post!
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Twilight Land 2019
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As Dirty South drops Moby's "In This World" over the Kinetic Stage, a young man in Fedde Le Grand sunglasses bends his knees and raises two flexed middle fingers to the sky. "F*ck the f*cking wind!" he shouts, before breaking into an enthusiastic shuffle.
This is the dance party of our discontent.
After Electric Daisy Carnival Night 2's untimely end at the mercy of strong desert winds, the final sunset-to-sunrise ride starts almost like a venting of frustration, everyone fighting exhaustion for one more night under the neon halo, dancing last night's angst into the ground with arms pumping the air.
The wind-hater next door grabs a stack of napkins and makes it rain over the main-stage crowd with the same joy as if they were $100s. In a moment his shirt is off, and he's asking me to smell the VIP ticket he swears is scratch and sniff. I smile and smell exactly nothing.
The sound of the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right" brings my attention back to the Kinetic Field stage. It's Pretty Lights—aka American DJ Derek Vincent Smith—starting his set with the classic party anthem. A month after Beastie-founder Adam Yauch's death, thousands of voices sing along in full-throated tribute.
Over at the A State of Trance-hosted Circuit Grounds, ATB is spinning his brand of trance for a grooving crowd. There's no sign of damage to the stage from the previous night's gusts, and the crowd dances under the scaffolding and speakers, now steady in the calm Sunday dark.
With my last hours of EDC approaching, I find myself grasping to take it all in. I want to dance with the trance-happy security guard at Circuit Grounds, to climb aboard the Disco Kremlin school bus, to gawk at Jesus striding across the Speedway grounds as if he has a date with some saintly DJ. I stare and jump and smile. I think about buying a bacon-wrapped hot dog and then stare some more.
In a few hours I'll be back to a reality where people don't dress like glowing bees on stilts, where skydivers don't drop from the clouds in a rain of sparks and where Metro officers don't pose for photos with EDM fans in Day-Glo beads. But not quite yet.
Strolling between stages, a wide-eyed kid grabs my friend's shoulder and says, "Let's be here forever. Let's never leave this place." But we can't stay at the carnival. Tomorrow, it'll be gone.


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About The Event
The quality of each Dupree Dance event is reflected on the faces and in the sentiment of every attendee! Dupree Dance brings an amazing faculty of six successful, industry-clad dancers and choreographers who teach a wide variety of dynamic master classes throughout each day of the workshop. The class content for each level will include (but is not limited to) Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Jazz Funk, Lyrical/Contemporary, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre and Technique. There are a total of 5 class levels to choose from depending on both the age and ability of each registered dancer.
Classes will run from 8 am until 2 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. You may click on the sample schedule or exact class schedule below. Sample schedules are replaced by the exact class schedule no later than one month prior to each event.
We have an optional competition for convention-registered dancers that will begin between 2-3 PM on Saturday and is free to all observers! We will also be holding the solo, duo & trio competition as well as a portion of our group, line and/or production routines competition on Friday at our Chicago event. Make sure to inform your dancers and dance families so they can plan ahead for a potential Friday competition start. Dupree will communicate with registrants via email within one week post-registration deadline as to our general competition details at your event.
In addition to learning amazing technique and innovative choreography, dancers of all ages and abilities will learn to surrender any worry, fear, and ego and to trust and honor their own uniqueness. Students and teachers will undoubtedly leave our conventions and competitions with wonderful memories and a refreshed outlook on the artistry of dance.
Feel free to explore our website to obtain further details about both our convention and competition under General Information.
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Located just 30 minutes west of Chicago and steps from Yorktown Shopping Center, with plentiful shops, restaurants, and evening activities, the hotel is easily accessible from all major expressways as well as O'Hare International and Midway airports.
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John Avery left his job in Hendersonville and moved to South Korea to teach children English for a year.
John Avery
Age: 28
Occupation: Interim youth coordinator at The Mediation Center in Hendersonville
John Avery left his job in Hendersonville and moved to South Korea to teach children English for a year.
Why did you decide to teach overseas for a year?
I decided to make the move because I was interested in both traveling and teaching. I had never been outside of the United States before, and I definitely wanted to travel before I turned 30. I also thought it would be a good way to explore teaching as a potential career.
What did you enjoy most about your experience?
The kids. Their creativity. They can think of new ways to use language and they're funny, very delightful. It was so amazing to see the breadth of topics they could discuss in their second language.
Is the education system more intense in South Korea than in the U.S.?
Yes, a lot more intense. I taught in an afterschool program that began at 4:30 p.m. and I would teach until 9:50 p.m. some days. Most kindergarteners there are bilingual, with the vast majority speaking English well. The literacy rate there is amazing. I want to say it's one of the highest in the world. I was amazed at how many words were borrowed from English.
Where exactly did you teach in South Korea?
I taught in a city called Cheongju, which is the capital of Chungcheongbuk-do, a province located in the middle of South Korea. I taught at a private after-school academy, known as a "hagwon" in Korean. I taught children from the ages of about 10 to 16.
Is the cost of living in South Korea the same as here in the U.S.?
The cost of living in South Korea is a little lower than here. That's one of the reasons that a lot of people like to go to South Korea. You can spend $4 to get a decent meal. I had so much good food!
Did you have a favorite meal?
I had a lot of favorite meals there. My diet definitely changed. I have a few dietary intolerances, so eating in Korea was not always easy, but it was interesting. I ate more white rice and soy than I have ever eaten in my entire life. I grew to love kimchi, though I am on hiatus from eating it at the moment. I ate a lot of kimbap, pronounced "kim-bop," which is a seaweed and rice roll with vegetables and egg that often includes tuna fish, cheese or cooked beef.
I also ate a lot of bibimbap, pronounced "bee-beam-bap," which is a bowl of rice with various cooked and uncooked vegetables, hot pepper paste and a fried egg. One of my other favorite meals, which sometimes took place at restaurants where you had to remove your shoes and sit on the floor, was called "samgyeopsal," traditionally known as Korean barbecue, where they give you raw pork belly and you cook it on a grill at your table.
I also loved the various side dishes that each restaurant would serve. One of my favorites was raw squid preserved in hot pepper paste. I also tried boiled silkworm larvae. It was not as crunchy as I would have expected. Restaurants were more challenging than grocery stores, since English was written on a lot of the packaging at the stores. I did have to research how to use a lot of different foods. Early on, one of my co-workers took a menu from a local restaurant and translated it for me and showed me how to order, which made eating out a lot easier.
Did you travel in the area when you were overseas?
As a birthday present to myself, I traveled to Japan. In a seafood market there, I enjoyed fresh-caught sushi. It was so delicious, so amazing. People would try to talk to me in English. I remember one man who would just say random words: 'Baseball!" "Yankees!" "A-Rod!'"
In Japan I tried natto, which is soybeans fermented with a certain type of bacteria. I mistook it for abalone when it was coming off of the conveyor belt at a sushi-go-round restaurant. Though natto claimes to have significant health benefits, it has an incredibly pungent odor and a very strong taste similar to rotten cheese. I could only eat one piece of natto sushi — and it had trouble going down.
Not knowing the native language, did you have trouble communicating?
I could use English and point and make gestures to get what I needed. I wanted to learn the language and culture as much as I could within a year. There were a lot of misunderstandings and miscommunications, but I'd just laugh it off. People would bend over backward to help me get what I needed. The hardest thing was learning the Korean alphabet, or Hangeul.
How did you get around the province?
The South Korean public transit system is so efficient, but you have to be careful because the bus drivers would start driving before you had a chance to sit down. The same went for a lot of taxis. The pace of life there was very harried. At first I was scared. There was a lot of stop-and-go traffic and some drivers would run red lights and weave between cars and stuff. But you get used to it.
What was the most difficult part of your trip?
The most difficult challenge of my transition was saying goodbye to my friends and family. The most delightful part of the transition was looking forward to the unknown and then discovering it as it happened. I felt like a small child with wide eyes just trying to take in everything.
What were your living quarters like?
I lived in an apartment in a four-story building that was about a six- or seven-minute walk from my school. The apartment was small. My front door had a keypad, so I had to input a code to get in. The kitchen had a two-burner gas stove with one sink and was maybe 5 feet by 5 feet. I had a bedroom/living room and then an area where my washer, refrigerator and drying racks were located. My bathroom had a shower nozzle attached to the wall with a drain in the middle of the floor. There wasn't a door, just a shower nozzle in the middle.
Did you try to learn the language before you left?
I didn't have too much time to study the language before I left, but I made sure to learn seven basic words that included "thank you" and "sorry," among others. I learned how to read the Korean alphabet around my third or fourth month, and from there it became easier. I would sound out words wherever I went, which annoyed some of my friends. I was surprised by how many Korean words seem to be taken directly from English.
What is your favorite memory of your time in South Korea?
The kids threw candy at me on Valentine's Day. I saw a candy bar coming at my face and reached up and caught it and the kids were surprised and impressed, so they threw more candy at me. That was fun. My students were awesome. The best part of my day was getting to see them and interact with them. The younger they were, the more fun they were. The middle school students were more reserved. You had to pull it out of them to get them to laugh.


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Children who are ambidextrous, using either hand with the same ease, may be more likely to have mental health, language and academic problems than their peers, according to a new study.
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The researchers say the findings may help teachers and health professionals identify children who are particularly at risk of developing these problems.
The researchers aren't sure what is behind this link, though they suggest differences in the brain between ambidextrous individuals and those who have a dominant hand may play a role. In fact, scientists aren't sure why some people can use both hands equally well (with no dominant hand), a skill also known as mixed-handedness.
They also warn that since the phenomenon is rare, with just one out of every 100 people being mixed-handed, the study only focused on a small group of these individuals.
"But our results are statistically and clinically significant," said lead researcher Alina Rodriguez of the Imperial College London. "That said, our results should not be taken to mean that all children who are mixed-handed will have problems at school or develop ADHD. We found that mixed-handed children and adolescents were at a higher risk of having certain problems, but we'd like to stress that most of the mixed-handed children we followed didn't have any of these difficulties."
The study is detailed in the most recent issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Handedness and language
The study involved nearly 8,000 children in Northern Finland, 87 of whom were mixed-handed, who completed questionnaires at ages 7 and 8, and again at 15 and 16. Since 90 percent of the population is right-handed, they compared both ambidextrous and left-handed individuals to this norm — right-handedness.
Parents and teachers also completed questionnaires regarding the 8-year-olds' language abilities, scholastic performance and behavior. Teachers specifically reported whether children had problems with reading, writing or mathematics, and rated academic performance as below average, average or above average.
For all variables except math, left-handed individuals showed no problems compared with their right-handed peers. For math, at ages 7 and 8, left-handers were 30 percent more likely to have problems compared with right-handers. And ambidextrous children were nearly 90 percent more likely than right-handers to have these math problems.
Results also showed the ambidextrous 7 and 8-olds were twice as likely as their right-handed peers to have language difficulties and to perform poorly in school.
By age 15 or 16, mixed-handed adolescents were also at twice the risk of having symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). And those ambidextrous teens with ADHD had more severe symptoms than their right-handed counterparts.
The mixed-handed teens reported having greater difficulties with language than left- or right-handed peers.
Brain hemisphere in charge
Here's how the link might work: Scientists know handedness is linked to the hemispheres of the brain. For instance, studies have shown that in right-handed individuals, the brain's left hemisphere is more dominant.
"Handedness is seen as a proxy for how the brain is functioning, and it's not a perfect measurement. A more accurate method would be to use fMRI [magnetic resonance imaging] scanning, but this isn't possible in a large-scale study," Rodriguez told LiveScience.
"All we can say from this is that they have an atypical brain lateralization; that just means the brain circuitry and function is likely to differ from the normal pattern," seen in right-handed individuals, she said.
And the right hemisphere, for instance, might not function in the same way for ambidextrous individuals as it does for right-handed individuals, Rodriguez said. That could explain the association with ADHD, as one study has shown that those with ADHD have difficulties processing information normally processed in the right hemisphere of the brain.
The results would likely extend beyond Finland, the researchers say. "There is no reason to believe that American children would behave in any other way as the children in this study," Rodriguez said.
The research was funded by the Academy of Finland, the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Thule Institute, University of Oulu, and the National Institute of Mental Health. Rodriguez received support from VINNMER.
© 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.


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The Jays have announced a press conference for 5:45 Eastern tonight to introduce the second coming, Scott Rolen. We'd presume that Rogers customers should be able to see this in full on that JaysVision barker channel.
If they put him in the powder blues at the presser, we'll crap our pants.
"If" is the operative word
Fox Sports' Dayn Perry continues a trend that has been taking off in recent days. Take a look through the clippings over the past week, and you'll see the word "if" dozens of time. If Rolen is healthy...If Wells hits like Wells...If Overbay is able to swing the bat...If A.J. Burnett pitches the whole season...If B.J. Ryan is able to return...If Roy Halladay stays healthy...If Marcum and McGowan pitch at the same level.
Obviously, it means that there is room for optimism, but as has been the case since 1993, that optimism is tempered by a whole lot of caution.
The worst part of this trend: it's left a really bad song by Bread stuck in our noggin all afternoon.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Put your hands together for your new third baseman...
3 comments:
- stoeten said...
Before reading that I would have SWORN that Perry HATED the Jays. He doesn't even usually shit on them, he just ignores them.
- January 15, 2008 at 3:39 PM
- Zoning Variance said...
Ah, ah. Not the second coming. You're forgetting Hinske, Coskie, AND Glaus (with a little bit of Hillenbrand sprinkled in there). That makes Rolen the FIFTH coming at Third Base in Riccardi's 6/7 year tenure helming the Blue Jays!
Man, does this guy crush on third baggers or what?
- January 16, 2008 at 11:34 AM
- Joanna said...
and on shortstops.
- January 16, 2008 at 1:24 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Latest News
Rural California residents: 'Who knows what's in the water?'
IVANHOE, Calif. — The plastic Santa Claus beckons motorists. So does the vintage seven-blade Trimmer lawn mower. They start conversations at Elida C. Lopez's yard sale along a quiet, country road.
She steers you to her best merchandise, a collection of plants for sale or a table covered with blue jeans. And she tells you about the old Ivanhoe train station, where she holds her yard sale.
But it doesn't take long before she points out a town well right across the street and talks about the tap water.
"I don't drink it," says Lopez, 69. "We've been drinking bottled water since forever. You hear about those problems up the road in Seville .
"Who knows what's in the water here?"
People in rural Tulare County talk about everything from the nearby Sierra Nevada to crime to higher university fees in California. But most conversations drift to the drinking water here. It's a crisis in slow motion.
Over the past decade, residents have been warned at one time or another not to drink their tap water. Chemical plumes filled with nitrates have been detected above safe levels hundreds of times in the past five years in rural wells.
Nitrates come from sewage, rotting plants, manure and fertilizers. The chemical can cause a fatal blood disease in infants.
The nitrate plumes, which many blame on surrounding agriculture, seem frightening and unstoppable. Residents wait years for bureaucrats to process their funding applications so they can get healthy drinking water. Bottled water is a necessity of life.
There are skeptics among the residents. Some say they just don't believe the water is dangerous, and they're upset that some people make such a fuss about it.
Gregorio Frias, 21, a resident in Seville, eight miles north of Ivanhoe, has his doubts. He is a custodian at Stone Corral Elementary School, the only school in the community of 400. Frias' family ran the town water system, but gave it up a few years ago because the family was losing money.
He worries about the cost of upgrading the town's water system.
"This is a small, impoverished town," he says. "Who is going to pay for improvements?"
Seville has applied for state funding to study renovation of the piping system and a new well. The county temporarily has taken over the water system, and residents are trying to organize a community service district to take it back.
In Seville, nitrates twice have been detected above safe levels in the past few years. The town's piping system is cracked and broken in places, bringing sand and bacteria into sinks and toilets.
At the elementary school, the drinking fountains are shut down. The 126 schoolchildren drink from bottled water containers in every classroom.
School office worker Maria Saldana said she lives in neighboring Yettem. Does she drink bottled water?
"Oh, yes," she says, waving her plastic bottle.
Drive south along Tulare County's brown foothills and see lush, green citrus trees. About 15 miles south of Seville, Tooleville's 339 residents live in aging houses and trailers along the town's only two streets, Morgan and Alfred avenues. A Sierra foothill, 1,549-foot Rocky Hill, gives them a striking, green vista in spring.
And just two miles from Tooleville, Exeter offers them the kind of small-city charm and shopping that people from Fresno or Visalia drive dozens of miles to get.
Tooleville seems an ideal place to get away from city life, but this town has the same kind of nitrate problems as Seville.
In the past several years, three long-time residents were diagnosed with stomach cancer, says resident Eunice Martinez, 46. Another long-time resident died of liver cancer earlier this year, she says. He ignored the warnings about contamination and drank regularly from his tap, she says.
"We know there's no way to directly connect the cancer and the water," Martinez says. "The scientists say there is only a possible connection. But it's scary. We've all been worried since they first told us not to drink the water in 1999."
She says one resident wouldn't buy a small, wading pool for her children because she feared the youngsters might accidentally swallow some water.
Martinez and her mother spend $40 a month for bottled water. It's a struggle for them to lift the five-gallon bottles. But they won't risk drinking from the tap.
"It's so different now from when I grew up around here," Martinez says. "I remember drinking from the hose and the water was so sweet. Now, I'm so used to bottled water that I prefer it to any other water anywhere."


text:
Latest revision or update: 4 July 2017
Town of Harlow
Harlow, a new town, established in Essex in Southeast England in the late 1940's, has a population of about 80,000. It was an urban district until 1974, when it became a local government district of the county of Essex.
The Jewish Community
Only one Jewish congregation is known to have existed in Harlow, the Harlow Jewish Community.
Explanation of Terms |
About JCR-UK |
JCR-UK home page
Contact JCR-UK Webmaster:
(Note: This is to contact JCR-UK, not the above Congregation)
Terms and Conditions, Licenses and Restrictions for the use of this website:
This website is
owned by JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. All
material found herein is owned by or licensed to us. You may view, download, and
print material from this site only for your own personal use. You may not post
material from this site on another website without our consent. You may not
transmit or distribute material from this website to others. You may not use
this website or information found at this site for any commercial purpose.


text:
Ricky Hatton
Great Britain
- Full name Ricky Hatton
- Birth date October 6, 1978
- Birth place Stockport
- Current age 40 years 352 days
- Height 5 ft 6 in
Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton ended his retirement in September 2012.
His first major victory came in 2005, when he defied the odds to overcome Kostya Tszyu of Australia and win the IBF Light Welterweight title. The Hitman won via a 12th round technical knockout after his opponent failed to answer the bell, a victory that signalled Hatton's arrival in boxing's elite.
Despite a move to welterweight in 2006, Luis Collazo was dispatched via unanimous decision as Hatton's rapid ascent into British boxing folklore continued apace. Setbacks were to follow, however, notably in 2007's bout against Floyd Mayweather Jnr.
With Hatton once again fighting in the welterweight division, the match-up between two unbeaten fighters provoked much fanfare. It was Hatton's unblemished record that fell after a tenth round stoppage.
Following a break, Hatton returned to light-welterweight and completed two routine victories over Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi. There was nothing straightforward about his next opponent: the formidable Manny Pacquiao. Hatton was outclassed, being knocked out in the second round by the Filipino.
He had his boxing licence revoked in September 2010 after being pictured in the News of the World apparently snorting cocaine, and subsequently checked into The Priory in order to undergo treatment for severe depression and excessive alcohol consumption.
In July 2011, he announced his retirement from boxing, apparently finishing with a record of 45-2 (32 KOs). However, over a year later, he announced his plans to return to the sport.
After months of speculation, Hatton confirmed that he was to relaunch his boxing career at the MEN Arena, selling out the venue before his comeback opponent had even been named.
Vyacheslav Senchenko was chosen for the November bout, and though Hatton made a bright start against the unheralded Ukrainian his timing looked poor and, as the 10-round fight wore on, the years away from the ring began to take their toll.
Senchenko landed a sickening body blow in the eighth round - a Hatton signature in his pomp - from which the Mancunian could not get up. A tearful Hatton immediately announced his final retirement from the sport.
"I needed one more fight to see if I had still got it, and I haven't," Hatton said. "I found out tonight it isn't there no more."
Career high: A surprising triumph over Kostya Tszyu
Career low: The second-round knockout against Pacquiao
Quote: Hatton reveals his usual post-fight diet: "I'm going to say hello to two friends who I've shut out of my life for the past 10 weeks while I trained the hardest I've ever done for a fight. So welcome back Mr Guinness and Mr Dom Perignon."
Trivia: Hatton received the award of MBE for services to sport in the 2007 New Year's Honours List
- Time for Broner to swap crass for class (Jun 18, 2013)
- Scott Quigg joins Matchroom stable (Jun 12, 2013)
- Gavin Rees is no sacrificial Welsh lamb (Feb 12, 2013)
- Hatton tells Pac and Floyd to 'get it on' (Jan 31, 2013)
Hatton won't swap boxing for UFC (Jan 30, 2013)
View the full list of related articles »
Nov 24, 2012
© PA Photos
Nov 24, 2012
© PA Photos
Nov 24, 2012
© PA Photos
Nov 24, 2012
© PA Photos
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text:
Flanabags Accessories Keepers
Description: These fashionable and durable TSA-compliant quart-size bags are perfect for travel and everyday use. Trimmed in trendy fabrics and equipped with wrist straps make these a perfect, year round gift. Features: TSA Compliant! This quart-sized vinyl bag is exactly what the TSA requires at the security check point. Easy to use. The wide bag opening make it easy to pack and the integrated wrist strap makes it easy grab your gear. Gusseted. AirQuart stands up on its gusset for packing and folds flat between trips. Stylish. Trimmed in trendy fabrics with a slim silhouette that fits inside your carry-on, purse or back pack. Secure. Sturdy interlocking zipper secures small items.
Price: $19.99 to $44.95


text:
Founded in 1996, ProgressiveHealth is a national leader in providing a broad spectrum of rehabilitation and rehabilitation management services, dedicated to delivering superior patient care and improving patient outcomes. We specialize in Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy, and Injury Prevention. We strive to be the preferred business partner among clients, the preferred provider among patients, and the preferred employer. We are currently have operations in 9 different states and have over 800 employees.
ProgressiveHealth strives for continuous improvement supported by our Hoshin strategies, which cascade throughout our entire organization. We empower each employee to make a difference and add value to our organization. We are efficiently structured to allow therapists time to focus on the patients, decreasing their time spent on administrative tasks.
In 1998, we developed our Clinical Management Solutions program specializing in managing all departments of hospital based therapy services including Inpatient Care, Out Patient Clinics, Home Health Services, Long Term Care facilities and Occupational Medicine.
In 2000, we developed our Industrial Solutions program which assists companies by reducing the cost of injury, fraud, turnover and lost time. We service some of the nation's leaders in the automotive, airline, transportation, and materials industries.
ProgressiveHealth understands the growing needs for wellness, not only corporate wellness, but individual wellness. We encourage all employees, clients, and patients to strive for individual wellness to promote a better and healthier you.
ProgressiveHealth is a premier provider of a broad spectrum of rehabilitation management, prevention, and wellness services, dedicated to superior patient care, improving outcomes, and delivering value-added client solutions.
150 N Rosenberger Avenue, Evansville, IN 47712
About Us


text:
#52 Add an Individual Event to Outlook from a Penn Law Calendar
April 25, 2011
You may recall how to subscribe to a Penn Law calendar in a previous tip. Did you know that you can also add individual appointments from EMS to your personal Outlook calendar?
- Visit the Penn Law Calendar of Events.
- Click on an event of interest.
- Click the Calendar icon (below) in the upper left corner of the event detail.
- Click Download iCal to open add the event to your Outlook Calendar.


text:
Registered Nurse
- Recruiter
- Newcross Healthcare
- Location
- Tonbridge, England
- Salary
- Up to £26.00 per hour + Free DBS and uniform + £500 platinum ticket
- Posted
- 08 Oct 2018
- Closes
- 15 Oct 2018
- Ref
- ASH-RN-TONBR-Agt18
- Contact
- Sam Trueman
- Nursing Field
- Care Home
- Function
- Nurse Practitioner
- Job Type
- Part Time
Are you a Registered Nurse?
Do you want to make a real difference to someone's life?
If so, this could be the job for you.
Newcross Healthcare are seeking dedicated Registered Nurses (RNs) to work with our service users in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and the surrounding local towns of Ashford.
Working for Newcross is entirely flexible, work full or part time hours, flexibility with your rota to fit around your life, all with the security of a permanent job with guaranteed hours and a local line manager. We have a range of shifts available from long days and nights, to evenings and weekends in various care environments.
As a Registered Nurse, you can access our exclusive Platinum Ticket Invitation, which means you'll receive a free uniform when you join our team, a free DBS check upfront and a £500 welcome bonus after your first 250 hours of work with Newcross*.
What can you expect from your Nursing role?
As a member of our Newcross Nursing Team, you will be providing life-enhancing care to our service users enabling them to lead the life that they choose.
Our nursing services put the user at the centre of everything we do. You must have a compassionate approach and be confident in your ability to provide life-enhancing nursing care that protects the dignity of the client and is in line with their personalised care plan.
You'll need to have excellent clinical skills, with a valid NCM pin number, and the confidence to work with clients independently and as part of a wider MDT team.
Skills & Opportunities
This is a great chance for you to improve your skill set with a range of free training programmes available, all provided by Newcross earned through credits as you work. This could include training from Basic Life Support, BSL or Makaton to Dementia Care and many more.
Why should you join Newcross?
At Newcross, we don't believe in 'zero hours.' All of our care staff have minimum hours guaranteed in their contracts, giving you the security of a steady income, with the flexibility to choose your own hours so you can have the work-life balance that suits you.
FlexiPay- with our new flexible pay feature on the HealthForceGo app you can decide when you want to be paid. Simply submit your timesheets by 5pm and be paid up to 50% of the value of your shift the very same day!
What will you benefit from?
- Salary of up to £26.00/hr including holiday pay
- Free criminal record check (DBS) upfront*
- Free uniform upon joining*
- £500 Platinum Reward after 250 hours of work with Newcross
- FlexiPay
- Specialised nurse training available free through credits earned as you work
- Agreed mileage payments for most clients
- Revalidation support through local line manager and Clinical Governance team
- 24-hour support contact centre, open 365 days a year
- Recommend a Friend scheme paying up to £500 per successful referral
- Online Intranet and smartphone app to manage your availability and bookings
- NurChat nurse forum - get support and discuss issues with your peers
What do you need for this role?
- Current valid NMC registration
- The right to live and work in the UK
- At least 6 months' post-qualification experience in a nursing role
- At least 2 referee contact details, one from your current employer and one from your current or previous place of work commenting on your clinical ability. You must also provide referee contact details for all other employments in the past 18 months or for your 3 most recent jobs.
- A certificate confirming your participation in a practical moving and handling course in the last 12 months, or are willing to book onto a Newcross course
- You will need access to a smartphone, iPhone (5s or later), iPad or iPod touch compatible with IOS 8.0 (or later) or Android device with a 4.3 operating system (or later), with internet access to submit your timesheets via our mobile app
- Access to your own vehicle is desirable
We provide nursing care in a range of settings from acute, hospital and ward environments to care, nursing and residential homes, so it's essential you have experience in at least one of these.
Your Local Team
Located in Kent next to the Great River Stour, Newcross Healthcare's Ashford branch is ideally placed to provide the town and wider region with qualified nurses, care workers and care assistants.
Based at 46 High Street, the branch is just a short distance from Ashford International airport.
Click the Apply Now button to begin your application
If you cannot apply online, please call 0800 252 881. Newcross Healthcare Solutions is committed to promoting equal opportunities and nothing in this job advert is intended to discriminate against anyone in any way.
*Terms and conditions apply. See Platinum Nurse Reward Package offer for details.


text:
The Council on Aging (COA) works to promote and safeguard the health and independence of Cambridge seniors over the age of 60. We arrange many necessary services and provide many meaningful social and recreational options that help enhance our senior's lives.
The COA acts as an information and referral for seniors.
For a detailed list of services, view the COA Brochure.
View the monthly publication: Newslines - the Council on Aging newsletter
Our two senior centers provide a variety of services and classes:
View Living Well, A Guide to Elder Services in Cambridge
Check out our Seniors in Action on Youtube
Watch the Cambridge Connections Memory Cafe video.


text:
Due to the recent interest in this site, and seeing as how the publication of THE MASTER OF VERONA is upon us, it seems appropriate to explain how the book (and, in turn, the blog) came about.
Early in 1999 I was directing Romeo & Juliet at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre (a great space that to my everlasting regret has since become a church). It was my fourth or fifth encounter with the play, but my first as director.
Getting ready to direct Shakespeare for the first time became an event. I read and re-read the script, watched other productions, even visited Verona as a lark – not that Shakespeare ever went there, but for the past hundred years or so the city has become, at least partially, an industry town for the play.
As an actor, you focus on your role and leave the overall play to the director. But as a novice director, I was forced to explore the play as a whole for the first time since ninth grade English class. I looked at all the questions, including the perennial 'What caused the feud?'
The cause is never actually mentioned in the play, and it's not vital to either an actor's or audience's understanding of the show. At the top of Act One, the 'ancient grudge' is already an established fact. But still, I pondered it for a time, then set it aside for more immediate concerns.
Today when I direct, cutting a script is my least favorite chore. Back then it was murder – what to take out, what to keep? In Shakespeare there are many seeming repetitions, but it was impossible not to hear each one in my head as the best expression of a certain thought.
At last I made it to the final scene – Paris is slain, Romeo and Juliet are both dead, we're firmly into the denouement. It was then that a line jumped out at me. Capulet and his wife find their daughter's bleeding body. Romeo's father, Lord Montague, enters to tomb, and the Prince addresses him: 'Come, Montague, for thou art early up / To see thy son and heir now early down.'
Montague replies:
Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight;
Grief of my son's exile hath stopped her breath.
What further woe conspires against my age?
These lines baffled me. Realize, I'd been looking at the show for days thinking about actors entering and exiting, who I could double-cast and so forth. I clearly didn't need Lady Montague for the final scene – her husband just told us she's dead. I flipped back to find her last scene. She's listed as entering in Act Three, Scene Four, when Mercutio and Tybalt both buy it – but she's strangely quiet in that scene. Lord Capulet, too, but at least people talk to him. No one addresses Romeo's mom, even when her son is banished. In fact, looking at it harder, Lady Montague hasn't been heard from since Act One, Scene One, in which she uttered a mere two lines!
So this was my quandary – do I cut Montague's lines at the end of the show? Why not? Here we are, the play is basically over. We've just watched the two romantic leads die pitiably, and young, kind, noble Paris just croaked it as well. Why do we care if some woman we barely remember is dead?
But it continued to bother me. There had to be a reason she was dead.
Of course, in Shakespeare's day, there was a very good reason. The actor who played Lady Montague was probably needed in another role – the exigencies of the stage.
Even realizing this, I couldn't let go of the line. My wife is dead tonight. The rules of dramatic structure nagged at me. An off-stage death like that is supposed to be symbolic. But of what? Clueless, I left the line in, hoping my actors could figure it out.
In the event, they didn't have to. I was going about my business later that week when it hit me – the feud! The thing that gets closure at the end of the show is the feud! Montague and Capulet bury the hatchet. 'Brother Montague,' Capulet calls him. They're even going to build statues to honor their dead kids.
Could Lady Montague's death be symbolic of the end of the feud? The only way that could work would be –
If she were the cause of the feud.
I remember a heart-stopping moment as the idea formed – a love triangle a generation earlier, between the parents! Romeo's mother, engaged to a young Capulet, runs off with a young Montague instead. That's certainly cause for a feud, especially if young Capulet and Montague were friends. Best friends, childhood friends, torn apart by their love for a woman. A feud, born of love, dies with love.
This explains so much in the play – Lord Capulet, Juliet's doting father, suddenly threatening to kill her for refusing to marry the man he's chosen for her. He tells her to 'hang, beg, starve, die in the streets' – this from a man who has called her 'the hopeful lady of my earth.' His fury seems to come out of nowhere and is brutally excessive. But if his own bride-to-be had jilted him and run off with his best friend instead, of course Juliet's similar behavior would press his buttons.
This notion also goes on to inform much of Capulet's relationship with his wife – a younger wife, we know from the script, not well content in her match, married to a man who thinks she is 'marred.' It hints, in turn, at her relationship with Tybalt. In fact, the behavior of both families is wonderfully colored by this single, simple idea. Romeo's mom jilted Juliet's dad.
Oddly enough, all this doesn't affect the actual performance of the show overmuch. It's fun for the actors to play, and there are moments when it can be very clear, but the play stands, as it always has, on its action and language. The backstory ends up being superfluous.
But it was an idea that had its hooks in me and wouldn't let go.
So I wrote a book