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Hannah Bloch at The Wall Street Journal takes a look at a tech incubator in the Bronx, run by Jerelyn Rodriguez:
In 2014, [Rodriguez] co-founded and became CEO of the Knowledge House, a nonprofit that provides training in technological skills—including coding, Web design and basic digital fluency—and an introduction to tech entrepreneurship to young people aged 16 to 24. Students are trained in software development and can learn programming and markup languages including HTML, Python and JavaScript. The group targets local high-school students and unemployed or out-of-school young adults who otherwise wouldn't have easy access to IT training. Students are admitted through an application and interview process. Partners such as the boutique engineering consultancy Hackerati offer seminars, classes and career mentoring.
If Rodriguez sounds familiar, that's because she and I did a two part interview about The Knowledge House last year. Ventures like this are critical, because there is a demand for programs that can offer concrete skills and opportunities for youth. Neither the K-12 system, nor higher education institutions, are doing enough. For example, as Catherine Gewertz outlines in Ed Week, dual-enrollment programs often over-promise and under-deliver:
The dual-enrollment movement is having growing pains, as issues with credit transfer arise alongside its well-documented benefits. A lot is at stake for the students who invest time, hard work, hope, and in many cases, money, in the courses they're told will produce college credit. About 1.9 million students—11.4 percent of the secondary school population—were taking some form of dual-enrollment course in 2010-11, the most recent federal data show, up from 1.2 million in 2002-03 ... Even the staunchest advocates of dual enrollment, however, are concerned about the potential fallout of its rapid expansion, such as difficulty transferring credit ... "Accumulating credits that ultimately don't transfer or apply to a major can put students at risk to drop out" or use up their lifetime maximum of Pell grants, [Columbia University administrator Melinda] Karp said.
Too many students arrive at college unprepared for the rigors of higher education. Dual-enrollment is not only supposed to prepare them for those rigors, but also should alleviate the financial burden of acquiring that college education. It seems that both promises are tenuous.
Georgette Pierre, writing at Blavity, provides a first person account of how to prepare for the financial rigors of both undergraduate, and graduate, higher education:
Although you're presumed to know the basics in financial management coming out of high school, I wish there was more emphasis on that coming into your first two years of college ... Knowing the difference between a fixed rate and a variable on a simple loan was a major key. Although finances were a major lesson I felt was missing, I also would have loved to see conversations around community building, transitioning from an HBCU (historically black college or university) to a PWI (predominantly white institution), transitioning to the "real world" after graduating from an HBCU, and how important networking was to your net worth. I, for example, learned about doing informational interviews way after grad school.
Pierre provides more detail on navigating the student loan process, and her take is an important reminder that transitioning from college to the workforce requires a combination of academic, financial, and networking skills.
Staying in academia isn't necessarily an easier choice than entering the workforce, particularly for students of color. Matt Krupnick at The Hechniger Report looks at racial representation in institutes of higher education:
Only 6.4 percent of U.S. citizen or permanent resident research doctoral recipients in 2014 were black and 6.5 percent were Hispanic, according to the National Science Foundation. That's the most recent year for which the doctoral recipient figures are available, and a much smaller proportion of both groups than their shares of the American population, which were 13.3 percent and 17.6 percent, respectively ... And even those minorities completing their doctorates aren't getting hired by some top colleges and universities as easily as their white counterparts. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, added 539 instructional staff members in 2014, more than any other higher-education institution. But only seven of those hires, or 1.3 percent, were black, according to federal Department of Education data. Sixteen — or 2.9 percent of the total — were Hispanic.
Universities, of all institutions, should understand the necessity of attracting candidates from different backgrounds and perspectives. More often than not, however, university departments seek likeminded candidates whose areas of research intersect with existing academic interests ... and we know how THAT goes.
Finally, Melinda A. Anderson, writing in The Atlantic, looks at the disproportionate use of security equipment in schools serving large numbers of children of color:
In the first empirical analysis of its kind, [University of Florida law professor Jason] Nance gained authorization to access a restricted database from the U.S. Department of Education—the School Survey on Crime and Safety conducted in 2009-10 and 2013-14—to examine school security methods pre- and post- the Newtown school massacre. He found a clear and consistent pattern, even after controlling for a host of variables that might explain the presence of stricter student surveillance ... "After controlling for all those things, I still found that the concentration of students of color was a predictor of whether or not schools decided to rely on more intense [security] measures," said Nance, referring to black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American children. "I questioned why that was [and] it seemed like race was playing a factor in these decisions."
The presence of metal detectors and other overt displays of surveillance send an immediate - and negative - impression to children. Unfortunately, law enforcement officials conflate the presence of these machines with greater security, while research suggests no correlation. What does happen as the security apparatus increases, however, is that students feel less safe and trusting of their academic environments, which is the opposite of what we should be trying to achieve. Food for thought ...


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subset: commoncrawl


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"As erotic and powerful as the paintings that inspired it."—Emma Donoghue, author of Room
Paris, 1927. One day in July, a young American named Rafaela Fano gets into the car of a coolly dazzling stranger, the Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka. Struggling to support herself, Rafaela agrees to model for the artist, a dispossessed Saint Petersburg aristocrat with a murky past. The two become lovers, and Rafaela inspires Tamara's most iconic Jazz Age images, among them her most accomplished—and coveted—works of art. A season as the painter's muse teaches Rafaela some hard lessons: Tamara is a cocktail of raw hunger and glittering artifice. And all the while, their romantic idyll is threatened by history's darkening tide. A tour de force of historical imagination, The Last Nude is about genius and craft, love and desire, regret and, most of all, hope that can transcend time and circumstance.
About the Author
Ellis Avery's first novel, The Teahouse Fire, set in the tea ceremony world of nineteenth-century Japan, has been translated into five languages and has won three awards, including the American Library Association Stonewall Award. Avery was also the author of The Smoke Week, an award-winning 9/11 memoir. She taught fiction writing at Columbia University.
Praise For…
"[An] amazing book . . . wholly original and engrossing."
—The Boston Globe
"The Last Nude breaks important ground for literature, and does so with exuberance, skill, and grace."
—San Francisco Chronicle
"A compulsively readable novel."
—The Washington Post
"A taut, elegant novel . . . [Avery's] prose sings."
—MORE Magazine
"Seductive and compelling, the novel is painted with as much drama and precision as one of Lempicka's canvases."
—The Daily Beast
"A sly, sleekly written stereograph of art, desire, and desperation in Paris in the '20s, The Last Nude brings Rafaela to electric life, much as Tamara de Lempicka did when she painted her."
—Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh
"The Last Nude is a remarkable novel: at once a seductive evocation of Lost Generation Paris, a faithful literary rendering of Tamara de Lempicka's idiosyncratic and groundbreaking art, and a vibrant, intelligent, affecting story in its own right. It's also smoking hot."
—Emily Barton, author of Brookland
"Ellis Avery transports the reader on a fast-paced magic-carpet ride to Paris between the world wars, a time when artists, patrons, and models fused the business of sex and art, with deeply painful results."
—Aaron Hamburger, author of Faith for Beginners
"The Last Nude carries us through one of the most fascinating and turbulent periods in modern art, and into the minds and bodies of two of art history's most riveting heroines. With prose and imagery that are both lyrical and unabashedly sensual, Ellis Avery breathes life and depth into famed artist's muse Rafaela, tracing her rocky but thrilling path from lost girl to Lost Generation icon, and laying bare acts of love, desire and betrayal with all the assuredness of a master artist herself."
—Jennifer Cody Epstein, author of The Painter from Shanghai


text:
This collage stamp had a background script that I did not want to use, so I used a Tombow marker to ink up the area of the stamp I wanted to use, and "huffed" on it to moisten the ink before the image was stamped. Next, I masked the image then stamped the diamond stamp over top of the masked area with Versamark, and embossed with gold embossing powder.
This is an alcohol ink smoosh technique. Using black Stazon, stamp your image onto acetate and let dry. Turn your image over and on the back, drop alcohol inks onto the acetate, being careful not to muddy the colours.
Take your second image and smoosh both backsides together to allow the ink to smoosh around.
This is the end result of the alcohol ink smooshing technique. One way to adhere the acetate to the card front is to punch two holes through the acetate and card front layers, and add a ribbon.
This vibrant card uses the baby wipe technique. Once the background is dry, stamp your image with Stazon and let dry completely and then matt your image in coordinating colours.
Carry the flourish from the collage stamp onto the card front by stamping a flourish onto the top and the bottom of the card front before adhering the matted image.
This elegant card background is one of my favourites. It is known as Tapestry. Edges were torn and left white to match the white embossing powder. To complete the elegant feel I was looking for, I added silk ribbon.
(I apologize for the quality of this photo). Direct to paper, or polished stone, was the background used for this card. The image was stamped onto the background with black Stazon.
I hope I was able to show you new ways to use your collage stamps. By remembering the golden rule of "less is more" you can create beautiful cards. Now, go create.


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text:
Would you rather your kids were here, or there?
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Here, or there?
Would you rather your kids were here, or there?
55 comments:
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 11:04 AM
so true! so much sorrow could be avoided if folks would simply do the right things in their lives and their childrens lives. thanks for being brave enough to put yourself out there with your blog. very inspiring. we might not totally agree on everything, but you do seem to love God and your family so very much. best wishes,ReplyDelete
So true! For what? What is the benefit? None for the child- it's all about the adults and parents wanting free babysitting, people want to get paid and let's be honest it's a failing system. I just saw online a story of a teen who commited suicide after texting a picture nude to her boyfriend and he showed it to the whole school and made her life miserable. She was an only child, she wanted to stop going to that school but parents made her, she hanged herself in her bedroom..and these stories are becoming more and more common. I just recently told my parents about the pervert teacher I had in 5th grade and weird stuff he did in his preferential treatment of me. They even allowed him to visit me at home unannounced. They told me I was crazy and making it all up and the weeks that followed came reports of SEVERAL teachers in the area where we grew up that were arrested doing unspeakable things to little kids..now at least they stopped asking me every single visit when I am going to send them to "real school."ReplyDelete
Zsuzsa, this is really insensitive. How about offering up a prayer for the victimes and families of this horrific event, instead of bragging yet again that homeschooling is superior (in your opinion)?ReplyDelete
Unfortunately, bad things happen in the world. It is a result of our sinful nature. Bad things can occur any time and without warning, to anyone. The key is to trust God and not be fearful of the world around us. Using our heads and logic to keep ourselves safe is a given. But our God does not rule by fear.
And from what I hear about the young man who did this (unconfirmed reports, of course), he had a very troubled home life. I am not giving him a pass or an excuse by any means, but not all children have the advantages of your children, i.e., a mother who wishes to homeschool them.
Please take some time to think about things before you post them. Because this post just looks ignorant and horribly insensitive.
I don't beleive our children are being too sheltered by being kept at home instead of shipped off to public school, or forced into dealing with situations on their own when their minds aren't yet capable of making informed and logical decisions without some guidance.ReplyDelete
If children were capable of dealing with life on their own, God wouldn't have entrusted them to parents to raise until maturity. Many parents these days aren't mature enough or capable of dealing with what life throws their way half the time, and yet we're asking children to step out in the world and "learn the ropes" We can't do it without God, and our children can't do it without us and our direction towards God either, and they're not going to have time to learn much of that, if they're not home learning from us.
As for shootings, most (if not all) are by children being medicated. You should watch Generation RX very eye opening.
Anyway, you made some very good points on a topic I'm very passionate about...as you can tell by the rambling. ;)
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 11:46 AM
I've been reading your blog for a little over a year now, and have never commented. I admire much of how you do things...especially in the food department. I think we agree theologically about 95%. I am a homeschool mom of a girl, and a boy who are 14 months a part and are now in 5th grade. (I was able to start my son early) You are SO right in your comparison of homeschool vs. public school. I've seen it over and over again, and even experienced it myself. I want better for my children. I just wanted to give you a hearty "AMEN!!" ~KellieReplyDelete
I am neither pro or con on homeschooling - whatever works for your family is what you should go with - home or public, your kids, your choice.ReplyDelete
You are blind if you think this can't happen to your kids becasue you school them at home. Unfortunetly violence has permeated our society - mall shootings, church shootings, car jacking and even home invasions -violence can & sadly is happening everywhere. While you can control the other bad influences on your child, someday they will be exposed to unpleasantries of some sort -so please don't bury your head.
I enjoy your blog, I even have it on an RSS feed - but remember the victims parents who you seem to be ridiculing for sending them to a public school are greiving right now, their lives shattered - as a Christian you should show some sort of compassion rather than playing the "I told you so" game.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 12:54 PM
I do not find your post horrible or insensitive. The horror and sorrow you feel for those children and parents is in every word. And it is unspeakably sad. God's will can and is often thwarted by His creatures. Satan is more than delighted to use our free will to lead us to Hell. I pray for all the fallen that they may find the Light which guides us all, if only we are willing to listen and follow.ReplyDelete
in His peace,
I'd like to offer a prayer to the victim and her family--what a horrible, bizarre crime, truly a mother, father, and teacher's worst nightmare. As I read it, the teacher's training in first aid saved this small child's life, and God was truly with her in her brave acts.ReplyDelete
Also, you mentioned big brothers (and big sisters! They, too, can be protectors!) I thank God every day for my elder brother, who helped me so much during the divorce of my parents and through so much else!
God bless you, Dad, and the seven,
I went to public school and was quite happy in it. I was more intelligent than the other schoolers and got easily bored, but I made good friends. I can't think of anytime when I was in a dangerous situation, but it happens. I has happened in a school next to mine : a piece of the roof flew to a student and stabbed him in the stomach, he didn't die but was griefly hurt.ReplyDelete
I have been going to the scouts since I was 8, and during many years, my sister came too. Now I'm the leader for the little ones and I love it. My sister stopped going because she was always having problems. Once, she was stung by a swarm of wasps, and discovered by the same occasion that she was allergic. Once she fell off her bike and got seriously hurt (concussion of the brain). All this time, I had zero injuries, and not a single problem of any kind. I guess it's just bad luck, as with schools.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 2:22 PM
Of the four homeschool families with which we have frequent contact, THREE have daughters who have given birth out of wedlock. The fourth family has only sons; and all of these families homeschool for reasons of faith, just like you.ReplyDelete
In our public high school of 400 students, there have been TWO teen prgnancies in the last two years.
Temptation enters all lives. It is not only public school children who make such lasting mistakes.
Also, Andrea Yates homeschooled her children. They certainly were not safe, were they?
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 2:23 PM
I would be careful about making predictions about your kids when they are 5, 3 and 1. Plenty of homeschooled girls get pregnant, live with men, etc. Homeschooling is not a protection against all the world's sins, unless you plan to keep your kids locked in a closet.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Were John truly ahead of age-related public schooled peers, he would not be writing certain letters and numbers backwards, (as shown in your "You Couldn't Pay Me..." post from earlier in Feb,) which is concerning enough in a 7 year old.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 2:49 PM
Imagine if Anna's birth had turned out differently and tragically with the placental abruption. How would you feel if anti-homebirth bloggers posted it as 'proof' home birth is dangerous? Would you be chastened and switch immediately to hospital birth? Or would you feel hurt, and ridiculed, and judged by someone who has not walked in your shoes? You're changing no one's lives by this, just rubbing salt in a wound.ReplyDelete
Please show a little respect for the parents of the victims. They are no better or worse in their intentions as a parent than you are, and their intention that morning was to send their child to school to be educated.
The issue is not with the parents who just sent their children to school that day. The issue is with a child growing up in a home where they felt a gun was the only solution to their problem.
I suppose that all those making ad hominen attacks on me regarding my supposed lack of compassion or prayer had to do so because they have no facts and/or statistics to prove me wrong?ReplyDelete
At least I have enough compassion to boldly state the truth, and how to prevent your child being shot or molested or defiled in school.
My children are 100% safe from school shootings, so long as they do not set foot in one. Yours can be, too, with that same principle.
Do people get shot elsewhere? Sure! Did I say that is always preventable? No! But unlike going to the store, or the mall, sending kids off to be educated by heathens all day is in direct violation of God's word. If you choose to do so, it is "at your own risk", and God likely will not feel obligated to protect you in your defiance to Him.
Andrea Yate's children would still be alive if she had sent them to school instead of homeschooling.ReplyDelete
These ARE isolated incidents. Most children are abused by family members. Drugs are more often used not by schoolchildren but by the undereducated and underemployed. CHildren being homeschooled have fewer educationally based skills so that would suggest that they are more susceptible to drug use.
I went to public school, and college. I even got a Master's degree. I was a virgin as was my husband. My husband was in one fight in High School because he went to a pretty tough school. I went to a rather small and upperclass public school where I never saw a single fight. There are good public schools and there are bad public schools.
And horrible things happen all the time. Would you stop going to the grocery store because there was a shooting at one? 2 people were shot at Chicago store recently.
Would you stop going to a McDonalds because there had been a shooting? It happens quite often, but I'm sure it doesn't stop people from going.
I could go on and on. But unless you're locking your children into a bunker and never letting them out they will never be free from all dangers. There is always danger, whether you are in the house or outside of it.
I am not Andrea Yates. I am not advocating leaving your children in the care of any homeschooler. I can only vouch for my husband and myself, not the doubtless many freaks everywhere.ReplyDelete
Homeschooling will not make your family normal if you are a pervert. But neither will your children turn out right if your home life is perfect, and they are raised in school. There are TWO necessary factors: home life, AND right influences. By exposing wrong influences, I am not negating the need for a godly home life. In fact, the post made that very clear.
Besides, if perverts sent their kids to school instead (as most do), they would still have plenty of opportunity to abuse after school is out. Duh!
In order for any girl to end up pregnant out of wedlock, they would need to be around questionable company, which we do not permit. Neither do we allow unfettered access to the internet and social media (actually, zero at this point), youth groups, etc. In order for a 16- or 17-year old teenager to go off the deep end, they need a certain infrastructure. They don't just leave at 17 and live on their own, with a job of their own. They usually move in with someone - someone they never should have been allowed to make friends with.
Then again, if a 17-year old is only doing right because of constraint, the parents have already failed their job, and it becomes a question of "when", not "if".
Our oldest is 10, the same age as the girl that died in a fight over a boy. A sensual thought regarding the opposite gender has never so much as crossed his mind - as is only natural in children not perverted by TV and society.
Sudden placental abruption without any warning signs can neither be predicted, nor prevented, at home, or in a hospital. So bringing that into the discussion is foolish. Besides which giving birth at home, unlike sending kids off to public school, is not a sin.
It's like saying that if prostitutes can get HIV, and newborn babies can get it from their mother, we should never ever speak out against sexual immorality because some innocent people might be suffering from similar consequences due to no fault of their own. It's downright stupid.
I for one will not ever send my kids to public school. I have experienced first hand the horrible influences that one faces in public schools, and I am one of the few lucky ones that was not completely damaged by it... though I was almost defiled completely against my will. Yes, it's painful to bring that up, but people need to understand that rape is so, so common for girls today that attend public schools, no matter what their background is! Anyone who fully understood this would not be criticizing you, Zsuzsanna.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 3:55 PM
You do not know what your son is thinking, or has thought. That is something you cannot control.Maybe he has "sensual" thoughts, maybe not--it's not up to you.
In my own experience, girls of 10 are way more ahead than boys. I know of plenty homeschooled girls who like boys. TV has nothing to do with sexual maturity, which will come despite everything you do. Boys of 10 are usually pretty oblivious to girls--again, that's not something you did, it's just nature.
But my message is that you cannot control your kids becoming sexually mature, and you will have no idea when that first "sensual thought" crosses your sons mind. Boys don't tell their parents about such things.
Unless you plan to be next to all 7 of your kids during every moment of their adolescence, you can't know what they will do.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 5:05 PM
There was a homeschooling family with 8 children just last week , that had a tragic fire at least 3 of the children were killed. This happened at 10 am so one could argue..if only they had been at school... my point is bad things happen no matter what we do or don't do. EVERYONE has the right to choose the best way for there family, that does NOT make the child less loved or protected. I'm sure many many children wish thier parents loved them enough TO send them to school. It's hurtfull to even suggest a parent doesn't "love" enough if they send them to school I would die for my children! I admire you I really really do.. but I detest people who believe thier way is the ONLY way..more and more I've found that attitude with mom that homeschool. Why? Its very judgemental you have no idea what someone elses situation might be. In this case why not just ask for prayers for these families... thats what it should be about.ReplyDelete
- P&CEdwardsFebruary 28, 2012 at 5:13 PM
"Sending kids off to be educated by heathens all day is in direct violation of God's word. If you choose to do so, it is "at your own risk", and God likely will not feel obligated to protect you in your defiance to Him."ReplyDelete
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
Let's not forget the word in our haste to chastise others.
I would also direct you to Proverbs 16... Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 5:24 PM
The public school system is for fools! Anyone who reads their Bible would know this, instead of attacking you. My dad never read the Bible to us. The world does not have the same values as Christians. You can tell your kids have values and love God. I am raising my 4 kids and can't wait to have more. I want to keep them from the evils of the world. There is nothing wrong with protecting your blessings. People send their kids off with post haste. Today the kids had a picnic with gypsy creams,derby scones and admiral's pie.ReplyDelete
-Marjory & Stewart Baxter
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 5:29 PM
There's no guarantee that homeschooling is safest since someone can still break into the home and kill children. I don't have anything against homeschooling if parents think it's best for their children, but sometimes locked doors and windows aren't enough to keep out the most determined criminal from breaking in.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 6:53 PM
Andrea Yates homeschooled her children--and 100% of her student population died.ReplyDelete
- MelanieFebruary 28, 2012 at 7:42 PM
James 1:26ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 7:47 PM
The question was not whether the circumstances surrounding placental abruption could have been predicted, prevented, or turned out differently in hospital.ReplyDelete
The question was, if it had gone wrong how would you have felt if your tragedy was being made the poster child for home births being dangerous? Would you appreciate your choice as a parent being spread around by haters and condemned for your choice?
For the record, I have noticed a number of my comments, no matter how polite have gone unpublished, you seem to have a habit of rejecting posts with a logical and well written argument that not only opposes your view, but clearly states why my opinion may be considered correct, and could cause people to question the teachings you follow.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 9:05 PM
So if a homeschooling mother kills her children by drowning them in a tub, beating them to death, putting them into a car and sending it into a lake..etc...I should really be asking myself if I want them to be homeschooled or become a homicidal lunatic?ReplyDelete
No..why? Because you can't relate the two. Homeschooling your children is not equivalent to a protective bubble around your children. Unless of course you lock down your house like a fortress and dare not leave the property. After all, you could get in to a car accident or some homicidal person could come into the establishment that you and your children are currently in.
Homeschooling is a great way to educate your child but they face dangers just by living on this Earth. Tomorrow is no guarantee for anyone, including a homeschooling child. THEY WILL GROW UP AND FACE THE SAME WORLD THAT PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN WILL FACE.
My prayers are with the many families dealing with this tragic event.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 9:14 PM
Raising your children in a godly, christian home isn't a guarantee that your daughters will not become pregnant out of wedlock. I was raised in a godly christian KJV only IFB home. I was home schooled, sheltered and protected. I became pregnant at 17 out of wedlock. I rebelled strongly against my upbringing as did many of my siblings. I gave my life back to the Lord later in my life but most of my siblings have not. I home school my children, I pray they do not make the same mistakes I made in my youth. I teach them and train them from the Word of God but I do not assume that they will be free of the world's temptations because they are not in a public school. I use my life as a learning tool to let them know what not following the Lord's plan can do.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 9:36 PM
Zsu, you said:ReplyDelete
"Besides, if perverts sent their kids to school instead (as most do), they would still have plenty of opportunity to abuse after school is out. Duh!"
Don't you realize that public school functions as a safety net, with teachers reporting sexual or physical abuse or neglect of children? Duh!
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 9:40 PM
Sudden placental abruption, along with many other pregnancy complications, can and do happen very quickly and cannot be predicted. All the more reason to give birth in a hospital. If you truly feel that children are blessings, don't they deserve the best medical care from birth?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 9:48 PM
Wow, I am wondering about your words here.ReplyDelete
I am a homeschooling mother of many children, but I do not believe that keeping them home will prevent them from being killed. People have been killed in church, including pastors.
Scripture actually tells us in Psalm 139:16 that our days are numbered by God.
It also tells us in Ecclesiastes 7:1 that the day of our death is good - and it is for those that have hope in Jesus, for He is the only way to Heaven.
Scripture also tells us the condition for salvation - which is a free gift, and not based on works. So, sending you children to public school would not make them or the parents of those children, automatically go to hell.
I have been homeschooling for 12 years, and I have seen homeschooled boys and girls who have crushes on each other, and those who have gotten pregnant out of wedlock as well.
Homeschooling is not a prescription that will prevent your children from sinning. I have seen plenty of people go through public school and make it out okay.
I went to public school myself, as did many many homeschooling parents.
I have many reasons for homeschooling, but a guarantee of my children's salvation is not one of them. I teach and live out Christ on a daily basis, and that, coupled with prayer will be what my children see. This is what will influence their own decision that will bring them to salvation.
I agree that this will be easier accomplished by homeschooling them, but not THE only way.
There are many reasons a family would have to send their child to school, and I think the best thing to do - as a believer - when something like this happens is to reach out and show your love to them.
I am sure you did not mean to come across as so harsh with your words, or so insensitive with your pictures. As a mother yourself, I am sure you can only imagine how much pain these parents are feeling.
Now is the time to reach out with love, compassion, and prayer for those hurting people, just as God commands us to do, and like Jesus himself did when He walked this earth.
Thank-you for taking the time to read my comments, and may our time be blessed by doing as we were commanded - to go and preach the Good News.
- AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 11:02 PM
I see two issues with this post. I have homeschooled my family, public schooled my family and private schooled my family. No one solution works for every family all the time. Homeschooling is one of several choices. I'm glad it works for you at this time, but equally there are many families where children thrive in other environments.ReplyDelete
Secondly, please don't assume that because you have constant full day contact with your children you are protected from tragedy. Home invasion robbery, a car accident, pool drownings, or a neighborhood gun incident are just the beginning of the list which your family and anyone elses are not immune from regardless of the educational setting.
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 5:27 AM
Homeschooling is great if you have healthy kids with no learning disabilities or neurological issues. There's some folks, alas, that won't ever be able to do the homeschooling thing. They may have to work, lack education to do a proper job, not be the best instructor for the child or have health issues. If you are not faced with these issues, go for it. Since luck or nature or whatever alleged deity did not grant me disability free kids, I have to entrust them to the highly educated instructors of the public school system that are better equipped to educate them and hopefully become independent successful adults. As a parent who would not wish for any other parent to outlive their kids, I send love to the victims families and if possible assistance. I hope they can one day heal, survive and thrive, in spite of life's cruelties.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 10:30 AM
My 3 siblings and I were home schooled for all but two years of our lives when we attended a Christian school.ReplyDelete
During my home school years, I was repeatedly molested by my grandfather. During my high school years, my sister was repeatedly molested by my brother. Upon finding out about all of it my parents protected the perpetrator, blamed the victim, and provided no comfort, solace, guidance, healing, or help. Maybe you're blind to it, Mrs. Anderson, but for some of us home schooling was hell. And the sexual abuse was just one tiny part of the suffering we endured at the hands of our parents. By the way, assuming you didn't know all this, my parents are exactly the flavor of religious you'd feel comfortable with. Homeschooled for religious reasons, hated public schools, were always telling us how bad public schooled kids were and how much better we were, always proclaiming those fear-filled horrors about crime statistics and every bad thing that could happen, hated gays, didn't explain anything to do with sexuality (by ten, some little boys are sexually active KWIM?), sheltered us to the extreme ("only" friends were church friends), told us that our siblings should be our best friends, mom didn't work outside home, dad worked a poor job and we always wore used clothes, ate cheap home made stuff, etc., we had a garden, we weren't kind to animals because "they aren't people"...
I'm NOT saying that your kids will turn out badly, Mrs. Anderson. I'm not. But---I am saying that you're following the footsteps of many, many parents who THOUGHT they were doing it all right but sometimes things still go wrong. I personally think my parents are to blame for making us girls so submissive (they spanked us for each and every transgression, never did any other punishment; this continued until I was 19 and moved out against their will), and I think my parents are to blame for not having taught us what we really needed to know, about sexuality, and REAL dangers in the world besides "kidnappers, robbers, etc." On paper, we looked fabulous: my mom graded hard, and I still made an A or A+ in every class every grade all the way through graduation. I made a 3.98 at college. Got on all the national honor lists and things. I made a 32 on the ACT. CLEP tested out of a bunch of things. Yea, academically I looked smart. Inside, I was an immature, undisciplined, lazy, naive, ignorant and yes, misused individual who has, in the 8 years since I've graduate from high school, been on my own so to speak rediscovering things that I'd never known, searching for real truth, and growing up as quickly as I can because in many ways I still act around 10 years old.
Also, I am a Christian, completely committed to God. By all accounts I am conservative but my choices come from the inside out, not outside in. I speak and talk of God often. I believe He is sovereign and orchestrates my life, and the universe. I feel conviction of sin and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. My prayers are answered. I am different than you, in faith AND practice. But I include evidence of my spiritual walk at the end of this comment so that it may, perhaps, convince you of my sincerity.
Again, my whole point is that while home schooling is good, bad things happen sometimes and "I home school my kids" isn't a *guarantee* against bad things happening. There is so much more that takes into account. And sheltering a child is only half the solution: evil can come from within. I included the very personal tragic story above about my siblings to prove that point. One more thing, Mrs. Anderson, and that is that I actually plan to home school myself once my children are older. By my post I meant neither to judge home schooling as an inherently flawed method, nor to uphold it as the only bastion of success possible for turning out properly educated and wise children. Please keep that in mind.
In Christ,
~A. Nony Mouse~
Yes, these were terrible tragedies...more so because they could have been avoided. Zsuzsanna simply points this out. I thought this was a great post, that confronted some of the many social problems associated with sending children to public school.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 1:38 PM
I am more pro-home education and pro-home birth(midwives) than ever after recently reading James Wesley,Rawles's book, Patriots, and his survivalblog.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 2:00 PM
There's an interesting article over at fanaticforjesus.blogspot titled, The One World Classroom.ReplyDelete
I'm alive today because my mother had sex with my dad out of wedlock and got pregnant. I can't complain. I rather enjoying being here. :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 4:08 PM
I am a homeschooler because that's what works for our family. I have no problem with public or private school it just doesn't work for us at this time.ReplyDelete
Your reference to keeping the kids home (especially the girls) to protect them from perverts and freaks is an interesting one and one I totally disagree with. See, we need to teach our girls how to stand up to and deal with perverts and freaks. Not all schools have them either. I went to public and private school all my life. It was a very safe place. My home, on the other hand - after school was not. The pervert and freaks were in my neighborhood and in my home. Had I not learned how to 'deal' with them, I wouldn't be here today. TEACH your girls rather then sheltering them.
- AnonymousFebruary 29, 2012 at 5:04 PM
I was homeschooled. I was also abused and neglected as a child. Homeschooling is no protection from the horrors of the world. This is a very insensitive and misguided post.ReplyDelete
You are dead on! Also, it is not like you are blowing off your opinions here. You give all the facts and some can not handle the truth, because they would have to take some responibility in their hearts and lives.
I am so glad I homeschool. I am so glad many others do too and I hope that more and more families will start taking complete responsibility for their children and stop making excuses about our lame public school system. It is wicked, stupid, God-hating, perverted in many ways and more.
Good Post!!!! To those who do not agree with this post, you ought to question your hearts and tell yourselves the truth for the sake of your children.
It seems many missed the point. She was explaining that raising her children by the Bible with God, away from constant ungodly influences, will be the most beneficial way to raising children who won't fall into those types of sin. I do not believe that Zsuzsanna believes that her children can't fall into sin, but that she is taking every possible precaution in training them so that they will be most unlikely to.ReplyDelete
I never see others condeming women who brag about being "super moms" while working outside of the home and barely seeing their children. Usually these moms are praised. That to me, is sad.
Keep on with it Zsuzsanna. I think you're a super mom!
"But unlike going to the store, or the mall, sending kids off to be educated by heathens all day is in direct violation of God's word. If you choose to do so, it is "at your own risk", and God likely will not feel obligated to protect you in your defiance to Him."ReplyDelete
You are awfully close to preaching salvation for works. Just a word of caution.
- AnonymousMarch 1, 2012 at 4:53 AM
I'm a homeschooling mama to many who loves and follows our Lord but honestly I was saddened to see your contrast of photos of your own smiling children verses the tragedy that occurred.ReplyDelete
You are doing what the media does and oversimplifying, perhaps even sensationalizing a horrible problem of society by inferring that if those children had only been homeschooled their lives would have been saved.
Yes, that may be so.
But, that kind of unfair comparisons is what leads the media to horn in on a so called "homeschooling" family's child who ends up dead from abuse with the caption "If only they had been under the "watch" of school personnel, this never would have happened.
They could just as easily snap a shot of many happy children gathered in a classroom and compare it to the beaten, battered, unclean, child(ren) from the homeschool family and there you would have it. A story in pictures that says why homeschooling is evil and shouldn't be allowed.
The words of your post may be full of much wisdom but your photo choices leave me feeling like you are exploiting those poor lost lives, just as the media does.
- AnonymousMarch 1, 2012 at 6:02 AM
Hi Zsuzsanna, First of all let me say Amen to this post!ReplyDelete
I just read a disturbing article this morning. You can read it here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9113394/Killing-babies-no-different-from-abortion-experts-say.html
I had to think of you and your bravery of speaking out against abortion. We need more people like you who are not afraid to speak the truth. The rate this country is going something like this isn't to far off in the future.
I look forward to reading every time you get a chance to post to your blog.
I agree with you totally. As for some of the comment's about homeschooling families , some people homeschool with out God the real God and their efforts are as vain as any other works with out God. The truth isn't politically correct but it's the truth.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 1, 2012 at 7:20 AM
James 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 1, 2012 at 2:01 PM
I don't mean to be the devil's advocate here, but I was homeschooled all my life. Raised by very Christian parents... What did I do as a teen? I rebelled. I got pregnant at 16 and ended up in rehab by the time I was 19.ReplyDelete
Homeschooling and raising a strict Christian household is not all its cracked up to be. Children will be who they will be and you may or may not have some influence on that.
Just a side note, I have since received three college degrees, married and am raising three of my own. And yes, they go to public school because you can't shelter them from everything...
- AnonymousMarch 1, 2012 at 3:49 PM
Zsu's comment about not having God's protection when you send your children off to public institutions had nothing to do with salvation. People can be saved and still make choices that contradict God's direction. If they do this, then they shouldn't be surprised when it turns out less than ideal.
God gave us instructions for a reason. I choose to trust His instructions rather than gamble. In my opinion, that's what Christian parents are doing by sending their kids off- gambling...with bad odds. If their kids do manage to make it through school unaffected by the worldliness, it would be by the grace of God alone. The parents should thank God for his merciful intervention despite their sinful choice to throw their kids to the wolves. I'll just trust God's plan and keep my kiddos with me.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with salvation, dear. Being saved doesn't make you immune to consequences of bad choices. Zsu is not claiming people are unsaved for ridding themselves of their children daily, she is merely warning about the result of being outside the protection that comes with obedience to God.
I think my favorite comments on this thread have to be the ones telling me "See, you went to public school, and you seem to have turned out ok", and then going on to tell me how hateful, insensitive, callous, stupid, mean, etc. I am.ReplyDelete
Well, I'll just blame it on my public schooling! :)
- AnonymousMarch 3, 2012 at 7:33 AM
We were recently told by a very elderly grandmother about a great grandfather. He had many brothers and sisters. One sister was in an abusive marriage. The brothers got together and the abusive husband left town. My mother had older brothers and when she was "with child" with me at 17 she and my father(18) were immediately married and moved in with my paternal grandparents. My daughter became "with child" after she went to the community college and met the baby's(she's a blessing) father(our daughter lives at home, has a job and a car but they are still together). The men relatives in the family are constantly discussing what to do about the situation. You are right-that's what Dads and older brothers are for- to protect,etc. You are also right about home education. I read Voddie Baucham's book-What He Must Be-if he wants to marry my daughter.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 11, 2012 at 9:36 PM
I understand what you are saying and I am a home schooler but this can happen anywhere. I live in this town where this school shooting happened. It's a small Norman Rockwell type town. The boy that killed these students didn't even go to the school. He caught a bus there that took him to an alternative school for at risk kids.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 11, 2012 at 9:57 PM
After reading some of your replies in your comments section...I have to say, you are wrong. I do believe you are making good choices for your family and you seem so hands on and loving, but being a "perfect" parent is not going to save your kids from a life of sin or protection from being sinned against. I'm a home schooler myself and I've been around plenty of them.ReplyDelete
You put so much emphasis on what parents should be doing, where does that leave room for God to work. There is not a magical formula of things that a parent can follow to make sure their kids turn out okay.
Your children are small yet. Teens will change how you look at things. You will see in time.
We were called to be influencers in the world, to love our neighbor as ourselves, to shine a light in the world, to be the salt of the Earth. As someone who was raised by two Christian public school teachers who saw it their goal to love children who were otherwise not being loved, I find your post and all of them destroying the public school system to be the opposite of the teachings of Jesus Christ and incredibly offensive.ReplyDelete
I spent my life in the public school and when Jesus says taught us to experience life with others through His example, I can't help but think that this is a good way to do it. Growing up for ten years with the same kids and seeing each other grow is incomparable, and I regret that your children may never understand contributing to a community like the paan Public School children do. I pray they will not only be little angels, but they learn to show love to those around them that are different.
- AnonymousMarch 24, 2012 at 10:51 AM
Don't forget, though, that poor Andrea Yates, a homeschool mother, killed her whole school (her own children in her homeschool) when she snapped. Bad things happen everywhere. No one way is perfect. I'll understand if you don't want to publish this.ReplyDelete
^^^ anon,ReplyDelete
I get so tired of the same dumb argument. I am not vouching for Andrea Yates, or all homeschoolers across the board. I am vouching for MYSELF. My kids are safer in my care than in anyone else's, because I know who I am (but I don't know who they are).
If you are not confident of the fact that your children are safer with you than random strangers, than please, by all means, put them in the care of those random strangers.
Your KINDLY WORDED, constructive comments are welcome, whether or not they express a differing opinion. All others will be deleted without second thought.


text:
My most recent collaborative installation with Rahul Kumar who is a ceramic artist was an interesting experiment. Both our practises matched well as we both spoke about identity and genderRead More
My collaborative interactive piece at The Humming Tree, an amazing space for artists and musicians to showcase their work. Since it is a pub, it was important for the work to be safely installed and most of all engaging. I collaborated with textile designer Priyanka Patel on this piece, and she came up with a brilliant idea of using six hundred chai cups to make the screen. Initially I planned to use ping pong balls, but the chai cups were much more practical to use. It ended up giving the work it's own unique flavour, which is the best result of such collaborations.Read More
The m-Nap is a mobile sound-resistant pod created for a moment of peace and quiet in the increasingly noisy cities of the future. Made of found and borrowed local materials in Ahmedabad.Read More
"Tobari no Akari" 「帳 の 灯り(or 明かり){とばりのあかり}」means like "dim light in night curtain," "tobari" means traditional japanese curtain which was mostly used when people sleep. We only use this word to explain "evening" in poetic expression now. For example, we say "Yoru(night) no tobari(夜の帳)" means "robe of night" or "veil of darkness" "no" is " 's" in "Taro's pen". "akari" means dim light, in this case Tobari implies the flame of the projector.Read More


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Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
Actors: Matthew Rhys, Rula Lenska, Art Malik, Kate Ashfield, Tom Chambers
Director: Richard Janes
Genres: Action & Adventure, Indie & Art House, Mystery & Suspense
R 2007 1hr 25min
Welcome to London! Pow! This fun, jaunty crime caper set in the London art world is slick, fun with great acting. Nick Blake (Matthew Rhys ABC s Brothers & Sisters) owes 100,000 to local crime lord Foster Wright (Art Malik... more »
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Not A Diamond ...But Not The Rough, Either
B. Merritt | WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California | 03/06/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I have a certain affection for indie films. Occasionally you'll find a diamond amongst the rough, and I was hoping to find something similar in FAKERS. Although I didn't find a gem, there were some shining moments that made it worthwhile.
Matthew Rhys plays down-on-his-luck Nick Edwards, a man with a cash-flow problem. He needs $50,000 to pay off a debt he owes to a rather dubious London gangster boss played by Art Malik (the terrorist from True Lies). Nick's time on Earth appears to be drawing to a close, as he sees no way to make that amount of money in the necessary time-frame (one week). But then he stumbles across a sketch by a famous early 20th century artist and his mind begins to work through his problems. Not worth enough to cover his debt, he devises a scheme to make multiple copies of the sketch and sell it to several local galleries on the same day.
Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead) plays love interest Eve Evans, a hardworking bartender who's love of money may overshadow her affections for Nick. She decides to help Nick with his problem ...but only if she can benefit, too.
Tom Chambers plays Eve's brother, Tony, the sketch artist who will make the forgeries. An introspective and talented artist in his own right, he eventually learns how gifted he truly is as the film comes to its climax.
The acting was great. This was the shining portion of what could have been a rare gem. All of the characters were quirky, misguided, and fun to watch. The dialogue was equally entertaining as we watch Nick verbally joust with the London boss ("I spend most of my time in the company of intelligent people so when you come round it's a real change.")
The script was a hodge-podge of too many storylines trying to connect too man characters. The multiple introduction of several gallery owners as prime players toward the end of the film lent a serious lopsidedness to the finale. The ending itself seemed to indicate more to come but was cut short without resolution, which made it very frustrating.
As a whole the film was an okay picture, but it needed some polishing to make it truly shine."


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Jason is Vice-Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Group and joined Parliamentary colleagues Andrew Percy and Barry Sheerman for a "Political Symposium" to discuss devolution at Huddersfield University. Jason is a proud Yorkshireman who will always bang the drum for beautiful part of the world.
The APPG recently launched "Devolution for Prosperity, a manifesto for Yorkshire & Northern Lincolnshire after May 2015". You can read the full manifesto by clicking here.


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multi-dimensional living
Why live in one dimension when you can flip between many, choosing the right dimension at any particular time for what you want to do?
I don't mean a spatial dimension, I mean something like a sci-fi 'other dimension'. Something experiential, where, because of altering your sense of time or priority, all your experiences are altered. With multi-dimensional living you actively seek to alter the way you experience things.
Multi-dimensional living is a new way to think about things you have probably intuited right at the edge of existence, in the shadows so to speak. It's time to bring them out into the full glare of the spotlight.
Multidimensional living starts by attacking the prevailing accepted myth that we live in one dimension, that time passes at an even rate, that human energy, coincidence, alignment are all pretty irrelevant. When in fact they are key.
In a subjective sense time passes slowly when we are bored and quickly when we are interested. But it's more complicated than that. When we are LEARNING time slows down-when we are consuming pleasurable experiences we may not really notice time passing- but probably sense it as going past rather quickly. The first two days of a holiday seem to last forever. The last two rush by. Everything is new on the first two and we are keen to enjoy ourselves to the full. We're in another dimension.
One dimension is the 'flow state' you are in when doing something you enjoy, well. Cooking, climbing, playing bridge- you are carried along and 'outside time'.
Another dimension is when you are learning something demanding. It takes all your attention- and though it is satisfying it is 'like fun only different'. Time can pass very slowly in this dimension.
A third dimension is when you lying in bed and letting everything fall away. You are content just to lie there almost thinking nothing. Maybe you are observing yourself, the contents of your mind.
Is a dimension just another name for a mental state?
No. I think a life dimension is a combination of doing something, some activity, and the mental state that is generated by that activity or required by it.
Is there a 'worry dimension'? A shallow dimension? What about talking about the past, remembering good times? That's a kind of dimension.
Then there is making plans- the future dimension. Can be a blast.
Then there is the creative dimension. Making something new, maybe with others. A surge of energy as you set free the creative spirit.
The play dimension, when it just isn't serious, when you can say anything, nothing is stiff, nothing cannot be bent to accommodate a different shape.
People at work inhabit the 'professional dimension'. Is there are 'friends dimension'? One for old friends?
We shift between dimensions accidentally. Some of us, of course, contrive to stay in one dimension all the time. The alcoholic uses booze to maintain the play dimension long after he should have quit trying so hard. The workaholic seeks to extend the sense of flow into every crevice of his life. Or hers of course.
When we are exhausted our bodies flip dimension without warning. You get depressed which is another dimension.
People in one dimension may not even notice those in another. Students out enjoying themselves may not even SEE another person quietly walking along the street observing them with a cautious or even envious eye.
Multi-dimensional living, which remains a project, a fantasy of sorts, nevertheless has its roots in the achievable- which is- the ability to identify other dimensions and like Captain Kirk and Spock- zap right into them. Flip into a new dimension to GET THE MOST out of life AT THAT MOMENT.
No, that isn't quite right. What I really mean is: being able to inhabit a new dimension where the unexpected can occur. It's not about repetition of tried and tested experiences. It's not about setting up a consumption experience, its about creating a sense of travel in the very moment of living.
I mean that feeling when you arrive at a party, maybe there are some strangers there and perhaps a few friends- probably the party is in a strange place maybe abroad and suddenly all kinds of things are happening and being said which DON'T USUALLY HAPPEN. Rimbaud wrote that he sought 'the systematic disorganisation of the senses' in order to write fresh poetry. Surely he was trying to broach another dimension.
It's about the vibe you give out. Because we mostly live in the same dimension we feel we give out 'no vibe' when in fact we are giving out the 'same vibe all the time'. Sometimes we realise this in seemingly trivial ways. I came back from a week long trip around Europe and sat in a coffee shop and people just started talking to me. This never usually happens- in England at least. I had a different vibe. Multi-dimensional living is about being able to alter the vibe you give out in order to experience a different reality.
Multi-dimensional living hides from us because it's evidence seems to lie in the flippant and 'unimportant'. I have found that wearing a loud crazy shirt to a party ensures that people are happier talking to me and more laid back than when I wear a black shirt…and yet giving a public speech in a black shirt works better than wearing a loud shirt. Clothes are a significant way to change dimension. Hence the attraction of fancy dress and cross-dressing parties. Who could be more important to the sanity of the court than the jester?
The biggest obstacle is when we are in a rush. Then we focus on our objective and send out a vibe that signals 'don't try and make contact with me'.
A party can create another dimension- not just through drink- through the shared experience of being there, perhaps in a strange place.
I have recently been reading about people who go 'skipping'- finding stuff at night in supermarket skips. The writer compared the excitement and fun of it with the tedium of forking over cash at the till for the same goods (often they are in the skip because of being a day past the sell by date or the packaging is damaged). I remember the thrill of 'getting a book for free' from a publisher- by offering to review it- compared to the boring ease of buying the same book.
Could it be that making something that is usually easy, into something hard, is a way of slipping into a different dimension? The thrill of making fire with a bow drill compared to using a match is extraordinary. But sometimes you're in a rush…rushing again.
When we are in a different dimension we have the kind of experiences that only usually happen to 'other people'. Often we have amazing luck- good and bad. Naturally we prefer the dimensions that seem to supply good luck.
To be a master of multi-dimensional living one must primarily NOT be in a hurry. This is increasingly hard in our high-speed world. I suspect that many of the best dimensions exist in the realm of 'unexpected downtime'- finding yourself in a situation which is unusual, where no one has to rush off. I find that literary festivals- especially those far away, can be like that.
Going on a trip helps- a friend of mine, I discover, is going to make a week long dogsled journey- now that will be entering a new dimension for sure.
Aren't I just saying travel is a way to get into new dimension? well, maybe. But when you travel and know someone in the place you are visiting it seems easier to enter the new dimension then if you know nobody and you are in that old familiar me-alone dimension.
Multi-dimensional living is about being able to leave the old luggage behind. It is about sending out a new vibe- maybe having the ability to shift any occasion into something NOT BORING.
Drugs are the obvious way to enter a new dimension- but I don't want to be beholden to drugs. For it to be real you have to be able to do it without power assistance, so to speak.
I think the first task is to simply start observing yourself as you move through your daily life: ask yourself- what dimension am I in right now?


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Barcelona, Doha, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh …
Spain, Qatar, Vietnam, and finally, Cambodia …
Thoughts, feelings…
The journey was long, exhausting, yet full of positive energy that is felt at the start of a human adventure, as we know in advance, so many emotions.
What a funny place, Doha, Qatar … Outrageous, dull by day, Illuminant at the nightfall.
The international airport says it all: this is a museum of contemporary art with astonishing monumental works from, Urs Fischer (Lamp / Bear: a giant yellow bear, with a lampshade on his head) and alongside street art from, eL Seed.
Ho Chi Min, Vietnam … The former Saigon seems to weep upon my arrival … A rain, thin and bland, endlessly falls …We land at the same time "3 Women" of Jack White ends. Which I listen in loop for some time..
(Ho Chi Min, Vietnam, from the hatch that overlooks the world)
Finally, I put a foot on Cambodian soil; Phnom Penh.
Another world…
Looking around me, I already know I will live a beautiful adventure in a world apart …
The storm thunders, rain falls in flood. A taxi takes me to Villa Lanka where Tina Kieffer expects me before joining Happy Chandara, the school and its students.
Freewheeling all over the place, against the grain, in contrary to common sense, and emotions are upside down.
Phnom Penh is the city of motobikes. Sometimes, at four, I see them riding their frail mechanics.
(Phnom Penh, Cambodia, view from the taxi, quickly, by passing)
Rain falls. A rainbow cleaves the clouds while we head towards Happy Chandara.
A good omen.
The arrival at school? It's late, night falls now, but the kids smiles brighten everything.
Amical diner with Tina, volunteers, some teachers, and girls who laugh while eating rice on mats directly on the floor.
Tomorrow I will warm up my Nikon …


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The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Young, white junior league member Skeeter Phelan and black maids Aibileen and Minny seem an unlikely grouping in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter is newly graduated from college and starting to question the way things happen in her conservative town. The more time she spends with Aibileen and Minny, the more she realizes everything that is wrong in her society and the dehumanizing way in which many of her friends treat their maids. As Skeeter's social awareness grows, she enlists Aibileen and Minny in a project that will change all of their lives, and maybe even Jackson.
"The Help" is an absolutely incredible book about race relations in the South during the Civil Rights Era. Now, I did not personally live through that time period, but each of the characters just rang so true. Aibileen, Skeeter, and Minny take turns narrating sections. Each of them is such a rich character that, whenever it is her turn to narrate, I'm sure she's my favorite. Then the next character would take her turn and I would love her just as much. The writing and character development was all so lovely that I could scarcely believe this was a debut novel.
Heightening my enjoyment of "The Help" was the fact that I listened to it as an audiobook. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter's sections were each narrated by a different woman and all of them were amazing. They infused so much emotion into their words. Particularly interesting was hearing how one character (say Skeeter, for example) was 'done' by a different character's narrator (perhaps Minny's), or the different ways each of them did the voices for the periphery characters. I felt as if I was getting an insight into how each of the characters saw the others, it really made the book that much better.
Absolutely fantastic book, I completely recommend it. And if you are wanting to try your hand at listening to audiobooks, this is a wonderful choice.
Buy this book from:
A local independent bookstore via Indiebound.


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Posted on 14/01/2019 by asra
In late 2014 CASA released a draft CASR Part 149 regulations covering Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisations (ASAO). Part 149 has been 14 years in development and will finally be tabled in Parliament in 2015.
CASA describes the major changes in the new draft of Part 149 in the letter that accompanies the release of the draft CASR as:
"….. proposed Part 149 would enable the Director of Aviation Safety to approve a wide range of organisations to self-administer aviation functions beyond the originally consulted scope of sport and recreational aviation.
Secondly, proposed Part 149 now utilises a model whereby organisations would be approved to administer functions rather than the previously consulted model of delegations. Of course some matters (registration, aircraft certification etc.) are delegations of existing CASR regulations and these would continue to be issued either to individuals (as now) or under Part 149 to approved organisations themselves.
Part 149 proposes an Exposition governance model as exists now for maintenance organisations (Part 145) and as is proposed for air transport operators in CASR. An exposition is a document written by the proposed ASAO that details the systems and processes ASAO would use to meet their regulated outcomes. A dominant proportion of a ASAO's exposition would be the standards that the ASAO presently has in their operational manuals.
Part 149 proposes explicit requirements for key personnel qualifications and experience and a requirement for an ASAO to have an Accountable manager and a Safety manager. Part 149 proposes that other key personnel would be required to be nominated by the ASAO and detailed in their exposition. This would be expected to be a Head of operations and a Head of airworthiness for an ASAO that principally operates aircraft but would be different according to the nature of the ASAO."
"Part 149 proposes a requirement for Safety management systems (SMS) but does not however mandate any further than the basic internationally standard components and elements as adopted by Australia. Draft Part 149 specifies that the SMS be appropriate for the ASAO's approved functions, taking into account the nature and complexity of the functions. Simple ASAOs would be expected to meet the SMS components and elements in a way that is appropriate.
Part 149 also proposes requirements for Audit and surveillance system and Governance and disciplinary rules."
As you can see, Part 149 will have far reaching consequences and should, if implemented well, simplify the relationship between CASA by removing much of the complexity created by the current regulatory regime.
One consequence of the new Part 149 is that it would make it easier to authorise commercial operations, including mustering, in gyros.
A big thank you to all new and on-going board members and office bearers, from everyone associated with ASRA we appreciate your commitment and as always, many hands make for light(er) work.
To all departing members and office bearers we thank you for all the time and dedication you put in.
For a complete list of positions and contact details click here.


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In a column on the 10th anniversary of the never-ending Afghanistan War, Neil Steinberg (Chicago Sun-Times) writes, "Did I miss anything? I almost said that the best result was liberating the Kurds, but that's Iraq, the other war we've got going on."
Barring a last minute complete about face by the White House, there will still be US security forces on the ground in Iraq next year (US soldiers and contractors) when the Iraq War hits the 9 year mark.
And most people can probably list a lie or two or three for how the US military ended up there (lies include: 'connected to 9-11,' 'WMD,' etc.) the lack of attention to Iraq from the press means that the White House doesn't even feel the need to come up with a lie to justify the continued war.
They're helped in that by the fact that the broadcast media pretty much all abandoned the Iraq War in the week or so before Barack was sworn in.
So for a lot of Americans, the war is over. If it wasn't, they would have a right to see it on their TVs, right?
And when you think all the lies it took to get the US over there, it's amazing that they've managed to keep the military over there without constant lying. They just don't talk about it.
If forced to, Barack will. And he'll lie and claim combat operations ended August 31, 2010. This despite the 36 US service members who have died since that day. Combat wasn't over for them on August 31, 2010.
The Iraq War has gone on for over eight years now. And Barack's working to keep US soldiers on the ground in Iraq beyond this year. And it's so fallen off the radar and we've grown so accustomed to it that we don't even demand answers. No one even seems able to ask the words: Why are we still in IRaq?
It's really sad and depressing that the administration just can't be honest. Or at least can't today.
"Just understand my frustration. We want to normalize a government that really doesn't exist."
That's Joe Biden. Before he was vice president. When he was still a Senator. April 10, 2008.
All this time later and the only thing that's changed is which party controls the White House.
Joe, just understand my frustration. Now you're the one wanting to normalize a government that really doesn't exist.
It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)
Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 4481. Tonight it is [PDF format warning] 4481. Here's the screen snap:
The e-mail address for this site is email@example.com.
i hate the war
the ballet


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Cycling around the winding roads of Inishowen and discovering breath taking views along with the occasional breath taking hill is easily arranged with Cycle Inishowen. Bike hire is available from €12 for a half day which includes a helmet, maps and high viz jackets as standard. Their bikes all come with waterproof bags on the handlebars – perfect for keeping your camera handy! Their customers can also enjoy discounts at other local businesses and attractions, which is great when you're planning your route for the day. For anyone cycling with children they have trailers, child bikes, tag-a-longsand baby seats, which are suitable for infants over 9 months.
Inishowen offers wonderful Hiking and Hill walking including the remarkable Urris Hills walk and an ascent of Sliabh Sneacht . We will be happy to arrange guided walks for you - please ask at our Reception or point you in the right direction. Please also see www.inishowenwildway.com for wonderful hiking routes on the Inishowen peninsula.
Rock Climbing on the Wild Atlantic Way can also be arranged with Donegal Climbing, Your guide, Bren Whelan, is a Mountain Instructors Certificate (MIC) & International Mountain Leader (IML) award holder, who has over twenty five years of experience mountaineering & rock climbing in Ireland and across the World. Join them for an unforgettable Donegal climbing experience on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way ! To book an Accommodation, hill walking or rock climbing package please click here.
Extreme North West are an Adventure company based here in Inishowen and they offer adventure and Endurance Races. Extreme North is not just about the challenge, it's about the memories, the camaraderie & friendship, the amazing medals & trophies, the hospitality, so really its about the whole package.
Please see the link to maybe take part in one of the adventures http://www.extremenorthevents.com/
Wildwoods -Culdaff offer scheduled courses on Bushcraft, Campcraft, Backwoods & Wilderness Living Skills as well as Outdoor Introductory Educational and Recreational Day courses for all ages. Our courses are tailored to meet the needs and capabilities of every group who attend dependent on age and experience. While keeping the emphasis on Fun, Education, Safety and More Fun you can experience everything from fire-lighting using primitive and modern day methods using natural materials, shelter building, with backwoods wild game preparation and cooking to nature trails, beach and woodland foraging, campcraft, knots and lashings and much more.. All groups are welcome as Family, Friends, Schools, Youth / Sports Clubs, Scouts and Corporate Teambuilding. All participants will leave with an understanding of our primitive ancestors way of life and a working knowledge of the skills they used to survive. Call 0863369840 if you would like to make an enquiry.


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USSMA Membership
>>> 2019/20 Membership – will be available in OCTOBER <<< (We're moving to a new system, so hang tight. :-))
A USSMA Membership license will be REQUIRED to participate in USSMA sanctioned Races.
An annual USSMA license is available for purchase online. Cost is $40. Once you have purchased the membership you will be provided a license number that will be required for registration of USSMA sanctioned races.
NEW License numbers will be assigned upon sign up for each year. Please disregard your OLD license number and use the newly assigned one going forward. Thanks!
As a part of the membership you will accumulate points for the national rankings determined by USSMA sanctioned races. We will be working on additional member benefits, so stay tuned!
Membership revenue will help the USSMA grow the sport of Ski Mountaineering Racing in the US. Thanks for being a USSMA Member!
Athletes must choose a membership division, which will be used for your entry and points scoring of all races for the season.
Cadet (17&Under): Shortened course, with a maximum age of 17 years.
Junior (18, 19, 20): Full distance race course with a maximum age of 20 years.
Espoir (21, 22, 23): Full distance race course with a maximum age of 23 years
Open: Open category for all men and women 21 years old and older, full course.
Masters: Full course, minimum age is 45 years.
Recreation: Reduced distance/vert category. Ski/binding weight must be a minimum of 750 grams per ski/binding or 1500 grams for the pair.
For the 2018/19 season, your racing age is the age you will be on Dec 31st 2019. For example, if a kid is currently 17, but will be 18 by the end of the 2019, their racing age is 18 and they will need to sign up for a Junior (18,19,20) member/license.
Note: It is possible for an athlete to obtain points in their age category as well as podium in the open category (e.g. win the Espoir, but also place in the open).
Note: Sanctioned Race Directors will also be selling $10 one day licenses for those people who only plan to participate in a given race. One day license holders will not be included in USSMA points results or other member benefits.


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Austin, Texas
The best coffee, restaurant ,cocktail and accommodation in Austin,Texas.
"Welcome to Austin, the time is 10 a.m. It will take a couple of minutes for us to taxi to the gate," announced the captain. From the window, you could see the haze of the heat blurring the runway as planes slowly lumber to their gates. We had a packed schedule of meetings but we're excited to finally get a chance to come to Austin.
Austin often gets qualified as the X of Y: the SF of the South, the Portland of Texas, etc. Sure, it has qualities of those cities, but one thing is clear — Austin has a better time than both of those cities. It is a city that eats and drinks. So if your business brings you to Austin, get excited. You can assume that you will definitely be mixing business and pleasure.
Austin is overflowing with places to go and things to do because of its famously booming economy. The city experienced a 5% growth rate over the past fiscal year, which ranked 2nd overall in the nation. With close to 40% of the city's population working in business, finance, sales and office roles, Austin is continuously inviting younger and more educated crowds. This trend is bringing in incredible amounts of funding, start-up companies and technological business hubs to the city center. Through the benefits of a flourishing economy, Austin is capable of staying competitive in food and entertainment industries.
To Caffeinate:
Brew & Brew is perched in an industrial warehouse in the hipper East side of Austin. This cafe understands its purpose: to provide high-quality coffee and a gorgeous place to work. The Wi-Fi is free and fast and outlets are plentiful. If you get too jittery on their smooth nitro, fear not … they also serve local craft beers to help take the edge off. What made this cafe beat the rest is the outdoor patio (perfect for phone calls). If Brew & Brew is a bit out of your way, there are a number of boutique cafes dotted around the city. Check out our shortlist below to see our top 3 cafes in Austin.
To Eat
Austin does like to eat. As you float around the city, you will see dozens of food trucks that serve high quality cuisine … they really spurred the movement of food trucks in the United States. Austin is dense in the quality of cuisine, but our Business and Pleasure recommendation is Barely Swine. It's a bit on the pricier end, but depending on the client and/or your budget, you will certainly have an excellent culinary experience.
Owner and chef Bryce Gilmore started out with a food truck in the late 2000's, but quickly traded it in for two thriving brick-and-mortar restaurants: Barley Swine and Odd Duck. Barley Swine's multi-course menu is a farm-to-table meets seasonal Southern favorites meets high-class plating hybrid. It's impossible to order a bad dish here. Check out our shortlist of other amazing restaurants in Austin for other culinary options.
(Photo credit Richard Casteel.)
To Drink:
The cocktails at Barley Swine stand by themselves, but make sure to leave room for libations elsewhere. Hop in an Uber and head 15 minutes down I-35 to Whisler's. As if deciding between their specialty cocktails isn't hard enough, you'll have to choose whether to spend your evening in their beautiful bar or on their bustling outdoor patio. We suggest taking the time to experience both. While rustic-chic is a fairly common theme around Austin, Whisler's takes it to the next level with cobblestone walls, wrought iron chairs, and reclaimed wood furnishings.
The venue frequently hosts all sorts of musical performances, from jazz quartets to local alternative bands. And it's not such a bad idea to plan your trip to Whisler's around happy hour so you can enjoy a $7 Jamaican Matchmaker while sitting on an outdoor couch listening to someone play the banjo. Insider tip: they have an intimate, speakeasy-style mezcal bar at the top. But, be warned: the stuff is potent. One too many and you may miss your flight. If you're looking to bar-hop, take a look at our shortlist of Austin's finest cocktail joints.
(Photo credit Mark Weatherford)
To Sleep:
The South Congress Hotel, located in the middle of South Congress Street, has an immediate buzz about it as soon as you pull up. The bohemian design, focused on social spaces and curated food and beverage offerings, make it our choice as the Business and Pleasure hotel for Austin. The hotel exceeds expectations when it comes to amenities.
In addition to having an all-day cafe, a Japanese restaurant, a coffee and bakeshop, an American grill, a lobby bar AND a rooftop pool and bar, the South Congress Hotel offers its guests a personal shopper, a BMW house car service, electric bike rentals and motorcycle rentals. And at the end of a long night in Austin, you can lay in bed and enjoy Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Drafthouse Films on demand, all of which every room is equipped with. Rates are typically between $200 and $300 per night. Check out our shortlist of other places to crash in Austin.
(Photo credit Nick Simonite)
What experience are you looking to craft for your guests?
Excitement is the most important experience I'm looking to craft. I always want to make them excited, surprised and happy with my food.
I've learned the key to building consensus is be an active listener and have as much subject knowledge as possible.


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New Nintendo Switch App Update Finally Lets You Chat With Your Phone Screen Locked
'Appy as Larry (you know, that troll dude in Mario Kart).
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
The Nintendo Switch Online app launched on mobile back in July, allowing you to chat to your friends online and invite people to matches on Splatoon 2. However, it launched with one big problem: it required you to keep your phone unlocked and the app open, otherwise you would be unable to talk to your friends.
Now, the app has been updated on both iOS and Android to allow you to lock your phone screen or use other apps and continue chatting to your friends. Update 1.1.0's patch notes state "Voice chat will now continue when other apps are opened … [and] during sleep mode." Nintendo notes, however, that devices running Android 6.0 or later will not allow you to continue chatting while not in the app if you have power-saving mode turned on. The company advises those users to deactivate battery optimisation in the app's settings.
For now, the Nintendo Switch Online App remains free, but it will require a subscription fee of $20 / €20 per year when the Switch's online service launches in full in 2018. It will include online multiplayer access and voice chat, and you'll also get to download classic games such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario.
In spite of the problems with the app, Splatoon 2 was well-received by critics. GameSpot awarded it an 8/10, with critic Kallie Plagge writing, "All the small changes, and even the bigger ones in single player and League Battles, make for a fresh take on the already unique shooter. If you played a lot of the original, the sequel has enough to keep you coming back, and if you're new to the game, it's a fantastic place to jump in." Read more in our full Splatoon 2 review.
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