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New Jersey Landscape Lighting Design Contractors
Did you know a low voltage landscape lighting design can accentuate the beauty of your home or commercial property? Now is the time to call the best New Jersey professional landscape lighting company – Jersey Landscaping. Our skilled landscape designers will help you create just the look you want – from subdued hues around shrubbery to brightly lit walkways and driveways. If energy conservation is on your mind, our low voltage landscape lighting installation options can provide optimal lighting while remaining both cost-efficient and energy conscious.
If energy conservation is on your mind, our low voltage landscape lighting installation options can provide optimal lighting while remaining both cost-efficient and energy conscious. We're the NJ landscapers you can trust to give you the lighting you need and the ambiance you want, all for a price you can afford.
Professional Landscape Lighting – Security Solutions
If you're considering security lighting for insurance purposes or just for the peace of mind you get from knowing that your family is safe at home, Jersey Landscaping is the only NJ landscape lighting contractor you need to call. Our security lighting designs provide maximum visibility while remaining discreet and energy efficient. Plus, we live here too, together with our families and loved ones, and we know first-hand how our low voltage landscape lighting installations have helped to make our families and the families of our valued customers feel safe and secure. We guarantee that you won't find another NJ landscape lighting contractor that's as conscientious and cost-effective as we are.
So why wait to have the secure, beautifully illuminated home or commercial property you've always wanted? We're the landscape company you can trust to create a gorgeous design that keeps you safe, too. Contact us today to discuss a landscape lighting design that works for you! For more information on your local NJ landscapers at Jersey Landscaping, or to get a FREE ESTIMATE, fill out our request a quote form or call us at 732-462-4289.


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A lot of our customers need to have huge quantities of printed material produced but they don't have the facilities to store it all. We store a lot of our customers print and with our new Live Stock Portal, you can view all of your stock in real time and send an order through to us with what you need and where it needs to be delivered too. This way, you can call off all of your printed marketing material and products and have it delivered to anywhere in the world. See below to see how it works...
- You will be given your own password which will give you access to all of your printed products that we hold in stock for.
- You can add as little as 1 or 10,000 of any specified item to your basket.
- Press the 'Send order to Chameleon' button which will then take you through to the delivery details
- Enter the delivery address where you need the batch of printed stock sending too. This can be any UK or International Address.
- Add any additional information into the 'Notes' box. i.e. Delivery address is the Event Venue or a specified date that everything needs to arrive by
- Fill in your name & email underneath the delivery address to receive order confirmations and updates
- The Inventory will then automatically update itself with the new quantities
- You can give out the password to anyone within your company who needs to call off your printed materials
We are located in Nottingham which gives you a real advantage. We are just minutes from the M1 corridor and East Midlands airport; ideally situated for making dedicated deliveries all over the UK and Worldwide too. Having got your brochures, exhibition panels or newly designed display units hot off the press, are you are a bit tight for space?
We provide both long and short-term storage and logistics facilities to all of our customers, whether you are a small or large organisation. We have long standing relationships with multiple couriers, including DPD (formally Interlink) and Fedex UK & International. We have the ability to get all of your items to where they need to be on time, whether its in the UK or overseas.
European & International Deliveries - Real-time tracking of your shipment with up to date Travel History & Proof of Delivery via Email Notifications
UK Deliveries - Real-time tracking of your shipment with text and email notifications to confirm the 1 hour window delivery slot
Same Day Deliveries - Delivery to any address within the UK at any time of day

subset: commoncrawl


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2010 Youth Summit Starts with a Bang!/
Hello everyone! I am here on the second day of the 2010 youth summit program. As today kicks off we will be experiencing many different speakers and activities including negotiations on G8 topics and canoeing lessons. The Official program of my summit kicked off yesterday evening during the welcome dinner, which included presentations from, Mr. Terry Clifford, Mr. Tony Clement, the Canadian youth ambassadors, and Mr. Paul Tergat who was our keynote speaker. The delegations had an excellent chance to mingle and to meet others from around the globe. Upon concluding the ceremonies last night everyone retired to their rooms to rest up for the big day today. This morning we will be transported to the Trillium Resort to partake in a few plenary discussions including nuclear non-proliferation, food security, as well as maternal and child health. Along with these three plenary discussions we will have two negotiations later in the day that will be on the issues of nuclear non-proliferation and food security. Finally the day will be concluded with a cruise and dinner reception. Post written by Drew Luhowy as part of 2010 Youth Ambassador blog project.
*Please note that multiple more in-depth updates will be made throughout the day.


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Development in the Open
Do we really need to hide unfinished code?
Like many software developers, I tinker with ideas in software, different paradigms, new ways of solving problems, and side projects. By and large, most small things I've kept to myself. This has made it difficult when I want to quickly show somebody something I've done, since then I either need to create a curated subset of the project to highlight the part I want to show, or suddenly release the whole thing just to show a small subsection. It also relies on me choosing to share with a person, rather than anyone deciding they want to see what I've done.
After some reflection, I'm not actually sure what I'm trying to accomplish by keeping things hidden. Insecurity perhaps? Not wanting to share something until it's perfect? Nothing is ever perfect, so that's a bad reason. Thanks to phenomena like Imposter Syndrome, personal feelings of insecurity probably aren't good evidence for whether or not something should be made public.
In the past, when learning something new, I've found it useful to look at how someone else approached a problem, even if their solution isn't perfect. Maybe if I just put things in public by default, someone else might at some point find value in it. So that's what I'm going to try doing from now on. When I start hacking on an idea, if I don't have a good reason to keep it private, I'm going to make the source code public.
I've already started with the things I'm working on at the moment. The first example, the GTK Rust project I mentioned in a previous post is now available on GitHub. It isn't complete. To progress, I actually need to revise some old signals and systems theory, as well as some maths, that I last did in university. As part of revising that, I've been putting together a Rust library reflecting the concepts I'm revising. That too, is on GitHub now.
Finally, I've been taking part in the Advent of Code (and having a great time doing so). You may have guessed where I'm going with this, my solutions to those puzzles are now also on GitHub.


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Taking Aim at Neutrality: Upholding the Principle of Medical Non-interference in Syria
"Syria is the most dangerous place in the world to be a doctor," claims a recent report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that compiled the findings of dozens of interviews with medical professionals in Syria. Doctor Zaher Sahloul, President of the Syrian American Medical Society, summarized this danger in the following statement: "What we are witnessing [in the Syrian conflict are] the systematic and deliberate attacks on medical professionals by the government. Doctors are harassed, detained, tortured and killed just because they are performing their humanitarian and professional duties." Clearly, Syrian civilians are not the only victims of the Syrian conflict, and as Dr. Sahloul illustrates, medical practitioners have been the tragic target of frequent attack. Though there are few substantiated figures that illustrate the civilian death toll since the beginning of the conflict, mainstream media outlets report that as of 2014, over 3,500 children have died as a direct result of the conflict in Syria. Before the start of the Syrian Uprising, the nation's health care was well regarded in the Arab world, and the population had an average life expectancy of 76 years. The average citizen today is expected to live until 55. Caught in the crossfire of a violent conflict between the Syrian government, opposition forces, and the Islamic State, medical professionals fill a crucial humanitarian role that is more challenging than ever before. While the political and geostrategic interests of parties in the Syrian conflict certainly underlie the violence in Syria, this paper does not seek to address the complex dynamics between the Assad regime, opposition groups, and the Islamic State, which have dominated coverage in the mainstream media. Rather, the goal of this paper is to critically examine the Syrian regime's violations of medical neutrality since the start of the conflict in March 2011.
Both within the United States and at the international level, efforts have been made to uphold the principle of medical neutrality. The principle of medical neutrality originates from the Geneva Convention of 1864, during which leaders of twelve European countries convened to recognize the neutrality of medical personnel during wartime, as well as to establish neutrality for hospitals and ambulances marked with the sign of the recently established Red Cross. Article Five of the first Geneva Convention extends the right of neutrality to any "inhabitant of a country" who offers medical assistance or shelter to a wounded combatant. Three subsequent Geneva Conventions followed the Convention in 1864, expanding upon the doctrine of humanitarian protection.
Today, violations of medical neutrality constitute a war crime under the Geneva Convention. Yet, as an international norm, the principle has had minimal influence mitigating violence in the Syrian conflict. The presumption that it is upheld in all conflicts likely explains why conversations about medical neutrality violations have not been at the forefront of media coverage, relative to other debates surrounding the Syrian conflict—the debate on the use of chemical weapons being one example. The repeated violation of medical neutrality in the Syrian conflict evokes pressing concerns about the utility of international intervention.
On the international stage, beyond the legal precedent of medical neutrality established in the first Geneva Convention, several international nonprofit organizations and transnational advocacy networks have made efforts to uphold medical neutrality. For medical workers in Syria, the constraints of overcrowded and understaffed hospitals compound the stress of near-constant threats of violence, overwhelmingly from the Syrian regime. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a nonprofit advocacy organization that is committed to mobilizing health professionals and the public for the protection of human rights, released a report in March 2015 that documented the killing of 610 physicians in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), has been similarly active in working to realize the Geneva Convention's vision of medical neutrality. By highlighting the systematic bombing of hospitals and destruction of ambulances, Human Rights Watch has also drawn attention to blatant transgressions of medical neutrality in Syria.
In the United States, members of Congress have made legislative efforts to hold other nations accountable for maintaining medical neutrality. The Medical Neutrality Protection Act of 2011, introduced to the United States Congress by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA), requires that the United States Secretary of State annually update a list of foreign governments that have engaged in violations of medical neutrality and formally notify each government implicated. In the bill, violations of medical neutrality are thoroughly defined, including (but not limited to) militarized attacks on health care facilities, providers, or individuals in the course of receiving medical treatment and destruction of medical supplies.
Doctors, surgeons, nurses, and paramedics are among the many kinds of medical practitioners who may even face greater risk than Syrian civilians because of the nature of their profession. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report that substantiated the anecdotal evidence of the violent targeting of medical practitioners. According to the report, the breaches of medical neutrality in Syria have reached alarming levels, most notably through the targeting of medical personnel and hospitals as a "tactic of war [for] military objectives."
Yarmouk, a besieged, unofficial Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, has recently been the site of violations of medical neutrality by both Islamic State and Syrian regime forces. Though the report from OHCHR indicates that hospitals in Yarmouk camp were shelled in 2012, the Syrian government is also guilty of violating medical neutrality by less immediately violent means. For instance, the OHCHR report claims that the regime is guilty of denial of medical access to civilians on the basis of "real or perceived political and sectarian grounds." The siege of Yarmouk has also resulted in deplorable living conditions for the 18,000 residents, causing United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to describe the city as "the deepest circle of hell." Both the Islamic State and the Syrian military are responsible for blocking the transmission of vital humanitarian aid, including medical treatment and supplies, to its starving and sick residents.
While the prevailing number of attacks against medical practitioners are launched by the Assad regime, Syrian medical staff working in government hospitals also face a fear of abduction by anti-government groups who might consider them to be aiding the enemy and loyal to the state. A search for the hashtag, #DefendDoctors on Twitter reveals a collection of stories of Syrian doctors on a government "wanted list" for providing medical care to patients to any members of regime opposition groups. In other words, medical practitioners face being consistently targeted and scapegoated by both sides.
PHR also claims that of the 610 medical personnel who were killed in the last four years, the Assad regime perpetrated the killings 97 percent of the time. PHR has compiled the attacks against medical personnel in Syria since the start of the Syrian Uprising in 2011. According to PHR, 88 percent of the 233 attacks on hospitals since March 2011 have been made by government forces, using various methods ranging from barrel bombs to arson. Erin Gallagher, Director of Emergency Investigations and Response at PHR, claims that the figures are actually conservative estimates based on verified reports, suggesting that the true mortality rate is much worse. The undeniably systematic targeting of hospitals by government forces is evidenced by reports of particular hospitals that have been repeatedly bombed, as well as ones in remote areas with no nearby alternative targets. Furthermore, the hospitals that have suffered the greatest number of attacks have been located within Syrian opposition strongholds, including Rif Damashq, Homs, and Aleppo.
Both in anticipation of targeted bombings, as well as due to the scarcity of hospitals, many medical practitioners throughout Syria now operate in field hospitals located in basements, homes, factories, and other hidden facilities where the risk of attack is lower. Shoddily assembled field hospitals lack vital equipment such as CT scanners, intensive care units, and ultrasound machines to carry out the most basic of procedures. The security situation in Syria has eroded so drastically that many residents expect hospitals to be bombarded, and as a result do not seek proper medical treatment.
With dwindling numbers of medical professionals still living in Syria, the roles and responsibilities of those who remain in the country have become increasingly onerous. Data from the World Health Organization indicate that before the civil war be, an average of 1.5 physicians served every 1000 people in the national Syrian population. By comparison, a study conducted by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University reports that in 2014, "only 13 surgeons and a total of about 30 doctors serve[d] 300,000 people in Aleppo," marking a near 150 percent decline in the current density of physicians in Aleppo (what was once the most populous city in Syria). This figure confirms that the constant threat of violence has come at a serious cost to anyone living in Syria: the exodus of medical practitioners from the country. The following accounts shed light on the reality on the ground for doctors and the often overwhelming circumstances in which they operate.
A recent op-ed in the New York Times by a Syrian surgeon named Abdel presents a harrowing story of his daily routine as a medical practitioner. Abdel recalls assisting a man whose leg had been severely fractured. The man, along with two other patients, were placed inside of an ambulance to be taken 90 minutes away to the Turkish border at a safe facility that promised better medical care.While they were en route to the border, a barrel bomb landed and detonated next to the ambulance, killing all passengers except for the paramedic.
Abdel requested anonymity for the interview, for he, too, is being targeted by the government for the medical services he has offered to the wounded. Another New York Times article in March of 2013 chronicled the experiences of violence and targeted attacks that practitioners have experienced since the outset of the war. In the article, Aleppo-based urologist, Dr. Yassir Darwish, reports that while imprisoned by the Syrian government, he experienced frequent interrogations involving torture. He was originally arrested for sneaking medicine and treating patients in field clinics. Dr. Hassan Julaq, an orthopedist, reported that torture in a prison in Damascus included being forced to walk constantly bent over, which has resulted in long term back damage. Many detained health workers have similarly reported being tortured by the Syrian secret police force. Yassir and Hassan's experiences are by no means unusual—they are emblematic of systemic detention and torture of doctors by the Syrian regime.
Medical practitioners in Syria today are resilient, risking their lives and facing prison, torture and targeted bombings to uphold humanitarian commitments to health care amidst an unbridled civil war and regional conflict. Yet, beyond the media coverage referenced here, the discussion on the violation of medical neutrality in the Syrian conflict is relatively limited. This is not for lack of narratives, as demonstrated by the stories of Abdel and Dr. Darwish presented in the New York Times. Nearly every doctor that remains in Syria today is living under serious threat of sustained violence and persecution. The doctors remaining in Syria are fully aware that their sustained presence maintains the sole means by which civilians can continue to endure unchecked violence. Yet countless practitioners have fled and will continue to do so, as the preservation of their own lives depends on it. •


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Registered charity number 1034446
Springboard for Children is a registered charity which provides literacy support to disadvantaged children in inner-city primary schools. We work in partnership with primary schools and specialise in giving the gift of reading and writing to children who find learning difficult for many reasons.We are committed to working with all children who need literacy support, whatever their background, race or creed.
Springboard For Children offers a variety of events to participate in and raise valuable donations to support the charity. Check out the events below for more information.
Tel: 020 7424 5520
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Extreme Animation - Films of Phil Mulloy
The BFI Collection
Phil Mulloy
The provocative work of multi-award-winning animator Phil Mulloy stands as a model of satiric grotesque unparalleled in British animation. The antidote to all that is kitsch and sentimental, these direct, witty and acerbic fables, drawn in brush and ink, perceptively comment on human nature and challenge contemporary values. Definitely not for the squeamish or prudish, this definitive compilation contains sex, violence, and scenes calculated to outrage horses.
Features 24 films from 1991-2001.
UK | English | 1991-2001 | 153 min | Black & White | Colour


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May 22, 2013
sophisms: road trip observances
7 comments:
Playing catch-up on my blog reading. Am so happy to hear that your husband is returning!! Has it been two years? Sophie is a doll and I would love to spend 7 hours in a car with her! Your work is always so lovely. Been thinking about your father-in-law and keeping your family in my prayers....ReplyDelete
Have a safe trip and have fun..pack the gas mask! xoReplyDelete
Ha,ha, what a darling! :-)ReplyDelete
Oh, Sophie! So adorable - surely her breath is as perfectly precious as her big brown eyes!ReplyDelete
I want to snuggle that great big ball o' fur! What a beauty she is! Enjoy the day. ErinReplyDelete
hahahaha love this!!!! thanks for the much needed laugh!ReplyDelete
Her eyes say she heard what you said....:-)ReplyDelete
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D.C. Legislation Would Remove More Gun Limits
Saturday, September 13, 2008
D.C. officials, coping with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that threw out the city's handgun ban, have drafted legislation that would do away with several remaining firearms restrictions, including safe-storage requirements and a provision that bars ownership of semiautomatic pistols.
The legislation could come up for a vote in the D.C. Council as early as Tuesday -- the same day the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill that would virtually end local handgun control in the District.
The developments mark another step in what has become a dramatic shift in public policy regarding firearms in a city still plagued by gun violence. Thirty-two years after the first generation of elected D.C. officials under home rule enacted the nation's toughest gun control statutes, banning handguns entirely, the current leaders face a different political and legal climate and appear resigned to debating how best to have a less restrictive law.
Addressing contentious issues that have arisen since the Supreme Court ruled in June that the city's handgun ban was unconstitutional, council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said yesterday he has worked with the administration of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) in drafting the legislation. The changes would go beyond emergency legislation passed by the council in the wake of the court ruling that allowed qualified residents to keep revolvers, but not semiautomatics, in their homes.
Critics of the emergency legislation have complained that the city violated the spirit, if not the letter, of the Supreme Court decision. They include members of Congress who have gained momentum in recent weeks in their efforts to override the D.C. laws.
Although the move by the city to ease handgun restrictions coincides with the House effort to virtually strip the District of its power to regulate firearms, Mendelson said officials are not seeking to placate members of Congress. He said the proposed changes, which he will urge the council to pass Tuesday, result from a careful review of the Supreme Court decision in the weeks since it was issued June 26.
"I think we're addressing the Supreme Court ruling and, coincidentally, addressing Congress's concern," said Mendelson, chairman of the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. And by addressing the Supreme Court ruling, he said, "it will pull out the underpinnings of the argument for that legislation on Capitol Hill."
When they imposed the handgun ban in 1976, then-Mayor Walter E. Washington (D) and a 13-member council dominated by liberal Democrats were reacting to public concern about crime, which began rising nationwide in the mid-1960s. The ban was their boldest public policy initiative.
Today, only council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) is left from that group. The new generation of leaders represents a city that is still struggling with homicides and other violence but whose politics and public policy have been significantly altered by gentrification. The debate over handgun control is more complicated now, just as the weaponry is more sophisticated.
Even though Democrats hold majorities on the council and in Congress, members' view are more diverse today than in the 1970s. And so is public opinion among African Americans in the city, who made up a majority of the population then, as now.
Unlike Congress and the federally appointed three-member commission that oversaw the city government for decades before home rule, the D.C. leaders who enacted the handgun ban in 1976 were directly attuned to city residents, having come mostly from the ranks of civil rights and community activists. In dealing with gun control now, though, the current mayor and council are bound by a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
The council proposal does not give residents blanket approval to own semiautomatic pistols, which have become the most popular kinds of handguns. It would ban magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. It also would repeal a regulation barring a gun owner from registering more than one pistol. In addition, the legislation would do away with the requirement that handgun registrants submit their weapons to D.C. police for ballistics testing.


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Item #:
Maximum control. Effortless manipulationDesigned with a powerful and firm holding technology. Niacin formulated to boost circulation (with massage) and enhance the look and feel of your hair and scalp.
Satinique® Final Step Finishing Spray
Satinique® Scalp Tonic
Satinique® Texturing Matte Wax
Satinique® Revitalizing Mask
Satinique® Hair Oil Serum
Copyright © 2018 Amway


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Have you tried this product? Tell us something about it!
I made a few thing with this. Cookies, Brownies, granola bars and it was so good. This gave it a deep chocolate flavor, of course I used something to sweeten it but it did not lose its richness. Love it will continue to use'
Perfect product
Lovely chocolate
Love it


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Toady we added an extra Blacklist for current gold sellers on Adsense next of the overall list we already have. The new list will be checked and updated weekly. Because the overall list has over 200 sites in it, it cannot be used in Google Adsense anymore. There for the new and smaller list has been created, and it will change more frequently.
Credits to BBR for the initial list.


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Transportation and Directions
Directions to Stanford Jazz Workshop
SJW summer programs are held in Braun Music Center near Tresidder Student Union on the Stanford University Campus. Stanford, California is about 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose. The campus is accessible from two major north-south highways (U.S. 101 and I-280) between San Francisco and San Jose.
Googling SJW: The directions given by Google and other online mapping sites may not take you to the correct location. We recommend you enter the following address into your map search window in order to get to the Tresidder Union Parking Lot, which is the parking lot closest to Braun: 459 Lagunita Dr. Tresidder Union, Stanford, CA 94305
Driving from 101:
Take the Embarcadero Road Exit and head west approximately three miles toward Stanford University. Cross El Camino Real to enter the Stanford campus. At this point, Embarcadero Road becomes Galvez Street. Continue to Campus Drive and turn left. Follow Campus Drive until Mayfield Avenue. Turn right onto Mayfield Avenue. At the next stop sign turn left and then make a quick right at the next stop sign into the Tresidder Student Union parking lot, which also serves Braun Music Center and Dinkelspiel Auditorium.
Driving from 280:
Take Exit 24 for Sand Hill Road. Keep left at the fork and follow signs for Sand Hill Road East. Keep right at the fork and merge onto Sand Hill Road. Go about 2 miles and turn right on Santa Cruz Ave. Take first left on Junipero Serra Blvd. At the second light turn left on Campus Drive East. At the next stop sign turn left on Mayfield Avenue. At the next stop sign turn left and then make a quick right at the next stop sign into the Tresidder Student Union parking lot, which serves Braun Music Center and Dinkelspiel Auditorium.
From the Airport:
Stanford Jazz Workshop does not arrange transportation for participants arriving or departing going to or coming from the airport. San Francisco International Airport (www.flysfo.com) and Mineta San Jose International Airport (www.sjc.org) are equally convenient to the Stanford University campus; check their respective web sites or see "Ground Transportation from Airports" below for information about ground transportation.
On-Campus Parking
On-campus Parking:
Parking on Stanford University is free on weekends and after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. On weekdays, parking permits or hourly payment receipts are required for any parked vehicle. Paid hourly parking is available at several nearby lots. Please be aware that Stanford University strictly enforces their parking rules and their parking citations are expensive. Weekly parking permits may be purchased upon your arrival at campus for $30.00 from the SJW main office in Braun Music Center.
The permits are valid only in areas designated for Resident Permits in lots including 'EA', 'ES', 'SO', 'WE' and 'SJ' parking. Weekly permits are not valid in 'A', 'C', or 'SH' lots. The permit must be taped to the inside of the front windshield (on the driver side, in the lower left-hand corner). The permit will not work at any metered spot. All paid parking on campus is free on Saturday and Sunday and after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Resident students who are minors will not be allowed to drive during the workshop.
Click here for a parking map of the area.
Click here for a map of the Jazz Institute facilities.
Ground Transportation from Airports
Ground transportation from airports
In case of late arrival: If you will be a dorm resident and will be arriving after 11:30 a.m. or a commuter and arriving after 1:00 p.m. on Registration Day, please call our office at 650-736-0324 or e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com as far in advance as possible so we can make late arrival arrangements for you.
Participants arriving by air should fly into either the San Francisco (SFO) or San Jose (SJC) airport. Stanford Jazz Workshop cannot arrange transportation for participants arriving at or departing from local airports. The following services provide ground transportation:
Super Shuttle: 800-258-3826
From SFO and SJC: $26.00 ($9.00/each additional person) one-way and $50 round trip. Reservations are required. Runs 24 hours a day. 16 is the minimum age for unaccompanied minors. Policy strictly enforced. For fare and schedule updates, visit www.supershuttle.com.
Mosaic Global Transportation, a private car service: 800-398-7881 or 650-864-9701
When booking, please mention you are attending the Stanford Jazz Workshop as they have special pricing for Stanford conferences and events. Their rate is $100 from SFO to Stanford and $90 from SJC to Stanford. A Mosaic driver will meet you at the baggage claim area.
Public Transportation
Public Transportation
Caltrain. Caltrain is a commuter railway that stops near the San Francisco airport (SFO) and the San Jose airport (SJC). It stops at the Palo Alto station, which is the nearest station to Stanford. For more information on Caltrain's schedule, visit www.caltrain.com or call 800-660-4287.
To get to Caltrain from SFO, take the BART train from the airport to the Millbrae station, where you can catch Caltrain south to Palo Alto. Click here for information about the BART station at San Francisco airport, and click here for information on transferring to Cal Train at the Millbrae BART station.
To get to Caltrain from SJC, take the free Airport Flyer shuttle to the Santa Clara station, where you can catch Caltrain north to Palo Alto. Click here for more information about this connection.
From the Palo Alto Caltrain station on weekends, we recommend arranging for a taxi pickup in advance from Stanford Yellow Taxi Cab, stanfordtaxicab.com/index.html.
Buses. Stanford University is served by public transit agencies AC Transit, SamTrans, and Santa Clara VTA. Visit www.511.org and use the 511TakeTransit Trip Planner for information on bus options and schedules.
Local Lodging
Local lodging
We recommend the following hotel partners, to participants, friends, and family members wishing to stay off-campus during SJW programs. Discounted rates are offered to patrons if you book through the in-house reservations department and mention the Stanford Jazz special rate. The best way to get in touch with them is to email them, but you can also call them using the following contact information.
The Westin Palo Alto:
675 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 321-4422
Friday/Saturday/Sunday $149
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday $329
Sheraton Palo Alto:
625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 328-2800
Friday/Saturday/Sunday $129
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday $279
In addition, more options can be found through Stanford's local lodging guide.
What's Stanford Like?
What's Stanford like?
The Stanford Visitor's Guide provides an excellent virtual tour of the campus and surrounding area:
Activities in the area
World-class golf, tennis, and swimming facilities are available to adult participants over the age of 18.
Contact us at 650-736-0324 for details.
You can find out more information about activities around the Bay Area here:


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This is just a preliminary "shout out" as many details of this event are to be planned. I'm putting it out there so anyone interested can save the date!
Topics of conversation at the seminar will include benefits of juicing & juice fasting, mercury detoxification, detox eating, cellular cleansing, cleansing with essential oils, bowel cleansing & more!
The seminar will be 4 to 5 hours in length, the cost includes a luncheon, class handouts with other literature for purchase, as well as an opportunity to get discounted rates on my services.
I'll be creating an invite shortly on eventbrite.com where people will be able to purchase the tickets in advance for $40. Tickets will be $50 at the door. Purchase tickets at www.eventbrite.com in advance for the discounted price.
I'll be teaching it at the beautiful & serene Bodhi Seed Yoga studio in Downtown Mt Clemens. I'd love to see a group of people from the Lansing area too so I'm happy to help connect people interested for car-pooling. Please do a preliminary "sign-up" at my facebook page so you can stay in the loop!
I promise it WILL be worth the drive! :)


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Clean, powerful, effective.
An Informed-Sport certified preworkout supplement that provides energy, strength, and helps enhance cognitive performance.
Formulated with active ingredients including:
Unlike many preworkout supplements, AMPED Nitro contains no artificial colours, flavours, or sweeteners.
Nitrosigine®§§ and L-citrulline help with increased mental focus and pump. Creatine and betaine support increased muscle mass, power, strength, and cell hydration. Beta-alanine, taurine, and naturally sourced caffeine support increased energy, alertness, and stamina.
AMPED Nitro is Informed-Sport Certified, providing assurance that products have been tested for a wide range of substances prohibited in sport.
Beta-alanine, an ingredient in AMPED Nitro, may cause a mild, temporary tingling or prickly sensation in some users. This is a normal, harmless sensation and is a well-known sign that the ingredient is working. The sensation is typically felt on the face, neck, or back of the hands and should subside within 60-90 minutes after supplementation. Not everyone will feel the tingling due to individual differences and dosage sensitivity.
The temporary tingling sensation should not be confused with an allergic reaction. As with any food or dietary supplement, if you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction, please discontinue use and seek prompt medical attention.
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text: Black Birds is a Sydney based co-operative which was founded in 2015 and is led by core members, Ayeesha Ash & Emele Ugavule. It is a response to the lack representation & misrepresetation of Women of Colour in the Australian arts. With each project, creatives are invited to collaborate on works that dissect and document the female Non-Indigenous Black and Brown diasporic experience in Australia through art and performance in a variety of mediums and spaces - both theatrical and non-theatrical. In the last year, Black Birds have performed as part of the Yirramboi Festival (SHORE: Story), with the Pan Afrikan Poets Cafe (Black Girl Magic), co-produced three theatrical performances (The Joan, Festival Fatale & The Community Reading Room), a visual art installation (AMbush Gallery) and an experimental short film(AMbush Gallery & Footscray Community Arts Centre).


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Kids Fabrics | Stuart Graham Fabrics
View our range of kids fabrics online. Our kids fabric collections are suitable for decorating a baby room or kids room. Our extensive range of fabric for kids rooms is available throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia and Lesotho.
Stuart Graham Fabrics is a wholesale supplier of kids fabrics to the home decor trade. Our selection of kids fabrics offers options that are both durable and decorative across a variety of price points. Spotted something you love? Contact us via our how to order page to setup a trade account or locate your nearest retailer, decorator or stockist of our kids fabric collections in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia.


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Arash Shojaei's Shouka Multifunctional Bench
Arash Shojaei Reveals The Shouka Multifunctional Bench
Arash Shojaei, the creative mind behind the displayed project Shouka - Multifunctional Bench by Arash Shojaei says, The benches in outdoor spaces such as parks and indoor spaces such as cultural centers are boring, repetitive and single usage objects. Even though the main concern of the modern era humans whilst resting, is not only sitting. He wants to use his laptop, interact with people and experience various positions such as sitting, leaning, lounging and stretching his legs. All these positions have been considered in designing this bench and in comparison with similar products, the users are in a greater interracial position. .
Arash Shojaei's Shouka Multifunctional Bench Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Architecture Today homepage.


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May 03
Music: U2 – No Line On The Horizon (Ltd Edition Magazine)
Three days ago I got a delivery from Amazon UK. One of the items was the new (well it's already 2 months old) album from U2.
It's a special magazine edition. The actual CD is inserted in the semi-hard covered magazine. The magazine itself contains a lot of black & white photo's taken by Anton Corbijn. Further there's an interview with all the band members.
After the release of the first hit-single 'Get On Your Boots' you might think you have an impression of the rest of the album as well, but that's not the case. U2 promised an album which would make people dance again. I'm not a dancer, but I can tell that this album is not danceable for a lot of people.
Score: 8 / 10


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American Tower, KKR are bidders for Altice NV's towers-Bloomberg
March 13 (Reuters) - American Tower Corp and KKR & Co LP are among bidders for Altice NV's telecommunications towers, which could be valued at about 3 billion euros ($3.7 billion), Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Infrastructure operator TDF and other private equity firms have also expressed interest in buying parts of Altice NV's businesses in France, Portugal and the Dominican Republic, the report said, citing the sources. https://bloom.bg/2FBTr4s
The Netherlands-based telecommunications company is considering setting up a new company for the assets and selling stakes in it to the winning bidders, according to the report.
Altice founder Patrick Drahi is looking to reshape his telecoms and cable group and is looking to divest non-core assets to help pay down debt.
Altice NV, KKR &Co and American Tower were not immediately available for comments. ($1 = 0.81 euros) (Reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


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Justin Crozier Cox
Army Specialist Justin Crozier Cox returned home safe from Iraq on April 15. He married Brittany Stull, of Norco, on April 16. A ceremony and reception was celebrated with family and friends in Norco on May 1. Cox is currently stationed at Fort Hood, Tex., and serves in the Army as a black hawk helicopter mechanic. He is awaiting orders to enter flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., to be trained as a black hawk helicopter pilot. He is the son of Downey residents Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Cox and grandchild to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Crozier (maternal) and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cox (paternal). ********** Published: July 1, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 11


text:
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Charmaine J. Smith-Campbell
Mercer University
Steven Littles
Douglas County School District, Douglasville GA
Had I been the person that the tutor helped ahead of me—I would have felt disrespected. And that made me really want to just walk away; and I wanted to just leave and go home. I was like, "I'm not going in there to deal with that. That's not even fair." But the deadline was near; my paper wasn't finished; so I had to go in. It took a lot. I really had to leave my ego at the door and prepare myself for the worst. And sure enough, when I got in there and was with that tutor, he was loud. Everybody in the waiting area could hear what he was saying, and I was totally embarrassed. But I went back to what I learned in the military. I learned how to just be silent. Learned how to remove myself from the abuse until it was over, but at the same time to listen to what was being said that was important enough to keep me from having to go back. I had already made up my mind when he started saying what he was saying, "I'm not coming back here. So let me get what I need so that I don't have to come back."
—from Steven's narrative
This article offers an interpretation of Freire's concept of pedagogical love in a word to world—theory to practice—approach. We offer a definition of the term love; then present coauthor's Steven's narrative as an illustration of a real life experience of Freirean pedagogical love. The goal is to begin a conversation about the transformative value of an instructional model rooted in Freire's pedagogy of emancipatory love; and to seek ways in which this model is applicable to writing centers and other educational settings—not just in colleges, but also K-12 environments.
Pedagogical Love in Freire
Paolo Freire speaks about pedagogical love—using the terms related to love more than seventy times in Education for Critical Consciousness and Pedagogy of the Oppressed. However, although he explains pedagogical love within the context of transformative education, Freire did not specifically define the meaning of the term love. The opening epigraph from Steven's experience as a Ph.D. student visiting the writing center represents the antithesis of Freirean pedagogical love proposed in this paper.
While writers such as Antonia Darder and Edward Michael Schoder offer valuable insights into the Freirean concept of pedagogical love, we add to this body of literature by theorizing our own experiences as graduate writers and offering a new perspective on pedagogical love that is rooted in justice, selflessness, and fairness.¹ Figure 1 provides a conceptual framework for of our definition of pedagogical love, the ideological and instructional practices we associate with this model, the educational outcomes we anticipate from this model, and the generative nature of this model as it operates in coauthor Steven's narrative.
Our definition of the term love contains three elements illustrated in Figure I steps 1a and 2a. The first is Lawrence Kohlberg's concept of justice, the second is derived from Erich Fromm's and Søren Kierkegaard's secular maxim conveyed in the command to love thy neighbor as thyself, and the third is the concept of agape, or selfless love. Through this analysis, we propose a definition of pedagogical love that calls on educators to be personally committed to the axiological, ontological, and socio-political principles of justice, as evidenced in Kohlberg's sixth stage of moral development. In describing our moral obligation toward justice, Kohlberg states that a just approach is characterized by making rational "sociopolitical choices" that are based on what is "morally right" and fair to individuals (Philosophy 182, 193).² This commitment, we believe, is one of the major defining characteristics in the practice of educators who are capable of successfully implementing instructional practices of Freirean pedagogical love. We argue that this commitment calls on teachers practicing pedagogical love to also be committed to the use of education as a means of sociopolitical empowerment and for creating students who are what Freire described as more fully developed "authentic" human beings.
Fromm's and Kierkegaard's secular maxim conveyed in the ontological and axiological command to love thy neighbor as thyself (Figure 1, 1b) is the second element in our definition of pedagogical love. Like Fromm, we believe that educators and their students enter a relationship that is similar to what he described loving one's neighbor as loving oneself, allows one to "commit oneself without guarantee, to give of oneself completely in the hope that your love will produce love in the loved person" (Fromm 115). Similar sentiments are expressed in Kierkegaard, who declared that, "everyone is one's neighbor," that "your neighbor is everyman," and is your equal (58, 72). When these ethical maxims are applied to education within the context of Freirean pedagogical love, this extends beyond the altruistic act of caring. It becomes an unconditional, selfless, egoless commitment of educators practicing pedagogical love and expecting nothing in return for themselves. Under these conditions, the practice of pedagogical love is politically and socially enriching to a well-developed democracy, and transformative and cognitively uplifting to students, who are trained to be critical thinkers in the traditions of both Socrates and Freire..
The third element in our definition of pedagogical love calls on educators to be practitioners of agape (Figure 1, 1b)—love given without expectations of reciprocity or personal gain—given only for the love of justice for humanity. When translated into pedagogical love, agape leads to an educational process where educators work with students in a collaborative, respectful, empowering relationship that negates the banking model of instruction.
We believe that educators whose personal epistemological, axiological, ontological, and sociopolitical ideologies align with Freirean pedagogical love and his ideas on education are vital to our proposed model of pedagogical love. Educators in this model serve as guides and helpers to students on their educational journey. In practice, our proposed model of pedagogical love helps educators provide learning opportunities that facilitate graduation for students like Steven, whose narrative of his experiences as a Ph.D. student is presented in this paper. Steven's narrative offers insights into the educational processes involved in our Freirean pedagogical model. This narrative also indicates the type of student-graduate that can be created by this approach. Students like Steven, under the guidance of teachers embedded in principles of pedagogical love and who are adequately equipped to practice this instructional approach, will experience educational growth that is not just cognitively productive but also personally uplifting on a sociopolitical level, as Freire argued (see Pedagogy; Education).
We believe that student-graduates from a system of education rooted in Freirean pedagogical love develop over time the tools and qualities that enable them to become a new breed of teachers needed for the adaptable-generative model illustrated in Figure 1, stage 3 and stages 1a–2a. As Freire argued, this generative system is self-procreative and self-renewable, one that will not become stale, outdated, or irrelevant. This regenerative feature of the Freirean model is an outcome of this system because it is rooted in critical thinking, dialogue, reflection, and a continuous motion of new praxis that is all a part of a creative process. This system is not rigid, but it is flexible with the potential for making adjustments when and where they are required over time and space, as Freire argued (see Pedagogy; Education).
The Word and the World: A Doctoral Student's Story
The educational and instructional processes involved in our interpretation of Freire's pedagogy of love have five stages (Figure 1, 2a–3). The first four stages involve the active instructional practices of our model of pedagogical love, while the final stage—stage 3—represents the embodiment or tangible student outcomes of the instructional practices of pedagogical love. Because our system rooted in Freire's ideas is a generative one, it loops back from stage 3 to the start, whereas graduates, students such as Steven, return to the system as teachers who continually replenish and sustain the model we propose.
In a theory-to-practice—or as Freire calls it, a word-to-world—application ("Reading"), excerpts of Steven's journey through the Ph.D. program are used here to illustrate pedagogical love and the lack of it at work in a real-life situation. The sequencing of these events is represented first in steps 2a to 3, and then 1a to 2a in Figure 1. This sequencing of Steven's journey is loosely organized around this conceptual framework in Figure 1—since real life events often do not generally adhere to the strict mechanics of theoretical models such as that illustrated in this chart. All names except those of the authors are pseudonyms.
The Educators
Steven's episode of hopelessness rooted in the anti-dialogic silence of a banking model of education in the epigraph of this paper intersected with ones in which he experienced hope on the journey towards graduation. In talking about hope and hopelessness, dialogue and anti-dialogue, oppression and emancipatory transformation in education, Freire stated that all these alignments are possibilities in education (Pedagogy). However, he added, only one option is an ontological, axiological, and historically acceptable one, and that is an education that is liberating, empowering, and aligned with authentic and true democratic principles and goals.
Anti-dialogic and pedagogically loveless education
Freire wrote about undemocratic and anti-dialogic love that is "counter-educative . . . predominantly emotional and uncritical . . . and anticommunicative"; he stated that this alignment "involves vertical relationships between persons . . . cannot create a critical attitude, [and] is hopelessly arrogant" (Education 9). According to Freire, anti-dialogic love "does not communicate, but rather issues communiqués" such as that illustrated in the opening epigraph (Education 41).
In describing the incident in the opening epigraph, Steven said:
The entire encounter [at the writing lab] felt like abuse to a point where it wasn't necessary. I wasn't an 18-year-old sophomore. I wasn't a second-year graduate student. I was a father and a husband and a professional teacher for over a decade, and now I'm walking in to you and you think that whatever it is you have to give me is so important that it elevates you above all the things I've done in my life. I didn't think that was right, but I knew that I couldn't just walk out.
All of us in the class were scrambling. My classmates' first route was, "Okay, let's set up meetings with Dr. Maxwel and talk with her." I had my brief meeting, and there was no clarification. The meeting was very short. The only thing I was told was that I was not a good technical writer. That's all I remember. I had no idea what that meant, but I did not know how to say that. I thought she was going to say, "Now this is how you do it." But it was just the opposite. I guess that was my fault, too, going in there expecting to be led.
I thought about everything that was going on. At first, I felt like I could just figure it out myself, what was good about writing—even if it wasn't that great. The scary part was, I didn't have a Plan B. All I said was, "I have to find a way to get this done." That's why I did not open up to classmates or my dissertation committee members, and I did not let anybody know what was going on. I thought that admitting I had questions about writing was going to spell trouble for me. I did not know whether reaching out would get me more help; I thought reaching out would let everybody know, "Hey, he's a fraud. We gotta get rid of him." I used that fear to work harder to figure out how to get the writing done.
Educators rooted in pedagogical love and transformative dialogue
Luckily for Steven on this journey, he met instructors whose personal, instructional, epistemological, axiological, and sociopolitical groundings were rooted in pedagogical love (illustrated in Figure 1, 2a). They met him at the door—before he entered the program, when he was first accepted. Steven reflected on how he received a personal phone call from the department chair at the University he graduated from with his PhD on a Saturday morning, informing him of his acceptance. Steven's wife answered the phone because he was not at home, and Steven said he knew after this call that "Right there, this just made me know that this was going to be a totally different experience; and it was."
Steven said:
Before coming to this school I had a lot of negative experiences in a former university where I started my Ph.D. and found out that the program was not a good one because it was all about the money. At that school, they did not deliver what they said they offered in the brochures and in the meetings we had before starting the program. It was only after we finished the first year that they changed on us and flipped the script. Once they got us in, they changed gears and try to sell us all sorts of programs that were not officially certified and were useless in the real world.
Steven continued:
When I came to this University, it was different. I knew that it wasn't just about collecting the money. I felt throughout the whole time that the instructors had my interest at heart—and this was even before they knew what kind of human I was. They didn't even know me before . . . [and] it was so different that I didn't even know just how to accept it because it was so very different from what I experienced at that other University.
Pedagogical love (Figure 1, 2a) was evident through to the end of Steven's Ph.D. experience. Steven described how his teachers predicted his needs both during the program and after graduation, and guided him and assisted him through his postdoctoral needs—even before he was actively aware of what they were. He said:
My professors knew it was important for me to understand how to navigate the broader academic arena outside of my elementary school world after I got the Ph.D. [Steven is an elementary school educator]. They knew the end game and were familiar with the terrain. Most important, they knew there was a limited time in which to guide me toward self-sufficiency.
Steven further stated:
Each instructor came to the table with particular strengths. They knew what they valued as individual educators. They had their personal understandings of what it took to go through this PhD learning process. They knew what they knew and what they wanted us to know. What impressed me most was the respect each instructor had for his/her craft. They were always prepared and enthusiastic about the content.
Steven linked his experiences to his own practice as an elementary school educator, saying, "I felt the way I wanted my students to feel about learning. Their love and respect for the knowledge made me want to pursue the same for myself. The love for the subject matter, to me, represented their overall love for humanity. They wanted to share that love with me."
Dialogue rooted in pedagogical love
Freire wrote, "If I do not love the world—if I do not love life—if I do not love people—I cannot enter into dialogue" (Pedagogy 90). As illustrated in Figure 1, 2b–3, pedagogical love is the starting point and touches on every stage of the process through to the transformative outcomes shown in this model. Having found an institution in which pedagogical love existed and transformative dialogue could occur, Steven describes a true Freirean dialogic experience that moved him from ABD [all but dissertation] to Ph.D. status. In his words:
Throughout my life as a student, I had always felt I was beneath my instructors because of their command of the subject matter. As a result, I did not feel that my input was valid. In fact, I never felt my input was wanted. I thought that all I was supposed to do was listen and learn.
But the professors in my doctoral program were different; they reached out, initiated a conversation that made me feel as if we were equal partners, that I was not lower or inferior to them. These conversations were used as a part of their teaching in the course content as the basis for the flow of information in classes. It really took me a while understand that those professors wanted me to utilize the content beyond regurgitation and superficial discussion. They used their kindness and concern in order to support our learning and to deliver what we needed to learn in a manner I could easily understand.
Now that I know this is what dialogue is about, I guess that's what it was, but back then I didn't know that, but it made me feel good as a student and made me feel as if what I had to say was worthwhile and important. They were respectful even when they challenged us and pushed us outside of our comfort zone if you know what I mean. They treated us well.
"So What?" A Transformative Dialogue
"Here is one example," Stephen said. "I had a conversation with one of my professors who was helping me formulate my research focus. When I presented my plan, he looked at me and said, "So what?"—I was stunned. I stumbled through an inadequate explanation, but I thought it made all the sense in the world. So what? Those two words haunted me, but it was one of the most important questions I was asked."
Stephen continued:
At first, I could not answer that question because I never thought about it; I was never asked those types of deep questions that made me think hard. Made me think, and think, and think again in order to come up with an answer. And it took me a long time of going back and forth with him in conversation. That one simple question, "so what?" Why was this important? It backed me into considering what was the real foundation of that study. When I was finally able to answer that "so what?" question, that's when I was able to find my direction.
From this question—"so what?" I learned one of the greatest lessons about the dissertation writing process—my opinion was meaningless unless I could contribute something new and back it up with solid evidence. That helped me begin to move forward, and from there on, I thought differently as I researched, wrote, and researched some more. That opened new doors and gave me a new way of looking at what I wanted to write about.
Dialogic Education
The "so what" conversation in the previous section is vital because it illustrates this process in a real way that is not contrived, in a real life educational situation involving Steven. That "so what" dialogue moved him from inaction to action, from failure to success, and ultimately to transformation achieved by graduating as a Ph.D. Steven said about this transformation:
This was an awkward period of the process for me. This was a point where I could see who I was and who I needed to become. They offered assistance that guided me forward and that's why I graduated—along with my effort also, of course. Again, love surfaced in those relationships with my professors. The beauty of it was that it was all so natural for them—at least that's the way it seemed to me. It didn't seem as if they were faking it or making it up.
By the time I presented, for the very first time, I was ready for it—and I was comfortable because of the process and the experiences I had with those professors outside of Mr. Maxwel and the writing lab problem. When it got to this point I really was able to understand the love because of my experiences with them, love that was shown and that I could give back in a manner the instructors could understand, I believe. They expressed appreciation for my efforts, and that meant more than any grade on any assignment, and it worked like a charm.
Critical Consciousness/Awareness and Reflection
As illustrated in Figure 1, 2c, the outcome of dialogue rooted in pedagogical love is critical consciousness (also referred to as critical awareness). Eventually critical awareness/consciousness leads to critical reflection; then to the next step—praxis—that completes this process that leads to a rebirth, so to speak, that is emancipatory, empowering, democratic, and transformative (Figure 1).
Steven reflected and attempted transformative actions earlier in his journey before effective dialogue such as that represented in the "so what" conversation. These attempts at reflection did not lead to transformative praxis rooted in critical awareness/consciousness because of the absence of true dialogue and pedagogical love. However, in this new attempt, Steven experienced success because he now had the educational and experiential tools to successfully navigate the next steps in his transformative process (Figure 1, 2c–2d).
Here is what Steven said about this stage that was different because of the "so what" dialogue rooted in pedagogical love:
I think this was an important moment when I decided that when I wrote my papers, what I said I was going to do was write my papers for me, and I wasn't going to just give the professors what I thought they wanted to hear. I started writing for myself. And that tough because I had never done that before. I had always written papers because of what I thought the professors wanted. Now I had to really think about what was at stake for me in the writing, and I had to make sure that it sounded like me. That took on a life of its own to the point where all of my professors, they responded to what I was writing. There was no class where the professor did not respond to something I put in there that came from me and wasn't just regurgitation of what we did in class.
Praxis—Sitting-in with a Newer Cohort and Graduating
Praxis is the final stage in the Freirean educational model that we offer (illustrated in Figure 1, 2d). In describing this final stage, Steven said:
I entered an awkward period in my growth process. Classes were about to end, and I had to focus on writing the dissertation. This was a point where I could see simultaneously who I was and who I needed to become. [Long pause]. After classes ended, Steven continued, I wasn't ready to write. I did absolutely nothing. One day of inactivity turned into five. Five days turned into two weeks. Before I knew it, four or five months had passed. In this process, two events—one of them involving a "so what?" conversation with my professor, made the difference between being stuck in a place of inaction or going forward and getting this dissertation done.
The second transformative event took place when my methodology professor invited me to a class she held in the evenings with the cohort two years behind mine. Two of my cohort members and I began going to her class, sitting in the back, and writing our dissertations. Coming to the other cohort's class was hard because it was embarrassing, but it was a liberating experience. The ironic part is that the three of us in the back of that class started a kind of tradition. Dissertation-writing doctoral students continue to sit in the back of that class and write while the newer cohorts are taught. I'm proud of that, and because of this type of assistance, I eventually graduated with my Ph.D.
Transformed, Empowered, and Giving Back
In Freire's Education for Critical Consciousness and Pedagogy of the Oppressed, education serves a generative role that is the outcome of the dialogic student-as-teacher process. In this generative role, students who are mentored in programs and by teachers who use the Freirean model—imbued with qualities illustrated in Figure 1, 1a–2a—are ready to recalibrate and serve as teachers in this model. Steven's experiences reflected this generative process. After he graduated, Steven became a mentor: "Now, as a mentor to the young men in my school, I am able to understand my role more clearly. I am more than just a male figure for them to emulate. I believe that I am now a conduit for meaningful activities and useful information."
As a transformed and empowered graduate giving back in a generative model, Steven said:
I now use my newly acquired ability as a researcher to develop a better, more targeted program from which the young men could find benefit. My focus used to be preparation for manhood. The focus gradually shifted toward engineering, mathematics, and public presentation. By doing so, I am able to enjoy my role a lot more and find real fulfillment from the practice of mentoring. I was finally able to unearth the cyclical quality of mentorship . . . . They were not supposed to only learn from me, but I was supposed to learn from them as well. My purpose was to transmit the love invested in me.
In describing his graduation and post-graduation experiences, parallel to the Freirean model illustrated in Figure 1, 1a–3, Steven said:
When it was all over, getting the curriculum instruction degree I did could not help me even begin to understand what I was getting into. I went from being a bystander to being the expert in the room. I don't hide behind who I think I am anymore. It is what it is and I just do what I do and let that be it.
I love myself a lot more because I understand my destiny. I don't feel lost. I don't feel like I need to fit anyone's mold anymore. I can be myself—my authentic self—because everything isn't about school; it is also about what's going on inside of me. It still takes me by surprise when I hear "Doctor So and So" at my school. If people slip and call me Mr. Littles, I don't say anything. It's still surreal to me when someone calls me Doctor but it doesn't define who I am. I have said this before in so many ways but I just feel more comfortable about being an educator now, and I am not afraid.
Once I got my Ph.D. something else also happened. I eventually was able to begin a new relationship—with myself. I met me for the first time and was determined to make me successful, but by applying an evolved principle. I became a better mentor for my group of young male mentees, a better supporter for an annual conference for young girls that my wife and I organize, a willing sharer of personally prepared instructional material with colleagues, and a more focused trainer for staff members at my school. Most of all, I became a better man for my family.
The narrative of Steven's experience as a Ph.D. student that we presented includes elements reflected in our Freirean model of pedagogical love illustrated in Figure 1. The effects of what Freire describes as the loveless, arrogant, anti-dialogical, and anticommunicative nature of the banking model were a part of this narrative and experience (Pedagogy; Education). The progression from ABD to Ph.D. status was also present. So too were dialogue, critical awareness, critical reflection, critical action, conscientização, and praxis that resulted in the empowering transformative outcomes described. Also indicated is the generative nature of this model in Steven's giving back actions as a mentor to young men. In addition, we found evidence of love—love similar to that rooted in Kierkegaard's and Fromm's maxim of neighborly love—that was embedded in Kohlberg's principle of justice, and that is informed by agape. This Ph.D. graduate is now practicing the pedagogy of love with his own students and mentees as they too seek the benefits that adequate education of good quality can provide.³
Although Steven's narrative includes all elements of the Freirean model in Figure 1, his life experiences did not tidily follow the 1a to 3 lock-step order indicated in this figure. For example, incidents of critical awareness and critical self-reflection occurred prior to dialogue. These actions, however, did not lead to meaningful outcomes nor completion of the dissertation until after the "so what" dialogue and self-reflection. In attempting to get the dissertation done, it was the "so what" dialogue that actually generated the praxis—that operated as the direct spark in the engine to finally getting it done, and encouraged him on the way toward graduation from the Ph.D. program. This example illustrates the Freirean argument for the necessity of pedagogical love and the transformative nature of dialogue rooted in pedagogical love that are a liberating and empowering educational method. The relativist approach that guides our conversations in this paper signifies our acknowledgment that there are no easy recipes or standardized models available to address all educational needs. However, based on the Ph.D. experience reflected in the narrative, we believe that this model is capable of enhancing equity and possibilities for educational success for all students, especially those who are at risk of attrition.
Our goal in telling this story is to make some small contribution to continued dialogue on the Freirean model as it relates to educational equity and achievement, not just at the ABD to Ph.D. level in doctoral programs, but at all levels of the educational spectrum.⁴ Other issues that may be relevant to this paper's discussions include those raised in a previous publication (Smith-Campbell, Littles, and West), such as issues of pedagogical love in K–12 and especially in grades 11–12; pedagogical love and practices of closing equity gaps, and pedagogical love as an axiological approach that replaces violent struggles, rage, and anger on a wider sociopolitical scale in order to create a more just and humanizing world. We hope this conversation continues.
To the educator who guided this project, we dedicate this quote from Freire: "To teach is not to transfer knowledge but to create the possibilities for the production or construction of knowledge" (Pedagogy of Freedom 30). You are the epitome of the Freirean teacher in every way. I hope that in every way this paper represents to the world the justice you have done for us, your students. Thank you.
1. Writers such as Darder; FitzSimmons and Uusiautti; Liambas and Kaskaris; Määttä and Uusiautti; Miller, Brown, and Hopson; and Schoder have offered varying interpretations and insights into the Freirean concept of pedagogical love and use of the term love. Others such as Noddings and Soto have examined the theme of pedagogical love by presenting the concept of caring as an ethical pedagogical practice and principle, using interpretations that appear somewhat different in orientation and socio-political goals from that of Freire's. The tradition of clarifying and offering reinterpretations is an approach that Freire himself indulged in, as Cruz and others pointed out (see also Morrow; Lake & Dagostino; McLaren; Winchell and Kress).
2. Kohlberg's ideas on justice if applied to Freire's educational vision can result in a pedagogical approach similar to autonomous student-centered instruction and self-directed learning, in which teachers operate as guides and more knowledgeable others in learners' zones of proximal development (Vygotsky). In education this can translate to a relationship in which teacher and student join "in a community in which value decisions are made on a shared, respectful, and equitable basis," and as Freire suggests, the relationship does not result in a banking model where "the teacher transmits that culture and its values to the student" (Pedagogy 20).
3. See Noguera.
4. See discussions in Calleja; Cruz; Dirkx; Giroux; Mayo; Miller, Brown, and Hopson; Noddings. For discussions on achievement gap issues, see Darling-Hammond & Rothman; Ferguson; Ladson-Billings; Noguera; Noguera, Pierce, & Ahram.
Works Cited
1. Calleja, Colin. "Jack Mezirow's Conceptualisation of Adult Transformative Learning: A Review." Journal of Adult and Continuing Education 20.1 (2014): 117–136. Print.
2. Cruz, Ana L. "Paulo Freire's Concept of Conscientização." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. 169–180. Print.
3. Darder, Antonia. Reinventing Paulo Freire: A Pedagogy of Love. Cambridge, MA: Westview, 2002. Print.
4. Darling-Hammond, Linda, and Robert Rothman. "Developing Effective Teaching: Why Search globally?" Teaching in the Flat World: Learning From High-Performing Systems. Ed. Linda Darling-Hammond and Robert Rothman. New York: Teachers College Press, 2015. 1–5. Print.
5. Dirkx, John M. "Transformative Learning Theory in the Practice of Adult Education: An Overview." PAACE Journal of Lifelong Learning 7 (1998): 1–14. Print.
6. Ferguson, Ronald F. "Elements of a 21st Century Movement for Excellence with Equity." The Journal of Negro Education 83.2 (2014): 103–120. Print.
7. FitzSimmons, Robert, and Sata Uusiautt. "Critical Revolutionary Pedagogy Spiced by Pedagogical Love." Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies 11.3 (2013): 230–243. Print.
8. Freire, Paolo. "Reading the World and Reading the Word: An Interview with Paulo Freire." Language Arts 62.1 (1985): 15–21. Print.
9. ---. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 1970. Trans. Myra Bergman Ramos. New York: Continuum, 2003. Print.
10. ---. Education for Critical Consciousness. 1974. New York: Seabury, 2011. Print.
11. Fromm, Erich. The Art of Loving. New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print.
12. Giroux, Henry. "Prologue: The Fruit of Freire's Roots." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. ix–xxi. Print.
13. Kierkegaard, Søren. Works of Love. 1847. Trans. Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong. New York: Harper and Row, 1962. Print.
14. Kohlberg, Lawrence. "Implications of Moral Stages for Adult Education." Religious Education 72.2 (1977): 183–201. Print.
15. ---. The Philosophy of Moral Development, Moral Stages, and the Idea of Justice. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981. Print.
16. Ladson-Billings, Gloria. "Through a Glass Darkly: The Persistence of Race in Education Research and Scholarship." Educational Researcher 41.4 (2012): 115–120. Print.
17. Lake, Robert, and Vicki Dagostino. "Converging Self/Other Awareness: Erich Fromm and Paulo Freire on Transcending the Fear of Freedom." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. 102–126. Print.
18. Lake, Robert, and Tricia Kress, eds. Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. Print.
19. Liambas, Anastassios, and Ioannis Kaskaris. "'Dialog' and 'Love' in the Work of Paulo Freire." Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies 10.1 (2012): 185–196. Print.
20. Määttä, Kaarina, & Satu Uusiautti. "Pedagogical Love and Good Teacherhood." Education Journal 17.2 (2011): 29–41. Print.
21. Mayo, Peter. Gramsci, Freire, and Adult Education: Possibilities for Transformative Action. London: Zed Books, 1999. Print.
22. McLaren, Peter. "Afterword: Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. 231–236. Print.
23. Miller, Peter M., Tanya Brown, and Rodney Hopson. "Centering Love, Hope, and Trust in the Community: Transformative Urban Leadership Informed by Paulo Freire." Urban Education 46.5 (2011): 1078–1099. Print.
24. Morrow, Raymond. "Rethinking Freire's 'Oppressed': A 'Southern' Route to Habermas's Communicative Turn and Theory of Deliberative Democracy." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. 65–87. Print.
25. Noddings, Nel. "The Caring Relation in Teaching." Oxford Review of Education 38.6 (2012): 771–781. Print.
26. ---. "Freire, Buber, and Care Ethics on Dialogue in Teaching." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. 89–100. Print.
27. ---. "The Language of Care Ethics." Knowledge Quest 40.5 (2012): 52–56. Print.
28. Noguera, Pedro A. "Racial Isolation, Poverty, and the Limits of Local Control as a Means for Holding Public Schools Accountable." University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Institute for Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA). 2002. Print.
29. ---. City Schools and the American Dream. New York: Columbia UP, 2003. Print.
30. Noguera, Pedro A., Jill C. Pierce, and Roey Ahram. "Race, Education, and the Pursuit of Equality in the Twenty-first Century." Race and Social Problems 7.1 (2015): 1–4. Print.
31. Schoder, Edward Michael. Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of Love. 2010. Rutgers U., Ph.D. Dissertation. Print.
32. Smith-Campbell, Charmaine J., Steven Littles, and Jane West. "Transformative Education and Freire's Pedagogy of Love: A PhD Graduate's Experience." Journal of Transformative Learning. Proc. of the Transformative Learning Conference, March 2015. Oklahoma City: University of Central Oklahoma, 2016. Print.
32. Soto, Nelson E. "Caring and relationships: Developing pedagogy of caring." Villanova Law Review 50.4 (2005): 1–16. Print.
33. Vygotsky, Lev Semenovich. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1978. Print.
34. Winchell, Melissa, and Tricia Kress. "Living with/in the Tensions: Freire's Praxis in a High-Stakes World." Paulo Freire's Intellectual Roots: Toward Historicity in Praxis. Ed. Robert Lake and Tricia Kress. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013. 146–168. Print.


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- Did you ever notice what we can get away with in the name of Christmas? Lying, concealing major purchases from your significant other, discussing the purchase of intimate apparel with pretty (mall) working women, etc. Does Jesus condone this??
- I've discovered that I finally get around to liking Christmas music about 1 or 2 days after The Holiday. I think someone needs to retune my Christmas Spirit Biological Clock. What's worse, once I finally come to enjoying these aural gems, they take them away and put them back in the box for next year...
- Saw Memoirs of a Geisha yesterday. It's a beautiful movie, and not really about sex at all, if that was your hangup. It's even a bit frightening, seeing what was accepted in this odd social heirarchy.
- Got Half-Life 2. They should have called it "Gordon Freeman Gets Screwed Again." Had to activate it over a DIALUP. That aspect alone should have changed the title to "Half YOUR Life."
- However, I did finally get it running. Holy freakin' pixelshaders, Batman! I am a gamer, and this is my crack. I won't be available for a few weeks now.
- "No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." ~Eleanor Roosevelt. I learned that when I bought The Princess Diaries for my wife and watched it with her on Christmas Eve. Yep, I learned something from a girly movie.
- My new favorite joke: "An ant and an elephant marry. The first night of their honeymoon, the two make love, but the elephant has a heart attack and dies. The ant is devastated and says, "Five minutes of passion, and now I have to spend the rest of my life digging a grave."
"We live, we love, we forgive and never give up..."


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For many reading this it will be the tragic events of last week that, for the first time, highlighted Facebook's Safety Check feature. With many of us having friends and family living abroad it was a way for us to quickly be reassured that they were safe and well. But this feature has actually been around for over a year, and thousands have already benefited from it during disasters worldwide.
How Safety Check came about
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan was devastating. According to the Japanese Red Cross, more than 12.5 million people were affected nationwide, and more than 400,000 people were evacuated. During that crisis Facebook observed how people were naturally using technology and social media to stay connected with those they cared about. To provide reassurance of their safety, and updates on the situation.
At the time Facebook's engineers built a Disaster Message Board, to make it easier to communicate with others. The response to this tool was overwhelming and they decided to spend the coming years refining it.
Then, in October 2014 Mark Zuckerberg officially announced the release of Safety Check. A streamlined, quick way to communicate during a disaster. It promised to transform post-crisis communications.
What it does
The feature aims to be as simple as possible. When active, Safety Check will help you:
- Let friends and family know you're safe
- Check on others in the affected area
- Mark your friends as safe
Originally Safety Check was envisaged as a response to purely natural disasters - tsunamis, earthquakes etc. It has been used in Nepal, Chile, Pakistan, among others - quickly being deployed in each location.
Paris was the first time it was used during a man-made disaster. This has been a source of controversy for Facebook - immediately making many question why they would activate it here but not for other similar events occurring in Beirut, or previous large scale tragedies.
Mark Zuckerberg quickly responded with a statement: "Until yesterday, our policy was only to activate Safety Check for natural disasters. We just changed this and now plan to activate Safety Check for more human disasters going forward as well … We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can."
Taken with scepticism at first by many, Facebook has been true to its word. It has since re-activated Safety Check in Nigeria, during a string of suicide bombings by Boko Haram. This has been welcomed by Nigerians and the wider public.
It's important to note that Facebook is one of the few platforms able to create such a tool. Safety Check relies on mass awareness and high usage. Facebook leads in this regard - with 1.4 billion monthly active users - making it the leader in terms of overall numbers and in proportion to its complete user base.
How exactly does it work?
We likely will never be told by Facebook whether the decision is made by a human or by an algorithm. Both have sensitivities, and both beg the question: what conditions are in place which determine when to activate it. As WIRED points out, it seems doubtful that it is based on casualties alone, with the publication suggesting that volume of online conversation may have some influence on the decision.
According to Facebook, during the events in Paris 4.1 million people marked themselves as safe and 360 million people were notified that someone was safe. There's little doubt that Safety Check is an incredibly important tool, and a great simple example of social media as a force for good.
The header image for this post is from the French Red Cross. The organisation mobilised over 340 people during the Paris attacks, and are continuing to help survivors. If you are looking for a valuable and active way to support the efforts of those who helped on the ground then consider donating to them here: https://www.ammado.com/nonprofit/crf


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Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 | 8:44 p.m.
The Nevada Press Association on Saturday honored the Las Vegas Sun with 34 awards, including 15 first-place prizes involving investigative projects, feature writing, opinions and design, as well as for serving the community and upholding freedom of the press.
The Sun's sister publications within the Greenspun Media Group — Las Vegas Weekly and In Business Las Vegas (now VEGAS INC) — also were recognized for excellence in writing, photography, illustrations and design, with the arts-and-entertainment weekly collecting 12 first-place awards and the business magazine garnering 10 in their respective categories.
The Sun's examination of hospital care deficiencies in Las Vegas, spearheaded by reporters Marshall Allen and Alex Richards, was honored with four top awards: community service, story of the year, investigative or series, and freedom of the press for the newspaper's success in identifying and analyzing 2.9 million patient records that had been provided by hospitals to state authorities but not publicly disclosed.
The awards, presented at the Nevada Press Association's annual recognition dinner in Virginia City, were the latest honors awarded the series, "Do No Harm: Hospital Care in Las Vegas."
The series, which included interviews with more than 150 patients and health care insiders, yielded a sweeping and detailed portrait of the dangers patients have unknowingly encountered as they enter delivery rooms, surgical suites and intensive care units, including thousands of cases of injury, death and deadly infection associated with stays in Las Vegas hospitals.
Last month the series was named best digital media presentation in the country by the Society of Professional Journalists. Previously it was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in local reporting.
"It is gratifying to earn the plaudits of our news media colleagues, but the greater satisfaction is in knowing that good journalism can affect the quality of our lives," said Brian Greenspun, publisher and editor of the Sun. "That has always been, and will continue to be, the hallmark of the Sun."
Two Greenspun Media Group journalists were singled out for their work. Business writer Amanda Finnegan was named "journalist of merit," an award that goes to reporters with fewer than five years in the business. Steve Green, a veteran business writer at the Sun and VEGAS INC, was named one of five outstanding journalists in Nevada.
Among other first-place awards won by the Sun:
• Best feature story, for Kristen Peterson's profile of Marta Becket, who performed for more than 40 years at the Amargosa Opera House.
• Best story by a nonstaff writer, for Ed Koch's obituary for Tony Curtis.
• Best business feature, for Liz Benston's profile of an unemployed casino bartender.
• Best nonstaff columnist, for Jon Ralston's political commentary.
• Best sports story, for Ray Brewer's examination of injuries suffered by young baseball pitchers.
• Best editorial page, by Mike Campbell.
• Best page design, by Rachel Perkins.
• Best illustration, for Chris Morris' "Political Candyland."
• Best editorial cartoon, by Mike Smith.
First-place awards won by Las Vegas Weekly:
• Best website.
• Best multimedia story, by Beverly Poppe, Trent Ogle, Natasha Chamberlin, Sarah Feldberg.
• Best blog, John Katsilometes' The Kats Report.
• Best feature story, "Citizen of Nowhere" by April Corbin, on the roadblocks facing an immigrant student.
• Best nonstaff story, "To Catch a Relative," by Steve Friess.
• Best local nonstaff column, "The Strip Sense," by Steve Friess.
• Best Critical Writing, Danielle Kelly.
• Best page designer, Ryan Olbrysh.
• Best illustration, James Shepherd.
• Best multiple-photo essay, Beverly Poppe
• Best multicolor ad, Sean Rademacher
• Ad of the year, Sean Rademacher
First-place awards won by In Business Las Vegas:
• Best website.
• Best business news story, by Steve Green for analysis of Righthaven lawsuits.
• Best business feature, Richard N. Velotta's look at Southwest Airlines.
• Best overall design.
• Best page designers, Dave Mondt and Rachel Perkins.
• Best illustration, Chris Morris' "Hell's Budget."
• Best portrait, by Mona Shield Payne.
• Best sports photo, by Sam Morris.
• Best special section: "Giving Guide," by Rob Langrell.
Sun journalists also were recently honored with first-place awards in the regional "Best of the West" competition: Mike Smith for editorial cartooning, Leila Navidi for sports photography and Spencer Holladay for page design.


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Wine Access magazine is shut down
Writer and wine columnist John Schreiner is Canada's most prolific author of books on wine.
Sad news about the demise of Wine Access. I will really miss the Canadaian Wine Annual. Thank goodness for Eat Magazine and Taste, The BC Liquor Stores magazine. Both have fabulous articles, recipes, are free and inspire me to try new wines.
John, Northwest Palate stopped printing just last summer, so it too has gone away.
Sorry to hear you haven't tried any of the Arizona wines. Maynard's are listed in Alberta and BC, as are the Andretti wines from Cali, and they're very good offerings, and Maynard is one of the world's most successful musicians these days. Thanks for all of your hard work for Wine Access over the years.
I am sad to see this publication fall to the way side. The wine annual has always been a staple for me when I drive from Calgary to the Okanagan. I am now very thankful to have this blog for my Canadian wine information. PS The Arizona Stronghold wines are good, not great, and does not reflect the hefty price. PPS I did however find and purchase your Icewine book at a second hand furniture store in Calgary, I will have you sign that one some day as well.
Keep up the good work John
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Whether you ride a superbike, classic, or tourer; if you live or ride in Buckinghamshire you can take part in a 2017 Be a Better Biker assessment day. Delivered by Thames Vale Advanced Motorcyclists (TVAM) and supported by Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) and Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue, the assessments include workshops and an on-road assessment with a TVAM observer. There are currently two assessment day courses scheduled at Marlow Fire Station, on June 17th and July 22nd.
The assessment days are part of an ongoing effort to improve biker safety in Buckinghamshire – in the last three years, 154 bikers have been killed or seriously injured on Buckinghamshire's roads. Since launching in 2004, the Be a Better Biker initiative has offered hundreds of local bikers advanced training on skills such as manoeuvring, overtaking and cornering techniques.


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1966 Yamaha YDS-3 Batcycle
Third Floor - History
The 1966 feature film Batman was produced to take advantage of the excitement generated by the then-popular TV series. The movie made use of all of the props and devices that made the TV series memorable, with one notable addition: the Batcycle. Created by Richard Korkes of Korky's Kustom Studios, the Batcycle featured many of the Batmobile's styling elements, such as electronic gadgets, flashing lights and bat-like wings.
The Margie and Robert E. Petersen Collection


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On August 1, 2017, The Atradius Mississauga office employees worked up a sweat, raised some money for a good cause and had some fun while doing both.
For 20 minutes straight, up to 29 riders powered one BIG BIKE around a major city block in the name of charity.
When 8 Atradians (along with a designated driver) got on the Big Bike, while pedaling with a police car escort in front and behind, they managed to stop traffic and make some serious noise while doing so, all in support of critical heart disease and stroke research.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among Canadians. The Heart and Stroke Foundation promotes healthy living free of heart disease and stroke. Funds raised also support critical research in hospitals and universities across Canada.
"With 8 of us powering the big 29 seat bike, every individual really had to pull their own weight and then some" commented Richard Pinder, Regional Manager for Atradius in Canada.
"It was a beautiful, but really warm day and there were a few inclines along the route that felt like mountains.
Needless to say the only way to complete the ride was by the free-flowing sweat of our brows. While riding along the route, one of our riders even jumped off the bike mid-ride, not only due to exhaustion, but to recover a runaway (fund raised) $20 dollar bill that escaped from the funding bag of another rider that was blowing in the wind."
The good news is that the wayward bill was recovered shortly after and the rider jumped back on the bike without missing a beat.
The exhausted team of 8 riders included Symon Burgess, Wally Meneray, Savita Nanda, Jane Pon, Chris Hacking (Atradius Collections), Hector Donoso (summer intern), Chris Collins (summer intern), and Richard Pinder.
The teams goal was to attempt to raise $1,000 in support of the charity. The team received plenty of monetary support even from other employees who did not participate in the ride. While the final numbers are still being tabulated, so far the Atradius team has raised just over $700 and counting.
To learn more about the event visit the Big Bike page.