text:
|Previous Page
|Next Page
CHRISTIAN CHILD-REARING AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT by Paul D. Meier, M.D. THOSE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARS (Ages Six to Twelve) A. Developmental adaptations during the elementary school years. 1. Adjusting to school. If a child has been adequately prepared, and has developed sufficient independence from his mother, going to school for the first time will be more of a fulfillment than a fear. Parents can make first grade easier by giving their four-year-old some part-time nursery school experience, then giving their five-year-old half-days in kindergarten before placing their six-year-old in a full-time first grade. Unfortunately, some elementary school children have to be bussed across town, frequently spending an extra hour or more in a hot or cold bus traveling to and from school. I would avoid this if at all possible. The ideal situation would be to send elementary school children to a good, nearby Christian elementary school, where effective discipline is more likely to be upheld and where students learn Christian character as well as how to read and write. I would not send my children to a Christian school that has poor teachers, however. I would take special pains to check out my child's first-grade teachers, Christian or non-Christian, since they will affect the way he initially looks at the education process in general. Many children, especially boys, are somewhat late in the maturation of their nervous systems, particularly in the areas of brain responsible for reading and writing. Many boys, and some girls, will have some minor learning disabilities, like seeing or writing letters backwards, until the nerves associated with such activities are completely myelinated - that is, until they are covered with a fatty sheath, like the insulation around electrical wires. A hostile teacher can be critical of these children and make them feel stupid, in spite of the fact that most of them have average or better than average intelligence. In fact, Albert Einstein was one of these late developers. Once a child is labeled stupid, it's hard to live it down. So it's important that the first-grade teather be a loving, understanding teacher and at the same time a firm disciplinarian. Once I get to know the teacher, I won't hesitate in the least to give her permission to spank my child if he disobeys. If he complains about it when he gets home, he's likely to get another one from me, depending on the circumstances. It's important for the child to see the teacher and parents as a united front. 2. Sexual development. During the elementary school years, the child identifies strongly with significant persons in his environment. He identifies strongly with the parent of the same sex - if that parent makes himself available. This is essential for normal sexual development. He also identifies with other persons of the same sex. Hero worship is to be expected at this age, so it's important to provide the child with appropriate heroes. Parents can do this indirectly by praising certain individuals, such as athletes, ministers, and Bible heroes, with whom they would like the child to identify. Tell him whom he was named after and why, and tell him the meaning of his name. Dr.Eugene McDanald states that for a child, "there is no such thing as an irrelevant encounter with persons. His identification with persons is a vital process that determines what he becomes, and the quality of this becoming is dependent on the qualities of the persons he encounters." MaDanald adds further that "if the attitudes of others that become part of the child reflect tendencies toward self affirmation and self- renunciation compatible with self-respect and respect for others, they become an arch to new experience." It is vitally important for boys to identify with males and for girls to identify with females. Without such identificaton the child may become a homosexual or a lesbian, if the problem is severe, or have sexual maladjustments in marriage if the problem is less severe. It's unfortunate that we don't have more male elementary school teachers. So many boys go through life with either no father or an absent father, female school teachers, female Sunday School teachers, female babysitters, and so forth. It's no wonder that homosexuality is far more common in males than in females. I would strongly recommend that church leaders provide male Sunday School teachers for elementary boys and female Sunday School teachers for elementary school girls. This will provide both groups someone positive to identify with both sexually and spiritually. During the elementary school years, boys develop a contemptous attitude toward girls and girlish things. Nearly all boys and girls have some wishes at times of being the opposite sex, so they develop this healthy contempt to repress those wishes during these years. Both sexes need to see the advantages of being what they are, and that each sex has its own distinct advantages. Sex education is also important for elementary school children, and the best place for sex education is in the home. It should be done little by little, over the years, by answering questions that the child asks, and nothing more. But be sure to answer his questions truthfully, using adult terms, and niatter-of-factly. A child of average maturity should know all the facts of life by the time he is ten or eleven years of age. Menstruation should also be explained quite early to elementary school girls because the normal range for the onset of menses is anywhere from nine to sixteen years old, with the average being about thirteen years of age in the United States. Onset of puberty in boys is generally a little later - usually around thirteen to fifteen years of ages That's why seventh-grade girls are frequently bigger than boys. 3. Social development. During the elementary school years, the child develops a real sense of belonging. Group participation, especially with Christian children, should be encouraged. He also develops a real sense of responsibility as he shares the chores with his older brothers and sisters. The sense of belonging and responsibility are prerequisites to the development of leadership potential in the child. He must learn to obey before he can learn to lead effectively. His self-concept continues to develop as he sees himself through the eyes of his peers, and also through the eyes of his parents and other authority figures. Play among children of this age group - be it football, basketball, or baseball - is characterized by poor organization, heated disputes over the rules, lopsided scores, and accusations of cheating. They like to win, but must also learn teamwork - the precious ability to work together in a common cause with fellow human beings. They also like to play marbles for keeps and exchange count books. I would encourage you to buy your elementary school children some Christian comic books, which are available front the Fleming H.Revell Publishing Company and can be ordered at your local Christian book store. This will give your children a good opportunity to witness to other children about Christ. They're not too young to learn witnessing. B. Disciplining your elementary school child. I have been amazed in the past at how many Christians do not know what the Bible says about disciplining children. When I ask them what they think the correct way of disciplining is, many of my client directly contradict God's recommendations in Scripture. I could quote many verses on discipline, but I think Solomon's wise recommendations in Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13, and 29:15 are adequate to give the general idea. I do think we should analyze Solomon's instructions in light of what the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians, where he writes, "And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph.6:4, NASV). The only means of discipline for young children mentioned in the Bible, to the best of my knowledge, are the rod and reproof (e.g., Proverbs 29:15). That doesn't mean that other forms of discipline shouldn't also be exercised, but I think it does mean that spanking with a stick and giving verbal reproofs should be the primary disciplinary tools with young children. Not only that, but according to Ecclesiastes 8:11 the sentence against an evil deed should be executed quickly. For a mother to tell her child that when his father gets home, his father will spank him for what he just did is definitely wrong, both scripturally and psychiatrically. It's wrong scripturally because this is not executing the discipline quickly - it's postponing it. It's wrong psychiatrically for two reasons. First, the average attention span of an elementary school child is about five to fifteen minutes, and by the time his father gets home and spanks him, he will have forgotten what it was that he did wrong. Even if the father reminds him of what it was, the spanking will have lost its effectiveness. Among the many studies confirming this, Ivan Pavlov's studies on dogs merit special attention. Pavlov rang a bell whenever he brought his dogs food. Soon, instead of waiting until they smelled the food, they learned to salivate as soon as they heard the bell. And whenever Pavlov punished the dogs for doing certain things, they soon learned not to do those things in order to avoid the pain. If your pet dog wets on your carpet, do you tell him that he is going to be punished several hours later when your husband gets home? Of course not! You hit him with your hand or newspaper, and put him outside the door. Well, it's just as useless to tell a child his father will spank him several hours later for something he just did. Second, delaying punishment until the father comes home is wrong because it separates the child from his father. Many women, in fact, unconsciously or even consciously use this technique exactly for this purpose - to separate the son or daughter from the father in order to win the child's undivided affection, thus setting up a neurotic relationship. This also makes the child think of his father as the sole disciplinarian, and will influence him as an adult to have a very legalistic view of what God is really like. This is so because no matter how much we read the Bible, our overall view of what God is like is to a large degree colored by how we viewed our own father during our childhood. If you grew up without any male authority figures, you will tend to think there isn't any God. It you have become a women's liberationist you might even think of God as a woman. The father and mother must stand together in the disciplining of their children, and the task of disciplining should be carried out by whoever saw the child disobey and can most quickly reprove or spank him. A verbal reproof is frequently all that is necessary, especially if the child is committing a particular offense for the first time. Sometimes a verbal reproof followed by sending the child to his room to think it over for five minutes will be effective. But I think isolating a child for long periods of time eventually falls into the category of provoking the child to anger, because after about fifteen minutes, he will either forget or misunderstand what it is that he is being punished for. Spanking is short and immediate, and ten or fifteen minutes later the child will get over any anger he might have felt toward the parent who spanked him. When I spank my own child, he sometimes will be angry with me initially, but within five or ten minutes he almost always comes back to me and says, "I'm sorry, daddy. I love you." I allow my child to tell me that he is angry, but if he hits me, throws something at me, or shows any disrespect, I spank him again. If you don't demand respect when a child is young, you won't get any respect - or deserve any, for that matter - when your child gets into his teens. And you certainly don't want your son to hit you back when he's bigger than you are! My father is 5'6" tall, and I'm 6'4 and 1/2". I was bigger than my dad by the time I was thirteen or fourteen years old. But I never dared speak impudently to my father in any way - I wouldn't even think of it, then or now. I still shudder if I think about saying something disrespectful to my dad, and I'm certain it is because he "shuddered" me a few times with a stick when I said something disrespectful at the age of two or three. And I can't imagine any father and son being closer to each other than my father and I are right now. I have thanked him a number of times for every spanking he gave me - except for one I didn't deserve, and I forgave him for that one. An excellent book to read on disciplining children, in my opinion, is "Dare to Discipline" by James Dobson. He emphasizes demanding respect, spanking for willful acts of disobedience, and the fact that every child is different. Some children want parental approval so much that a look of scorn brings repentance. A child like that requires very few spankings.(And maybe none at all - I've met such parents and children so pliable no spanking was needed, but their Mom or Dad being upset with them, would bring true tears of sorry - Keith Hunt). But others are born with more spirit and less concern for parental approval. For a child like this, many spankings for the same offense may be necessary before he finally decides that that particular type of behavior isn't profitable for him. And when you spank him, spank him hard enough so he'll feel it. It used to take quite a hard spanking to get my older son to cry, but after he turned three he cried whenever he saw me go after the stick. He's the spirited type, and required quite a few spankings when he was two years old; but after he turned three, he seldom needed one. I am very pleased with his overall attitude of love, respect and obedience. Parents frequently tell me that spanking simply doesn't work for their child, but I say it will work for any child unless he is severely mentally retarded. But you have to be consistent, the parents have to stick together, and the spanking has to hurt; and it may need to be repeated a number of times for the same offense. I am not advocating bruising the child; in fact I consider slapping his face or hitting him with a fist to be child abuse and provoking him to wrath (see Eph.6:4). But remember the words of Solomon: "Do not hold back discipline from the child. When you beat him with the rod, he will not die" (Prov.23:18, NASV). God is almost mocking us here for being afraid to spank. God also tells us that "he who spares his rod hates his son" (Prov.13:24). I have found that one way I, as a psychiatrist, can tell if parents really have genuine love for their children is to ask them how they discipline their children. Parents whose love is selfish and immature will either be weak disciplinarians, "sparing the rod," or they will physically abuse their children, beating them with their fists, thus "provoking them to wrath." But as Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who loves him disciplines him diligently." (But again, the reader is reminded that Solomon's instructions are "general statement" only - there can be many exceptions. The reader is strongly encouraged to read the study "An IMPORTANT Key" - general statements are all over the Bible. You need to understand this most basic teaching of the Bible, many verses will then take on a much wider meaning, and you'll put things into the right context of life and Bible maturity - Keith Hunt) If your child has average or better than average intelligence, and if his education has been adequate, he will begin to reason abstractly at about the age of ten or eleven. This was proven by the studies of Jean Piaget. Reasoning with a younger child about abstract concepts like the morality of certain behavior patterns is a relative waste of time, although simple, concrete reasoning can sometimes be quite effective in this age group. Some children are exceptionally bright, and may learn to reason abstractly sooner than age ten or eleven, but most children don't. When my children are eleven or twelve years old, I plan to do away with spankings and give them punishments that are related to the offense. I'll reason with them more, and try to communicate with them on an adult-to adult level. But I'll probably hang the paddle somewhere they can see it occasionally so they'll know it's available for special occasions. However, when they reach their teens, I will use other forms of discipline exclusively, punishments related to the offense. For minor things, reasoning with teenagers is frequently all that is needed. C. Social problems some elementary school children face. 1. Divorce or separation of the parents. Divorce is one of the most heartbreaking things in American society today, and it's nearly always the result of one or both parents being too selfish and proud to admit that their conflicts are resolvable. I have never yet seen any marital conflicts that were unresolvable, if both partners were willing to work at it. The argument about having incompatible personalities with unresolvable conflicts and differences is pure garbage! Any two people with normal intelligence can learn to enjoy life together if they are willing to humble themselves before Almighty God, swallowing their pride, and work out their conflicts." The easy way out is for a couple with marital and psychological conflicts to divorce each other and remarry. Then there are two couples with marital and psychological conflicts instead of one. Christ listed adultery as permissible grounds for a Christian to divorce (Matthew 5:32 and 19:9), but He didn't encourage divorce even under those circumstances. As already noted, more than six million children right now are living in fatherless homes in the United States. One extensive study of fatherless children showed that "hard core" fatherless children meaning those who have had to live two or more years without a father in the home - have significantly more psychiatric difficulties than do normal children who have fathers. Moreover, they have a much more fatalistic view of life. And the number of fatherless families is continuing to rise rapidly in America. These families have a significantly higher incidence of psychological depression, separation anxiety, grief, anger, sexual identity problems, and loneliness. In most cases, the divorce and resultant fatherless home cause more psychological damage to the children than would continued marital maladjustments. One study of 105 families that experienced divorce, for instance, showed that 52 percent continued to have hostile interactions even after the divorce, and 31 percent required from two to ten court interventions during a two-year follow-up period. This study showed that alliances between one it patent and child against the other parent were especially common. Whenever a married couple have conflicts - and all married couples will have some conflicts if they are human beings - they have three choices: one mature choice and two immature choices. The mature choice is to resolve the conflicts, even if outside help is needed to so. The two immature choices are to continue to live together unhappily or to get a divorce and live apart unhappily. Of the two immature choices, getting a divorce is definitely worse. In America today, nearly 40 percent of first marriages end in divorce, and the divorce rate for second marriages is 50 percent higher than the divorce rate for first marriages! Divorcees have more psychiatric problems than any other group of Americans. (But, let's not forget that if two will not learn to tango together, then divorce may needs be. And some marriages are beyong saving, they have reached so low (maybe physical violence and even just mental and emotional abuse is so strong), the marriage cannot be saved. Some children would suffer more in such out-of-control marriage, where it is obvious there will be no miracle of change. If you need to study the subject of Divorce and Re-marriage from the Bible, you will find it on this Website - Keith Hunt) 2. Death in the family. A death in the family, either of a parent or of a child, is another serious problem. But unlike divorce, which is a willful separation, a death in the family - if handled properly - can be a maturing experience for everyone involved, even though it is tragic. When I was a senior in high school, I had my first experience teaching Sunday School - it was a group of eight-and nine-year-old boys. After I had taught the class several months, and had come to know the boys fairly well, one of them developed a very serious form of cancer. I wept bitterly when I found out about it. The boy had already accepted Christ as his Savior, and was a rapidly developing young Christian. His doctors were honest with his parents, and the parents were honest with their son, explaining to him the best they knew how that he wouldn't have very much longer on this earth, and that they would miss him a great deal, but Jesus would take care of him in heaven, and they would join him again some day soon and spend the rest of eternity with him. (Of course those who have read and studied from this Website, know that going to heaven at death is not taught by the Word of God - Keith Hunt) He was only eight years old, but he understood. He was allowed to grieve over his eventual separation from his parents, but soon brightened up and accepted it. I visited him frequently in the hospital. When his leg was amputated, he became the favorite of many of the doctors and nurses. He witnessed to them, routinely, telling them about Jesus and His love, and how he was looking forward to living with Jesus. He had an obvious impact on the lives of those doctors and nurses. He had an obvious impact on my own life too. When he died, we all grieved: but as a result of boy's young life and death, his father finally accepted Christ as Savior and developed into a pillar of the church. His older brother, a teenager, also accepted Christ. We are told that "all things work together for good to then, that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom.8:28). Here are the usual steps people go through, whether children or adults, when they first find out about a death, or impending death in the family. First, they will deny it. They won'tbelieve it. When they are finally convinced that it is true, they generally go through a period of anger. So Second, they will be bitterly angry at God, or the doctor, or someone else. A young child who can't yet comprehend what death is all about may even become bitter at the dying or dead parent, because to his way of understanding, the parent has chosen to die and leave him. Thirdly, there will follow a guilt reaction, which is anger at the self-attempts to blame oneself for the other family member's death, or for not treating him right when he was still alive, or for not saying good-bye before the death occurred. It is to be hoped that the individual will then go through a period of genuine grief over the loss of the loved one. I say "it is to be hoped" because if he holds his feelings in, and pretends he isn't sad, he may carry around unresolved psychological conflicts the rest of his life. I have seen a number of psychological conflicts resolved by using various psychotherapeutic techniques to allow the patient to go ahead and grieve over the loss of a loved one who may have died many years earlier. After two or three weeks of grieving - sometimes less, and sometimes more - a healthy person who has gone through these stages will resolve his grief, and feel better toward God, himself, the deceased loved one, and the remaining family members. It's something we will all have to go through, and many of us will have to go through it several times in our lives. The most important thing is to be completely honest about it with everyone - and this includes a dying child - and to allow everyone involved to grieve. Holding back the tears is not bravery. Its a mistake. 3. Childhood depression. If a child is seriously depressed for several weeks, he will probably either become very withdrawn and frequently tearful, or else he may show his depression by becoming much more irritable and hard to get along with. I would encourage you as parents to try to get to the root of the problem and find out what it is that's bothering him, so something can be done about it. If serious enough, and if he doesn't get over it, he may need to see a child psychiatrist for a number of sessions, and may even need a short course of antidepressant medications. 4. Grandparents in the home. It is generally recommended that you not have your parents living in your home on a permanent basis, whether you have children or not. It's hard enough to keep normal marital conflicts resolved without having someone there to hear the arguments or even enter into some of them. The same goes for brothers or sisters or any other boarders. If you're married, it is best for you to live by yourselves, even though you may develop the urge to lend a helping hand from time to time by letting someone move in with you. But don't do it, especially if you have children. You'll be doing them a real disservice. They deserve your undivided attention, and so does your mate. The best thing a newly married couple can do for the sake of their marriage is to make the break from both sets of parents. This will force you to resolve conflicts instead of running to mother. In some cases, the mother would run to you, whether you ran to her or not. Later on, when you have children, I think it's fine for them to be able to live within driving range of their grandparents. Children have a very special relationship with their grandparents, and it's usually a very healthy one, involving a lot of identification with the grandparent of the same sex. But the grandparents shouldn't live in the same home, and preferably not next door. Grandparents are also better off living separately from their children, either in their own home or apartment, or else in an apartment-type home with other older people to whom they can relate. As Christians, it is our responsibility to take care of elderly parents who are no longer able to take care of themselves. In fact, it's a real opportunity for our children to watch us take care of our parents, teaching them to do the same for us when we are too old to take care of ourselves. The Apostle Paul said, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (I Tim.5:8). Those are strong words, inspired by a God who loves people of all ages. But my personal opinion is that usually this does not have to mean moving parents into your house, although that does become a viable option in some circumstances. I have seen too many families regret making that decision, and it's hard to back out once you have made it. 5. Raising children in foreign lands. This is another sensitive subject, especially in the evangelical community where many of us have relatives or friends who are missionaries. If any parents feel called by God to go to a foreign mission field, they should go. But they should make their calling sure. A need does not constitute a call. There are needs everywhere. Remember the very old story about the farmer who while out in his field looked up at the clouds and noticed that they formed the letters "P" He quit farming and went into the ministry because he thought God was calling him to Preach Christ. His ministry wasn't very effective, because in reality God was calling him to get busy and Plow Corn. Now I would guess by the relative lack of evangelical witnesses in foreign lands that there are probably many more Christians who have disobeyed God's call to be foreign missionaries by staying home, than there are Christians who have misinterpreted God's call by going to foreign lands when God really wanted them to stay home. I think God calls all of us to be missionaries somewhere in some capacity. That's what the great commission is all about (see Matt.28:19-20). What I want to emphasize here is that if you have children, make your calling sure, because children who grow up in foreign lands have extra problems to face up to in addition to the usual ones. Many of these extra problems, however, can be avoided, minimized, or resolved, according to a research study by Sidney Werkman. His study showed that the additional problems involve (1) unusual child-rearing practices and customs, (2) problems with the caretakers of the children, (3) aberrant sexuality, (4) special fears, and (5) a sense of alienation. Dr.Werkman encourages parents to anticipate these potential problems, to discuss them openly, to make plans to avoid or minimize them, and to act decisively on their children's behalf. I believe our children are our first calling from God, no matter what occupation God may call us into. If God called me to go to some foreign mission field, I would assuredly go, but I would choose a mission board and a mission field where I wouldn't have to send my elementary school children five hundred miles away nine months a year. I might be wrong, but in light of Scripture, I really cannot see how I could possibly be following God's will if I did that. I have a good friend, however, whose parents felt called to do that, and he turned out to be an excellent Christian physician. He disagrees with me on this point, but I have counseled a number of patients whose missionary parents "farmed them out" and who have suffered severely as a result of this separation from their parents. Some have even become devout atheists as a reaction to parental rejection. Our family has to be our first and utmost calling from God. 6. Handicapped children. Handicapped children frequently become over-dependent, passive, and somewhat withdrawn. Parents may even unconsciously reward them for being weak. Parents should not deny the handicap, but they should make every effort to encourage their handicapped child's independence. He doesn't need their pity. He needs their genuine love, and he needs for them to trust his ability to overcome the handicap psychologically and to become responsible for himself. Elementary school children are very blunt and also tease a lot, a problem the handicapped child will almost certainly face. But being over-protective will only make matters worse. Sometimes a handicap will strengthen someone to a point that he never would have attained without it. God gave the Apostle Paul a handicap so Paul's pride wouldn't hold him back from accomplishing greatness for the Lord. John Milton wrote his best poetry after going blind. I know of a farm boy from a small southern town who made average grades in elementary school until he was afflicted with a handicap. That handicap gave him a real determination to prove himself and succeed in life. He was the valedictorian of his high school class, attained nearly straight A's in college, and has become an extraordinarily dedicated Christian physician. He probably never would have achieved what he has without that handicap. So don't pity your handicapped child. Try to figure out how God can use the handicap as a blessing to produce greatness in him. Dr.Klaus Minde carried out a valuable research study on forty-one physically handicapped children of elementary school age. This study showed that handicapped children have two main hurdles to cross between the ages of five and nine: (1) the conscious recognition that the handicap is not going to disappear suddenly, and (2) the psychological depression that usually follows this awareness. It is to he hoped that at this point the child can be brought to emotional readiness to accept his condition and incorporate it in his life plans. 7. School phobias. A school-phobic child is one who is afraid to go to school and stay there all day. He can't bear to be away from his mother that long. These children are altruist always overly dependent on their mothers, who never allowed them to exercise much independence prior to entering school. They are frequently the youngest of several children. a factor which gives the mothers added temptations to spoil them and to resist their growing up and leaving. These children become quite manipulative, since their mothers have usually let them have their own way and given them very little discipline. The best way to handle this problem is to refuse to allow them to stay home under any circumstances, even if they play sick. And the mothers should not go to school with them to keep an eye on them, as many of these mothers do. If the child runs away from school and comes home, give him a spanking he will never forget and take him back immediately. (Depending on the child a spanking may not be needed, but a strong firm voice of correction and returning him to the school may be all he needs. You have to know your child as to what correction and how it is applied - Keith Hunt) This may need to be repeated a number of times before his will is broken. Then both parents should sit down to re-evaluate their roles as parents, deciding what they can do to love and discipline their child more effectively so he will become more independent and learn to respect himself in a healthy way. 8. Miscellaneous problems. It will probably surprise many of you to find out that about 10 percent of first graders still wet their beds, and 20 percent still suck their thumbs. Bedwetting at this age can he due either to a small bladder or to psychological conflicts. About 90 percent of bedwetting after age six is considered to be psychological rather than a physical problem, usually representing over-dependence coupled with pent-up anger toward the parent the child is overly dependent upon. If the bladder is too small, have the child hold in his urine for several hours at a time to stretch the bladder. If his bladder is normal, it would be wise to evaluate whether you are doing things for the child that he should be doing for himself, like dressing him or cutting his foods for him. Don't shame a child for wetting the bed. He probably didn't do it on purpose. Don't become overly excited about it. Just calmly have him clean up his bed and I change his sheets. But be sure that he does it, even if you think he has a small bladder. He won't feel so guilty about it if he cleans it up himself; and also, if it is a subconscious way to get you upset, making him clean it up will take all the fun out of it, so he'll probably quit doing it. Medications are also available that will usually stop bedwetting promptly, but should be used only as a last resort. Most family doctors don't know about these medications, so a child psychiatrist should be consulted. Besides, the family might benefit by a few sessions to provide insight into what the problem is. Thumb-sucking after age six is common, but it is considered a sign of anxiety and a sign that the child and parents may need some counseling. Children of perfectionistic parents frequently develop nervous tics, like eye squints or other involuntary habits. This also indicates a need for family counseling and possibly a temporary course of tranquilizer medication for the child. Parents of obese children should also get some counseling. In many cases, food has become a substitute for genuine, intimate love. Frequent soiling of the pants is also a fairly serious symptom after age six, and parents should take their child to a child psychiatrist for evaluation if this is a frequent occurrence. Some pediatricians are also equipped to handle this problem. ................. To be continued with "Early Adolescenece." Entered on this Website January 2008
|Previous Page
|Top of Page
|Next Page
|Navigation List:
|Word Search:


text:
Tampere Tease is here again, and how appropriately with the Circus-theme!!! My girl Pepper Sparkles will be performing there along with Miss Acrolicious, Jose Ahonen, Dahlia DarkStorm, Olivia Rouge and the Velikullat- bändi. Hostess with the mostess is Stella Polaire and stage kitten Poppy "BombShell" Red, DJ Willy!
Get your tickets NOW! Facebook-event here!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Forum Index
Dock Talk
Starting races
Print Thread
Apr 9, 2012, 6:34 PM
Post #1 of 1 (8153 views)
Starting races
Log-In to Post/Reply
I've been dinghy racing for years, but I have never been any good at starts. I never came through the junior sailing programs like most people I race against did (they get heaps of coaching etc) so I have never been taught how to start & tend to just make it up as I go along, which usually fails epically.
We are getting a great deal more competative in the fleet now and it is frustrating that our starts are letting us down so much.
In my country, unless we choose to sail an olympic class or olympic-feeder class, we get no coaching or assistance what-so-ever. I have asked other sailors that I race against, but they just say I need to get up onto the line & then I'll be fine.
I know all the basics - picking the favoured end of the line, stopping/slowing my boat etc. What I have a problem with is how to actually get a good start when other boats always push me over the start line or into the start-boat/barging buoy.
Eg, people tell me that if the boat-end is favoured, I need to start right on the start-boat, however, I end up hitting the start-boat because the boat to leeward of me squeezes me out.
Also, because our fleet sizes are not massive, we often end up on mixed-fleet startlines and I have trouble with this when some of the boats are so much faster than me.
Everything I try always goes wrong, to the extent that I've basically given up on getting a front-row start now, so I tend to hang back and follow everyone else across the line (usually in all of their dirty air).
Last time I tried to do an aggressive front-row start I ended up with a skiff-bowsprit literally in the back of my boat with them screaming profanities at me to get out of their way and tack and when I did they still hit me, then accelerated off and left me wallowing in their dirty air. Btw, yes I did protest them, but it still doesn't help with my confidence when stuff like that happens when I try for a good start. Am I really meant to be that aggressive on the start? I mean, there was no-where I could go to keep clear, but am I meant to just force people into the path of an on-coming boat anyway? That doesn't feel right to me, and frankly I think it's dangerous to force somone into a head-on collision with a faster (and right-of-way) boat coming the other way.
It's getting to the stage when I'm ready to give up racing because of it - I've read books, I've asked everyone I can think of etc and I'm just not getting any better because I don't know what I'm doing wrong. No-one else in the fleet gets pushed into the start-boat or over the line every single time (of course it happens occasionally but it happens to me every time). I think it's important to obey the rules when racing, and it doesn't feel right to me that seemingly I have to just ignore the rules, ram people, stuff up everyone elses start and scream profanities & intimidation at everyone else just to get myself a good start. Surely it shouldn't be like that?
Please help!
Viewing the Forums
No members and guests
Print Thread
Sell or Want
Sell: Products and Services
Want: Boats/Gear/Jobs
Available Jobs
Boats for sale
Sail: 25-feet and over
Sail: under 25-feet
Dock Talk
this forum
this category
all forums
All words
Any words
Whole Phrase
Contact Forum
Forum FAQS
Markup Tags
Forum Rules


text:
Daily Mirror
- City: London
- Language: English
- Circulation: 1,000,000 (2012)
Founded in 1903, it is the principle British tabloid to openly support the Labour Party. After The Sun, it is the best-selling daily in the UK and aims to distinguish itself from the "gutter press" through the quality of its contents, describing itself as "Britain's brightest tabloid".
On the web
Updated: 14 March 2013


text: Connect ALL your data and applications with Pervasive Integration—fast. Tens of thousands of customers in virtually every industry, in 150+ countries, rely on the Pervasive Integration platform to manage, integrate, and analyze their critical data. Migrate, integrate, synchronize data and multiple applications quickly, easily, and cost-effectively—whether on-premises, SaaS, cloud, or hybrid systems. Speed time-to-results for conversion, migration, replication; new customer/data on-ramps; SaaS-enabled extraction and aggregation; and other data/application integration initiatives.


text:
There is a saying that goes: "if you don't change, then change will change you." This saying is relevant to some businesses in Uganda that failed to adapt to changing times. As such, they have either vanished or their demise is in the pipeline.
Post office/fax
There was a time when it was inconceivable to open or operate a business without a fax number or post office box. In fact there was someone whose job was to drop and pick letters from post office. Indeed post office (Posta Uganda) was making a killing. Not anymore.
The advent of Email and social media sites like Instagram, Google+ etc have made post office services ceremonial and almost irrelevant. All you see when you move across the country are large, derelict structures of post offices.
The company has tried several measures to match the changing times in vain, including the launch of PostBus and PostaCash, but poor marketing and implementation have failed these moves. That is the reason many Ugandans don't use, let alone know about Posta Cash. With Mobile money in free raise, given lots of convenience and flexibility it brings, makes Posta cash a no-go-area at least for many people.
These were a goldmine. The early birds charged exceedingly high rates and typical of Ugandans who like anything new, everyone flocked to them. Fast forward to today and internet cafes are now almost a thing of the past.
The entry of internet enabled phones and smart phones (especially the cheap ones from China) coupled with the stiff competition in the telecoms sector, which has brought down data prices, have drastically reduced the need for internet cafes.
Today you can load as low as 10MB for Ugx 300. Airtel Uganda goes an extra mile to lend you data. Today you would be hard pressed to find an internet café – you may need to ask several people for directions in order to find one.
Pay phones
Back then, mobile phones were very expensive and thus the reserve of the few. You had to part with Ugx 2m to buy the same mobile phone that costs Ugx 30,000 today. Call boxes became handy.
They were everywhere and 'investors' made daily bumper harvests. However, the emergence of cheap Chinese mobile phones that sell for as low as Ugx 20,000 saw exit of call boxes. Again, the competitive rivalry among the telecoms pushed down call costs. Life is so easy that you can even borrow airtime and pay later.
New innovations and offers have reduced the cost of voice calls. Thanks to the emergence of closed caller group (CUG) from companies like MTN Uganda, it is easy for staff to make free calls among themselves or enlist their close relatives within the CUG.
This makes pay phones a no-go area. Add to this the free calls at the office, where unethical staff use their offices to make private calls, the demand for pay phones is very low and will continue reducing. Ugandans love class, and few, if any, are bold enough to get out of their car to make phone calls on the public booth. If you are still in this pay phone business, start exiting!
Photography/ cameramen
A few years ago, cameramen were the darlings of everyone. You had to book them in advance and make a deposit if you had a function. Not anymore. Welcome to the era of smart phones, tabs and small portable cameras. With your 4X phone camera, you can take high quality digital photos which you can edit, share with friends or store on a computer or flash disk or Google+.
Not to be left out, Kodak ventured into portable cameras. Locally, Fotogenix Ltd, the once mighty suppliers of #Kodak films evolved into event management. Way to Go!
The few surviving businesses are due to the high demand for printed photo albums and passport size photo for travelers. However, with new digital printers starting to arrive, better get warned. Such digital printers connect seamlessly with your smart phone and print easily.
Retail shops
There is section of Ugandans (GenerationY) particularly those living in towns that have never seen retail shops. But for ages, these served our grandpas and grandmas.
The supermarkets have taken over their place.
The changing times have and continue to wipe out retail shops. Those that still survive in the suburbs hardly make any meaningful revenue. Some enterprising Ugandans have had to upgrade their retail shops to mini supermarkets and the customers are responding.
In the early days of telecoms in Uganda, telecoms employed the franchise model. They allocated zones and set targets. You could not sell airtime in a zone that was not yours. The model proved effective. The rise and success of mobile money meant the model could not match the changing trends.
The telecoms had relied on airtime sales for revenue. Today you can open up a mobile money business across the country without worrying that you're interfering in someone's zone. How times change.
Forward looking Ugandans had to sell off their franchise rights and they made money. Now it is survival for the fittest. Mobile money has removed the "zoning" of franchises and only those with high production/ total revenue have the ear of the franchiser. That is the kind of disruption we are talking about.
If you don't change, change will change you. The direction you will find change taking you may not be the desired one.
Those of you in 40's and 50 have perhaps only known a few bread brands: Tip Top, HotLoaf and maybe Ntake Bakery. The rise of supermarkets and home bakeries offered consumers access to fresh bread.
To borrow phrase of one of the car dealers in Uganda: ''why buy enkadde, when you can afford empya'' meaning why buy yesterday's bread, when you can access fresh bread in the supermarket? While some of the once mighty bread brands still exist today, they as not popular and not making as much as they used to make the previous century .
As survival strategy, Hot loaf has since opened several outlets in the suburbs and major towns to match the changing times.
And those on the waiting list
Bank Tellers
When is last time you met to your bank branch manager? To put it better, when did you last visit a banking hall?
Advances in technology is making it so easy to access your money anywhere, anytime. You can withdraw, deposit, request a statement via the internet. For example with Pride Mobile App, you use your mobile phone to deposit and withdraw money, buy airtime, pay for goods and services via the internet.
Now MTN Uganda has revolutionized banking where you can check your bank balances on-line via your mobile phone. These changes are a real threat to your career as a bank teller and you better start improving your skills.
To my beautiful girls behind counters you have reason to worry.
We told you so!
Brokers/ middlemen
They are everywhere and handy. They help link sellers to potential buyers and earn so much without making any serious investment.
Take it or leave it, advances in technology is gradually making their services less needed. With OLX, Lumia, and other Apps who still needs their services? It's a matter of time; after all, many of them are fraudsters.
Besides, they are gossipers they tell everyone who cares to listen how so and so brought property worth x billions. Websites like Lamudi, and other on-line property business, is making the role of the broker redundant.
In nearly every corner of Uganda, there is a mobile money agent. This has provided employment for hundreds of Ugandans. Many of the girls you see operating these kiosks are university graduates. However, as we move towards a cashless economy-Mobile money might be wiped out in the future.
Luckily, this may not be soon. Ezee Money came early, and it 'went' just like that, or it is still going? Uganda is still banana republic with lots of opportunities in the informal sector.
Public relations officers/managers
The rise of marketing agencies is slowly and gradually making the work of public relations officers almost irrelevant. Professional marketing agencies are doing nearly everything that PRO's used to do.
In fact some organizations have since scrapped this position. The challenge is that you may expose your company. It is said some agencies leak company information (their clients) with view of clearing their name after the damage has been done.
More about the author: Moses Kaketo


text:
Tesla is one of the most innovative and exciting car manufacturers around and they've paved the way for an EV revolution – doing what many car makers have failed to do before them and made electric cars 'cool' again. With a range of fantastically designed EV models on offer, Tesla has made viable EV options accessible to a mass market. … Read More
Tesla – The Worlds Most Innovative Company?
Tesla regularly tops lists as the most innovative company operating in the world right now. At the helm of the company is the charismatic Elon Musk, who's easily one of the most limit-pushing entrepreneurs today, if not the most exciting. In fact, it's rumoured that Robert Downey Jnr based his Iron Man role on Elon Musk, as he found that … Read More
Car Share – How many people can you fit in your car?!
Is car sharing something for you? We believe that our society is on the verge of a huge shift in the way we live and travel. Car ownership has always been considered as one's of life's expectations. But things are starting to change and people are beginning to question the need to own a car when they can car share … Read More
How to Rent a Tesla with 3F EV
So, you're thinking about renting a Tesla to experience the smooth, silent and emission free advantages of the most advanced electric vehicle currently on the market? Or you may want to take a glimpse into the of autonomous or semi-autonomous driving future? Whether you want to try an EV before making a commitment to buy, you or a loved one … Read More
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2


text:
Stakeholders weigh in on the Department of Labor's proposed overtime rule.
The DOL's proposed overtime rule, released March 7, was a long time coming, and with news that the NPRM had made its way to the White House for review, stakeholders were poised and eager to see how the agency's latest iteration would differ from the DOL's 2016 final rule struck down by a federal court. The current rule, with a more measured salary-level increase, seemed to have reassured anxious employers, while rankling employee advocates who slammed the administration for rescinding the far more aggressive Obama-era proposal.
Here, a look at the initial reaction to the DOL rulemaking:
A "vast improvement" over Obama rule. Trey Kovacs, labor policy analyst at The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), deemed the latest proposed rule a "vast improvement" over the invalidated Obama rule, noting that the $35,000 salary threshold "is in line with past increases to salary threshold and is far closer to achieving the modest purpose of the test than the Obama overtime rule." (Kovacs submitted comments on behalf of the free-market think tank in response to the DOL's request for information.).
Kovacs was pleased the DOL scrapped "two of the more toxic elements" in the 2016 rule: the multiple salary thresholds based on regional cost-of-living differences—which he called an "administrative nightmare"; and the proposed periodic automatic increases to the salary threshold, much reviled by employers. Stepping away from that provision was "a prudent decision given that it is legally dubious and an idea that has been dismissed by past administrations," according to Kovacs.
Still, he voiced concerns over a proposal in the latest NPRM to evaluate the salary threshold more frequently and to perhaps increase the floor through rulemaking.
"While there may be good reasons to update the overtime salary threshold more often, [the] current statute already requires the DOL to submit a biennial report to Congress that evaluates and appraises the effects of minimum wage and overtime requirements and present recommendations to prevent curtailment of employment opportunities," Kovacs noted, yet the DOL apparently does not regularly produce this report, as required, or regularly analyze the impact of statutory overtime requirements. "If the DOL produced this report regularly, it would inform the agency as to when the purpose of the salary threshold had eroded and was in need of updating."
Impact on employers. Ryan Mick, a partner in Dorsey & Whitney's labor and employment practice, anticipates the proposed rule will have a significant impact on companies. "Employers who recall the feeling of panic when the Obama administration issued its Final Rule doubling the salary basis threshold in May 2016 will breathe a sigh of relief over the much smaller increase proposed by the Department of Labor. In fact, for many larger employers, or employers that made changes to comply with the 2016 Final Rule before it was enjoined, yesterday's announcement will be a non-event. Nonetheless, yesterday's proposed rule will still have a significant impact on many businesses, as the Department of Labor estimates that more than 1 million employees will have to receive pay raises in 2020 or become eligible for overtime. Small and medium-sized businesses may bear the brunt of that impact," according to Mick.
"Employers will also be relieved that the Department of Labor did not propose changes to the duties tests for exemptions under the FLSA, which would have required many employers to undertake a far more complex analysis to determine exempt status for many employees."
Toeing the party line. "The Trump administration is proposing a responsible increase to the salary threshold for overtime pay," said Senate labor committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), in a statement released following issuance of the NPRM. "This proposal would also ensure that workers and employers have input on future changes. The Obama administration's rule—which was blocked by a federal judge—would have reduced workers' hours and advancement opportunities, taken money out of students' pockets, and made it even harder for employers to grow and create more jobs," he claimed.
Alexander had introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution in 2016, along with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) to block the Obama rule.
In contrast, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), chair of the House education and labor committee, issued a statement contending the new salary threshold "falls far short of meeting the needs of workers who are struggling to get ahead" and calling the new rule "a missed opportunity to implement significant reforms to ensure that workers are compensated for all of the hours they work."
"While some people will see benefits under the new threshold, the proposal would exclude millions of workers who would have benefited under the 2016 Obama administration rule, which would have increased the threshold to nearly $50,000," Scott said. "If the Department follows through with their proposal to deny millions of workers overtime protections, then Congress must act to set an adequate standard," Scott signaled.
"This proposed overtime threshold, coupled with the lag of federal action to raise the minimum wage, has the effect of condemning American workers into poverty. I will continue to fight to advance policies that will bring workers out of poverty and build a thriving middle-class."
"$35,000 isn't nearly enough." Employee advocates argued the new salary threshold was far too little. Working Washington, a worker advocacy organization that has been pushing to restore overtime rights in Washington state, lamented the "paltry $35,000/year— about 2.3 times what a full-time worker paid the federal minimum wage would make per year."
"If the minimum wage is the minimum a worker has to be paid for an hour's work, then the overtime threshold is the minimum a worker has to be paid in order to work endless hours without additional pay," explained Rachel Lauter, Working Washington's Executive Director. "That's quite literally what the salary threshold for overtime exemption means," Lauter said. "And a salary of $35,000 isn't nearly enough money to be working for free."
Lauter cited a number of statistics demonstrating how far workers have fallen in recent decades with respect to overtime pay. Among them: In the mid-1970s, about 60% of salaried workers got overtime pay when they worked overtime. Now less than 10% do—and it's not because we're working less. The average salaried workers reports putting in 49 hours a week; 25% of salaried workers report 60-hour workweeks.
"The average salaried worker puts in 49 hours a week and doesn't get paid an additional dime of overtime pay when they work overtime hours—but most salaried workers at food, retail, office, nonprofits, and other jobs aren't looking for hundreds of hours of overtime pay. They're simply looking to have their time back so they can be with their families, contribute to their communities, get some rest, and just live their lives. But they also know that the only way to get employers to respect their time is if they have to pay for it," Lauter said. "The Trump administration's new overtime rule has failed to do what's necessary to restore overtime rights to salaried workers and bring back the 40-hour workweek."
"A slap in the face." According to Christine Owens, director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), "the Labor Department's decision to revisit and revise the overtime rule is a slap in the face to millions of workers all across America who waited years to be paid fairly for their overtime hours."
"In 2016, the Obama Labor Department finalized a regulation that would have provided automatic overtime coverage to any worker making less than $47,476 per year in 2016—a salary level that would have increased to $51,064 by 2019 and is projected to increase to $55,068 by 2022."
The 2016 regulation was supported by rigorous economic analysis, Owens noted, and "it would have meant that about a third of the salaried workforce would receive the protections of our nation's overtime laws—a far cry from the more than 65 percent who were covered in the 1970s, but far better than the less than 7 percent presently covered." But the Trump DOL walked it back, setting a threshold favored by business lobbyists, she noted—questioning "who does the Labor Department really work for?" NELP urged the DOL to rescind its new proposal "and instead fight to implement stronger protections."
"Stick with the 2016 rule." "We strongly oppose this and any efforts to weaken the criteria set forth in the 2016 final rule for defining who qualifies for exemption from overtime protections. DOL does not need to undertake a new rulemaking—they just need to defend the 2016 rule, and support middle-class workers who badly need a raise," said Heidi Shierholz, Senior Economist and Director of Policy at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal policy organization.
Adopting the recently proposed rule "would leave behind millions of workers who would have gotten overtime protections under the 2016 guidelines," Shierholz, noted, pressing the DOL to defend the 2016 rule, which was promulgated following exhaustive rulemaking over two years with input from more than 200 stakeholders on both sides of the issue. In her view, the 2016 rule "was by no means overly expansive," despite its detractors. "In fact," Shierholz pointed out, "it covered far fewer workers than the threshold had covered historically.
"In 1975, more than 60 percent of full-time salaried workers earned below the threshold. By 2016, the share of workers covered had dropped to less than 7 percent. The 2016 rule would have only partially restored this coverage, to roughly 33 percent. If the rule had simply been adjusted for inflation since 1975, today it would be over $55,000."
Yet the current rule provides "a dramatically lower" salary floor. "A preliminary calculation suggests that well over half of the workers who would have gotten new or strengthened overtime protections under the 2016 rule would be left behind by this rule," Shierholz said. "That means this administration is effectively turning its back on millions of workers. Trump and his cabinet are again siding with corporate interests over those of working people."
Worker advocates look to the states. NELP urged state leaders to step in "to protect workers in their states from the Trump overtime rollback." Owens pointed to California and New York, which are currently phasing in higher overtime thresholds, as well as Pennsylvania and Washington on their heels. After a year-long rulemaking process, Washington's Department of Labor & Industries is expected to release a draft state rule imminently, Lauter notes. The agency indicated it will phase-in an increase in the state threshold to somewhere between 2 times the state minimum wage (about $56,000/year in 2020) and 2.5 times the state minimum wage (about $70,000/year).
Similar proposals have been introduced in more states, Owens added.
"Employers should not forget that the Department of Labor's proposed rule has no bearing on state law," cautions Dorsey & Whitney's Mick. "If applicable state law imposes a higher minimum salary requirement or a more onerous duties test, employers in that state must continue to comply with state law."
The rule's prospects. Next up, the comment period, and a final rule to follow. How soon until the heightened salary threshold takes effect? That will depend in no small measure on the extent to which the final rule will face legal challenge, from either side. The DOL anticipates it will take effect January 2020; the administration surely hopes to get this one under its belt before the coming election raises the prospect of the rule's undoing.
Yet, "there will be lawsuits," Jeffrey M. Hirsch, University of North Carolina School of Law, predicted on the Workplace Prof blog. "Some will argue that the increase in salary goes too far, while others will argue that the rule still makes it too easy to exempt employees. Expect mixed messages from the district courts, which parties will handpick to try to get more favorable rulings. The key, therefore, will be to wait for the appeals courts to step in.
"So, we should see something of a final word on the final rule in, I'd guess, a couple of years from now," Hirsch speculates.
Meanwhile… How are employers to respond to the NPRM? There are a number of options: Convert salaried employees making less than $35, 308 per year to hourly workers; raise their salaries; adjust their pay rate and reallocate regular wages and overtime to keep their total compensation largely the same; or limit their overtime hours to keep payroll costs under control. But haste is not called for.
"You've got lots of time to prepare for the final rule," said Fisher Broyles' Eric B. Meyer, urging employers to take deliberate speed on his The Employer Handbook blog. "However, don't sleep on making sure that employees are currently classified correctly (exempt versus non-exempt; employee versus independent contractor; etc.). If ever there was a time to involve an employment lawyer in your HR and business planning, this is the one. Violations of the FLSA carry stiff penalties and often result in class/collective action litigation."
"If we've learned anything from the Overtime Rule 1.0 it is that this is a process," notes Fisher Phillips attorney Caroline J. Brown on the firm's Wage and Hour Laws Blog. "Do not run out and make changes tomorrow based on a proposal, but do start evaluating what 2020 might look like if this is what USDOL ultimately adopts."
Some employers conservatively made changes in anticipation of the $913 per week threshold, so even if the Final Rule is higher than $679 per week these employers are in good shape," Brown added. "Many other employers still have a leg up in that they undertook detailed analyses (including duties) of their exempt-classified employees in 2016 and likely already know where to focus this time around."
"Overtime Rule 1.0 was a painfully long process for employers, said Brown. "While we hope there will be tweaks in the Final Rule (the proposal contains some of the same flaws as Overtime Rule 1.0), Overtime Rule 2.0 was written with the benefit of all the prior feedback and litigation. As a result, we can expect a quick turnaround, comparatively, from the government. What remains to be seen is what interested parties might do once there is a Final Rule, but that is a few months out."
Interested in submitting an article?
Submit your information to us today!Learn More
Labor & Employment Law Daily: Breaking legal news at your fingertips
Sign up today for your free trial to this daily reporting service created by attorneys, for attorneys. Stay up to date on labor and employment legal matters with same-day coverage of breaking news, court decisions, legislation, and regulatory activity with easy access through email or mobile app.


text:
How it works
Getting approved for a Bridgement facility
is as easy as 1-2-3
Apply in 2 mins
It's completely free to apply and there are no commitments. We just need your banking or accounting data to determine the limit on your credit facility.
Get approved
Facility limits are based on your business performance and your application will be approved within hours. Once approved, you can access your Bridgement dashboard online.
Access your funds
Draw down as much as you need whenever you need it. Most businesses use their Bridgement facility to manage cash flow gaps and to take on bigger projects with longer payment terms.
Once approved for a facility, access your funds instantly with Bridgement's Invoice Finance
Invoice finance, also known as invoice discounting or debtor factoring, involves Bridgement advancing you funds on payments you're expecting from invoiced customers.Find our more
Are you a business owner in need of simple working capital with complete flexibility and no hidden fees?
All you need is:
- A registered company or close corporation in South Africa
- Annual turnover of more than R500,000
- A trading history of at least 6 months
Have more questions? Give us a call
(087) 551-0513(087) 551-0513
Customer Testimonials
Being a digital agency and working on big campaigns for our clients, managing my business's cashflow has never been easy, especially when some clients take months to pay our invoices. Bridgement's invoice finance was the perfect solution to bridge the cashflow gap until our clients pay. I loved how the application process was completely online and automated without the need to speak to a human along the way.
Digital Publishing Agency, Owner
Bridgement is the simplest way to get business finance I've ever seen. We applied by connecting our Sage One account and that was it! Couldn't believe we didn't have to submit a single document. With our Bridgement facility, we've been able to better manage our cash flow and take on more and bigger projects with a few blue chip companies.
Software Development Company, Director
We saw significant growth in orders recently but didn't have the working capital to hold the stock we needed. Luckily, I discovered Bridgement and was able to get a facility within 24 hours. This has been a lifesaver and I'm not sure what I would've done without it.


text:
Standing Deskon January 7th, 2014
I've been contemplating a standing desk for a while. I haven't even read all the research on how sitting for extended periods of time is really bad for your body, I just notice how tired my butt gets during the day and my legs get super restless sometimes. So I'm thinking of switching to a standing desk soon. Desks specifically made for standing work stations are super duper expensive but I've seen lots of IKEA hacks for how to make one for cheaper. I'm surprised IKEA hasn't made some sort of super cleverly designed convertible standing desk yet. Hint hint IKEA!


text:
A complimentary consultation must be booked with our Certified Permanent Cosmetic Technician before any service can be performed. Please call 941-927-2278 or Donna Gaume's direct line at 941-302-0658. Prices are subject to change.
2 Hours $450
1.5 Hours $250
1 Hour $250
2 Hours $475
3 Hours $500
3.5 Hours $750
Please fill out and bring with you to your appointment. If you wish to fill out at the spa that is perfectly fine, we just ask that you arrive 15 min early. Thank You.
Copyright © 2018 Mandala Med Spa & Yoga Shala - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder


text:
28 Dec Fujifilm Heralds Coming GFX 50S with 'GFX Challenges' Video Series
Source: Fujifilm Insider
Fujifilm announced the development of its new digital medium format GFX system back in September 2016 with the promise that the "Fujifilm GFX 50S will give professional photographers the most extraordinary image quality in the history of Fujifilm".
Time is rushing by and the first quarter of 2017 will soon commence, during when we can expect the release of the Fujifilm GFX 50S camera with 43.8 x 32.9mm 51.4 megapixel non-X-Trans sensor and three lenses initially with three more to came later in the year.
Fujifilm's History of Photographic Achievement
Fujifilm has a long history of achievements and innovations in the photographic sphere and especially in medium and large format photography.
Richard Avedon was a devotee of Fujifilm's large format lenses for his 8″x10″ sheet film cameras and Greg Gorman relied on the Fujifilm GX 680 series as his main studio portrait cameras for some years.
Fujifilm's dedication to medium format has been evident from its first 120 format camera, the Fujica Six, through the Fujica G690, Fujica GS645 series, the amazing Fuji Panorama G617 Professional, the Fujica GS645 Professional series, the Fujica GA645 Professional and the SLR-style Fujica GX680 series with camera movements and bellows. Other highlights along the way were the Fujica GW690 and related 120 rangefinder models.
I once spotted the great German-Australian photographer Helmut Newton toting a Fujica GS645 Professional on his way to a magazine portrait assignment and fell in love with that camera for the purpose, an unrequited love affair alas, as it was with other Fujica analog cameras due to them being so hard to get outside of Japan.
Fujifilm Heralds Coming GFX 50S with 'GFX Challenges' Video Series posted on Fujifilm Insider on .


text:
You may have heard the saying 'people join an organisation but leave a leader'. Leaders have a tremendous impact on a business' employee engagement and retention and one of the skills they must develop is communication.
You may have heard the saying 'people join an organisation but leave a leader'. Leaders have a tremendous impact on a business' employee engagement and retention. One of the skills they must develop is communication – it is crucial for leaders to be able to share information in a way that creates a sense of urgency, helps develop a common vision, generates enthusiasm and motivates others to action.
But being a great communicator is not an easy feat. After all, human interactions are complex. So here are three tips to help you become a better communicator:
1. Create an ongoing dialogue
Until employees feel they are listened to and cared for, all communication will come across as meaningless propaganda. So there should be systems in place for you to listen to people and engage with them. Some examples of systems I've seen used in organisations include:
- The CEO open Q&A is a weekly live forum on the intranet where the CEO is available to answer employees' questions, suggestions and comments. The culture of the organisation must be very open and the CEO well prepared for this tactic to be successful – and not backfire.
- The good old suggestion box has been successful in organisations where it was well implemented. The process requires respect, follow through and certainly a bit of encouragement.
- Employee surveys – if implemented thoughtfully, transparently and when the results are put into actions – are another way to demonstrate you are listening.
- Last but not least, no matter the number of messages sent and received, face-to-face conversations will never replace electronic communication. So make sure you are genuinely engaging with people.
2. Share the vision
Leaders must live and breathe the organisational vision. One of their main roles is to hold the culture of the organisation and an essential part of this is for them to share the vision of the business – where we've been, where we're going and how each individual contributes to our success.
The vision should be shared on every opportunity: at meetings, in the weekly or monthly CEO message which can be sent via email, in the staff newsletter where appropriate, on the walls of the organisation and more. What's most important is for this vision to be clear, concise and easily applied to all the different roles within the organisation.
3. Be personal and inclusive
In order for leaders to gain greater respect and trust within the organisation, they must be seen as interested in their people and must create a culture of inclusion.
Being personal means being seen around the office, learning the names of the people, asking how their weekends were or how their family is (without crossing any privacy boundary) and attending work social events. In other words, it's about becoming 'part of the team' – rather than being that person that sits above it. Obviously, it's also important to keep a healthy balance between authority and comradeship.
Creating a culture of inclusion is also important and it entails making sure everyone feels included – even in social circumstances. Let's take, for example, a staff meeting where, waiting for the meeting to start, a manager casually starts discussing the last football game. Everyone gets involved in the discussion as they're all very passionate about the sport… except for one person sitting in the room who has no interest or knowledge of football. This person feels left out. Now if this situation happens once, it's fine. But when it becomes custom, it creates a culture of exclusion which is detrimental to staff engagement… and certainly not a sign of good interpersonal communication skills.
In summary, creating an open dialogue, repetitively sharing the vision in a concise and clear way and being personal and inclusive will send you on your way to becoming a better communicator.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on these tips.


text:
Flat rate ground shipping available on orders less than 1lb for $3.95 and $7.95 over 1lb. Receive free ground shipping on orders over $49 with use of code and shipment inside the continental United States.
Cannot be combined with other offers. Additional restrictions may apply.
90% polyester/10% spandex knit
This information is shown as a guide only and not a guarantee.Actual fitting may vary.
Do you think your friend would like to know that DDS has this item? Just fill in the following information and we will let them know!
We do not offer customization for this jacket. You may choose to have this customized yourself, however, we do not guarantee results. This is not returnable should it be customized. - DDS Customer Service (01/30/2018)
Sign in before answering this dancer's questions.
Was this Q & A helpful to you? YES (
Could the Augusta Team or Augusta Freedom Adult jacket be personalized?
Unfortunately we do not offer this service, however the jacket can be customized or altered but once this is done it cannot be returned.- DDS Customer Service (03/20/2014)
We're sorry this item is temporarily out of stock. Would you like to order it anyway?


text:
Where is this Train going?
By Eddie Cross
The past sixteen years of struggle by the MDC to unseat the Zanu PF regime has held many highlights for me. One such highlight was in the very beginning when we had formed the Party and were campaigning against the referendum and then fighting our first election.
Mr. Mugabe was totally disdainful of us and made a speech where he belittled our leadership saying "What can a train driver (Sibanda – the Chairman of the Party) and a textile worker with little education (Tsvangirai) do, if and when, they are in Government?" A few days later, Morgan gave a press conference which attracted about six camera crews and perhaps 30 journalists.
One of the international journalists (I think it was the BBC) asked Morgan about these remarks and said "did the MDC have the capacity to form a government". Morgan looked at him for a few moments and then said "You know, train drivers have many skills, but the one thing they must be able to do at all times, is keep their train on the tracks." The whole room erupted with laughter – no more questions about capacity!!
We are truly derailed as a Country right now. Like an aged King Canute, Mr. Mugabe sits on his throne and gives orders and makes decisions that simply cannot be carried out. Like Canute, he is sitting on the beach with the tide coming in and despite all the evidence in front of him; he continues to maintain that the tide is in retreat.
This past week has been amazing, after years in which we in the MDC have seemed almost to campaign alone against tyranny and corruption and to demand change, real change, in how the country is governed, suddenly the country has stood up and spoken.
It started with protests against new import restrictions and Police corruption. It spread across the country in many different forms and then a Pastor, with a flag around his neck called for a national stay away from work.
On Wednesday we woke up to an eerie silence. I drove down to the nearby highway, got to a T junction where it is normally difficult to get into the traffic, looked left and right – not a soul. Two people were walking up the road very disconsolate – no busses and taxies running. Later I spoke to a former Minister in the Regime and he said to me "the people have spoken in the silence of this day".
But questions remain – who is in the driver's seat, where is this train carrying the hopes of the people going?
When we had been in the trenches for a few years, we realized that this journey we had embarked on was never going to be a sprint. This was more like a marathon and we had better dig in for the long haul. We also began to appreciate that until the main pillars of the regime had disintegrated, we would have great difficulty in dislodging the regime without physical violence. This has proved to be true, no dictatorship has ever given up without a fight and we were not prepared to use violence in any form.
But in the past three years we have seen Zanu PF torn apart by its own internal divisions and competition. The Old Man of Zimbabwean politics has steadfastly refused to countenance stepping down or handing over to anyone who could carry the baton of power into the future after him.
This has simply resulted in the disintegration of what was once a united and powerful force with a broad base of support in the country and its institutions. In fact this regime is characterized by a common feature of all "successful" dictatorships in that they have created a system of control over every aspect of life here so that any opposition is bound to have a rough time.
By simply hanging on and continuing the struggle, we have in fact succeeded by still standing, every time the dust clears over the electoral battle fields. The process of disintegration started, I think, with the assassination of General Mujuru, then continued with the expulsion of his widow from the Party, the emergence of several factions supporting different candidates for the post of President in a post Mugabe era.
Although this has now synthesized down to three groups – one fighting to keep the Old Man alive – physically and figuratively; and the other two coalescing around Emmerson Mnangagwa and the President's wife; the fact remains that their divisions are now so deep that a reconciliation is simply not possible. All have money and arms and this is the greatest danger facing the country.
Finally the remaining pillars of support in the Army and the War Veterans have now clearly stated that action is needed to get the Old Man out of his deck chair in the sand and drag the country back from the incoming tide so that we can avoid a mass drowning.
The question is who should be given the task of taking over the Drivers Cab on this train and then steering the train down the chosen tracks into the future?
There are lots of applicants – 41 by my counting and growing. So the first activity that is required is some sort of vetting by the Nation as a whole. That is called an election. In recent weeks we have seen a string of former Zanu PF leaders all saying the same thing, previous elections in this country have not been free and fair. So if we are going to have an election it has to be conducted by an independent agency that is neutral and competent and can run an election; the outcome of which, everyone will accept.
That is not difficult and we could set that up in a few months. Keep it simple – allow all adults with Citizenship to vote, where they live; inside the country vote for a Councilor and an MP and the State President. Outside the country vote for the President – after all he is the one that really counts.
Then we can all jump onto the train and at the first station drop off Mr. Mugabe to go into retirement; that is if he does not win the contest.
With so many contesting parties and interests and so much to do and achieve, we need a transitional national government (TNG). This should include our very best leaders and technicians – men and women with the skills and experience to take charge of our Government and firmly steer us through the rough waters that lie ahead.
Driving a train is not rocket science, but you have to stick to the fundamentals. If you do not, then you come off the rails as Zanu PF has now done, not once, but twice since 2000. We know what has to be done and we know where we want to go, all we need is a bit of help with fuel and some work on the track in front of us. We may also need some help to do the heavy lifting to get us back on track to start with.
I think the past few months have clearly shown us what we need to agree to get the help we need. We even know the type and the capacity of the equipment required to do the job. The people have spoken; it's time for action; by all of us to get us out of this collective mess before it does irreparable damage.
Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 9th July 2016


text:
This item is in-stock and ready to ship!
Jetstorm and Jetfire are Autobot clone brothers that can combine to form the mighty robot Safeguard and help the Autobot Elite Guard repel evil. These figures are supposed to wield the powers of fire and ice, reinforcing their dichotomy.
This two-pack was only sold together back in 2009.
Comes mint on sealed card!


text:
Every year on March 8, International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women around the world. Here are several stories of women who are forging technology leadership and innovation in healthcare – and patients whose lives are positively impacted by this technology.
1. Women say this small device is changing their perception of getting a mammogram
While significant advancements have been made in breast imaging technology, one aspect of mammography has stayed the same: the need for breast compression. And for many women, the number one reason they don´t schedule a mammogram is because of the fear and anxiety from the potential result and exam discomfort. Senographe Pristina* features the option for patients to use an industry-first patient-assisted compression remote control device, called Pristina Dueta*, to enable the patient, under the guidance of a technologist, to set the compression that feels right for her during her mammogram. "When the patient controls her own compression, she actually relaxes more during positioning," said Ronna J. Rowe, a technologist at Imaging for Women. "This allows me to pull even more tissue into the image. This is an added bonus to using Dueta." [Read more…]
2. "The women in STEM who inspire me"
"I love this year's International Women's Day theme of #BalanceforBetter. Gender diversity is no longer a "nice to have," it's a must and has been proven to increase profitability and value creation. This rings true for us, as we have a team of women who created Senographe Pristina – a mammography system that focuses on the patient experience. By having a woman's perspective at the center of the manufacturing and design process, we were able to put ourselves in the patient's shoes to create a more comfortable experience because we know that regular mammograms can help reduce a woman's risk of dying from the disease, and early detection helps save lives." Agnes Berzsenyi, President & CEO of GE Healthcare Women's Health, says about the women in STEM who inspire her. [Read more…]
3. From the Andes to the Amazon: diagnosing breast cancer in Latin America just got easier
When you see Medellin, Colombia and Manaus, Brazil on a map, they stand alone among the miles of lush jungle and rolling mountain peaks around them. Despite the pristine natural beauty, both cities – along with clinics and hospitals throughout Latin America – are dealing with high rates of breast cancer. That's why 81 clinics and hospitals throughout Latin America have chosen to install the Senographe Pristina - designed by a team of female engineers and designers to change the entire mammogram experience by making it more comfortable. "With Pristina, early detection of the cancer is increased, which increases the survival rate of the patient, and that makes me very happy," says Dr. Sabrina. [Read more…]
4. This breast cancer survivor asks, "Do you know your breast tissue type?"
For years, Patti Beyer's breast tissue had been labeled "heterogeneous" or "extremely dense" in mammography reports that were sent directly to her gynecologist. Yet, as the patient, she received a letter that simply stated: "Your mammogram results are normal." A radiologist mentioned that she had dense breast tissue years ago, but her gynecologist never discussed it with her. Today, Patti is on a mission to inform all women of this critical health factor. [Read more…]
5. "A mammogram saved my life": Why one breast cancer survivor believes mammograms are critical to survival
Christine Marshall has been a breast cancer survivor for 18 years. It's a title she bears proudly. Her personal journey prepared her for yet another challenge: being a mom to a young woman who had to battle her own breast cancer. Providing a more comfortable experience is important to Christine, as she believes regular mammograms are crucial to survival. "I will be 60-years-old in January," she said. "And I will be an 18 plus year survivor because of a mammogram. I wouldn't have found it. I was going through a divorce. I was not doing my self-exams because I had three kids that I was focusing on as a single mom. I let that slip. A mammogram saved my life." [Read more…]


text:
17-year-old pedestrian killed on Interstate 79 in Butler County
Share with others:
A 17-year-old boy who had been standing in the middle of a southbound lane of Interstate 79 in Butler County early this morning died after he was struck by two tractor-trailers, state police reported.
KDKA-TV has reported that the teen, Joseph Barone, whose address was not released, was standing near the dashed white line in the right lane of travel in Lancaster Township at about 12:50 a.m. when he was struck by a tractor-trailer and thrown into the left lane of travel. At least one more truck struck the body, throwing it from the roadway, state police said.
The juvenile was pronounced dead at the scene by the Butler County Coroner's office at 4:04 a.m.
First Published 2012-03-03 07:50:18


text:
Richard Dawkins reading from his book the God Delusion. I love listening to this man talk. He is so interesting and intelligent and rational (and quite amusing sometimes too).
View the video on youtube here.
Richard Dawkins on BBC Part One
There are more videos of Richard Dawkins talking on Youtube which are quite interesting. I have listened to a few podcasts lately with him talking that have been great. I have requested his book the Selfish Gene from my local library which I'm really looking forward to reading. Paul has read it and he said it's good.
and Part Two of him on the BBC…
and Part Three


text:
Freedom is not worth if does not include the freedom to make a mistake.
(Malala Yousafzai)
If I were a citizen of UK, I would vote YES to the exit of the European Union.
For first of all because the EU is already broken, because it is a greedy organization dominated by a state, Germany, increasingly expansionist. Because it is a wasteful organization, besieging their own weakest members (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain -PIGS-). Because is an incompetent organization, as demonstrated in the recent developments of immigration from the Middle East. Because while some countries increasingly impoverish (Greece on the brink of broken and Spain, Italy and Ireland with a tough countries debts difficult to support), others maintain their wealth and even increase it. Impoverished countries that it has become "buffers" against immigration on one hand. And simple consumption sources of overproduction of others on the other hand. Obviously by providing hefty loans (Deutsche Bank & ECB) to consume.
And, secondly, because the only arguments to remain are based on fear. An immense amount of arguments over future diabolic conditions for which no quantification is given.
You can not build a truly united Europe without a common culture, without a common language, without a common economic, fiscal, tax, educational, health, social, policies. And none of that interests the "dominant" countries.
The UK in a community of 65 million citizens, with a 2678 US$ billions of GDP, with a strong currency and with a long economic, financial and industrial tradition. Definitely something to which the "world money" never give back. Do not forget that "Money Makes The World Go Round"!!
Europe is far from the solidarity product of the Treaty of Rome of 1957.
Outside the European Union one can be richer by controlling their proper policies and resources. Be safer controlling and managing their own security. And especially to have the opportunity to forge his own destiny.
Now is the time of dignity and courage.