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I am working on producing a Summer bowl and a Winter bowl. The Summer bowl may eventually be made in porcelain but until I get a shape I am happy with I am going to continue to use stoneware. The Winter bowl has been made using black chunky clay, I am finding that I can thow with this clay without too much trouble especially if I use slip instead of water. Turning it is a little trickier but also not impossible. I tried throwing these bowls with stoneware and then adding a layer of the black chunky as a slip, mainly to keep costs down but I am not happy with the results, the beauty of the black clay is the way it tears and distorts around the edges whereas the stoneware looks too neat. I guess I am just going to have to get selling if I am going to continue to use the black clay.
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Some images of the work I have been doing. The tall pieces were first then the plates, the overlayed thrown discs, individual discs then the teabowls.
The overlayed thrown discs are in a curved former which is maquette size and if the piece works I would plan to make it on a much larger scale. I have placed the pieces of ceramic which are going to be shaped and attached as handles at the sides, these will be attached with wire. I then moved on to testing porcelain discs and porcelain on crank. I started looking at clay properties as this was something that came up in my research at SWARCH. I was interested in the idea that it was the clay fabric which helped date a piece and also in the East/West refined porcelain/crude robust pottery idea. Eventually I would like to produce an installation based on all these ideas but for this project I am going to concentrate on making teabowls.
My next step is to start throwing with black chunky clay with a thin layer of porcelain thrown on the inside. I also have some sodium silicate to try out (apparently it can produce a cracked effect on the outside of a pot when thrown from the inside). I have begun to look into where I might source mica (this is proving very difficult) and quartz which is more like a coarse sand than in powder form. I have had some success with the quartz as I believe you can buy builders white silica sand which sounds similar to what I am looking for. I would also like to test using crushed shell as an addition. I then want to produce a more refined looking white teabowl with a blue glaze on the inside to echo the colours in the fragments. Finally I have been looking at the illustrations of pottery in various archaeology books and would like to incorporate them; perhaps by producing my own illustrations of the piece I have made which could then be applied using a lithography technique I have used before.
Fours hours of pot washing again today. The finds weren't as interesting as previous days but I find the time spent cleaning the sherds helps to focus my mind on my work and forget all the other hundreds of things I should/am expected to be doing at the moment. I have a plan of action for the work I would like to do over the next few weeks now all I have to do is find the time to actually do it!
and yes that is a golf ball!
Ceramic Art London 26.02.2011
I had a really enjoyable and inspiring day at Ceramic Art London. I had a very interesting chat with Lisa Hammond's apprentice Darren who discussed the possibility of getting involved with kiln building and wood firing, an exciting possibility. I would also like to attend one of the master classes this summer with Rizu Takahashi, this class coincides with an exhibition of Yunomi's and teapots.
I also spoke to Dylan Bowen about his work. He talked about how he creates spontaneity, a fresh organic look by throwing his pieces into a mould. He said that if he tried to make those marks himself it would look contrived rather than organic and talked about how you know when it looks right. He like me struggled to put into words what he meant but I understood exactly what he was trying to describe because it is what I have been trying to do myself. It was really uplifting to speak to someone who was on my wavelength.
I also got to catch up with Lowri Davies who I studied at Cardiff with and I was really taken with the work of Antje Ernestus.
These images are of Chris Taylor's work and the glass studio.
Corsham 08.02.2011
I had a very useful trip to Corsham (thank you David). Whilst I was there I found an archive of all sorts of interesting things and not surprisingly the first drawer I opened contained pottery sherds, I took lots of photos, none of which I can open!! Hopefully there will be a chance that this can be remedied when my technician gets back from Oz!
I also found a couple of really useful books in the reference library, again I took photos which I now can't open, oh dear. Still I did write down a couple of useful quotes from: The World of Japanese Ceramics by Herbert Sanders, published by Kodabsha International LTD Tokyo Japan, 1968:
pg 10 "In Japan, even if the potter is known as an 'abstract' artist, he has been trained in and has acquired the basic pottery techniques" This is something I strongly agree with and relates to my research on Peter Voulkos
There are three images of pots which follow this quote and hopefully I will be able to retrieve the pictures I took of them. The author then enters into a discussion about conscious and accidental distortion, the first image is of a pot with a tear in it, the second shows how a piece becomes naturally distorted through the firing process and the third shows the regularity of a thrown form eliminated by a casual sweep of a rib over the slipped surface.
"The production of successful distortion of this kind, whether conscious or accidental, can be considered one of the real challenges and adventures of the potter" pg 137
When I add fragments of pottery to my work sometimes it looks right, it's pushed in deep enough it's in the right place, you get an interesting crack which can be stapled and sometimes it looks odd or awkward. It's not always obvious what went wrong but you know when it has. It is the same when I am throwing forms that are meant to be flowing, sometimes they just aren't and it can be the subtlest of differences between a pot that works and one that doesn't.
Having read extracts from this book and reflecting on the work I have been thinking about I am going to go back to making teabowls (Yunomi). For me these are quick and enjoyable to make; a way of doing without thinking about doing (Wabi Sabi) and also a good way of trying out new ideas quickly.
I have just had the most fantastic and exhausting day at SWARCH. I worked with the pottery expert all day, it was suggested that I should sort the finds alongside Graham Langman , I was told to put them into four piles: roof tile, floor tile, pottery and slate kiln shelf, I added a bone pile and a don't know pile! It was a bit of a test to see if I knew anything and thankfully I picked it up really quickly.
A lot of the pottery we were sorting through comes under the category of Coarse Ware. It is often the fabric of the clay which determines the date, the more black and rough it looks the more likely it is to be old. Another term used was gravel tempered: using mica, quartz or calcareous material (crushed shell) to strengthen the ware. There was also gravel free ware which was finer more refined and more likely to be later.
During the day we found a great deal of evidence to suggest that there had been a pottery on this site. Apart from what the team had found during the dig which was a pit full of pottery that was at one end of a clay seam (already strong evidence of pottery production). The strongest piece of evidence was finding parts of a saggar, these would have been used to protect more delicate items such as cups. There were also pieces which looking like kiln fabric, kiln wasters including warped pieces which had been very overfired and the slate which was covered in glaze indicating that it had been used as a kiln shelf.
These are just a few images of the numerous boxes that we sorted. Image 1 is a general view, 2 shows a part from a cider jar, an overfired piece of clay and a cup handle, 3 shows the bottom of a floor tile the 4/5 scoops indicate that it could be medieval, 4 is of roof tiles (some jug handles also have these marks which look decorative but are actually to reduce thermal shock, 5 more cider jars and glaze colours, 6 handle styles, 7 interesting pattern possibly 15th century also the glaze is more dry and I was told that this was due to flour being added to the glaze however this happened around 1510, 8 more applied decoration and handles, 9 and 10 show a late 13th early 14th century inlayed floor tile, a very beautiful and exciting find, 11 pieces of saggar, 12 various handles applied and stamped patterns, 13 there was some discussion as to the origin of this mark, I later found an image of it in a book on Tudor pottery which I found at Corsham.
I also discovered that the fireman was paid the most because if he got the firing wrong no-one would be paid!


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'Messaging is the new social media'
'What happened in 2014?' Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist who was an early investor in Twitter, Tumblr and Foursquare, asks himself this question and comes to 10 remarkable insights.
Wilson dropped a little 'social' bomb at the end of 2014 by stating the social media phase had ended and by adding messaging is the new social media. Wilson writes developers and entrepreneurs still build social apps that we still use, but there's little innovation and left. "The big platforms are mature, their place is secure", he finds.
Two remarkable insights that shook the social media community
1/ the social media phase of the Internet ended. this may have happened a few years ago actually but i felt it strongly this year. entrepreneurs and developers still build social applications. we still use them. but there isn't much innovation here anymore. the big platforms are mature. their place is secure.
2/ messaging is the new social media. this may be part of what is going on in 1/. families use whatsapp groups instead of facebook. kids use snapchat instead of instagram. facebook's acquisition of whatsapp in february of this year was the transaction that defined this trend.
Remarkable and predictable
If Wilson is right (and I think he is) the shift is as remarkable as predictable. Communications went from personal voice calls to SMS to social media and are now back on the point of personal messaging apps. Historically the curve is pretty similar. Researcher BI Intelligence supports Wilson's statement. Worldwide around 2 billion people use messaging apps. The same number of people uses social media, but their growth is waning. The Facebook/WhatsApp acquisition is even more spectacular in this perspective.
Whatever the platform
Whatever the platform, messaging will remain popular. The core of this commonplace action – people communicating with close friends, relatives, family and co-workers – remains. And will remain for some time.


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If you're like me, you've probably had these questions at one point or another. I've struggled through them over the past year. I don't claim to be an expert on the matter. But I can share some of the conclusions I've come to.
If a writer has blog, is a website even necessary?
I look at my blog as the place to engage in open and ongoing dialogue with readers. When I write my posts, I communicate my thoughts and feelings. Through the comments, people can respond back. First and foremost, I want readers who come to my blog to know I care about encouraging them, not pitching my book to them.
A website, on the other hand, is a place where I can actively sell myself and my books. Even though I have information about my book on my blog, my website is where I can really showcase everything on a much grander scale. The website becomes the home base for true readership fans.
When should an author develop a website?
Ideally, an author should have a website up and running by the time a book is available for pre-order on any of the major sites. (And no, my website is not ready yet. Live and learn!)
The weekend The Preacher's Bride was posted on Amazon for preorder, a potential reader saw my book there, googled my name, and was directed to my blog. She left a comment that she liked the cover and had added the book to her reading list.
That one communication helped me realize how much I needed a website. When the average reader googles my name, I want to direct them to the front door of my cyber home, my website, where they can gain a positive first impression about me as an author. Sure, they can slide in the back door and lounge around with everyone else visiting my blog. But if that's not their interest, I want to give them a different place to congregate.
How important is a website before publication?
I don't think unpublished authors should put too much pressure on themselves to have a website before getting a book contract. Without a published book, not many people are actually going to google our names and try to find out more about us. A blog can suffice for the time being as a cyber home, especially with the new tab features.
On the other hand, a website can help unpublished authors begin to prepare for the future and can possibly save time and effort later. The process of registering for a domain name, thinking through and writing up website pages, and establishing ourselves as professionals certainly can't hurt.
If a writer wants a site ahead of contract, there are a lot of inexpensive options available. Jill Kemerer has an excellent post detailing some of those options.
How much time, effort, and money should an author give a website?
Once we're contracted and our book is on its way to shelves, it's time to invest more into our web presence—and that includes a professionally designed website. I got references, visited a lot of websites, and finally narrowed down two design companies whose work I liked the best.
Between the two, I finally picked Pulse Point Design. After looking at their client portfolio, I decided their work best represented what I wanted in a site of my own. Pulse Point specializes in Christian author sites. Because of their popularity, they're already double-booked for the next eight months and turn down at least five clients a week. I was excited when they managed to squeeze me in.
Pulse Point Design will start designing my website in May and it will likely be ready for launch in June with a few months to spare before the release of my book.
Now that I've shared my opinions, I'd love to hear yours. Do you think a website is necessary? When is the best time to develop one? How much time, effort, or money do you plan to give yours?


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Denis J. Denommee, 87, of Tyngsboro, passed peacefully into the eternal life on Monday, December 22, 2014, at his lakeside home surrounded by his beloved wife and loving family. He was the devoted husband of Therese (Belanger) Denommee with whom he celebrated 62 years of marriage this past May 31st.
He was born in Lowell, MA, a son of Canadian immigrants, the late Emile and the late Alice Denommee. Denis grew up in Lowell, where he attended the local schools. He was a proud Franco American veteran of the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard. Following his years in the service, he worked for the Massachusetts Corrections System until his retirement. He was a second generation plumber who went on to found Tyngsboro Plumbing and Heating with his sons, a company that now bears his name as Denommee Plumbing and Heating employing a fourth generation of Denommees. He worked tirelessly to provide for his large family while still finding time to laugh and enjoy his many friends. A skilled and creative craftsman, he taught his family much about the value of hard work and what true loyalty and loving devotion is. Always learning new things, he generously shared his knowledge and skills with others. His deep faith was an inspirational source of strength and comfort throughout his life.
Denis resided in Tyngsboro and served as a Conservation Committee member, Water Commissioner & Inspector and as the town's first Sewer Commissioner & Inspector overseeing the establishment of the sewer system around Lake Mascuppic. He was a member of the Tyngsboro Sportsman's Club, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and communicant of St. Mary Magdalen Parish who loved making the most of holiday celebrations such as Christmas Eve and Fourth of July with family and friends alike. The Easter Breakfast celebrations he put on for the family gradually extended to the neighborhood and far beyond became legendary. He also enjoyed many years as a "snowbird" spending winters in warm sunshine of Clermont, Florida where he was active in the Outdoor Resorts Community, pursued multiple hobbies, relished playing games with friends and visitors and found comfort as a communicant of St. Faustina's Parish. Other favorite pastimes for Denis included square dancing with the Town Travelers Club and plying the waters of Lake Mascuppic aboard his boats The Therese B and The Therese B II.
In addition to his beloved wife, Therese, he is survived by eight of his nine children, Denis G. Denommee and wife Donna of Marlborough, MA; Jeanne Trearchis and husband George of Tyngsboro, MA; Michelle Adams and husband Steve of Tyngsboro, MA; Therese "Muffy" Deleault and husband Peter of Tilton, NH; Bernard Denommee and wife Diane of Tyngsboro, MA; Martha Manning and husband Jack of Dunstable, MA; Guy Denommee and wife Carin of Tyngsboro, MA; Gerard Denommee and wife Kathi of Seattle, WA.
He is survived by his many grandchildren that loved him dearly and knew him as "Pep", Kristen (Denommee) Ogden; Michael Denommee; Molly (Adams) Foley; Sarah (Deleault) Bouchard; Zachary Trearchis; Joshua Trearchis; Benjamin Adams; Danielle (Denommee) Leclair; Jake Manning; Bridget Adams; Abby (Deleault) Picard; Katie Denommee; Scott Denommee; Timothy Adams; Matthew Manning; Ashley Denommee; Tyler Denommee; Drew Denommee; Sophie-Briere Denommee; Phelan-Gerard Denommee and his great grandchildren, Lucas Ogden; Maddie Ogden; Kylie Leclair; Kenny Leclair Jr; Trevor Denommee.
He is also survived by his brother, Maurice of Franklin, MA; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and extended family members.
Denis was preceded in death by his devoted son David Denommee and his sister, the late Rita Rondeau and brother, the late Laurier Denommee.
Funeral Mass Sat. at 11A.M. at St. Mary Magdalen Church, Tyngsboro. Burial in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Chelmsford. In lieu of flowers, donations could be made to Lowell General Hospital Cancer Center, Lowell, MA or St. Faustina Catholic Church, 9310 US Highway Suite 1, Clermont, FL 34714.ARRANGEMENTS BY DOLAN FUNERAL HOME 106 MIDDLESEX ST. CHELMSFORD, 978-251-4041.
A wonderful neighbor, friend,
A wonderful neighbor, friend, husband, father, grandfather and religious man. You will be missed by all that you leave behind. You will be welcomed home by a son, sibblings, parents and grandparents. Heaven got a little brighter and richer today. Love, Dave and Joan Desgroseilliers
Therese and family, a bright
Therese and family, a bright light has dimmed this week with Denis departure from this earth. I think it is in no small part to Denis as much as you Therese that St. Mary Magdalen has youthful voices singing God's praises. Thank you for sharing your husband and father with us. May he rest comfortably in God's kingdom above.
Therese and family, I have
Therese and family, I have the heaviest heart on your loss of Denis. It is with the fondest of memories I recall your husband, father and grandfather at the 9 a.m. Children's Mass as we sang in the choir loft under your direction Therese. I think he played no small part in its success, because if his wife was happy, he was happy. He is a role model for who to be and how to act with God and his children.
So sorry to hear of Denis' passing. Seems like just a few weeks ago at church that he seemed to be doing better. We will never forget our wonderful days of joy and fun with Fr Sullivan at SMM parish and especially Denis' and your encouragement and friendship. Be assured that Denis, you and your family are in our prayers. Peace, Everett & Claire
Therese, We were so sorry to
Therese, We were so sorry to hear about Denis. He will be missed at ORO. Bob and Ann Tobey
My deepest sympathy to you
My deepest sympathy to you and your family, Therese.


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Following Dreams…Smartly
Hellooo! I just sent in my email to become a member of Healthy Living Blogs. This having a blog thing is becoming more and more real! I love it!
It works. It kept me warm. I'll take it.
I took pictures this morning so I could give you a step by step in how I make my apparently crazy breakfast. I thought this morning would be a good day to do it because I was going to make it in a pretty bowl and eat it at home. But then I was running late, as usual, so you get the tupperware version.
Here's what I use. I guess it's kind of a lot for a work day breakfast, but I usually make it the night before.
Step One: Make the pumpkin yogurt. I combine one container of Oikos Plain 0% with a big scoop of Libbys, 1/2 a packet of Stevia, a bunch of Pumpkin Pie Spice and a tsp of ground flax.
Step Two: Mix. *taste test*. I usually add a little bit of water since it thickens up in the fridge over night. I did that this morning too which was a dumb idea because I ate it 30 minutes later and it was too thin for my liking.
Step Three: Add half a sliced banana, half a pear, and about 2/3 cup of cereal. I slice the pear, sprinkle on some cinnamon, and microwave it for about 20 seconds to soften it up.
So yeah. That's it. It's not very pretty when it's mixed up, but it's the taste that matters!
Lunch was leftover pasta from last night and a big honey crisp. Snack was oatmeal + Justin's Maple Almond Butter. I freaking love Justin's. I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOOOVEEE YOU! (Elf, anyone?) I also love the glass Pyrex containers I've been bringing my meals in. You can just heat it right in the container to avoid microwaving plastic! I brought my pasta and my oatmeal in them today. Good buy, mom.
Dinner was super lazy since I ran after work, but it was just what I wanted. I had a can of Amy's Split Pea Soup (the most gross looking soup on earth) along with a sandwich made of a Laughing Cow wedge, spinach, and tomato on a sandwich thin.
Honestly, a lot more meals would look like this if it weren't for the blog. But I'm glad that I'm cooking more – it is relaxing and I really do enjoy it! I'm thinking about another fruity smoothie for dessert, but that's always up in the air. Last night my second dessert was left over brussel sprouts, so don't count on me for much.
I shredded again this morning for strength training purposes. And so I had a reason to shower. I love doing the 30 Day Shred but I get kind of sick of hearing her same little jokes and mantras over and over again. I guess I should move up to Workout 3 but I'm scared.
I also ran 5 miles after work. I didn't really want to and my hamstrings are tight from yoga, but that's why I like to be in training – it makes me run! 5 hilly miles in around 43 minutes…average pace of around 8:45. I'm getting faster! WEEE!
TOPIC OF THE DAY: Following Your Dreams (In A Smart Way)
As I mention in my Career section, I have a great full time job. But I still can't seem to get the idea of learning more about the nutrition and health field out of my head. I don't think that right now (4 months into a new job!) is the time to quit and go back to school — not only would I have to take out tons of loans, but I need to give my current job more of a chance! I do really like it, it's just not health related. My current job also pays for me to get my MBA in a few years, and it would be stupid to give that up.
So I started looking into part-time certifications. I saw that Tina got hers through the AFPA, but she recommended Integrative Nutrition as a more legitimate program. I have been looking into Integrative Nutrition for the past couple of months, reading brochures and listening to lectures, but could not make a decision. Well, yesterday I decided it's not for me. It's almost $5000, a full year, and not recognized by anybody. If I'm going to start paying thousands, I'll get a legitimate degree.
So now I'm flip-flopping between doing nothing (and letting this blog be my health outlet) or doing something smaller and cheaper like the AFPA. I like that it only takes 6 months, isn't as hippy-ish as Integrative Nutrition, but would still give me a good basis for the eating and health questions I'm constantly asked. I don't intend on quitting my current job, so this program would be purely for my own benefit.
So that's how I'm trying to follow my dream without ruining my life. I don't want to give up the great position I have now, the ability to save for my future, and a future masters degree, but I also don't want to ignore my itch to learn more about nutrition. I completely admire those that drop everything, follow their passion, and have it all work out. Maybe I'm just not that brave. Or optimistic.
- So what would you guys do? Just the blog? AFPA? Quit and become an R.D.?
- How have you smartly followed your dreams?
My mom just asked what I wanted for my birthday. List making time!
MC Mitsch permalinkOctober 15, 2010 7:36 am
LOVE your outfit from Oct 14. You inspire me to keep up with my fashion 😉
MC Mitsch permalinkOctober 15, 2010 7:44 am
P.S. I'm all about following dreams. Money will follow. At the same time, what I have trouble differentiating between is something I want to keep as a passionate hobby and something I want to make a career out of…like horseback riding. I can't live without horseback riding, but I don't think my dream is necessarily to make my career out of training horses or something. So I guess you need to think about to what you think your passion in nutrition should amount. I wish I had a better answer! But it sounds like you're on your way to figuring everything out! 🙂
October 15, 2010 12:06 pm
Hello there. Just found your blog and I really like it!
To answer your questions, I think earning a certification is smart, not just for improving blog content, but also for my family's well being. I have considered becoming a personal trainer or a nutritionist, but the cards didn't line up since I was already 3/4 of the way through a journalism degree. But it's something I may consider now that I'm married and have a bit more career flexibility.
And as for the second question, I've followed my goals "smartly" by not going overboard! It's easy to get totally consumed in something, even blogging. But I try to keep my priorities in line even when I'm pursuing something I'm passionate about.
Great post!
October 15, 2010 7:12 pm
Hi! I just found your blog from Heather's (HEAB) and I've been wondering about getting more education in nutrition. I'm a teacher with a Master's degree in edcuation, but I'm ready to branch out into something else. I think you should go for it. If you have the means and the time, I say do it!


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Special Encore Presentation: A Friend's and Relative's Guide to Supporting Families with Autism
December 24, 2013
Hosted by Rob Haupt
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
This week on Autism Spectrum Radio we address one of the most valuable resources for a family with autism, the support of their friends and family. Having a helping hand is critical for special needs families but even those loved ones with the best of intentions, may not know how or what to offer. Our host Rob Haupt is happy to welcome author and advocate Ann Palmer to the show to share her years of experience supporting families with autism. Be sure to catch this episode of Autism Spectrum Radio, Tuesday, July 2 at 11 AM.
Autism Spectrum Radio
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel
Our show offers a great weekly conversation to inspire, inform and support families and individuals living with autism. We offer practical information for parents of children of all ages. The show explores treatment topics and recent research. We have a variety of guests to share their expertise, experience and resources. Advocates and parent guests share their insights and discuss the paths they have taken to find effective treatments. Authors, Physicians and researchers will keep us updated on the latest news. Topics include treatment options, early childhood issues, planning for adulthood, school and community opportunities, and general issues with understanding the diagnosis and the professional community.
Rob Haupt
Rob Haupt is a passionate professional in the field of autism. His knowledge of autism services, treatment options and insurance coverage has made him a popular guest speaker to advocate groups. He also shares tips for parents through his weekly video blog.
Rob is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 12 years of experience treating individuals with Development Disabilities. He currently serves as Vice President of Business Development at Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST), an agency that provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Occupational Therapy and Speech to individuals with Autism. In his role with AST, Rob has collaborated with parents, teachers, and schools to support better understanding of autism health insurance mandates and how to effectively use insurance coverage. Watch Rob's weekly video series on www.autismtherapies.com.


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The crisis in Japan in the wake of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami continues. There have been multiple explosions at a nuclear power facility and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has announced rolling power outages across the country to help meter demand.
On Friday, Nissan issued a release stating that production would be temporarily shutdown at its Japanese facilities but expected everything to be up and running within a few days. However, this was prior to the electricity concerns. The rolling power outages will further affect Nissan operations across Japan.
According to a Monday morning release from Nissan, The Oppama Plant, Kyushu Plant, Nissan Shatai and Yokohama Plant will suspend operations until Wednesday, March 16. The Tochigi Plant and Iwaki Plant will suspend operations until Friday, March 18. Additionally, Nissan will suspend air-conditioning at both its global headquarters and the Nissan Technical Center. All Nissan Gallery locations in the country will be closed until Friday, March 18 and all dealership signboard lamps will be blackened to reduce power use.
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) was able to restart production at its company-owned plants on 3/11 but made the decision to suspend operations today so that its employees can focus on their families. In addition to the closure of its main plants, several subsidiary plants are in shutdown mode until further assessments can be completed.
The following Toyota subsidiary plants are non-operational at the moment due to possible damage caused by the quake: Toyota Motor Hokkaido Plant, Toyota Motor Tohoku Plant, Central Motor Corporation Miyagi Plant (produces the Toyota Yaris) and the Kanto Auto Works Iwate Plant (produces the Scion xB and xD models). Toyota has revealed that employees from these facilities have been safely evacuated.
Honda has also confirmed damage to its plants, with one plant experiencing enough damage to actually injure employees and cause one fatality. A 43 year-old male at the Honda Tochigi R&D Center died when a cafeteria wall collapsed on him during the earthquake. Elsewhere in the facility, collapsing ceilings and other falling debris led to more than 30 injured associates. Several Honda plants throughout the country are closed including the Suzuka factory, which manufactures the Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight and Honda CR-Z hybrids.
While the major automakers are facing plant shutdowns because of damage and rolling blackouts, auto suppliers across the country are in the same boat. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, "Japan's auto makers all but shut down production, closing plants that supply not only cars for domestic sale, but also engines and other parts needed by assembly plants around the world. For some models, such as Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid, Japan is the only source."
In 2008 when gas prices spiked, demand for the Toyota Prius shot through the roof and consumers in some parts of the United States faced a months-long wait to buy a new Prius. As gas prices begin to rise again, it is likely that automakers will once again see a surge in demand for hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Although Japanese automakers aren't the only ones that can pump out top-quality, highly fuel-efficient vehicles, the hybrid models produced in Japan are definitely popular among American consumers. The delay in production may have an affect on supply here in the United States, but everyone's primary concern is obviously for the safety of Japanese citizens and helping Japan recover from this catastrophe.


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The Meaning of World War IIAn Anarchist View
international | history | feature Saturday June 27, 2015 17:10 by Wayne Price drwdprice at aol dot com
The Imperialist War and the People's War
It is now 70 years since the end of the Second World War (19391945). It is often referred to as the Good War or even the Last Good War. The U.S. soldiers who fought it have been called the Greatest Generation. Since wars are best seen as evils unless proven otherwise, it is worth asking why World War II has such a good reputation, and whether it deserves it. After all, approximately 60 million people died around the world from that war.The aftereffects of the Second World War are still being felt. While very popular, it was an inter-imperialist war, a struggle for world domination. But it also included popular struggles against fascism, for national independence, democratic rights, and the possibility of socialist revolution. At their best, anarchists and other revolutionary socialists looked for ways to be part of this working class and peoples war. Analyzing the war, and thinking through its issues, may help to prepare revolutionary anarchists for future upheavals.
Front page
Solidarity with the Struggle of North American People!
A libertarian socialist view of the capitalist and health crisis in the Americas
Para las Clases Populares del Mundo, Pandemia, Crisis, Todos los Tiempos son de Lucha
Nossa Concepção De Feminismo Na Perspectiva Do Anarquismo Organizado
Frente a la Pandemia Capitalista, Solidaridad entre los Pueblos
La force des femmes change le monde
The competition between Iran and United States over Iraq
Beyond Pension Reforms: Interview on the General Strike in France
Comunicado de lanzamiento de la Coordinación Anarquista Latinoamericana (CALA)
[Colombia] Vamos al Paro Nacional del 21 de noviembre
[Catalunya] Una sentència que ataca les llibertats i els drets civils
Halklarla savaşan her devlet kaybedecektir!
Análisis de Coyuntura Latinoamericana
Αντίσταση στην κρατική καταστολή
[Chile] Nace La Federación Anarquista Santiago
Αποχή για την ταξική μας αξιοπρέπεια
Congrès de fondation de lUnion communiste libertaire (UCL) : déclaration finale
Interview with the Anarchist Communist Group (ACG) from Great Britain


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May 2017, London
Up, off and away with M&A
As predicted, consolidation will continue to be the name of the travel game in 2017. Sally White reports on the first activity of the year
Only weeks into 2017 and already travel industry M&As are stacking up. All the signs are that this year's consolidation will be as hectic as in 2016. UK- and Denmark-based metasearch group Momondo is to be added to Priceline's Kayak family, France's AccorHotels has gone for Atlanta-based Travel Keys and Airbnb is wooing Luxury Retreats, and that's just to name just the major movers.
These are all in Europe and the US. Speculation is that Asia will be the next take-over focus, for both inward and outward travel. There is certainly no shortage of money around for mergers - in China Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial seems to have raised a few billion yet again - and travel is an attractively fast-growth if competitive market.
Or could the global OTA giants make a bid for Singapore-based metasearch group Wego, or Australia's Hotelscombined? Or, perhaps choose slight smaller targets in Korea's allstay.kr or Japan's travel.jp? Or maybe the bidders will be local, some commentators naming Baidu in China or Naver in South Korea. Then there is the under-penetrated South American market! There is plenty of scope.
Yet, away from the immediate players it is hard to hear applause, except that these offer some answers to the vexed question of growth. As international consultants Deloittes commented in its 2017 Outlook: "With organic growth hard to come by in a consolidated and mature domestic market, travel trades must realise the benefits of scaling across the travel experience - rather than only trying to growth within their own vertical."
With organic growth hard to come by in a consolidated and mature domestic market, travel trades must realise the benefits of scaling across the travel experience
Someone who has often questioned the hectic travel M&A scene in the Huffington Post is Jim Pickell, president of HomeExchange, a board member of the US-based Family Travel Association and a frequent guest lecturer. In 'Merger Mania in the Travel Industry and How it Will Affect You', published a few months ago, his comment was: "When it comes to the effects on pricing and benefits, many travellers are worried."
"Typically," he avers, "when companies consolidate, they limit completion. As a result, prices go up, benefits decrease and consumers are left with unappealing options." When it comes to big brands, be it airlines, hotels or OTA's, travellers may not have noticed the post-merger differences. ".... but travellers who crave variety, authenticity and cultural interaction will probably have to expand their searches!"
However, as he concedes, "companies may believe that consolidation is key to their survival!" Size matters!
"Increased size," he adds "has many benefits, including economies of scale, by eliminating duplicate functions and centralised procurement. Staffing can be streamlined and processes standardised. It also increases the muscle needed for leverage in negotiations and creates pricing power."
And companies also point to the innovation that M&A allows them to introduce to cater to shifting consumer demand. It will be interesting to see how the innovation seen at Momondo survives the migration onto Kayak's platforms.
In his press comment announcing the $550 million agreement with Priceline, Momondo's CEO, Hugo Burge, a long-standing EyeforTravel speaker, obviously believes its innovation will continue. "This announcement heralds an exciting new chapter for our business and our teams. We look forward to becoming part of the KAYAK family within The Priceline Group, and are very confident that the blend of brands and our different strengths will help us to jointly pursue what we both believe most passionately in – building products users love."
He added: "Our business is in great shape across the 30-plus markets in which we operate, and we're looking forward to the opportunity to build on that further."
Kayak comment from CEO's Steve Hafner on Priceline's move to buy the Momondo Group (which runs both Cheapflights, a flight comparison site, and Momondo, a search engine for flights, hotels and car rentals) was: "Momondo and Cheapflights have built great products serving loyal users across Europe. We're looking forward to learning from them and sharing best practices as our brands expand globally."
Moves elsewhere
So, only time will tell! This can also be said of AccorHotels' acquisition of yet another sharing economy investment! Having acquired Onefinestay in 2016 and then Squarebreak this year, it has also taken a 30% minority stake in vacation rental company Oasis Collections, and is now negotiating with Travel Keys. While no official figures have been released, there are hints that a deal will be reached in H2 2017. All that AccorHotels is saying on rumours of a merged business, is that decisions on how these four luxury rental services will be put together will be made in the coming months.
Nor does service group Hotelbeds (sold by TUI to investors just last year) as yet have plans to announce on its strategy for Tourico Holidays, except that the acquisition is to be merged with its Bedbank business.
Associated Luxury Hotels (ALH), too, was slow in announcing terms for its latest acquisition - Worldhotels, which has a business focus. Their strategy is also a work in progress of "evolving incremental benefits and synergy to each". Meanwhile the two companies - ALH's global portfolio of 250 hotels and the far-flung group that is Worldhotels - will operate as separate divisions.
As to be expected, there has been much more information around on Airbnb's interest in Luxury Retreats, even before it was official. And that is not just because homes on the platform include a villa on Richard Branson's Necker Island, which was so recently the Obamas' retreat.
The strategy here is very clear in contrast, as Canada-based Luxury Retreats' niche is the luxury segment, which fits alongside Airbnb's public statements on diversification. The guesstimate put on the price - of around $300-200 million - should be well within Airbnb's budget. It is thought to have spent little of the $3 billion it has raised so far.
At a post-merger Luxury Retreats there should be nothing to make even the Huffington Post unhappy. People 'close to the matter', ie. someone at the companies speaking off the record, are quoted by Bloomberg, as saying that the business will be run by the same team. So, no change there!
Luxury Retreats is profitable so would also (according to industry comment) enhance Airbnb's accounts and increase its bottom line. Though whether there will ever be an IPO, and need for such documents, is still up in the clouds! There have been no rumours since last November, as the market has simply been too busy with the actual M&A deal stream to think some up!
Don't miss EyeforTravel Europe 2017 (May 3-4) where Glen Fogel, CEO Priceline and Hugo Burge CEO Momondo will be speaking alongside other big names in travel


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Our 2010 claim that "Strauss & Howe's The Fourth Turning is looking more prescient by the day" is holding up well. As is the view that "we are currently witnessing the latest populist revolt against elitist authority" extracted from Lee Harris's "The Next American Civil War". It appears we may not be the only ones thinking along these lines:
President Trump's chief strategist (Steve Bannon) is an avid reader and that the book that most inspires his worldview is "The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy."
The fourth turning takes a view that history is cyclical. It is made up of 4 cycles, which correspond to four human generations. The cycles are driven by human experience and have common themes, resulting in similar manifestations:
The cycle begins with the First Turning, a "High" which comes after a crisis era. In a High, institutions are strong and individualism is weak. Society is confident about where it wants to go collectively, even if many feel stifled by the prevailing conformity. Many Americans alive today can recall the post-World War II American High (historian William O'Neill's term), coinciding with the Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy presidencies. Earlier examples are the post-Civil War Victorian High of industrial growth and stable families, and the post-Constitution High of Democratic Republicanism and Era of Good Feelings.
The Second Turning is an "Awakening," when institutions are attacked in the name of higher principles and deeper values. Just when society is hitting its high tide of public progress, people suddenly tire of all the social discipline and want to recapture a sense of personal authenticity. Salvation by faith, not works, is the youth rallying cry. One such era was the Consciousness Revolution of the late 1960s and 1970s. Some historians call this America's Fourth or Fifth Great Awakening, depending on whether they start the count in the 17th century with John Winthrop or the 18th century with Jonathan Edwards.
The Third Turning is an "Unraveling," in many ways the opposite of the High. Institutions are weak and distrusted, while individualism is strong and flourishing. Third Turning decades such as the 1990s, the 1920s and the 1850s are notorious for their cynicism, bad manners and weak civic authority. Government typically shrinks, and speculative manias, when they occur, are delirious.
Finally, the Fourth Turning is a "Crisis" period. This is when our institutional life is reconstructed from the ground up, always in response to a perceived threat to the nation's very survival. If history does not produce such an urgent threat, Fourth Turning leaders will invariably find one — and may even fabricate one — to mobilize collective action. Civic authority revives, and people and groups begin to pitch in as participants in a larger community. As these Promethean bursts of civic effort reach their resolution, Fourth Turnings refresh and redefine our national identity. The years 1945, 1865 and 1794 all capped eras constituting new "founding moments" in American history.
In their 1997 book, "The Fourth Turning", they predicted that "starting around 2005, America would probably experience a "Great Devaluation" in financial markets, a catalyst that would mark America's entry into an era whose first decade would likely parallel the 1930s". Their book incorporates the promise of renewal, before the cycle repeats. One of the authors, Neil Howe, adds:
"Despite a new tilt toward isolationism, the United States could find itself at war. I certainly do not hope for war. I simply make a sobering observation: Every total war in U.S. history has occurred during a Fourth Turning, and no Fourth Turning has yet unfolded without one. America's objectives in such a war are likely to be defined very broadly."
Thus far, at the grand strategic level, everything is proceeding exactly as I expected. There are blips on the trend, but the trend train is remorselessly rolling down the tracks. This also appears to accord with The Fourth Turning and The Next American Civil War.


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Bernard Appel, Z"L: Bernard Appel was born and raised in Boston. Straight out of high school, he worked in a general merchandise and catalog discount house for ten years. During that time, he served in the US Coast Guard and graduated from Boston University School of Management evening division in 1959. He then joined Radio Shack as a buyer and worked his way up the ranks to merchandise manager, vice president of merchandising, senior vice president of merchandising and advertising, executive vice president of marketing, and, finally, President of Radio Shack. Mr. Appel later became the Chairman of Radio Shack and Senior Vice President of the Tandy Corporation. He arrived in Fort Worth in 1970. He currently runs Appel Associates, a marketing consultant service. He is also President of Safe City Commission Crime Stoppers and a member of various boards in the Fort Worth area. He is active in the Fort Worth community as a member of the Rotary Club, the International Board of Visitors at the M.J. Neeley School of Business at TCU, and the Board of Directors for Congregation Ahavath Sholom. On a national level, Mr. Appel is a member of the Board of Directors for the Singing Machine Company and the Business Products Advisory Committee for the Jewish National Fund. He is an Honorary Life Member of the National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League. He also belongs to the Masons of Tabernacle Lodge and the Shriners of Moslah Lodge. In 2002, He was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame and is the recipient of multiple awards from industry and Jewish organizations. Mr. Appel is married to Ellen, and they have three daughters and a son.
Robert Austein: Real Estate Investments and Advisory Services, Dallas, TX
Susan Brokhin: Susan Brokhin is the youngest member on the Jewish Studies Program Advisory Board since its inception. She graduated with honors in political science in 2009 from UNT. Upon graduation, she moved to Jerusalem for a fellowship with the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee. While in Israel, Susan developed Oli'im and social entrepreneurship programs in Modi'in and Jerusalem. Moreover, Susan was the first fellow to develop youth programs with Bedouin teens in Rahat, a recognized Bedouin village. In 2010, Susan returned to Texas as the Political Affairs Director for the Consulate General of Israel in Houston. She later joined the City of Houston as the Community Outreach Manger for the City's Digital Inclusion Initiative, which works in underserved and at-risk Houstonian communities. Currently, Susan is the Director of Clinical Integration and Project Management at Legacy Community Health Services. Susan's involvement with the Jewish Studies Program during her time at UNT shaped her education and involvement with the Jewish Community. She is thrilled to be a member of the Board and to have the opportunity to help continue to grow this esteemed program.
Karen Cane: Karen E. Cane, a native Houstonian, spent her early childhood years at Kibbutz Alonim in Israel. Prior to attending the University of North Texas, Karen spent a year in Israel as a participant in Young Judea's Year Course program where she studied, volunteered, and spent time in an IDF basic training program. During her years at UNT, Karen served on the Hillel board as Membership Chair, Vice President, and later as the President of the organization. Additionally, she served as the Jewish Studies Ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences and worked under the leadership of Dr. Golden at the Jewish and Israel Studies Program. Karen graduated from UNT in 2010 with honors in Fashion Merchandising, E-Merchandising and Business.
Currently, Karen resides in Dallas and works at Fossil Group, Inc. as the Global Brand Specialist for Emporio Armani Swiss Made Watches. In this role, Karen helps develop global brand strategies for the Emporio Armani Swiss Made watches. Past brands include Michele Watches, Burberry Watches, and Zodiac. Karen continues to be an active participant in the Dallas Jewish Community with strong ties to UNT.
Marvin Frackt: Retired from industry but not from Jewish activism, Dallas, TX
Mike Friedman: Senior Vice President of Retail Services at CB Richard Ellis. He has 35 years of experience in commercial real estate, specializing in retail leasing and sales, dispositions, sale-leasebacks, shopping center sales, and retail land sales. He has represented clients such as 7-Eleven, Blockbuster, RadioShack, Pep Boys, Lone Star Restaurants, and WAMU. He is actively involved in numerous organizations and volunteers each week at Medical City Dallas and Children's Medical Center where he is a performing clown for children with cancer. Mr. Friedman holds a B.S. from the University of North Texas and a Masters of Real Estate Finance from Harvard University. He holds the position of Board of Directors at Harvard Real Estate Initiative, University of North Texas Alumni, Juvenile Diabetes of Greater Dallas, Cancer Foundation for Life, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Legacy at Willow Bend, Jewish Family Service, and is also Board of Directors and President Legacy at Preston Hollow. Mr. Friedman is the past president of the Lions Club, a past board member of Dallas Hebrew Free Loan and was awarded the Stemmons Award in 2006. In 2013 he was awarded UNT's Outstanding Alumna Service Award.
Arnold Gachman: Arnold G. Gachman is the owner of Gamtex Industries, a 100-year-old family business, and has over 50 years' experience in the metalworking industry. He attended public school in Ft. Worth and graduated from R. L. Paschal High. He received his BBA degree in Financial Management from TCU. He is a past National President of ISRI, the trade association for recycling of ferrous & non-ferrous metals, glass, paper & plastic. He is also a past chair of the NASCOOP, past chair of Fort Worth Human Relations Commission, past vice chair of TCEQ and SBAC, a founding board member of the Texas Cast Metals Association, and the vice president of the Recycling Council of Texas. Arnold serves as the Chair of Trustees of Baylor All Saints and as a board member of Sammons Transplant Institute at Baylor Medical. Arnold is also on the Board of Governors of the Fort Worth Club. He is also the vice president of Beth El Congregation and Add Ran College of TCU Board of Visitors. He is the immediate past chair of University of North Texas Health Science Center Foundation and a member of the UNTHSC advisory board. He received the Person of Vision Award from UNTHSC in 2012. He also serves the Health Benefits Advisory Board of the City of Fort Worth. Arnold is married to Harriette Gachman, has two children and four grandchildren. They are members of Congregation Ahavath Sholom and Beth El Congregation, Jewel Charity Ball, Shady Oaks CC., and Fort Worth Club.
Marlene Gorin: Marlene served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Dallas (JCRC) for 20 years. In that role, some of her responsibilities were to coordinate state-wide public policy issues in the Austin legislature between the five JCRCs and Federations in Texas, as well as developing relationships with Dallas city council members, state and federal elected officials and their staffs. As JCRC Executive Director, Marlene directed, programmed and coordinated Civic Leadership Missions to Israel for non-Jewish community influentials. An important component of the JCRC's agenda was to develop relationships with city council members, state and federal elected officials and their staffs. In the position of JCRC Executive Director, Marlene represented the Dallas Jewish community on over 50 interfaith coalitions on issues concerning housing, hunger, church-state, public school education, social welfare issues and the like. Before coming to Dallas in 1995, Marlene was the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. Currently, Marlene is working on issues with the city of Dallas pertaining to inter-faith relations and poverty.
Stephanie Hirsh, PhD: Dr. Stephanie Hirsh is executive director of Learning Forward, an international nonprofit membership association. Learning Forward's more than 10,000 members are committed to increasing student achievement and educator effectiveness through standards-based professional learning. She began her career as a secondary teacher and later served as a school district administrator in the Richardson (Texas) Independent School District. In 1996 she was elected to the Richardson school board and served for three terms. Today, Hirsh advises policymakers, state and local superintendents, foundation leaders, and other thought leaders on improving student learning through effective professional learning. She has co-authored more than ten books and numerous articles. She has been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Learning Forward Texas; as a Distinguished Alumnae from the University of North Texas; and as Master Trustee and member of an Honor Board from the Texas School Boards Association. She has served on the boards of Temple Shalom, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Education Committee and JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. Hirsh earned her masters and doctorate degrees from The University of North Texas and undergraduate degree from The University of Texas.
Michael Kissner: I am a UNT graduate (1970), a U.S Air Force Veteran and I am married with four children and four grandchildren and my wife and I are life-long residents of Dallas.
I am accredited as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) with extensive executive-level experience in private and publicly held retail, wholesale, distribution, building materials, fresh food processing and petroleum companies working with diverse employee populations around the U.S., Canada and in Turkey.
I have a comprehensive understanding and a career based on business fundamentals and the importance of profitability, productivity, expense control and efficiency.
My public speaking ability is based on over twenty years of college-level teaching experience in several business courses that demonstrated a strong commitment for my passion for training and people development in my HR career.
I am also a certified mediator having completed the graduate level certification program in Alternative Dispute Resolution at SMU.
William S. Lee, JD: Attorney and CPA. Principal areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and income tax planning. Member of the board of Hebert Acquisitions, LLC in Austin, Texas. Formerly, board member of Tide-Air, Inc. of Houston, Texas, and Vice President and General Counsel of INDSPEC Chemical Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA. Member, State Bar of Texas, and a member and former board member of the Texas Society of CPAs and the Dallas Chapter, TSCPA. Past President of Congregation Kol Ami, Flower Mound, Texas.
Mike Leve: A 1970 UNT graduate with a B.S. in Education, Mike worked as a secondary school teacher from 1970 to 1973 at Terrell and Dallas, Texas schools where he became interested in the effect of vision problems on learning. Graduating from the University of Houston College of Optometry in 1979, Mike has practiced family optometry for 35 years in the Dallas area. He has been the owner of Leve Eyecare in Mesquite for the past 20 years and is a member of the Dallas County Optometric Society. Mike has participated for many years in Vision U.S.A., which provides free eye exams to the working poor, as well as the Sight for Students program. He has been married 44 years to Rita with whom he joyfully shares two daughters and six grandchildren.
Ken Newberry: Ken graduated in 1967 from UNT with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He is from Dallas, served in the U.S. Air Force, and has one daughter. He has an extensive background in marketing and sales in the investments industry where he was Regional VP with Dean Witter Reynolds; National Sales Manager for PHH Asset Management; Regional Marketing Director for Public Storage Inc.; and Director of Marketing for Cashen Investment Advisors, Inc. He has served on the faculty at the Southwestern School of Banking at SMU (SWIGSBIE) and served on several charity boards. Ken's passion is serving in Israel. He is a volunteer tour guide at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem where he has served three to six months a year for the past 7 years and is active with the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast.
Scott Peck: Director/Curator of the Dallas Biblical Museum of Art and National Center for Jewish Art, Dallas, TX
Lou E. Pelton: Marketing professor at UNT, Lou (Ph.D., University of Mississippi) served as visiting scholar at prominent universities across the U.S. and abroad. His principal research interests include relationship marketing and international distribution. He is senior author of four marketing channels textbooks that are published in several languages. He is also senior editor of several books on business ethics. He has published more than 100 research articles in prominent journals and international conference proceedings.
Dr. Pelton has delivered educational programs and keynote addresses for governments, firms and tertiary institutions worldwide. Past President of the Association of Marketing Educators, Federation of Business Disciplines, he served as vice president of the Academy of Marketing Science, the American Marketing Association, and the World Marketing Congress. He represented the U.S. in the APEC Leadership Summits. He is recipient of national and university teaching awards, as well as the UNT President's Award.
Bernard Rapoport, Z"L: Bernard Rapoport, better known as B, was raised by Jewish Russian immigrant parents - his father initially sold blankets from a pushcart in San Antonio. B went on to found the American Income Life Insurance Company, which grew to a multi-billion dollar company catering to labor unions. B never forgot his roots, which helped shape the establishment of The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation. Today the foundation seeks to further the pursuit of social justice and equality, help the disadvantaged and underserved, support reading and music, and provide children with education. B had been active in civic affairs, and his interest in politics often led him to the national stage, as a major supporter of the late Governor Ann Richards, Senator Ted Kennedy, and President Bill Clinton. B's, along with his wife Audre's, gifts to institutes of higher learning in Texas funded buildings, established scholarships, and created endowed chairs. The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at the University of Texas (UT) serves as a focal point for critical discussion and analysis of human rights law and advocacy. For his service on UT's Board of Regents, B received the university's highest recognition in 2008: the Santa Rita Award. In 1999, B was recipient of the Horatio Alger Award of Distinguished Americans, given to individuals who succeed despite adversity and in turn encourage young people to pursue their dreams. He was also named one of America's 40 most generous philanthropists by Fortune magazine in 1988. For more than 40 years, the Rapoports also supported the Texas Observer, a twice-monthly news magazine that serves as the state's leading journalistic outlet for liberal voices and hard-nosed political coverage in Texas.
Beri Schwitzer: A native Las Vegan who didn't have the aspirations to be a showgirl, Beri Kaplan Schwitzer put her time, energy, and enthusiasm into education. Upon graduating the University of Nevada, Reno, with a degree in journalism, she began a career that has provided her with extensive experience in Jewish education, non-profit management, and corporate human resources/training. She is currently the Director of Congregational Learning at Congregation Beth Torah in Richardson, TX and serves as the Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas Education Directors Council. Beri is a nationally recognized Jewish educator honored by Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA) and by the former National Association of Temple Educators (NATE). She recently received her Certificate in Jewish Leadership and Jewish Education from Spertus and Northwestern University.
Larry Strauss: Current Chairman of the Board, Texas Region of Bnai Zion, Board member of Hillel of UNT and UTD, Board member of Legacy at Home. Past president of Congregation Beth Torah and former board member of Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association and Israeli Bonds.
Shirley Strauss: Avid fundraiser for many Jewish causes, Dallas, TX.
Peggy Tobolowsky, JD: Retired professor in the Criminal Justice Department, University of North Texas. Past chairperson and currently life trustee of the Board of Trustees of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation. Previous Board of Directors member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Foundation.
Martin M. van Brauman: Senior VP, Corporate Secretary, Treasurer, Director, Zion Oil & Gas, Inc. (NASDAQ - "ZN"), Dallas, Texas & Caesarea, Israel. He is also the Managing Director of The Abraham Foundation (Geneva, Switzerland) and the Managing Director of the Bnei Joseph Foundation (Israeli amuta). He is the co-founder and President of Jews and Christians United For Israel, Inc. (Texas nonprofit corporation - §501(c)(3)) and published the book entitled Jews and Christians, Fellow Travelers to the End of Days and publishes a monthly posting on its website concerning Judaism, Christianity and anti-Semitism.
He is Board Certified in Tax Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a past Adjunct Professor, Southern Methodist University, School of Law, LL.M. Tax Program and a past Adjunct Professor, University of Texas at Dallas, Masters in Accounting Program. He holds a B.E. (Electrical Engineering) from Vanderbilt University, an M.B.A. (Finance & Accounting) from Southern Methodist University, a J.D. from St. Mary's University and an LL.M. (Taxation) from Southern Methodist University.
He is a board member for the Bnai Zion Foundation and an AIPAC - Capital Club member.
Stephen A. Waldman: Born in 1951, Steve Waldman is a second generation Dallasite. Steve holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Risk Management & Insurance from the University of Texas at Austin, and the CPCU Designation from the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters. In 1973, Steve joined Waldman Bros (now IMA | Waldman), a legendary insurance, employee benefits and financial services firm, to specialize in Property and Casualty Insurance for both businesses and families. He currently serves as President of IMA Texas.
With a passion for advancing the goals of numerous philanthropic organizations, Waldman takes an active role in the community. A past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, his community service has included leadership roles with the Dallas Jewish Community Center, Congregation Shearith Israel, Texas Friends of Rabin Medical Center, Jewish Federations of North America, the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, and participation with the Lone Star Chapter of the National MS Society.
Waldman currently serves as chairman of the board of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance. In 2015, he received Dallas Business Journal's Outstanding Non-Profit Director Award as well as Business Council for the Arts' Obelisk Award in the category of arts leadership in recognition of his great work on behalf of the Dallas Holocaust Museum and overall community involvement.
Steve and his wife Jackie, have three children, who, along with their spouses, have blessed them with eight beautiful grandchildren.
Steve Waldman | 6200 LBJ Freeway | Suite 200 | Dallas,TX 75240
P: 972.759.3722 M: 972.679.8755 E: firstname.lastname@example.com
Howard Watt, JD: Attorney at Law, The Law Office of Howard E. Watt, P. C., Former Municipal Judge, City of Denton; former president, Congregation Kol Ami, Flower Mound, Texas; former chair, Big Brother, Big Sister of Denton County; Denton Country Child Welfare Board; and Regional Hillel of North Texas.
Sharon Wisch-Ray: Sharon Wisch-Ray was born and raised in Fort Worth where she graduated from Trinity Valley School. She graduated from Washington University with a BA in Psychology. She earned her MSSW from UT Arlington. She maintained a private practice for several years and was an adjunct at UTA's school of Social Work. In January 2002, when her father passed away, she was "ABD" for her doctorate, and left social work to help out at the Texas Jewish Post. She has been at the TJP ever since.
Carole Wolanow: Carole Wolanow has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Educational Counseling. Both received from San Diego State University. A California native, she has resided in Dallas since 1980. Carole had a career in Human Resources and Executive Search consulting. She retired in 2014 from Kenzer Group, a New York-based Retail Executive search firm. Since coming to Dallas, Carole has served on the Boards of Congregation Beth Torah, The Dallas VAAD, Akiba Academy, and the Dallas Hebrew Free Loan Association. She currently serves on both the Regional and National boards of the Bnai Zion Foundation, North Texas Hillels, Congregation Shaare Tefillah, and the Maayan Chai Foundation. Carole also serves as a committee member to select films for the JCC Film Festival and to select books for the JCC Book Fest and Community Reads. In 2009, Carole and her husband Joram were honored by Bnai Zion with their Anshei Chesed award.
Mark Yudof: Mark G. Yudof, who served as the 19th president of the University of California from 2008 through 2013, is an Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Yudof previously served as chancellor of the University of Texas System and as president of the four-campus University of Minnesota. Before that, he served as dean of the law school at the University of Texas at Austin from 1984 to 1994, and as the University's executive vice president and provost from 1994 to 1997.
Yudof is a recognized authority on constitutional law, freedom of expression and education law. He is the author of When Government Speaks and co-author of five editions of Educational Policy and the Law. In 2013, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion awarded him an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. He is a member of the governing boards of Hebrew University and the University of Haifa, and also serves on the boards of the Lumina Foundation, the Opportunity Institute (Berkeley), and the Blum Center for Developing Economies.
Currently he is a senior consultant to the Schusterman Family Foundation and chair of the advisory board of the Academic Engagement Network (AEN). AEN opposes boycotts and divestment from Israel and Israeli institutions and promotes freedom of expression on university campuses.
Donald Zale: Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, where at a very early age he worked at his family's jewelry store. He attended Texas A&M University and received a BBA from Southern Methodist University. He held numerous positions at Zale Corporation, was elected President and Chief Executive Officer in 1971, and became its Chairman and CEO in 1981. In 1980 he led a challenge to several universities to provide a curriculum in retailing which resulted in the establishment of the Center for Retailing Studies in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. After Zale Corporation was sold in 1986, he left the company and associated with Blockbuster Video, becoming for several years their largest franchisee. Zale became Chairman of Zale Lipshy University Hospital at UT Southwestern Medical School in 1987 and has been in several director positions at the Southwestern Medical Foundation since that time. He also served as Chairman of the M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation and the Abe Zale Foundation. In 2003 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from Texas A&M University. He and his wife Barbara reside in Dallas, Texas.
Fred S. Zeidman: Fred S. Zeidman, Chairman Emeritus US Holocaust Memorial Museum, was appointed by President George W. Bush in March 2002 and served in that position from 2002-2010. A prominent Houston-based business and civic leader, Mr. Zeidman is also Chairman Emeritus of the University of Texas Health Science System Houston, interim Chief Financial Officer of the Texas Heart Institute, and member of the Board of the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR). He further serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the University of Saint Thomas and Houston Community College. Mr. Zeidman currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Petroflow Energy, and as a Director of Petro River Oil, Hyperdynamics Corp., Straight Path Communications, Inc. and Prosperity Bank in Houston. He was formerly Chairman of the Board of SulphCo Inc., Chief Restructuring Officer of Transmeridian Exploration, Inc. and Bankruptcy Trustee of AremisSoft Corp. He has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Seitel Inc. and Unibar, Inc.
Mr. Zeidman holds a Bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master's in Business Administration from New York University.


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Get Started
Step One: Fundamentals
We begin with either two or five private sessions to help you learn the basic movements of CrossFit, how our workouts feel and why we train the way we do. Private sessions maximize the amount of attention given to you and we feel it's the best environment for you to get your start. It's kind of like hiring a tour guide for your vacation to Rome, instead of just having your lonely planet book.
Still not sure? Come see a class for yourself. You can participate or just observe!
Step Two: Classes
Held between 7 and 10 times a day, our CrossFit Classes offer the clearest instruction, most effective scaling and soundest programming, helping you achieve your fitness goals as rapidly as possible. We recommend that beginners take 3 classes each week for best results, and eventually, depending on your goals, adding a fourth and fifth session. Due to some peoples amazingly full schedules we offer a twice weekly membership as well.
Our classes consist of three elements: a warm-up, a workout and a cool-down.
The warm-up is different each day and depends entirely on what the focus of the day is both in the body parts used and in the movements of the workout. The goal of the warm-up is to: prepare the specific tissues needed for today, and increase the blood flow to the working areas; furthermore to review movement mechanics, giving you an opportunity to practice, develop and refine your skills to allow you to improve your abilities for the days workout.
The workout truly is CrossFit: constantly varied, functional movements executed at high intensity. Sometimes we get tired, sometimes we move heavy things, sometimes we practice skills, sometimes we get really tired, the point is that it changes, it is difficult enough to make you better and the movements we use are found in everyday life, yet perfected in the gym environment.
The cool-down portion of the session is about slowly returning the body back to "normal operating mode". When training your body is profoundly more active than when at rest. To immediately ask it to sit in your car 2 minutes after finishing your session is not the best! Stretching the worked areas, additional midline (core) work and often assistance exercises to correct muscular imbalances, are things we do after the main work of the day is completed before we send you back out into the real world.
Completing these three sections of a class, in a respectful, fun, and motivational way leads to a very full hour!
Step Three: Be Fit
Having completed your Fundamentals Training, getting into CrossFit Classes and taking the time to see real improvements in yourself, the reward is fitness.
It shouldn't be an ever-increasing spiral of awesome that leads only to more and more workouts! The dizzying nature of such an enterprise looks like training with the only goal being to train even more, so that you can train more, which would help you train even more. Like I said, dizzying. Grandiloquently, vertiginous.
In the short term, life sacrifices for CrossFit to a certain extent (food changes, schedule adjustments, etc.), while your fitness is building, in the long term CrossFit is what gets sacrificed as you start doing more and more of the things that really interest you (playing with your kids, hiking, playing new sports, more active trips, daunting projects etc.). Be that whatever it may be, or whatever may present itself!
Maybe you haven't backpacked in 10 years, come train for a year and half, get profoundly more fit, then start working in hikes, and then in 5 years you can tackle the Wonderland Trail with no qualms. Maybe you want to coach your kids Lacrosse team but know that you are in no condition to run and move as you would need to, start training now! By the time your kids need you as a coach you'll be physically ready to handle the demands, and then when you're coaching three teams you'll have to only take class twice a week because your in the pitch 8 hours a week. Sounds like a worthy trade. Maybe your grandkids are coming (still in the "oven" maybe!) and you want to be able to help carry them, go to the beach, play catch and all that. Get to training, and when they're ready you will be too.
Being fit means, being fit to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, for whatever reasons you have for doing it. We want to prepare you for your life so you can live it to the fullest! Not simply so you can spend even more time here doing more and more workouts. Remember, the reward is fitness and how it changes your life for the better!
Far and away the best prize life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.


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|[Home] [Credit Search] [Category Browser] [Staff Roll Call]
|The LINUX.COM Article Archive
|Originally Published: Tuesday, 18 July 2000
|Author: Joseph Kordish
|Published to: news_learn_firststep/Firststep News
|Page: 1/1 - [Printable]
GNULinux.com: Adding a Second Hard Drive to Linux
For those of you who bought a new hard drive and are ready to add it to your Linux system - this is for you. First, you'll need to physically install the new hard drive in your system. Then, boot the machine and login as root.


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Changes To 'Rehiring Retired Teachers' Bill May Create Challenges For School Districts
By Katherine Joyce, NCASA Executive Director
The N.C. Senate this week approved a revised version of Senate Bill 399 intended to help school districts address staffing shortages by allowing them to rehire retired teachers under a new option. As revised, however, the bill could create some legal and financial liabilities for LEAs that choose to rehire retirees under the law if ultimately enacted.
Senate Bill 399 would allow certain retired teachers to return to work in high-need schools and still receive their full retirement benefits. In order to qualify, a high-need retired teacher would have to meet the following requirements:
- Have retired on or before February 1, 2019 after attaining one of the following:
- The age of 65 with 5 years of creditable service.
- The age of 60 with 25 years of creditable service.
- 30 years of creditable service.
- Be re-employed by a local school board to teach at a high-need school, defined as a school that, at any point on or after July 1, 2017, is/was a Title I school as defined by federal law and/or receives an overall school performance grade of D or F as calculated by the State Board of Education.
Under this proposed law, high-need retired teachers would be hired under a renewable one-year contract and paid on the 1st step of the teacher salary schedule (currently $35,000). State salary supplements or bonuses would not be provided, but the bill would require that these teachers be provided any applicable local salary supplement. If the teacher is being re-employed to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or special education, then he or she would be paid on the 6th step of the salary schedule (currently $40,000). No high-need retired teacher could move to higher salary steps.
The bill's main sponsor, Sen. Rick Horner (R-Nash), amended the bill in the Senate Pensions Committee on Monday to address concerns raised by the State Treasurer's staff, who said the original bill could have threatened the tax-exempt status of the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System (TSERS) by allowing certain retired teachers to continue receiving their full pension while re-entering full-time employment with a LEA. Current return-to-work laws require retirees to sit out for six months, return only to positions not requiring membership in TSERS (meaning they must work less than 30 hours per week over nine months in a permanent position), and be subject to earnings restrictions. Those restrictions allow the retiree to earn either 50% of their gross pre-retirement salary or the current 2019 limit of $33,560, whichever is greater.
The amended Section 5 of the bill also poses some new challenges for LEAs that might choose to operate under it in the future. That section would direct the State Treasurer to seek a private letter ruling from the IRS regarding provisions of the act that change the computation of post-retirement earnings of high-need retired teachers. It would allow the Treasurer to use up to $75,000 from TSERS assets in pursuing that ruling, to ensure the system's tax-exempt status is preserved. The bill provision also would prohibit any TSERS beneficiary re-employed as a high-need retired teacher from resuming full-time employment in any position that would allow him or her to draw a higher pension when leaving service again, pursuant to current state law. Lastly, it would require the Retirement System to correct any failure to comply with this provision by passing on any associated costs to the employing school district.
This latter requirement is perhaps the most concerning for LEAs that might use this new law in hiring teachers in the future, but there also are some legal concerns regarding potential age discrimination issues that should be considered. These legal concerns stem from limiting potential increases in retirement benefits for high-need retired teachers (under this new law) and not for others who still could work under current return-to-work laws. Also note that the LEA would have no choice on which law would apply to retired teachers they are employing, thereby making it likely that both sets of rules would be in use for that district's teaching pool.
The new law would take effect July 1, 2019 and would expire June 30, 2021. It also would be repealed automatically 30 days from the state's receipt of any IRS determination that the new provisions would jeopardize the tax status of TSERS. If that determination is made, then LEAs that have used the new law in employing high-need retired teachers would be subject to their portion of the financial penalties passed on to the state.
The amended bill easily passed the full Senate Tuesday afternoon and has been sent to the House for further consideration. NCASA will continue working on this bill in an effort to eliminate the potential legal and financial concerns for LEAs and make the bill a helpful new tool for overcoming the teacher shortage statewide, as the bill sponsor intends it to be.


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I liken the local financial blogging scene to a community. I enjoy my time reading what others have to say about the personal finance and investment scene in Singapore. We exchange ideas and encourage each other on our financial journeys. As an ecosystem, it is healthy and growing and we are proud to be part of it.
Some time ago B from A Path to Forever Financial Freedom updated about his dividend payouts. It generated a deluge of comments. One of the very first was from aloypro who asked if it is better to invest for capital gains or for yields, especially for someone with a small amount to start off with.
Popular finance pundit Winston Wisdom Koh, inspired by B and also AK, shared his thoughts on facebook. Again, many weighed in with comments.
The topic of capital gains vs yields is obviously very close to investors hearts. This issue pops up in our day to day conversation often. Alvin wrote about the pros and cons of dividend investing some weeks ago. He suggested looking to stocks for gains and bond for yields.
Let me add to the fray by looking at this issue from a behavioural finance perspective.
The questions at the heart of the entire saga is this – Should an investor be buying stocks for yields or capital gains? My stand is simple. All other things being equal, it is easier for investors to look to the equity market for yields than for capital gains, for the couple of reasons listed below.
Psychologist B.F. Skinner used rats as proxies to study human behaviour. Skinner is interested in how behaviour can be shaped by rewards.
He suggested four different schedules, namely fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval and variable interval.
The setup is simple. Install a rat in a cage. There is a lever in the cage which the rat can press. When the rat presses the lever, a pallet of food appears. The rat is happy.
Now imagine we want to teach the rat lever pressing behaviour. And we can control when and how the food appears. In a fixed ratio schedule, each lever press will result in a pallet of food.
Of course we can up the ratio and allow two pallets to appear with each lever press. The ratio becomes 1:2 but the principle remains that lever presses will result in food. In this case, the rat quickly learns that in order to get more food, he just needs to hit the lever.
In a fixed interval schedule, food drops are time dependent. We can set the time interval to be say, five minutes. Food will be dispensed every five minutes as long as within that time frame, the lever is pressed at least once. The rat quickly learns that more lever presses will not result in more food. Rather, food will appear at fixed intervals as long as the lever is activated within that interval.
Variable ratio and variable intervals schedules are, as the name suggests, random in nature. The former rewards the rat with different amounts of food with each lever press. Sometimes many, sometimes none. The latter rewards the rat at different times. Sometimes food will appear in a jiffy after a lever press, at other times, it will appear after a very long period.
Which reward system is most effective?
Back to the original intent. If what we set out to do is to train the rat to achieve consistent lever pressing behaviour, which set of reward system would be most effective?
Undoubtably, the rat learns well and fast when exposed to the fixed ratio and interval schedules. On the other hand, the rat becomes confused when rewards are variable in nature. Lever pressing behaviour is well established in the former and easily extinguished when rewards are variable.
Transpose the principles to investing in stocks. Think of investors as rats and buying stocks as lever pressing. To obtain food, rats must press the lever. To derive profits, investors must stay vested. When food comes randomly, rats get confused and stop their lever pressing behaviour.
When buying stocks for capital gains, the rewards, if any at all, are random and variable. Investors cannot impose their will on the market and demand capital gains. There is no indication as to when profits will come after buying a stock. It could be a week or ten years. It could be ten percent or a thousand percent. The human mind is not made to handle this kind of uncertainty.
Investing for dividend turns the entire game around. Owning a company that has a stable dividend policy allows the investor to know exactly when to expect payouts. Buying REITs for yields achieves the same results. (Purists would say that dividends are not fixed, but variable ratio. I agree but with the right companies, the uncertainty is much lesser). This is a very comforting thought. Investors are able to project their cashflow and returns. This is what keeps many players in the market.
There is (almost) no other options
The other option is to buy bonds for yields. Bonds are instruments of debt. MoolahSense CEO Lawrence Yong explains the distinction between bonds and stocks in a recent interview.
There is an adage in Finance. Equity investors look at a glass half full, while Fixed Income (Bond) investors look at a glass half empty.
When companies issue equity, they sell 'hope' to investors. Investors buy shares on the hope that they company will deliver on the projections. If a company exceed the projections, there is no cap on the returns that an investor may get.
When companies issue debt, they make a 'promise' to investors. When a company borrows, they commit to repay investors the principal with interests on a scheduled date with a maturity period. Even if a company does well, their returns will be capped. But if a company becomes less profitable, they are still required to repay the debt at the contracted rate and time period.
First things first, the bond market in Singapore is practically non-existent. Despite recent pushes by SGX to make corporate bonds more accessible to the general public, at this moment there are only six offerings.
Unlike the stock market, people have always thought of the bond market as for high net worth investors. Such a mindset will take a generation to change. For the retail investor seeking constant yields, going to the bond market requires additional knowledge and a largely contrarian streak. It requires someone to be an early adopter.
Behaviorally it is cognitively taxing. It is not an easy task to venture out. It is much easier to go along with the flow. As such, many remain addicted to dividend stocks for yields while ignoring the bond market totally.
Traditional Finance vs Behavioural Finance
Traditional Finance theories posit that human beings are rational and markets are efficient. Behavioural finance on the other hand places investors as 'normal' and often not fully rational. While the rational human seeks to maximise gains and minimise losses, the normal human is wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
And that includes the pain of waiting indefinitely for uncertain capital gains, that of having to learn and discover a foreign instrument which few are buying is too much to bear.
In conclusion
Allow me to leave you with this quote from Warren Buffett.
In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.
The market rewards you for your discomfort. Conversely, comfort comes at a cost. Is it a cost you are willing to bear?
image: greekshares
Dive, snowboard and have moved house five times in the last ten years. Miraculously filled up every single page in my passport before it expired. Manage risk for a living.


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Medievil Crossbow
Old school crossbow for shooting enthusiast. I gave it a nice floral touch on the outside of the crossbow and a single trigger release so it doesnt have heaps of mechanical bits. I could easily shoot 15 foot but if I had a stronger rubber band I could get over 20 foot. Print out a few for your buddy's and have a shooting competition.
—–> Watch The Video <—–
Print level: Intermediate
Post Processing:
Infill Level: %
Material Type:
Print Time:
Model originally printed on: Zortrax M200
Recommended print settings:
Infill - 50% to 100%
Layer Height - 0.1 to 0.2
Use Raft
Use Support
Print Time - 6hrs
This can be scaled up to how ever big you want it.
You mIght have to sand the 'Trigger Pin' for it to slide in.
I split the crossbow in half so the outside detail would print better.