text:
Screen Print Biz Group to Hold Inaugural Meeting in Nashville
New organization formed to address concerns of professionals in the decorated-apparel industry.
The Screen Print Biz Group, a new decorated-apparel business-management and development alliance, has announced that its first meeting will take place May 8, 2014, in Nashville, Tennessee.
The group is organizing to address the following business issues:
• Implementation of the best industry practices;
• Diversification techniques;
• Growth strategies;
• Industry trends/forecasting;
• Networking;
• Seminars and workshops from industry leaders;
• Exit strategy planning and implementation;
• Accountability partnerships; and
• Buying group.
Group founders include: Mark Dabiero of Flying Colors Imprinting in Westland, Michigan (flyingcolorsimpinting.com); Pierre Jamnicky of Blue Moon Promotional in Eastlake, Ohio (bmpromotional.com); and Greg Kitson of Mind's Eye Graphics in Decatur, Indiana (mindseyeg.com).
The fee-based group reports that it is looking for like-minded professionals in the decorated-apparel industry "who share not only passion for the industry but also the need to improve."
"This new Decorated Apparel Biz Group concept follows the automotive and other industries concept 'that you can't know everything about anything,' says Greg Kitson, "and by joining forces in a facilitated collaborative setting, all participants benefit. Every business owner/manager has proven strengths and weaknesses. The collaborative group format will share an individual participant's strengths, and provide the tools for members to improve weak areas within their own skill set.
"The format also creates a competitive arena that will raise the performance expectations and create a group of accountability partners for every participating member, as they journey on their unique perpetual quest for knowledge," says Kitson.
The initial meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn Express Nashville Airport in Nashville, and will be held in conjunction with the ISS tradeshow.


text:
Ruler Nutter Butters
Just two more weeks before the kids head back to school for us here in WNY! Summer seriously flew by this year. I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up pool days quite yet, but I do have to admit, I get crazy excited at the fact my life will once again run on a schedule. Life just makes more senesce when it's all planned out!
Celebrate Back-to-School with these adorable Ruler Nutter Butters!!! Made with candy-coated Nutter Butters and frosted numbers, they're a tasty snack or classroom party treat!
• Nutter Butters
• Yellow and cocoa candy melts
• Decorating bag
• Fork
• Parchment paper
1. Carefully place 2 cups of your yellow candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
2. Use a fork to dip your Nutter Butters into the yellow chocolate, let any excess chocolate drip off and place onto a piece of parchment paper.
3. Transfer to the freezer for 5-8 minutes to harden.
4. Now place 1 cup of your cocoa candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
5. Add your cocoa melts into a decorating bag and cut a very small tip off the end.
6. Use your filled decorating bag to draw inch lines and 1/2 inch lines going across the bottom of your yellow Nutter Butters lengthwise.
7. Then draw three numbers along the inch lines and let harden.
8. Serve & Enjoy!
Leave a Reply.
CourtneyLynne is former model turned mommy & wifey! When not blogging all things foodie, fashion, travel, mom life & straight up fabulousness to the masses, she can be found chasing her toddler around in 6in stilettos & laughing at her own jokes her glass of wine told her to tell.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
App uses Facebook to predict perfect marriage date
TIME calculates when users could tie the knot, based on their Facebook friends
An app by TIME says it can predict your perfect marriage date after just a few seconds on your Facebook page.
When a user allows the application to access his or her personal page, it calculates how many of that user's friends are already married. Based on that number, it finds the median age of marriage in that person's social circle. It then provides the user with a "perfect" marriage date, in years, months, or days, based on their age and the age of their friends.
According to the application, it only "counts friends who list their date of birth, including the year." It also counts married friends as those whose relationship statuses are "married," "engaged," "in a domestic partnership," or "in a civil union."
To try it out yourself, click here.
Copyright 2014 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Come and see for yourself! On Friday 9. 10. (8am – 6pm) and Saturday 10. 10. (8am – 2pm) the apple festival is being held with all of its features! Up to 15 Czech pomiculturers will be happy to tell you everything about apple species they specialize for. The genuine kinds that our greatgrandmoms remember cultivating as well as the new 'modern' species.
Besides all the beautiful kinds of apples there will be a selection of finest ciders waiting for you to taste them! A live band CIRKUS PROBLEM is performing on Saturday 10. 10. to please our hearts and ears – come and support their fantastic and playful music!
A theatre for children can't be missing: a performance will start on Saturday at 10am and 12am, take your young ones out with you!
On the top of the things a romantic open fire will be waiting for you: you can bake yourself an apple or a potatoe and welcome the knocking-on-the-door autumn.
The apple fest is not about apples only – pears and other fruit will be with us, too! Syrups, juices, 'kolache' (sweet baked goods), jams and marmalades, purée, dried fruit, patée, spreads and much more! As a matter of course – a juciery on-wheels will be ready for everyone to squeeze out juice out of their most favourite kinds!
Our honnourable guest – Mr. Martin Ludvík, the chairman of the Czech Pomiculture Union – will be with us answering all the questions revolving around apples and fruit in general and will be guiding us through a traditional show of different apple kinds. You can taste them all!
The Farmers' Market will be held as usual.
We are looking forwards to seeing you!


text:
Peatlands in the EU Regulatory Environment
Case Study from the New Member States (Poland/Estonia)
Peatland conservation and management in Europe is influenced by regulations and programmes of the European Union (EU) in the field of environment, agriculture and infrastructure. A comprehensive analysis of the pan-European legal situation is missing so far. In practice, the recent conservation efforts across the European Union turned out to be weak. In the Eastern member states the proportion of natural peatlands is higher than in Central Europe. 30 % of Estonia's and 14 % of Poland's peatlands are considered as still intact, in Germany less than 1 %.
In the context of this project a survey will be conducted, presenting positive and negative effects of the EU legislation on the status of peatlands and peat soils in the EU, in particular in relation to nature conservation and ecosystem services. Next to a general study of the EU-law situation, notable focus goes to the fen rich Member State Poland and Estonia which is characterized by Baltic raised bogs in context of two case studies which exemplarily model the local situations.
In the general part of the study, the EU legal framework for mire conservation and utilization in Europe is presented. Through the closely-examined, integrative analysis of the impact of the overall EU acquis communautaire, gaps in legislation, as well as competitive consequences are clearly identified. The nature conservation legislation, the architecture of EU agriculture and forestry, impacts of climate legislation for peatlands, schemes to promote renewable energy from biomass, the structural, regional and rural development policy, as well as the EU environmental law and the environmental damage law to their effect for peatlands is intensively investigated.
In the course of the entry of Poland and Estonia into the EU in 2004, the complete general EU framework became applicable at once which gives the possibility for a clear allocation of its impacts on mires. Therefore the development of peatland-rich regions with representative peatland areas is examined in the case studies. Peatlands within protected areas under the Natura 2000 directive and used areas outside of protected zones are included. Based on a detailed analysis of the situation on site and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders the concrete effect of EU legal system, funding mechanisms and their regional design on peatlands are presented.
The findings are used to draft policy options recommendations for dealing with peatlands at EU level and to discuss them with decision makers during a final workshop in Brussels. The overall project is coordinated by the Michael Succow Foundation, partner of the Greifswald Mire Centre.
GDOS is an agency subordinated to the Polish Ministry of the Environment and supports the project in implementation and with specific advisory based on their professional knowledge in Poland. Keskkonnaministeerium is the Estonian Ministry of the Environment and supports the project in implementation and with specific advisory based on their professional knowledge in Estonia. Silvestrum VoF is an independent consultancy to develop and implement environmentally responsible and climate-sensitive economic activities in the sector of forestry, soil and land use. Donor
This project is funded by the German Federal Environment Ministry's Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) for environmental protection in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and other countries neighbouring the European Union. It was supervised by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA). The responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors.
Project coordination:
Jan Peters, email: jan.peters(at)succow-stiftung.de


text: Care Providers Oklahoma, previously the Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers (OAHCP), represents the interests of more than 18,000 residents and 19,000 professionals that work in Oklahoma's long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, assisted living homes and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The mission of Care Providers Oklahoma is to assist its members in providing the highest quality care to the seniors, individuals with disabilities and vulnerable Oklahomans who live in our facilities. We advocate for the enhancement of that care so that Oklahoma long-term care residents may live in the comfort and dignity they deserve.


text:
On Friday I like to I like to post something I recently designed.
Here's a coaster released by Thirstystone.
Some of my gift items can be purchased retail, on Amazon.com such as the rubber stamps, embroidery kits.
Sign up on my business facebook page to see other releases.
Advantages of a Handmade Card Business Part 5: Higher Retail Price
Most handmade Cards sell for over 2 or 3 times the price of a printed card. This has several advantages:
1. You don't have to keep your unit material costs as low as commercial cards.
In a commercial card company, with large production scales, every penny counts in printing and producing greeting cards. The profit margin may only be 15% of the wholesale price (about 11 cents per card). For a commercial company, there is not always enough breathing room to take risks or to use more expensive materials.
A commercial company may have to keep envelope prices down to one or two cents each. They do this by buying huge quantities. For a handmade card maker, this is not usually possible. Because you are buying smaller quantities, you may always have to spend 5 to 7 seven cents (if not more) per envelope.
Ultimately, this should not be an issue, since you are not trying to compete with a commercially produced card. Ideally, you have a better quality item at a higher price and you receive a higher profit margin per card. Two cents isn't going to break you, like it might the commercial company. Therefore you don't have to match their prices nor do you have to keep your unit costs as low. You have more pricing leeway to play with.
2. The store makes more profit per card.
The handmade card is an advantage for the retail store also. For each hand-crafted card that's sold, the store makes about twice the profit it would with a commercial card. If a store sells a handmade card it may get a profit of $1.50-$2.50, whereas a commercial card may only bring them .75 cents. Consider the premium of shelf space that would be taken up by a commercial card, for a mere .75 profit. Wouldn't it be better for the store owners to put a product in that same place that is not only going to be more beautiful, but bring in more profit?
You might be tempted to think that no one, including yourself, is going to buy a "high priced" greeting card, but research shows that price is the last consideration when customers purchase a greeting card. A customer is more interested in trying to convey an appropriate message to a friend or relative. If the words fit, they will buy it, regardless of the price. Haven't you purchased cards impulsively simply because it fit someone you knew?
3. The salesperson has to ring up less items for the same profit.
It takes a sales clerk longer to ring up ten items at $1.50 than five items at $3.00. Ideally, a store wants the least number of transactions for the same amount of profit.
See Other Advantages of a Handmade Card Business:
Handmade Card Business Part 1: Financial Investment
Handmade Card Business Part 2: You Change Designs Quickly
Handmade Card Business Part 3: Financial Investment
Handmade Card Business Part 4: More Designs & High Quality
Handmade Card Business Part 5: Higher Retail Price
Handmade Card Business Part 6: Homebased
Handmade Card Business Part 7: Easier for Beginners
Handmade Card Business Part 8: Card & Gift in one
What does an agent look for? Advice from Jim Marcotte
In art licensing, like any business, you will see people come and go both at the agencies and among those working on their own. Of course there are a host of reasons why this happens, often personal circumstances dictate the change, but over the years we've honed our opinion of what it takes to make an artist successful over the long term – attributes I like to call "The Second Set".
The "first set" would be what every agent can quickly evaluate – marketable style, good art skills, product understanding and maybe some experience. These are immediately evident as soon as we crack open a portfolio, and are essential to success in this business. The problem is that while all of those are necessary, they are certainly no guarantee that an artist will be able to compete in the marketplace.
" Licensing is about your clients and their products, not your art." -Jim Marcotte
The Second Set attributes are much harder to appraise – hence the difficulty many artists have locating an agent to sign them. Agents are generally cautious because a failed artist relationship, and we all have them, is not only very frustrating for everyone involved, but also expensive for the agency in terms of time, money and possibly even reputation.
So what are we talking about here? What else could it take to make a career in the art licensing biz? Here are a few more important characteristics, in no particular order:
- Imagination. A continuous flow of new ideas, fresh concepts and new takes on old stand-bys. Successful licensed artists always seem to have many ideas going at once, and they are constantly starting, changing, discarding and evolving them.
- Curiosity. What is this market about? Why do some things sell and others don't? What is that figurine made from? What companies produce big gift lines? And so on and so on – successful licensed artists are very engaged in their world.
- Competitive Spirit. There is stiff competition for every licensing dollar from many different directions. Successful artists really want that contract, are willing to do the work required to go after it, and if they don't get it are asking why not, and what can I do to land the next one.
- Focus. You should treat this as your chosen career, not an opportunity to test the waters or dabble a bit in licensing. Get your priorities straight, because you will need to respond quickly and reliably to every request no matter how you feel about it. Licensing is about your clients and their products, not your art, and a thick skin is required.
- Patience. An artist needs to take the long view and plan to be in the business for years. Sustaining that effort is very difficult, particularly in the beginning, but absolutely necessary in art licensing. Almost every well known artist in this business has built their career over decades – one design and one contract at a time.
- Confidence. The ability to trust in your vision and go for it, and if it doesn't work, to remain confident that your next idea will. Artist angst has killed many a promising career. Work at becoming really good at what you do, know that you are good at it and take your best shot every time.
Not only are these hard to evaluate before agreeing to begin a relationship, we cannot teach someone this - you can only teach yourself. An honest self-examination of your skills will go a long way toward understanding what you have to offer an agency – and ultimately will do wonders for your career.
Jim Marcotte and his wife, artist and author Ronnie Walter, founded Two Town Studios in 2000. Two Town Studios is a successful art licensing and brand development agency representing 8 experienced artists.
We have over 300 active licensing agreements that generate millions of dollars in licensed product sales annually. Our designs have been licensed on giftware, all types of stationery, partyware, home and wall decor, garden product, fabric and woven goods, figurines, tabletop, cards and calendars, needlework, scrapbook products, packaging and more.
Our licensed product is sold at all levels of distribution - independent and boutique stores, mid-tier and mass such as Target, WalMart and Michael's, grocery, drug, catalog, internet and broadcast marketing.
Advantages of a Handmade Card Business Part 4: More Designs & High Quality
Also if you look closely at commercially printed cards, the materials used are usually of lower quality than that of a handmade card. The card itself is usually thin and under 60 lb weight. Often they are not protected in a cellophane bag. As a result they tend to get damaged in the store from over handling. Also, printed cards tend not to use high-quality envelopes with square flaps, deckled edges, or wide varieties of colors.
Makers of hand-crafted cards, on the other hand tend, to use all of these materials so that the cards are much more attractive.
For special occasions like a wedding or birth, I believe customers prefers to buy high-quality, hand-crafted cards, especially if the recipient is going to keep the card as a momento. As one card maker put it "handmade cards are a relief in a world gone mad with mass producing everything. It's is a "real person" product you can give to another "real person" customer.
See Other Advantages of a Handmade Card Business:
Handmade Card Business Part 1: Financial Investment
Handmade Card Business Part 2: You Change Designs Quickly
Handmade Card Business Part 3: Financial Investment
Handmade Card Business Part 4: More Designs & High Quality
Handmade Card Business Part 5: Higher Retail Price
Handmade Card Business Part 6: Homebased
Handmade Card Business Part 7: Easier for Beginners
Handmade Card Business Part 8: Card & Gift in one


text:
Scrap Car Dunstan, NE66, Scrap your car for free
We offer a free scrap car collection service in and around Dunstan (NE66), Northumberland. Scrap cars can be a real problem and can cause you untold misery, if you have a scrap vehicle and it is on the road it will still need to be taxed. You don't have to pay to have your car collected. We will collect your old scrap car at no cost to you in Dunstan!
Latest News in Dunstan
As well as offering a completely free collection, we are also currently able to offer cash for scrap cars in Dunstan depending upon the weight of the vehicle!
If you'd like us to make you an offer just ask when calling or add 'CASH QUOTE PLEASE' in the 'Additional Info' box when submitting our online form.
- Nationwide coverage
- DVLA notification
- Completely free collection!
- Convenient collection times
- Environment agency approved recycling facilities
Complete the form to the right or just give us a call on 0800 043 5100!
Choose Scrap Car Dunstan
We have been trading in the Northumberland area for over a decade and have many happy customers. We know the area so well we can be out to you within 30 minutes. We are proud to be able to offer an unrivalled service and will arrive to collect your car at the agreed time slot. Our collection service is there for you so we will dedicate a specific time slot to work around any commitments you may have.
We will scrap your car in the most environmentally sound way in Northumberland. There are a few companies out there that will sell your scrap car as a runner and not scrap it, quite often they will not even inform the DVLA that the vehicle has a new owner. This will result in you being fined as legally you are left very vulnerable. We always ensure that the DVLA are aware that the vehicle is no longer registered to you, at least that's something you don't have to worry about. Every time we scrap a car we recycle as much as possible, keeping the impact on our environment as low as possible.
By ensuring that your car is collected by a reputable company like us, you can rest assured that the streets of Northumberland are kept clean and tidy of abandoned vehicles. When the road is littered with old useless cars it can seriously damage the image of any reputable town, so do your bit and scrap that car. Scrap car collection, call the team!
Reasons to scrap your car
There are hundreds of reasons why you would want to scrap a car. Experience shows that most of the time a car is scrapped as it is no longer road worthy, usually failing it MOT. If your car is not working and has broken down you will need to still keep it taxed, so scrap it and save yourself some monies.
How to scrap your car
It really is easy to scrap your car in Dunstan. We have many lines into our offices and always answer the phone so call today. If on the other hand you are not ready to book and would like to find out more about how to scrap a car please feel free to look at our guide to scrapping your car.
The car scrappage scheme
The vehicle scrappage scheme may seem like a brilliant idea. But you can not get any car, you are infarct restricted as to what car you can buy. You can't just go out and purchase any vehicle you want This is a very frustrating issue as you have got to buy a car that is in the current scheme.
Just call us on 0800 043 5100 or fill out the following form:


text:
Average gasoline prices on June 25 in Arizona have ranged widely over the last five years:
$2.38/g in 2017, $2.23/g in 2016, $2.71/g in 2015, $3.55/g in 2014 and $3.49/g in 2013.
Including the change locally during the past week, prices yesterday were 69.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago and are 2.0 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has dropped 14.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 58.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
Areas near Arizona and their current gas price climate:
Las Vegas- $3.24/g, down 4.0 cents per gallon from last week's $3.28/g.
Phoenix- $3.09/g, down 2.0 cents per gallon from last week's $3.11/g.
Tucson- $2.77/g, down 2.0 cents per gallon from last week's $2.79/g. p>
"The threat of an escalating trade war with China and others took a back seat to one of the most anticipated OPEC meetings last week: OPEC agreed to increase oil production by just 600 thousand barrels a day, well short of expectations amidst a hot global and U.S. economy. Crude oil prices responded by skyrocketing over 5 percent Friday while refined products, including gasoline, rose 2 percent. The worry is the rally may continue into this week as motorists prepare for the upcoming July 4 weekend," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "The decision may lead to an abrupt end in recent gas price declines, or may slow it down, just as gasoline prices had been catching up to the prior slump in crude oil. I'm optimistic that we can avoid a $3 per gallon national average, but if gas prices were to mirror the gains in oil prices, a 5% gain would theoretically put us back at nearly $2.99 per gallon, not what you like to see any time, much less prior to the summer's most popular holiday."
For LIVE fuel price averages, visit http://FuelInsights.GasBuddy.com.
About GasBuddy
GasBuddy is the technology company changing the way more than 75 million consumers find, purchase, and save money on gasoline. Founded in 2000, the original GasBuddy website was a pioneer in crowd-sourced information, leveraging technology, big data, and a passionate community that now connects more than 70 million users with real-time, accurate fuel pricing information as well as reliable reviews of gas station amenities and services. The app and website have the most accurate and real-time fuel prices at over 140,000 unique stations in the United States, Canada, and Australia and is the most comprehensive money-saving companion while on the road. GasBuddy is available on all mobile platforms. For more information, visit www.gasbuddy.com.


text:
DLA represents the film, theatrical, radio and tv rights for the majority of our clients. If you would like to know more about their availability for television appearances, or to establish if rights are free, please contact Rebecca Winfield (firstname.lastname@example.com). We also can provide information on how to book clients for personal appearances, corporate events, talks and signings.
Just some of the news this month:
Ben Lyttleton and Alex Bellos' inspired Football School: Where Football Explains the Wolrd for Walker has been optioned by a high-respected children's tv production company.
Oliver Kay's bittersweet story of footballer Adrian Doherty's life, Forever Young, is to be developed for the stage – more on that soon.
Barbara Smit's bestselling story of the Dassler Brothers, Pitch Invasion, has been optioned by the US-based ITV Studios.
The Dirtiest Race also by Richard Moore is in pre-production with a Paris based film company whilst his recent look at the incredible success of Jamaican athletes – The Bolt Supremacy – is also under option.
For more information on film, theatre, TV and radio projects, please contact Rebecca Winfield. email@example.com


text:
You know the Agile and Lean development buzzwords, you've read the books. But when systems need a serious overhaul, you need to see how it works in real life, with real situations and people. Lean from the Trenches is all about actual practice. Every key point is illustrated with a photo or diagram, and anecdotes bring you inside the project as you discover why and how one organization modernized its workplace in record time.
Lean from the Trenches: Managing Large-Scale Projects with Kanban
by Henrik Kniberg
Lean from the Trenches
Managing Large-Scale Projects with Kanban
by Henrik Kniberg
Customer Reviews
I found it the most useful project management book I have ever read. If you want to get better by drawing on the experience of others, read this book
- Trev Roberts
If you were to have only one book on Lean/Agile in your bookshelf, I would recommend this one.
- Heartcrossings
I read the whole thing end to end. In a word, FANTASTIC! Grounded, real, funny,
easy to read, smooth flow, good balance between theory and practice.
- Kent Beck
FANTASTIC! I know it's going to make a big dent in the world of software development.
It's easily the most important book I have seen in the past year!
- Mary Poppendieck
Author of the "Lean Software Development" series
I could not stop reading "Lean from the Trenches." This book shows me that a big
project can be run in a lean and agile way. For people in the trenches of large
enterprises, stories like this make a huge difference.
- Yves Hanoulle
Change Artist at PairCoaching.net
An excellent peek into a pragmatic application of the best of the agile processes
in a real-world scenario. If you ever wondered "Am I doing it right?" then this book
may just provide you with the answer. Every technical team lead interested in
seeing how an agile process actually works should buy this now!
- Colin Yates
Principle Engineer, QFI Consulting LLP, UK
An excellent peek into a pragmatic application of the best of the agile processes
in a real-world scenario. If you ever wondered "Am I doing it right?" then this book
may just provide you with the answer. Every technical team lead interested in
seeing how an agile process actually works should buy this now!
- Colin Yates
Principle Engineer, QFI Consulting LLP, UK
It rocks. Finally, a nonpuritan, pragmatic, successful case study with real, usable
- Simon Cromarty
The Agile Pirate
I really enjoyed this immensely pragmatic and readable look at a real project
organized on agile and lean principles. The emphasis on real-life experiences
rather than theory was refreshing and engaging. I will definitely recommend this
book to friends and will use its insights in my own professional engagements.
- Kevin Beam
Independent Software Developer, Lambda42, LLC
About this Title
Pages: 178
Published: 2011-12-07
Release: P1.0 (2011-12-07)
Lean from the Trenches is all about actual practice.
Find out how the Swedish police combined XP, Scrum, and Kanban in a 60-person project. From start to finish, you'll see how to deliver a successful product using Lean principles.
We start with an organization in desperate need of a new way of doing things and finish with cross-functional teams all working in sync to develop a scalable, complex system while continuously improving their development process. You'll walk through the project step by step, from customer engagement, to the daily "cocktail party," test, cross-team synchronization, and version control. In this honest look at what works – and what doesn't – you'll find out how to:
- Make quality everyone's business, not just the testers.
- Keep everyone moving in the same direction without micromanagement.
- Use simple and powerful metrics to aid in planning and process improvement.
- Balance between low-level feature focus and high-level system focus.
You'll be ready to jump into the trenches and streamline your own development process.
Contents & Extracts
- How We Work
- About the Project
- Structuring the Teams
- Attending the Daily Cocktail Party excerpt
- The Project Board
- Scaling the Kanban Boards
- Tracking the High-Level Goal
- Defining Ready and Done excerpt
- Handling Tech Stories excerpt
- Handling Bugs
- Continuously Improving the Process
- Managing Work in Progress
- Capturing and Using Process Metrics
- Planning the Sprint and Release
- How We Do Version Control
- Why We Use Only Physical Kanban Boards
- What We Learned
- A Closer Look at the Techniques
- Agile and Lean in a Nutshell
- Reducing the Test Automation Backlog
- Sizing the Backlog with Planning Poker
- Cause-Effect Diagrams
Henrik Kniberg is a coach and consultant at Crisp. Henrik's background is a mix of development and management, and his passion is applying Lean and Agile principles to help debug, optimize, and refactor companies. Henrik is the author of Scrum and XP from the Trenches and Kanban & Scrum, making the most of both and a popular keynote speaker at conferences worldwide. Henrik lives in Stockholm with his wife and four kids, and in his "spare time" plays bass and keyboard with two local bands.


text:
I was never a fan of The Smiths, so I don't have a deep well of loving musical memories to buffer my assessment of Morrissey. My message to you, sir, is that We Get It. We get the fact that you believe that eating meat is a horrifying thing. You even wrote one or two songs on the topic to reinforce your point, as I recall. Yes, your point has been made. We understand.
You are a beautifully bleak, dark, and tortured soul. Here is some proof. I guess it is a natural thing for people which such passionate beliefs, on whatever topic they may be, to be completely obnoxious asses about it. I suppose he feels he need to personally advocate for the animals, because no one else is. I'm not even sure I disagree with you on the particulars of this topic, though I am a confirmed omnivore. Animals are treated badly. But, you don't change hearts and minds by telling people that if they like meat so much, they should eat their own children.
Morrissey: 'Eating animals is just the same as paedophilia, rape and murder'
We only hear from you when you dispel yet another rumor of a Smiths reunion, or when you pop up in the news once in a while to spew some crazy. I guess you just enjoy the attention, but shut up already. Good grief.


text:
Next On The Tikkun Olam Menu: Iran
Posted by Socrates in 'Middle East', global government, international Jewry, internationalism, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel - the facts, jewed foreign policy, Jewish aggression, Jewish Tyranny, Jewish warmongering, nation-building/nation-wrecking, NATO, Socrates, Zionism, Zionist lobby at 2:37 pm | Permanent Link
Of course, the Jews won't attack Iran themselves, just like they didn't attack Iraq themselves. They'll get America (or, these days, NATO) to do the attacking. They'll do the benefiting.


text:
BDS is coming inside the Jewish community. That is the clear thrust of several recent events in which Jews who are appalled by Israel's conduct are insisting on their right to discuss the use of boycott, divestment and sanctions as a means to pressure Israeli society.
First the news in my headline. The Jewish Reconstructionist community, based in Philadelphia, kicked off a conversation called "Israel & Zionism: A Contemporary Challenge" this past week with five essays "that represent a range of viewpoints from within the Jewish Reconstructionist communities."
But not all the viewpoints! Guess what: The editors asked Shai Gluskin, a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College outside Philadelphia, to submit a piece, too, then rejected it, evidently because he supports BDS.
Here is Gluskin's comment on the essay:
I was asked to write one of the anchoring essays for this project. However, when it came to light that I am open to other solutions to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict besides a two-state solution, I was asked, should I still want to participate, to post my essay as a comment instead. I do want to participate. Read on for my essay. Click here if you want it in PDF form.
You can read Gluskin's essay at the end of this piece. It said that he endorsed BDS "with a heavy heart":
The Palestinian Call to BDS is completely non-violent.
Every day that the status quo continues, Palestinians suffer under the Israeli occupation without dignity, freedom of movement, the ability to control their land, the right to vote, and more. I support the Palestinian Call to BDS as a way of trying to break that status quo
Gluskin told me in an email that editors proposed that he explain his support for the Palestinian Call to BDS as being in the service of bringing about a two-state solution. "So in the end it was my one-state leanings, not even emphasized, though they are hinted at, in my article, that were the deal-breaker," he says.
Today a prominent Reconstructionist rabbi, Caryn Broitman, added a scathing comment calling the editors' decision "censorship" and urging them to de-relegate Gluskin's essay.
As a member of the "Open Hillel" rabbinic council, I along with other Reconstructionist colleagues signed a statement that said: "In the spirit of an open Jewish community . . . I accept that there is a range of opinion on Israel in the Jewish community, including BDS and non-Zionist Judaism. While I may agree or disagree with all or parts of
these positions, I cannot agree to censor them or deny those who hold them the right to be heard in the Jewish community as Jews."..
[T]he rejection of Shai's solicited essay as an anchor essay because of its opinions is certainly a form of censorship.
The Gluskin controversy echoes the Open Hillel campus tour by Jewish civil rights veterans that has included endorsements of BDS by participants. Hillel International has shut out the tour, but students are abandoning their Hillel's in order to have the discussion. I've met some of these students. Not all of them want to endorse BDS. But they sure want to hear about it, discuss it intelligently.
Next, UCLA's center for Jewish studies and its Hillel are hosting Cornel West to an event commemorating Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel even though West is an eloquent supporter of BDS.
UCLA has come under heavy pressure from the pro-Israel community to rescind the invitation, including from Judea Pearl, Daniel Pearl's father and a professor of computer science, who has called on West to stay away:
No matter how eloquent your speech and how crafty your words, the audience you will face at UCLA will not be able to take them too seriously in light of your recent decision to become a leading propagandist for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Not sure about "Crafty"– it may be seen as having racial overtones.
Todd Samuel Presner, a Holocaust scholar and the director of the Jewish Studies center, has stood by West, even as he's criticized him for likening Gaza to a "concentration camp".
I don't know what West is going to say when he comes to UCLA on May 3rd. Perhaps his words will infuse me with inspiration, perhaps they will infuse me with indignation, or perhaps with both. In any case, I am going to listen attentively. I will, then, engage him respectfully and honestly,
Here is Gluskin's essay:
Jewish life in Israel has been at the core of my identity from the time I was a teen when I was active in Habonim Labor Zionist Youth. The return of Jews to the Land of Israel inspired me to want to be a part of creating an Israel that would serve as a light to the nations. I was so proud of being Jewish, in part because kibbutzim in Israel were an affirmation of the possibility of building communities based on human dignity and fairness.
In short, I was an idealist. As I grew older and had many experiences living in Israel myself, I began to understand that ideals are a lot easier to champion than they are to implement in the real world.
And though much of the Zionist movement had been rooted in high ideals, the realities of creating a nation state on land where others lived, in the wake of the Holocaust, meant that many moral compromises needed to be made.
As victors of the War of Independence in 1948, Israelis and Zionists all over the world created a narrative of the founding of Israel that did not accurately portray the Jewish role in expelling Palestinians from their land during that period.
In 1988 much of Israel's hitherto secret security archives were opened to the public. Many Israeli historians jumped on this opportunity. What they found was a clear record of a different narrative of events in 1948 from the one I had learned in Habonim. That research, based on primary documents, largely confirmed Palestinian versions of those events. One of the most important books of that time was The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947—1949 by Benny Morris.
As I began, slowly, to integrate the new information being brought to light about Israel's history, there seemed to be some willingness among Israelis and Palestinians to move toward mutual recognition and create a compromise that would bring peace, self-determination and security to Israelis and Palestinians alike. I'm referring to the Oslo Accords signed in 1994.
However, a final status agreement was never achieved. And while there is plenty of blame to go around, the status quo has prevailed. That status quo renews, daily, the denial of basic human rights to Palestinians.
I've been to Israel eight times totaling about three years of my life. My grandparents made aliyah when they were 75. Their apartment in Ramat Aviv was my home away from home. I love Hebrew, Hebrew literature and much of Israeli culture. I love the beauty of the land; I've lived 100 yards from the northern border near Metula and on a large rock in the Arava desert at Kibbutz Grofit close to Eilat in the South. I've been inspired there. I am deeply connected.
But the fundamental idea I had clung to, that Zionism was essentially a positive movement aimed at bettering Jewish life and the greater world, melted away during Israel's attack on Gaza at the end of 2008/beginning of 2009. What Zionism had wrought was a nation state that was bombarding refugees and their descendants who had been expelled by the same army or its antecedent in 1948. The result of that bombing was, according to the Israel Defense Forces, the death of 1,166 Gazans in three weeks. Three Israeli civilians and ten soldiers (four by "friendly fire") were killed.
Israel had engaged in the operation to stop the rockets that were being launched at Israeli civilian areas from Gaza. Those rockets rarely produced casualties, though significantly disrupted the daily life for many in southern Israel. Israel's disproportionate response, for which I could find no justification, made me want to dig deeper into its causes.
As a result of renewed reading I came to believe that we must address the historical issues. The most important point of the history that needs to be addressed is the Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic, and refers to Israel's War of Independence which resulted in the dispossession of over 750,000 Palestinians and the destruction of more than 400 villages. Those villages "tattoo the Israeli landscape, exit wounds from a history we have barricaded out of our lives."[1]
In the S. Yizhar 1949 Hebrew novella Khirbet Khizeh, the narrator speaks from some time in the future after he has tried, unsuccessfully, to shut down his memories of participating in the expulsion of Palestinian villagers:
TRUE, IT ALL HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO, but it has haunted me ever since. I sought to drown it out with the din of passing time, … and I even, occasionally, … managed to see that the whole thing had not been so bad after all, …. But sometimes I would shake myself again, astonished at how easy it had been… to be knowingly led astray… I saw that I could no longer hold back, … instead of staying silent, I should, rather, start telling the story.
In 1976, when I was 18, I lived on Kibbutz Ma'ayan Baruch in the Northern Galilee as part of Habonim's Workshop program. 200 meters from the dining hall one could find the remains of the Palestinian village, al-Sanbariyya, where Jewish forces, under the order of Yigal Alon, expelled its residents on May 1, 1948. Later the Jewish National Fund destroyed its 36 houses. However, despite its proximity, our leaders never told us of that history, nor did they show us the remains.
If the Nakba did not deeply mar the achievement of Jewish self-determination, our leaders would not have hesitated to tell us the story and show us the village. By creating myths about the circumstances of the Palestinian exodus and by, literally, covering over the villages, the soul of Israel has been scarred. We need to continue the work of S. Yizhar to truly liberate ourselves. We do that by continuing to tell the story. And more than that, we need to make amends.
In the wake of the Holocaust, it's no wonder that Jews sought sovereignty on land we could control. My intent is not to blame Jewish people of the past or to claim that I would have acted better than them. Nonetheless, this does not relieve those of us living now of the need to acknowledge what happened and to make restitution.
Moshe Dayan, a legendary Israeli war hero, delivered a eulogy at the funeral of Ro'i Rotenberg, a young member of Kibbutz Nachal Oz (a kibbutz on the border of Gaza). Rotenberg was killed by infiltrators from Gaza while he worked in the kibbutz fields on April 29, 1956. Dayan's eulogy has affected me deeply:
Yesterday at dawn Ro'i was murdered… Let us not today cast blame on the murderers. What can we say against their terrible hatred of us? For eight years now, they have sat in the refugee camps of Gaza, and have watched how, before their very eyes we have turned their land and villages, where they and their ancestors previously dwelled, into our home.
It is not among the Arabs of Gaza, but in our own midst that we must seek Ro'i's blood. How did we shut our eyes and refuse to look squarely at our fate and see, in all its brutality, the fate of our generation? …
Let us take stock today with ourselves. We are a generation of settlement and without the steel helmet and the gun's muzzle we would not be able to plant a tree nor build a house… let us not fear to look squarely at the hatred that consumes and fills the lives of hundreds of thousands of Arabs who live around us. Let us not drop our gaze, lest our arms weaken…
Young Ro'i, … the longing for peace deafened his ears, and he failed to hear the voice of the murderer waiting in ambush. The gates of Gaza proved too heavy for his shoulders, and overcame him.
I appreciated Dayan's honesty in seeing the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. It also explained to me the us-versus-them, zero-sum-game mindset that I believe exists to this very day in the hearts and minds of most Israeli Jews.
I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu shares the same zero-sum philosophy as Moshe Dayan expressed in the eulogy, though lacking Dayan's candor in seeing the situation from a Palestinian perspective. Dayan's assertion that we will never be able to build a house in Israel without the "gun's muzzle" applies now as well. That approach is unsustainable, no matter how much support Israel has in the U.S. Congress.
Dayan's conclusion that it is only through military might that we can maintain our place in Israel assumes the zero-sum us-versus-them proposition as the only possible proposition vis-a-vis the Palestinians. I believe we must "cobble together a new compact,"[2] and look for bold ways to create a new start to our relationship with the Palestinians.
The events leading up to last summer's Gaza War and the war itself prove the status quo is dangerous. What is left of the Oslo Accords is a Palestinian Authority (PA) that the Prime Minister of Israel claims to be "no partner" even as the PA collaborates daily with the IDF and Israeli intelligence to prevent attacks on Israel. Without the Oslo Accords having achieved anything tangible for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, many Palestinians hold the PA in low regard and see it more as a protector of Israel than as a force that can bring them a normal life.
In the wake of the Gaza incursion of 2008/9, I desired to find others who shared my view. I joined the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and I sit on its Rabbinic Advisory Committee. As someone who cares about Israel and its people deeply, I had to take a stand.
It is with a heavy heart that I stand by JVP's support for the 2005 Palestinian Civil Society call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS). My heart is heavy because BDS is a hostile act. And the idea of supporting aggression against Israel is painful to me. My heart is also heavy because I know that some anti-Semites attach themselves to any campaign that is against Jews.
The Palestinians have suffered plenty as an indirect result of anti-Semitism. While we must be vigilant against anti-Semitism, the Palestinian Call for BDS is not anti-Semitic. It's giving voice to legitimate grievances. It's a grassroots effort by Palestinian civil society organizations in the Occupied Territories, Israel, and the Palestinian Diaspora.
I do not support efforts to achieve justice for Palestinians that use violent means. The Palestinian Call to BDS is completely non-violent.
Every day that the status quo continues, Palestinians suffer under the Israeli occupation without dignity, freedom of movement, the ability to control their land, the right to vote, and more. I support the Palestinian Call to BDS as a way of trying to break that status quo. 19th century African American Abolitionist Frederick Douglass spoke,
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.[3]
Many in the Jewish community interpret the demands of BDS, should they be met, as culminating in the destruction of Israel. References to the return of Arab lands as well as the solving of the refugee problem lead some to reach those conclusions. To me, those are extreme interpretations that are consistent with the continuation of the denial of the injustice that the Palestinians have suffered by our hands. The goal of BDS is not to destroy Israel, but to change Israel and address the legitimate concerns of the Palestinians.
The Palestinians didn't have a part in the Zionist dream. Ari Shavit writes in his book, My Promised Land "We chose not to see them." We chose not to see them as part of the vision, as inhabitants of the land whose rights needed to be respected in order for us to build a Jewish homeland based on justice and fairness. Continuing that blindness will only lead to interminable conflict and suffering. I want to work, instead, for resolution.
[1] Natasha Roth from 972mag.com The road out of the occupation leads through the Nakba April 11, 2015.
[2] Mohammed Dahlan, Israeli-Arab lawyer quoted in Ari Shavit's book My Promised Land, p. 313
[3] Frederick Douglass, from a speech delivered in 1857 as quoted from Two Speeches by Frederick Douglas (1857) at BlackPast.org.
Rabbi Shai Gluskin is a 1995 graduate of the RRC. He currently lives in Philadelphia, PA where he is a freelance web developer and leader of the junior congregation at the Germantown Jewish Center.


text:
Nikonians Articles
Resources to save time and money, reduce the pain and speed up the learning curve.
FAQs: What every photographer needs to know
J. Ramon Palacios (jrp)
What camera to buy? What film to use? What tripod or lens to choose? These questions haunt many photographers. Nikonians co-founder, J. Ramón Palacios, put together articles guiding you through the choice of equipment and listed them in this overview. Read more...
"L" Brackets for Ballheads
J. Ramon Palacios (jrp)
I'm not a fan of big, bulky cameras and the last thing I thought I'd want to do is add a bulky aluminum Arca-type L-bracket to one of my cameras. But then we saw the light. During the 2nd Nikonians Photo Adventure at Moab Utah, Nikonian Photo_phil showed us an L-bracket that he had crafted for his F100. After fighting clearance problems with my F100 and its single plate with the wide platform on my Gitzo G1348 tripod, I saw the L-bracket as a real convenience. Read more...
The Nikon SU-4 Review
J. Ramon Palacios (jrp)
The SU-4 is a small gadget with a powerful punch. More than just a simple slave unit, this SU-4 is a wireless remote TTL flash control. A relatively inexpensive unit that takes on the duties of a fully armed studio lightning system. Not only it is capable of receiving the signal to fire, but also the signal on when to stop. Read more...
FX "Full-Frame" vs. DX Digital Sensor Size
Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell)
The 35mm "Full-Frame" vs. DX size digital sensor controversy is caused by a general lack of "digital sensor" knowledge on the part of many users, and strong marketing propaganda on the part of some sellers. Many camera users haven't investigated the design of lenses and how light must fall on a digital sensor, compared to film. Read more...
Gepe Card Safe Extreme Review
Chris Gray (wpgf100)
I had the opportunity to use a Gepe Card Safe "Extreme" model for a few months. I am still using it after accidentally putting it through a torture test. During my initial test period I found that the unit lived up to the manufacturer's claims about being shock resistant, crushproof, dustproof and watertight. One of the things I really liked about it was how secure it held my four CF cards totaling enough GB of memory. Read more...
GretagMacbeth OneEye Photo Review
If you wish to ensure that the colour in images from a digital camera or scanner will be displayed correctly on your computer monitor and output correctly to your printer then you need accurate colour profiles for these devices to allow translation between the "working space" (such as sRGB or AdobeRGB) of the image data and the actual colour space of the device. Monitors and printers usually come with standard profiles developed by the manufacturer, but these are just a starting point. Read more...
The Manfrotto 393 (Bogen 3421) Long Lens Support
Luc VN (LucVN)
Many of us dream with making wildlife images, as those at the Nikonians Wildlife Photography Forum and in well made nature books. To begin to learn how, the need for a truly long lens soon becomes very apparent. Finally, I bought a 600mm f/4 AF-I Nikkor and was then confronted with how to gracefully support such a monster. My regular ballhead didn't seem to be the best of means. Read more...


text:
At a ceremony in Basrah on Thursday (21st) the IBBC's Executive Chairman Baroness Nicholson signed a memorandum of understanding with the Governor of Basrah Dr Khalaf A Khalaf, signalling a new era of co-operation.
Dr Khalaf said the agreement meant: "Basrah regards the IBBC as the door to the UK."
Meanwhile Baroness Nicholson pledged to: "promote Basrah as the major cultural and economic hub of the region."
Around 40 guests including IBBC members gathered at the IBBC's office on Basrah's Corniche for the signing which also attracted national and local media, including Iraq's 24 hour news channel.
Dr Khalaf told reporters the Basrah Governorate wanted a closer relationship with the IBBC because of the breadth of the Council's international corporate membership.
Copies of the accord are attached to this newsletter. It includes Basrah's pledge to regard IBBC as the leading British trade council and for the IBBC to support the governorate in its relations with member firms. There was also an agreement to help Basrah set up twinning arrangements with British cities.
After the signing Dr Khalaf was nominated as the IBBC's first honorary member and then joined members for an informal round-table discussion on his vision for Basrah which included his "dream" of building a 100 kilometre corniche to Al Faw. He also spoke of the Basrah region's tourist potential.
The previous evening IBBC members attended a pre-signing reception and dinner at Basrah's International Hotel where Basrah Engineering's Rasmi al Jabri said: "Basrah is potentially one of the richest cities in the world. Now we need to work towards realising that great goal."


text:
How to Prevent Lung Cancer with Radon Gas Mitigation
Birmingham Radon Gas Mitigation May Greatly Reduce Cancer Risk
Birmingham, AL residents may be at a higher risk for lung cancer than we had once assumed. While many of us try to practice good diet and exercise, radon gas can be a determining factor in our overall health, and cause lung cancer. New studies have shown that an increasing number of nonsmokers are being diagnosed with lung cancer, meaning that even if you have practiced good health, this odorless, colorless gas of radon could quickly ruin your health.
Utah is one state that has been hit hard by radon. In this state, there is a very low percentage of the population that smokes, but a large number of lung cancer cases. This may seem like an unsolvable mystery unless you know that radon gas occurs across the United States, and kills 20,000 each year in the form of lung cancer. In Utah in particular, up to 50% of the lung cancer cases may be contributed to radon gas.
A Closer Look at Radon Gas Mitigation Needs in Birmingham
Knowing that lung cancer deaths are largely contributed to radon gas, you know that your Birmingham home needs radon gas mitigation. Radon gas mitigation provides your home the peace of mind knowing that this cancer causing gas can be dramatically reduced. Radon gas enters your home through a number of ways including water supply, foundation, or even the materials used to construct your home. Birmingham residents should be weary, and consult with a professional that is used to dealing with radon.
The radon gas forms from breaking down Uranium in the soil beneath or near your Birmingham home. This means that it is important to test your home and make sure that it is being affected. We are all about honest service, and if your home does not have levels of radon gas, admittedly it does not need to be treated unless you would like to take extra precautionary measures for your health.
Radon Gas Mitigation in Birmingham
Calling a professional to provide radon gas mitigation is the first step into a new healthy lifestyle. New reports show that 16% of all lung cancer cases are rooted from radon gas, meaning that if you have a professional provide proper radon gas mitigation, your chances of being diagnosed with lung cancer greatly diminish.
We already know that radioactive materials has been proven to cause cancer. Radon gas below your Birmingham home is radioactive. Proven facts show that radon gas is a major concern that can ultimately result in death if mishandled. Do not act out of panic, but rather make a rational decision by employing the radon gas mitigation company that is the leading company in the nation. S.W.A.T. Environmental can provide the quality of work necessary to reduce your radon gas levels to an acceptable level. Contact S.W.A.T. Environmental today for a free quote on radon gas mitigation.
- Birmingham, AL, 35203 USA
firstname.lastname@example.com • 205-874-1994


text:
Rajasthan women's panel chief: How can boys in low-waist jeans protect sisters?
Rajasthan Women's Commission chairperson Suman Sharma said broad-chested men, about whom women once dreamt of, are no longer visiblejaipur Updated: Mar 08, 2018 08:14 IST
Broad-chested men, about whom women once dreamt of, are no longer visible, Rajasthan Women's Commission chairperson Suman Sharma said today as she wondered how could today's boys in low waist jeans protect their sisters, when they cannot even handle their trousers.
Sharma, who expressed her sartorial grouse at an event organised on the eve of the International Women's Day, also advised women that they should not feel so "unbound" in the name of freedom that an imbalance is created in the society.
"There was a time when every girl used to desire a man, who has a broad chest and thick chest hair. But today, no broad-chested man can be seen and they wear sagging jeans. "How can one, who can't even handle his jeans, protect sisters?" Sharma, a former chief of the state BJP's women's wing, asked.
The concept of 'zero' figure was in vogue among girls, she said and asked what had happened to the boys.
They are wearing earrings and looking like girls, the state women's panel chief lamented.
"I am not criticising...but we need to change this. We need to prepare boys with broad chests and it is our responsibility and the responsibility of mothers to inculcate values among the children," Sharma said.
Continuing in the same vein, she added that even women, "in the name of freedom", should not feel so "unbound" that any "imbalance" in family or society is created.
"Women, too, cannot go a long way if they leave the men behind," she said, adding that both are "parallel" to each other and this system should not be disturbed.
"Therefore, balance should be there in the society, and women should take a pledge that we will inculcate values in our children and play a positive and constructive role in building a good society," the state women's panel chief said.


text:
The word "Hindu" was of a far, far later origin; during the Greek period of history, Greeks and West Asians used the term Indu/Hindu with reference to the people living beyond the banks of the River Indus, and later the name began to be ascribed to the religion of the land also. 'Hindu' thus has only a geographical connotation and derivation; but, nevertheless, it has come to stay.
It is interesting to note that the word is not used by Indians in their descriptions or writings till the 17th century. If we go by the original definition of the word Hindu, any one who lives in the subcontinent is a Hindu and whatever religion he or she practices is Hinduism. The word Hindu is a secular word and literally translated it means Indian and the word Hinduism denotes any religion or religions that are practiced by the multitude of people living in the land beyond the river Indus.
The religion was used to be known as "Vaidika Dharma" or "Vedic Dharma" and even "Yoga Dharma"), as it has the Vedas for its authority and source (Vedokhilo Dharma Mulam) and its essence is Yoga. Thus is also more commonly known as Sanatana Dharma as it delineates and embodies values and doctrines which are of eternal validity.
Sanatana Dharma stands for "Rita" - the majesty of moral and spirtual law. It looks upon the whole universe as being under the purview of a moral law and subserving to the supremacy of God, its creator. Times may change, ages may roll by, continents may rise and disappear, but values of life like truth, love, compassion, one's duty to mother, father, preceptor and to fellow beings, and the eternal reality of the spirit and unity of all life, are truths and values that subsist and will subsist for ever. These are the eternal values and truths which are embedded in the Vedas and are embodied in the religion that had evolved out of Vedas. These values being of eternal validity and universality, are the justification for the religion that embody them, for being called as Sanatana Dharma, the eternal Dharma, law/religion.
Such a comprehensive teaching is evident in the many sided yogic and meditational practices of Hinduism, the vast culture of Hinduism including art, medicine and science, and in the Hindu recognition of the importance of all systems of knowledge, material, occult and spiritual. The social customs of Hinduism, with their emphasis on spiritual practices, are also based upon such universal truth, though some of them have departed from it through the long course of time. Hence they require adjustment in light of changing times.


text:
In today's chapters Nephi continues to quote from the Prophet Isaiah (2 Nephi 15-20). One footnote of interest prior to this reading is found in 2 Nephi 12:2, footnote 2a:
"Comparison with the King James Bible in English shows that there are differences in more than half of the 433 verses of Isaiah quoted in the Book of Mormon, while about 200 verses have the same working as the [King James Version]."
An example of how this comparison is helpful is found in 2 Nephi 12:16, footnote 16a:
"The Greek (Septuaging) has 'ships of the sea.' The Hebrew has 'ships of Tarshish.' The Book of Mormon has both, showing that the Brass Plates had lost neither phrase" (see also "Upon All the Ships of the Sea, and Upon All the Ships of Tarshish": Revisiting 2 Nephi 12:16 and Isaiah 2:16 for an insightful article on this verse).
One thing that has always stood out to me in these pages is the phrase, "but his hand is stretched out still". It follows the very threatening phrase, "his anger is not turned away" (2 Nephi 15:25; 19:12,17,21; 20:4). So is it a good thing or a bad thing that "his hand is stretched out still"? Well, I guess it depends on what you decide to do when God stretches His hand out (For a great article on this thought see, "His Hand Is Stretched Out Still": The Lord's Eternal Covenant of Mercy).
Isaiah may have intended more than one meaning with the phrase "his hand is stretched out still," because the Lord's hand can be extended for both justice and mercy. One meaning may be that because the people of Isaiah's time did not turn away from sin (see Isaiah 9:13–16), they would experience the Lord's hand in the form of destruction. But Isaiah may have also been teaching that the Lord still offered hope for eventual mercy if the people would repent. How can both images of the Lord's hand stretched out—one threatening justice and the other offering mercy—help us decide to repent and come unto Him?
The following chart comes from the Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual, 2014:
"The phrase 'his hand is stretched out still' can represent both the justice and mercy of God—justice (destruction and punishment) for the wicked and mercy for the repentant if they will turn to God. From the context of the surrounding verses, the reader can often determine which meaning was intended by the scripture author."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reminds us of the merciful aspect of this imagery:
"To all of you who think you are lost or without hope, or who think you have done too much that was too wrong for too long, to every one of you who worry that you are stranded … , this conference calls out Jehovah's unrelenting refrain, '[My] hand is stretched out still' [Isaiah 5:25; 9:17, 21]. 'I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them,' He said, '[and even if they] deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, … if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts' [2 Nephi 28:32]. His mercy endureth forever, and His hand is stretched out still. His is the pure love of Christ, the charity that never faileth, that compassion which endures even when all other strength disappears [see Moroni 7:46–47].
"I testify of this reaching, rescuing, merciful Jesus, that this is His redeeming Church based on His redeeming love" ("Prophets in the Land Again," Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006).
One way to understand and apply Isaiah's writings is to consider his possible use of Hypostasis. Have you ever heard of hypostasis? Hypostasis is a technique that is used frequently in the scriptures. This technique uses a part of the corporeal nature of God to represent God as a whole. An example of this is when the scriptures say something to the effect of "the voice of the Lord", "the face of God", "the arm of the Lord". These "parts" of God are used to imply that God himself–whole and complete–was actually present. So, if "his hand is stretched out still", then the implication is that HE is still near. So, how are you going to react to His hand?
What I am referring to can be illustrated in Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. The Rod of Iron is usually thought of and portrayed in visuals as something akin to a guardrail. However, Lehi, Nephi, and Isaiah NEVER use the word rod in this way (see 2 Nephi 20:5, 15, 24, 26, for example). They always use the word rod to talk about something that is held in the hand and stretched out (with the exception of 2 Nephi 21:1, 4; Isaiah 11:4, although these verses can work too). What does this change about how you picture, or think, of the "rod" that is coming from the Tree of Life"? If the Tree of Life typifies and represents Jesus Christ (see my SNellFour post), then what is the Tree of Life (Jesus Christ) holding out to everyone? Is His hand "stretched out still"? How one reacts to His outstretched hand makes all the difference!
Just as it was significant as to how the people reacted to the "rod" in the vision of the Tree of Life, it will depend on how we react when Jesus Christ's hand/presence is "stretched out still". If His hand is stretched out, then we must do as Isaiah admonishes:
"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6).
You may enjoy learning more from the following :
- KnoWhy: 2 Nephi 15:13, 25; Isaiah 5:13, 25, Why Do Early Nephite Prophets Speak about the Scattering of the Jews?
- KnoWhy: 2 Nephi 15:21; Isaiah 5:21, How Does Nephi Use Isaiah to Teach Us to Avoid Pride?
- KnoWhy: 2 Nephi 19:12; Isaiah 9:12,Why is the Hand of the Lord Stretched Out Still? (Although it may appear at first that my post and this article are contradict each other, they are actually complementary. The article teaches an important concept to help us to understand the literal meaning of Isaiah's use of the term, "his hand is stretched out still". My post then builds on that concept, like Elder Holland's quote above, by explaining that how we decide to respond to God's outstretched hand is what will make all the difference.)
Please leave your thoughts about a special verse, teaching, etc. that you enjoyed at one of the following:
REPLY at the bottom of each post at: bookofmormontranslationchallenge.wordpress.com
LIKE our Facebook page and post at: facebook.com/BookOfMormonTranslationChallenge
JOIN our Facebook group and share at: facebook.com/groups/BookOfMormonTranslationChallenge
TWITTER and INSTAGRAM users can use #bomtc for related posts: twitter.com/brosimonsays | instagram.com/brosimonsays


text:
Pole Fitness Pricing
£95 – Beginners Level 1 and 2 Six week course (1.5 hours per session)
£85 – Level 3, 4 Six week courses (1.5 hours per session)
£80 – Level 5, 6, 7 Six week course (1.5 hours per session)
£40 – Option of attending a 2nd course (for those who wish to attend 2 sessions per week)
£5.00 – Drop in for members, a 1.5 hour session (for those who are already on a course but wish to drop in on another evening to practice)
£9.00 – Drop in for non-members, a 1 hour (for those who cannot commit to a course but would like to drop in to training when they can)
If you can't find what you are looking for please get in touch. See course dates for latest dates.
About Pole Fitness
Pole Fitness is an exercise discipline that uses a vertical pole as the piece of fitness equipment. Using this pole we can hold poses or perform techniques that tone up different parts of our body. The idea is to become controlled and smooth when performing each technique so that you are using the right muscle groups and the pressure is spread evenly across those muscles. Like all other exercises, this takes time and practice, so at first it feels impossible but when you do get it, it feels great and you will know yourself when you have got the technique right and you are getting stronger.
Bodywork Therapy's Pole Fitness club is a small club that holds 3 classes a week. Each class will take a maximum of 8 students, with a maximum of 2 students per pole. This means you have lots of pole and instructor time to get the optimum out of your training period.
But it's not all work, work, work at Pole Fitness, you also make friends, build confidence, co-ordination and strength.
Please note: as with any form of exercise, if you have any concerns about your fitness or health, please consult a doctor prior to participation.
Circuits (currently unavailable)
In a Circuits class, a number of stations are laid out in the training hall. At each station you perform a different exercise that will work a different part of your body and you can also choose to do the exercise with or without the use of weights or resistance bands. You perform this exercise for a minute, changing arm, leg, or position at the half way point. By choosing to incorporate weights and bands you can intensifying the move.
When the 2 minutes are over, you move on to another station with a different exercise.
Benefits: Circuits classes develop strength and burns lots of calories.
Although circuits can be quite an intense class, it is adaptable to each individual.
It's fast paced and varied, as you are not doing the same exercise for too long.
Each station will work different parts of the body so you will get a full body workout.
Circuits is suitable for both men and women.
Please note: as with any form of exercise, if you have any concerns about your fitness or health, please consult a doctor prior to participation.
Pricing: £4.00 for current members, £5.50 for none members.
Classes are held on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30pm – 7:30pm.
Please get in touch to be added to our text notification list for regular updates on our fitness classes.


text:
Client: Columbia Threadneedle Investments (formerly Columbia Management)
Role: Designer
Within my role as a designer at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, I've been tasked with creating a wide range of collateral both for print and web-based application. I've designed infographics highlighting the investment strategy and holdings of a mutual fund, responsive email marketing templates and countless other items.
Unfortunately, due to the regulatory nature of Columbia Threadneedle's business, I'm unable to show many items I've worked on save for this poster and infographic. If you'd like to know more about my work with Columbia Threadneedle, feel free to contact me to arrange a private showing of my work, or visit the Columbia Threadneedle website.
One of the most involved pieces that is publicly available (though I'm not allowed to show images on this site, again due to the regulatory nature of this business) that I've worked on extensively while at Columbia Management has been their quarterly newsletter, Columbia Threadneedle investor. My role within the Columbia Threadneedle investor newsletter has ranged from the sole designer of the newsletter's layout and aesthetic, as well as the ongoing point person for all matters of page design. Additionally, any "special features," such as infographics have been my responsibility within the newsletter.


text:
The Essential Laws of Fitness Explained
6 Tips for an Effective Body Transformation Workout Plan
For some people, shaping up their bodies is easy while others find it difficult. In exercise, it takes a reasonable course of action and commitment to transform a body. They are born of workout plans that work. This article will illustrate some points which you can utilize to make your workout plan successful.
First, you have to set objectives that have deadlines. It is critical to outline your expectations during the workout period and how much time you anticipate to achieve them. This action help you stick to the plan and scale your progress. When people fail to set objectives and time them, they are usually not able to stay disciplined and this leads to failure in their plans.
It is also important to write up your plan with specific actions to take every day. By doing this, you are breaking …


text:
First, God starts with a whisper. If we ignore that, He moves on to the tap on the shoulder. If we continue to ignore, He moves onto poking us with the stick...then the 2x4....etc., etc....until He gets to the wrecking ball. And I always say,
"You want to avoid the wrecking ball at all costs!"
Well, right now I'm following my own advice. I would like to say that I listened to the whisper or the tap, but I'm a stubborn, capable, multitasking woman that still has a lot to learn!
I would like to say I responded to the stick, but no. I can say that I acknowledged the stick and said to God, "Yah, yah, yah....I know I'm not dealing with "x" or "y" very well, but I will work through it. I wasn't ignoring or stuffing the issues....just procrastinating.
When God decides that the time has come.....well, let's just say there's no avoiding Him!
After last week's stress and Thursday's migraine, I didn't rebound very well. The fact that we had a fundraising gala on Friday night and a close friend's birthday party on Saturday was tough because I didn't get the rest I needed. (For the record, the only drink I had both nights was water! Taking ibuprofin was much more important to me than alcohol!)
Based on my head pain by the end of Saturday night, I'm pretty sure I had another mild migraine. I was a mess by Sunday morning. I barely made it through Mass. Afterwards, I came directly home and put on sweats and stayed on the couch most of the day. I felt foggy, exhausted, and my depth perception was off. Feeling so terrible was also triggering a small handful of panic attacks over the day which just made all the other symptoms even worse. I was praying before bed and the image of a wrecking ball came in my head. I think God was warning me to 'avoid the wrecking ball at all costs", and I was determined to do that.
I thought I felt better Monday, still a little foggy and still struggling with the panic attacks and eyes that were sensitive to light. All the kids but Luke went back to school(kindergarten screenings), and my friend, Laura, invited us for a morning play date. The kids had fun and it was a good distraction for me to hang with friends. I rested Monday afternoon and felt a little better by bed time.
Tuesday was a set back. Panic attacks, even worse feelings of depth perception, light sensitive eyes, and exhaustion. I decided to get an eye exam and was able to schedule it for early afternoon. I also called my primary doctor who wanted me to go for a ct scan to make sure there wasn't something serious happening. I did both with the help of my parents, and thankfully both the exam and the scan were fine.
It's hard for moms to take care of themselves...but we have to be honest with ourselves and what we need because if we stop functioning, everyone suffers! Emotional duct tape only lasts so long! Sometimes we have to actually fix what is broken......
I'm feeling better today.(Thank you, God!) I'm trying to lay low and keep calm. I had a follow up doctor's appointment this am, and while my mother-in-law and sister-in-law had Kate, I took advantage of the moment to spend a little quiet time in adoration. I also shared what was going on with some friends, and it always helps to know people care and are praying for you!
I'm going to see a therapist for a bit as well. I just need a little help to work through some of the major causes of my anxiety...particularly the fact that turning the big 4-0 in June doesn't seem to be 'agreeing' with my emotions. It sounds so silly, really, but the extreme anxiety attacks are no laughing matter! It's hard for me to ask for help.....
Sound familiar to any of the wonderful, strong-willed moms I know? (And my dad readers...you guys are even worse! But that's a whole other post....:)
If any of my readers feels a little lost or confused or you are going through a tough time right now....I urge you to listen to God's whisper...or tap...or poke...or 2x4!
I am determined to avoid having God resort to using the wrecking ball to get my attention! Asking for help is a much better alternative.


text:
This past weekend, I accompanied Miles O'Brien to the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Space Center. In attendance were present and past KSC directors, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, astronauts and space heroes of all eras—from Thomas Stafford to Cady Coleman—and many of the so-called "pad rats" who built spacecraft from the Apollo era through the Shuttle era. Miles delivered an amazing speech dedicated to those pad rats.
If you're familiar with traditional Japanese craftsmanship culture or you've seen the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, you'll know why he calls them "The Shuttle Shokunin." Read the rest


text:
The Folker lab will be attending at the annual ASCB-EMBO meeting this year in San Diego. Look out for our posters: ▸ Mary Ann Collins (B598/P2416) - Force application to nuclei is differentially affected by the LINC complex and Ensconsin/MAP7. [Section: Mechanotransduction 1, Monday December 10, 2018] ▸ Torrey Mandigo (B385/P2209) - Drosophila emerins control … Continue reading The Folker Lab is presenting at ASCB | EMBO 2018
Eric presents at Chicago Cytoskeleton
Eric gives a seminar at at Notre Dame and presents some of the lab's exciting research about distinct functions for the LINC complex and microtubule cytoskeleton during myonuclear movement and at the Cyotskeleton Meeting in Chicago.
Preview: A Touch from Myofibroblasts Puts the Squeeze on Myonuclei
Read our preview about recent work from the Gomes Lab on how fibronectin triggers nuclear movement during muscle formation. Original Paper: Roman W, Martins JP, Gomes ER. Local Arrangement of Fibronectin by Myofibroblasts Governs Peripheral Nuclear Positioning in Muscle Cells. Dev Cell. 2018 Jul 2;46(1):102-111. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.05.031 Preview: Mandigo TR, Folker ES. A Touch from … Continue reading Preview: A Touch from Myofibroblasts Puts the Squeeze on Myonuclei
Welcome our new undergraduates- Fall 2018
Welcome to all of our new undergraduates joining the lab this semester! ▸ Ji Myung Lee (Biology Major) - Class of 2020 ▸ Michael Richard (Biochemistry Major) - Class of 2020 ▸ Anne Silveira (Biochemistry Major) - Class of 2020
LINC Complex Analysis Methods Publish
Our chapter in The LINC Complex Methods and Protocols book describes the power of using Drosophila muscle development as a model system combined with high-resolution imaging methods to study how the LINC complex contributes to muscle development. Auld AL, Collins MA, Mandigo TR, Folker ES. High-Resolution Imaging Methods to Analyze LINC Complex Function During Drosophila … Continue reading LINC Complex Analysis Methods Publish
Congratulations Dr. Alexander Auld!
Congratulations to the lab's first graduate student, Alexander Auld, Ph.D., for successfully defending his thesis yesterday! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the lab these past 5 years. We wish you best of luck as you begin your post doc with Laurie Boyer at MIT!
Mary Ann presents at Boston Area Drosophila Meeting
Come see Mary Ann present some of her most recent work titled "Mispositioned Nuclei: Distinct mechanisms drive similar phenotypes" at the Boston Area Drosophila Meeting which will be held on June 6 at Harvard Medical School with keynote speaker and Nobel Laurette, Michael Rosbash!


text:
About Us
MediaXchange has a 29 year history of facilitating the creative and business interests of clients entering the international tier of the entertainment industry
Within this global economy, companies need the right information and the right contacts for access and success. All elements of the Entertainment industries, from creating content to business applications and traditional distribution to new media, are strongly influenced by opportunities and interests in the international market place. Trends in finance, content and talent cross borders, rapidly altering the local landscape.
Based in Los Angeles and London, MediaXchange is a media consultancy assisting entertainment industry professionals to develop effective knowledge, contacts and business in the international marketplace.
Founded in 1991 by CEO Katrina Wood, MediaXchange's roster of returning clients and new participants from around the world encompasses studios and networks, creative and business executives, writers and developers, financiers and filmmakers, government agencies and industry associations.
The range of services we are able to provide is drawn from our unique global perspective. In collaboration with you, we design a route to your desired destination.
Contact us
The team
Katrina Wood
Founder and CEO
Katrina Wood Chief Executive Officer and Founder of MediaXchange Ltd., built the international profile of the company on two main principles: entertainment is a global business and it is also very much a people business.
From the two media centres of Los Angeles and London, Katrina has built and unrivalled network of creative and business professionals across the globe.
She brings to her work a rich hybrid of information and access, providing a versatile and unique resource enabling clients to develop and expand their corporate and project interests in the global market place. Her innovative and informed vision brings international ambitions to life.
Ben Keen
Non Executive Chairman
Until 2017, Ben was Chief Analyst & VP for TMT at IHS Markit and before that was instrumental in building leading research firm Screen Digest, sold to IHS in 2010. Ben has delivered over 1,000 presentations and lectures, including keynote addresses at many international conventions and guest lectures at leading University business schools. Additionally, he has contributed articles to more than 20 different books, magazines and newspapers.
Alison Simmonds
Director of Programmes and Information
Alison devises and coordinates services for MediaXchange's extensive range of specialised events and client development for senior media professionals.
Having spent 12 years as a consultant in Hollywood, Alison returned to the UK in 2011 and is based in the North West of England. Prior to her years in LA, the earlier part of her UK career was spent in Programme Acquisition and Business Affairs at ITV, BSkyB and Channel 4, working closely with Programme Directors and Commissioning Editors on the selection, negotiation and contracting of programming from suppliers from all over the world.
Omar Zavala
Director of Operations
Omar oversees budgeting, financial planning and general administrative affairs for MediaXchange, based in the London Office.
Omar's experience in consulting and risk assessment with firms such as Ernst & Young and ING, combined with his MA in Filmmaking from The London Film School, allow him to offer balanced advice and a complete perspective to MediaXchange's clients in the Creative Vision and business strands.
Francis Foster
Head of Creative Services
Francis joined MediaXchange early in 2014 as a Coordinator, working with Katrina and other members of the team on projects in Europe and the US.
Previously, Francis worked for a Business Consultancy in London and on International Development projects based in Seville.
He graduated from The University of York in 2011 with a BA in Psychology and Sociology.
Tamara Romaniuk
Head of US Operations
Tammy returned to MediaXchange early 2015 after having worked, in the 90's in New York, with Katrina for 7 years. Tammy spearheads the Los Angeles branch of MediaXchange operating as point person on the company's Creative Vision strand of international events for writers, producers, and executives of film, television, and new media.
Prior to MediaXchange, she worked with Media Match (US Film and tv recruitment company) for 13 years, where she was the Client Relations Director, responsible for client relations and developing technological advancements to enhance the customers package and overall experience of the website.


text:
This month, more than 125 concerned citizens participated in the half-day Groundwater Training and/or the two-day Racial Equity Workshop: Phase I (our highest turnout to date). We were joined by representatives of the following organizations:
|Big Brothers Big sisters Lorain County
Bike Cleveland
Bliss and Partners LLC
Bober Markey Fedorovich
Citizens Bank
City of Cleveland
City of Pepper Pike, Buckley King
City of University Heights
Cleveland City Council
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Foundation
Cleveland Housing Network
Cleveland Jewish Publication Company
Cleveland Leadership Center
Cleveland Metroparks
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress
Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland State University
College Now Greater Cleveland
Collinwood & Nottingham Villages Development Corporation
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
Cuyahoga Community College
Cuyahoga County Administration
Cuyahoga County Board of Health
Deaconess Foundation
Dix & Eaton
Emerald Cities Collaborative – Cleveland Office
EYFairfax Renaissance Development Corporation
Famicos Foundation
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Federal Trade Commission
FIT Technologies
Food Conscious
Forest CityFrantz Ward LLPFriends of Breakthrough Schools
Fund for Our Economic Future
GAR Foundationglobal X
Grants Plus
Gravitas Ventures
|Greater Cleveland Partnership
John Huntington Fund For Education
JumpStart Inc.
Levin College, Cleveland State University
Lincoln Electric
Maximum Accessible Housing of Ohio
Medical Mutual
Neighborhood Family Practice
NEON Health Services, Inc.
Northeast Shores Development Corporation
Oatey Co.
Old Brooklyn CDC
Paychex Inc.
Policy Matters Ohio
PolyOne Corp
Saint Ignatius High School
Sisters of Charity Health System
Slavic Village Development
St. Clair Superior Development Corporation
The Adcom Group
The Cleveland Foundation
The George Gund Foundation
The Greater Cleveland PartnershipThe Interlake Steamship Company
The Mt. Sinai Healthcare Foundation
The PrivateBank
The Raymond John Wean Foundation
Things Remembered
Tremont West Development Corporation
Tucker Ellis LLP
Turner Construction Company
U. S. Coast Guard
Ulmer & Berne LLP
University Circle Inc
University Circle Police
Upcycle Parts Shop
Villa Angela St. Joseph High school
Visibility Marketing Inc
Walter Haverfield LLP
Westfield Insurance
YWCA Greater Cleveland
Zieleniec Consulting LLC
Big Brothers Big sisters Lorain County
Thank you to everyone who participated, for your engagement, and your willingness to dig deeper with us. Special thanks to Jumpstart, Inc. for hosting both sessions, and to Chamber De Monte Catering for its labor of love!
We are proud to announce that the Cleveland Foundation is now a Champion-level sponsor of the Year of Awareness Building! Thank you to our Racial Equity & Inclusion Taskforce co-Chair, India Pierce Lee (Sr. Vice President, Program), for your leadership and your enduring support of this effort.
On Thursday, April 6th, the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2017 attended the Groundwater Training session as part of their Quality of Life Day. Special thanks to Chief Calvin Williams for hosting the training at the Cleveland Police Department – Third District station.
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Ideastream are partnering to host a virtual discussion group (via Facebook) open to all attendees of either the Groundwater Training, or Phase I Workshop. We envision this private, invite-only Facebook group as a "liberated zone" for us to debrief the experience, engage in civil discourse/debates, and ask the burning questions we weren't able to ask during the training.
During the Meeting of the Minds 2017 Annual Summit (October 23-25), Cleveland Neighborhood Progress will lead a Workshop Tour entitled: East to West – Comprehensive Neighborhood Stabilization in Cleveland. The tour will explore a number of neighborhood typologies—from communities described as "ground zero of the foreclosure crisis," to the city's hottest real estate markets—and illustrate the need for a comprehensive approach to community development that responds to the unique context of each neighborhood through a Racial Equity & Inclusion lens. Follow the link for more information.
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress will be a community partner for the upcoming City Club of Cleveland Law Day 2017: The Fourteenth Amendment On May 5th, the City Club will feature a conversation with James Forman, Jr.,Professor of Law at Yale Law School, and author of Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, on how and why our society became so punitive and what we can do about the future of race and the criminal justice system in the United States. Use promo code CNP17 with registration for 20% off non-member tickets.
What we read
Q&A: Artist Theaster Gates on W.E.B. DuBois and what Donald Trump doesn't get about Chicago by Carolina A. Miranda, LA Times
Excerpt: "I cannot afford to just be an artist in this moment. I have to use my art and my brain to try to imagine solutions not only for the museum, but for the city — for black people. I can't afford to lock myself in the studio."
Kriston Capps, CityLab
CarsonWatch.org, that's who. The HUD secretary's every move is being closely monitored online by a confederation of housing advocates
Race and the production of extreme land abandonment in the American Rust Belt
Jason Hackworth, PhD, University of Toronto
Abstract: Most studies of land abandonment privilege the economic dimensions and causes of the process. In particular, land abandonment is largely derived from some combination of the following: housing obsolescence, municipal fiscal stress, or deindustrialization. When race is mentioned (and in most cases it is not), it is rarely situated in a meaningfully-causal way. This study explores the relative role of economic and racial factors on land abandonment in 151 Midwestern cities. It finds that percent Black is a far more significant correlate of extreme housing abandonment in the American Rust Belt than any of the aforementioned economic variables. (Hackworth) conclude[s] from this, that past and present institutional (and interpersonal) discrimination best explains this association. Moreover, (Hackworth) suggest[s] that existing theories of land abandonment be broadened to include group threat approaches to account for this relationship.
Neighborhood Change in the Fourth Federal Reserve District: A Multivariate Approach
Kyle Fee, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Using demographic and housing information, Fee develops neighborhood typologies to examine changes in neighborhoods in the four largest cities in the Fourth Federal Reserve District: Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Environmental Racism in America: An Overview of the Environmental Justice Movement and the Role of Race in Environmental Policies
The Goldman Environmental Prize blog
Excerpt: African American, Latino, indigenous and low-income communities are more likely to live next to a coal-fired power plant, landfill, refinery or other highly polluting facility. These communities bear a disproportionate burden of toxic contamination as a result of pollution in and around their neighborhoods. Moreover, these communities have historically had a diminished response capacity to fight back against such policies.
What we listened to
On April 24th, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress screened the 1965 Cambridge University debate between writer and civil rights activist, James Baldwin, and William F. Buckley, conservative commentator and founding editor of the National Review. The historic "Baldwin-Buckley Debate," at the Cambridge Union Society, featured responses from both men to the question: "Has the American dream been achieved at the expense of the American Negro?" During a time of intense social change, the debaters presented two radically different perspectives on the state of affairs.
Hip Hop Architecture: The Post Occupancy Report of Modernism
Michael Ford, the Hip Hop Architect, explores how hip hop lyrics provide an evaluation of modern urban architecture and some of the areas where it went wrong. Ford dedicated his professional career to stimulating cross disciplinary discourse on the sociological and cultural implications of architecture and urban planning on its inhabitants.
Poverty can persist in the same communities for generations, especially communities of color. Professor Darrick Hamilton walks through the policies that prevent people from moving up in the economy and proposes solutions from jobs to schooling to banking. Check out his research on 'Baby Bonds' discussed in the Institute for New Economic Thinking. Read his two-page brief, co-authored with William Darity Jr. and Mark Paul.
Development efforts in American cities often push out long-term residents and communities of color. Zeroing in on Baltimore, Professor Brandi Blessett breaks down the intentional and unintentional impacts of urban policy decisions. Read more of her work on the impact of public administration on communities of color in her two-page brief. Check out Arnold Hirsch's book on race and housing in Chicago, Making the Second Ghetto.
Chris Hayes on escaping the "doom loop" of Trump's presidency
Chris Hayes, the author of A Colony in a Nation, recently sat down with Vox's Ezra Klein for a wide-ranging conversation about damn near everything — the failure of elites, declining social trust, the crisis of authority in American life, the roots of the criminal justice system, the opioid epidemic, and how he escapes the "doom loop" that is the Trump presidency.
Racial Equity Term of the Month: Intersectionality
An approach largely advanced by women of color, arguing that classifications such as gender, race, class, and others cannot be examined in isolation from one another; they interact and intersect in individuals' lives, in society, in social systems, and are mutually constitutive.
Exposing [one's] multiple identities can help clarify they ways in which a person can simultaneously experience privilege and oppression. For example, a Black woman in America does not experience gender inequalities in exactly the same way as a white woman, nor racial oppression identical to that experienced by a Black man. Each race and gender intersection produces a qualitatively distinct life.
As always, please send any feedback, questions, or interesting reading materials to Mordecai (firstname.lastname@example.com )