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Downtown Clare. Should I make an offer to buy it?
Possibility of a light aircraft ride this morning if luck is with me. Tentative plan for a day trip to the National Cherry Festival in Traverse, City, Michigan, way up north.
That's a nice neon sign that you don't see too often anymore. Good luck with your new chicken bar endeavor. :)
Well you did say you might be retiring soon Bob, would be wee bit different from lawyering (I'm sure that's not a word) 😃
I'm loving the photos from this small town. I can't wait to hear if you flew north.
Owning a bar could be fun!
What a rooster!


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
> They can do that as well, but it is surprising how many people aren't aware > of the browser option. Which is partly because browser developers know that their real market is commercial web designers, and commercial web designers don't want the user to have control. The most obvious difference, for me, between Mosaic and the first Netscape browser was the dropping of the ability to control the formatting of headings.Received on Monday, 20 January 2003 06:20:26 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 20:36:13 UTC


text: April 23 2010 Work in Progress Metaphrog work in progress 0 As well as our finishing working on Louis- Night Salad, Sandra has been working on a series of illustrations for some educational books. Some of these will make their way to our online portfolio soon! More from my siteFrom the Drawing TableRecent Projects and Comic WorkshopsGraphic Novel in ProgressLouis Work in ProgressLOUIS – Night Salad out soon!New LOUIS Work in Progress Share


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Fate - Santa Monica Coated Skirt - Black
by Fate
Size: 12
About Fate
Feminine, flirty, fabulous with an edge – FATE epitomises the vibrant youth of Australia and beyond, driven by a craving for the ultimate wardrobe of fashion must-haves
This item is for final sale and not eligible for return. See our returns policy for details.
The price is the RRP provided to us by our supplier. This price does not reflect our own normal price as we do not usually sell at the RRP. The product may also not be sold in New Zealand at this RRP.


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I have more series books than I know what to do with, and I'm hoping this challenge will motivate me to cross some of them off my never-ending series TBR list. And did you see the hosts? More Amanda and Kelly is always what I'm after.Â
The Seriously Series Reading Challenge is hosted by Amanda at On a Book Bender and Kelly at Reading the Paranormal. The goal is to finish series – and they leave a little wiggle room in the interpretation of how you do that. I'm going to be using this as an opportunity to read all of the series books I already own. In other words, I'm going to mark a series as complete when I've finished reading the last book in the series I own, regardless of whether or not there are other remaining books in the series.
The challenge has four levels across three categories. I'm starting with the base level, Semi-Serious (1-6 series), in both the series started before 2013 and the series started during 2013 categories, and I'll increase as needed. Most of my starting list hasn't even begun to tackle the goodies hiding in my Kindle, so this should be interesting.
My list so far:
Series started before 2013:
- Goliath (Leviathan #3) by Scott Westerfeld
- River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) by Patricia Briggs
- Bloodline (Sigma Force #8) by James Rollins
- An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7) by Diana Gabaldon
- Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse #5) by Charlaine Harris
- Ascendant (Killer Unicorns #2) by Diana Peterfreund
Series started during 2013:
- The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1) by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
- Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #1-2) by Cassandra Clare
- Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1) by Jeaniene Frost
- Darkfever, Bloodfever, Faefever, Dreamfever (Fever #1-4) by Karen Marie Moning
- Fantasy Lover, Night Pleasures, Night Embrace, Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter #1-4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Under Wraps, Under Attack (Underworld Detection Agency #1-2) by Hannah Jayne
Check my progress all year on the sidebar or on my 2013 Challenge Index.


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The Australian court system: a debt recovery and insolvency perspective
By Andrew Lacey, McCabes
Debtors and creditors who have relationships to businesses or operations in Australia should have a general understanding of Australia's court hierarchy, which operates in a tiered system. All states have lower courts. In New South Wales, the lowest court is the New South Wales Local Court, which has the jurisdiction to deal with civil disputes for claims up to AUD 100,000. One distinct feature of the NSW Local Court is its Small Claims Division, which hears claims of up to AUD 10,000. It also has less formal procedures and relaxed rules of evidence.
Most states and territories have intermediate courts. In most jurisdictions, these courts are district courts and have jurisdiction to deal with civil claims of up to AUD 750,000, as well as appeals from the local court.
Each state and territory has a Supreme Court. Civil claims exceeding AUD 750,000 are commenced in the Supreme Court. Relevantly, the Supreme Court has an inherent jurisdiction to hear disputes concerning the liquidation and external administration of companies. Within its trial jurisdiction, the Supreme Court has two divisions: Equity and Common Law. The Equity division is administered through case-managed lists, such as the Corporations list. Each list is case-managed by assigned judges, and usually has distinct procedural requirements to ensure the efficient disposal of proceedings.
The Federal Court, the Federal Circuit Court and the High Court of Australia have jurisdiction to hear appeals from State and Territory Supreme Courts as well as all matters of federal law.
Andrew Lacey
McCabes, Sydney, Australia
Andrew Lacey heads McCabes' litigation and dispute resolution team. He acts for numerous media to large Australian and International businesses across a variety of industries including manufacturing, property, insurance and finance.
McCabes is a multi-disciplinary law firm. With a focus on technical excellence, McCabes provides astute and commercial legal solutions for its clients. By emphasising technical excellence and commitment to quality, McCabes offers commercially relevant legal solutions tailored to the current and future business objectives of its clients. McCabes distinguishes itself from other legal service providers by offering legal services that focus on the client's needs.
published: March 2014


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There is one last big bonus the Control Panel!
Okay imagine your website has been built and has gone live. On a day to day basis you may wish to change the content especially if you offer a range of services or products that may change frequently.


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Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Date of Award
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Jon B. Ellis
Committee Members
James R. Bitter, Peggy J. Cantrell
The purpose of the present investigation was to examine responses to suicidal ideation by an HIV positive male described as heterosexual/homosexual in a promiscuous/monogamous relationship.
Men (101) and women (137) enrolled in introductory psychology courses participated in the study. Participants completed a short demographic questionnaire, read one of four scenarios, and completed the Attitudes and Helping Behavior Scale (AHBS) designed to measure the participantsÆ emotional responses, attributions, and willingness to help the target subject. Present research involved a 2 (sex of subject) x 4 (scenarios) independent groups factorial. Independent ANOVAS were performed to interpret the significance of the main and interaction effects.
Results revealed a main effect for gender on total attitude scores on the AHBS. There was no main effect for gender on anger towards the scenario subject as originally hypothesized. Future researchers should utilize a more heterogeneous sample than the present one to obtain more applicable results.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Bishop, Saborah Lee, "Social Responses to HIV Positive Suicide Ideators." (2001). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 140. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/140
Copyright by the authors.


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We are sure you had such a wonderful time this holiday season. Between Christmas tree lights, presents, food-making and parties, we truly hope you got to feel the purest sense of joy. We for sure did!
Now that it is all almost over, it is time we got the house back in shape! Cleaning may not be at the top of your wish list, but we guarantee it is definitely a great way to begin a fresh new year. With all our helpful tips for cleaning after the Holidays you will have fresh, clean spaces waiting for a New Year to come. Below are 5 tips for the areas that need cleaning especially after this season:
Your cozy home
When it comes to your personal space, it is highly likely that you will start neglecting things that urgently need to be done and you will probably end up somehow in March with your Christmas Tree still up in the middle of the living room. We are here to help! First of all, you need to:
- Go on a little tour of your own house to evaluate the situation. Decide which are the most common areas used around the holiday season and bear in mind the fact that you will need to give them a special amount of attention.
- Start by focusing on getting rid of unwanted items, carrying glasses and plates from all over the house to the kitchen, picking up any food debris on the bar or on the tables.
- Move on to the Christmas Tree. If you still have the original box for Christmas decorations, carefully place them in the box. If you don't have it, you can simply use a plastic storage container. Moreover, wrap the Christmas lights nicely to save you the frustration of taking them out next year. When you've finished clearing the tree, store it in its box, if it is an artificial one. If you have a real Christmas Tree, you might as well place it on the curb for pick-up. We know it's heart-breaking, but it is about time to let go!
- Develop your own strategy! Clean less visible spaces, but make sure you reach all of them – from carpets, doors, windows, to countertops and floors. You should dust, vacuum, mop the floors and pay special attention to the area of the tree. Even artificial trees can leave leftovers behind!
- Decide if you want to spend your hangover hours cleaning and wiping floors or you want to take the time to let your hair down and enjoy the spirits of the holidays. If you do, call for the help of a specialised cleaning company.
Your professional-looking workplace
We truly understand how busy you were this year – we bet you rocked 2018! So as Christmas was rapidly getting closer, maybe you felt the need to wind down with your coworkers. Did your office host a Christmas party and a dear exchange of presents from dozens of Secret Santas? Or maybe you it held an emulation of a New Years' Eve party? Now it is your job to make it look professional again! First of all, you should:
- Carefully put all dirty glasses, dishes and silverware on a tray and bring them to the kitchen for washing. Clean off the bar area and the tables.
- Recycle the tissue paper from gifts that were previously unwrapped.
- Mop and/or vacuum the entire room. Pay extra attention to the area of the bar, beneath the chairs and around the Christmas Tree, if you had one.
- Give the desk a good cleaning and remove things that won't make your clients feel like they just entered a professional office – like wine bottles or toys.
- Make sure to find out what a specialised cleaning company may provide and maybe request an offer from them, so you could spend your time less worried about such mundane tasks.
Your own popular restaurant
Did you just host an enormous Christmas Party at your own restaurant that became unexpectedly popular during the last year? You can not afford losing any time over cleaning, as New Years' Eve is just around the corner! First of all, you should:
- Clean the tables. Move everything on them to the kitchen for washing. Get rid of food debris, stale snacks or any unwanted item on them.
- Remove the tablecloth and put on clean new ones.
- Re-arrange the tables and chairs.
- Sweep and wash the floors, getting in all corners.
- Brace yourself for another crazy party!
The holiday season is one of the most challenging, especially when it comes to maintaining your premises. But, we also know that it is a time that needs to be spent around family and friends, far from stressful thoughts like cleaning after a party or preparing for another one. That is the exact reason we were invented – if you feel like you don't have enough time to get your house back in shape, or your children can't stop playing all around the house with the toys Santa brought them and your effort seems meaningless, you can always count on us! Go out for a walk or have dinner with your beloved ones and, in the meantime, we will get your house ready for a fresh new year that is just about to come!


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New Criticism is the development of the Practical Criticism approach by American critics and poets. R. C. Murfin, R. C and S. M. Ray describe what New Criticism is within The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. 'The foundations of the New Criticism were laid in books and essays written during the 1920s and 1930s by I. A. Richards (Practical Criticism [1929]), William Empson (Seven Types of Ambiguity [1930]), and T. S. Eliot ("The Function of Criticism" [1933]).' New Criticism regards literature as an independent item. Murfin and Ray continue to state that: 'rather than basing their interpretations of a text on the reader's response, the author's stated intentions, or parallels between the text and historical contexts, New Critics perform a close reading, concentrating on the relationships within the text that give it its own distinctive character or form.' Although we associate New Criticism with certain principles and terms—such as affective fallacy (the notion that the reader's response is relevant to the meaning of a work) and intentional fallacy (the notion that the author's intention determines the work's meaning)—the New Critics were trying to make a cultural statement rather than to establish a critical dogma.
Practical Criticism is a form of close reading and is related to developing the skill of being able to critically analyse texts (usually poetry) on early readings. It originated with Richards and it is the way that one can come up with analytical and interesting points about a piece on first reading, rather than getting into the academic exercise of theoretical criticism. The main ideology behind Practical Criticism is rather than concentrating on the author or the social context, you focus purely on the text itself and the lexis itself. According to Peter Barry's Beginning theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cutural Theory, 'the job of criticism is to interpret the text, to mediate between it and the reader.' Practical Criticism perceives literature as a vehicle for transmitting universal truths and eternal values, considering that the meaning of a text remains constant throughout time, and is there to be extracted from the text.
Richards gave students poems in which information about the author and date were left out on purpose. He went on to analyse the student opinions. He reported the results in Practical Criticism: a Study of Literary Judgment, (1929). What was apparent throughout was many fluent and avid readers failed to understand what the poems were about.
When asked to write about Spring Quiet by Christina Rossetti, (although they did not know who wrote it or when) two students responded;
"It has little merit - parts of it are deplorable. The first two verses are quite attractive, and the rhyme 'thrush' with 'bush' is almost bearable. When 'boughs' and 'house' come next however, the attempt to enjoy the poem fails. There are not only poor rhymes, there is also much poverty of thought and much real silliness in the poem."
And "The first 2 lines are not sense. I laughed at the rhyming of thrush and bush; and boughs and house. Reminds one quite pleasantly of the 'poetry' one wrote when aged ten." (Richards, Practical Criticism: a Study of Literary Judgment)
Richards commentates that, 'reminders of our own poetic efforts, not only at the age of ten but even in years closer at hand, have an inevitable influence on our judgment, a useful influence when it keeps within its province, but dangerous when it meddles with matters beyond it. All but a very few beginners in verse find rhyming a great strain upon their verbal ingenuity and attention.' (Richards, Practical, p. 33)
Intentional fallacy and affective fallacy are two terms introduced by Wimsatt and Beardsley to juxtapose popular beliefs such as to know what the author intended with the text is to fully comprehend the text itself and judging a poem erroneously, based on the emotional response of the reader. Delahoyde states within New Criticism: Introduction to Literature that 'the "intentional fallacy" is when one confuses the meaning of a work with the author's purported intention (expressed in letters, diaries, interviews, for example).' Therefore showing that New Critics believe that the work isn't related to the author as such and is completely unconnected. 'The "affective fallacy" is the erroneous practice of interpreting texts according to the psychological or emotional responses of readers, confusing the text with its results.' New Critics believe that the text is a stand-alone piece, and should be treated as such. In continuation, Murfin and Ray state within their glossary of critical and literary terms that 'New Criticism regards poems as having elaborately structured, complex meanings with a relative disregard for their historical context.' In this regard, New Criticism is similar to Practical Criticism as the latter also focused on the text rather than any background to the poem or on the author. However, New Criticism stresses greatly on close textual analysis, especially on literary devices such as the use of sound effects like onomatopoeia, images/symbols like metaphors and similes, rhythm, irony and repetition.
Thus it is safe to state that Practical Criticism and New Criticism go side by side, with New Criticism furthering the ideologies behind Practical Criticism. Richards and Empson can be seen as the founders, with T.S Eliot furthering the ideas in more detail. In a sense, they're both the same theory with how the texts are perceived, however New Criticism goes a step further with its underlying beliefs. New Critics place great emphasis on the fact that the meaning of a text is intrinsic. In essence however, New Criticism is Practical Criticism, just with more depth.
So, with this in mind, do you think you'll be engaging with texts in this regard? Or perhaps you already did and didn't know it! Let us know in the comments below.
Yours Practically,
Sadia Parveen.


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To Gibril Gbanabome Koroma : Patriotic Vanguard
Dear Gibril,
I have read your concerns about the rejoinder to Anthony Kamara's article. Our brother, John Baimba Sesay, did not know that Cocorioko had published the said article about VP Victor Foh . I am sure he would have directed the rejoinder to both newspapers.
Here is a conversation we had on Facebook to demonstrate that he had been expressing concerns about his articles not appearing on Cocorioko.
According to him, his mails to my aol and Yahoo mail boxes had been bouncing. I was also concerned that he had not been sending his articles to me lately. Unknown to me, his mails had been bouncing and many people had been expressing the same complaints. Incidentally, I saw his two latest articles, including the rejoinder to Tony Bee, at Facebook, and I decided to take advantage of their availability there and then
copied them and published them. I did not get them from him.
Secondly, John is not in China presently. He is in Sierra Leone, where he is not getting the same volume of time with the internet . It is possibly another reason that he did not know that Cocorioko had published the article. He did not therefore pick on the Patriotic Vanguard.
I read the rejoinder and if it had been damaging to both you and Tony, whom I consider brothers as well, I would not have published it. In fact, in that article, he paid glowing tribute to Tony Bee's journalistic prowess. I agree with you that he may not have understood it in the same context under which Tony stated that our brother, Hon. Victor Foh, has enemies who did not like his appointment. Thankfully, you have done a great job to explain THE CONTEXT , the fact being that Tony Bee deserved such exoneration because he is indeed one of us and has been writing instructive articles supporting the cause of the government and would not have meant any harm with his analysis. Baimba, at the same time, had to do his job as the media man directly covering the VP presently. He must have been constrained to make the correction speedily, knowing how swift our detractors are in taking advantage of everything to defame our leaders. Our detractors are too many and too rampant ! ! ! They even put words in our pens to implicate us .
John Baimba was one of the journalists who wrote a very complimentary article about you and the Patriotic Vanguard during the 10th Independence Anniversary of the paper. I believe you both have mutual respect for each other's journalistic abilities. John has already also indicated that he has great respect for Tony Bee's perspectives.
As a elder brother to you three, I have intervened to set the records straight so that we would stave off the kind of misunderstanding that arose two years ago when you construed as an attack on you an article I once wrote about barking dogs in the U.S. who unfairly condemn me because they believe they better deserve the job I have to promote the Sierra Leone Government. Let us just see this as another misunderstanding and move on.
You three are doing a marvelous job.
Let us keep the fire burning and the relationships intact.
Happy Thanksgiving.
A response to our brother John Baimba Sesay
Monday October 12 is a public holiday here in Canada, it's called Thanksgiving Day. I had planned not to do any work on the Patriotic Vanguard on this day but somebody called me to say one John Baimba Sesay has written something on the Cocorioko newspaper about PV.
I consider Cocorioko a sister publication, so I did not give it much thought until I checked it on my cell phone and saw that John, who is our Press Attache in China, had written what he called a "rejoinder" on an article by one of our correspondents in Australia, Tony Bee. Tony had decided to offer some advice to Vice President Victor Foh in his new role as Chairman of the Flood Appeal Fund to help people affected by the massive flooding that recently hit Freetown and other parts of the country.
First of all, our younger brother Baimba did not really need to write a rejoinder, all needed to do was to contact me by email or phone to offer corrections on what he thinks are factual errors on the article under discussion. If he does not have or did not see my coordinates on the PV website, he could have just asked Cocorioko publisher Leeroy Kabs-Kanu to give him my email address or phone number.
What I also found strange is that our brother Kabs-Kanu first published the article on October 4 (click here), and we published it a day later on October 5 (click here). Both publications contain the exact information except for the titles (editors have the right to shorten long title as long as they carry the same message) he was complaining about, but the rejoinder is only addressed to the Patriotic Vanguard. Very strange, isn't it?
Anyway, like I said there was no need for a rejoinder, PV is not anti-APC or anti-government as Baimba should know; we have published his articles in the past and are accessible to him always. Maybe he is shy about contacting us directly. He shouldn't be. I am one of the most approachable persons in the world. Not arrogant, not proud, not haughty, not egoistic. Believe.
Also, Tony Bee is not anti-APC or anti-government or against Vice President Foh. I know this because he was my reporter in Freetown since way back in 1995. That article was friendly advice to the Vice President. Moreover Tony is a regular contributor to Cocorioko too. I don't know whether Tony Bee is going to write something about Baimba's rejoinder, it's up to him. I am only stepping in because the Patriotic Vanguard was mentioned.
Now let's get to the substance of this whole issue:
1. Baimba's first complaint on Tony Bee's article is where he (Tony) wrote that there are people in the country that did not like Vce President Foh or are not happy about his appointment. Tony is here talking about some people in the opposition parties and the former Vice President (Sam Sumana) who took not only Foh to court but also President Koroma, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Franklyn Kargbo and his Deputy Arrow Bockarie. In Sierra Leone we say anybody that takes you to court is an enemy although you can forgive later.
Almost most people know there is no love lost between Vice President Foh and some people in the SLPP. Tony was not talking about ordinary Sierra Leoneans going about their business during the Vice President saga but people in the opposition parties mainly the SLPP and of course the former Vice President and his friends, relatives and general supporters.
Tony was actively working as a journalist in the country during the civil war and when the SLPP was in power. Myself, Seaga Shaw, Lans Gberie, Abayomi Charles Roberts and others were his editors. Press Attaches like Sorie Sudan Sesay, Chernor Ojuku Sesay and Pasco Temple were his contemporaries. He knew what he was talking about or writing about.
2. I think the most significant point raised by Baimba is when he says the Vice President is not a SIGNATORY to the Appeal Fund Account. That's correct. He should have just sent an email to Kabs and myself and the error would have been quickly resolved. That's the beauty of online publishing; you can correct an error with the click of a mouse whereas correcting an error in a print edition can be quite complicated (space, prominence, etc) and takes time.
3.Finally, Baimba and others should never hesitate to contact me if they see a factual error on PV. My email address is firstname.lastname@example.com and my phone number is 1-604-428-8557. I promise a correction will be made as soon as I receive an email message or a phone call and I am sure Kabs will do the same. A correction on the Vice President story will be made tomorrow; the delay is only due to the fact that we want this message to get across or to be received first. Kabs is likely to do his own correction tonight. All good.
Peace. Shanti. Shanti. Shanti.


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Both Corvettes within 0.163 seconds of GTLM pole position for Petit Le Mans season finale
BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 6, 2017) – Corvette Racing's pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs are in solid position for Saturday's 10-hour Petit Le Mans following IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road Atlanta. Antonio Garcia qualified the GT Le Mans-championship leading No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R second in class with teammate Tommy Milner just 0.109 seconds further back.
Garcia needs only to take the green flag Saturday to assure the GTLM Driver's Championship for he and teammate Jan Magnussen. Starting the race also assures the No. 3 Corvette squad the GTLM Team's Championship.
If Saturday's race results mirror the qualifying order, Chevrolet also will win the GTLM Manufacturer's Championship for the 12th time. Either of the Corvettes can score second-place Manufacturer's points after 10 hours to clinch.
Chevrolet and Corvette Racing also swept the GTLM championships a year ago.
Garcia qualified the No. 3 Corvette, which he will share with Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller, with a lap of 1:71.714 (117.662 mph). Garcia was only 0.054 seconds from pole position. The Garcia/Magnussen/Rockenfeller lineup won earlier this year at Sebring – one of three victories for the No. 3 Corvette this season.
Milner's best time in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R was a 1:17.823 (117.497 mph) to qualify fifth. He will share duties with Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fässler; the trio finished third in class at last year's Petit Le Mans.
Petit Le Mans from Road Atlanta is set for 11:05 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 7. FOX Sports 1 will air the race live from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET; and FOX Sports 2 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET and 5 to 9:30 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio and a Corvette Racing In-Car feed will be available on IMSA.com.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM:
"That's the best qualifying effort we've had all year… it's so close. Qualifying was like a repeat of the last practice. The pole lap time was probably there in our Corvette. It would have been good to be on pole and been a nice headline going into the last race of the season. But our result was good. We are competitive. It's a good starting point for us. We'll hope for a good result in the race."
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTLM:
"It's a little bit disappointing; we've been top-three all weekend, and when it does matter a little bit we're down in sixth. But we can't be too unhappy. The pace of our Corvette has been good all weekend. We weren't far off at all in qualifying. The race is what matters here. I'm really happy with the pace of the car all weekend. We want to finish off the year with a good, strong result in the No. 4 car. If we do that, it plays right into our hand with what is most important and that's the Manufacturer's Championship for Chevrolet. Certainly that's the No. 1 priority. We'll do whatever we can for that good finish and be on our game."
[VIDEO] Corvette Racing's Oliver Gavin Previews Petit Le Mans for Mobil 1 The Grid
Corvette Racing at Road Atlanta: It's Championship Weekend in GTLM
Corvette Racing at Monterey: Garcia, Magnussen On Doorstep of GTLM Title


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Neonan red cheese was a crimson cheese manufactured on the planet Neona in the Tapani sector. It was considered a delicacy throughout the Tapani sector, and was served at the Vor-cal Feast prior to the Battle of Endor.
- "The Gem of Alderaan" on Wizards.com (original article link, backup link)
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
- Lords of the Expanse (First appearance)
External linksEdit
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


text:
Only 30% voted, although the referendum on chidren's rights was passed, what does the low turn-out tell us. Were people happy with the referendum and not too worried that it wouldn't pass. Or is there a disconnect between the NGO/political consensus and real Ireland?
There was a substantial number of voters who were very unhappy with the change, not trusting establishment Ireland on the issue – and the Yes campaign failed to engage properly with these fears.
But when we canvassed we found many people were not too exercised about the subject, and were happy to have it included in the constitution, so perhaps they just stayed at home. In the end the Irish people voted 60/40 to change the constitution to recognise the rights of the child, the average percentage result in Irish referenda.


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Related Pages
What is Religious Education?
Religious Education provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
Through studying RE at Claremont your child will develop their knowledge and understanding of how major world religions offer answers to these challenging questions. It also offers opportunities for personal reflection and their own spiritual development. The topics studied in RE make a significant contribution to every child's social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Our teaching encourages all students, religious and non religious to express their views in an open and comfortable environment without prejudice or judgement. It is through the Outstanding teaching and learning that our department is consistently one of the top performing subject areas at Claremont. An achievement we are very proud of!
An Overview
Religious Education is a critical component of the curriculum which makes a fundamental contribution to the education of the whole child. Religious Education enables students to explore diverse belief systems and cultures so they are able to gain a deeper understanding of our religiously plural society. Religion itself can encourage people to question the very meaning of their existence or postulate whether there is a transcendent power that exists beyond earth, and big questions such as this are not always easily answered with the application of scientific fact or theory. Religion itself is a highly relevant and topical subject, and the variety of ways in which it can fully engage pupils is immeasurable.
When unpacking the richness of Religious Education teachers must engage students with complex religious ideologies and encourage them to vocalise their own understanding and opinions in an intelligent manner. In order to come to their own informed conclusions students must obtain knowledge and develop mutual respect for one another through the means of analytical discussion. It is essential for learners to think, question and discuss things in such a way that satisfies their own curiosity and Religious Education undoubtedly provokes much of this. Discussion enables students to not only ask questions, but for who belong to a particular faith system, it allows them to share their expert knowledge with their peers, and for students this is a completely empowering experience. Discussion is not only a vital element in the process of learning as a whole but also in the exploration of religion and truth.
Year 7 - Does God exist overview
Year 7 - The sanctity of life overview
Our Department
Within the RE department we have specialist staff from a range of backgrounds including Theology, Philosophy and Sociology. Calling upon our individual expertise allows us to deliver the subject in a multitude of ways and from a number of different perspectives. We enable pupils to compare, interpret, and develop an understanding of religion, look at universal themes and the role of religion in society. We also have a strong focus on philosophy and ethics across all key stages; this allows pupils to question the ultimate meaning and purpose of life and question theirs and others moral ideas of right and wrong. We study with OCR exam board for GCSE and Edexcel at A Level.
What our students have to say
'RE is an opportunity to discuss current events and voice your opinions'
Irum Year 11
'RE is an amazing subject. We have learnt a lot about many religions. We also have a Philosophy Club every Friday lunchtime'
Aishwarya Year 11


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Teacher to Teacher
Widespread and varied, networks offer a promising strategy for improving teachers' knowledge. Their popularity is a testament to the demand for professional development that grows out of teachers' interests and experiences.
Sue Funk can remember a time when she was happy to teach her 8th-grade mathematics course the old drill-and-practice way.
|Inquiring Minds:
Creating a Nation of Teachers as Learners
The Columbus, Ga., teacher had been following that tradition for most of her 16-year career. "I didn't think I was doing a bad job," she says. "My professors had all taught me to do it that way."
But when Funk stumbled into a teachers' network a couple years back, everything started to change. She had planned to take just one course through the Columbus Regional Mathematics Collaborative, a network for teachers, professors, and other mathematicians that is housed at Columbus College. Instead, she found a professional support group that coaxed her to try her hand at new teaching methods.
Funk was skeptical at first. She came up with every excuse for why she couldn't make changes in her teaching. Too risky. Too much extra work. Too confusing for the students.
But after watching other teachers in the network use the methods in their own classrooms and hearing of their successes at workshops and seminars, she came around. Gradually, she added exercises involving manipulatives to her math class. Soon, she tried out problem-solving portfolios. And though Funk still felt unsure about the changes, she discovered that her students seemed to be enjoying themselves. Better yet, they showed a deeper understanding of math concepts.
Now, Funk regularly seeks advice and resources from the collaborative, whose roughly 2,000 members teach in schools as far as 65 miles from its headquarters at the college.
"If I didn't have that support, I wouldn't have tried any of this," she says now, satisfied with the pragmatic mix of old and new in her classroom.
Funk is one of thousands of teachers across the country who have joined a network—a professional community organized around subject matter, teaching approaches, or specific school reforms. Some networks have been initiated by foundations or education organizations, others by states or local groups. They range from the established, influential National Writing Project—a Berkeley, Calif.-based network that serves some 160,000 teachers—to efforts that appeal to a smaller slice of the teaching population, such as the regional networks run by the Foxfire National Programs in the rural South.
In the past decade, the popularity of these teacher-to-teacher networks has steadily grown—a testament to the demand for professional development that grows out of the teacher's own interests and experiences. Networks banish the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to teacher learning and replace it with a rich mix of offerings run by teachers, for teachers.
"There's a democracy to this [movement] that transcends boundaries, in terms of 'I do research. You teach,'" points out Judith R'nyi, the executive director of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, the grant-giving arm of the National Education Association. "I don't think that phenomenon has been repeated" in other kinds of professional development, says R'nyi, a former director of the Collaboratives for Humanities and Arts Teaching, or CHART network.
As the number of teachers joining networks has mushroomed, the movement has caught the attention of scholars and policymakers searching for richer and more productive ways to provide in-depth learning experiences for practicing teachers.
As Funk's experience shows, networks provide teachers not just with new knowledge, but with a motivating and supportive environment in which to go about the risky business of changing their teaching. Networks respect teachers' expertise, allowing them to pool their knowledge and build new ideas about their craft together. They also offer teachers the opportunity to play leadership roles without having to leave the classroom for jobs in school administration.
There are no figures on how many teacher networks exist, although they number in the hundreds. Some are able to pay for full-time staff. Many hold annual meetings, publish newsletters and journals, and produce research on best practices. Members may stay in touch through electronic bulletin boards.
But as promising as they are, even their biggest admirers admit that networks have their pitfalls.
In a 1992 Phi Delta Kappan article, Ann Lieberman of Teachers College, Columbia University, and Milbrey W. McLaughlin of the Stanford University school of education note that the quality of the experiences provided by networks varies. Teachers aren't always able to transfer what they have learned to their own classrooms. And the work of some networks has not been evaluated enough, perhaps because such oversight destroys the sense of trust and support that the networks are built on.
"Without procedures for ongoing outside review, networks can fall prey to the myopia of unfamiliar practices and the misdirection of unchallenged assumptions," the authors note.
Whatever their shortcomings, networks have found a following in nearly every corner of the country.
"These networks have a legitimacy in the eyes of teachers that a lot of university kinds of things don't," says G. Williamson McDiarmid, the co-director of the National Center for Research on Teacher Learning at Michigan State University in East Lansing. "The feeling right now is that the more we could explore what the possibilities are for teacher networks around subject matter, the better off we might be."
Many educators trace the rise of networks since the 1970s to teachers' near-universal distaste for the ubiquitous, one-shot seminars offered by districts, state agencies, and consultants. If you aren't going to give us practical learning experiences, network founders said, we'll do it ourselves.
Teacher networks pride themselves on offering a wide variety of workshops, discussion groups, and other activities for teachers—provided primarily by teachers. Lieberman and McLaughlin call this a "Chinese menu" approach. The variety gives teachers "an important measure of flexibility and self-determination," they write, a departure from activities run by "experts" and designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience.
A typical summer schedule for the Columbus, Ga., collaborative, for example, looks something like this: a statistics workshop; PRIME, the network's math summer camp for girls; a middle-grades math and science institute for integrating the teaching of the two subjects; a school-to-work meeting for teachers of grades 9-12 and mathematicians from business and industry; and training for elementary teachers in the use of science labs.
"If we provide something and they aren't coming, we know it's our own fault and we haven't listened to the teachers," says Susan Pruet, the collaborative's executive director.
Perhaps more important, the networks try to banish the closed-door mentality of teaching. "It's crucial for teachers to hear about the successes and struggles of other teachers," points out Brian Lord, a senior project director with the Education Development Center, a private research-and-development company based in Newton, Mass. "Tackling decisionmaking under uncertainty is very high on the list" of networks' priorities.
In many ways, the Columbus network is unusual. Although it grew out of the national Urban Mathematics Collaboratives financed by the Ford Foundation in the 1980s, the Georgia group was anything but urban. With $8,000 from the foundation, Mary Lindquist and Helen Purks set out in 1989 to prove that the demand for authentic professional development was just as great in rural schools as it was in the cities.
Lindquist, a former president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and an education professor at Columbus College, was the architect of the network. Purks, its first executive director, was the voice of the practicing teacher.
They built their network from the ground up. With Lindquist's clout and Purks' easygoing appeal, they scraped together enough extra money from local businesses to organize and publicize some events for teachers. Getting the teachers there was another thing. Because the network first covered a 50-mile radius, it wasn't easy spreading the word. Purks sometimes consulted football schedules--the only documents she had access to—just to get the names of schools in faraway districts.
"It makes our role a little more difficult," Pruet says of the multi-district approach. "Things are less centralized." The network now reaches from the small city of Columbus, through back-country Georgia, and even into eastern Alabama. In all, it has members from some 25 school districts in the two states. The smallest of the districts has about 400 students, and the largest, Columbus, has 30,000.
The collaborative first zeroed in on high school teachers, but it has since expanded to include the elementary schools. Policymakers say that networks are particularly important because their emphasis on the secondary level—not just in Columbus, but in many networks around the country—has touched a population of teachers often left out of major school-reform efforts.
The network called its gatherings "Birds of a Feather," and organized them around such themes as new trends in algebra or geometry teaching. Its leaders joked about the hokey name—later adopted by other collaboratives, much to their amusement—but found it made the events seem less dry and academic than the generic in-service training that had passed for professional development in their area.
"I wanted this to be sort of homey," Purks explains. "I wanted it to be comfortable for teachers."
Other networkers have also struggled to maintain that feeling of community, even as they hope to reach out to more teachers. Dixie Goswami, the coordinator of the Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network, which grew out of the writing program of the same name at Middlebury College in Vermont, says: "We don't want to get huge, but we do want to be replicated.
"The kind of work these teachers do does not lend itself to anonymous faces sending you messages," adds Goswami, whose network includes about 500 teachers in six states. "We want to keep that intimacy."
The Columbus network became a safe haven for teachers to try out new ideas, air complaints, or talk about the profession. To some, the discussions were a rare opportunity.
"In a way, if teachers want to be powerful, it's their only place to be," says Kitty Boles, a 4th-grade teacher in Brookline, Mass., who helped found a network in the 1970s for women teachers in Boston. "They tend to be powerful in their domain--the classroom. But unless they're with the union, there's nowhere else."
And because they are outside the system, networks give teachers an opportunity to be political about their work—without repercussions. That can be a mixed blessing, however.
"It meant that no particular system owned us," Purks points out. But it also meant the Columbus network had to take care not to criticize districts for the way they were approaching math instruction. "We had to make people aware that we were not trying to take over anyone's job--or tell them how to do it," Purks says.
The central question is whether teachers will return to their schools and use their newfound skills and leadership to mobilize their colleagues. Some worry that networks can create resentment because they set some teachers apart from the pack.
To avoid that problem, some math collaboratives require that 60 percent or more of the teachers in a department join. Pete Anderson, who teaches applied mathematics at Troup County Comprehensive High School in LaGrange, Ga., says the Columbus collaborative has had a lasting effect because everyone in the math department has taken part in the network's staff-development projects.
"Sometimes, administrators aren't sure about all these crazy ideas teachers have," Anderson says with a laugh. "So it really helps to have a critical mass" that supports experimentation.
Even with the unwavering support of teachers in their communities, many networks have stumbled over the same problem: lack of funds. Networks—including some math collaborative sites—have had trouble sustaining themselves once foundation or other private support is gone. Indeed, some must seek more money from the very groups they sought freedom from, such as the district or state.
"I think one of the reasons things that teachers start don't last is because they don't understand how organizations work," adds Boles, the Brookline, Mass., teacher. "They often aren't financially savvy."
The Columbus network has avoided some of those difficulties, however, through creative fund-raising. The network charges schools a membership fee of 50 cents per student to cover its operating expenses. In addition, the network gets some state and federal funds, including, most years, two or three grants of $25,000 to $30,000 each from the Eisenhower program for professional development in math and science.
The network's homespun approach to professional development so intrigued state officials that they have helped clone it in Augusta and Valdosta.
Some networks have suffered an identity crisis as they discovered that they were focused on too slender a slice of the reform pie. Those groups are now at a critical juncture: Can they find their place in the web of national school-reform groups? Or will they fade away?
The CHART network is struggling with some of those questions now.
Dennis Lubeck, the director of the St. Louis-based International Education Consortium and a coordinator for the network, says the network is getting more aggressive about forging ties with "natural partners," such as state humanities councils and nationally known reform efforts like the Coalition of Essential Schools.
"I don't think people can carry it alone—there's too much to do," says Lubeck, whose network's "transition" talks are being funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. "You really have to be good bridge-builders."
Some policymakers agree that many networks will be more successful when they connect their efforts to major school-reform or restructuring efforts. But they also praise them for focusing their energies on specific, achievable goals. And they are more generous in interpreting the comings and goings of networks.
"If groups start and disband, we see it as failure. But we could see it as flexibility," argues Judith Warren-Little, a professor in the graduate school of education at the University of California at Berkeley.
Furthermore, teachers' relationships last even after the network no longer exists in name.
"It was said early on in networks' lives that they were fragile," says Lord of the Education Development Center. "And I protested. They're not fragile. They're really quite resilient. They change shape to accommodate the political shifts, as well as the contextual shifts, in teaching and learning."
Most networkers see themselves as a necessary part--but by no means the only part--of the landscape. Few claim that networks are the only way to go.
"They don't work in isolation: A network sustains what grows out of other professional-development experiences," Purks says. "I don't think there's anything wrong with 'expert to teacher,' as long as 'teacher to teacher' is still there."
Vol. 15, Issue 30, Pages s25, s27, s31-35Published in Print: April 17, 1996, as Teacher to Teacher
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Kind of Blue is going to be a bit of a challenge. I have to write on five different songs and the album only has five songs total. At least I won't waste any time choosing I suppose. In any case, track one is called "So What" and it is a definite exercise in linear composition. The first 30 or so seconds make it seem like you may be in for some really abstract noodling. Luckily the bass comes in and gives the track some order with a very simple line producing a call and response, first with the piano and then with the horns as well. This then makes you feel like you are maybe stuck with that theme for a while. Luckily it doesn't get too drawn out, it only goes on for a minute or so. At this point everything loosens up and the soloing begins, each in turn, which I still find a little retro. It is 1959 though so retro is what it is. It strikes me that while the order drops out once the bass abandons that simple line and the rest of the instruments abandon their response, there is no real change in what the underlying structures are. That simple call and response could continue endlessly on top of everything and not be either rhythmically or tonally out of place. Thus you get the feeling of linearity without the boredom of it. At a little over two minutes left in the song the horns return to their response to the bass line earlier in the song. The bass however continues walking around in the background. Forty or so seconds later, the piano comes back in line and soon after the bass follows suit. The song then sort of lilts to a close. This really makes for a nice arc.
When dissected, the concept of modal composition really becomes glaring. I have always been loath to dissect music because it sometimes really ruins any special qualities a song may have. Sometimes removing the mystery of something takes away its best quality. It's interesting that jazz is sometimes the opposite. I'm still not sure whether I like that concept or not.
One bit that is very interesting to me is that you catch John Coltrane using a distinct snippet of soloing that would crop up again in his solo work. At about 4:28 in "So What" you can hear a tiny bit that definitely prefigures a bit from "Resolution" off of A Love Supreme, that part begins at approximately 4:30, here it repeats and isn't identical but was enough to aurally remind me that it was John Coltrane playing with Miles.
Compare below…
This track, probably a 4.5 out of 5


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Take Avocados to Heart Recipe Contest Winners
Congratulations to the nine award-winning heart-smart avocado recipes selected to support AHA's Healthy for Good movement!
1st place: Melissa Lanes from Raleigh, NC for Velvety Avocado Pesto Dip, a creamy avocado dip with flavorful accents of basil and pine nuts!
Appetizer category
2nd place: Hidemi Wash from Centreville, VA with Avocado Ginger Lemon Vichyssoise, a traditional French chilled soup recipe with a nice twist which include avocado and tofu.
3rd place: Roxanne Chan from Albany, CA. with Oaxacan Avocado Appetizer, a unique avocado appetizer recipe using jicama.
1st place: Amy Angelo from Pennsville, NJ for Rockfish Fajita Stuffed Tomatoes, a family friendly seafood meal!
Entrée category
2nd place: Emily Irvin, RD from Oxford, MS with the Avo-Fredo Zoodles, a fresh and lower carbohydrate alternative to pasta using zucchini noodles
3rd place: Charlotte Martin from Baltimore, MD with the Southwestern Avocado Bell Pepper Quiche Cups, quiche with a new twist to shake up your morning routine.
1st place: Merry Graham from Newhall, CA for the fruity and delicious Zesty Avocado and Wild Blueberry Smoothie Bowl recipe.
Desserts and Smoothies category
2nd place: Julie Andres, RD from Beaver Dam, WI with the delicious chocolaty Avocado Dark Chocolate Glazed Donuts.
3rd place: Doreen Brane from Broadview Heights, OH with a delicious pudding dessert with creamy avocado, the Chocolate Avocado Chia Pudding.
Thank you to all those who submitted a recipe! We enjoyed getting to know why you take avocados to heart through your recipe!
The Take Avocado to Heart recipe contest is in support of the American Heart Association's Healthy For Good movement, helping to motivate, inspire and educate Americans to live healthier lives.
For questions, please email email@example.com.
Eat Smart. Add Color. Move More. Be Well.


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Ask the community and get help from thousands of informed subscribers.
I gave Kit Grid Canada another try and I'm glad I did. It worked out great. They test their sizes now so the mediums fit like a medium and the quality of shirts is high. There's a good mixture of fun things and fashion savvy items so it was a nice surprise. I highly recommend, especially for those wanting to try something new and get in on some fresh unique brands and styles.
Don't fall for their bogus excuse shown below. They never shipped the product. It wasn't returned to sender. I am the building manager at my condo and we have cameras. At no time did a delivery person show up. They are liars and criminals. DO NOT BUY.
Dear Jamie,
Thank you for your review. The item shipped to you was returned by Canada Post mentioning that the item was undeliverable to the address provided. We have emailed you requesting an updated shipping address. Please make sure someone is home to receive the package or pick the package from the Post Office.
Thank You
I got the essential package was awesome to get an extra peice of clothing. The shirts and jeans were good quality worth the money for just the 2 tees and 1 pair of jeans. Kinda wish the jeans where slim fit and one of the tees were more my style but that's besides the point it was fun seeing what mystery I was going to get. Over all I'm happy I'll keep the subscription on see what I get next! Good job guys :)


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Racisim and Alcoholism
So I am from Alabama, the Heart of Dixie as it was called when I was growing up. I grew up on a farm north of a mid-size southern city known for its tolerance and diversity and my private school was integrated with the kids of most of the non-white professionals in our little town. Black kids, South Asian kids, Koreans and Chinese kids were my friends. But I knew racists. My grandparents used the "n" word. I once saw a cross burning driving back from Nashville late one night and I knew people who spoke in demeaning terms about the entire black community, depicting them all as untrustworthy and lazy, things I knew not to be true.
Out on the farm, a black family lived in a rental house at the back of the property and worked the land, fixed the fences and cared for the livestock. The children of this family, 21 of them aged one to about 20, we're my best friends and we played and later worked together every summer and many days after school. I grew up knowing there was something different about the way they lived. About their expectations of themselves and of me. It bothered me on some level I could not then understand.
Recently I have been thinking about racism in the context of the immigration fracas going on in America this year. Like the racists I knew in growing up in Alabama, there are people who legitimately believe that a Syrian Terrorist is going to move in next door to them and blow up their local church. While that is about as likely as one of my friends from school doing that, some people believe it. They read hyperbolic media reports designed to scare people and they are scared. After all, they've never actually met a Syrian person and they have no personal experience or context that would push back on the media reports and the statements of their less well-travelled and/or well-read neighbors and friends.
I also have also had considerable experience with alcoholism and alcoholics. My wife and I helped run a homeless ministry for five or six years, we have some alcoholism in both of our families and we own a beer and wine store. There are homeless guys I know who have lost every single thing and relationship they had and they still choose it over a better life. I don't know many who have beaten it, most are dead of organ failure, Esophageal varices or some related malady. The ones who did beat it usually had something in common, they were inspired by someone or something to finally put it down and choose a better life. Someone got through to them and they had a transformational experience that made them see what life could be life without the drink.
In my opinion. That's what we have to do with the racists and undereducated people who think other cultures are a threat. So let me pose a question, do you think the homeless guys would stop drinking if I called them names, denigrated their pasts, their actions, their beliefs and their culture, such as it is? I think they'd pull away from someone like that and tune them out. Worse, I think they'd be hostile towards someone like that.
Why do we think racists are different? They have a world-view that is uninformed and leading them down the wrong path. They probably inherited it to some extent from their parents and family and peer group. They honestly believe their way is the only real way to live. When we yell at them, threaten them and insist they change their views it only drives the wedge deeper and convinces them we are crazy and could never be relevant in their lives.
So here's my takeaway. When you encounter someone who is against more immigration into America or someone who does not believe all the claims about Climate Change, try not to hit them with your "Science Matters" sign.
Instead, try and get to know them. See what makes them tick.
Maybe stop insulting them.
Introduce the anti-immigration guy to your immigrant/first gen friends, there are a lot of them in Huntsville and most are KILLING it (not killing red necks but starting companies, inventing things, hiring people and generally kicking ass).
And don't call the Climate Change person a "Denier", thats insulting and just incorrect. I personally do not doubt the science but I do doubt the guy with an agenda telling me about the science. The earth is warming, and I think we are contributing, but how much? Will it really stop rising if we reduce CO2 emmisions? I keep seeing that chart that shows temp rise with and without the Paris Accords but is there any evidence at all that will work? Again, I don't doubt the science but not every climate change assertion made by Al Gore is real. There is overreach in their arguments that also happen to line up nicely with their social goals, adding more suspicion and cynicism from critical thinkers, like me.
Slowly, and with some finesse, you can convince people that a life where you include people produces a better quality of life and they will make new friends in the process. But there has to be a relationship first.
We have to learn how to do this again in our country. How to reach across the aisle and across the street to engage each other in an honest discussion. Today all we do is yell insults at each other and it won't change the mind of a racist any more than it will change that of an alcoholic.
Behold the Lamb
I really love the Christmas album and show from Andrew Peterson and friends called Behold the Lamb. If you don't know it, add it to your Holiday Mix. Love this song in particular. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks. So good. They have the show at the Ryman in Nashville every year, usually Sunday and Monday nights since it's so popular.
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around
"Fear not", said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled minds
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind"
"To you in David's house this day
Is born of David's line
The Savior who is Christ the Lord
And this shall be the sign"
"The Heavenly babe, you there shall find
To human view displayed
All neatly wrapped in swaddling bands
And in a manger laid"
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Christ is born
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Christ is born
"All glory be to God on high
And to the earth be peace
Good will henceforth from God to man
Begin and never cease"
What if you could scholarship a kid to Lincoln for free?
What if you could redirect half of your taxes to your kid's school? You can! We'll sort of. In Alabama there is something called the Alabama Accountability Act and it allows taxpayers with an Alabama Income Tax Liability to choose for themselves where their tax money goes! I know it sounds too good to be true and there are some hard parts for the schools but the bottom line for the taxpayer is easy: put your money in the general fund or in your local schools, your choice. Oh and if you are fortunate enough to be an AMT filer, this is cashflow positive for you, ask your accountant or tax preparer.
If you are interested in doing this, estimate your Alabama Income Tax Liability before the end of 2016 and go to
myalabamataxes.alabama.gov. There you will see a menu on the left that includes a Donate to an SGO option, it looks like this:
When you click Donate to an SGO you see a screen like this:
That screen shows that Alabamians can still donate up to $22 million more before the cap of $30 million is hit. It works like this: If you owe the state $1,000, you pay $500 using the screen above in calendar year 2016. Then, after you pay your $1,000 taxes in April of 2017 you will receive a $500 rebate from the state. It is cash flow neutral for the taxpayer and due to some rules, it is cash flow positive for Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) filers. Ask your tax professional about that part.
So there is no catch, no more paperwork, just this one screen and a month or two without your rebate check. If you owe $13,000 in income tax to Alabama your "donation" could scholarship a child. Imagine doing that while having it cost you nothing at all. Please. Take the time to do this.
Redirect your Alabama taxes to local schools legally
Last year I posted about this in December. This year I am a few months earlier because I am going to beat the drums on this one until everyone hears me! Here's the simple truth of the matter: Alabama has a poor track record educating our kids. We have challenges on this front to be sure, we have a poor population without a tradition of educational advancement. We have a subculture, white people and non-whites too, that lacks a culture of academic achievement. Still, we spend less on education that most states, tie funding for schools to an antiquated property tax structure and struggle to re-zone our communities to match the patterns of population shifts. As a state, we have a big problem and poor track record of being able to solve that problem.
In Alabama we have a mix of public schools, private schools, independent schools, church schools and now charter schools. Public schools are funded by the Alabama Legislature and by local ad valorem taxes (ad valorem taxes mean that you have to pay a portion of the value of any real estate you own to the county each year). As a way to help fund schools that are trying something different in poor neighborhoods, the Alabama Legislature voted a few years ago to create a fund of up to $30 million dollars. Families with children zoned for a Title 1 school (that is a school with a high percentage of free lunch kids) can apply to one of several Scholarship Granting Organizations approved by the State for a scholarship to a competing private school.
This structure empowers the parents of kids living in or near poverty to do something about the difficult school environment in most Title 1 schools. Now, instead of moving across town, they can apply for a scholarship that will allow them to pay $6,000, $8,000 or $10,000 a year for elementary, middle or high school kid respectively to attend a private school. To me, this is a great way to try and see if those kids can do better in another environment, without having to be wealthy.
So, here is your task for today. Call your tax advisor and tell them that you want as much as the law allows to be redirected to one of the Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). There are two that support Lincoln Academy so please choose one of those. They are RocketSGO based in Huntsville and Scholarships for Kids (S4K) based in Birmingham. Either will work for our purposes. Your tax advisor will use the My Alabama Taxes website to enter the amount of your "donation". It's not really a donation since you were going to pay it to the general fund anyway if you had not been allowed to redirect the funds. If you need help with this or if your tax advisor has questions please send them to me.
Time of Transition
To the Lincoln Community, Staff, Faculty, Donors, Volunteers, Parents and kids.
It is again my great pleasure to write to the entire community in my capacity as the Chairman of the Lincoln Village Preservation Corporation Board of Directors. With this letter the Board is announcing what will surely be a bittersweet moment in our ministry. As much as it is bittersweet, it is also a necessary and proper developmental step in the life of the ministry that is to be celebrated like the change of seasons. While there is sadness certainly, there is also the thrill of anticipation for the promise of Spring and new life that He has in store for us.
You may not know that it has been three years since our sister Karen Parks was asked to work part-time at LVPC. For one year. Now three years later the position of Executive Director has grown into an essentially full-time job with myriad responsibilities not even contemplated with she accepted. Karen has performed all of those tasks and more with a quiet strength that carried us through difficult times. I personally am not sure anyone else could have done this job, certainly not as well as Karen.
So, recently, Karen shared with the Executive Committee of the Board that it was getting close to the time for her to retire and spend more time with the "grand chickens" as our friend Connie Stearns calls them. To that end, the Governance Committee of the Board began work on a transition plan preparing for a formal search process. But the preparations stopped abruptly a few weeks ago when we were approached by one of our own. The fit was immediately recognized by the entire board to be providential and the motion was made to cancel the search and make the hire.
So, it is my distinct pleasure to tell you of a miracle that He has wrought in our midst yet again. Lakshmi Nallamala has resigned from the Board so that she could apply for the position and was unanimously approved at the last meeting. Lakshmi will serve as the second Executive Director of LVPC beginning in April and she and Karen will work out the timing so that the maximum amount of continuity and momentum is maintained going into 2016-2017.
I know you will all join me in thanking Karen for her years of service to the ministry. Let me also hasten to say that there will be a time for celebration of Karen and her time at the ministry, watch for more on that soon.
Please also join me in congratulating Lakshmi on her transition from Director to Executive Director. Mark and everyone on the Board has full confidence in Lakshmi and we are all excited to see what God will bring to the ministry through her.
Humbled by his grace and In His Service,
Matt Fowler
Ocular Melanoma, Five Years Out
This is Deadly, We're Sorry
So they started by saying "This is deadly, we're sorry." Five years ago today, February 23rd 2011 is a day that forever changed my life, for the better. I will retell the story briefly, so I can guide others to survival and also have the opportunity to thank a few amazing people who helped me along the way.
First. On the fateful Wednesday February 23rd, I went to see Dr John Cox for a routine eye exam. I was experiencing what I describe as "looking up from underwater" out of the corner of my right field of vision. John was sure what I had, he told me it was cancer and sent me immediately to the next step, an Ophthalmologist/Retina Specialist.
So on the same morning that I went to see John, I was sent over to Dr Jim Byrne, a family friend, who happened to be off that day. John and I called Jim and he met me at his office anyway. After a few minutes looking at the tumor, Jim confirmed the diagnosis and said I needed to go to Birmingham or Vanderbilt, my choice. He said they would likely refer me on to another center, probably Wills in Philadelphia. Jim also asked me that day what I was afraid about the most. I told him that was an easy one, the loss of contact with my loving family, and the waiting for test results. He told me that Doctors have a name for that period between the scan and the results. It's called "life". You can choose to spend those hours or days however you choose, the outcome does not change those days. It was excellent advice.
Next was a visit to Dr Paul Sternberg at Vanderbilt Hospital the next day, Thursday. Dr Sternberg is a wonderful guy and he spent lots of time with me. At the end of the tests he told me to go back home and get a chest x-ray, a liver MRI and bloodwork to see if the cancer had already metastasized into the body. If it was they would recommend a different course of treatment since melanoma mets is universally fatal. Dr Sternberg also said that sometimes a doctor's best course of action is a good referral. Due to the seriousness of my case he recommended Wills Eye in Philadelphia as Dr Byrne had expected.
High Scanxiety
The next day was high-scanxiety Friday as my doctor, Ramann Nallamala, scheduled the tests. By mid-afternoon we were cleared for the trip to Philadelphia after a very tense and stressful period of "life" as Dr Byrne called it. By Sunday night we were in Philadelphia preparing for our appointment at Wills the next morning.
Monday morning February 28th we met with The Doctors Shields, the team of Jerry and Carol that wrote the textbook on treating eye cancer, literally. They were professional and reassuring and deeply knowledgeable about their field. Being there gave me a comfort I can't explain but it was empowering and timely. They told me to come back the next day for more measurements and to plan on two surgeries: one Thursday to install a radioactive plaque opposite the tumor inside my eyeball, and another one the following Monday to remove it.
After surgery we went home and tried to get back to life in the new normal. To help with local emergencies should they arise I reached out to a local oncologist and old family friend to help me schedule tests etc. Dr. Marshall Schreeder at Clearview Cancer has since helped me navigate treatment, he's wonderful and I love his whole family.
70% Chance of Death from Metastatic Melanoma
Three months later we went back to Wills to receive the results of the genomic testing. Those results indicated that I had a 70% chance of metastatic spread and death from the disease within 48 months. That was the roughest news we received during the whole treatment period but it put us on a path of aggressive treatment to which I credit my survival.
That treatment included Avastin shots into the eyeball, one every three months for two years. In year two I also started on oral chemo called SUTENT prescribed by my Medical Oncologist at Thomas Jefferson Dr Takami Sato. Sr Sato is a rockstar in the treatment of metastatic melanoma and a great guy too. Also, to finish treating the tumor after plaque radiation I had TTT (Transpupillary thermotherapy), a laser beam aimed through your pupil to burn tissue on the back of the eye. Together these treatments have beaten the odds, I am still alive and not metastatic, and I have 20/40 vision in the "bad" eye. Amaxing.
So, after all of that, I am 60 months out today from diagnosis. Drs Cox, Byrne, Sternberg, Nallamala, Shields, Shields, Sato, and Schreeder have formed the dream team for me and I thank them so much for my site and my life.
The Land Trust & The Nature Conservancy
The outdoors are very important to me. I grew up on a farm north of Huntsville that was about 650 acres mostly leased out to a local cotton farmer called Buddy Darwin. The parts that Buddy did not use for row crops was a strip of mountainside that was heavily wooded and filled with deer and squirrels and woodland animals. Thirteen miles north of town, I was pretty much alone to wander the place and discover the beauty of the simplest things in life.
As I got older, I was always interested in conservation and supported the Natural Resources Defense Fund, The World Wildlife Fund and the Sierra Club. I learned that those organizations are great but they are far removed from Huntsville. So, after meeting them during some appraisal work in the early 90's, I joined the Board of Directors of the Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama and served as Chairman in 2000. They do amazing work and have preserved literally thousands of acres in and around Madison County.
Now, 14 years later, I am still interested in conservation and because of that interest I accepted a position on the Alabama board of the Nature Conservancy. We meet in amazing places around the state and talk about how to best preserve habitat and develop more interest in conservation. I have met a great group of people on the Board from all over the state who are deeply involved in preserving the best parts of our beautiful state. They are committed, connected to the national conservation movement and they are smart, really smart.
One of the best examples of how smart they are is a new partnership between the Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy. The Conservancy is responsible for preserving over 50,000 acres in North Alabama and still manages about 3,000 acres. The Land Trust manages about 4,000 and it was hard for the Land Trust to be able to afford a Full Time Land Manager by themselves. The Conservancy had a Manager at one time but also struggled to keep the position funded. With the new partnership in place, partially funded by a grant from the Jane K Lowe Foundation, the Land Manager is now fully funded and shared by the two organization. That's a smart use of the scarce funds we have available for the mission. Very smart!
So, if you like the ring of pretty green hills surrounding Huntsville, or the Greenways that everyone loves for walking and biking, maybe you'd consider joining both organizations as a monthly sustaining member. If you're loaded and want Alabama to stay beautiful, consider larger gifts or even land donations and estate plans but even if you are not, these organizations will do more with your money than almost anything else. Locally too, this money stays in Alabama.
Photo Credit: Photographer Steve Babin. Clingman's Dome TN
Mapathon for Downtown Huntsville
There is a new event coming up in Downtown Huntsville called a Map-a-Thon. It's a competition put on by Downtown Huntsville, Inc along with several friends and partners, including Solid Earth. Basically we are dividing the city into zones and recruiting teams to build models. Then, we'll score them on several criteria including accuracy and the level of detail etc. At the end of the competition all the models will be submitted to the GIS guys at City Hall so they can submit them to Trimble's 3D Building Warehouse.
The teams will hopefully bring together modelers, engineers, geographers, photographers and other disciplines that can contribute to a successful modeling team. It's typical Huntsville stuff, Art meets Engineering; Lowe Mill meets Cummings Research Park. All intersecting in the newly rejuvenated downtown sector. And when we're done, we'll upload the submissions to Google Earth so Huntsville looks even better online. Site location people use Google Earth all the time and if the models are detailed enough, a virtual of the blocks might be enough to cause them to choose the city for their project!
So if you know a photog, or a modeller, or a hacker of any kind tell them to head over to Downtown Huntsville and sign up to create a team. Go here for info: www.facebook.com/mapathon
Pray for Ukraine
When I was 18 I went to Russia. It was 1983 and before the Berlin Wall fell and communist kleptocracy that was the old Soviet Block came crashing down. Like most 18 year olds I was spoiled and had a very US-centric view of the world. When I came home, I was a very patriotic, very thankful young person with a much deeper knowledge of the special place and time God chose to place me on this earth.
One of the highlights of the trip was Kiev. It's a lovely, old city with onion domes as well as European architecture and I remember it felt more like Vienna than Moscow. The Red University stands out in memory because it's actually red.
But the real highlight was the people. I remember them correcting us when we said we were excited to be visiting the Soviet Union, they preferred to think of themselves as Ukrainian, not Soviet and certainly not Russian. They talked about how close they were to central Europe and you could tell, longed to focus their society to the west, not the east.
Now, 30 years later, Kiev is torn apart by violence. Those desires of the people to face west have run afoul, again, of the old guard tied to the colonial influence of Moscow. I am certain that the leadership in The Ukraine and the leadership in Moscow have no intention of loosening their grip. And the will of the people is clearly unwilling to return to the status quo. This could get much worse before it gets better for the people of The Ukraine. Please add them to your prayers and maybe drop a donation off for their support. See Twitter for the latest.
Happy 2014 Everyone!
The $$ spent on this could have feed everyone in South Sudan AND the Syrian Refugee Camps but (and that's an Alabama-sized but) it is really, really awesome! Crazy.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
My Friend Mack
So the last few days have been a little on the rough side. My friend Gina called me late Friday and said she was concerned about our friend Mack. She was not sure why, she was just worried about him. He usually calls me a couple of time each day and he had not been doing that. I agreed, I was worried too and Gina and I promised to check on him the next morning, Saturday morning, at our usual homeless breakfast. So I went to Johnson Towers at about 11AM and banged on the door. I did not know then that it was too late, Mack was already gone.
In early 2009 I went with some friends from church out on a Saturday morning to do a service project. The City arranged the event as a day of service so we made sandwiches and went to Lincoln Village. We learned that people in Lincoln Village are not particularly hungry. They'd like a pack of cigarettes or some gas money but ham sandwiches, not so much. So we regrouped and tried Tent City, where the homeless are camped under an interstate highway bridge. There, we met Mack.
The homeless men lay old carpets and boards over the rough gravel under the bridges. Then they put down a pallet, like a little wooden box used to stack merchandise on. The things that forklifts pickup, you know the thing. About 5×5 feet and maybe 6 inches thick made of wood. They put their tents on these things to keep them off the ground and out of the wet. Although my friend Mike P says that you can hear rats moving around under there. He likes his better on the ground.
Mack lived there when we met. He wore a Carhartt coverall and a ball cap and his ears were blue in the winter. His nose too. I once found him face down in his tent, covered with blankets. I was sure he was dead and sort of kicked his lifeless boot sticking out. It startled him and he bounded out of the tent ready to "stick" someone with his pocket knife. Mack was not a mean guy, not at all. He lived in a jungle and some of that behavior just rubs off on a person after a few years. And Mack lived on the streets for at least four years, that's how long I've known him.
Afraid Mack would freeze to death, two years ago we decided to check him into a local flophouse motel with instructions to "cut back" and "get better". He made a fairly pathetic effort that was unsuccessful and we decided that getting him off the streets had helped, at first, then it stopped helping. So, we told Mack to pack it up and head back to the tents. That was very hard for us to do. But, it was Spring and nice outside and maybe the shock of it would pull him out of his haze.
Back in the tents he reengaged with a local agency committed to getting these guys get housing and in short order, he got an apartment at Johnson Towers. He called it his Little House on the Praire. Mack was no Laura Ingals but he cherished his refuge from the camps and it helped him. He slowed his drinking and seemed to be committed to getting better. Until he wasn't. Then he started drinking more and more. He sold his food stamps and collected cans for money and basically sought to keep alcohol in his system, pretty much at all costs.
About a month ago Mack got out of jail for hitting his girlfriend, for the second time since August. We told Mack that we were going to stop paying his $50/month rent at Johnson Towers. That he was not getting better and that actually, he was getting worse. His choices were to just go back to the streets, or to seek out a rehab facility where he could go. We gave him several phone numbers and helped him fill out an application for The Way. He was left with instructions to call them every day, or twice a day, or ten times a day to tell them he was dying to get better, so they'd give him a bed and save his life.
I did not talk to Mack much last week but when I did he said he'd tried to call them. His speech was slurred, at 9:15AM, and he was not sure what day it was. I told him to please stop drinking and call The Way when he was sober and beg them to admit him. He said he'd try but he'd dropped his phone in the toilet and the screen was not working. I told him that was one more excuse and reminded him that there was a phone in the lobby. We agreed to leave it alone. He'd call when he was ready or go to the camps.
I expected him Saturday at Tent City. After Gina called I was more worried but still expected to see him walking up through the old Cleveland Cemetery. He didn't come so I stopped in to check and bang on his door again after cleaning up at church. I tried the door and found it locked. So I left a note and left, assuming that he was staying with someone. But when I came back Monday morning and my note was still there, I knew he was inside.
Shirley and Huntsville Public Housing Security came up and opened the door. Mack was sitting on his couch as if he was still watching TV. He appeared to have just passed out. I hope he died there, in his sleep, out of it.
He was not behaving like a man committed to life, and he got what he chose at the very young age of 49. It's very sad to see someone commit suicide, even a long slow one like Mack's. It makes me angry on some level, suicide has always made me angry. I should probably pray about that while I am praying for Mack.
Y'all add Timothy "Mack" McElyea to your prayer lists… he and his family could use it.
Back from Orlando with Spring and a Roadmap
As we all get back to town from the big NAR event in Orlando there is much to do. First we have to rest our feet from walking the 72 miles (+/-) from Rosen North to Rosen South, from the Peabody to the Hilton and that's not to mention the OCCC; the Orange County Convention Center which is roughy the size of twelve Super Domes. When we were there the OCCC had at least three trade shows going on simultaneously and it was not crowded. Amazing. And did I mention it's huge? Vast, epic architecture. I am already looking forward to the relatively cozy Moscone Center next year! But I am getting ahead of myself, we have work to do. See full post…
New post over on SolidEarth.com: Countdown to Spring
T-Minus 10 days and counting here
The Village Marketplace and the Power of Trust
Earlier this year I heard from my friend Susan Ross at Lincoln Village about an idea she had for a Thrift Store. It was really more than a thrift store, it was more like a community center/ thrift store / arts and crafts center / coffee shop. I loved Susan's vision but ultimately our effort but we could not find a space we could afford that was big enough. So after thinking and praying about this concept for a couple of months, Julie and I decided to just get on with it and open The Village Marketplace. In the words of my friend Emerson Fann, we decided to "jump off the cliff and build our wings on the way down".
As a paradigm for project management, I don't recommend Emerson's method. But, if you are setting out with the knowledge that you don't know where you're going, you are not really lost! That's confusing. I mean we set off to create income for our ministries and we understood that we did not know how to make that happen, or at least we did not fully understand. My grandfather moved from Ardmore, Tennessee to Huntsville on the train in the Nineteenth Century to work in a retail store and he later opened his own. So did my father, his son, and his stores eventually grew into a chain of 17 all over the South. I grew up in the stores and learned retail since before I can remember so I know more than a little about the business. Still, we have never run a thrift store.
So after jumping off, here's a short synopsis of what's happened:
- It cost more than we thought to operate
- We sold more than we thought we would, at least at first (almost $40,000 so far)
- We needed more space, almost immediately. So we had to rent another 2000 square feet over in Lincoln Mill (thanks Wayne Bonner!)
- Dusty and Tristan Graham, the managers we hired to direct, manage and otherwise operate the store turned out to be capital G "Golden". They came with hearts as big as outdoors and a totally different way of operating a business. Together, I am 100% confident that a mixture of our styles and methods will produce an amazing result. Thanks be to God for the Graham's.
- Nettie and Ron, the assistant managers Dusty and Tristan found through our friends at Lincoln Village ministries are so wonderful. They work hard, ask for little and deeply care about the Mission. They have five kids at Lincoln Academy and work just down the street at the store. It's GREAT for them to be so close. A big win-win for everyone, and Nettie has started back to school! Way to go Nettie!
- Pete the Person, one of the homeless men Julie and I have been working with for three years is working at the store. He's been in jail most of the last several months on panhandling charges. He's trying to put some sober days together that will turn into sober weeks, then maybe he can get an apartment and some traction in life. The store is a huge blessing for these men, providing clothes and much more, through the patient (!) guidance of Ron and Nettie and Dusty and Tristan.
- Margo also has five kids and lives in public housing. She now has a place to work and be around good, hard-working people. Her kids are at MLK hoping to get into Lincoln Academy next year.
- Susan our old friend and employee for the last 12 years has also started working at the store. She works her other jobs too but is working more and more in the front of the store. She has also started back to school to become certified as a nurse assistant! That's so wonderful.
- Lincoln Village ministries have poured into our store with activity, donations, volunteers, mentoring, general aid and encouragement. We loved them before but now, now they are family. To show our support recently we held a fund-raiser for them featuring Nashville recording artist Ronnie Freeman. It was at FUMC a couple of weekends ago and raised over $2300!
- Village of Promise is also a partner who has poured into the store. They have provided donations, support and great PR on their websites and blogs. Thanks for spreading the word so often! You guys are great!!
- Finally, our many friends at First Stop and The Village have rallied around and helped us get started. Nancy Jackson Martin and Danielle Clemons, thanks so much.
What's next for Village Marketplace? We have absolutely no idea! But we trust, we have faith that it'll be amazing. We do know that we have a big Thanksgiving sale coming up as well the push to the Christmas shopping season! Get excited!


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A Mansion Houses in East Lothian
Newhailes is an unrestored National Trust for Scotland stately home that occupies virtually the only undeveloped land between Edinburgh and Musselburgh. It has been deliberately left as a sort of time capsule from when the last of the line, Sir Mark Dalrymple died without heirs in 1971, although his widow, Lady Antonia, continued to live at Newhailes until it was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 1997. There are parts that are decidedly tatty and items of ordinariness lying around but it has a lived-in feel and many rooms that are greatly impressive. Today's visitor to Newhailes begins at the visitor centre in what used to be the stable block from where guided tours start, and here you will also find a shop and coffee house. The park that surrounds the house is also delightful with its views over the Firth of Forth and down the coast to Aberlady Bay.
Opening times
Estate: all year, daily, car park closing at dusk.
Visitor Centre, Shop and Cafe: 22 Apr to 30 Sep, Thur-Mon 11-5.
House: 22 Apr to 30 Sep, Thurs-Mon 12-5
Tours last approx 1¼ hours, starting every 30 mins from Visitor Centre. First tour departs 12 noon; last tour departs 4pm. Please allow 15 mins prior to tour departure to collect tickets and view introductory film.
T 0844 493 2125 Visit website
Additional Photos
The Private House Stay's Guide
East Lothian
East Lothian stretches Eastwards out along the Firth of Forth to North Berwick (a beautiful sea-side town that was once very fashionable with the rich and famous). Wonderful and ancient Golf courses abound everywhere. The area is served by a regular train service from Edinburgh to North Berwick which is much recommended for those who value the wonderful air quality and beautiful views, while the famous Bass Rock (the best place in Scotland to see gannets), The Law (a volcanic outcrop that dominates the town) and Tantallon Castle are spectacular attractions.


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Today when mobile phones and video conferencing have made business networking much comfortable and reduced the need to travel much, still face to face to meetings remain important for business needs. Staring at a screen or conversing on phone does not provide sufficient replacement to personal contact when it comes to closing a business deal or discussing an important project.
Face to face meetings is important to build professional trust as obviously it becomes difficult to trust someone for professional future till you meet in person. This calls for traveling. Other factors that contribute to frequent travel includes broadening your company network, leadership and motivational needs where human interaction with subordinates is a must.
All the factors make business travel necessary which may include frequent air travel too. Air travel cuts your journey time and is one of the most comfortable options to travel long distances, but it does involve some problems. Motion sickness or air sickness is one that tops the list.
Air sickness is a kind of nauseous feeling that makes you sick and queasy during air travel. The reason for such sickness is the contradictory information your brain receives during air travel, as your eyes give signals of being stationary but inner ears still feel the motion. Motion sickness gets over after sometimes post journey but can pose problems if you need to head to the meeting destination straight from the airport or you get too less time to relax before the meeting is scheduled.
Here are a few tips for preventing the air sickness:
Use ear plugs and listen to soothing music.
Do not eat too starchy and fatty food prior to travel and also do not fill your stomach too much, but don't go empty stomach too.
Do not consume alcohol during or before your journey.
Keep yourself well hydrated. Drink cold water and if you wish you can sip some aerated drink with ice.
Try to take a window seat and look towards the horizon so that your eyes can stabilize over a fixed point.
Put your head on the head rest and try to relax. Avoid playing video games and reading – basically any activity that places something very close to your eyes as this disturbs the visual balance during a flight.
Consult your doctor for some air sickness medicines. Be cautious if you are already on some medication as some medicines aggravate the sickness, but definitely do not miss your regular medicines.
Most commonly advised remedy is taking ginger to stimulate acupressure points but it is not a very proven solution.
After landing give yourself some time and look for a poshtel near the airport or your meeting place as poshtel offers you best services at an affordable price for a short stay. If you are traveling to Hyderabad, FreshUp offers attractive stay options and a suite of services to cater to your business meeting needs.