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I started reading into the lean start-up method, and it makes a lot of sense that this is the way to start a company. The thing is, can this method work with a mobile app, where it can take a while for apps to get approved? Its not like a website that you can update 50 times a day and do split testing by running different versions on different servers... What do you guys think? Has anyone tried it here? Did it work? asked Nov 18 '11 at 05:47 If you do customer development (ios), get several people who would be interested in providing feedback, and get their Hardware UUIDs. Then you can have them download the code from your site outside of the app store & release new versions to your hearts content. – Jim Galley 10 years ago My answer is "Yes" as well. This is really a problem with Apple where you've got only 100 beta testers. Don't forget that Lean Startup is not just about testing several versions of the product - but is a kind of ideology which you could apply in your startup. Your first step should be an MVP (minimum viable product) which should get you some testers. You don't have to test on 100 people to know what works and what doesn't. Installing great analytics should give you great insight into what your users are doing. The idea of a web based solution is not bad. Though the speed is not as native, the feel can be almost identical. The little differences shouldn't matter too much if your product is awesome. If it's really great - you will see it immediately. Using the HTML5 approach will allow you testing with unlimited number of users with the feel of a native app. Many startups use A/B testing with just mockups without a real product - you could try that one as well. Just to get the initial feedback. Lean startup doesn't state that you should have the PERFECT product to test it. Just an MVP version of it. Web solution is good enough. BTW, Lean startup is also a state of mind - just keep it lean with all your expenses and efforts ;) answered Nov 27 '11 at 01:32 YES, It can The principles of the Lean Startup can most definitely be applied. You can launch a MVP quickly and iterate from there. (Sure it might take a week or two extra to go live, but that's part of the game) When you run a beta, it truly is a beta. Users will have to give you their UUID's and you'll have to install software but software like TestFlight makes this a lot easier to do. You can iterate 50 times a day, with your own development devices and see which ones you like. It's harder to apply, but it will work. (And remember, you don't need to follow the principles like its a holy text. You just need to embrace the concepts behind them) answered Nov 21 '11 at 17:17 I am limited to 100 beta testers (thanks to apples policy) which is no where near enough for split testing (the functionality I need to test is related to e-commerce, which means that maybe one out of the 100 will buy anything, once, if I am lucky). Also, even with TestFlight (which is a great service) its still a headache to update each version (its not like updating a website) What can I do once the app goes live? Can I still iterate? Split test? – Ron Ga 11 years ago You can't really split test live, (the rules are very limiting here). The best you can do is bring in a group of people. Show them two different version that you've installed locally and see which one works out better. Kind of like a focus group. Once the app goes live you need to start tracking analytics, keeping logs of how the user uses the app and make estimated guesses about how to improve the flow. Have you considered a web-based solution? – Sum 11 years ago I also think you could add some content from web-services, so not every functionality depends on the app alone. – Ralf.W. 11 years ago I have considered a web based solution, but in my app, I believe that I will succeed or fail based on good UI/UX, and a web-based solution just won't cut it (HTML5 or not, its still not native in speed or feel) – Ron Ga 11 years ago Eric Ries does a great job in his book of showing through case studies how the Lean Startup approach has worked in various industries and established companies. The key is to stick to the fundamentals: MVP, smaller batches, testable hypotheses, etc. Considering that many lean methods come from manufacturing (e.g. Toyota), this is definitely not just for the web. The web certainly makes it easier to test and deploy, which is why it is so powerful a technology, while the App approval process makes this more challenging. I'm going through the same hurdles with my App development, but I will follow the fundamentals plus the excellent advice already given here to use lean within the constraints of a curated app store model. Feel free to contact me in the future if you want to compare notes on what has worked. answered Dec 1 '11 at 00:02 Another option I heard from a friend is submitting your app for only some marketplaces, as a way to get testing done on a smaller audience before launching in the US... I guess that once I realized how great lean is on the web, the fact that it doesn't work as fast on mobile seems not as good now... Its like getting a slow internet connection on a flight - once you get used to something good, you come to expect it :) btw, I am now following you on twitter – Ron Ga 11 years ago It definitely does, although there are some challenges that are not present with web products. users have to agree to upgrade to the new version versioning between server-side and client-side features That said, do not forget that the issues described above affect the speed of iteration in what is not necessarily the first stage of a lean startup. They do not affect your ability to talk to your potential customers and conduct problem interviews or solution interviews. They do not affect your ability to research the market, examine the volumes of google searches or conduct smoke tests using ad words and/or simple landing pages. They do not prevent you from conducting a concierge MVP, where you offer a manual service to a small number of people to prove your value hypothesis. Lean is a mindset - "how can i test my assumptions with the least amount of effort possible." Sometimes the answer involves writing apps or adding features to your existing apps. A lot of the times it does not. For the cases where your MVP is best conducted by developing an actual app, there are things you can do to work around the issues presented by the mobile platforms. Others already mentioned distributing your app to a small number of testers without going through the app store. For Android, this is a non-issue - you can email your app to as many people as you wish without submitting to the Market (I'll never get used to saying Play). A/B testing is not easy on mobile, but it is possible. Switching features out in response to data sent to server is another way to experiment without versioning your app. And finally, the mother of all approaches: using hybrid HTML5 and native apps which offer you the best of both worlds: the ability to be in the app stores and leverage native functionality when needed, as well as the ability to introduce new functionality, A/B test or switch your features on the fly, by just changing your server-side code. answered Apr 15 '12 at 09:14 with a Native app development - only using data driven split testing. the Lean Startup's main claim is that the startup's product is validated learning, all the additional tools - an MVP, interviews and the 5 whys are additions to the core methodology of conducting experiments. thinking lean yet proving nothing does not give you the vaunted advantage of not developing features that users don't want. Certainly you can do a non-mobile solution at he beginning such as a a concierge MVP but that does not answer your question. After you passed that point and created an application you still need to learn. there are few things as dangerous as false knowledge - thinking that you've proved something when you still don't know the answer. to gain knowledge using the scientific method you need a controlled experiment with a representative sample giving you a statistically significant result. based on http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm (my knowledge in statistics is rusty) with 100 testers you can get a 95% certainty that your results have any meaning for a total amount of users of 135 or less. got more than that? then your tests are practically meaningless. Option II - plain normal update cycle here what you have is a long iteration cycle, instead of deploying 50 times a day you're deploying once every few months. that's how long you have to wait before you get the results of experiments. and worse, since you want to know what is the specific effect of each change - that's one feature per 1+ month. only one change each month for your developers to develop. only one lesson learned each month. if there is any truth in the lean startup's premise then you are guranteed to be pulverized by faster iterating competition. Option III - data driven split testing in this method, you code many split tests in one version, the application decides which functionality to execute according to data from the server. the server is responsible for assigning your users to one experiment each and making sure a control group exists. though your iteration is long you can conduct many experiments in paralell this way, which is actually what a web based solution does anyway since most experiments should track long-term consequences and not just immediate results. answered Aug 14 '12 at 01:31 I agree, lean startup is a state of mind of constantly coming up with hypotheses, experiments, validation and learning. Some thoughts on lean startup for mobile: Your launch is a really important moment for your app success. Make sure you have a pretty decent app at least, and not a minimal rough MVP. Mockup testing helps with getting feedback, HTML basic app is even better. There are A/B testing tools for native mobile like SwitchBoard and Clutch.io nowadays. More can be found in my blogpost here. answered Nov 27 '12 at 07:26 Two out of your three bullets also apply to non-mobile cases. Can you expand on how those apply specifically to mobile cases? Maybe adding more content from your blog post would help. – Zuly Gonzalez 10 years ago	10,790
FILE – Simon Stiell, U.N. climate chief, speaks during a closing plenary session at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh,… FILE – Simon Stiell, U.N. climate chief, speaks during a closing plenary session at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Stiell acknowledges nations didn’t do anything additional to address climate change itself at the summit, reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases. The progress made last year at the meeting in Glasgow was maintained, he said. “There was no backtracking”. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File) UN climate boss settles for no cuts on emissions Posted: Nov 21, 2022 / 11:25 AM EST Updated: Nov 21, 2022 / 11:25 AM EST FILE – Simon Stiell, U.N. climate chief, speaks during a closing plenary session at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh,… FILE – Simon Stiell, U.N. climate chief, speaks during a closing plenary session at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Stiell acknowledges nations didn’t do anything additional to address climate change itself at the summit, reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases. The progress made last year at the meeting in Glasgow was maintained, he said. “There was no backtracking”. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File) Posted: Nov 21, 2022 / 11:25 AM EST Updated: Nov 21, 2022 / 11:25 AM EST SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Given an energy crisis in Europe and progress made in helping climate victims, the new climate chief for the United Nations said he’ll settle for a lack of new emissions-cutting action coming out of the now-concluded climate talks in Egypt. It could have been worse, UN Executive Secretary for Climate Simon Stiell said in a seaside interview with The Associated Press. The talks did achieve the historic creation of a fund for poor nations that are victims of climate disasters, he said. The progress made last year at the global climate meeting in Glasgow was maintained. “There was no backtracking. Which as a result, one could say, is highly unambitious. And I would actually agree,” a tired Stiell said hours after the Egyptian climate talks finished with one last around-the-clock push. “To say that … we have, stood still. Yeah, that’s not great,” Stiell said. But he still likes the overall outcome of the first set of climate talks he oversaw, in particular the long-sought compensation fund for nations that didn’t cause warming. Outside experts agree with Stiell that nothing was done on the central issue of reducing emissions that cause climate change and disasters like flooding in Pakistan. “In the shadow of the energy crisis, there were no major new climate protection commitments at the conference,” said climate scientist Niklas Hohne, founder of the NewClimate Institute in Germany. “Glasgow a year ago was a small but important step in the right direction, with many new national targets and new international initiatives. None of that happened this year.” That’s despite the fact that more than 90 nations repeatedly asked — many of them publicly — for the agreement to include a phase down of oil and gas use. The Glasgow agreement calls for a phase down of “unabated coal” — that is, coal burning where the carbon goes into the atmosphere rather than being captured somehow. Poor nations point out that they rely more on coal whereas oil and gas are used more in rich countries. These should also be required to phase down they said. In closing remarks at the talks, Stiell himself called for a phase down of oil and gas. But the Egyptian presidency never put the proposal, which came from India, in any of the decision documents. The country that hosts and runs the climate talks has the power to make that choice. Critics — including negotiators during the talks — blasted the Egyptian presidency and its agenda setting. Environmental groups repeatedly pointed out Egypt’s dependence on exports of natural gas, its role as operator of Suez Canal petroleum traffic and income from neighboring oil states. Oil and natural gas are both principal contributors to climate change. Next year’s climate talks will be held in the United Arab Emirates, a major oil power. Environmental advocates and outside experts fear that oil and gas phase down language won’t get a fair shake next year either. Asked about the wisdom of having fossil fuel exporting countries host and control climate talks, Stiell said: “They are part of the problem, but they are also part of the solution.” To try to manage this process without their involvement, would give “an incomplete picture,” he said. “The global economy is still based certainly on oil and gas. And that is the challenge,” Stiell said. Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare, a climate scientist, called this a serious problem. “The massive presence of oil and gas interests at the COP undermines the integrity of the UN climate process and could be slowly eroding its legitimacy,” Hare said. “The suspected influence of petrol states and oil and gas lobbyists on the Egyptian presidency Is unhealthy to say the least.” Analyst Alex Scott of E3G said Egypt showed “a sense of willful ignorance” in not considering a document with a call for oil and gas phase down. The influence of petro states on the presidency happens out of site and “is the right question to ask,” she said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the climate talks president, didn’t answer a shouted question Sunday about oil and gas phase down language. Stiell said countries have to keep coming back and putting pressure on each other to include language calling for a phase down on oil and gas. That worked for this year’s key accomplishment — the establishment of a fund for poor nations that are victims of climate disasters. But that also took more than 30 years. While critics bash Egypt and cite the influence of fossil fuel interests in the lack of action on reducing emissions, also known as mitigation, Stiell attributed the inaction to other things going on. He said there were complaints that last year’s climate talks were too mitigation oriented and this year’s talks restored balance. “You cannot do too much mitigation!” Hohne responded in an email. The global goal of limiting temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, “remains in intensive care as conditions deteriorate. The conference met the minimum requirements, but that is far from enough.” But getting the climate fund was a big and all-consuming accomplishment, Stiell said. Before he took the UN climate chief job this summer, he had been working on it as a cabinet minister for the small island nation of Grenada. “This is a 30-year discussion,” Stiell said. “I’ve been involved in that for ten years as a Grenadian minister, hearing just how ‘this can’t be done’ and how ‘this is impossible’.” Mohamed Adow of the environmental group Powershift Africa agreed. “COP27 was a surprise precisely because for once the needs of the vulnerable were actually listened to,” he said. As he looks back, Stiell said he still has great hope. “So progress: incremental, slight, insufficient. A lot more to be done,” Stiell said summing up climate change fighting efforts. “We’re still right there in the middle of crisis mode.” Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.	7,931
Which is the real purpose of performance reviews in companies and organizations? Some people may think it has something to do with having control over employees –and over their attitudes–. But, the key objectives of these initiatives are far from that. Actually, the main goals are to reflect and evaluate past performance, identify strengths and development areas, give and receive feedback, identify any support help when needed and reward and appreciate a good performance. The objectives are also to spot developmental goals, align personal goals with the ones of the company and to manage employees’ talent by sitting everyone on the correct seat regarding each experience, knowledge, and motivations. So the main purpose is to reflect and evaluate the past performance of an employee’s to identify strengths and weaknesses and to spot developmental goals. After examining this objective, it becomes clear that performance reviews are win-win initiatives, both for the employee and the organization. For employees, it brings the opportunity of detecting their main strengths and talents, and to guide their career; and for the organization, it brings the chance to increase productivity by having its people well located, in the place where they will add more value, and motivated. For this to happen, sometimes it will be necessary to train the employees for new and different positions. This initiative helps companies evaluate the human potential of their people in the short, medium and long term, and identify shortcomings in training. They let the organizations know the inventory of competences and make development plans for the future. They also help to stimulate productivity and improve relations. But, which are the stages of a normal process of performance review? There are different approaches and theories. However, I would like to explain the one that we use at Intraway, which is giving very good results and a great outcome in terms of people and company results: We consider four main stages: the first one involves the performance review of employees made by themselves, and their self-assessment. This phase gives them the opportunity to evaluate how they believe they have fulfilled their assigned tasks and how those tasks contributed to the company. Besides, it lets them highlight their own qualitative and quantified achievements and identify their own areas of improvement. A second phase has to do with the manager’s evaluation of each employee, and gives the opportunity to score the cycle performance and point out achievements and developmental opportunities. Talking about the third place, we have a feedback stage, in which both the employee and the manager participate: it provides the opportunity for documentation and formal communication between the employee and the supervisor about the cycle performance. And finally we have the last phase: the development of action plans guided by new goals according to the information collected in the whole process and its appropriate analysis; in this stage the supervisor and the employee can set developmental goals that reinforce the organization’s strategic plan and, if there are areas of problem performance, action plans for improvement. While defining these new developmental goals, it is important to remember that they have to be aligned with the business unit’s and company’s objectives. These goals may be individual or by group. But in any case, following Peter Druker´s SMART criteria, they should be specific (explaining what wants to be accomplished), measurable (quantifiable, with concrete indicators), attainable (achievable and real), relevant (worthwhile) and time-bound (grounded within a concrete time frame). In a performance review, we evaluate competences, that is, the group of behaviors, skills and attitudes expected of each employee according to their role and work area. So as to organize these competences, and their importance, we could use the metaphor of the onion: the central layer should be occupied by the shared values of the company, that are key for Intraway employee’s day to day activities. The second layer would have to do with quality and process, and relate to all the competencies oriented to ensure compliance with all the company’s processes and procedure; the third layer would include the behavioral competencies (those based in the attitude and behavior of the employee). Finally, the fourth layer would be dedicated to role related skills (specific competencies for each role and area). Unfortunately, this sort of processes is not free from mistakes and errors. The most frequent ones came from the evaluators’ miss-judgment. Their mental models, their evaluation self-perceptions, mood or even their relationships frequently influence how they evaluates an individual performance. In fact, it is possible to organize the most common mistakes done by the leaders into different categories. These categories were named by Bohlander and Snell in their book “Human Resources Administration” (Thomson, 2008) as “Common and Consistency Rater Errors: Halo effect: The tendency to make inappropriate generalizations from one aspect of a person’s job performance. This is due to being influenced by one or more outstanding characteristics, either positive or negative. Leniency: The tendency to evaluate all people as outstanding and to give inflated ratings rather than true assessments of performance. Central tendency: The tendency to evaluate every person as average regardless of differences in performance. Strictness: The tendency to rate all people at the low end of the scale and are overly critical of the performance. Contrast effect: The tendency for a rater to evaluate a person relative to other individuals rather than on-the-job requirements. First impression error: The tendency for a manager to make an initial favorable or unfavorable judgment about someone, and then ignore subsequent information that does not support this impression. Similar-to-me effect: The tendency to more favorably judge those people perceived as similar to the leader.” Managers and leaders should be aware and conscious so as to avoid these frequent mistakes that could distort the sense of the whole process. Besides, in a performance review, reviewers should go over accomplishments/assignments of the assessment period, and take into account both accomplishments and abilities. They should determine where expectations were met or exceeded. And they should also plan the meetings within the time frame given and be open to others opinions and to discussion. The performance review gives the leaders an opportunity to communicate with their subordinates. To let it happen, they can ask for a self-evaluation (as it’ll allow them to see how the reviewed sees their own performance), invite people to participate, express affection, minimize critic, try to change the wrong attitudes (but not the person). Besides they should focus on the solutions of the problems, support the employees and define clear goals (and follow them regularly). Jim Collins introduced in his Good to Great bestseller, a very well-known concept about First who – then What, referring that Companies may focus first in hiring, appraising and developing the right people in the roles where they can add more value, coach, guide, and help them in case there are not performing accordingly and to let go those employees that are not contributing the expected level of performance or that are not enjoying or sharing company values. “Get the right people in the right seats and then they figured out where to drive it. The right people are the most important asset” Team members would be the ones who will take the more important company decisions, that is why it is so important to manage talent development with great precisions on External Flow (who is going to get on the Bus and who is going to leave it) and Internal Flow (ensuring that the role assignment would seat the best people in the seats where they suits better) Opportunity to grow The performance review could be seen by the employees as an opportunity for change and growth. During the meeting with their supervisor, they should listen and seek to understand how others might have perceived their behavior and performance. In fact, performance reviews are the best moment to talk about their concerns, expectations, changes, and any other work-related matter with the supervisor. On the other hand, evaluations should provide guidance to the employee to start the upcoming semester; from then on, it will be important to commit to the action plan discussed, as it will help them improve. Employees should take into account that salary reviews and position/tiers changes are also done taking into consideration the performance review. So it is important that employees take the entire process very seriously by completing a meticulous, objective and fair self-assessment, since it will determine their long-term career graph and development. Summarizing, performance review is not an end, but a means to achieve a better level of productivity in the organization. And also to move forward towards new strategic goals. Dartmouth.edu,. 2015. ‘Common Rater Errors’. Accessed July 29 2015. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hrs/profldev/performance_management/rater_errors.html. With a lengthy professional career designing and implementing growth strategies for companies with operations in multiple countries, Daud brings experience of successfully managing human capital at telecommunications companies and contributing to high-level HR Consulting projects. In addition to his professional activities, he is also an associate professor of multiple Human Resources subjects at the University of Buenos Aires at the undergraduate level as well as two Master's level courses. He has also co-authored two books on the subject. Guillermo Daud holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires. He also holds a Masters' Degree in Business Management (MBA), awarded by the University of CEMA.	10,613
By John Little, Missisquoi River Basin Association Hi all! I can’t figure it out. Things keep happening to me, and I don’t have enough time to sit down and write about it. What do the professional bloggers do? Hire someone… Fire and Water By Kate Williams Last summer, Gil Whitney was the first to through kayak the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Over the course of his journey and in the time since, we have become good friends with Gil and his wife Kathy,… WOW, What A Day! By John Little, Missisquoi River Basin Association It has been too long since I sat my butt in a canoe seat, and finally all the various facets of my life aligned with the weather, and the end of the marking…	702
If you’re wondering when your child tax credit will be deposited, the answer depends on a few factors. Read on to learn more about when you can expect to receive your child tax credit. The When, How, and What of Child Tax Credit The Child Tax Credit is a part of the government’s tax relief program for families with children. It is a refundable tax credit , which means that it can be used to reduce your tax bill or increase your refund. The credit is worth up to $2000 per child, and you do not have to have earned income to qualify. The CTC deposit will be made on or before September 30th, 2020. The deposits will be made in two installments, with the first being made on or before September 15th, 2020, and the second being made on or before October 1st, 2020. How is the CTC deposit calculated? The CTC deposit is based on the family’s tax liability for the year. For each qualifying child, the credit is worth up to $1,000. The amount of the credit is determined by income, filing status, and the number of qualifying children. What is the CTC deposit used for? The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a refundable tax credit worth up to $2,000 per child and $1,400 per qualifying dependent in 2020. The CTC is one of the largest tax breaks currently available to families and can result in a significant tax refund for those who qualify. So what exactly is the CTC deposit used for? The CTC deposit can be used for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to: -Saving for a down payment on a house or other major purchase -Making home improvements -Investing in a 529 college savings plan – Covering unexpected expenses No matter how you choose to use your CTC deposit, remember that it can have a major impact on your family’s financial wellbeing. Be sure to consult with a tax professional if you have any questions about how to best utilize this important tax credit. The History of Child Tax Credit The Child Tax Credit is a tax credit that is available to families who have children under the age of 17. The credit is worth up to $2,000 per child. The credit was created in 1997 and has been renewed and expanded several times since then. The credit is now scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The origins of the CTC The Child Tax Credit (CTC) was first enacted in 1997 as a part of the Taxpayer Relief Act. The credit was originally $400 per child, and was increased to $500 per child in 1998. In 2006, the credit was again increased, this time to $600 per child. The CTC remained at $600 per child until it was increased to $1,000 per child in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The CTC has been further increased several times since then, and is currently worth up to $2,000 per child. The CTC has always been a refundable tax credit, which means that taxpayers can receive the full value of the credit even if they do not owe any taxes. In fact, if the credit is larger than the amount of taxes owed, the taxpayer will receive a refund for the difference. For example, if a taxpayer owes $1,000 in taxes and is eligible for a $2,000 CTC, they will receive a $1,000 refund. The expansion of the CTC The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a credit that helps with the costs of raising a child. It was first introduced in 1997 and has been expanded several times since then. The most recent expansion was in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which increased the credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child. The CTC is available to taxpayers who have children under the age of 18. The credit is worth up to $2,000 per child, depending on your income. If you have more than one child, you can claim the credit for each of them. The CTC is refundable, which means that you can get money back even if you don’t owe any taxes. To claim the CTC, you must file a tax return and include your children’s Social Security numbers. If you’re claiming the credit for more than one child, you must also include their names and dates of birth. You can claim the CTC even if you don’t have any income taxes to pay. The CTC has been expanded several times since it was first introduced. The most recent expansion was in 2017, when the tax credit was increased from $1,000 to $2,000 per child. The expansion also made the CTC available to more families by increasing the income limits and making the credit refundable. If you have children under the age of 18, you may be eligible for the Child Tax Credit. The credit is worth up to $2,000 per child and is refundable, which means that you can get money back even if you don’t owe any taxes. To claim the credit, you must file a tax return and include your children’s Social Security numbers. The future of the CTC The future of the CTC is uncertain. The tax bill passed by the House in November 2017 would have eliminated the CTC entirely, but the Senate version of the bill kept it in place. The final version of the tax bill, which was signed into law by President Trump in December 2017, kept the CTC but reduced its value. For tax years 2018 through 2025, the maximum credit is $2,000 per child (down from $2,000 previously) and the income thresholds at which the credit begins to phase out are higher than they were before (at $200,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers). The child tax credit is a credit that helps with the financial burden of raising a child. If you are expecting a child tax credit, you may be wondering when the money will be deposited. The answer depends on a few factors, but we will go over everything you need to know in this article. Use the CTC deposit to cover essential expenses The CTC deposit can be used to cover essential expenses like food, housing, and transportation. It can also be used to pay for child care or education expenses. If you have any leftover money, you can use it to save for your child’s future. When you get your child tax credit deposit, it’s important to think about how you can best use that money to benefit your child. One option is to invest the money in your child’s future by putting it into a savings account or 529 college savings plan. Doing this can help you make the most of the deposit and ensure that your child has access to funds when they need them. Another option is to use the child tax credit deposit to cover immediate expenses, such as educational costs or medical bills. This can be a great way to ensure that your child has the resources they need to succeed in life. Whatever you decide to do with your child tax credit deposit, be sure to consider all of your options and make a decision that is best for your family. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a tax credit available to eligible taxpayers who have dependent children under the age of 17. The credit amount is based on the number of qualifying children, and the income of the taxpayer. The CTC can be worth up to $2,000 per child, and can be claimed on your annual tax return. If you are expecting a CTC deposit, you may be wondering when it will arrive. The answer depends on a few factors, including whether you filed your tax return electronically or by paper, and whether you chose to have your refund direct-deposited into your bank account. If you filed your return electronically and chose direct deposit, you can expect to receive your refund within 21 days. If you filed by paper and chose direct deposit, you can expect to receive your refund within 6-8 weeks. If you did not choose direct deposit, you will receive a paper check in the mail, which will take longer to arrive. Once you receive your CTC deposit, it is up to you how you spend it. Some parents use the money to cover everyday expenses, such as groceries or child care. Others save it for larger purchases, such as a new car or a down payment on a house. Still others use the money to help pay down debt or build up their savings account. No matter how you plan to use your CTC deposit, it is always a good idea to have a backup plan in case of an emergency. Many parents choose to save their CTC refund in a savings account so that they have money set aside for unexpected expenses. This way, if something comes up that they weren’t planning for (such as a car repair or doctor’s bill), they will have the money they need to cover the cost without having to worry about going into debt.	8,511
Postmortem photography or memento mori, the photographing of a deceased person, was a common practice in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The photographs were considered a keepsake to remember the dead. Child mortality was high during the Victorian era. For many children even a common sickness could be fatal. When a child or other family member died, families would often have a photograph taken before burial. Many times it was the first and last photograph they would ever possess of their loved one. Many postmortem photographs were close-ups of the face or shots of the full body. The deceased were usually depicted to appear as if they were in a deep sleep, or else arranged to appear more life-like. Children were often shown on a couch or in a crib, often posed with a favorite toy. It was not uncommon to photograph very young children with a family member, most frequently the mother. Adults were more commonly posed in chairs or even propped up on something. Other Apps 306 comments Read more December 11, 2016 The web design industry is a very competitive one. It has become a popular career choice in the past few years. To stand out among the sea of web designing firms and freelancers, it is important to advertise the business in the best possible way. To achieve success, you need to have an effective and unique marketing approach. Always keep an open mind while making the marketing strategy and take a creative approach to it. There are so many platforms such as social media, free or paid advertising etc. that you can use for advertising the web designing business. Here are some effective and easy ways to stand out from your competition: 1. Designing your own website Websites have become an important part of every business. It is the best tool for enhancing the online presence . It is effective in attracting consumers in almost every industry. As you are offering services to design the website, it is important that your own site is attractive and good. The design and structure of the	2,125
Steven N. Cousins, an Armstrong Teasdale partner and a nationally-recognized bankruptcy practitioner, will receive the Dr. Jerome Williams Leadership Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion from the Royal Vagabonds Foundation. One of the foundation’s highest and most coveted awards, it is presented annually to two people who have made an impact in the St. Louis community. Cousins will be among those honored at the 2016 Celebration of Leadership Luncheon on Feb. 13, 2016. In 2014, he received the Extraordinary African American Trailblazer of St. Louis award from the Royal Vagabonds Foundation. “Steve is very active in the St. Louis community, and is especially passionate about education and healthcare initiatives, and organizations that drive diversity,” said Jovita Foster, partner and chair of Armstrong Teasdale’s Diversity Committee. “I commend him on receiving this great honor from the Royal Vagabonds Foundation. We at the firm are all so appreciative of his continued leadership and partnership.” Royal Vagabonds started in the early 1930s as a social club for young men of color who wanted to participate in higher forms of social activities unavailable to them at the time. Eventually the related charitable organization was formed and today the foundation provides support to inner-city schools, youth programs and scholarships throughout the St. Louis area. Cousins is the founder of the firm’s Financial Restructuring, Reorganization and Bankruptcy practice group. When he was hired by Armstrong Teasdale in 1981, he was the firm’s first African American lawyer, its first African American partner in 1987 and later the first African American to serve on the firm’s Executive Committee, a position he held for more than 10 years. In Missouri, Cousins was the first African American to be listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law. He has been listed in Best Lawyers consistently for more than 20 years. He has also been named for many years as a Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer, listed in Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the country’s top five bankruptcy lawyers, and received the Brotherhood Sisterhood Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice of Metropolitan St. Louis. In addition, Cousins has received numerous awards from the NAACP, St. Louis American and St. Louis Business Journal. An active community leader, Cousins served for more than 12 years as general counsel and presently serves as an executive committee member of the St. Louis Regional Chamber. He is vice-chairman and board of trustees member of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and an honorary board of trustees member of the St. Louis Art Museum. For 13 years, he served as the initial co-chair of the St. Louis Internship Program, which gives new hope and direction to inner city youth. Cousins is a co-founder and former co-chair of the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation and a former community advisory board member of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Center for Ethics in Public Life. He serves as outside general counsel for Danny Ludeman’s Concordance Academy of Leadership, a path-breaking program to reduce recidivism in St. Louis and beyond. Cousins has served on more than 20 other civil boards, and participates in the Special Friends Extended mentoring program, which serves the Jennings School District. Ellen Sherberg, the former publisher of the St. Louis Business Journal, also received this year’s award. About Armstrong Teasdale: With lawyers in offices across the United States and in China, Armstrong Teasdale LLP has a demonstrable track record of delivering sophisticated legal advice and exceptional service to a dynamic client base. Whether an issue is local or global, practice area specific or industry related, Armstrong Teasdale provides each client with an invaluable combination of legal resources and practical advice in nearly every area of law. The firm is a member of Lex Mundi, a global association of 160 independent law firms with locations in more than 100 countries, and the United States Law Firm Group, a network of 18 law firms headquartered in major U.S. cities. Armstrong Teasdale is listed in the Am Law 200, published by The American Lawyer, and the NLJ 250, published by The National Law Journal. For more information, please visit www.armstrongteasdale.com. Next Post Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies at Age 79 We want to hear from you! Find the right contact here. Copyright © 2005-2022 Lawdragon Inc. Information displayed on Lawdragon is for general informational purposes only, the information is not legal advice and is not an endorsement or recommendation of any law firm, judge, or attorney. 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skip to main \| skip to sidebar a daily look inside the newspaper of record. Saturday, October 23, 2010 It isn't often these days that the subject of an unfavorable news story takes on the mighty NYT in court. But the owners of Gorilla Coffee, a popular Park Slope beanery, have boldly slapped the paper and its coffee correspondent with a libel lawsuit, over a blog post that reported last April on allegations of barista mistreatment by its owners. The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court and read by The NYTPicker, alleges that the NYT published the Diner's Journal blog post "with actual knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity or with negligence." The suit names the NYT Company as a defendant, along with Oliver Strand -- the NYT Dining section contributor formerly known as Oliver Schwaner-Albright, who wrote the offending post -- and several former employees of Gorilla Coffee. The owners of Gorilla Coffee -- Darleen Scherer and Carol McLaughlin -- claim in the suit that they have "suffered shame, emotional distress and embarrassment and were exposed to contempt and ridicule" because of the post. Here's what happened. Last April, on the second day of a worker walkout at Gorilla Coffee, Strand weighed in with a blog post reporting in detail on the dispute. In it he repeated charges by Gorilla baristas of a “perpetually malicious, hostile, and demeaning work environment," and their demand for the removal of McLaughlin as co-owner. In the post, Strand gave the co-owners a chance to defend themselves against the accusations. The two women described Gorilla Coffee to the reporter as a "mostly happy" place, but co-owner Scherer acknowledged that her colleague was "like a drill sergeant" in her training of baristas. But it was the NYT's publication of the entire email message -- apparently sent to the NYT from seven Gorilla Coffee employees -- that inflamed the co-owners and has prompted the lawsuit against its signers, the reporter and the newspaper. The employee email described the work environment of Gorilla Coffee as "not only unhealthy, but also, as our actions have clearly shown, unworkable." The lawsuit alleges that the email was written with "express and implied malice and with design and intent to injure GORlLLA in its good name and reputation." After the workers quit and the NYT published their allegations, Gorilla Coffee was forced to close for two weeks as the co-owners hired a new staff. Ironically, most of the NYT's coverage of the dispute -- with the notable exception of Strand's post -- has focused on management's point of view, and seemed favorably disposed towards Scherer and McLaughlin. Metro reporter Diane Cardwell filed two City Room posts on the re-opening of Gorilla Coffee, and followed up with a metro feature on April 27 that made no apparent effort to interview any of the former employees. Instead, Cardwell quoted the co-owners defending themselves, and local residents who seemed more or less happy to find their favorite coffee joint open again. “Faults and all,” one resident told Cardwell, “this is a neighborhood institution.” News of the Gorilla Coffee lawsuit was first reported yesterday afternoon on the Fucked in Park Slope blog. McLaughlin and Scherer have yet to respond to emails seeking comment on the suit. We've also contacted the NYT for comment. Despite all the Gorilla Coffee press coverage, part of the lawsuit's basis is that neither Scherer or McLaughlin are public figures. The suit states that "plaintiffs are not public figures and are not involved in any public controversy in connection with their wholesale or retail coffee business," adding that "defendants' defamatory statements do not involve a matter of public concern." Their status as public figures is relevant to the lawsuit, in large part because of a precedent-setting libel case against the NYT by an Alabama law-enforcement official named L.B. Sullivan. That 1960s case, in which the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the NYT, established that in a libel suits brought by a public figure, a plaintiff had to prove malicious intent. The last libel suit against the NYT was filed in 2008 by Vicki Iseman, a Washington lobbyist whose friendship with Sen. John McCain became the focus of a story alleging a conflict of interest. The NYT settled that suit last year without paying Iseman any damages, or retracting the story. Posted by THE NYTPICKER at 2:45 PM 31 comments: Anonymous said... How on EARTH did your headline not include the words "gorilla suit"?!? October 23, 2010 at 3:01 PM Anonymous said... If this isn't a retraction, it's as close to one as The Times gets (from Perez-Pena's article): "From the Times coverage of the settlement: "On Thursday, the two sides released a joint statement saying: 'To resolve the lawsuit, Ms. Iseman has accepted The Times’s explanation, which will appear in a Note to Readers to be published in the newspaper on Feb. 20, that the article did not state, and The Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of the public trust.' That statement was published on The Times’s Web site, as was a statement from Ms. Iseman’s lawyers." October 23, 2010 at 3:32 PM Anonymous said... A libel suit blows, but they'll manage to ride this one out. October 23, 2010 at 3:50 PM So, after giving the owners of Gorilla Coffee the opportunity to comment, where some charges by disgruntled employees were confirmed, a blog article was published from 7 employees that the owners found offensive? Sounds like responsible reporting rather than libel to me. As for anonymous'(3:32 PM) characterizing a clarification as being close to a retraction, the statement does nothing more than make clear that Ms. Iseman's actions were not a "breach of the public trust". As I recall the story, that was never the focus. It was all about McCain possibly engaging in an illicit affair. It's good to know that in America, when one doesn't like the publicity (s)he has brought down upon him(her)self,(s)he can find an attorney to file a libel suit. October 24, 2010 at 9:23 AM Anonymous said... Re: "all about McCain possibly engaging in an illicit affair." "The Times did not intend to conclude, that Ms. Iseman had engaged in a romantic affair with Senator McCain" Sounds as if The Times was saying that was most explicitly not the intetion of the article. October 24, 2010 at 11:20 AM thepete said... Hypothetically, say I want to get an employer in trouble for the unsafe working conditions that he/she makes me work under. I want to get my employer in trouble so that he/she will stop forcing me to work under said conditions, so I speak out in an op-ed or a blog post--however nothing I say is false. Is this still libel? According to the definition of libel, it seems like speaking the truth with malicious intent would be illegal. If true, doesn't that make it a sort of thoughtcrime? October 24, 2010 at 12:47 PM Anonymous said... Theoretically, as well as hypothetically, yes. But factors like conditions of employment enter into any given case: Here is an excerpt from one discussion: 'Truth In many legal systems, adverse public statements about legal citizens presented as fact must be proven false to be defamatory or slanderous/libellous.[citation needed] Proving adverse public character statements to be true is often the best defense against a prosecution for libel or defamation. Statements of opinion that cannot be proven true or false will likely need to apply some other kind of defense. The use of the defense of justification has dangers, however; if the defendant libels the plaintiff and then runs the defense of truth and fails, he may be said to have aggravated the harm. Another important aspect of defamation is the difference between fact and opinion. Statements made as "facts" are frequently actionable defamation. Statements of opinion or pure opinion are not actionable. From 'Other Defenses' (below), under the 'Opinion' section: "However, some jurisdictions decline to recognize any legal distinction between fact and opinion. The United States Supreme Court, in particular, has ruled that the First Amendment does not require recognition of an opinion privilege.[17]" To win damages in a libel case, the plaintiff must first show that the statements were "statements of fact or mixed statements of opinion and fact" and second that these statements were false. Conversely, a typical defense to defamation is that the statements are opinion. One of the major tests to distinguish whether a statement is fact or opinion is whether the statement can be proved true or false in a court of law. If the statement can be proved true or false, then, on that basis, the case will be heard by a jury to determine whether it is true or false. If the statement cannot be proved true or false, the court may dismiss the libel case without it ever going to a jury to find facts in the case. Under English common law, proving the truth of the allegation was originally a valid defence only in civil libel cases. Criminal libel was construed as an offence against the public at large based on the tendency of the libel to provoke breach of peace, rather than being a crime based upon the actual defamation per se; its veracity was therefore considered irrelevant. Section VI of the Libel Act 1843 allowed the proven truth of the allegation to be used as a valid defence in criminal libel cases, but only if the defendant also demonstrated that publication was for the "Public Benefit". October 24, 2010 at 1:59 PM Anonymous said... How does small business protect itself from the press and keep hostility of the hostile at bay without resorting to adventure? Not sure, but for sure, it is inadequate to expect of journalists to bear witness to their own conscience. It is a safer bet to conceive of them as thoughtless, impatient processors, set on a sadomasochist default. Now, don't get uptight and tell this a commenter to get lost just cause it speaks in genital tongues, when instead it's only trying to provide defense to entrepreneurs in a hostile environment, knowing actually nothing whatsoever about the specifics of the case at hand. October 24, 2010 at 3:33 PM swag said... WTF was the NY Times doing getting embroiled in some provincial, small business affair to begin with? Foolish even before the libel question. October 25, 2010 at 12:55 AM Re: 'WTF was the NY Times doing getting embroiled in some provincial, small business affair to begin with?' said... Nothing a little editing couldn't help. Note the (still unrepaired) misspelling of the name of the main target in the original article. October 25, 2010 at 9:36 AM Anonymous said... This post has been removed by the author. October 25, 2010 at 12:11 PM Anonymous said... This post has been restored by the author. October 25, 2010 at 12:13 PM Anonymous said... No, no -- I'm sorry, but it's been removed again. October 25, 2010 at 12:14 PM Anonymous said... Lots of ifs and we-thinks in this lawsuit but seemingly no direct challenge to the factual truth of NYT story - a good way to lose a lawsuit. And if "defendants' defamatory statements do not involve a matter of public concern," then they're likely not defamatory! October 25, 2010 at 5:33 PM Anonymous said... the associated press stylebook says truth is an absolute defense for libel in new york, but suggests that's not a universal defense, saying "the states are divided on whether and in what circumstances the private individual will have to prove falsity if the matter is not one of public concern" (352). in libel cases concerning public officials, public figures or private figures involved in matters of public concern, there is a constitutional protection, though the burden of proof is different. public officials and public figures must prove actual malice: that is, the defendant knew a statement was false or showed a reckless disregard for truth (that is, he "entertained serious doubts as to the truth" of a statement but still published it). private figures involved in matters of public concern must prove negligence: that is, the defendant failed to check a story before publication. in libel cases concerning private figures not involved in matters of public concern, there is no constitutional protection and state libel law governs the case. if i'm not mistaken, the test of actual malice was applied only to public officials in the sullivan case and extended later to include public figures in curtis publishing co. v. butts. for more information, check out chapters 14 and 17 of anthony lewis's very readable "make no law." October 25, 2010 at 6:00 PM "Sounds like responsible reporting rather than libel to me" Exactly, this suit will go nowhere. Disgruntled business owner sues newspaper for reporting on a labor disagreement. Big snooooze.... October 25, 2010 at 6:15 PM Anonymous said... Defamation, Libel and Slander Law Generally speaking, defamation is the issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes that person to suffer harm. Slander involves the making of defamatory statements by a transitory (non-fixed) representation, usually an oral (spoken) representation. Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspaper. Typically, the elements of a cause of action for defamation include: 2. The unprivileged publication of the statement to a third party (that is, somebody other than the person defamed by the statement); 3. If the defamatory matter is of public concern, fault amounting at least to negligence on the part of the publisher; and The most important defense to an action for defamation is "truth", which is an absolute defense to an action for defamation. Another defense to defamation actions is "privilege". For example, statements made by witnesses in court, arguments made in court by lawyers, statements by legislators on the floor of the legislature, or by judges while sitting on the bench, are ordinarily privileged, and cannot support a cause of action for defamation, no matter how false or outrageous. A defense recognized in most jurisdictions is "opinion". If the person makes a statement of opinion as opposed to fact, the statement may not support a cause of action for defamation. Whether a statement is viewed as an expression of fact or opinion can depend upon context - that is, whether or not the person making the statement would be perceived by the community as being in a position to know whether or not it is true. If your employer calls you a pathological liar, it is far less likely to be regarded as opinion than if such a statement is made by somebody you just met. Some jurisdictions have eliminated the distinction between fact and opinion, and instead hold that any statement that suggests a factual basis can support a cause of action for defamation. A defense similar to opinion is "fair comment on a matter of public interest". If the mayor of a town is involved in a corruption scandal, expressing the opinion that you believe the allegations are true is not likely to support a cause of action for defamation. . . . Under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, as set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1964 Case, New York Times v Sullivan, where a public figure attempts to bring an action for defamation, the public figure must prove an additional element: That the statement was made with "actual malice". . . The publicity that results from a defamation lawsuit can create a greater audience for the false statements than they previously enjoyed. For example, if a newspaper or news show picks up the story of the lawsuit, false accusations that were previously known to only a small number of people may suddenly become known to the entire community, nation, or even to the world. As the media is much more apt to cover a lawsuit than to cover its ultimate resolution, the net effect may be that large numbers of people hear the false allegations, but never learn how the litigation was resolved. Another big issue is that defamation cases tend to be difficult to win, and damage awards tend to be small. As a result, it is unusual for attorneys to be willing to take defamation cases on a contingent fee basis, and the fees expended in litigating even a successful defamation action can exceed the total recovery.--expertlaw.com October 25, 2010 at 8:27 PM Anonymous said... so what's the significance of constitutional protection in libel? as i understand it, (besides establishing the standards of negligence and actual malice) this protection shifts the burden of proof from defendant to plaintiff. here's what lewis says: "the old common law of libel, which was still the law in most states when gertz was decided in 1974, included no such [rule requiring defendants to prove negligence]. "if someone made a false statement damaging to reputation, he could be made to pay damages no matter how innocent the mistake had been. "in superimposing a new federal requirement to prove that the mistake was negligent, the supreme court significantly extended the process it had started in times v. sullivan. "now private individuals who brought libel suits would have to meet a first amendment test as well, albeit one of mere negligence rather than knowing or reckless falsehood. "in a later case the court held that in a private libel suit the plaintiff also had the burden of proving falsity. the decision reversed the common-law rule, which made a libel defendant prove a challenged statement true" (195) [paragraphing added by me]. i'd also like to clarify what i said about libel cases concerning private figures involved in matters of public concern. there is a constitutional protection (as there is in cases concerning officials and public figures), but state libel law is also a consideration (as it is in cases concerning private figures not involved in matters of public concern). in other words, it straddles federal and state law. in cases concerning private figures not involved in matters of public concern, i'd imagine the burden of proof still rests with the defendant. October 25, 2010 at 9:24 PM Anonymous said... so what's the significance of constitutional protection in libel? as i understand it, (besides establishing the standards of negligence and actual malice) this protection shifts the burden of proof from defendant to plaintiff. here's what lewis says: "the old common law of libel, which was still the law in most states when gertz was decided in 1974, included no such [rule requiring plaintiffs to prove negligence]. "if someone made a false statement damaging to reputation, he could be made to pay damages no matter how innocent the mistake had been. "in superimposing a new federal requirement to prove that the mistake was negligent, the supreme court significantly extended the process it had started in times v. sullivan. "now private individuals who brought libel suits would have to meet a first amendment test as well, albeit one of mere negligence rather than knowing or reckless falsehood. "in a later case the court held that in a private libel suit the plaintiff also had the burden of proving falsity. the decision reversed the common-law rule, which made a libel defendant prove a challenged statement true" (195) [paragraphing added by me]. i'd also like to clarify what i said about libel cases concerning private figures involved in matters of public concern. there is a constitutional protection (as there is in cases concerning officials and public figures), but state libel law is also a consideration (as it is in cases concerning private figures not involved in matters of public concern). in other words, it straddles federal and state law. in cases concerning private figures not involved in matters of public concern, i'd imagine the burden of proof still rests with the defendant. October 25, 2010 at 9:28 PM Anonymous said... just one more thing.. i think i might've misread the ap entry on truth. in retrospect, i think the issue there is not whether truth is a universal defense but whether the burden of proof rests with some plaintiffs who are private figures. my apologies. "the states are divided on whether and in what circumstances the private individual will have to prove falsity if the matter is not one of public concern" (352). October 25, 2010 at 10:31 PM Anonymous said... OK, so a Times stringer reports on an amusing dust-up at a local coffee place, giving both sides of the story, and one party (the owners, and, of course it's the owners) sue for libel? Good God. I wasn't sure where I stood before on this little labor dispute, but now I know I really feel bad for the people who work at Gorilla Coffee. I'll stop now before I get sued by these people. October 25, 2010 at 11:21 PM Anonymous said... Yeah, given how slanted toward the owners the coverage ultimately was, this kind of validates the Gorilla employees' complaints. I picture one or both of these women simmering, seething, their bile rising over the months as everyone else forgets and moves on and then: "I'll show that New York Times!!!" Maybe they're hoping they can settle and make up for the lost week's business. But I hope the judge humiliates them. October 26, 2010 at 8:35 AM Anonymous said... who knows how the courts will rule? but if i understand this right, then the significance of saying they're private figures not involved in a matter of public concern means there's a lower standard of proof for libel and the burden of proving the statements true lies with the defendants. October 26, 2010 at 11:00 AM Anonymous said... The matter is of public concern. The defendants did not falsify what color undergarment the defamed wore, they wrongly and viciously attacked the training method and the atmosphere of a small private establishment that provides a local service. The Journalist didn't exactly backtrack along a trail of tears to a wet island, he only capitalized on average anxiety and misunderstanding of the standards of high pressure work. To be fair, it is not for the unwounded to weigh in on such an excessive legal issue, but it is valid to express concern publicly. October 26, 2010 at 12:17 PM Anonymous said... If I had to guess, I'd think neutral reportage covers the Times. October 26, 2010 at 1:08 PM Anonymous said... Neutral reportage apparently refers only to cases involving public figures or matters of public concern. October 26, 2010 at 2:21 PM Anonymous said... Some on the uninformed outside, might infer from the facts forwarded here, that the reporter was either too lazy or too timorous or too vindictive to investigate the defamatory accusation before publication of a raw letter. Or, the reporter was so excited at showing what cool new friends he had that he was compelled to publish their private letter without delay. In the time it took finally to provide neutral coverage of a private and unresolved business dispute, one side was apparently injured. Repeating a potentially malicious charge by direct quotation from original source was a first instance of publication of the unproven offense. At the time of publication, there was every reason to think that it was possible for a risk to materialize, such a risk includes the appearance of negligent conduct resulting in loss of press credential. October 26, 2010 at 2:46 PM Anonymous said... The blog format might stand out and be accepted as an exception to publishing standards. Generations of marooned trolls and chipper creeps have served to erode civilized behavior let alone journalistic tradition, in fact, the only user type who might find the New media platforms friendly is the belittling kind. This case could set precedent. Fortune favors lilies, mustard seeds and sparrows. October 27, 2010 at 2:28 AM Anonymous said... Umm, NY Times reprints Wikileaks documents and is still going strong, but Gorilla Coffee thinks they can sue them for reprinting the employee walk-out letter? Suuuuure... October 28, 2010 at 4:23 PM Anonymous said... Wow, out of 30 comments so many avoiding the legal substance of the matter at hand. Those stranded in pitiful professional aspiration, or stuck on sleeping through the now and waiting for the (Notwithstanding) never, can learn from Strand's latest piece, posted at this cluttered link: wherein he writes with his metaphorical phallus to idiopathic ill effect. Others, might hold back and view how trespasser types senselessly fill up time and space just justifying their pathetic sub-mediocrity. Or still, how skill and tools and devices of the pen are wasted in the disordered thinking that the mechanic is menacing to the judicious. October 28, 2010 at 4:53 PM Anonymous said... Carlos Slim Helu was born in Mexico City, Mexico. His father, Julián Slim Haddad, a Syriac-Maronite Christian, immigrated to Mexico in 1902 from Lebanon, alone at 14 years of age, speaking no Spanish. His mother was Mexican native woman. Why has this never been reported? October 29, 2010 at 11:53 PM Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) who is the nytpicker? This website devotes itself exclusively to the goings-on inside the New York Times -- the newspaper and the institution itself. Written by a team of journalists who prefer to work in anonymity, The NYTPicker reports on the internal workings of the nation's top newspaper, and comments on its content. Please email The NYTPicker with any information, gossip, suggestions or thoughts about the New York Times.	26,232
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The obtained data is processed, depending on technical issues, until objecting to their processing, removal of these files by your browser / device settings (although deleting files is not always the same as deleting personal data obtained through these files) or cancellation of a voluntary consent, unless the law obliges us to process it for a longer period of time or we shall store it for a longer period of time in case of potential claims, for a period of limitation prescribed by law, in particular the Civil Code. You also have the right to access your data, request rectification, delete or limit processing, transfer your personal data, e.g. to another controller, the right to raise objections, as well as the right to file a complaint to the President of the Office for the Protection of Personal Data. We care about your privacy. Expressing consents is voluntary, and your consents may be revoked at any time, which, however, shall not affect the lawfulness of the processing made before it is withdrawn. Learn more. At this address you can also get acquainted with the list of our partners.	6,656
As a child, I grew up hearing reference to someone who was being sly & sneaky as a “snake-in-the-grass.” Well, earlier this week I had taken a walk and was interested in a natural area along a preserve that backed up to our apartment complex. Standing on the sidewalk I saw a sign on the fence gate, “Handicapped Accessible.” I thought, well OK, I’ll give it a try. Beautiful surrounding, melodious birds, lovely sub-tropical trees and flora and I was watching carefully for snakes. Nice walk with no encounter of of snakes but I did encounter a large turtle/terrapin. We both froze in place upon seeing one another. I’m thinking, “Even with my knees that seem older than I am, I think I could out-run him.” So, very slowly and carefully I passed within 2 feet of him and went on my way. Then, yeterday, my 5-yr old granddaughter Emma and I were at the pool enjoying a nice swim in the Florida humidity. She’s such a little fish, swimming under water, above, on her back, her tummy and loving to float on her back like Grandma. She had seen a piece of a palm frond in the pool, so she dove down and retrieved it and got my praise. About 10 minutes later, we moved back to that end of the pool and she spied a black stick she said she would retrieve. I walked closer to it to see and lo and behold it was a 4 ft. SNAKE!!!!!! Now, I was prepared for a possible snake in the GRASS, but NOT in the pool!! I quickly picked her up and threw her toward the steps and yelled, “Get out of the pool NOW!!” I think it scared her but not as much as that SNAKE-IN-THE-POOL scared me. Turned out to be just a black racer, but to me…a snake is a snake!!! and when my grands and I are in the pool, it’s OUR territory!!! Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ What's Your Passion? Our life passions are what enrich our lives. How do we find our passion? How do we fulfill our roles here on earth? "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." -- Howard Thurman Who I AM I am a lover of nature and the gift of life. Inspired daily by the blessings of my children and grandchildren, I have had rewarding careers in education and United Way. I enjoy birding, photography, writing and life-long learning. I am passionate about furthering conservation of our environment and especially bird habitats. I have a close walk with my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. As a 15 year breast cancer survivor, I believe strongly in Living With A Hopeful Heart and am committed to advocating for early detection and spreading the message of hope for all. My post-breast cancer life motto is "Don't Waste the Miracle!" So, I'm all about living, loving and building memories with my family and friends and, hopefully, leaving this world a little better. Life is a journey and each of us has our own experiences along the way. We have trials, challenges and great joys. I believe God places us on earth supplied with daily gifts to brighten our days and bring meaning to our lives. How do you find your joy? Are you an inspiration seeker? I'm here to share with you some of my gifts along my journey as it takes its turns and twists. There will be a mix of my love for birds in God's great gift of nature, a few guiding-life principles, a healthy sense of humor, the blessings of relationships, and some of my own life experiences like breast cancer,survivorship and even that ugly old word divorce. Please come back and visit and share with me your thoughts and experiences.	3,914
Pro golfer Nick Watney, the first player on the PGA Tour to be diagnosed with COVID-19, details how his WHOOP data led him to getting tested for the virus. Nick shares how he became alarmed by a sudden rise in his respiratory rate and how he experienced no other symptoms that would have alerted him to the presence of the virus. By paying attention to his data, Nick did his part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others on Tour. We’re proud to have him on WHOOP and thank him for his quick action to protect those around him. 3:28 – An Update on Nick’s Health. “I feel fine. Apparently I got a pretty mild strain or the effects have been mild, so that’s good I guess. I also want to mitigate any risk I am towards anybody else.” 4:07 – Tournament Week at the RBC Heritage. Nick details the events leading up to his positive test before the second round of the tournament. 6:05 – A First Indication. “Friday I woke up and felt better than I did Thursday afternoon. I was a bit sluggish Thursday. I thought it was just because I had woken up so early [for a 6:56 a.m. tee time Thursday]. But I woke up feeling okay and I checked the [WHOOP] data and my respiratory rate had gone up. I’m usually in the low 14s [and it had gone up] to the low 18s,” Nick says (see screenshot below). Will notes that Nick’s respiratory rate has been remarkably consistent over the last year. “It barely moves,” Will says. “And all of a sudden you’re above 18 [breaths per minute].” 7:21 – Immediate Concern. “I took a screenshot of the [WHOOP data] and sent it to my wife and said ‘This is very alarming,’ just because I had read [an email from WHOOP] when [WHOOP] had analyzed data from users that had come down with COVID. It was something that jumped out.” 9:22 – Clarifying False Reports. “There’s been reports that I was symptomatic. I wasn’t really symptomatic besides this WHOOP data. They put me through a thermal scanner and also took my temperature with a thermometer. Both were normal. No cough. No shortness of breath. My respiratory rate was up but I didn’t wake up panting or anything. I wouldn’t have known [about my respiratory rate] if I hadn’t seen the data.” 9:59 – Testing Positive. “They administered the test and then I spoke with the Tour doctor. He said, ‘Given that you tested negative [two days prior] and you don’t have these symptoms flashing red, so to speak, you can go warm up.’ … I went to the golf course, social distanced while warming up, and got a call about 20 minutes before [my round] that said ‘Your test came back positive. You need to go. You need to leave as soon as you can.’ I said to the doctor, ‘Is this real? I know I saw the data, but…’ He said, ‘This is real. You need to go.’” 11:00 – First Reaction. “It was very scary. Especially at that time because I wasn’t feeling bad. [My mindset] switched to ‘Let’s stay as far away from people as I can.’ It seems like this thing can spread so quickly. I just wanted to get out of there. I have a great deal of respect for my peers. … I just think it’s the right thing to do to protect people if you can.” 12:15 – The Impact of WHOOP. “It really is amazing. People have asked me, ‘If you had no symptoms, why did you get tested?’ It’s because of the WHOOP data.” 13:30 – WHOOP on Tour. Will and Nick discuss the PGA’s procurement of 1,000 WHOOP straps to help keep all players, caddies, and tournament staff safe while play continues. “I think it’s super cool,” Nick says. “I’m pretty sure that I’ve heard you guys talk about this with Kristen [Holmes, WHOOP VP of Performance] in her [WHOOP Podcast episode] The Science of Winning. Data is power. Being able to collect it and analyze it, that’s how you improve. I think it’s great for the Tour to [outfit everyone with WHOOP], obviously to mitigate risk which is first and foremost at this point, but people can also really learn a lot on the backend.” 15:52 – Sharing His Story. “My wife and I have been talking about this: Is there a silver lining in this? Can something good come out of this? It was a bit scary, but if people can learn more and this helps anybody else that can be a good thing, obviously.” 21:31 – What Nick Has Learned From WHOOP. “You can’t really fool [WHOOP]. If my kids had a rough night and I slept 4.5 hours, I don’t get a lot of green recoveries when that happens. There haven’t been many days when it gives me 90 [percent recovery] and I feel rundown. It’s like an all-telling thing in certain ways. It’s tough to fool this little thing.” 22:25 – Recapping the Week That Was. “I played Thursday and had a very early wake up. I felt a bit tired and run down that afternoon, but I didn’t think too much of it because I woke up so early and as far as the virus goes I had tested negative two days before. I didn’t really pay too much mind to that. When I woke up Friday and saw the respiratory rate data it set off an alarm because I had read the [WHOOP] emails saying exactly that. It says in the [WHOOP] app ‘Don’t expect much change, a significant increase [in respiratory rate] could be meaningful. That is literally the reason why [I got tested], because I didn’t feel badly in terms of anything. I didn’t feel very rundown, I didn’t feel hot, I didn’t have a cough, I didn’t have shortness of breath, none of that. [WHOOP is] the reason I got another test.” Share on Twitter and Facebook Will Ahmed is the Founder and CEO of WHOOP, which has developed next generation wearable technology for optimizing human performance and health. WHOOP members include professional athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, fitness enthusiasts, military personnel, frontline workers and a broad range of people looking to improve their performance. WHOOP has raised more than $400 million from top investors and is valued at $3.6 billion, making it the most valuable standalone wearables company in the world. Ahmed has recruited an active advisory board that consists of some of the world’s most notable cardiologists, technologists, marketers, and designers. Ahmed was recently named to the 2021 Sports Business Journal 40 under 40 list as well as 2020 Fortune 40 Under 40 Healthcare list and previously named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Ahmed founded WHOOP as a student at Harvard, where he captained the Men’s Varsity Squash Team and graduated with an A.B. in government. Other things you'll like January 18, 2022 On this week’s episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s top of mind for many of you–Omicron. October 13, 2021 Yale coronavirus expert Dr. Nicholas Christakis returns for a discussion on the COVID vaccines, booster shots, and where we are headed as a society now that we are a year and a half into the pandemic. April 27, 2021 On this episode of our podcast, VP of Data Science and Research Emily Capodilupo breaks down the effects we’ve seen in WHOOP data from the various COVID-19 vaccines, and how the second doses impact people differently than the first. We also share highlights from an in-app AMA with Emily answering questions on the subject. February 3, 2021 This week’s podcast is all about the COVID-19 vaccine and what we are seeing as a response in WHOOP member data to getting the first dose.	7,702
Going into our marriage, April had three biological children, two already graduated from high school and one, Hannah, finishing middle school. On our very first date, Matthew asked if April would be open to having additional children, and while the answer was a resounding yes, we knew that if we did choose to have children together, it would have to be through adoption. Not long after we got married, the research for adoption providers began. April knew that after interviewing Angel there was a peace in choosing adoption and Angel was incredible. Coming into the adoption process, we had discussed at length what preferences we felt best for our family. We knew we lived in a community where interracial families are not as common as others, and we weren’t sure how a child would be treated or how our family would be received, so we chose to be more selective in our preferences, understanding the risk we were taking. After one year of waiting without being selected by an expectant mother, April was praying and felt very prompted that we had boxed ourselves in and maybe God’s plan for us wasn’t within the preferences we had limited ourselves to. That evening at dinner, April mentioned the idea of opening up our preferences to include additional ethnicities. Both Matthew and Hannah shared they had recently had the same thoughts, and we immediately called Angel. Although our profile was not selected immediately after the update, we knew that the change was the right one. One afternoon while student teaching, April had her phone on, which was different for her. She received a call from Angel, which was also odd as we weren’t expecting to talk to anyone as our monthly call had just happened a few days before. Angel left a message asking us to call immediately, and April called as soon as school was out. She was told our profile had been selected and that an expectant mother wanted to speak with us that night! April said yes without hesitation, knowing Matthew would be on board. At home, after sharing the news, everyone was emotional, we knew this was the day we had waited so long for to come. We spoke with the expectant mother that evening and had a great first conversation. While we were eager to know about her, we didn’t want her to feel as though we were prying. When she asked if there was anything we wanted to know, we said yes, but we told her we didn’t want to push too hard. Her response was “You’re going to be raising my son. You have the right to ask me questions.” She was having a boy! We were over the moon! Through the conversation, we also learned the expectant mother was a high-risk pregnancy and would likely deliver very early. Her previous son had been born at 25 weeks, and she asked if we were prepared for a similar situation. We told her we were prepared for whatever journey lay ahead. About one month after initially connecting with the expectant mother, April’s brother-in-law passed away, and April headed to her sister’s house, 12 hours away, to help with funeral arrangements and provide support. At that time, we had only shared with their immediate family that we were connected with an expectant mother. We had planned to make their announcement public that week, but out of respect for April’s sister and her mourning process, we decided to wait to share the news publicly. One week after the funeral, April’s sister’s urged us to share the news about the connection with extended family and friends saying, “our family could use positive news right now. I think it’s time.” After sharing our news that night we received a tremendous amount of encouragement, support, and love via messages, emails, and calls. The next morning, April was planning to head home after having been away for ten days. She, however, woke to an email from the expectant mother that read, “Congratulations Mom and Dad! Zechariah was born at 10:38pm last night.” After a mini freakout, April began packing so she could start driving to meet Zechariah, but her mom reminded her she might want to call Matthew! When April got ahold of Matthew at work, she first told him, “Congratulations, Dad!” followed by “You need to be on the next flight!” He booked the next flight out, and April drove to the birthmother’s state to meet Zechariah. When April arrived at the hospital late that afternoon, everyone was prepared for her and brought her in to meet Zechariah for the first time. Being born at only 29 weeks, he was in isolation from the other babies in NICU, and April had to gown and mask up to meet him. As soon as she lay eyes on him, he took her breath away. He was the smallest baby she had ever seen at only 2lbs 3oz, but he was beautiful. The wires hooked to him and the small oxygen mask over his face were overwhelming, but she was instantly in love. Matthew’s flight landed late that evening, and although the hospital was closed to visitors, they made an exception and he was able to meet Zechariah around midnight. We could not believe this miracle baby was ours. The first handful of days in the hospital were amazing. Zechariah grew stronger each day, and the nurses were wonderful at teaching us how to care for him. Seven days after his birth, Zechariah’s birthmother was supposed to be able to sign over parental consents but a call came in that we were not expecting. We were under the impression his birthfather agreed with adoption, so we were devastated when we found out the morning of day seven that he had in fact filed a petition to block the adoption. We then had to wait 30 days to allow time for him to hire an attorney and file for a court date. Zechariah’s birthmother could not sign over parental rights, and we were not allowed to make medical decisions on Zechariah’s behalf. Thankfully, Zechariah’s birthmother and the attorney were phenomenal, and they filed for us to have medical power of attorney. We spent the next couple of weeks walking in total faith, surprisingly at peace. The birthmother continued to reassure them she did not believe the birthfather wanted to parent. Her reassurance did help. We offered to meet or speak with the birthfather if it would help him, and he initially declined. After more than 20 days of waiting the birthfather agreed to a conversation with them. We were all able to have a conference call, with the help of the hospital. The birthfather stated that he just wanted to have a decision in choosing the people who were going to be raising his child. We completely understood, we respected him, and were open to answering any questions he had and even meeting with him if he so desired. The birthfather told them that their conversation and the fact that they had been with Zechariah from day one was all he needed, and that he was not going to pursue any further action. Zechariah was ours. Thirty-seven days after Zechariah was born, paperwork was finally started. After seven weeks in the NICU, we were given the notice that Zechariah was going to be discharged in 48 hours. Zechariah’s birthmother had not yet met him or us, but they wanted to let her know they were going to be headed home soon, so we notified her by phone. Both she and Zechariah’s birthfather chose to come to the hospital to meet him and say their good-bye’s. We all spent about one hour together, and both birth parents had the opportunity to hold him. Both his birthparents stared at Zechariah with adoring eyes, and as heartwarming as it was, it was equally as heartbreaking because we were witnessing their love yet their loss. As much as he was our son, he was their son too. At that moment, the four of us joined as parents to this one beautiful child. After they both kissed him goodbye and left, for what they believed would be the last time, April melted to the floor, feeling the full weight of their loss. With only 24 hours left to discharge, the hospital excitedly changed their hospital wristbands from “other family” to “parents.” This small but thoughtful change made everything so real for us. When Zechariah was about one and a half, April received a number of calls from an unknown number. She ignored them, assuming it was a telemarketer. Days later, she received a call from Angel, which really caught her off guard. They told her that Zechariah’s birthmother had been trying to get ahold of them. She was pregnant again and wanted to know if they were interested in adopting this child. They were blown away. Once they had joked about this, but now it was a reality. After April shared the news with Matthew and Hannah, it was an immediate yes but had reservations about how everything was going to be paid for. We had just started selling all of Zechariah’s baby stuff, so that would all need to be replaced, and what about another long NICU stay? How would we swing that with a toddler? But our hearts told us, this baby is ours too, and we would find a way we would just walk in faith once again. We immediately got ahold of the attorney and Zechariah’s birthmother. This was the first time we had spoken with Zechariah’s birthmother in one and a half years, although they exchanged messages a few times, there had been no verbal contact since the meeting in the NICU. She told us she didn’t reach out directly because she was nervous we might have said no. We told her how blessed we felt to be able to adopt biological siblings and how amazing it was that she would reach out and trust us again. Given her history with early deliveries, we knew she could literally deliver any time. Within days, we had a bag packed and rough travel arrangements made. April’s mom came to stay with us and planned to travel with us when the time came to provide help with Zechariah. The second pregnancy with Zechariah’s birthmother was different from what was experienced before. We could tell she wasn’t receiving the same level of care she had with Zechariah’s pregnancy, which was worrisome because she was high risk. We were really concerned, and with the help of Angel and the attorney, we were able to get her a doctor’s appointment. By the time her doctor’s appointment happened, she was already 34 weeks pregnant, which was significantly further along than she had been with Zechariah. The same day of her doctor’s appointment, she called April and said she knew the gender and she had an induction date: “It’s a girl, and I will be induced today at 3:30 p.m.” We dropped what they were doing and left immediately, three hours after the call to be exact! We chose to drive straight through, which was a 15 hour long drive, because we really wanted to be there for the birth. After dropping April’s mom and Zechariah off at the Airbnb, we went to the hospital. When the nurse came in to make a progress check, we left to go to the cafeteria. As soon as we got downstairs, the nurse called and said that the baby was coming. We had NOT traveled all this way to miss our daughter being born. We ran upstairs and got there just in time for the final pushes and together we welcomed Felicity into the world. After Felicity was born, her birthmother asked if she could hold her. There was no reason she needed to ask to hold her own daughter, but we understood that she was being respectful to us. After holding her for just a couple minutes, Felicity was taken to the NICU, and Matthew went with her while April remained with the birthmother for a short time. The first 48 hours of Felicity’s NICU stay were incredibly challenging. She was struggling from unknown complications. Once we were aware of her needs, the nursing staff was able to care for her, and the remaining two weeks in the NICU, although difficult and sleep deprived, were overall as smooth as possible. After discharge, we invited Zechariah and Felicity’s birthmother to the Airbnb to spend time with us. She accepted the offer and was able to spend the afternoon playing with Zechariah and holding Felicity. We were able to get some great pictures of the three of them together, which we will cherish forever. Over the next couple years, we continued to update our private Facebook group with photos and updates of the kids. We spoke with Zechariah and Felicity’s birthmother a number of times and even discussed visiting with her and allowing her two children to meet Zechariah and Felicity and grow their relationship. However, just before Felicity’s third birthday, Zechariah and Felicity’s biological grandmother reached out to us and shared some tragic news, the children’s birthmother had passed away. The devastation and shock was awful. Her passing has changed our adoption story immensely. Our children will now only have the memories we have of their birthmother, not their own. Now, more than ever, we are thankful that their birthmother chose to spend that afternoon with us before we brought Felicity home. Both adoptions brought a wonderful woman into our lives and for that we will always love her and hold her dear in our hearts. Take the first step by filling out our free adoption application today! As of December 5th we currently have 2 spots available! Adoption By State Cost of Adoption Toll-Free: Address: Angel Adoption, Inc. provides marketing and advertising services that assist biological parents considering adoption and prospective adoptive parents to connect with each other, and provides support and referral services throughout the process. Angel Adoption, Inc. is an independent contractor and provides services under the supervision of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois, License #012998, One Oakbrook Terrace, #501, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181; 708-771-7180.	14,352
I lived in Kansas longer than I’ve lived anywhere else (although CA is catching up, with northern CA for 16 years and more than 3 here in southern CA) so I just couldn’t resist this. There are things about the Heartland I loved: the wonderfully genuine friendships of 20 years, the openness of the landscape, the accessibility of cultural institutions, the friendly cheerfulness of people who aren’t spending all their money on housing nor all their time commuting, the wonderful communities we found in the arts, (at the great galleries and museums and music venues and theaters,) and, finally, the Barbecue and darn good restaurants all ’round! I like watching baseball more than most other sports. Its grace and complexity and pace are all appealing. So — go Royals, on to the World Series! Previous PostOctober 14, 2014Next PostOctober 16, 2014 One thought on “October 15, 2014” Jan in Grass Valley says: October 22, 2014 at 12:41 pm I feel the same about baseball, otherwise not really a sports fan. And although now back in Giants territory, I’m rooting for the Royals. My maternal grandparents were from Kansas City.	1,141
But...I'm also an RVer (which means I'm sort of losing track of time as I spend days with my family) (which is kind of nice). I just realized that today is Wednesday and I accidentally skipped Tuesday Tours last night. Actually, we were at a campground last night without WiFi. The wind was howling and the wind chill was -1 fahrenheit. (As an Arizona girl, I'm SO not used to that). You can expect to see me around here more often this week. I have a million post ideas and I even have some giveaways planned. Best of all, I actually have a working internet connection here in Canyon Lake, Texas. Ya-hoo. Just to be perfectly clear, Metropolitan Mama is here to stay. That said, you can also find both Tim & I blogging at Give Every Day. Two Questions: Did you miss me (I missed you!)? What are your favorite travel games + activities for young children? Leave a Reply to Rena Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Δ 37 comments on “(remember me?)” February 15, 2011 at 3:27 pm I totally missed you. I have no help for entertaining kids on the road, sorry. Good luck. February 13, 2011 at 8:20 pm We sing show tunes at the top of our lungs to make the miles go by quickly. Mulan, Beauty and the Beast--all the Disney musicals work well for my kids. We're even pretty lucky with classics like Oklahoma! and Annie. Safe travels. February 20, 2011 at 4:37 pm I love this idea! (I wonder what Tim would think). ;) Does your husband sing along? melissa from girlymama says: February 11, 2011 at 6:30 pm oh you poor thing. i feel the need to knit you a sweater and buy you fuzzy socks.... we miss you :-) February 11, 2011 at 11:58 am Missing you around here but so happy for you and your adventure. And also supremely jealous - those are our old stomping grounds! Enjoy the south texas hill country! February 20, 2011 at 2:22 pm It really is beautiful here (we say that about ten times a day). Are either of you Texas natives? I'm curious how you ended up in the New Braunfels area. Mary @ Parenthood says: February 11, 2011 at 6:16 am I get motion sick unless I'm asleep or looking out the window so we had a rule banning travel games and especially reading in the car. Random public announcement: if your kids get carsick, fresh air helps but make sure the window is up high enough that your child isn't tempted to try to throw up out the window. My poor parents had to take apart the car door to clean it mid journey once. Anyway. We liked to listen to books on tape, sing and play road games. Most of our road games have been mentioned, except for a game we call "Bury your horses". I don't know why it's so popular but we play to this day! Anyway, you count horses as you go by. Whomever sees them first gets them. When you pass a graveyard, the first person to yell "Bury your horses" gets to keep their horses. Everyone else has to bury them (dig,dig,dig) We've played all kinds of variations. My favourite is "deliver your roadkill" in the spring. You count dead bodies, and whenever you pass a fast food joint, you get to "deliver". My mom thinks that one is really gross! February 10, 2011 at 7:02 pm Stephanie- So glad to hear that you are enjoying time with your family. Today, my children took those little shape/multi-colored stickers (They are kind of "fat stickers"- you can find them in the craft section of Walmart) and each made pictures with them- It's amazing what children can create with just shapes! Also, magnet sets seem to entertain for a long time.... ruthy says: February 10, 2011 at 6:19 pm my hubby and I played cards A TON...Bannanagrams is also a fun one! February 10, 2011 at 12:22 pm On the road again... hope you're having fun! We read a lot of books on long trips, look at cards (Target had a bunch of animal/insect cards for $.25 a few months back), look at scenery, listen to music (my son LOVES music - anything toe tapping). We have a long flight coming up and I'm planning to get a few magnetic playboards, I've heard good things about them and they're ~ $10 a piece...so not bad. I'm thinking horses and a farm, but they have many varieties. We've used wind up toys too in the past (the unbreakable kind - no over wind). 2nd on the doodle pro, mine (23 months) is a little young for audio books but that sounds like a great idea! I haven't tried it in the car, but we bought a TAG chalkboard/white erase board that has saved a ton on paper - and the chalk is easily brushed off so no destroyed stuff YAY! Incidentally does anyone know how to get pen off of a Rody? c says: February 10, 2011 at 12:15 pm February 10, 2011 at 11:21 am Glad to see you back here, but have been watching your moves (or lack of moves :( on Give Every Day.) We drive a lot for our camping trips, and we do a lot of reading or books on tape, the alphabet game that was already mentioned, and a classic from my childhood: kind of like word Mastermind. One person thinks of a 4-letter word (not those kinds!) and you go around the car, each person taking a turn to guess a letter in the word. The first person to guess the word gets to choose the next word. It works well now that Ina is reading. When our reserves are depleted and there are still hours to go, we pull out our I-touches and the girls watch a movie. February 10, 2011 at 10:13 am totally missed you. As for travel games. iPad works best for us February 20, 2011 at 1:33 pm I WISH we had an iPad. My 4-year-old would love it, I'm sure of that. What games/apps/movies do you use the most? February 20, 2011 at 4:12 pm I have not bought any apps yet. But downloaded about 50 FREE apps from the "EDUCATION" category. There is a lot of functionality in the free apss as well. Once we figure out which apps kids really like (and can learn from, we will buy a few apps as a FULL VERSION. February 10, 2011 at 9:19 am I gotta say that I didn't miss you but ONLY because I have been following you on Give Every Day and on Facebook so I know what you are up to and how crazy things have been the past few days! -1 is cold to everyone - not just b/c you are an AZ girl. Rena says: February 10, 2011 at 8:05 am Definitely missed you here, but totally understand if/when you take a little hiatus. Like others, I'm following you every day on Give Every Day as well. We take those 12-15 hour drives usually twice a year and the 9-10 hour one more than that. We use the DVD only when we HAVE to because of boredom from other things. So we do have some good travel activities. Travel games/activities: Our favorite seems pretty simplistic, but we all love "I Spy." We also love to sing together whether it is with a radio or not. Another fun one is the build a story game - you know, the one where one person starts a story and stops with "and just then..." My little one sometimes needs a little help, but we come up with some pretty crazy stories. The last few trips, we have taken two stuffed animals a piece in the car, and the girls can spend hours pretending things with them. Their creativity never ceases to amaze us. One animal is usually a mom and another the dad, but then the rest of the animals are a total free for all. We have sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, best friends... Good stuff. We also have a leap pad and a little Vtech computer that get lots of use. We always have the coloring/activity books as well that entertain for a while. When all of those get old, we resort to a movie though. After all, 12+ hours is a LONG time! We were impressed on our last trip at Christmas time that our kids made it clear from Vail, AZ to Kanab, UT (almost 500 miles and a good 8 hours) before even thinking to ask for a movie. Sarah R. says: February 10, 2011 at 7:45 am Of course I missed you! But I was reading Give Every Day so I knew what was going on! We traveled a lot as kids and always had fun. My sister and I are huge bookworms (I think our love of reading was really developed in the car) and it wasn't uncommon for us to finish entire novels in one trip. We also loved the license plate game and alphabet game. We also made up our own car bingo cards with things to look for (ie a cow, a horse) and then put them in whatever order you want on the card. We sang a lot too. February 20, 2011 at 1:23 pm I keep meaning to buy some car bingo cards, but...maybe I should just make my own instead. Thanks for the idea! February 10, 2011 at 7:39 am Missing you in real life and on MM!!! Praying for you! Katelyn says: February 10, 2011 at 7:22 am Oh yes! But I was following Give Every Day so I knew ya'll were okay. Welcome to Texas! My wonderful home state. Sorry it's been so cold for you - that's not really normal except in the panhandle. We liked to play I Spy or the Alphabet game. We also liked to keep track of different license plates although that may be beyond your girls. Lots of singing. Audiobooks - some libraries let you check them out electronically and download to an ipod or laptop. Keeping track of how many of a certain item you saw that day, like a big truck or birds or moving vans. February 20, 2011 at 1:21 pm Where are you in Texas? We're heading to Austin tomorrow...and Houston 2 weeks after that. Katelyn says: February 20, 2011 at 2:07 pm I grew up about 40 miles north of Houston in Conroe. I currently live along the Mexican border about 160 miles west of San Antonio. It's too cold right now to swim, but Barton Springs pool in Austin is an awesome natural spring fed swimming pool. And if you get a free afternoon, your girls might enjoy the Houston Space Center. JulieK says: February 10, 2011 at 7:16 am YESSSS!!! I missed you - I kept checking the blog to see if maybe my FB or feed missed telling me you posted!! :) Although I have been reading the Give Every Day blog - which is awesome, by the way, but it's just not quite the same as a Met.Mama post! :) Welcome back - can't wait to see what is in store! Travel games - I always loved the license plate game - trying to find a license plate from each state. I am not sure your littlest could play that but maybe? The alphabet game - find something out the window that starts with A, then B... so on. Reading - I always read in the car a LOT growing up when we would take long trips (and we did at least 1-2 Looong trips every year). Not everyone can read in the car though. February 20, 2011 at 1:20 pm I wish I could read in the car, but it makes me queasy so I avoid it. Audio books are a great alternative though. We listened to the first 1/2 of "Anne of Green Gables" on our way to Canyon Lake. February 10, 2011 at 6:33 am Oh yes! I miss you. I have been watching this page and Give Everyday for updates. Please where can I send a gift for you and the girls. Its okay to miss a blog post or two, we all know where you are at and what you are doing. I love Texas, wish I could visit you guys on the road.....let me know if you guys ever plan to come to Virginia, Ohio or Pennyslyvania. February 20, 2011 at 1:18 pm You are so thoughtful. You can find our mailing address on the "Contact" page at GiveEveryDay.com: http://giveeveryday.com/contact/. Jenn says: February 10, 2011 at 6:16 am Oh yes, I missed you! But I knew where you were since I follow Give Every Day so I wasn't worried about you :) We haven't had to think about games much yet - but on our big trip to California a couple of Christmases ago Sugar really enjoyed playing with magnet playsets. The only thing I remember playing while we traveled when I was young is the Alpabet game - you know the find letters on the sign one... Another thing that my kids enjoy is listening to kids books or Adventures in Odyssey. Hubby and I enjoy listening to books too and our kids don't mind the grown-up books as long as we take breaks for "their music" and "their stories" too! February 20, 2011 at 12:33 pm My sisters and I used to listen to Adventures in Odyssey almost every night before bed. I think I may need to start that tradition with my two. Thank you for refreshing my memory! February 10, 2011 at 5:33 am Of course we missed you! I love keeping up with Give Every Day though! I don't really have traveling advice. I've traveled with my two, but for no longer than 4 hour drives or 2-3 hour flights. Those times are easily filled with books, healthy snacks, and maybe a nap. I'm really interested in what kinds of games you end up finding or creating for so much road time with little ones! Dayna says: February 10, 2011 at 4:50 am Missed you missed you missed you. Yes :) But was praying for you all the time. Favorite travel games/activities: The big girl is old enough that we actually do a lot of talking in the car these days. She tells me what she sees, asks a million questions, and we talk about stuff. We do a fair amount of singing (badly) also. Especially to the baby sister. I think you have also glimpsed her doodle sketch. It is a nice way for her to be artistic in the car without the mess or too much dropping. Musings of a Housewife says: February 10, 2011 at 3:58 am Nevermind! I just tried clicking on the RSS button and lo and behold there was an email option! YAY! Musings of a Housewife says: February 10, 2011 at 3:57 am I think of you often!! I want to subscribe to Give Every Day via email so I don't miss anything but I didn't see the option. Travel games? Eh. I'm so not a fun mom. We don't play many. The kids like the Alphabet game though. February 10, 2011 at 3:10 am I did miss you! But I'm following you over at Give Every Day, so I knew you were kind of busy! :-) No tips for travel games...we usually travel at night so Darah can sleep while we drive! February 10, 2011 at 1:02 am I am running off to bed but I just wanted to say "hi!" and that you were missed! I did miss your posts but enjoyed your tweets and blogs over at GED! God bless ya girl! Vanessa says: February 9, 2011 at 11:19 pm Oh yes I missed you! But I've also been following you on Give Every Day (which I am SO thankful to have). So glad to know you will be blogging more this week. :) When we travel, we love to have our girls use little Magna Doodles to draw on. They LOVE them! February 9, 2011 at 11:12 pm Great to see you on here...although I haven't felt so disconnected since you are posting on Give Every Day too! Sorry to hear about the initial trials you guys encountered, but was so encouraged to hear how you guys handled it and what blessings came from it! Whenever we take longer drives we like to play the 'alphabet game'. Have to find a word on a road sign, car, building, etc. that begins with the letters of the alphabet - beginning with 'A' of course. First person to get through the entire alphabet wins...um...not much other than bragging rights. It has been fun to play with Analise now that she knows all of her letters and which direction to start reading them in! As always...I look forward to hearing what you have up your sleeve and what your adventures bring! Campgrounds	16,026
On-loan Dundee striker Leigh Griffiths could spend the rest of the season in limbo after Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou admitted the former Scotland star will have to look elsewhere for opportunities. Griffiths was handed a new deal at Celtic Park over the summer before he was shipped out on loan, with Dundee left far from impressed with his return after a temporary switch to Dens Park. With two goals from 14 appearances this season, Griffiths has failed to show his worth, leaving Dundee looking to cut his loan short. However, Griffiths’ hopes of a reprieve at Celtic have been dealt a further blow after Postecoglou gave a blunt response when asked about the striker’s future, saying: “He’ll probably be looking at opportunities elsewhere.” While there is a chance Griffiths could yet move elsewhere before the transfer window closes, it seems unlikely anyone will meet Celtic’s demands for a striker woefully out of form – and showing no signs of recapturing it. Postecoglou’s comments won’t really come as much of a surprise with Griffiths’ performances doing nothing to help Dundee’s fight to stay in the Premiership. At only 31, the former Scotland star should still be one of the best strikers in the league but has let his career go completely off the rails over the last few years. With Dundee still likely to look for a way to get Griffiths off their wage bill, there could still be one more twist in this transfer window. NTOF now offers a YouTube channel featuring exclusive interviews, post-match discussion, in-depth debate, and much more – LIKE and SUBSCRIBE and don’t miss any of our videos. Have something to tell us about this article? Let us know James has been with Not The Old Firm since the beginning and took over as Managing Editor in 2021. As well as NTOF, James has written for HITC, Rangers News, The Daily Record, SB Nation, Shoot! Magazine and Youth Football Scotland. He can be found on Twitter @jamesblack1986 and, away from Scottish football, has a keen interest in MLS (Chicago Fire) and Formula 1. Related Posts Dundee hiring Mark McGhee would be a huge mistake - Our View 'Maybe there's a reason' - Aberdeen boss furious over Celtic ref treatment Dundee boss sends defiant message as he opens up on job pressure Dundee confirm James McPake sacking as they praise Dens successDundee confirm James McPake sacking as they look to avoid drop	2,496
How did you find out about this training? How did you find out about this training? Flyer Website / Google Facebook From someone else Through my yoga teacher Who referred you? What is the name of your teacher? For how long have you been practising Kundalini Yoga What other types of Yoga did you practice? What other types of Yoga did you practice? Hatha Yoga Ashtanga Yoga Power Yoga Iyengar yoga Vinyasa Yoga Bikram Yoga Raja Yoga Some other type of Yoga None What yoga did you do? Have you followed any other trainings/workshop for personal development? Do you have any health issues (somatic or mentally) that could limit you in doing yoga? If you have, did you seek medical help and what was the outcome? Do you have any special requests regarding food, or any allergies? Choose a payment option that best suits your needs. Payment is required at the time of registration. A non-refundable registration fee of 500 Euros is included in the amount of curs fee (training fee) of the program. Costs of books and materials as well as seminar house, accommodation, catering etc. are not included. Choose a payment option that best suits your needs. Payment is required at the time of registration. A non-refundable registration fee of 500 Euros is included in the amount of curs fee (training fee) of the program. Costs of books and materials as well as seminar house, accommodation, catering etc. are not included. € 2170 if paid before 01st of November 2022 (Discount €150) € 2220 if paid before 01st of December 2022 (Discount €100) € 2270 if paid before 15th of January 2023 (Discount € 50) € 2320 until start of Training, 10th of March 2023 (Full payment) Do you have any questions or anything you would like to share with us? I have read and agree to the information (privacy statement, terms & condition) as stated on this website - PeaceWithin - and the use of my information for the purpose of this training. I have read and agree to the information (privacy statement, terms & condition) as stated on this website - PeaceWithin - and the use of my information for the purpose of this training. I Agree PeaceWithin & Divine Human can email me about other Kundalini Yoga activities. PeaceWithin & Divine Human can email me about other Kundalini Yoga activities. I Agree	2,276
At a press event at its headquarters this morning, Google announced Google Apps for Government–a new version of its Google Apps productivity suite that’s been certified by the US government as meeting its security requirements. The new version is a variant of Google Apps Premier edition, and includes the same core apps: Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sites, Groups, Video, and Postini. Pricing is the same as for Google Apps Premier: $50 per user per year. The certification says that Google Apps qualifies for is called a FISMA-Moderate rating, which means that it’s authorized for use with data that’s sensitive but unclassified. In addition, Google says that it’s storing government Gmail and Google Calendar on servers that are isolated from those used for non-government customers, and which are located in the continental US. At the event, Google pointed out the standard benefits of cloud computing: Companies pay only for what they use, don’t have to worry about maintaining servers, get new features automatically, and can access services from any device. It also said that Web-based services offer “best-in-class security.” Already, Google says, Google Apps, Google Earth, and other business products are widely used by the government–including by every cabinet agency. The new version of Google Apps is also available to state and local governments: Google says that Orlando, the District of Columbia, Kansas, and New Mexico are already Apps customers. (So is the city of Los Angeles, although it’s had some widely-reported bumps in its rollout.) FISMA is a federal government certification, but Google says that it expects the news to also lead to more interest among states and cities. “Everyone knows we’re quite committed to the enterprise and quite committed to cloud computing–it’s an open field now,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who dropped in for part of the event. He knocked past productivity solutions–presumably including Microsoft Office–for having “a high degree of lock-in and high degree of non-standard data structures.” Google Apps’ modules tend to have strong collaboration features but be far shorter on features than their rivals from Microsoft and other traditional desktop-software companies, and they’re designed to be used when Internet access is available. But “almost all government “are perfectly suited to relatively simple Web apps,” contended Schmidt. FISMA certification, he said, is about “knocking down barriers” to acceptance of what he said is already a hit product. I asked him whether Google sees its upcoming Chrome OS as having potential for government use, and whether it would seek FISMA certification for it. “That’s like a ‘yes, absolutely,'” he told me. “Let’s ship it first…All the apps we’re talking about will run incredibly well and incredibly securely on Chrome OS.” Government agencies have never had a reputation for technical sophistication, and the current financial crisis hasn’t helped matters. Google executives at the event said that adapting Google Apps makes sense because it has the potential to both streamline IT and reduce costs. And Schmidt said that paperless government is an inevitability: “there will be a point where governments will move to 100 percent online only. And the reason they’ll do it is it’s more efficient.” As with all news relating to Google Apps, it’s impossible to resist framing it in the context of Google’s competition with Microsoft Office–a battle in which Google remains a David and Microsoft is still a Goliath. (Microsoft is already seeking FISMA certification for its Business Productivity Online Suite and told me it expects it receive it soon.) The introduction of Google Apps for Business doesn’t sound like a landmark moment, but it’s one more piece of evidence that Google sees Apps as a core offering rather than a quirky side project. I’m a Google Apps user and fan myself, but there are still plenty of instances when it falls far short of Microsoft Office’s abilities. Two obvious ones: Apps’ presentations module is extremely basic compared to PowerPoint, and most of Apps is unusable when you don’t have an Internet connection. I can see today’s news appealing to government agencies of all sizes, but I wonder just how many are ready to truly give Office the boot. No-brainer prediction: Microsoft will swiftly respond to Google’s move in a blog post or other document which rattles off stats about just how dominant Office remains among government users… September 16th, 2011 at 11:16 am I'm a huge fan of Google Apps, but this makes me a bit worried about national security. Both the US and Google have been in the media for people attempting or successfully hacking into systems. Google owns all the information put into cloud system etc. Does this mean the US government will be giving away vital information to Google? I would be very cautious.	4,980
CBD gummies are a good solution, but we'll break down why our full spectrum hemp chews are even better! Why do consumers enjoy a CBD Gummy? The answer to this is relatively straight forward. As consumers, we’re familiar with gummy products as a supplement or vitamin, so we easily process what to expect …. take a gummy (or two) a day and enjoy the benefits. Why is taffy a better partner for CBD? This answer is a pretty straight forward as well. Taffy doesn’t melt. In the world of CBD portioning, it’s important to track how much cannabidiol you are consuming to find the maximum benefits. With hemp Cheeba Chews™ each bite-size taffy piece is accurately infused with 25mg of CBD. With the unique viscosity of taffy CBD oil, when stirred appropriately, blends in an extremely consistent manner. The saying goes “oil and water don’t mix” … well gummy base uses a large amount of water and blending in hemp oil can be a very delicate process. Great companies (like our THC green hornet gummy partners) know how to do it well, but with the proliferation of CBD edible companies popping up all over, the market is seeing an inconsistent performance in consumer satisfaction. Why should Hemp Chews be your go-to CBD edible? Another really straight forward answer here. We know what we’re doing, because we’ve been doing it for a decade. In 2009, the very beginning stages of a medical cannabis market in Colorado, the first Cheeba Chew™ was created. Ten years later the brand is still a staple of an entire industry. We’ve brought the same team of experts and consistent processes to the hemp world, while adding one of the hemp industry’s most credible grower and extraction team, in Elite Botanicals. Our consumers are enjoying the true benefits of full spectrum CBD edibles, returning on a regular basis to enjoy hemp chews. What to expect from your CBD edible. If you’ve tried CBD infused products and didn’t experience the benefits you had hoped for, don’t give up on the true value of cannabidiol, just evaluate the quality of the brand(s) you consumed. Are they using isolate or full/broad spectrum oil? What are their serving sizes? Do they provide you with easy to understand lab test results? These are important criterias to use when deciding what products to enjoy, and we check the box on our standards in all of those categories. We use full spectrum CBD oil. We provide a healthy 25mg of CBD in each chew. We test with a third-party lab for serving consistency and product purity. Believe in the power of CBD with a trusted partner like Cheeba Chews™. We got chew. Next Disclaimer: These products are not for use by or sale to persons under the age of 18. The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult a health care professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.	3,173
Rethinking software governance: Reflecting on the second edition of Building Evolutionary Architectures \| Thoughtworks Enable javascript in your browser for better experience. Need to know to enable it? Go here. What we do Data and AI Who we work with Healthcare and Life Sciences Cleantech, Energy and Utilities Media and Publishing Retail and E-commerce Financial Services and Insurance Travel and Transport Featured An in-depth exploration of enterprise technology and engineering excellence Keep up to date with the latest business and industry insights for digital leaders The place for career-building content and tips, and our view on social justice and inclusivity A publication for digital leaders A model for prioritizing the digital capabilities needed to navigate uncertainty Bringing the tech-led business changes into focus Expert insights to help your business grow Personal perspectives from Thoughtworkers around the globe Books Captivating conversations on the latest in business and tech Careers What to expect as you interview with us Learn what life is like as a Thoughtworker Grads and career changers Start your tech career on the right foot Find open positions in your region Stay connected Learning and development Explore how we support career growth Benefits See how we take care of our people Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Partnerships Conferences and Events English Brazil English \| Português Canada English Hong Kong SAR (English) \| Mainland (Chinese) Germany English English Spain English English United States English English Rethinking software governance: Reflecting on the second edition of Building Evolutionary Architectures November 17, 2022 \| 38 min 43 sec Listen on these platforms Building Evolutionary Architectures was published in 2017. In it, Thoughtworks CTO Rebecca Parsons, Neal Ford and Pat Kua defined and developed the concept of “evolutionary architecture” and demonstrated how it can help organizations manage change effectively in an ever-shifting technology landscape and fast-moving business contexts. The book has now been updated, with its second edition due to be published in December 2022. In this episode of the Technology Podcast, Rebecca and Neal talk to Birgitta Böckeler and Scott Shaw about the new edition and discuss how seeing various applications of evolutionary architecture over the last five years has led them to identify new issues and challenges. In particular, they talk about how the new edition takes up the question of automating architectural governance using fitness functions and what this means for the way we build and maintain complex software systems. Birgitta Boeckeler: Welcome to the Thoughtworks Technology Podcast. My name is Birgitta Boeckeler, and I'm one of your regular podcast co-hosts. I'm hosting this episode today with my colleague, Scott Shaw. Scott Shaw: Hi. I'm Scott Shaw. I am from Melbourne, Australia. Birgitta: Today, our two guests are actually also two of the regular hosts of this podcast, Neal Ford and Rebecca Parsons. Rebecca Parsons: Hello, everyone. This is Rebecca Parsons. Neal Ford: This is Neal Ford. You're going to hear a lot of familiar voices today if you're used to listening to our podcast. Birgitta: Yes. We invited Neal and Rebecca today because of one of the books that they've written in the past together with Pat Kua, Building Evolutionary Architectures, and they're actually currently working on a second edition of the book, and that's what we want to talk about today. Maybe we'll just start. For those of our listeners not familiar with the book, can you maybe summarize, what is it about? Rebecca: Well, when you write a book that is characterizing a new term, first, you have to decide what the term is, and then you have to define it. The term "evolutionary architecture" is trying to capture just what we're doing about responding to changes in the technology landscape. Neal and I have been talking about this for a long time, and the first time I heard Neal discussing this, he called it emergent architecture. Neal and I had a very robust discussion about why that was a very bad name. The name "evolutionary architecture" captures this notion that there is no such thing as the best architecture across all systems. We are using concepts from evolutionary computation to specify that these are the architectural characteristics that are critical to the success of our system. We are going to ensure that as our systems evolve, the architecture continues to reflect those architectural characteristics that were our objective. Neal: Yes. The first edition of the book, which came out in 2017, was very focused on that, defining the idea of an evolutionary architecture and defining this concept of fitness functions. We also address this question a little bit about architectural structure, but it was more about comparing different architectural styles and how evolvable they were based on a kind of scorecard we created for evolvability. Birgitta: I think we'll get back to fitness functions later, maybe for those people who are not familiar with the term yet. Maybe wait one, two minutes, then we'll definitely get back to it a lot, right? Rebecca: Yes. I guess there are three important aspects that we believe are critical, and so we included in the definition of an evolutionary architecture. It's guided. That's this notion of fitness functions that we'll talk about, but it also supports incremental change. Obviously, we draw a happy inspiration from the agile principles, agile software delivery, although I believe this is really more than just an agile approach to architecture, hence the name evolutionary. Of course, it's across multiple dimensions. The favorite word of an architect or at least one they tend to use the most even if they don't like it is "trade-off." We have multiple dimensions, multiple architectural characteristics that might be important to us. Some of those reinforce each other; some are, in fact, in conflict. We want these fitness functions to address the range of architectural characteristics that might be important for different systems. Neal: The multiple dimensions also encompasses not just software architecture. One of the things we struggled with if you talk about evolving a software system, it certainly involves the code and the architecture, but there are a lot of dependencies that it involves, too, a lot of very important dependencies like relational databases because schema changes are really part of the logic of the system. You have to think about how to evolve that as well. That was our motivation. The multiple dimensions aspect of this was our motivation in the first book to have a chapter on evolutionary database design to include those considerations along with architecture because we were trying to be very pragmatic in this book and talk about not-- Even though the first edition ended up being fairly abstract, we were trying to ground it in real software systems, not just purely in the code parts of software architecture in lines and boxes. Scott: One of the things I've found a little confusing is whether architecture is being used as a noun or a verb in the title. I think it's a little bit of both. It's a way of doing things, right? It's an approach to architecture, but some architectures are more evolutionary than others, I believe. Neal: Yes. That's really reflected in what we eventually realized and teased apart in the second edition of the book. The reason we're here is talking about the second edition. The publisher reached out to us, that asked us to do a second edition of the book because there was a fair amount of interest in that. We took this opportunity to really lean more heavily into the two aspects that Scott is talking about here, where in the first book, we were very focused on this seed idea of Rebecca's about applying evolutionary computing fitness functions to looking at evolving architectural characteristics. As we started talking about that subject a lot, we realized that the things that we're protecting from an evolutionary standpoint heavily overlap with the things that we try to govern all the time as software architects, things like security and metrics and code quality and how things are coupled together in a good way, not a bad way. That's when we realized that this is really two different aspects. It's really about fitness functions both for evolution and automating architectural governance, which we'll talk a little bit more about in just a second. The other aspect is about how this impacts the structure of architecture. It's the activities of architecture but also how you approach the design part of architecture, and we were much more explicit in separating those two things in the second edition. Scott: You're coming right out and using the G word there. Scott: Maybe, is this a traditional governance approach, or is this a different way of thinking about it? Rebecca: It's definitely not the traditional approach. One of the things that I've gotten asked, at least when I've been talking about this, is, "Well, you're giving even more power to the evil enterprise architect to strangle me." Unfortunately, no concept, no tool, no nothing, can solve for bad behavior; that just isn't going to happen. But what we are doing is saying, if governance can be automated, well, first and foremost, and this gets back to the definition of a fitness function, and this might be the time to talk about this. This is an objective fitness function, and the most important characteristic is that we will never disagree on the result of the fitness function. "Be maintainable" cannot be a fitness function. Cyclomatic complexity of less than five can be a fitness function. We have to get specific. Once you get specific and in particular can automate these things, then the governance is automatic. You don't have to do code reviews for cyclic dependencies because you know that they can't get through the build. Then what you can focus the actual governance activity on are those edge cases where perhaps you've got two of your fitness functions that in a particular situation are so much in conflict that you can't get both of them to pass. Now you want to have a conversation, a governance conversation, about, "How do we address this? Is there some idea we the development team haven't thought about and maybe the architect can help?" Maybe we talk about, what are the trade-offs of softening one or the other of those fitness functions to allow them both to pass. Governance turns from a box-ticking activity to one that actually gets into the substance of the conflicts and the challenges that often arise when you are trying to construct a system or work with, in particular, a brownfield system to satisfy some of these architectural characteristics. Your governance conversations are completely different than they were in the past. Birgitta: Yes. I like this idea of I think we often try to stay under the illusion that all of those characteristics that we want to achieve, that they're all achievable. Then when you do have those two fitness functions to objectively measure two of them and they contradict each other, they can never be green at the same time, then we have to stop with that illusion, right? We actually have to face the trade-off. Yes, I like that. Neal: In fact, one of the big dysfunctions that we see for the further up in enterprise toward enterprise architecture you get is they live in a very strategic world thinking about long-term technology capabilities, but architects who are shipping code live in a very tactical world because they have to ship code and get it to work in the real, messy world, and a lot of these governance frameworks are exactly that. They're these big, giant frameworks that have these checkpoints for communication between all these layers, but inevitably, there's going to be conflict because the strategy and the tactics don't meet up. There's no real way to reconcile that except frustration and more meetings, which everybody loves to have those kinds of meetings, of course. One of the great lessons we've learned about software is that modern software consists of hundreds of thousands or millions of little moving parts, any of which can change at any time almost freely. We need ways to automate if it changes, has it broken something else? That's one of the great lesson of continuous integration in- Neal: -exactly, the engineering practices that we've had for a long time. What this does is allow you not for every single governance activity, a lot of them are still human-based, but for the things that you can automate the governance of, it just frees up that entire cognitive space of not having to do code reviews or checks or review boards because you know because you've got an objective definition, you know that that thing has not started misbehaving in a way that that is undesirable to you. Just like in automating things in the DevOps revolution, automating the simple things allows people to concentrate on more complex things and give more mental space to those things, which is, obviously, better not to do more busy work, which a lot of governance ends up being busy work of, like Rebecca said, checking boxes and chasing down these bureaucratic checks and balances. Scott: I think it takes the person-to-person conflict out of governance, too, right? You can step back and talk about the metric rather than talking about opinions, and that often so often leads to resentment and conflict in organizations, I think. Neal: Well, I often say that enterprise architects and domain architects should be equally unhappy with each other because that implies that neither of them is getting the full thing that they want because the goals are very often in conflict, and they need to be reconciled. Rebecca: Well, I think another thing that we try to stress with these fitness functions are "Have them based on outcomes." This is the behavior we are trying to achieve, or this is the characteristic that we are looking for, not "Use RabbitMQ in this way to achieve this particular objective" because when you specify an outcome, the person writing that fit dysfunction is communicating to the development team, "This is what I care about." They probably don't care specifically about which of those functions you're using in RabbitMQ, or they at least shouldn't. This is the characteristic in the communications that we are trying to achieve. That way, the development team can look at that and say, "Okay, this is what I have to do to achieve that behavior," as opposed to saying, "Why in the world is this stupid architect telling me to do this when it makes no sense in my context?" It again takes it away from this, "Oh, the architects are just being arbitrary," or "The delivery teams are just being renegade," and it grounds it in “Here's an architectural characteristic, behavior or an outcome that the enterprise architect cares about for some strategic reason.” It's a way for those architects to communicate, "these are the things I'm worried about; these are the things that are keeping me up at night and that we would like to make sure are handled in all of these different systems." Where enterprise architecture does tend to go wrong is you get architects sitting in their little room picking implementations without necessarily understanding the context in which those things are going to be used. Of all of the teams that I've gone into, that's the single greatest source of angst from the delivery teams is "They don't understand my context, and therefore, they are making my job unnecessarily difficult." If you specify an outcome, then the team who understands their context can say, "Okay, this is what we have to do to achieve that outcome." Birgitta: Also, you don't want brittle fitness functions, right? You don't want them so specific that every time you do evolve your architecture, they break, right, and not for the right reason, but for the reason that they were just too specific to the implementation, right? Rebecca: Absolutely. Neal: Well, one of the things that-- and this alludes to something Rebecca said earlier, that we realize that we're giving architects a sharp stick that they can poke developers with. We're encouraging them not to do that. This is not some way to annoy developers, but what it really is, and a great metaphor that I found for this, which made its way into the second edition is a checklist that architects write for developers to make sure important things don't fall through the cracks. There was a great book that came out a few years ago, The Checklist Manifesto, about surgeons and airline pilots who use checklists, not because they're forgetful because when you do really detailed things over and over, things can fall through the cracks. That's what checklists are for. That's what our view of fitness functions is a checklist by the architect that developers check off as they go through to make sure that they haven't accidentally left a debug port turned on a container as they deploy it or accidentally created a coupling point from expediency or using some convenient tool that's going to cause later damage in the architecture. It's just checking, in an automated way, those things. Scott: How important is it if you're using this approach to have to cover the entire span of quality? Is it possible for things to go in the wrong direction if there's some dimension actually that you don't have a fitness function for? Is it okay to have just a few? Rebecca: It's important to identify, "What are the characteristics of the architecture that matter most?" and then you don't really have to worry about the others. I worked on a trading system once, and of course, you hear "trading system," you think high throughput, low latency. They didn't care about that because their transaction load was approximately a hundred a day in their wildest dreams. What they really cared about was never losing a message. We didn't do those throughput tests and all of that. We did all kinds of testing and fitness functions around the communication system. What do we have in there to ensure that even if we lose the communication channel, the message doesn't get stuck? All of those different things were important. We didn't have any fitness functions around performance simply because it wasn't important to us. It wasn't driving any of our architectural decisions. Neal: Well, but this also helps get you out of this vague, "What would you like in your architecture?" and the business says, "We want all the things." Okay, we need to narrow it a little more than all the things because that's the common dysfunction here but really because creating fitness functions takes effort. Does this effort yield value? At some point, you reach a point where it's like, "Well, I could build a fitness function for this, but the time it's going to take me to create and maintain that is not worth the value I'm going to get at it." It really does narrow you on the things that are core that you really want to govern: security, structure. Really, some of this depends on the longevity of the piece of software. Do you want this piece of software to last 2 years or 10 years? If it's two years, I'm not going to care that much about internal integrity and some of those kind of things. If I really want to build on this as a foundation, a platform for building a bigger and bigger system, I should care a lot more about those things. It helps you prioritize what's really important. Birgitta: I think fitness functions basically to recap are this idea that you define how you want to measure your characteristics and how you want them to be the most important ones. You try to find ways to automate that as a test or maybe sometimes you have a ritual that you check it every two months or something like that, right? Neal: Well, there's a really nice metaphor that I've been using for this for a long time, and you used the word earlier about regression. If you think about architecture, you can think about the domain that we're writing software about, the motivation for writing a piece of software, and then all those architectural things like performance and scale that are necessary. How do we manage the evolution of the domain to make sure it doesn't regress? Well, we have unit tests and functional tests, and user acceptance testing, and if you're a big enough organization, you have an entire department called QA that's just focused on regressions in your domain. What we need is a similar mechanism for the architectural characteristics, which were often lacking or they're there ad-hocly. That's what fitness functions really are. It's unit tests for architectural characteristics, but it's not as simple as unit tests because we're monitoring things or we're looking at communication or performance or throughput or more complicated things, but that's really the metaphor. Birgitta: That's I think a challenge that I've seen that people have with this term, "fitness function." Because it's so broad and can be many different things, it's not always something that is automated, right? I think that's the one that most people more intuitively understand. "Oh, it's like an automated performance test or something like that," right? Then, why would I care that there's now this word to describe all of those different things in the same boxes? Why do I need this word for all of those different things? Rebecca: Well, one of the things that we found is it allows you to start talking about different kinds of architectural characteristics on the same level. Security often comes in with its "thou shalt" book with 87 pages, and then the operations teams come in with their thou-shalts, and "These are the run books I need," and all of that kind of stuff, and of course, both of them must have everything, and they're both of top priority, which of course, is not possible. When we started talking about fitness functions and putting all of those different operational security, performance, resiliency, all of those things under an umbrella, then you can start to talk about "This is the cost of this fitness function. This is the effort that it will take to achieve and maintain this fitness function. Now, help me understand how valuable this particular characteristic is." Just like with, again, the domains, you have the customer service people, and you have the product people, and you have all of the different domain requirements that all want to be top-priority in the story meeting, and they have a discussion, and they trade off on the basis of business value, and we do the same things with these architectural characteristics where, okay, security says, "This is the risk that we're running, and this is the exposure that we have if we don't do something about this characteristic." The operations team might come in and say, "And this is the risk that we run if this kind of failure occurs, and we haven't been able to take place," and then they can talk about "Okay, well, what's the relative business value?" and decide which one's the higher priority. By unifying the language, even though we are talking, some of them are just like automated unit tests. Some of them are manual tests where you might be pulling the plug on your database server to test your failover. You certainly don't want to do that. You don't want to trigger that in a build. You want to know when that's happening. It's not necessarily that they have to be automated. The more you can automate, the better because if it's automated, you don't have to think about it. The only thing that really matters is it's so precisely defined that if I say, "Yes, it passes," you'll say "Yes, it passes," too. That's the only thing that really matters. Birgitta: It's a common conceptual approach to structural thinking. Scott: It's very similar to the concept of service level objections, I think, where you're trying to give the trade-off and put it in the hands of the business. Here are the things you need to think about, but you need to decide which ones are more important. Birgitta: You just had a Freudian slip. You said service level objections. Birgitta: Lots of people object to service levels! Then, what else is different about the second edition? I think one of the things that happened since the first edition is that you collected a lot more concrete examples, right? Neal: Yes. Rebecca sent out a solicitation to a bunch of our coworkers, and we've been gathering examples along the way. We also changed the structure and were much more explicit about the two facets we were talking about. The first part now focuses on fitness functions and a whole bunch of examples. The way we structured the examples in the previous edition, they were just as they came up, they were presented, but we have a lot more now. We have an entire chapter on automating architectural governance, and it starts from the lowest code level and then escalates up through integration architecture, up to enterprise architecture. It starts at the atomic and goes to the macro in terms of examples for things. The second part is really about structure, and that's the evolution of architectural structure. That's the part that has changed the most because last time we did a comparison of these different architectural styles and how evolvable they were with a scorecard, but after doing all that, we realized that the, really, thing that mattered on the scorecard more than anything else was the coupling aspects of the architecture. We focused a lot more on that and analyzing how things are coupled or wired together. In doing research in the previous edition in this one, there was a book that came out in 1993 called What Every Programmer Should Know About Object-Oriented Design. This is the book that created the concept of Connascence. If you've never heard of Connascence, it's a way of describing coupling. There's a website now called connascence.io, and it's really a language for describing how things are coupled together. One of the observations that that author made was that in distributed architectures, the more you let implementation coupling spread, the worse it is for your architecture. He wrote that, and nobody got it, and then a decade later, Eric Evans came along and wrote Domain-Driven Design, and he talked about bounded context. Basically, what he was talking about is allowing implementation details to spread is damaging to your architecture. That's exactly what we're saying again in our book. A lot of the coupling analysis that we do in that section is about, "How do you prevent implementation details from leaking because the more they leak, the more brittleness they create, and the harder it is to evolve the pieces because they're welded together because of too much coupling?" That's really what the coupling part focuses on, the architectural structure part focuses on. Then the third part talks about how those things interact with each other. How do you use fitness functions to check the structure and the coupling of your architecture, and what's the synergy between those two ideas? Birgitta: How to find the leaks. Scott: How do you measure coupling? Is that something you can do concretely? Neal: Well, it depends, of course, like everything in architecture. It's easy to measure coupling in a compiled code base because there are lots of tools for that to measure efferent coupling. We've known about those for a long time. This is one of the things that I thought would happen more after the first edition but hasn't. We're making a strong call to action in the second edition for this because we keep having people look at things like a cyclomatic complexity check, which a lot of metrics tools provide. They go, "Oh, I want that for my microservices." It's like, "Oh, that'd be awesome, but here's the problem, what are your microservices written in? Is it the same tech stack or different tech stacks? What kind of database are you using? What communication protocols are you using" There are a million details that go into your microservices architecture. It is not a simple metrics tool that you can download or turn a key and just run it on your architecture. The thing that has puzzled me is that it seems like architects, "If there's not a turnkey tool that I can set four configuration parameters for after downloading, you get it to work, then I'm not interested." All the information you need is there within your architecture. If you enforce observability on all the services in your microservices architecture, you can, with 10 or 15 lines of Ruby or Python, write some code that looks at all of the logs and tells you exactly how they're communicating with each other and if they're cheating on their communication. In fact, you can either do that reactively, "Let's do this for the log messages for the last 24 hours to see if somebody's cheating when they shouldn't," or you can do it proactively with monitors. "Thou shall not call this service because of security concerns. I'll block that as it tries to happen," which adds a little more overhead to the architecture but is certain to do that. It takes just a few lines of code. We've really struggled to get architects to realize that, and this is the thing we're seeing in the second edition. Look, I'll check first to see, "Is the information I need there somewhere?" If it is, you can write a little bit of code to aggregate that information together to get really useful information out of it. We show pseudo-code for writing exactly the cycle check for microservices in our book. You just have to fill in the details for your tech stack and the details of your services. Scott: This is enabled a lot more by this, the modern observability concept, isn't it, where you measure, you take the entire span of metrics from your architecture? Neal: Well, in fact, if you use fitness functions to guarantee that everything monitors or logs correctly, and you can build a fitness function that says, "Make sure that all these things produce logs in a consistent way," you have an enormous, rich queryable set of information there that you can learn all kinds of things about the communication, your architecture dependencies, places that are not as resilient as you thought because they're down more. If the information is there, it is harvestable using some of the tools that are around that you can use and a little bit of effort, you can create some real value. Birgitta: Also, the code and the run-time are the ultimate truth, right, not the documentation. Rebecca: Exactly. Scott: I wonder, what have you seen since the first edition came out? Have you seen some interesting implementations or any surprises in the way people have applied this concept? Neal: The thing that has surprised me the most is the lack of innovation that I've seen, of people really harvesting and taking advantage of the information they have available. This is when I first joined Thoughtworks, it seemed like every time somebody bumped into a problem, they instantly went out and created an open-source project and solved that problem. That was the instinctual reaction for every new problem that you encountered. It seems like now, and I don't know why, but everybody looks for "What can I download to solve this problem?" The first instinct is, "Oh, I need to download this and configure it," versus "Oh, I need to build a new one." Of course, in the past, you had to encourage people, "Now go look and see if somebody else has already solved it before you build it." Now it's like, "Oh if somebody hasn't built it for me, I'm just done." That's been the thing that's most surprising. I'd actually expected after the first edition came out a lot more sophisticated fitness functions for people to build. We have started seeing that some of the examples we got from some of our colleagues were very clever ways to do things, including some really clever uses for hypothesis-driven development or hypothesis-driven architecture. We think something's happening in this architecture, but we're not 100% sure. "Let's set up a fitness function so we can run a proper experiment to get objective measurements for these things and find out" and found out some revelatory things. We set this threshold for scaling to this value and keep getting resiliency stuff. We actually measured it and "Oh, it's four times what we estimated it was going to be." Then root cause analysis understood why. You make assumptions a lot of times in architecture that it's hard to validate. Using this as an experimental medium was surprising but a really effective use for this. Of course, you leave those in place after the experiment's done so you don't have to do the experiment in the future. Rebecca: Another thing I was struck by in the examples was just the breadth of characteristics that people were thinking about, "I would like to have a fitness function around this," some of it having to do with the API layers, some of it having to do at the code-level, cross-system fitness functions. It was nice to see people with that expansive view of "What kinds of characteristics can you measure?" It really demonstrated some thought about the question "What are the things that are going to matter to the success or failure of my system?" because that's really what we want to get to. You prioritize fitness functions that are going to have the greatest impact on whether or not that system over whatever period of time you're looking for it to function is going to be a success. I was very pleased to see that, but I still say I think one of the cleverest ones we've come up with although I was talking earlier to Scott about this and some other techniques have maybe overtaken this one, but we had a client who was very worried about open-source licenses, and the lawyer approved all the licenses and then asked the dreaded question, "Well, and all of these open-source projects are going to tell us when they change their license, right?" We just giggled. What they did was instead of trying to do something complex like set up a natural language processor to analyze, they simply hashed all of the open-source licenses. Every time they built, they checked to make sure that it hadn't changed. If it changed, they emailed the lawyer, and then the lawyer could decide whether or not he still liked the license, and then they would redo the hash. Incredibly simple. That actually has a lot of broad applicability. If there are configurations or perhaps reference data that you really need to know when it changes, you don't have to do something really complex. You can do something quite simple and just fire off an email because it's not so much that you need to know how to fix the problem. You need the flag that says, "Excuse me, will someone come pay attention to me?" That's what so many of the things that we do in agile software development is raising that flag when you need somebody to pay attention to you. I think that one is so clever and so simple and really with broad applicability. Birgitta: You don't need the cognitive load to constantly check the ticker that tells you the stock prices, but it actually wakes you up when that's a problem? Rebecca: Exactly. Neal: So many of these fitness functions really are geared toward "Something unexpected has happened. You should go check." It's not this deep analysis to figure out instantly what happened. It's like, "Oh, something changed that I didn't expect to change," and that's critical because, as I said before, if you have a million moving parts and one of them changes unexpectedly, you want to know as fast as possible because there's no telling what downstream effects that change may have. A lot of these really are just a "Hey, something surprising happened." There are lots of surprising things that can happen on projects, configurations that change that shouldn't, or something like that, and having little triggers around to look at that. They don't take long to run either. It's a really fast check for something, but it gives you confidence because I know that cannot have changed. Now when you go looking for root cause analysis, you have a lot fewer places to check because a lot of those things are governed, and you know that they've been checked all the time. Birgitta: Okay. Shall we wrap it up or did you have anything else that you would like people to know about the second edition? Neal: I think the only thing we haven't touched on that we probably should is the additional author that we added to this one formally. Informally, he was the author before, Pramod Sadalage, our colleague, who is probably very familiar to listeners of our podcast. He's been on several times. Many of his books have been featured here, the author of Refactoring Databases, the one he's known best for. He co-authored with us the chapter on Evolutionary Database Design in the first edition, but we added him as a formal co-author for this edition because we've added more data stuff, but data is just more pervasive in software architecture now. We've realized that over the last few years with microservices, that pulling data into the bounded context makes things like transactionality an architectural concern now, not just a data concern. It complicates things a lot. His contribution is a lot more holistic in this edition, which I think is for the better for it. It's good to have him as a formal author. That's probably the most important thing we haven't talked about so far. Scott: Do you have any advice for people that are just getting started with this? Neal: Absolutely. You don't have to eat the entire elephant to be successful with this. If you find something in your ecosystem that really wants governance and is lacking it, and you figure out a way to automate the governance around that or not even automate it, just figure out a way to objectively measure it and you gather value, you can stop at that point and say, "I'm doing evolutionary architecture." You don't have to have your entire system protected by this web of interlocking fitness functions. That's the thing we really try to focus people on is that this is not an ivory tower exercise. You've got to go back to "Is this adding value to my project and my ecosystem by having this in place?" because this does add overhead. Architects have to define these things and the objective measures for them. They have to implement them along with developers. Developers have to suffer what happens when they break because they've done something that was fast but inconvenient long term and now they have to go back and do it correctly, which is frustrating when there's schedule pressure. There's got to be a collaboration between architects and developers so they understand the value of these things. I'm not just poking you with a sharp stick. We're poking everybody with the same sharp stick to make all of us better long-term. Scott: What a concept. Collaboration between architects and developers. Rebecca: The one thing I would add to that, the whole point of our approach here is you cannot predict where the change is going to come from. Don't try to start with something, "Well, I know this thing is going to change" because you're probably going to be wrong, and you're probably going to do a lot of work that may not be very helpful. Instead, focus on the places where you're having pain. Focus on the things that are keeping you up at night. Maybe your company has just announced that its business strategy for the next year is mergers and acquisitions. I'd take a look at your integration architecture and focus your attention on "What do we need to do to address some of the debt that we have there?" but start where you have pain, not where you think change is going to come from because, unfortunately, we can't predict that anymore, even if we could 20 years ago. Birgitta: When can I buy this new and improved second edition, then? Neal: We just wrapped up the technical reviews. Everything's on schedule. The goal is to have it out before the end of the year, so early December, which is about the last time that we publish a book. This- Neal: -exactly, is a great Christmas present. Nothing says loving your spouse like an O'Reilly book about evolutionary architectures. Neal: Thanks for having us on the podcast. The visitors' seats are a lot more comfortable here than the hosts' seats... thanks. Rebecca: Oh, yes. Yes, this is even more fun. 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My favourite University lecturer in fundamental Physics, a long time ago, a true gentleman with a learned mind, quite old already back then, gentle and wise, reported once about what he called ‘Wolfsstunde’, the hour of the wolf, hours of merciless awakeness in the dead of night. Yet he added back then that those nocturnal periods had turned for him from bouts of melancholy to moments of quiet and peaceful reflection in solitude. He seemed to have acquired the skill to turn such moments into an art. He would get dressed carefully in his best comfortable clothes, carefully prepare a good cup of something hot to drink and start thinking and reflecting about things for which there was never time during busy days. Those hours of the wolf, so he said back then, had in fact become a pleasant, agreeable and ever so necessary pastime of his life. For many, such periods of nocturnal times of being unable to sleep are difficult and uncomfortable. Same for me, initially anyway, until I remembered my old Physics lecturer who on that particular day long ago spoke of many insights and wisdoms who weren’t understood at all back then by any of us young students and kept being dormant in my mind for a very long time and which only today seem to start germinating. A little bit anyway. There are reasons for being awake at night and they seem to demand to be understood. Science tells us of hormonal changes at night, biorhythms, disturbances of all that and unnatural interruptions of our nightly resting period. Still, once accepted for their existence, those nightly hours awake can provide very good experiences, to the point that one looks forward to those moments of peace and calmness with an alert mind and a creative flow of energy. As a musician I have come to appreciate the fact that my best compositions were created at the dead of night, in my head before I even touch the guitar and start singing them later in the morning. No chance for all that during the day, weekends even, too much pressure, telephone calls, work, emails, life’s worries and demands take their toll. However, in the night, once awake and the melancholic darkness shaken off or thoughts like that ‘one’ really ought to be sleeping, then during the minutes and hours of being awake life changing thoughts can emerge at times. Precious, invaluable, profound, lasting. A book I know has the title ‘Tears at night, smiles at dawn’. That’s how it seems to be for me, at times anyway. The joys, needs, worries and concerns of my loved ones are on top of the pile of things to think about. Then come the regrets over past events I am not proud of and for which I am made to pay daily by those who are unable or unwilling to forgive. Or the grieving over disputes and disagreements which aren’t necessary yet which serve another purpose instead altogether, it seems. We are living in a pandemic, cooped up, the different views, different preferences are simmering over the hot fire of personal resentments and before you know it the sound emerges of irreconcilable arguments where the subject matter doesn’t even seem to matter anymore. All that seems to matter in such moments is to let off steam and to dish out insults and accusations instead of allowing one’s better instincts to guide the moment. A song I wrote a while ago has the title ‘Tired of the fight’. This song too I wrote in the middle of the night. How so very much fed up I am these days of these expressions of irreconcilable differences. We need each other. Now more than ever. Yet we keep on arguing for the sake of it. About nothing really. And nothing good comes out of it except of having been able to let off steam. A strange balance sheet emerges. In exchange for frustration and bad vibes one is rather unhappier than before, feelings of guilt and regret appear, spoiling the satisfaction of having truly voiced aloud an opinion only to get one back, equally poisonously expressed. Pressure was relieved in exchange for everyone being unhappy. How stupid all this is. Perhaps a few hours of the wolf are needed here indeed to calm down, reflect, allow regret and the emergence of reforming resolutions. Keep your side of the street clean. So it says. But that too some find objectionable. To not participate in an argument carries a great risk to alienate allies and loved ones, those who count on you, even in moments where they’re wrong. Not to take sides in such times inevitably leads to accusations of being a pushover, a coward, a pathetic whimp. Every peacemaker worth his salt knows that trying to calm the waves in the heat of the moment leads to merciless accusations of weakness from some, the pains of which last long until after those who argued have moved on miraculously. Peacemakers always loose for the benefit of those whose fight they were trying to calm down. Such thoughts too creep into my mind at night. Doing the right thing, including not taking sides in futile arguments, never offers any reward however well earned. But that is ok. What matters is to do and continue to do what is the right thing to do. To find peace in these quiet moments at night, less melancholy and more reflection. I seem to be able to count on that these days in the hours of the wolf, those invaluable times awake at night. I will leave it here for today. Stay healthy, take care and good luck Post date December 2, 2020 Unbelievable. I made it. I remember a time when the prospect of hitting forty was so far off. And now sixty. Without living through a war. Seeing a lot of the world. Good times and troubling ones. Dodging a dangerous virus even. So far anyway. On my watch many things happened. On the face of it I am grateful for many, family, prosperity, for example. I am bewildered by some others, the seeming decline of good politics, and outright puzzled by fake news and gone crazy political correctness, to name but a few. Am I taking stock of my life? Am I looking back? Sure I do. It matters. Taking stock, however, doesn’t mean to linger in the past, or to dwell on it endlessly, or get stuck and mull over and over old hurts and angers. It’s about honouring what was and not to avoid the present or the future. If anything, it’s to draw strength from remembering the good and closing the lesser good to obtain strength and perspective to face what is yet to come however much remains of my time. Many memories are hidden within, deeply buried over time, yet ready to be taken up once more, thus setting in motion a flow of energy which can be put to good use in setting out the future. When you’re young you make plans, if not consciously then unconsciously. When you are a little older you look back and see what happened to all that. You’re amazed over the things you did achieve, in some cases beyond what you could ever have imagined, in other departments you recognise, grief even, that some things you thought you were born for didn’t quite materialise, through lack of opportunities, by deliberate changes of course or by outright failure. Yet again, whilst joy and regret sit side by side, you cannot but notice that there’s a treasure of experiences here, a hoard of lessons learnt. Remembering all of that, going through it all one more time, equips you with a certain strength and resolve to live out what’s next in a much better way. And there’s a lot left I have yet to do, still hunger for, have yet to say to those who matter to me. So, no glorification here of the past, no dwelling on old wounds and mistakes, but a chance to let go of old griefs, leaving be ancient grudges and by that I really mean leaving be this time. No more holding on to the past, getting stuck yet again in it, but allowing it to say everything that it can say in retrospect – for we can’t wish for a better past – but allow the past to instruct us and encourage us for the future, in terms of outlooks, new plans, conduct and hope. There’s a treasure here, not just for us, but for those around us too, our loved ones especially. Everyone with a bit of mileage can use that treasure, even those who struggled, maybe those in particular. A reformed addict, for example, or recovering alcoholic can truly tell you how it is, was, spell out warnings, talk about the telling signs, consequences. Many such warnings will probably fall on deaf ears initially but seeds are sown many of which, in their own time, may well grow into insight and positive change. So even the failings carry important messages which can, and should be, passed on. Or the necessary crisis which occur, particularly during the great transitions in life, when what one once held true and dear all of a sudden no longer holds and new territory awaits with all its hidden treasures and trappings. These crisis too carry messages, insights and acquired wisdom which can be passed on or reflected upon anew to help prepare for the time ahead. The lived life is like an old tree. Its weathered and hardened stem carries a large crown teaming with life, life we support, provide a home for, a world to live in and prosper. What a waste it would be not to recognise this, not to revisit it, and move ahead with confidence gained through past successes or insights from failure or suffering. And as I said, time too, to bury old hatchets at last. Rekindle relationships too maybe and finish what had been started in so many departments but left to languish unfinished since long ago. I have been asked what I would say to my readers now that I have reached this milestone. I reply without hesitation: Create good memories for they make your life and one day affirm back to you that you have lived it well despite setbacks. And I would also say, that for my mistakes I am truly sorry and ask for forgiveness. And for all the good I received I am truly grateful. This milestone matters to me more than others. I didn’t know what to expect but now I can feel it. I cannot as yet articulate it in any other way or detail. But the look angle has changed. No doubt about it. On this, the writing was on the wall even if I couldn’t read it yet. A new journey begins. One I am looking forward to. I shall let you know how I get on. I would like to close today with the lyrics of a song I wrote in 2016. In a sense, all else I can say today in contained in it. It’s hard to going back think of the Where it all began What is time and memory But a jaded faded song It lingers on I can’t say back then I was ready To leave it all behind Yet in the morning hit the road Drove to England nice and steady Since then the world many times turned upside down I never thought of giving up hope There was always another way And at times I didn’t think at all As they happened Can’t say I was ever ready Yet every morning hit the road Did what fathers do for life And brought the bounty home In the twists and turns of life There are victories At other times you might feel blue there’s no shame in bad times being a broken man Nothing ever is in vain You pick up the pieces In a sense I hit the road anew Rebuilt the castles Planted seeds, not just a few But there were bitter tears And all the while the time is passing And the children find their way Ageing eyes that burn from deep Within that fire of love Near the end of the race? To leave it all behind Do what men are born to do Take care and good luck Post date November 27, 2020 During a recent emergency in the Brandauer family, the paramedic gave me 15 seconds when I asked him if I could grab a few things before getting into the ambulance. I needed 5 seconds. As younger couples with a baby on the way know (well, they should know), there needs to be a readily packed bag by the door for when the moment comes. I have had a bag ready ever since our children were born. I won’t tell you what it contains but it is all I need to survive for 48 hours or longer if necessary. It’s one of my trusted rucksacks which helped me on the Camino in Northern Spain, on many an urgent weekend journey, at work, on business trips including a four week stint last November, pre-Covid, somewhere in Southern Egypt. It is always readily packed. I don’t know exactly why I do this. In fact, I have three rucksacks. Each one packed for different occasions, opportunities and eventualities. I wonder what a depth psychologist would make of it. ‘Carl Brandauer is ready for a quick get away’, he or she may say. ‘He wants to escape in his heart of hearts. There’s a shadow lurking inside that wants to break free’…that sort of thing. Actually, I think it’s none of that. I just hate packing in a hurry and forget things I need if I do. In any case, I was certainly rather grateful it was there two weeks ago when the crisis struck. Built to order by a lovely lady somewhere in the South West Country (probably surrounded by insanely beautiful countryside ), they are simply beautifully made as well. I have never met the lady who made them for me, yet her bags have helped me everywhere I have been in recent times. Beautiful things make you smile. Useful things help you out. If objects are both, and knowing they weren’t made by an exploited underaged pair of hands in some hot country…I don’t know quite how to spell it out. It feels right. It feels good. And with such a ‘ready bag’ you also learn to only pack what you really need. I can’t say what that is for you but I know what it is for me. As the song I wrote some time back says: Each thing needs carrying Each thing has weight The same with worries Grief and hate You shed it as you climb the slopes You may find it odd hearing someone talk about rucksacks but here you are, I love those bags. Take care and good luck ps. Just to save you asking, you can get a rucksack like that from Post date November 20, 2020 To loose a loved one, maybe the loved one, or rather just living for a short while with the knowledge of that it happened or might about to be happening, is an experience I wish no one. Yet, I guess, we all will, to some degree anyway, live through something like that one day. Your Carl Brandauer has just been through such an experience. Everything got resolved in the end, surprisingly, ending in baffling fashion, as unexpectedly sudden as it began, yet for a while it was real and the effects of it all really rather linger inside. I’m definitely not over it yet. A friendly priest once said in a sermon I listened to ‘we will all suffer one day’. Those words have acquired a new meaning for me. That much is certain. A whole lot of nice things, never said before, are now said, whilst there is still time. Time, oh you illusive beast. We spend it as if we had infinite amounts of it. We haven’t. If you have anything kind to say to those who matter in your life, say them soon. You might not get another chance for surprises are just that, surprises, and they always knock on the door of your life when you don’t expect it. We never do, do we? Wake up from that denial and let go of your little inconsequential and futile angers with those around you in your life. Forgive too, whilst you still can. Settle what you can settle and settle it well. It sets you free and you won’t have regrets when crisis strikes. I wrote in earlier reflections about Living In The Present Moment and Letting Go. I am going to read those again this weekend. I have a lot of thinking to do now. Who knows, maybe some of it will be worth sharing with you all at some stage. Take care and good luck Post date November 14, 2020 ‘No man is wise until he lives many winters In the kingdom of the world.’ So it is written in the ancient Anglo-Saxon poem ‘The Wanderer’. It was one of my daughters who sent me these lines and they struck a chord. And the poet goes on: ‘The wise must be patient, Never too hasty with feelings nor too hot with words Nor too weak as a warrior nor too witlessly brash Nor even too feverish for boasting until testing his fibre. A man should wait before he makes a vow Which way the courage of his heart will course.’ Here is a man who has seen all the victories, the joys of allegiance to tribe, fellowship, surrounded by kindred spirits and led by his trusted and beloved leader and chief, all lost long ago, in battle and ruins, so it seems, leaving the wanderer, the lost and lonesome he has become, grieving, wandering, searching for words to express the wisdom such loss has wrought. Not for a long time have I read such a moving account of human despair yet also utter insight and wisdom concentrated in tears of loss. What is wisdom anyway? Some young may well scoff at the word as they can’t have it, yet, and some older ones who know they do have it, a bit of it anyway, deep insight, take no joy in it, as they know too well that the wisdom they might call their own was earned through countless painful crisis, every bit of it. That’s the thing with wisdom. It comes at a painful and often bitter price, one we will inevitably pay for in life or we haven’t lived. It wipes the smug grin of one’s face. St Augustine was wise, St John of the Cross and many others. They too had their falls, trials and tribulations, their drunken bouts and questionable encounters with the other sex before reforming themselves and turning into the wise men and teachers we remember them for. As for me, I have done things I am not proud of and what I’ve learned I learned the hard way, made me ask for forgiveness to this day, still makes me try to make amends every day. How about you? As for the poem, I cannot help but smile yet ponder too over words of old celebrations in mead halls, friendship, the profound sense of belonging. All lost, however, gone, in ruins, in the past. And yet there is solace too: ‘Often the lonely receives love’, so the poem begins. And the knowledge of the price of victory and loss is here too. It’s all here in fact and this was written when? A very long time ago. How little we have changed as a race. I can’t help but think there’s a profound message for us here in our time, from old, and not just because the days get shorter and colder and nights longer and darker. You have to go out into the dark to see the stars. This poem resonates with me and I will ponder for a while longer, I guess, just why that is so. One thing is for certain, the poem has survived to this day for a reason, and is not known by many for other ones. For it takes courage to recognise that we must fall, that even kingdoms must fall at some stage, for there to be something new. It also takes willingness to accept that we should cherish and look after what we have for it will not last. Not for our own sake we should do that but for those we care for, for the world too, which we inherited and have yet to pass on, are in the constant process of passing on. Not to squander lightly what we are blessed with, for as the wanderer reflects ‘The good warrior must understand how ghostly it will be When all this world of wealth stands wasted As now in many places about this massive earth Walls stand battered by the wind, Covered by frost, the roofs collapsed. Cut off from joy; the great troop all crumpled’ I am grateful to my daughter for giving me this poem. It made me stop in my usual tracks and listen differently for the moment to what is happening these days, realise what may well happen, will happen, appreciate differently what did happen. I give it to you herewith, this beautiful and powerful poem. Spend some time with it, it is well worth it. Take care and good luck. Post date November 6, 2020 A vista from the Camino Primitivo, the oldest of the Camino Santiago routes in the North of Spain. It is less well known than the more famous route, the Camino Frances, and doesn’t lead across the Pyrenees from France but starts on the Northern coast of Spain. It’s a rocky affair, this route to Santiago di Compostela, across the mountainous region of Asturias at first. Having walked on it three years ago, I look back these days more often to this momentous pilgrimage. You walk with very little in your backpack. You have to carry everything. It sharpens the mind as to what you really need. Every day on 20-30 km long rocky routes full of obstacles, always up and down. I always thought that walking such distances is not really such a big issue. In a way that’s still true but to walk it every day, day after day, that is different. It can’t be explained. You have to do it, felt it, and you know. A lot of what is wrong in terms of thoughts will be left across the wayside. The mask drops off and the real core comes to light without veil and falsehoods. What’s left is the real self and nothing else. There can be tears flowing when the rain starts and hours of challenging terrain has yet to be crossed, distances braved before the next hostel, without there being shelter along the way, exposed to the forces of nature, alone with yourself on long, difficult paths. To walk across Asturias is not for the faint hearted and you need to have stamina. There’s hardly ever a straight stretch of way. Up and down, as I said, often steep and dangerous, above all when it rains, or, as happened to me, when it snows in April. The weather in the North of Spain can be tricky. During these uncertain times, with many great worries to carry, for so many and for me too, I can’t help looking back at this trek through Asturias. Existential questions are on the table, about job, livelihood, security, health and more. To live with it all is not easy. And yet I recall this pilgrimage during which I got into serious trouble. That too is part of the Camino, the way. The danger, the accidents, crisis. How light, or heavy, the load really is we need to carry isn’t always for us to determine as it is on a long walk. And yet you have to let go from bad thoughts, grief and hate, from anything that isn’t really authentically you. In a sense there’s no choice on the matter. No, we can’t always decide how much there is to carry but we can decide very much how to carry it, how fast we go forward, how many breaks we take, we need to take, to carry on. I have to remind myself more often of that these days, even without Coronavirus. At the end – and there always is an end – a warm stove may be waiting, or the generous heart of a stranger with whom you can share your burdens and he can share his. Or an unexpected change in the weather occurs and the glimmer of hope lifts your spirit when the sun breaks through the clouds, the sudden certainty appears inside that all will turn out ok in the end. I hold on to such thoughts presently as I find them helpful even in the darkest of times. As St Julian of Norwich once said: ”All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” Take care and good luck. Post date October 30, 2020 ‘If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.’ Marcus Aurelius said that. He must have known a thing or two about fear. He was one of the last of the stoics and probably died in a pandemic. I guess, he fully accepted that the pandemic in his time wasn’t under his control at all but the way he behaved in response to it very much was. I have carried this quote with me for a long time to suddenly hear a different ring to it. Like so many at the moment, I am exposed as well to this new threat we all face: Getting infected by a hideous and very infectious new disease which affects older people more than young, people with existing health conditions more than the healthy. On average anyway. Carl Brandauer’s doctor leaves him in no doubt here. ‘It’s unlikely you survive it’, the doctor said this week. So, in Marcus Aurelius’s words, my estimate of the thing is pretty serious but in terms of revoking it all, I have means to deal with it so deal with it I do and I must, however hard I find it all. I try not to sit and fret. Easier said than done. But I have a roof over my head and the room I live in is warm. I have food, a bed and a clear head. I am fortunate really. To remind myself daily first thing in the morning of a few blessings in my life is a practice I adopted a long time ago. It is currently a rather desperate exercise but it too helps. Like everyone else’s, my life has its extra challenges right now. How to deal with younger adults coming home from wherever they have been, how to stay save, how to stay healthy, how to keep sane in involuntary isolation? These are formidable matters to deal with but I hold on to Aurelius’s words. I try to consider things. I try to keep things in perspective. It’s really not easy but I try. This is not about fear of doing something one is fearful of. It’s not about being daring or not. It’s about being sensible, composed and trying to find the courage to move on, step by step and fighting the naggingly persistent question inside ‘what’s the point of it all, I might get it anyway’. To live with that fear is very difficult and many conversations I had last week with colleagues, readers, friends and family inevitably turned to this subject. What I found so helpful was that everyone admitted their unease and the same deep fear and that made it a shared experience and gave relieve to both sides. We are in this together, for better or worse. We have the power to revoke this, our estimate, of what causes us this pain, called fear. I am no master of it but thank you all for your kind words in recent days which helped me to get a little better at it. And I wish you fortitude, courage and strength in keeping calm as well. I have discovered a few good books of late which I am currently reading. It’s my way of distracting myself and let my inner self deal with the fear. It is my sincere hope and wish you find yours. I also find that remaining idle breeds doubt and fear within me whereas staying active, however difficult that is, gives me a little more confidence and builds courage to carry on. And that courage helps me to muster the power Aurelius speaks of, the power to revoke my estimate of the thing which causes me the pain of fear. Take care and good luck Post date October 24, 2020 About a year ago I suffered a stroke. An almighty warning shot across the bow. A lot was in the works and in the making. Many plans had been made, a lot of joyful anticipation for the next adventure was in the air yet the eyes were opened wide. Everything came to a halt. Its is said that people change in a health crisis. And Carl Brandauer? No, he didn’t really or did he? Certainly what did change was how I looked at things and what I thought I was but really wasn’t, that too vanished and went overboard. What was left was just myself as I really am I think and perhaps should have become a long time ago. Benign arguments are now something I avoid instinctively and more than before. Vanities and puffed up blustering, never my thing anyway, have too now lost their appeal altogether. I avoid exposure to such things. And the desire to confront foolish statements and behaviour, especially from those who should know better, that has been eradicated completely. It initially became a formidable challenge for me to now muster acceptance of and tolerance for ignorance, particularly from younger and more impatient or even immature colleagues yet it comes as a surprise how easy it turned out to become eventually. In the same way the capacity for forgiveness and letting go of arguments and irritation has grown immensely. In this new world I am allowed to continue to live in, not every argument about matters seem to be mine anymore to mediate. Not every wrong statement is for me to attack, not every circumstance, however regrettable and wrong, for me to deal with and improve. Not every battle in this war is mine to fight. All too often it is others, mostly work colleagues driven by questionable ambitions or motives, who make life more difficult than it needs to be and should be. All of this has less meaning for me now, bothers me less, if at all. He who has been floored this way and, as a result, has been so very close to the window towards the beyond, has little or no time anymore for such things. It’s just how it is. If anything, such worldly and human made matters are cause for a little irritation at times and huge deep regret at others. Something has been understood which results in a change of conduct and approach in the time that’s left. Part of that are is the appreciation of limits or boundaries experienced. One adjusts to them more, appreciates them differently, recognises them better and easier, for recognising them one must. Many Scharlatans encourage us to break boundaries, that they are merely in our mind, woven from our own weakness, that our possibilities know no bounds or that we set them all ourselves. ‘Everything goes’ they tell us and that we are our own worst enemy in not attempting more. I listened intensely to those voices myself once. Today I consider them as dangerous nonsense. What a lot better it would be if we tried instead to better our understanding of who we really are in every aspect. The better knowing of one’s real inner boundaries would follow and above all, the insight into the difference between what are our own real boundaries within which we are free to move and live, for which and what we were made, and those boundaries which we are offered falsely by the said Scharlatans in commerce and politics which try to tell us for their own benefit only, what is good for us. I am not talking about the latter. The former are the ones I am thinking of here, however, those boundaries with which we were endowed, which are ours alone as individuals to explore and know at every stage in life, which cost nothing to explore other than personal effort, reason and humility. To get to know them is very difficult at times but without it it is like searching for meaning in a dark forest. To not try to learn about them is a sign of ignorance and will lead for sure to enduring mistakes, suffering and disappointment. I leant about it all the hard way. I nearly didn’t make the cut. In my youth I felt an urgent need to explore and experience my boundaries, even breaking them where possible, but this has changed into an insight that it’s more important to be reminded of them, anticipate them better rather than reach and feel them, the real ones I mean, not the ones we need to continue to try and break down. Where once a drive for reaching those real boundaries was predominant, it is today more care to not to reach them at all which informs my actions. It is not surprising that many things and actions are not as easy to deal with as they once were yet very much to my surprise, and often unexpectedly so, some things have become an awful lot easier. Strange this, but sheer force seems unnecessary now yet care and consideration have come to the fore. Where once there was this desire to break head first straight through the middle, everything now goes through the head first instead. Yet I still can get it wrong at times when it comes to reading the signs of emerging exhaustion or recognising boundaries approaching when I walk through life. Perhaps it’s that bridge too far on a physically demanding mountain hike or the mental stamina required to sit through long business meetings which can often last till late at night. The right judgement of one’s physical and mental state is not always an easy task and things like physical strength and ability to concentrate are not always the same. Every day is different and even seasons and the weather can have a critical impact as does the quality of sleep the night before. The punishment for getting it wrong are longer periods of rest required and general lack of well being. But in time, I hope. I will learn even better to read the warning signs and to appreciate the symptoms of fatigue. I have stopped lighting the candle on both ends. I burn slower, less bright but more gentle and calmer. I don’t give up easily anymore and I recognise more patience in all things. Youth isn’t strong on patience. It mustn’t be or it wouldn’t be youth. To hold issues unresolved in one’s mind, the ability to wait patiently, these are not youth’s forte. Why should it be? It’s not been taught in our culture of instant gratification anyway. We are encouraged to want it, to want it all, to want it all now, to want it all now and our way. Carl Brandauer returned sooner to work after his stroke than he perhaps should have but as someone he could and perhaps should have been earlier. Perhaps the same but with less baggage, ambition and better judgment. Alas, everyone travels on their own Odyssey to overcome obstacles on their way to their true selves. Why that has to be so remains a mystery to me despite every effort to understand it. Yet to learn and feel one’s boundaries sooner rather than later seems to me such a key to a better, simpler and more agreeably journey to the final destination whatever that may be. Take care and good luck Post date October 17, 2020 ‘He is not a fool, who gives away what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot loose,’ it was Sandy Millar, rector of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, who spoke those words many years ago one Sunday morning. I was young back then, and proud, a small child on each side, holding on to my trousers and a baby on my arm. Those were days where seeds were sown and words spoken which only now I begin to appreciate, for using the word ‘understand’ would mean that I have learnt nothing since. It is autumn. My acer is turning a beautiful red again. The last stage of this years growth is the most beautiful and the next storm will blow the leaves away. Every single one of them. And then the beauty is gone, until the next season. I watch it every year. We all do in the Brandauer family. It’s especially symbolic to me this year that the end can be so special and spectacular even if it lasts only a short time. The memory of it stays long after the leaves are gone. I notice how with every year watching this spectacle my appreciation for material ‘things’ has declined, that owning has become less important but witnessing more meaningful. The pursuit of the acquisition of wealth for the sake of it, let’s call it by its ugly name ‘greed’, has all but died down at the same rate. Our last shirt won’t have any pockets, we can’t take anything with us. The children have began to go their way. Good! I won’t be a parent who plagues them with expectations I could not fulfil myself. I wish them well. All five of them. I have done what I could. I fought the good fight even though I lost many battles along the way through my own failings. Yet they made me what and who I am today. There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go. That insight was part of it all too. And it requires courage to let go as it usually involves letting go of something familiar. But life goes on and as the familiar no longer works as it once did, so we must move on as well. So what next? It’s no good trying to cling to the past. We cannot have a better one by wishing for it anyway. And it requires effort to holding on to it, effort that may well be better spent by investing it in a brighter future. Letting go of who and what I am, to become what I might be, sounds promising and whilst the raging bitter waters keep flowing, a bridge can be built across it to a better then, another side we haven’t been to yet. It’s our choice when we start building and letting go. Since sooner or later we will have to let go anyway. To do so sooner rather than later, when it has become inevitable, requires too this above mentioned courage but the reward is on offer right now. What is there to loose by letting go? Nothing. But everything to gain. Take care and good luck Post date October 11, 2020 The Carthusians should know, spending most of their time in solitude indeed. But what about us normal mortals? Especially now, in times of pandemic isolation, locked away in fear of getting sick. I have no time for the conspiracy theorists, even though I pity them. For the normal ticking mind we have to acknowledge that we have a problem at our hands. A viciously infectious virus that kills at random, particularly the frail with health problems. I can’t say the isolation was a hardship for me. True enough, I couldn’t travel for nine months now and travel is a necessary ingredient to keep my job down but since everyone in my line of work sits pretty much in the same boat, wether they work in Adelaide, Washington DC, Vaduz, Moscow or Amsterdam. We all have to make do with Videoconferencing. There are those who hit the bottle before they even appear on camera. You can’t smell it but it is at times all too obvious that the other side is inebriated, is talking louder than they do when you meet them, and haven’t bothered dealing with that telling stubble, wearing T-Shirts instead of a crisp shirt which such calls really demand. We have a lot to learn yet about etiquette in Videoconferencing. And then when we put the phone down we are alone again. Another sip on the bottle perhaps to beat the pain of loneliness, cabin fever, or as my colleague in Amsterdam admitted, another joint before the next call. I don’t do that. I want to have a clear head. These days anyway. In the few moments between calls and domestic demands, I walk the dog or contemplate over a flower in my garden. Being alone successfully requires hard work. Being alone with oneself brings one face to face with one’s reality. For most, used to distract themselves with whatever is available, solitude seems unbearable. You need to like yourself to be able to tolerate your own company. Who does? But if oneself is the only company available and for prolonged periods of time too, the friendship has to be established with oneself, one’s dark side included, called by the experts in such matters ‘our shadow’. As I never tire to say, tolerating one’s own company and accept oneself as one is, requires long hard work and eating a lot of humble pie. But it is not just worth it, it is unavoidable, especially in these days of pandemic restrictions. For alone with ourselves we will be more often for a little bit longer. What helps here is to occupy one’s mind with beautiful things, avoid reading the news too much, if at all, and contemplate over what is around us as and where we are. There’s beauty all around us and it helps with self reflection and the inner peace making process. Learning to be content in the presence of one’s own company requires kindness, patience and forgiveness. We all have a lot to forgive us for. We all need to be patient with ourselves and be kind in the face of our repeated mistakes. We are not perfect and that is how it should be. What’s there left to learn if we were perfect. And there comes a time, I promise, where solitude grows rare fruits. Insights never to be had if we would not be forced to look inside. Peace of mind over the coming to terms with past mistakes. Moments of joy when the realisation kicks in that certain old habits have well and truly had their day and one actually has moved on. Don’t fret solitude, embrace it. Look in the mirror and wear your best shirt for the day to celebrate a day out with yourself. Make it special. Make it count. Stay sober and of a clear head. The return may surprise you and may also send you to sleep eventually when you have told yourself everything you wanted to say and have listened to the voices deep inside telling you their side of the story. You will be a better friend to your acquaintances later on when all these pandemic restrictions are over eventually as you will have found peace of mind. Through imposed actions brought about by solitude and dealt with in a healthy manner.	41,595
There are countless men that desire to expand their penises. Pills, creams, surgery as well as other approaches that assert to expand your penis do not work at all. There is insufficient proof to verify that they do, and upon ramification of such approaches, more injury is triggered than excellent, so exactly how to grow your penis without making use of pills in a safe as well as effective method? I Want A Larger Penis By utilizing an expansion device! This gadget which stretches out your penis isn’t simply efficient yet is full risk-free as well as is likewise the best method to grow your penis. These extenders are mechanical devices that are easy to use which extends the penis in a state that is soft with the appropriate curvatures. Extenders do not only increase the size of the penis, however they also enhance erectile working as well and function with a drawing strategy to stretch out the penile cells for the growth of more cells that makes the penile length much longer as well as additionally raises the thickness. Features: A feature that makes this extender different from every extender out there is a distinct Double Strap Support (DSS) system. It features 2 loopholes that are attached to the extender and also comes with pads which provides a comfortable experience when used. Both loops aid in a reliable enhancement as they are created to take the lots of the penis when wearing the extender, this comes off as a big selling point due to the fact that extenders normally style a single loophole that makes the penis to easily slip off when using the extender. The pads produce air pockets to aid the skin of the penis breath, this assists to stop the growth of microorganisms. Fringe benefits: Undesirable odor and infections happen when putting on extenders, however with the Quick Extender Pro, that is not likely to take place. The products made use of in the extender are picked out to supply convenience to its customer yet likewise to stop infections and also undesirable smell from forming. The Quick Extender Pro is most definitely the best alternative in the marketplace. The extender when operating by stretching off the penis throughout makes the experience comfortable to a level that does not interfere with your every day life as well as even offers a great variety of programs to help you choose which one will function the most effective according to your requirements. Pocket friendly: Utilizing this extender will not also be a negative aspect pocket sensible as the product assures a 6 month money back plan. This extender styles every quality that men around the world are searching for in an extender. It is safe, comfortable to make use of, and supplies numerous programs to help the gadget adapt to your everyday routine. Upon the making of this tool, there were trials conducted as well as the outcomes of that trial have made this product the effective one it is. Attributes: The extender is produced by a company called Swiss Sana and also even though this extender resembles a routine device, the results that it aids the customers accomplish, makes it one of the best extenders in the marketplace. It includes rods that are designed specially to assist enlarge your penis. The purpose of the extender is to assist customers achieve their desired outcomes together with supplying a comfortable experience to the optimal possibility. It likewise aids to correct out the curvature of your penis along with making it grow. The extender features a noose that walks around the penis head to aid make it expand and also is general produced in a way that can support the growth of brand-new cells which assists your penis to grow, as well as with the stress put on all sides of the penis; it makes sure that the growth takes place equally in all sides. Easy to use: It is comfortable to a degree that you can easily use it while going to work or perhaps when you are sleeping! The important things is to pay attention to your body when wearing anything of this type. It is really essential for you to comply with the correct method as well as schedule if you want to obtain the maximum use this tool. The extender works in a method by not only giving you with the most effective of the results yet also with aiding you grow your self-confidence and also become the most effective feasible version of on your own. Toughness: To say that this tool offers the maximum advantages in little time will not be wrong in all. The device is not complicatedly developed; it has an easy framework that is extremely easy to use. The outcomes certainly will not take place overnight, yet with consistent usage it can most definitely aid you in even more methods than one. It enhances erectile functioning of the penis by raising blood circulation and can also help with curved penis disorder, a medical condition that is extra typical than anticipated. Attributes: The tool offers you the choice to either make use of a strap or a loop for accessory of the extender with the head of your penis. It permits room for the tissues of the penis to grow and also is made in such a way for the customer to feel as little discomfort as possible. Medically assured: The very best aspect of this item is that it makes certain that the tool is risk-free to utilize by confirming that it has actually gone through trials which have brought about effective results. The item uses 4 different packages, each according to your demands to aid you achieve your cause a time slot that is according to your choice. The tool has also passed the FDA approval to work as a clinical device. There are even clinical researches carried out to confirm the eligibility of the tool with an assured lead to a short period of time. I Want A Larger Penis The above 3 variations are the ideal ways on exactly how to expand your penis without making use of tablets in a safe as well as effective method. Why is penis stretching so effective? It’s since you do not need any type of unique devices to assist you obtain a larger penis. Just about every guy has accessibility to the Web, which enables you to perform searches on all sort of different items. If you look hard enough you can find a gadget that claims to add inches to your penis. These are called penis enhancement tools and also several males have made a lot of cash from them. There’s no such point as a magic penis extending gadget. The fact is, grip devices are not just ineffective, they’re dangerous. Numerous men have actually been seriously harmed using such tools. That’s why penis stretching workouts are the ideal means to increase your penis size. One extremely straightforward penis extending exercise utilizes your index finger and also thumb to massage therapy the base of your penis head, extending it out as for possible. You repeat this for 10 secs, with each extension lasting between one to four secs. Repeat this for approximately four mins, and after that do it once again for one more 10 seconds. You can include variations to this exercise by doing the stretches while lying down, or standing up, or sitting down and doing the exercise. A much more secure technique of penis extending is called jelqing (noticable “jel-yoo”) and is performed at the similar location where you would execute various other penis stretching workouts. The precise same devices is used for jelqing as is utilized for penis stretching. You begin by pulling your penis head towards your body. Your fingers and forearms need to be stretched out to the optimum length feasible, after that your hands and also forearms are pulled towards your knees. While pulling your penis in the direction of yourself, you use just gentle, controlled pressure. These two penis stretching workouts are the most effective for obtaining a rise penis size without making use of any type of harmful enlargement tools. Jelqing has actually become the best workout amongst penis extending lovers, due to the fact that it is simple and generates good results. It might also assist you get a typical size however not an uncommonly long one. It’s additionally easy on the joints, which is a plus considering that you may be starting out in a very delicate area. You do not require those added inches to thrill your partner, you simply require a more powerful base. Penis extending tools work much in the same fashion, but they make use of a mix of grip, weights and also pumping to raise the length and also girth of your penis. A few of these gadgets have extra tendons and smooth muscle cells installed into their building, making them with the ability of offering extra extreme stimulation than easy hand exercise alone. And also despite the fact that these tools make penis extending easier, they aren’t terribly comfy or safe. They may even cause damage to the cells lining your penis. I Want A Larger Penis The bright side is that there are some means to make penis extending simpler without using unsafe enhancement devices. These techniques consist of kegels, which are just work out regimens specifically created to enhance your pelvic floor muscle mass. As well as just like with jelqing, degrees can generate some pretty amazing outcomes. These workout regimens will certainly make you appear like you have actually obtained an added four inches in less time. If you’re looking for methods to make yourself a bit bigger, take into consideration trying out some of the penis stretching techniques that entail workout routines like kegels. If you’re looking for methods to enhance your sexual life, don’t neglect the tried as well as real method of making use of traction devices to include girth to your penis. As you can see, there are a lot of means to raise penis size, and also it’s all about recognizing what benefit you. Take the time to discover something that fits your way of life as well as you’ll be happy with the outcomes. It’s feasible to get a bigger penis in less time, so get started as soon as possible. Have you ever before attempted penis extenders prior to? This is a kind of clinical cosmetic procedure utilized to add girth and also length to the penis. It has actually been around for several decades, yet it’s just just recently that the penis extenders have come to be a prominent technique of male improvement. One reason for this is due to the fact that the penis extenders have actually come to be much safer than the operations lots of people had to endure in the past. With these devices now readily available, any guy can capitalize on getting a better penis, even if he has had some surgeries done in the past. This write-up will enter into further information on how penis extenders function, as well as exactly how they can assist you with penis augmentation. Penis extension is done through the use of a penis extender. The penis traction device applies a mild drawing activity to your penis while you use it. In time, the penis extender stretches your penis to ensure that it gets longer as well as thicker. The penis extender in fact makes your penis bigger when it extends and also not when you have a penis size surgery. 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The content on this website is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as legal advice. The content should also not be taken as medical advice. If you are unwell, you should seek the advice and attention of a doctor. None of the content published herein should substitute medical diagnosis or treatment. The content on this platform has not been evaluated and substantiated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Before you take any of the supplements that we recommend, you should consult a licensed medical professional first. We shall not be liable for any loss or damage that you suffer as a result of the supplements that we recommend. Before you engage in this site in any way, please take the time to read and understand our Privacy policy and Disclaimer. Feel free to get in touch with our customer service. if you have any questions.	13,144
First, it is important to search for grants that meet your business’s needs. Depending on your industry, there are several types of grants, and some of them require matching funds. Once you find grants that align with your business needs, you’ll need to devote several weeks to filling out applications. Be sure to have someone else proofread your application before submitting it. They are also available for non-profit organizations Many community contributors and nonprofit organizations offer grants to “for-profit” businesses. These grants can be as small as a few thousand dollars up to more than $100,000. Businesses must apply for a loan from a bank and find an investor to be eligible for these funds. They must also do adequate due diligence. The downside of applying for government grants is the extensive paperwork. It is time-consuming and technical. Before you submit an application, it is important to verify that you are eligible. The federal government spends billions each year to finance projects. However, these funds are often awarded through a competitive bidding process. Certain programs help small businesses navigate this bidding process. The National Minority Supplier Development Council offers business services, networking opportunities, and one-off funding opportunities. In addition, the National Minority Supplier Development Council has a network of community small business advisors who can help businesses grow and thrive. Another small business-focused organization is Operation Hope, which offers eight-week and 12-week entrepreneurship training programs to help minority business owners start a business. Grants For Small Business Owners In Michigan. They require matching funds Matching funds are required for many federal grants. In some cases, matching funds may be available from other sources, such in-kind services offered by applicants. The match requirement is usually a percentage of the project cost. In some cases, a volunteer organization may be able to provide matching funds. These contributions must be related and necessary to the project’s goals. When applying for match funds, it’s important to keep overhead expenses in mind. Often people will overlook these expenses, which include marketing materials and tools. These costs should be included in the proposal budget. If they are not, they will have to be acquired or donated to the organization. For this reason, it’s important to have a detailed list of your costs. Universities, other nonprofit partners, or philanthropic organisations can provide the match. Federal funds can be braided to provide match funds, but they must be specifically permitted for this. Typically, these funds can be provided in cash or in-kind form. Once the match has been secured, the project can proceed. Grant notification listservs are available from some federal agencies as well as state agencies. By subscribing to this list, you can receive grant opportunities via email. You can also visit your state agency website to receive updates about grant opportunities. You should be aware that federal match grants may require matching funding. It is important to read the guidelines carefully. Using the grant budget template can help you explore different funding sources. It can help you identify new donor pools, expand community outreach, and re-examine your budget structure. This process can be very beneficial for you and your organization. They are not loans Grants are non-repayable funds awarded to small businesses to support their growth. These funds may come from government agencies, corporations, and trusts. Banks and other private lenders are more likely to give loans. These loans usually require formal agreements. Grants can also be used for research and development and exporting. In contrast, business loans require repayment and can be accompanied by collateral. As a result, they are often used to start or expand businesses. While business loans are easier to obtain, business grants are rare and more competitive. This is because business grants do not report to credit reporting agencies for personal or business credit. How to apply Grant applications are only accepted once a year, so it’s important to begin early. The process will be slowed down by mistakes, so it’s best to proofread your application several times before submitting it. It is important to be passionate about your business, and to back it up with credible citations. Organizations want to invest in businesses that have potential to grow. Start by looking for grants that match your business’ goals. The federal government has several different grant programs. The SBIR program, for small businesses, is a very competitive funding opportunity. You must have fewer 500 employees and be a US-based business to qualify. The award is typically between $50,000 and $250,000 for six-months. It can take several weeks to complete the application process. Make sure you start early and have someone else proofread your work. Small business grants can be tailored to specific industries. By focusing on a specific industry, you can increase your chances of winning a grant by establishing connections with industry leaders and building a buzz about your business. Be sure to read all eligibility requirements. Otherwise, you might end up applying for grants that you are not eligible for. If you are unsure about your eligibility, make sure to read the requirements and contact the organization. The SBIR program is another great program that you can apply for. It is for small businesses involved in research and development. This program is designed to encourage technological innovation and scientific entrepreneurialism. The SBIR program is administered by 11 government agencies. Each agency has its own eligibility guidelines. The grants awarded by the government agencies are generally between $25,000 and $250,000 and can be as high as $1 million for promising small businesses.	6,099
Last week the hubby and I ran Rim2Rim2Rim at the Grand Canyon! It was an absolutely AMAZING experience! But before I tell you about it, let me tell you how we got there. Sometime early this year I had the crazy idea that tackling the Grand Canyon would be an AWESOME adventure. At that point the hubby was training for his first full marathon (the Mesa-PHX Marathon) and I thought that if we could keep the training up that the Grand Canyon would be "totally doable". Thankfully the hubby is easily persuaded and I was able to talk him into having a crack at this HUGE undertaking. Source From the intel we gathered, we were told April or October tend to be the best months weather-wise. Since we'd already be marathon trained in April (the hubby and I ran the Mesa-PHX Marathon in February, the Los Angeles Marathon in March and then I had the Boston Marathon in April), we figured it was perfect timing to squeeze in our attempt after Boston. Source Well, when it comes to running, if you give me an inch, apparently I'll take 46ish miles ;) So as soon as the hubby gave me the thumbs up I was looking up training plans and putting dates on the schedule. I did some research online and found a 50-miler training plan that I adjusted slightly to fit our schedule (adjusted for the travel and races we already had on the calendar). We weren't going for any type of speed record (although, since it was the first time we were tackling it, it was an automatic PR {personal record}, right?!), but we still wanted to make sure we're trained for this ULTRA adventure! I'll be honest, the training was no joke. Although the long runs never really went over 26 miles, we would have back-to-back runs on the weekends that would total upwards of 40ish miles. And, if you've been around my neck of the InterWebs for a while, you know the hubby and I were on a three week road trip traveling the West Coast in our Adventure Mobile during the peak portion of our training. Planning for our runs definitely took more time and preparation than running our normal routes at home, and we had to swap around some runs based on weather (and when we would be able to find a shower), but I'm happy to report we were able to get in all of our runs while exploring the great outdoors. A couple shots from our trip... I would say 75% of our runs were done in the rain... Since running Rim2Rim2Rim isn't a sanctioned race (the rangers actually try to discourage everyone from attempting it), we were sort of on our own for the planning and preparation. I mean, why not attempt this "self-supported ultramarathon" on our own?! Thankfully there's a decent amount of info available online about the hike and we're lucky enough to have folks in our lives who have tackled the beast before who we asked our million and a half questions (BIG THANKS to EMZ, Gina and Rhandi, along with everyone in the Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim Run! Facebook Group). Source Little by little the planning started coming together. We figured a weekday would be less busy than a weekend, so ended up deciding on Friday, April 27th as THE DAY. Once we had the date picked, then it was time to select the route. The South Rim is open all year, but the North Rim closes for the winter (reopening on May 15th). With that said, it made our route a little more obvious. We would start at the South Rim, head to the North Rim and then finish back again at the South Rim. There are two trails on the South Rim and the majority of folks I spoke with recommended you come down South Kaibab Trail (shorter distance but more elevation change) and then come back up Bright Angel Trail (longer distance but less elevation change - not to mention it has multiple stops for water along the route unlike SK). Source Originally we had a campsite booked in the Grand Canyon but when the Adventure Mobile went kaputt (don't worry, I will eventually get around to telling that story in a separate blog post) we cancelled the site. We ended up finding a KOA in Williams (about an hour away from the South Entrance) that had cabins available so grabbed one of those. {I'll be honest, when the hubby cancelled the site I was frustrated because I figured we could've still tent camped, but in the end it was nice coming back to a legit bed to sleep in, even if we did have a longer drive. And the showers were pretty amazing too!} Source A couple weeks ago a friend of ours asked if he could jump in with us on the trip. He wanted to hike Rim 2 River 2 Rim (coming down South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch and then back up Bright Angel). Of course we welcomed him with open arms, and it actually ended up working out amazingly! (Not only does his Prius get awesome gas mileage, but he was also willing to drop us off at the trailhead and pick us up once we were done - but more on that later.) So, finally, now that you have a little of the back story, let's jump into the actual trip, shall we?! {I know, I know, you're probably thinking to yourself that this recap is going to be the length of a novel... and, well, you're probably right!} Source We left Thursday morning (meeting at Andy's house a little before 6am) so we could make it to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center by 3pm (we wanted to be able to check with the rangers about what water would be on and get some last minute intel). The drive took about 9 hours (approximately 525 miles) due to the bathroom breaks, lunch and gas stops. I've been to the Grand Canyon once before. My parents were in Las Vegas a few years ago for a convention so we drove over to see them and took a tour bus to see the Grand Canyon. But seeing it this time and knowing we'd be RUNNING it definitely had me viewing it in a different light. I mean, if you've been there, you know just how GRAND it is... but looking and realizing you'll be running to the bottom and then to the other rim... um, it definitely has you rethinking your sanity ;) Not only would I hike it... I'd run it! While at the visitor center we got some great 'unofficial' information. Due to some pipe breaks, we were told a lot of the water along the trail was off (thankfully this turned out to be incorrect). We had brought some purification tablets and were told that the water in the Bright Angel Creek was fine to drink so we figured we'd be okay on the hydration front. Another piece of helpful info we received was to "hike/ run wet". We were told to wet ourselves whenever we could to help keep our core body temperature down. (The temps were expected to be in the 90s at the bottom of the canyon.) The hubby even changed his shirt choice for the trek to a cotton tee because it holds water better (instead of his running tech tee). The view from Mather Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon Before heading to the campground we made sure to drive around to the different trailheads so we knew exactly where we would be going. Our game plan was to be at South Kaibab Trailhead by 3am so we didn't want to be driving around in the dark, not knowing where we were going. We also checked out Bright Angel Trailhead, where we would be finishing and meeting back up with Andy, so we could pick a rendezvous spot in case our cell reception was less than stellar. Finally it was time to head to the campground and get ready for the next day. It might totally be mental, but I swear laying out a #FlatCarlee helps calm me a bit and makes me feel comfortable knowing I have everything I need. As you can see, this "flat runner" includes quite a bit more than my normal ones. I had many people stress the importance of fueling while on the trail so I wasn't going to take any chances! I loaded my pack with ALL THE FUEL! I had everything from PROBAR BOLT Chews, BASE Bars and Uncrustable Sandwiches to dried pineapple, vegan jerky and nut butter. Source Like I mentioned earlier, we were staying in Williams, which is about an hour from the South Kaibab Trailhead, so Friday morning was going to come EARLY! Our game plan was to be on the trail by 3am, so the alarms started at 1:30 so we could leave around 2. OUCH! We ended up laying down around 8pm on Thursday night, but I would say I maybe got 20 minutes of total sleep throughout the night... NOT what I would have chosen, but probably what I expected. Before we knew it, it was GAME TIME! We did a couple last checks of our gear and jumped in the car. There's no visitor parking at the South Kaibab Trailhead {this link gives you four options on getting there}, but we were told (unofficially of course) that at the time we were heading there that we could have Andy "sneak" to the parking lot without anyone noticing. (I am NOT endorsing you drive on the streets that say "shuttles only", only being honest about what we did.) By the time we used the trailhead bathroom, got our gear ready and flipped on our headlamps it was just about 3:15am. We wore our jackets for the first mile or so and then stopped at Cedar Ridge to remove them since we were already warm (the temps at the start said it was already close to 50*) I mentioned it on my Instagram post, but I'll be honest, I think starting in the darkness helped keep the intimidation factor lower for me. #IgnoranceIsBliss We were only able to see the little bubble from our headlamps that surrounded us so I didn't focus on how HUGE an undertaking we were embarking on. Sure we missed some of the views on the way down, but I think, at least for us, this was a great way to start the day (not to mention it is cooler before the sunrises). I snapped this shot in one of the tunnels we ran through (as you can see, we had already de-layered!) Before running in the Grand Canyon, I had guesstimated we would probably be able to keep about 20 minute per mile pace - which I figured 10 minute miles downhill, hiking 30 minute miles uphill would average to the 20 minutes. I quickly realized that I was probably off on our calculations because the downhill was a bit trickier than I was expecting. First, running in the dark obviously slows you down since your visibility is only the 10 feet or so in front of you. Next, although the terrain wasn't as rut-y as I was expecting (due to the foot and mule traffic), the trail definitely isn't as manicured as it could be. Without a doubt you've gotta keep your eyes glued to the trail. The first few miles seem to be covered in silt, so the dust was really flying. Also, due to all of the switchbacks you were meandering down and the uneven terrain, it was hard to get into a decent rhythm. It felt like every time you were getting into a flow you were having to throw on the breaks. Last, I know a lot of folks say downhill running is easy, but all that pounding and having to slow yourself down can really do a number on your legs. We tried to take it as easy as possible because we knew we had a LONG day ahead of us. We ended up arriving at Phantom Ranch around 5am, which is when the sun was starting to lighten the sky (the official sunrise wasn't until closer to 5:40, but due to the expansive sky we got to take advantage of some early dawn light). The canteen wasn't open yet, but eventually we were able to find the bathrooms and topped off our water bottles. {Because there were so many signs warning about hyponatremia [a deadly disorder due to diluting your body with too much water and causing an imbalance of not enough salt or electrolytes] I was sure to sip on my handhelds which I filled with nuun.} You can see the sky starting to light up (yay for no more headlamp!) Source In my mind, I was thinking that once we hit Phantom Ranch the trail would level out and we would be able to chug along at a great running pace before we started ascending up to the North Trail. Well, let's just say I guess I didn't look at the elevation chart THAT closely... The trail was definitely a gradual uphill all the way from Phantom Ranch to the North Rim and the hubby was not having it. Don't get me wrong, his spirits were still high, but he knew he needed to take it easy so he'd have enough gas in the tank for later. With that said, we did much more hiking than I was expecting (like I don't know if we ran more than a mile total between Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trailhead). Thankfully we didn't have any times we were trying to keep, so we just did our best to enjoy each others company and take in the majesty all around us. I told you... IT WAS VERTICAL! The hubby's face says "What did you get me into?!" My face is screaming "THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!" The Grand Canyon really makes you earn the views! It may have been tough, but man was I trying to enjoy every single moment! As you can tell from the trail below... you are constantly climbing! It felt like we were constantly crossing over bridges from one side of the creek to the other, but I loved it! Because the Grand Canyon is in Arizona you may think it is all dead and brown and dusty, but in fact it was rather green! The Bright Angel Creek that flows from Roaring Falls to the Colorado River keeps the area near the trail rather lush. I swear he was more thrilled than the photo captured ;) Another one of the many bridges we would cross On the way back Ryan would end up soaking in this stream ;) We were extremely lucky with the weather. By the time we made it to Manzanita it was only in the 80s (which may sound warm but it definitely could've been a lot worse). The canyon walls were also helping with some shade so it didn't feel too warm until we got closer to the North Rim. They were predicting cloud cover all day, but I would say the weatherman was a little off on that prediction. We were chasing cloud cover on our trip back south, but never really caught up to it. I found that Uncrustables can be an AMAZING fueling option during Ragnar, so the hubby and I packed them this trip. Some of the trail conditions were a little worse than others... The views did not suck (even if the elevation gain was pretty difficult at times) Since we were doing more hiking than I was expecting, I took advantage of the pace by snapping photos. I swear, it felt like the views just kept getting better and better. I ended up with close to 120 pictures (don't worry, I won't share them all). You could not wipe the HUGE grin off my face no matter what! WE WERE DOING IT! It was crazy when you could see the trail in the distance that you came from just a short time ago! I'll be honest, it felt like it took FOR-EV-ER to get from Phantom Ranch to the North Rim, but in actuality we got there around 10:30am (about 5.5 hours after leaving Phantom Ranch). Thankfully one of our fellow R2R2R travelers, Dan, had cell service (AT&T is nonexistent in or around the Grand Canyon but Verizon did have spotty service) so we called and left Andy a message letting him know we had made it, would be heading back soon and to expect us about 9 hours from then. Half way and still smiling... I'll call that a win! We topped off our water again, grabbed some snacks and decided it was best to head back down into the canyon (the longer we rested, the later we would be in the canyon). Thankfully from the North Rim back to Phantom Ranch was going to be downhill so we were able to gain a little time back by running a bit (when the terrain allowed for it of course). The midday heat definitely started getting to the hubby and he needed to keep throwing in walk breaks, but like I told him... one foot in front of the other and we will get there when we get there! No need to rush and potentially hurt ourselves. I only had three "goals" I wanted to accomplish - finish together, healthy and somewhat happy ;) There was a message board at the Manzanita Rest Area so you better believe I added our hashtag! When you got away from the creek it definitely did get a little dustier and drier We were pretty exposed for a good chunk of the afternoon, with very little shade, but we got it done! Getting back to Phantom Ranch was another long slog, but it was mostly because it was during the hottest part of the day (between noon and 3pm). We rolled into Phantom Ranch right around the time I was figuring we would - 2:30pm (which gave us plenty of buffer before the canteen closed at 4 to grab our ice cold lemonade and Reese's cup reward ;)). Apparently it's a "thing" to do... But next time I'd pass on the lemonade... I ended up giving mine to Ryan after I took a couple sips. Eventually it was time to refill our water, wet our buffs and get our booties back on the trail. Although we had been at Phantom Ranch about 10 hours earlier, we would be heading up Bright Angel Trail so didn't know what to expect. Peace out Phantom Ranch, we've got a canyon rim to climb! We finally saw the Colorado River in the daylight (earlier in the morning we definitely heard it, but couldn't see it). The water was definitely MOVING! And it had an interesting green hue to it. #RealTalk - Bright Angel is a B! The first mile or so is deep sand (which helps with the impact of your joints, but man it zaps your energy and steals any momentum you've got). Then you start to climb only to go back down again (which wouldn't be bad, except for the fact that you have to climb out of the canyon so any down that you do you know you have to go back up it again). Oh yeah, and I realized my GPS was off due to the canyon walls, but don't get me started on the fact that the 3 and 1.5 Mile Resthouses definitely are not at 3 and 1.5 mile out from the trailhead. There were also quite a few water crossings that you had to make... but now without bridges! Thankfully we had trekking poles and used those for balance (since at that point we already had about 40 miles on our legs and they were a bit wobbly on shifting river rocks). Not sure if you can tell, but this trail was supposed to be "less steep" but longer... The plants near Indian Garden smelled AMAZING! "We started at the bottom, now we're here!" The climb out of the canyon was slow (but I was expecting it to be, seeing as it is about two miles longer than South Kaibab), but we took it one step at a time. This portion is definitely not only physically draining but mentally difficult as well. When we were getting closer to the top we realized we probably wouldn't make it to the trailhead with much sunlight left (I really was hoping we wouldn't have to use our headlamps again) so we asked some hikers if they'd snap a picture of us. This ultramarathon may not have come with a medal, official results or a participant tee, but the views were worth every step and the memories will definitely last a lifetime! Being able to tackle this challenge alongside the hubby was FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC and something I hope to never forget (but, truth be told, my FibroFog will probably wipe my memory)! The flash, accompanied by the paleness of Ryan's face from all the exertion makes him look a little dead, but thankfully after we got him his jacket, along with some pizza and beer he was good to go ;) We were able to officially exit the canyon around 7:20pm on Friday evening - just over 16 hours after we entered it! My watch had us at 56 miles (which I know is off, especially since a couple of the miles said we ran them in SUB 7 MINUTES - WRONG!), but I'm thinking it was probably somewhere between 47 and 50 miles. (If we ran 46 miles, we would have averaged 22:10 minute miles. If we ran 48 miles, we would have averaged 21:15 minute miles. If we ran 50 miles, we would have averaged 20:24 minute miles. No matter what our distance or pace, we still FREAKIN' tackled the Grand Canyon and hiked/ ran for 16 HOURS in one day! It's still pretty hard to really wrap my head around what we did!) They didn't have an Rim2Rim2Rim tees in the gift shop, so this was the best I could do ;) I know what you're asking, "Would you do it again?" OH HECK TO THE YES I WOULD! In a heartbeat! Of course I should probably let me legs recover a bit, but give me some time and I'd do it again no questions asked! And I'm LOVING the trails! Now, the hubby, on the other hand, said it was the hardest things he's ever done and he's hanging up his long distance running shoes... but give me a couple weeks and I'll have him planning another ultra before you know it ;) Source PS Because I know some people may use this to help with the planning of their own R2 or R3 trips, I wanted to include everything I ate and drank on the trail. Fuel: 4 servings of PROBAR BOLT Chews (Pink Lemonade), 3 Peanut Butter and Honey Uncrustables, 2 PROBAR BASE Bars (Frosted Peanut Butter and Frosted Coconut), 3 servings of dried pineapple, 2 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and 1 serving of Clif Salted Watermelon Shot Bloks (received from the Boston Marathon and brought because they contained two times the sodium). Hydration: I used my two 12oz ExoShot soft flasks to hold nuun (and went through 6 fill-ups - using the lemon + lime electrolyte tablets and the fresh lime energy tablets) and drank about 120 ounces of straight water from my bladder. [In total it was approximately 2,450 calories over the 16 hours.] BIG THANKS to PROBAR and nuun for hooking me up with the goodies to keep me fueled and hydrated (I know how important this aspect is so took it very seriously and made sure to eat every 75 minutes and drink every 20 minutes or so). I alternated between chews and "real food" every other time I fueled to keep my mouth happy. Did you know there's a statistic that says 95% of people who visit the Grand Canyon never go below the rim? Written by Carlee McDot at 5:00 AM 4 comments: This is an awesome recap and brings back fond memories! I didn’t realize the hike Lauren and I did had a name! I found the downhill difficult for the reasons you suggest and we went at 6:00 AM! Can’t wait to see what you guys do next! May 3, 2018 at 9:17 AM Wow this sounds like sounds an AWESOME trip!! I'm glad you had fun! May 3, 2018 at 2:43 PM San said... Wow, wow, wow. That sounds like one amazing adventure. May 5, 2018 at 5:36 PM Kate said... Great recap - and very helpful for my trip in less than 2 weeks!!! I'll be running it for my 30th birthday!!! May 8, 2018 at 9:06 AM Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)	22,492
I define love as someone I’d die for. I haven’t had to die for anyone yet and I have yet to say to myself, “I love that person so much I will die for that person.” I like a lot of people, and admire them for who they are. Proto_tw May 5, 2005, 9:29am #7 Sadly enough Love is only truly realized after losing it. The pain, the sorrow, the reality. It is much safer to like as it is easier to handle the lose. Or as the sandman said it best… [quote]I like Chocolate and I love beer[/quote]. Lose someone you like, eat chocoalte, lose someone you love, drink a lot of beer. If you love someone, I would guess that that person would be in your thoughts, even if not at every moment. That you wouldn’t be able to imagine life without them and question your ability to handle living if they were not a part of your life anymore. If you like someone, you might feel giddy when they touch your hand by accident or if they say your name a certain way, but you certainly wouldn’t even think about giving up your livelihood for them if it came down to that. sandman May 5, 2005, 11:46am #9 If you like someone, you might feel giddy when they touch your hand by accident or if they say your name a certain way I like Maoman just fine but I never feel giddy when he touches me “by accident” (which he never does – its always on purpose, the dirty perv.) system May 6, 2005, 4:14am #10 [quote]If you like someone, you might feel giddy when they touch your hand by accident or if they say your name a certain way I like Maoman just fine but I never feel giddy when he touches me “by accident” (which he never does – its always on purpose, the dirty perv.)[/quote] Any giddiness now? Bassman May 6, 2005, 4:32am #11 My personal choice is that I have to love you. I hope that I would have the ability to love everyone. But, I don’t have to like you or what you do. If we are only talking about romantic love, that would be a different story. Exclusivity. Noodleboy May 7, 2005, 1:40am #13 In the case of love, I consider ‘like’ to be attraction…a physical attraction based on how that person looks or acts. Love, on the other hand, to me would be more of a choice type of thing…even when the novelty and beauty of the special person seem to have worn off, you choose to stick with them and to treat them as an extension of your own body. meh…I just rattled this out as fast as I could, dunno if it’s really a good def. :s Sam_Vimes May 7, 2005, 5:14am #14 If she seems perfect in your eyes, it’s “like”. If you find that she does at least three things a week that just annoy the hell out of you, and you willingly devote your life to her anyway, then it’s love. Noodleboy May 7, 2005, 6:36am #15 Great way to put it, I like your definition better. jdsmith May 7, 2005, 6:44am #16 [quote=“Sam Vimes”]If she seems perfect in your eyes, it’s “like”. If you find that she does at least three things a week that just annoy the hell out of you, and you willingly devote your life to her anyway, then it’s love.[/quote] day??? system May 7, 2005, 9:30am #17 I like you = You are a nice person that I enjoy talking to and hanging out with but I don’t want to sleep with you, you are just a friend. I lust for you = I don’t give shit about your ‘personality’, I just want to rip off your clothes and throw you on my bed. [quote=“Rubicon Bojador”]I like you = You are a nice person that I enjoy talking to and hanging out with but I don’t want to sleep with you, you are just a friend. I lust for you = I don’t give shit about your ‘personality’, I just want to rip off your clothes and throw you on my bed. Ive liked and lusted for numerous women at the same time. May I modify the equation? If we bring time into the factor. Love in a moment: is when the walk into the room and the whole glow about them sends your heart racing. Love in a lifetime: When the image of them is attached to every great memory that youve had in your life and was enriched by its presence.	4,202
Social justice, climate change, and healthcare policy are a few issues that have always been at the forefront of candidates’ agendas. However, this year these issues have taken on greater significance as 2020 has proven to be tumultuous in all three areas. With a global pandemic, raging wildfires on the West Coast, and an economy comparable to the 2008 financial crisis, this year’s candidates have a lot on their shoulders. Where each candidate stands on each issue and their plans of action not only determine whether or not they are elected, but how their choices will have lasting effects on our nation’s future. Healthcare After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the country over six months ago, President Trump has faced great backlash in the way he handled the situation. The United States has one of the highest number of recorded cases and the poorest response of the world’s wealthiest nations. This has led to great criticism of how Trump has handled the situation, especially after information surfaced that he purposely downplayed the virus, claiming that he knew how bad it was in an interview with renowned journalist Bob Woodward. In the beginning, Trump continually compared the virus to a flu that would go away in warmer weather and even as death tolls passed 50,000 near the end of April, he undermined its devastation by claiming it would simply “go away.” According to an article in Everyday Health, Trump’s COVID-19 efforts have been focused mainly on rural areas, providing federal funding to tele-healthcare providers in 38 states and supplying $225 million for testing in healthcare clinics. However, as death tolls continue to climb, Trump’s response is viewed as a failure by critics. Even though he signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package back in March that included direct cash payments to Americans, additional funding for hospitals, and $500 billion in loans to the economy, it proved ineffective as many people remain unemployed and uninsured long after the aid was halted. Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a five-pronged plan for fighting COVID-19 which includes providing free testing to all and hiring 100,000 contact tracers, ensuring enough personal protective equipment, supporting science-backed vaccines, safeguarding at-risk populations, and ensuring that re-opening measures are effective and safe. “The virus spread to me is the issue that matters the most since it has affected all parts of our nation,” said Diane Yomkil, a senior and treasurer of the Black Student Union. “My vote will be based on which presidential candidate can actually lead us through this crisis, protect our families and do everything he can to find us a cure.” The candidates also differ in their views of the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare, that Trump has vowed to eliminate since his election in 2016 and something Biden vows to bring back. “Healthcare is a very important issue,” Margaret Groarke, a professor of political science, said. “We have one candidate, Joe Biden, who was part of the team that got us the biggest healthcare reform since the establishment of Medicare in 1965, and he has said that he wants to work more on that and make that work for more Americans. That has led to more people being covered, it’s also led to more complaints about the cost of healthcare, and on that issue, the other candidate, Donald Trump, who’s running for reelection, ran saying he wanted to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. He is currently in court to try and end the Affordable Care Act. He did promise an alternative for it, which we have not yet seen. So there’s a real clear choice between the candidates on healthcare.” As October nears and the end of the virus is nowhere in sight, people are increasingly concerned about how and when the virus will be brought under control, making healthcare a significant factor in people’s decision making process. With the massive changes to our economy and society due to the global pandemic, people are struggling financially with the loss of employment, either temporarily or permanently, and a stock market that has reached big-time lows. Prior to COVID-19, the American economy was in a positive place and unemployment was at an impressive low. This was a major positive for Trump’s campaign, but now both sides are in question. Biden’s economic plans fall under his “Build Back Better Campaign.” Within that, he pledges to work to build a modern infrastructure and a fair-minded, clean energy future that aims to mobilize American inventiveness and put Americans to work. Biden also hopes to raise the minimum wage to at least $15 per hour and work towards establishing better benefits for people with disabilities. Representing the Republican party, incumbent Trump hopes to reduce the US trade deficit. This means he aims to have American exports outweigh our imports. It also includes adding tariffs to imported goods. Trump also plans to reduce the national debt by halting federal waste. To do this he plans to cut taxes, and cut the Department of Education funding by $10.4 billion, and cut the Department of Energy budget by $2.2 billion. Trump does not plan on raising the minimum wage. “People who are in their working years generally pay a lot more attention to that state of the economy, and how that’s impacting their own personal life,” Groarke said. “Some people have suffered real financial losses in this pandemic, have lost their jobs, or are working for an institution where there’s been big budget cuts. Other people have felt little or no impact, they’re merely working from home instead of working in the office. So I think that that’s probably what voters between 30 and 60 are looking at.” The economy is a big concern for young voters, especially young graduates who are entering a workforce that is just as challenging, if not more so to enter than the workforce during the 2008 financial crisis. Companies are making major cuts and entry level positions are increasingly competitive. “The economy is an important issue for me because I will be graduating soon,” Giuliana DeLuca, a senior Communications major and former President of Government and Politics Club, said. “Currently, I am having a hard time getting an internship. In a few months, I will need to find a job and right now the job market is very competitive, especially now with the pandemic. In addition, I will have to start paying my student loans. This could be difficult if the economy is not doing well and the job opportunities are low.” The pandemic has not only had a major impact on the economy from its onset, but will have ramifications for years to come as the process to re-enter workspaces is unclear with threats of the virus still apparent. “Even if I get a job, I want to know that I am in a safe environment,” DeLuca said. “I hope that a vaccine will be available so that everyone can begin to recover physically, emotionally, and financially from this pandemic.” In the wake of the death of George Floyd, protests have erupted across the country advocating for social justice and re-igniting the Black Lives Matter movement. Social justice advocates have pushed policy makers to re-open cases such as that of Breonna Taylor who was shot and killed by police in her own home, advocating for police reforms and that the officers involved be brought to justice. “2020 has brought back up many social justice and issues that have been consistent in American history, and combined with the political landscape will matter more in this election,” Sydney Collins, the Democratic Representative of the Government and Politics Club, said. “For example, even though racial justice and racism in history have been major issues that people have given their lives to promote and gain, during the resurgence of BLM a concrete plan of action on how to combat institutionalized racism will and does matter.” News coverage of protests across the nation has brought social justice reform to the forefront of people’s agendas. “I think the economy and racial injustices due to police brutality are the main issues that will matter the most in this upcoming election, because those are the topics that are being mentioned in the news most of the time,” Yomkil said. “The death of George Floyd and so many others generated a lot of protests.” The majority of Trump’s plan to improve social equality is based on the economy, with the notion that a strong economy is the solution to race conflicts. Trump’s model for social justice reform includes: providing better access to capital for small business owners in minority communities, an executive order that will encourage police departments to meet certain professional standards when using force or de-escalation tactics, and a program to bring social workers into work with police officers. Biden’s social justice reform includes “The Biden Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice.” His aim is to reduce the crime rate and the number of people incarcerated as well as address the systemic racism found in the American court system. Biden aims to focus our criminal justice system on redemption and rehabilitation rather than punishment. He also plans to invest in “Education for All” to help increase opportunities for those in minority communities that lack resources, increasing federal funding for mental health and substance use disorder services and research for those without resources. Additionally, Biden hopes to connect people with social services and support when possible, instead of with prisons, to help stimulate our society. This year’s forest fire season on the West Coast has been one of the worst seasons on record with nearly four million acres burned, 27 confirmed deaths, and many more people missing. There are still four months left of the season and there are concerns about how much more damage will be done in that time. In a meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, Gov. Gavin Newsom and a group of California officials pleaded with Trump for aid, to which he replied, “it will get cooler,” and “just watch, I don’t think science knows actually.” The Trump administration has made several cutbacks on climate change policy enacted by the Obama administration, and the above sentiments echo his history of calling climate change into question. According to an article in Politico, these rollbacks will cause the U.S. to emit an extra 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 2035. As California continues to struggle, Trump has made several threats to cut off funding to California and said it was to blame for the devastating fires. In response, Biden has called Trump a “climate arsonist” placing him in stark contrast on the issue. According to the Biden campaign website, Biden’s plan is to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050. To do so, he pledged to put a federal investment of $1.7 trillion over the next ten years and leverage additional private sector and state and local investments that total more than $5 trillion. “While 5 million acres are burning in the West of our country, certainly what you think should be done or not done about climate change is a very significant issue,” Groarke said. “The young people that I know on campus and high school students are very focused on the racial justice issues, on the climate issues, and so I expect those will probably be the two that attract the most attention [in this election].” Climate change legislation carries great weight among younger voters and may drive their decision come November. “Issues related to climate, racial, and economic justice are the ones that matter most to me,” Collins said. “Each is extremely important, and holding all of our elected officials, especially those in the highest and most prominent offices is important. There are many issues that need to be addressed in order for our country to live up to the messages that it preaches, and the best way for any of us to make a difference is to rock the vote.” The US Postal Service will play a significant role in this year’s election since voters may opt for mail-in ballots over in-person voting due to pandemic related concerns. However, back in August, Trump admitted that he was intentionally blocking federal funding to the USPS to discourage the use of mail-in voting for the November election, claiming that results could be riddled with fraud if mail ballots were widely used. This attempt to undercut election results, comes as a shock since in-person voting poses a big risk for voters with pre-existing health conditions this year, for whom contracting the virus may be fatal. This is a direct infringement on citizens’ rights to exercise their civic duty. As a result, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the postal workers union which consists of over 300,000 workers, endorsed Biden’s presidential candidacy. The NALC president said that the move was necessary for the survival of the USPS. Throughout the pandemic, postal workers were on the front lines delivering services to the public, placing their own health at risk. However, the current administration still failed to provide them with adequate funding to support this agency during the pandemic. According to an article in NBC News, congressional Democrats backed by Biden have sought $3.6 billion to help prepare states for an expected high volume of mail-in votes, as well as $25 billion to further strengthen the Postal Service, which Trump opposes. The mounting chaos surrounding the USPS can have an affect on the election once ballots are cast and counted. “A lot of people are going to vote absentee and those ballots will not get counted until after the election in most states,” Groarke said. “So we can’t expect to know on election night and we have to [have] patience. There’s going to be a lot of hysteria and a lot of talk about fraud, and we have to dial back the hysteria.” The Supreme Court The passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this past weekend has drastically shifted the focus of the campaigns of the presidential candidates. RBG’s passing not only signifies the loss of an icon, but an opportunity to shift the balance in power of the Supreme Court for years to come. Senator Mitch McConnell vowed just hours after her death, that he would move towards a vote to swiftly fill her vacancy on the Court by a Trump nominee. This could be Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee in his four years in office, a rare opportunity for a sitting president. This swift response has not only received criticism for being inconsiderate of the loss of a life well-lived, but Democrats are fighting back against McConnell and others, citing Republicans’ own concerns from 2016. In 2016, Obama had the opportunity to fill a vacant position on the SCOTUS 10 months before his second term ended, but was barred from the decision over opposition from Republicans and McConnell himself, over claims that the choice should be up to the people. Now with the election a mere six weeks away, Democrats are fighting back over this drastic change in opinion. If the vote over Trump’s appointees goes through, the balance in power will be in favor of conservatives with a 6-3 majority in the Court. This is significant as decisions brought to the Court will likely lean to the right, having a great effect on legislation for years to come. This has drastically changed the focus of the candidates’ focus in the final stretch of campaigning. Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris vowed to fill the vacancy with a woman of color if given the chance, taking center stage of their promises, if elected. There is much uncertainty surrounding whether or not Trump’s last act of his term will be this monumental decision. The Quadrangle September 22, 2020 July 18, 2022 Donald J. Trump, Election, Election 2020, Government, Joe Biden, Manhattan Caucus, Politics, Voting Previous Previous post: Manhattan Faculty Speak on the Return to School We do journalism. A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism. The staff of The Quadrangle meets every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in room 412 of the Kelly Commons. The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writers and do not not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body. Quad Rewind with MCTV	17,109
Hey friends! I’m excited for you to hear from my friend Abby at Winstead Wandering. She has some simple, delicious recipes on her site that you should definitely check out and try! My kids are crazy about her chicken taquitos. I received a lot of comments when I wrote about how to make once-a-month menu planning work for you. Many were from people who loved the concept, either because they practice once-a-month menu planning or because they’d like to. There were a bunch of comments, though, from far more skeptical readers. A lot of them said things like, “Menu planning for an entire month? I can’t even manage to plan for a week.” That got me thinking. As someone who has menu planned in one form or another for many years, I can’t quite imagine what it would be like not to do it. Even during phases when I don’t get a month at a time planned, I still plan by the week. Knowing what we’ll be having for supper each night is one less thing to worry about, and it’s something I highly recommend to pretty much everyone. So why isn’t everyone doing it? Of course menu planning isn’t right for every person, but I don’t think that’s what’s holding people back. If I had to guess, I’d say what’s holding them back is various fears. Fears that, in my opinion, are largely unfounded. “I don’t know what we’ll be doing a month from now.” Just because I menu plan one month at a time doesn’t mean that makes sense for everyone. Figure out what will work best for you and your family; maybe it’s one week at a time, maybe it’s two, or maybe you’re ready to dive in and try to make the month-long thing work. Just be realistic and decide on a length of time that won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed before you even get started. “We just eat the same foods over and over.” Your family probably has a few meals they eat much more often than any others. Make a list of what those meals are for you. You’ll probably come up with three to five options, and they’ll likely use ingredients you regularly keep on hand. If you decided to plan one week at a time, and if you add in a night for eating out and a night for leftovers, you’re done! If part of what intimidates you most about making a menu plan is finding new meals to try, just skip that part. Stick with your family’s tried-and-true favorites. Later, when you feel more confident, you can add in new recipes. If you think you don’t need to make a menu because you prepare the same several meals over and over again, I challenge you to give it a try and see how much easier it makes your life. “I don’t have time to menu plan.” Some months menu planning takes longer than other months. Mostly, it depends on how many new meals I decide to try and how many nights are already decided for us. Sometimes I can plan the month in about 20 minutes, other times it takes an hour or more. I know a lot of moms don’t have that kind of time to sit down to make a plan, but I beg you to think it through. How many minutes do you spend each month in drive-thru lines because you resorted to fast food? How much time is spent running into the grocery store to grab something to throw together for dinner? How many times do you find yourself staring into the pantry or fridge, willing the ingredients transform themselves into something you can serve to your family? I promise you, setting aside 20 or 45 or 60 minutes will more than “pay” for itself in time saved each evening, not to mention money saved by not ordering takeout and by having a plan for every item you buy at the grocery store. “What if we don’t want to eat what we planned?” One of the comments I get most often is along these lines: people are worried their family won’t want to eat the meal they planned for a certain night. You’re the boss here, though. If you don’t feel like eating or making the recipe you intended, just swap it out with something else on the menu. I do this frequently. As long as you don’t end up wasting ingredients you didn’t get around to using, you’re good. Whatever your reason for saying no to menu planning, I urge you to give it a shot. After one try, the time, effort, and money you save will make you a convert for life. What are your reasons for not menu planning? This post will be shared at these awesome link ups. Related Wife. Mom to three boys. Writer. Reader. Aspiring Minimalist. Lover of chocolate and fitness. She loves blogging about the ways she is finding success in simplifying life one step at a time. Her mantra is "Progress, not Perfection." Previous Post Next Post Comments Abby says April 26, 2016 at 12:44 pm Yay! I’m so excited to see this here Thanks for asking me to do it! Angela says April 26, 2016 at 4:52 pm I’m so excited to have you here in the blog! May 3, 2016 at 5:24 pm Thanks for sharing this post! I have not done a meal plan for a month, but I do like the idea!! I may give it a try,as I think it might make life a bit easier Angela says May 3, 2016 at 10:18 pm It certainly does! I meal plan weekly but I know Abby does it monthly – it’s important to figure out what will work best for you and your needs. Kendra says May 4, 2016 at 10:52 pm I plan weekly right now, though I’ve worked with a monthly plan in the past. I think if I were to plan monthly and shop weekly, I’d probably do okay. Honestly, a week’s menu tends to last me a week and a half because we end up eating leftovers (which I usually forget to take for lunch) before they go bad and put off the ‘new’ meals. I’m feeling inspired to give menu planning for a longer time frame a shot. Angela says May 9, 2016 at 10:20 am I plan weekly too Kendra, although now that I’ve been meal planning for awhile, I feel like I could probably do a 2 week meal plan. I’m so glad you’re feeling inspired! Abby truly is a meal planning queen! Elizabeth says May 5, 2016 at 8:40 am What a great post!! Yes, there can definitely be variety! I love that! thislittlehomeofmine.com Janet Vinyard says May 5, 2016 at 3:21 pm Great post! One of the best ideas I’ve heard on meal planning is to designate each night with a different cuisine – like Mexican night, Italian night, pizza night, crock-pot night, etc. At least it’s a place to start! Blessings, Janet Angela says May 9, 2016 at 10:12 am I love that idea as well Janet. We haven’t designated days, but we could – we tend to have the same types of meals every week. Sometimes I just write “Pasta” and its up to my husband or I what kind of pasta dish we’ll make. Thanks for coming by! Welcome to my blog where I write about simplifying life in small, manageable steps and creating healthy habits. You'll find inspiration, practical tips and community here for the decluttering you're doing in your own life. (whether that's physical, mental, or emotional clutter) Thanks so much for stopping by! Read More… FREE Step by Step Instructions! You feel overwhelmed by your space and you don't know where to start. Here is a 1 page guide that will walk you step by step through decluttering any space in your home. By checking this box I consent to being added to your email list for weekly newsletters. The (mostly) weekly newsletter will contain tips, advice, recent posts, news, and the occasional special offer for products I use and love. Unsubscribe at any time. You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Your 1 page "cheatsheet" is on the way! How to Start Swedish Death Cleaning 10 Lessons Learned after a Year of Decluttering Lagom: What it is and How to Start Living It Affiliate Disclosure This website may include affiliate links. These companies pay a small commission to me for sharing their products and services at no additional cost to you. All information on this blog is from the author’s experience and is not intended to be professional advice. When using ideas from this blog, readers should use common sense and caution. Setting My Intention participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate ad program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Copyright Setting My Intention 2018. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share content from this website with a reference to the website and link back to the original page or post.	8,654
Starting July 1, a 10-round capacity becomes the limit for sales. Meanwhile, “there is a rush on magazine purchasing.” By Jerry Cornfield • June 20, 2022 2:12 pm A semiautomatic handgun with a safety cable lock that prevents loading ammunition. (Sound Publishing file photo) Big changes are coming for a firearms staple. Starting July 1, the sale of ammunition magazines with more than 10 rounds will be banned in Washington. Importing, manufacturing and distributing them will be outlawed, too. The only magazines allowed for sale and importing will be those with a maximum capacity of 10 cartridges under a law pushed through by Democrats and signed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this year. Washington residents can continue buying magazines with greater capacity for handguns and rifles until the law takes effect. Any owned as of July 1 are unaffected by the law. But firearm owners are wary that gun control forces will eventually push for a ban on the original larger-capacity magazines, even if it would be unenforceable because of the number of such magazines already in private hands. “Right now in the Evergreen State, there is a rush on magazine purchasing,” wrote Dave Workman in a June 9 article for The Gun Mag, a publication of the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation. There’s also a legal challenge aimed at upending the law. The foundation, along with several other gun rights organization, filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month contending the new law violates constitutional protections under the Second and Fourteenth amendments. They’ve sought to block the law with an injunction but no hearing had been set as of Friday. “Many of the most popular handguns and modern semiautomatic rifles come standard with magazines that hold more than ten rounds,” said Alan Gottlieb, the foundation’s founder and executive vice president. “As we note in the lawsuit, there is no reliable proof that restrictions on new manufacturing or sales of such magazines will reduce violent crime,” he said. “This law unfairly and arbitrarily penalizes honest citizens for crimes they didn’t commit, in the hopes of preventing crimes they wouldn’t dream of committing.” To help fund the legal fight, Aero Precision, a Tacoma company that markets firearms and components, says it will direct proceeds from the sale of its 30-round magazines to the foundation-led effort. The firm pledges to Washington residents that it “will prioritize those orders so our customers will receive their magazine order prior to July 1st.” Attorney General Bob Ferguson has said he will “vigorously defend” the new law. “All seven federal appellate courts to consider laws that ban the sale of high-capacity magazines upheld these laws as constitutional,” he said June 3. Passage of the ban this year ended a string of setbacks in the Legislature, even as other significant measures to reduce gun-related violence became law as a result of initiative and legislation. In the past five years, through initiative and legislation, the state has expanded background checks, created extreme risk protection orders, banned bump stocks, increased the age to buy semiautomatic weapons and prohibited the open carry of weapons near permitted demonstrations. Under Senate Bill 5078, it will be illegal in Washington to make, sell, distribute or import a firearm magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. It does not bar possession of such larger capacity magazines. It also makes the sale of a banned ammo magazine a violation of the state’s Consumer Protection Act. This enables the Attorney General’s Office to pursue violations by those who might try to sell them online to Washington residents. Washington will be the 10th state with a limit on magazine capacity, according to Ferguson, who pushed for the ban in each of the past six legislative sessions. Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, prime sponsor of the law, said the “average Washingtonian views it as a reasonable step” and contends most residents won’t notice a difference come July 1. “As long as you are legally eligible to own a gun, you’ll be able to buy one. It’s just a question of what kind of accessory comes with it,” he said. “We’re not really impacting those people legitimately exercising their Second Amendment rights.” Sales of ammunition magazines are not tracked by the state, so verifying the recent surge is difficult. The state Department of Licensing does tally the sales of pistols and semiautomatic assault rifles — which can be outfitted with larger capacity magazines. Data from the state agency shows sales maintaining a steady clip, before and after the law passed. In 2021, the department recorded 151,494 sales and transfers of handguns, down from 217,773 in 2020. This year, 30,676 were recorded through early June, state records show. Semiautomatic rifle purchases recorded with the state thus far this year total 4,868. There were 42,904 transfers recorded in 2020 and 35,729 in 2021. Gun violence won’t end with this law, Liias said. But it can reduce the carnage. A person intent on carrying out a mass shooting could be forced to reload, and those moments may offer a chance to take down a shooter or for people to find cover, he said. “It’s not a silver bullet, but it is one of several steps we have taken to make our communities safer,” he said. “We’re really hoping to stop impulsive young people in a mental crisis.” That was the situation on a summer night in Mukilteo in 2016, when a 19-year-old man used an AR-15 rifle with a 30-round clip to kill Anna Bui, Jake Long and Jordan Ebner, while seriously wounding Will Kramer. Liias represents Mukilteo and previously served on its city council. He cited that tragedy in the course of penning and passing of this law. “We want to make it harder on people bent on chaos and death,” he said. < Previous Local leader of white nationalist group arrested in Idaho Next > Best Bad Credit Loans Reviewed – Ranking the Top Bad Credit Lenders After Ye and Fuentes, are Republicans still sticking to Trump? Flu season is off to historically severe start \| UW Medicine Hiking in Washington vs. Connecticut: the Northwest is superior in every way \| A Yankee in Wonderland Big graduations mean big chances for up- and-coming Plateau wrestlers and swimmers Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates. More Stories From This Author Steve Hobbs holds early lead... Secretary of state debate: Sparks... Silver Alert: Enumclaw elder found\| EPD Charles Wood was reported missing Wednesday, Dec. 7. He was reported found around 8 p.m. By Ray Miller-Still • December 7, 2022 6:20 pm SR 169 outside Black Diamond down to one lane Thursday \| DOT Workers are finalizing the Ravensdale fish passage project. December 7, 2022 3:15 pm How did your neighborhood vote in November? We crunched the data on voter precincts on the Plateau to find out, and you may be surprised by the results.	7,228
A blog mostly about the process of revision with occasional guest posts, book reviews, and posts related to my books. Dragon's Posterity Cover Reveal I'd like to welcome author Kandi Wyatt once again to my blog. We are both contributing authors to the new anthology Fantastic Creatures (free on Kindle). Today we are celebrating the cover reveal of her newest book, the 5th book of her Dragon Courage series, Dragon's Posterity. Critics say if you are a fan of Eragon (which I am) you will love this series. Is there really a right way to braid leather? Ruskya doesn’t know anymore. Is it worth fighting over? Twenty-one winters ago, he was ready to take on the turquoise dragon rider, but now he fears facing his oldest son. Kyn, Ruskya’s youngling, wonders if he’s going crazy when an image begins haunting his dreams. Soon, he realizes it may be the key to helping not only Ruskya and his son Ardyn, but all younglings and their trainers as they adjust to growing up. Will Kyn be able to help Ruskya, Ardyn, and the other young riders? Follow your favorite characters from the exciting Dragon Courage series as they empower the next generation and give dragons to their posterity. This is the first book in the series. Free on Kindle. Click here to get your copy. I am new to the Dragon Courage series, so I asked Kandi to tell me a bit about it. I am a big fan of dragons, and I was curious as to how they are featured in this book. Are they monsters, beasts or characters in the story? Wyatt told me, "The dragons are good and benevolent, but there is a strain that are wild and free. They talk, and many have said that the dragons are as much characters as the rest of the humans." You can learn about all of the books and how the whole idea began by going to Kandi's Website. If you're a high fantasy buff, you should check this series out and enter her giveaway! Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that's her own five or the hundreds of students she's been lucky to teach. When Kandi's not spinning words to create stories, she's using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership. Thanks so much for sharing. Comments are closed. Award-winning author of books for teen and tween readers. Learn more about her and her writing at www.dgdriver.com	2,667
Online tutoring/teaching means that your child and I will work on math problems through the computer. “Social Distancing Approved!” It is also the wave of the future. Nowadays, one kid is better with technology than 25 adults, combined. In this day and age, kids are growing up with technology – and it’s no exaggeration that the majority of kids have technology in theirs hands before they can even walk. Online tutoring is a fun, interactive, and engaging way for children to learn mathematics! It is also very flexible and tailored to exactly what the student needs at any given time. Basically, online tutoring is like a private math teacher always sitting around in your living room just waiting to help… But a lot less creepy. Logistics Usually, I meet with students for 1 hour – 90 minutes per lesson, around 1-3 times per week – but this is totally customizable to your schedule! Just let me know what works best for you, and we can come up with a specific meeting time. I’ll then set up a video call and virtual whiteboard that can be accessed any time we decide to “meet.” Why are you the best? There are other math tutors out there, but most do not have a Masters Degree in, specifically, the art of teaching upper level mathematics. Communication and content knowledge are both important characteristics of what you should look for in a tutor… Someone with just a degree in just mathematics, economics, engineering, etc. will understand upper level math, but will lack the essential training of HOW to teach and effectively communicate. You must keep in mind that people with most math-based degrees will understand how to do a particular math problem but they are not trained on how to read students. They explain to the student “this is how you do the problem” and try to teach the student of what makes sense to THEM. I, on the other hand, am trained in how to read students and understand what already makes sense to THE STUDENT, and then work with that to make more difficult concepts seem familiar and easy [not foreign]. I have been a public school teacher as well as a private tutor and home school teacher for over a decade. Currently, I’m teaching overseas in an international school in Norway, but I also teach online to American students (for once, the time different really works in my favor). Currently, I’m teaching online and have had only amazing feedback from my students, parents, and administration. I have a perfect system set up for engaged learning and have been practicing online teaching for years. Due to COVID-19, I’m am now teaching full-time online with up to 18 students in one online session, and things are still running smoothly! Online math class is almost exactly the same as in-person math class, but the whiteboard is now on the laptop instead of in front of the classroom. Students can talk to me as I teach (which is strong encouraged) just like in a real classroom! Click here to learn ALL about me! Right now, with social distancing, no. It’s important to stay home! But even aside from this unfortunate virus situation, meeting face-to-face is not necessarily better for learning. Honestly, I really enjoy meeting with students in person for a number of different reasons, but of all the reasons as to why I like meeting face-to-face, most can be accomplished through the above mentioned methods of communication. I have tutored for many years, so I understand what students need. I have also researched a LOT before making the transition from face-to-face-tutoring to online-tutoring. I honestly believe that the system I created (with a personalized webpage) is the best method of online math help and tutoring. Like I said from the beginning: online tutoring is a fun, interactive, and engaging way for children to learn mathematics! It is also very flexible and tailored to exactly what the student needs at any given time. Basically, online tutoring is like a private math teacher always sitting around in your living room just waiting to help… But a lot less creepy.. » Safety with Social Distancing » Kids are naturally adept with technology 01\| PreTest Assessment and Adaptive Practice Problems – below (in the getting started section), you will find a link to a PreTest. This will help me determine where to start with each student – no student is the same! I want to give every student the exact attention he/she needs in the specific areas he/she struggles with. However, if the student is currently working on a specific material for school, we can skip the pre-test and dive right into the content that is due (and I can adapt the lessons on the fly). 02\| A Personalized Webpage – Once a student is signed up for online tutoring, I will make a personalized webpage just for him/her! This webpage will be a place where students can check in to look at notes, questions asked and then answered (by me), upcoming assignments, corrected homework, etc. The webpage will include: 03\| A Personalized Virtual Whiteboard – This is the most fun and my favorite to play with! Each student will have his/her very own virtual-whiteboard where he/she can write down notes, do the homework, and practice with me (in real-time)! If I’m logged on at the same time, I can see exactly what the student is writing and see exactly where in the problem the misconceptions begin. If I check the whiteboard after the student did the problem, I can correct it just like a teacher would correct a homework assignment or a test. The whiteboard automatically saves everything (no need to remember to hit a “save” button) and the student can access this whiteboard at any time! What’s even more amazing about each board is that only the student and myself can edit the math problems written on the whiteboard… so even if the student happens lose the piece of paper the URL is written on and someone else finds it and then decides to go to the web address – only the student can access his/her account (by logging in with his/her email). 04\| Video Calls via Google Hangouts – Allow the student and me to easily touch base and communicate. Just like if a student were to call a friend for homework help, but 100 times better. The student and I will be talking (just like we would be on the phone), while using the whiteboard and other resources to collaborate. Also, Skype has a “share screen” option – so if I student is having technical difficulties with the computer, the screen can easily be flipped so that I can see exactly what the student is seeing (to better assist with any problems).We can talk on video, or if the student is shy on camera, he/she can leave the camera off and just talk to me as if it were a normal phone call. 05\| Video/Website Resources – Being on the computer to learn has its advantages. There are so many resources out there that I can easily share with students. I’ll send them some videos to learn at home as well as other great online tools for home learning. 06\| Online Activities – Games, videos, assignments in Khan Academy, tailor made problems, etc. will all be used for learning. Depending on what the student needs, is what I will recommend (through the student’s personalized webpage). Extra practice problems Me, as the student’s one-on-one “coach” 07\| Unlimited Homework Help! With the whiteboard and chatroom, it makes it super easy to answer any questions a student might have with assignments from school. All the student would have to do is access his/her own webpage, and start working (write down the problem, try it, ask questions in the chatroom, etc.). Then, the next time I’m on the computer, I will check each student’s page; any page with work or questions, I will answer and give other example problems to help students better understand… 08\| WhatsApp (an optional app) – a messaging app (just like text messaging), but with much much more! Super easy and fun, students and parents will feel comfortable touching base with me on a regular basis and WhatsApp has all the tools necessary to convey any point. Includes: I use WhatsApp sometimes because it’s easy to use and less formal than an email, so students can send me a quick message any time they’d like How do I write on the virtual-whiteboard? Once a student is signed up and has a webpage with a virtual-whiteboard, there are a few options: 01\| Tablets / Touch Screen – If you have a touch-screen computer or a touch-screen tablet (like an iPad), that will also work! Simply use your finger to write on the whiteboard. 02\| Stylus with Touch Pad – Some students, as well as myself, prefer to use a separate touch pads with a stylus pen that syncs to any computer. This gives the feeling of writing in a physical notebook, but then all the notes can be stored digitally. There are many touch pads that are very inexpensive and work great! Of course there are extremely expensive touch pads as well for artists, architects, etc. but those are not necessary for online tutoring. Touch pads should be no more than $20 in any local electronic store. This is the touch pad I use – I’ve had it for about a decade and have used almost every day for online tutoring! 03\| None of the Above Options? No problem. A lot of my students simply watch what I do on the whiteboard while they follow along on their paper. Once I give them a problem to solve, they explain to me on the video call how they would approach the problem as I write their steps. They can see, in real time, the steps that I’m writing as they describe in detail what I should write (this is great for their verbal communication). At the end of the lesson, some students like to take pictures of their physical notes and email me the pictures so I can review their process and give suggestions of edits during our next meeting. How do I get started? Send me an email ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns, or fill out this easy form and I will be in contact with you as soon as possible. If you send an email, please include as much information as possible: Which level of math is your student currently in? (Algebra, Geometry, etc) What are some weaknesses of the student in math class? How many times per week should we have a 1 hour lesson? Which hour (day and time) is best? Is there an online version of the student’s textbook? If so, am I able to sign in to it? Is it ok if I email the teacher directly? (to find out what he/she would like me to focus on, homework policy and participation, performance on assessments, etc). If yes, then please include the teacher’s email address. Does your son/daughter have access to a computer with a reliable internet connection? If the student has time, click here for a student pre-test and include it in the email so that I can assess the student’s weaknesses, or just let me know in the email what he/she is currently working on in class.	11,195
The syringing of ears to remove ear wax and the buildup of wax in the ears is the traditional method of ear wax removal. Originally a metal syringe would have been used, but there was always the chance of damaging the eardrum and causing hearing damage and instead, an electronic ear irrigator was used to carry out the ear irrigation to clear ear wax buildup. You have probably been troubled by wax in your ears. Following discussion with your doctor, he has advised micro-suction or manual clearance of the wax. Micro suction is the removal of wax using a small suction tube and a fine suction end. Whilst having the procedure you will need to keep as still as possible unless asked to move slightly. This is important as the doctor or nurse doing the procedure could accidentally injure the ear canal or your eardrum if you move without warning. Microsuction is a quick and gentle process of removing excess earwax from inside the ear canal. The procedure involves a small suction tube gently removing wax build-up from the ear canal. Because wax can build up gradually over many years, hearing loss can often go undetected. It’s only after the procedure that a patient can fully appreciate the benefit. Microsuction ear wax removal is a procedure that uses gentle suction to remove excessive or troublesome ear wax. using a microscope, our trained audiologists are able to look directly into the ear canal and use a sterile suction device to gently remove the wax. Occasionally we may need to use other instruments to remove hard wax, or to soften the wax using olive oil. Micro-suction ear wax removal is one of the safest methods of ear cleaning and it is an ideal method of wax removal for people who have had a perforation to their eardrum or who have had any mid-ear surgery. Microsuction uses no water for the ear wax removal and there is no mess and little fuss. A comprehensive medical history will be taken a microscopic examination of the inner ear canals and eardrums gentle removal of the earwax with a surgical microsuction unit. The audiologist will wear a pair of illuminated microscopes, namely “loupes”, and air will be heard rushing through the suction wand during the procedure. There may be an occasional mild ‘pop’ as the wax is sucked through the probe. Microsuction is safer, cleaner and requires less preparation than syringing. it is far safer than syringing because no water is being forced into the ear. The clinician uses high magnification to see the minute detail of your ear and clear it. Ear wax microsuction is a procedure which uses gentle suction to remove excessive or troublesome ear wax. It is performed with the aid of a surgical microscope and a calibrated suction device, without the introduction of any materials or liquids. Ear wax microsuction is one of the safest, most effective, quickest and most comfortable methods of removing ear wax. Usually micro-suction does not need pre-treatment with drops but two days of something like clinically treated olive oil is the best preparation. One of our audiologists will examine your ear using a microscope (either fixed or with loupes glasses) and, using a fine low-pressure suction device, safely remove the blockage. Also, using a video otoscope we will show you the condition of the ear before and after the treatment. Microsuction is a safe, quick and painless method of removing a build-up of ear wax in the ear canals using a medical suction pump, suction wand, and an ear endoscope to enable observation by the practitioner. This sterile vacuum breaks down and removes the ear wax very gently from the canals. This method was traditionally only used in hospitals or ENT clinics; however, it has now become more widely available as a service in private ear clinics. Microsuctioning is considered to be the safest and fastest method of ear wax removal by far, leaving you with clean ear canals. What’s the best way to learn Chinese? Leave a Reply Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment. Alyssia Barker: I love the show when are you going to make more episodes with Jack on another planet Clo: True. But everyone is waiting for the writers like Russell T Davies. He is the one who determines its future. :/ Owen Harper 1: i really hate when those weevils escape who is releasing them Jack! Kaleb: What are the best places to visit in Cardiff? JESSE: Well if you love TORCHWOOD then write the BBC and tell them that you want it back. It is the BBC that took it off the Air. John is willing to come back as the Capt. So let it be heard that we want it.	4,752
“We”, “our” and “us” means LENKA VANES LIMITED shall be supplying carbon vanes and vacuum pump consumables to you. “You” and “your” means the party submitting the order for goods. These terms and conditions apply to trade and retail customers. 1.1 The price quoted is an illustrative estimate only and the price charged will be our price current at the time of delivery 1.2 The price quoted excludes: 1.2.1 Value Added Tax or other applicable sales tax/levy; 1.2.2 packing and delivery. 1.3 At any time before delivery we may adjust the price to reflect any increase in our costs of supplying the goods. This may also include a currency surcharge. 1.4 Rates of tax and duties on the goods and services will be those applying at the time of delivery. 2.1 Delivery will usually be effected pursuant to clause 3.2.1 or via post or a courier/carrier. All delivery times quoted (including special order items from the manufacturer) are estimates only. Time shall not be of the essence. 2.2 If the goods ordered do not arrive within 21 days after the quoted delivery time, you may (by informing us in writing) cancel the contract, however: 2.2.1 you may not cancel if goods are altered to your specification or we receive your actual notice after the goods have been dispatched by post or to the courier/carrier and 2.2.2 if you cancel the contract, you can have no further claim against us under the contract. 2.3 We may elect to deliver & invoice your order in separate consignments. 2.4 We may decline to deliver if we believe that it would be unsafe or unreasonably difficult to do so. 3.1 The goods are at your risk from the time of delivery 3.2.1 at our premises (if you are collecting them or arranging carriage); or 3.2.2 at your premises or address specified by you (if we are arranging carriage). 3.3 You must inspect the goods on delivery. If any goods are damaged or not delivered, you must write to tell us within seven days of delivery or the expected delivery time. You must allow us (and any carrier) a fair opportunity to inspect the damaged goods. 4.1 You are to pay us in cleared funds prior to delivery unless you have an approved credit account. 4.2 If you have an approved credit account, payment is due no later than the end of month after the date of our invoice unless otherwise agreed in writing. 4.3 If you fail to pay us in full on the due date we may: 4.3.2 cancel any discount offered to you; 4.3.3 charge you interest at the rate set under s.6 of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; 4.3.4 (where you have an approved credit account) withdraw it or reduce your credit limit or bring forward your due date for payment, We may do any of those at any time without prior notice. 4.4 You do not have the right to set off any money you may claim from us against anything you may owe us. 4.5 While you owe money to us, we have a lien on any of your property in our possession and may dispose of the same at auction and apply the proceeds towards your indebtedness. 4.6 You are to indemnify us in full and hold us harmless from all expenses and liabilities we may incur (directly or indirectly including financing costs, including legal costs on a full indemnity basis and the cost of instructing a debt recovery agency to recover a debt due to us if any) following any breach by you of any of your obligations under these terms. 5.1 Until you pay all debts you may owe us: 5.1.1 all goods supplied by us remain our property; 5.1.2 you must store them so that they are clearly identifiable as our property; 5.1.3 you must insure them (against the risks for which a prudent owner would insure them) and hold the policy on trust for us; 5.1.4 you may use those goods (and sell them in the ordinary course of your business) but not if: a. we revoke the right (by informing you in writing); or b. you become insolvent. 5.2 We have your permission to enter any premises where the goods may be stored: 5.2.1 at any time, to inspect them; and 5.2.2 after your right to use (and sell) them has ended, to remove them. 5.3 Despite our retention of title to the goods, we have the right to take legal proceedings to recover the price of the goods supplied should you not pay us by the due date. 6.1 We warrant that the goods: 6.1.1 comply with their description on our delivery note; and 6.1.2 are free from material defect at the time of delivery. 6.2 We give no other warranty and exclude any warranty, term or condition that would otherwise be implied as to the quality of the goods or their fitness for any purpose to the fullest extent permissible in law. 7.1 We reserve the right; 7.1.1 to supply goods where the manufacturers have made changes in the specifications of the goods either by way of update/revision or where they are necessary to ensure they conform to any applicable safety or legal requirements; 7.1.2 to make without notice any minor modifications in our descriptions of the goods we think necessary or desirable; and 7.1.3 to depart from any advertised specification or brand, provided the replacement goods are of reasonable quality and suitable for the same application. 7.2 All specifications and particulars of weight, quantity and dimensions relating to the goods are provided by their respective manufacturers. 8.1 If you believe that we have delivered goods that are defective in material or workmanship, you must: 8.1.1 inform us in writing, with full details, within 5 working days; and 8.1.2 allow us to investigate (we may need access to your premises and product samples). 8.2 If the goods are found to be defective in material or workmanship (following our investigations), we will (at our option) repair the goods, replace the goods or refund the price. 8.3 In all other cases (save goods altered to your specification), we will accept the return of goods only: 8.3.1 by prior arrangement (confirmed in writing by us); 8.3.2 on payment of a 20% handling charge (unless the goods were defective when delivered); and 8.3.3 where the goods are as fit for sale on their return as they were on delivery. 8.4 To return goods you must pay the cost of securely and safely returning the goods to us. 8.5 Goods altered to your specification cannot be returned. 9.1 Where we are not the manufacturer of the goods our liability is limited to any benefit that we may receive under any manufacturer warranty. 9.2 We are not liable for any other loss or damage arising from the contract or the supply of goods or their use, even if we are negligent, including (as examples only); 9.2.1 direct financial loss, loss of profits or loss of use; and 9.2.2 indirect or consequential loss. 9.3 In all cases our liability is limited to a maximum sum equivalent to the price paid for the goods. 9.4 Nothing in these terms or conditions restricts or limits our liability for death or personal injury resulting from negligence. 10.1 Clause 10 of these terms applies (except to the extent that it is inconsistent with any written agreement between us) where we supply the goods to customer outside of India. 10.2 The ‘Incoterms’ of the International Chamber of Commerce which are in force at the time when the contract is made apply to exports, but these terms prevail to the extent that there is any inconsistency. 10.3 You are responsible for arranging testing and inspection of the goods at our premises before shipment (unless otherwise agreed). We are not liable for any damage during transit and you are strongly advised to arrange for adequate insurance. 10.4 It is your responsibility to comply with all applicable regulations and legislation, including obtaining all necessary customs, import or other permits to purchase and import the goods. 11. Waiver and Variations 11.1 Any waiver or variation of these terms is binding in honour only unless: 11.1.1 made (or recorded) in writing; 11.1.2 signed on behalf of each party; and 11.1.3 expressly stating an intention to vary these terms. 11.2 All orders that you place with us will be on these terms (or any that we may issue to replace them). By placing an order with us, you expressly waiving any printed terms you may have to the extent that they are inconsistent with our terms. 12.1 If we are unable to perform our obligations to you (or able to perform them only at unreasonable cost) because of circumstances beyond our control, we may cancel or suspend any of our obligations to you, without liability. 12.2 Examples of those circumstances include act of God, accident, explosion, war, terrorism, fire, flood, transport delays, strikes and other industrial disputes and difficulty in obtaining supplies. 13.1 The validity, construction and performance of any contract made under these terms shall be governed by English law and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts to which you and we submit. 13.2 If you are more than one person, each of you has joint and several obligations under these terms. 13.3 If any of these terms are unenforceable as drafted: 13.3.2 if it would be enforceable if amended, it will be treated as so amended. 13.4 We may treat you as insolvent if: 13.4.1 you are unable to pay your debts as they fall due; or 13.4.2 you (or any of your property) become the subject of: a. any formal insolvency procedure (examples of which include receivership, liquidation, administration, voluntary arrangements (including a moratorium) or bankruptcy); c. any application, procedure or proposal overseas with similar effect or purpose. 13.5 All brochures, catalogues and other promotional materials are to be treated as illustrative only. Their contents form no part of any contract between us and you should not rely on them in entering into any contract with us. 13.6 Any notice by either party which is to be served under these terms may be served by leaving it at or by delivering it to (by first class post or by fax) the other’s registered office or principal place of business. All such notices must be signed. 13.7 No contract will create any right enforceable (by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third parties) Act 1999) by any person not identified as the buyer or seller. 13.8 The only statements upon which you may rely in making the contract with us, are those made in writing by someone who is our authorised representative and either: 13.8.1 contained in our estimate (or any covering letter) and not withdrawn before the contract is made; or	10,826
I see that Harlan Ellison has been named the next SFWA Grand Master. I’m not an especial fan of his, but I predicted last year that he was the obvious next candidate (admittedly I made the same prediction the previous year when the title went to Robert Silverberg). So, who will be next? The list of award-winning authors, excluding those who are deceased or who are already Grand Masters, ranked by the length of time since they won their first Hugo or Nebula, looks like this (first 11, with date of birth – those who have been Worldcon guests of honor are asterisked) 1960 Hugo: Daniel Keyes (b. 1927) 1966 Nebula: Samuel R Delany* (b. 1942) 1967 Hugo: Larry Niven* (b. 1938) 1967 Nebula: Michael Moorcock* (b. 1939) 1968 Nebula: Kate Wilhelm* (b. 1928) 1968 Nebula: Alexei Panshin (b. 1940) 1971 Nebula: Katharine MacLean (b. 1925) 1972 Nebula: Joanna Russ (b. 1937) 1973 Nebula: Gene Wolfe* (b. 1931) 1973 Nebula: Vonda N. McIntyre (b. 1948) McIntyre is much younger than the others, so I guess she’s out of the running. I’m inclined to think that Keyes, Panshin and MacLean are excluded for not really having written very much. After that, it’s a pretty interesting choice. All the others can reasonably claim to have been pretty influential in the field. I don’t really envy SFWA having to make the choice for next year (if they choose to make the award at all), or the years to come. Related This entry was posted in Uncategorised by fromtheheartofeurope. Bookmark the permalink. 1 thought on “SFWA Grand Masters” matgb on 19 January 2011 at 18:41 said: Ah, see, even I wouldn;’t look in the Sync menu, that’s for syncing devices. Obviously not in this UI case, but it is for Nokia and Sony phones. I might eventually have got there, but I wouldn’t have looked there early on.	1,784
My grandmother, Faith Christina Fauss Williams, impacted my life immensely. She lived her name. She was a faithful Christian who was full of faith. And, as a result of her relationship with God, her life was filled with what I like to call "flower and cucumber" stories. I was privileged to hear (and even witness) these stories first hand. My mother was an only child, so my brother and I were our maternal grandparents' only grandchildren. My grandparents lived in Texas, and my family lived in Indiana. Though we lived far apart, my brother and I had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time with our grandparents while growing up. My grandfather passed away right before my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversay. With us living as far away as we did there were gaps of time between our visits, so my grandmother spent much of her later years alone. My grandmother loved flowers, and she had bridal wreath bushes that lined her driveway. When in full bloom these bushes would be loaded with tiny delicate white flowers. She would periodically prune her bushes to keep them from overgrowing, and one of these times the timing of her pruning meant her bushes would not bloom during the upcoming season. My grandmother spent every morning talking with the Lord before she started her day. Often while she prayed she would look out her dining room window and enjoy the beauty of her bridal wreath bushes when they were in full bloom. One morning after the time she had pruned the bushes too late she looked out the window with disappointment at their barren condition and said out loud to herself, "I miss my white flowers." Then she finished praying, went about the rest of her day, and then went to bed. The next morning at the beginning of her prayer time she glanced out her dining room window, and her bridal wreath bushes were loaded down with white flowers. They were so full the flowers looked like snow. This story is impacting because it's an example of God's love and care for the little things in our lives. Though she felt alone, God reassured my grandmother that day that she was never really alone. I was blessed when my grandmother shared this experience with me, and I continue to be blessed every time I recall the memory. Cucumbers My grandmother taught children's church from her teen years until she passed away. When she was in her late eighties or just turning ninety she decided to retire from children's church ministry and expressed this desire to her pastor. But he asked her to wait and talk to the Lord a little longer about her decision to retire, so she agreed. My grandmother was an avid gardener. A few days after agreeing to wait to retire from teaching children's church she was tending her garden and noticed her cucumber plants were not producing cucumbers. She decided she would take time the next day to pull the plants up and throw them away. She went about the rest of her day and then went to bed that evening. The next morning she went out to her garden to pull up the plants and cucumbers as long as from her elbow to her fingertips were loaded on the vines. She carried cucumbers into her kitchen by the bucket loads until they were overflowing out of her sink onto the countertop and floor. As she looked at the pile of cucumbers in amazement the Lord spoke to her and said, "You thought you were done with those cucumber plants, but you weren't. Just like you weren't done with them, I'm not done with you." She continued teaching children's church until she died. My grandmother invested her life into God's purpose. Though she was a woman of insignificance with regards to fame and fortune, she impacted many lives over years of giving of herself. She is part of the reason I am who I am today. I've heard others say the same. She was a gift with a gift. My grandmother died at ninety-three. As I sat through her funeral service I thought about her stories and her faith and wished for stories like hers to tell. While reminiscing I recalled from the Bible where Paul encouraged Timothy and said, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well" (2 Timothy 1:5-6). As I considered these things I felt the Lord encourage me in my faith. God reminded me how He had given me a measure of faith just like He assigns to everyone. (See Romans 12:3.) He reminded me of how my grandmother's stories had increased my faith as I grew as a child. Then He reminded me how He, too, had been alongside me all of my life growing my faith as well. Just like Paul encouraged Timothy, I felt God's prompting to stir up the gift of faith that was within me. I have always wanted flower and cucumber stories. Since that moment with the Lord during my grandmother's funeral service I have come to recognize my own. I have a lot of childhood memories that continue to impact my life today. The following are three that have played a significant role in my personal growth. I was around five years old when I dreamed I was lying in bed, and I looked up and saw the face of Jesus in the middle of a cloud. He was looking down at me. As I looked up at Him I reached up and touched His face. It was a simple dream, yet it was profound. As a five year old I didn't grasp its significance, but I do now. Though I have been blessed with wonderful parents and postive influences, I have also been impacted by negative experiences. Some of my negative experiences developed within me as a child my misguided perspectives of God and myself, but remembering that dream as an adult has helped correct my faulty thinking. Remembering helps me understand how near God really is and clarifies who I am to Him. Whatever happens, God is always within reach. The memory personalizes Psalm 33:18, which says, "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love" (ESV). Whenever I think about that dream I am amazed by how God proved Himself to me before I was able to understand what He was doing. Remembering that experience with the Lord has been a source for healing. One day when I was seven I was setting the table for my mom while she cooked dinner. As I walked through the doorway from the dining room to the kitchen I heard someone say my name—"Kerri." I thought my mom had spoken to me, so I asked her what she wanted. She hadn't said anything to me, so I was perplexed for a moment because I knew someone had said my name. No one else was there besides my mother and I. As I walked down the hallway to my bedroom I remembered the Bible story about God calling Samuel's name (1 Samuel 3). I realized then that God had called my name, so I answered like Eli had told Samuel to answer and said, "Yes, Lord. Your servant hears you." At seven I had some understanding of the enormity of the exprience, but I didn't feel the significance of its impact until I was an adult. Every time I think about it I am deeply moved by the fact that God spoke to me and said my name out loud when I was just a child. Remembering the experience helps me now when I feel discouraged. Hearing God's voice then helps me recognize now that God has been with me through every step of my journey. Remembering helps me know the extent to which God will go to guide and pull me, and knowing this helps me not be afraid to keep moving forward. When I was eight, while playing, I suddenly thought my dad was going to have a car accident that day. I knew he was running errands, so I stopped playing long enough to pray for him, and then I continued playing. Several hours later my dad returned home and told us he had been in a car accident. While driving along the three lane thoroughfare in our town he was in the middle lane with a semi in each lane on each side of him. Traffic was approaching an intersection at about thirty miles per hour, and one of the semis moved into his lane and forced him to veer towards the other semi. At that moment the green light in the intersection turned red and caused the traffic to stop. If the light had not changed my dad would have been crushed between the two semis. Even at eight I realized the effectiveness of my prayer. I knew God had guided me to pray for my dad and that He had protected him. But I didn't understand the significance of the experience in connection to my own life. But now, as an adult, I am amazed by how easily God could speak to me and how, even though I was a child, I heard and recognized His voice. This evidence of God's pull for me from when I was a child drives my desire to stay in tune with His voice and to continue to respond to His guidance. I was an adult when I asked God for "flower and cucumber" stories. But God had already answered my prayer before I prayed it, I just didn't recognize it. These stories are my "flower and cucumber" stories. They are precious memories of God's presence throughout my life, and they are a treasure. These experiences are the reason I am who I am today. They are evidence of the measure of faith God gave me early in my life, and the other stories I have shared in my previous blogs reveal how that faith has been developed through my journey with the Lord. I recognize this gift I have been given, and I am stirring it up. My grandmother and I are not the only ones with these kinds of stories. Consider God's presence in your life. If you look back, can you see now when He was there then? What "flower and cucumber" stories do you have to tell? I want to encourage you to stir up the gift of faith that has been given you. "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:38, ESV). My grandmother was full of living water that flowed out and influenced others. The water she shared helped shape my life. It is my desire to do for you what my grandmother did for me. I hope you will do the same for others. 7 views0 comments Post not marked as liked Recent Posts What Should 'Sarah' Say? God called Abraham to leave his family, culture, and livelihood to go where He would lead. I’m not sure when Sarah came into the picture — if she was already there when God called Abraham or if she jo 1 like. Post not marked as liked1 What Am I Reaching For? I can sense a difference between when I talk to God about bringing resolution to something I need and when I talk to God for the sake of communion with Him. Yes, the Bible does say “You do not have, b Post not marked as liked I remember when I was eight years old, we lived behind the church where my dad was pastor, and I was playing in the basement with my Barbie dolls. I randomly had the feeling that my dad was going to b	10,832
Today, the country is celebrating a true hero, a man who recognizeda need to educate and advocate and a man who ultimately gave his life up to the fight for equality of all mankind. The man was Martin Luther King, Jr. For some, yes, this day may primarily conjure up thoughts of a paid day-off from work or a get-out-of-school-free card. But, my hope is that people will take a few moments to reflect on the true purpose of this holiday.This holidayhonors andrecognizes the tragic battle fought by a man who wasn’t willing to falter in his idealism and optimism, even under immense scrutiny, pressure and violence committedagainst him, his family and those who supported his cause. Mr. King endured one violent act after another, driven by passion and faith that the world and those who lived in it were not a lost cause. He believed that change was not only possible, but imminent, when fought for with courage, grace and a peace granted by God’s love. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. And his dream was to one day see a nation that celebrated color rather than feared it.We certainly have a long way to go to reach that Utopia, when people are judged on the basis of their character and not on the color of their skin. But we have most definitely come a long way. And under the direction of the late Martin Luther King Jr. I believe we will, in time, peacefully reachthat evolution. I will leave you with one of my favorite passages from Mr. King’s infamous “I Have A Dream” speech, delivered during the March on Washington from the steps of the Lincoln Memorialon August 28, 1963. “Let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the worlds of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last, free at last In equality, Mindy Comments The Lumberjack's Wife says January 18, 2010 at 7:30 AM Stephanie Faris says January 18, 2010 at 1:45 PM I wish more people would remember the words from his speech every day. Although I’m not sure peace on earth is something this world will ever completely achieve. christina says January 18, 2010 at 3:55 PM Well said. I would love to hear what he would say about how far we have come and where we should go from here. Thank you for this post. Heather says January 18, 2010 at 10:31 PM I believe he was a great man, no matter what color his skin was. What color was it anyways? People are just people. Shelli says January 19, 2010 at 12:55 AM I wish we were further along, but we’ll eventually get there. I hope. Great post! Angelia Sims says January 19, 2010 at 7:16 PM I can’t wait until that day. What a world it will be. Great post Mindy! Marly says January 20, 2010 at 5:22 AM I heard a song once – none of us are free, if one of is chained. It reminded me of this speech that you referenced here. He was a man with a great vision for our country. I hope we can live up to that! Leave a Reply to christina Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Welcome to The Suburban Life! I'm just your average, stay-at-home mom/housewife who is determined to find the funny in it all! Hope you enjoy! Read More…	3,695
Our first game, Salem 1692, raised $103,000 on Kickstarter in 2015. Our second game, Tortuga 1667, raised $403,000 on Kickstarter in 2017. Our third game, Deadwood 1876, raised $587,000 on Kickstarter in 2018. Our most recent game, Bristol 1350, raised $913,000 on Kickstarter in 2020. Many creative people looking to also launch a game or product on Kickstarter have asked us over and over again, “what’s your secret?” and “how did you do it?” The short answer: we have no idea. The long answer: we have some guesses. Here are a few things we think have contributed to the success of our Kickstarter campaigns, and hopefully our fellow creators can pull a few ideas from our list. 1. Make your product amazing. Your product being amazing or not contributes to 95% of whether or not your campaign will be successful. We can not stress this enough. If your game/book/design/whatever is just average, unoriginal, not beautiful, not as near to perfect as you can make it, then all the marketing in the world won’t matter. If you get one million eyes on an average product, it probably won’t get funded. If you get one thousand eyes on an absolutely amazing product, it probably will get funded. Make your product unique, figure out what need or niche it is filling, and figure out what makes it stand out above the hundreds of other projects on Kickstarter. If you have 1 hour a day to spend on your Kickstarter campaign/idea, spend 55 minutes of that hour focusing on your product. The vast majority of our backers come from internal Kickstarter traffic. This means that they didn’t find our project from advertising or from press releases or even from word of mouth- they were on Kickstarter searching for cool things and they found our page and backed it. Most of your traffic will be an audience already on Kickstarter looking for cool things to back. Make a cool thing, and the people will be there waiting to help you! 2. Your video and photography is crucial. 99% of the time, the people looking at your Kickstarter page have never seen, used, or played with your product. Therefore, they are relying solely on what you show them in your videos and photos. Use these things to pull the backers into your world. Set the tone with the right script, lighting, and overall feel to help them grasp what is awesome about your product. Videos don’t need to be expensive. I shot all of our videos on my phone and edited them in iMovie or Adobe Premiere. I wrote out the scripts and paid voice actors on Fiverr.com $5 to read the script and set the tone. My videos focused heavily on the gameplay itself, bringing people into the world of the game. My wife and I also made an appearance at the end to put a face to the project and instill some confidence in our backers. For the photography, don’t be afraid to shell out $100-$300 or so to get a semi-professional photographer to get some awesome product shots. It’s well worth the investment. 3. Show a physical prototype that is as close to the real thing as possible. A lot of Kickstarter projects just show 3D renderings of things, which is fine, but also gives the backers the impression that the game isn’t really build-able and may not ever even exist in a tangible form. We ordered actually prototype cards from places like makeplayingcards.com, got playing mats from inkedgaming.com, and 3D printed pieces using 3dhubs.com so that we could show people what the game would actually look like. There are many companies out there that can make you 1 of anything. These won’t necessarily be the companies that mass produce your product. It may cost you $50-$100, but again, it’s worth the investment. Many times the factory that you plan on using for mass production can also make you a sample of the actual product (though it may cost you several hundred dollars, but we believe it is worth it). Do whatever you can to get a great-looking prototype as close to what the real thing will look like. It will do wonders in building your backers’ confidence. They’re taking a risk on you by giving you money for something that doesn’t exist. A prototype takes a lot of that fear away. 4. Let your backers become “insiders” to the project and tell your story. Put a face behind your campaign. Let people into the process and let them feel like they are insiders. Tell people how your product came to be. Show people a picture of yourself as the creator. Tell people your story as a company. Tell people exactly where the money will go. Show people some pictures of the early creation process. People aren’t just buying your product – they can buy products without a story all day long on the shelves of Walmart. People on Kickstarter are buying your story, not your product. Guide the backers through the page and logically explain how the game came to be and who is behind it. This also goes a long way in getting other websites to talk about your product. These websites aren’t just going to promote your product – they want to tell an interesting story about it. Figure out your story, and include it on the campaign page. 5. Treat your backers with the respect they deserve. Your backers are the ones giving your project life. They are taking a risk in buying something that doesn’t exist yet, and therefore taking a big gamble on you. They will be much happier to help you if you treat them with respect. This means that you should respond to their messages quickly, that you should respond to each and every comment in a timely and polite manner, and that you should create a campaign page that is clear to understand. You should also listen to their feedback regarding your project with very open ears. You know your product best (so don’t change things unless it will actually improve the product), but honestly consider every proposed change your backers present to you. Bringing them into the process will turn your backers into your advocates and they will be much more likely to spread the news about your product. The first day of a Kickstarter campaign is its most important. If you can get backers and funding immediately and even hit your goal in the first day or two, your campaign will get the momentum it needs to be a success. Kickstarter is also much more likely to keep your product at the top of its search pages and in the “popular projects” category if it gets off to a fast start. And remember, most of our backers came from internal Kickstarter traffic, so it is crucial to stay on the good side of the Kickstarter ranking algorithm. We had a huge Day 1 to-do list prepared well before launch day. Some of the things on this Day 1 blitz list: Email friends and family asking them to either back the project, donate a dollar (to help the Kickstarter algorithm), or share on social media Notify people who already know about your product (past customers, people who have subscribed to your website, people who follow your page on social media) Post on your personal social channels Post on any company/product channels Email websites that are about your type of product Launch any ads that you’ve been planning on using (we have seen some success with Facebook ads and ads on BoardGameGeek.com) 7. Be smart about the day and time that you launch. Since you want a lot of eyes on your project right at the beginning and right at the end of your project, we’d recommend that you launch before lunchtime on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and then end in the early afternoon on a Thursday. Also make sure that you aren’t launching on a major holiday when people will be out on vacation and away from their computers. It also doesn’t hurt to launch and end right after a payday (after the 1st or 15th) so people have the funds to back you. Also be aware of what other projects are currently on Kickstarter. If there’s a project that is very similar to yours, consider waiting until it ends (or consider making your project more unique!) so that people won’t have to choose between one or the other. 8. Do some marketing, but don’t stress too much about it. In each project we spent about 1% of the total money we raised towards marketing and ads. These ads certainly got some new eyes on the project, but in the end they weren’t game-changing. Again alluding to point number 1, if you have an awesome project then your backers will naturally share it and spread it, and news outlets and relevant websites will talk about it. If you are going to use ads, we’d recommend that you find a relevant website where your potential buyers will be (in our case, boardgamegeek.com) and see how much they’ll charge you to run some display ads on their site. Most of them already have packages in place, so just contact them from their website and they’ll tell you the costs you’ll pay for impressions. We also have run a few ads on Facebook (We've also worked with companies called Backerkit and Green Inbox to run Facebook ads for us), Twitter, and pinterest. Another good thing you can do is write your own press release telling the story of your product and why it’s cool. Then email relevant websites (their contact info or form is usually linked at the bottom of their site) with the press release and some pictures of the product. If your story is compelling, they may post it to their website. Just like a good board game, your success will also require a little bit of luck. Maybe a key influencer will see and like your product and post an article about it. Maybe you’ll launch your project on just the right day and not overlap with a huge knock-it-out-of-the-park project. Maybe the person at Kickstarter choosing the staff “favorites” that day will happen to really bond with your project. At the end of the day, a lot is in your hands (see points 1 through 8, especially point 1), but a lot is also not in your hands. Feel free to comment below if you have a question or another idea that you think leads to a successful Kickstarter campaign. Happy creating! We also did an interview recently that has answers to a few other specifics. You can see that here: https://tompetgames.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/travis-hancock-the-creator-of-tortuga-1667/ Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Also in The Blog Hollywood 1947 Launches on Kickstarter January 17th! September 16, 2022 2 min read 0 Comments Bristol 1350 Launches on Kickstarter May 26th! May 12, 2020 2 min read 0 Comments Facade Games Founders Speak on the TEDx Stage October 29, 2019 1 min read 0 Comments Hollywood 1947 Launches on Kickstarter January 17th! September 16, 2022 Bristol 1350 Launches on Kickstarter May 26th! May 12, 2020 Facade Games Founders Speak on the TEDx Stage October 29, 2019 Trophies Kicks Off New Line of Party Games from Facade Games October 18, 2019 How to Publish a Board Game September 06, 2018 September 06, 2018 Our Advice to Fellow Kickstarter Creators September 06, 2018 September 06, 2018 September 06, 2018 We'll email you once or twice each year to let you know about new games or exciting announcements. We'll email you once or twice per year to let you know about new games and exciting announcements. Get 10% off your order when you subscribe.	11,476
I’m not sure how to count this break any more, because last week (week six, I guess), I ran twice. Last Wednesday, I slipped out of bed to an early alarm while my husband took a rest day. It was warm and drizzly rain out, and he probably figured I was going to do a […] September 24, 2019 .Reading time 7 minutes. I have decided to stop running for a while. Those words are really hard to say, to write, to feel. But I need to say it, to acknowledge it, to do it. I’m burned out. And it’s not going away. It’s hard to say for certain when this all started, but I feel like it […] Archives Select Month November 2019 (1) October 2019 (1) September 2019 (1) May 2019 (1) February 2019 (1) November 2018 (1) June 2018 (1) April 2018 (1) January 2018 (1) December 2017 (1) November 2017 (1) August 2017 (1) July 2017 (1) June 2017 (1) May 2017 (1) April 2017 (1) March 2017 (1) January 2017 (1) September 2016 (1) August 2016 (1) July 2016 (1) March 2016 (2) January 2016 (1) November 2015 (2) October 2015 (2) September 2015 (2) August 2015 (2) July 2015 (1) June 2015 (1) May 2015 (1) February 2015 (1) November 2014 (1) September 2014 (1) July 2014 (1) June 2014 (1) May 2014 (3) February 2014 (2) January 2014 (1) December 2013 (3) November 2013 (1) October 2013 (6) September 2013 (4) August 2013 (4) July 2013 (4) June 2013 (2) May 2013 (4) April 2013 (3) February 2013 (1) December 2012 (1) November 2012 (1) October 2012 (1) June 2012 (3) May 2012 (2) April 2012 (1) March 2012 (2) February 2012 (1) January 2012 (1) December 2011 (2) November 2011 (4) October 2011 (1) September 2011 (3) August 2011 (1) July 2011 (1) June 2011 (2) May 2011 (2) April 2011 (4) March 2011 (4) February 2011 (3) January 2011 (3) December 2010 (4)	1,803
Die Hundefreunde - Wir sind das Original » Die Ecke für den Hundehalter » Plege und Gesundheit der Hunde » ass. -- Tyler Cavanaugh had 20 points Themen-Einstellungen Thema drucken #1 \| ass. -- Tyler Cavanaugh had 20 points 28.02.2019 08:53 Informationen anzeigen Registriert seit: 16.02.2019 SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker is scheduled to have an MRI on a tight hamstring on Wednesday, leaving his availability for Game 4 of the NBA Finals very much up in the air. Parker was injured early in the second half of Game 3 against Miami on Tuesday night. He tried to play through it, but left the game early in the fourth quarter with the Spurs pulling away to an eventual 113-77 victory. Parker had just six points and eight assists in 27 minutes, and now Spurs fans will have to hold their breath to see if their star point guard will be ready for the next game on Thursday. "Hopefully its nothing big and its just cramping or got tight on me," Parker said after his Spurs took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. "I dont know. It was just a weird feeling." After he initially felt something tighten up, Parker left the floor to have the teams trainers examine him. He returned later in the third quarter, then played just 1:27 of the fourth before sitting down. "I just wanted to make sure the doctor said I was OK and then I played two minutes in the fourth quarter and we were up big so (coach Gregg Popovich) didnt want to take a risk," Parker said. "We will see tomorrow." Fortunately for the Spurs, they didnt need the player who had been the most important piece to the march to their first finals since 2007. Role players Danny Green and Gary Neal hit 13 of San Antonios finals record 16 3-pointers, and the Spurs responded to the Game 2 drubbing in Miami with a laugher in their first game back home. Now the Spurs are two victories away from the fifth championship in franchise history. But they know theyll need a healthy Parker if theyre going to finish off LeBron James and the rest of the defending champions. "Hopefully it just got tight and hopefully I will be fine," Parker said. Air Jordan 11 Wholesale .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Cheap Air Jordan 11 From China . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheapairjordan11china.com/ . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Discount Air Jordan 11 . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Air Jordan 11 Retro Cheap .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Tyler Cavanaugh had 20 points and seven rebounds, Jaren Sina scored 19 points, and George Washington beat Harvard 77-74 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.George Washington held a 37-33 lead at halftime and had the first three baskets of the second half for an 11-point lead. Harvard only had four points in the first seven-plus minutes of the second half and trailed 50-37.Harvard cut it to eight points, but Jordan Roland hit a 3-pointer from the corner and converted the 4-point play to push the lead back to 12 with 9:30 left. The Criimson tied it at 60-all with 5:11 left after a 10-2 run but GW scored the next eight points to seal it.ddddddddddddArnaldo Toro added eight points and 10 rebounds for George Washington (4-3). Starter Yuta Watanabe, who is averaging 13.4 points, did not play in a second straight game because of a calf injury.Seth Towns and Bryce Aiken each scored 17 points for Harvard (1-4). Corey Johnson added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. ' ' '	4,079
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Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also called for the Bangladesh government to be vigilant against anti-Rohingya rhetoric. View all posts by The Daily Star → August 18, 2022 DHAKA – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet yesterday that the Rohingya refugees must return to Myanmar. “The Rohingyas are the nationals of Myanmar and they have to be taken back,” she told Bachelet, who had called on her at the Gono Bhaban. At the PM’s residence, Bachelet asked Hasina to increase opportunities for education and work for the Rohingyas in Bangladesh. Hasina told her that such initiatives would not be possible to implement in Cox’s Bazar but could be taken in Bhasan Char. The PM’s meeting at the Gono Bhaban was also attended by Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus and UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Gwyan Lewis. Bachelet at another event at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies yesterday discussed the impacts of the refugees on the environment with students and young professionals. “There has been no progress regarding negotiations with Myanmar. If we send them back to unsafe conditions, they are going to come back again,” she said, adding, “We cannot make them go through the same experience that they had before.” She also spoke on Chattogram hill tracts and said rapid deforestation for tourism could lead to ecosystem imbalance and impede the rights of the indigenous people. She emphasized “rights-based environmental action” and commended the decision of the Supreme Court to grant the rights of personhood to the Turag. She said Bangladesh is on the frontline of climate change, both in terms of impact and as an agent advocating for action. “While some countries are clearly more responsible than others, we all have responsibilities,” she said. Shahriar Alam spoke about the environmental havoc being experienced by the country and said, “We have struggled to negotiate with the big boys regarding loss and damage.” The session at the BIISS was addressed by the organisation’s director-general Major General Mohammad Maksudur Rahman, senior research fellow Sufia Khanam and research fellow Shanjida Shahab Uddin. Bachelet also addressed refugee rights in her concluding statement made yesterday. “The international community must sustain its support to Bangladesh in its response, and press Myanmar to create conditions for return, address the root causes, and pursue accountability,” she said. “Unfortunately, the current situation across the border means that the conditions are not right for returns. Repatriation must always be conducted in a voluntary and dignified manner, only when safe and sustainable conditions exist in Myanmar.” “The refugees I spoke to in Cox’s Bazar, and indeed refugees and internally displaced people I’ve met in various parts of the world, stressed that they do not want to be dependent on aid. They want to be productive, to earn a living, to contribute to society and improve their conditions of life. I encourage the government to give space to community-led initiatives in the camps in Bhasan Char and Cox’s Bazar, so that those with such aspirations are able to support and contribute to serving the needs of fellow refugees,” she added. “I am very worried about increasing anti-Rohingya rhetoric in Bangladesh, stereotyping and scapegoating Rohingyas as the source of crime and other problems,” said Bachelet. “I call on the government and all Bangladeshis to be vigilant against such harmful rhetoric, to actively counter misinformation with facts, and to foster understanding with the host communities.”	3,841
Copyright © 2003 - 2021 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Sister site: Offbeat Wed To search, type and and press enter. Like Offbeat Wed for the rest of life It’s been six months since leaving my husband for another man… Guest post by Hetti Anne It has been six months since leaving my husband. Six months since I left him for another man. Six months that I have been experiencing the utmost happiness, while also experiencing the most gut-wrenching guilt. Six months that I have been paying for my choice through reduced access to my most amazing children ever. Six months where I have stayed silent on this topic because of the guilt and fear of being judged for what I did. I’m not staying silent anymore. When I married I meant what I said in my vows, and never intended for it to be my “starter marriage” like some do. It was a forever thing. Or so I thought… Unfortunately, some small differences grew to be bigger ones over the years. And for a while I was sitting alone at night working out a budget for “if we did split.” Could we afford the house and cars and daycare and child expenses, and everything else? I loved my house and my neighbourhood, and I knew if I was the one to leave I would have to give that all up. We have children, and I had no idea how this would affect them — I had no idea how to co-parent, or how to share time, or any of those things. But, as those lonely nights became more — with him downstairs and me upstairs — I didn’t know how much longer I could do it for. Instead of facing my unhappiness and voicing my concerns I put on a happy face, sent loving text messages every day, and slept around in secret. It didn’t make me feel good, the guilt was killing me. But, knowing that I could feel attractive and wanted again made me keep going back for more. Until eventually everything changed overnight. Someone who I had been attracted to for awhile showed interest. And, after the first kiss, I knew that I couldn’t stay married any longer. One night, as my husband and I were sitting down to watch a movie, I blurted out that I had been cheating. I left that night and moved out soon after. Related Post Surviving divorce taught me how to survive a pandemic When my 18-year partnership abruptly ended in late 2015, my life completely fell apart. It was a complete shitshow... kind of like this year. Here's... Read more I never wanted to cause as much hurt as I did that night — he hadn’t done anything to deserve that, but I didn’t know how else to handle the situation. It was selfish, and, for that, I live with the guilt of it. My children suffered through three moves in six months — switching school, varying schedules, and parents with ever-changing temperaments. I can’t watch a movie with a mom and kids in it and not cry anymore, no matter if it is a happy or sad movie. The nights my kids aren’t with me, I miss them every single minute. Being a “part-time” parent was never my wish. My kids can drive me crazy but I still want to be there for all of the insane and hair pulling moments. I want to be there to kiss them when they are hurt, and to tell them to go to sleep a million times each evening. The kids are adjusting, and opening up to me about their feelings. And I see a light at the end of the tunnel. If I could do it all over again I would try to do it differently, but I would still do it. Because, despite all the problems, and my guilt, I am happier, and that makes me a better mom and a better partner. Who else has found happiness in leaving their partner? < Previous Post Finding affordable gender-neutral fashion Next Post > Want something better than 13 Reasons Why? Here’s the show that wins in portraying mental illness Just a girl who loves ice cream sandwiches, feeling my feet in the sand, and hugs from my kids. Comments on It’s been six months since leaving my husband for another man… August 1, 2017 at 4:59 am It is time to forgive yourself for all of the fragile hearts you fumbled with in the dark of your confusion. That’s part of a quote I read recently that struck such a chord with me. So many times, people try to tell us that it’s okay or we didn’t really hurt anyone. It’s important to acknowledge the ones we hurt, as you have done. But it’s also important to acknowledge that you cannot change that hurt. You can only forgive yourself and try to show more love and kindness and forgiveness. I’m sorry you felt driven to a path that caused such pain to so many people. I’m sorry that your guilt and fear over what people would say kept you quiet for so long. I hope you find peace and happiness and that you’re able to share that with your children, your new partner, and your co-parent. August 21, 2018 at 1:10 pm She didn’t fumble his heart, it’s more like she spiked it in the end zone and then kicked a field goal with it. August 1, 2017 at 7:20 am Just out of curiosity, I’d love to hear more of your story as far as why you and your husband were so unhappy… what happened, did you do anything to try to work on your marriage, did he know how unhappy you were, did you ever talk about it or go to counseling, etc. etc. The thing that struck me was the inclusion of the fact that you were still sending him loving text messages every day while sleeping around. Why? Were you just playing a role or trying to bridge the gap or covering your tracks…? As a reader it would help me understand where you were coming from if there was a little more to this story. I’m happy to hear you’ve found happiness despite the turmoil and obvious difficulties. I think fleshing out the background would help readers empathize more and make your story more relatable. Best of luck to you. August 2, 2017 at 6:13 am My marriage was not that bad, and my husband is a great man and great father. Unfortunately I don’t handle conflict well, and over the years found myself drifting apart from him as we had very different ideas and ideals of what we enjoyed. I should have talked more about it, we probably should have gone to counselling. I never wanted to hurt him and for a long time I figured that I better become a better person and change because my morals were lacking. But, I knew the discussion would be one of judgement, there were already hurt feelings from previous things done in the relationship that were always lingering in the background, even if they were never spoken about. The truth was that I never felt good enough for him, not being myself anyway. And, that isn’t to say that being a lying cheating wife I should have felt good, or he should have accepted me for that. Before any of that I had felt the same. I guess the lying and cheating was my way to “justify” my feelings. Obviously I have work to do on myself, I am not perfect. I do not think cheating on your partner is a good idea, and I recognize the hurt that it causes and I do not wish that on anyone. August 1, 2017 at 7:30 am Just here to say that you are not alone. I have been in your shoes – going on one year. It takes a while to work on yourself, acknowledge the mistakes that you made/the pain caused to your partner, and deal with judgmental people who have their moral hats on (whether that be people in your life or other commenters on this thread). There’s a lot to this journey (positive and negative), and while I don’t have regrets of leaving my partner for someone else, I will always think of my past partner and wish him positive thoughts. Our journey is hard for people to understand, but your life is about your happiness, not theirs. Thank you for being brave enough to share your story, even though it must have been difficult and hard to do. August 2, 2017 at 6:15 am Yes!!! I don’t regret my decision to leave, just the way that I did it. And I will live with that because I made the mistakes, and I own that it was my fault. It still hurts sometimes though, and it will take time to get over that for both of us I think. Carlyanaya says: October 22, 2017 at 8:59 pm Hetti, are you still happy with your new man? I’m in a dilemma with my marriage and I wonder if I can talk to you about it. March 4, 2018 at 11:56 am Hetti, I know this is an old post from you but I am in this place for 5 years with someone I love and trying not to hurt my family while I am hurting from loneliness. You said you would do it differently, how would you do it in hindsight ? August 25, 2018 at 12:11 pm I was the one that was left in a similar situation. It has been 3.5 years and I’m still in deep pain. Not to say I should not have moved on for my own self and for my kids who were also blasted by this separation. It is true that how you leave makes a big difference. All I wanted was the opportunity to see if my spouse and I could have sought counseling and drug in deep to plant new seeds of love. Could we have persevered and come out of the other side more in love, and stronger because we whether a tremendous storm. August 1, 2017 at 11:05 am I was in a very similar situation. I am extremely happy with my new husband, more than I thought possible. However, the guilt that you talk about is tremendous for me. I feel terrible for cheating on someone who was, overall, a good husband. I never, ever would have thought I would leave him. I really can’t get over the guilt I feel, even though I am happy and feel like my new husband is a true partner to me. This is something I haven’t talked about with anyone (the guilt) so, thank you for sharing. August 2, 2017 at 6:17 am It’s hard to talk about because cheating isn’t a good thing. I am lucky that I have some amazing friends who support me, but I lost of friends in this too because they think I’m a terrible person. I may have made a terrible choice, but that doesn’t make me a terrible person. At least that is what I keep trying to tell myself. August 1, 2017 at 11:40 am I don’t understand this post. Is the reader supposed to get some sort of value or lesson out of it, or is the author just declaring her facts in the situation? Is it “offbeat” now to cheat on our spouses? Or is the revolution in no longer feeling bad about it? August 1, 2017 at 11:52 am Valid questions. I think Offbeat tries to provide a forum for people to discuss things that have always been kept quiet out of propriety. There have always been cheating spouses and there have always been people who were happier with their new partners than their old ones. But those weren’t topics people talked about, so the people struggling with guilt or misery or fear felt very alone. What is “offbeat” isn’t so much the story as it is that we can bring these topics into the light so we can stand together and say, “Yes, I’ve felt that way too. I didn’t realize it wasn’t just me!” I would venture a guess that no one at Offbeat expected this post to be uncontroversial. If it doesn’t float your boat, that’s okay! Your opinion and perspective are valid. Thank you for sharing it with us. August 2, 2017 at 10:45 am I don’t think I can sum up our reasons for publishing this post, and many other controversial posts like it, than this comment! Thank, Cassie. You nailed it with “Offbeat tries to provide a forum for people to discuss things that have always been kept quiet out of propriety.” As the person who accepted, edited, and published this post, I have to say it really personally resonated with me. My husband left me, totally out of the blue, and devastated the FUCK out of me. And, then, a few months later when we were both out of a bad relationship, when we were both with people that made us happy, and both living better lives, I couldn’t stop thanking him for making what must have been the hardest choice he’s ever had to make thus far. This post actually reminded me to thank him again. Relationships are messy and wonderful and awful, and I believe that ALL those messy/wonderful/awful stories are worth telling and reading. Z says: November 21, 2017 at 12:48 pm Unfortunately, “happier with a new partner” lasts as long as romantic love, 2 years. Then the new passion dies and there is a need to monkey branch to a new shiny fresh partner. This behavior normally goes on until the woman hits the wall and is no longer attractive, with 5 kids from 4 different husbands. At that point her mileage and baggage are too high, and she gets a cat or a few cats because nobody wants anything to do with her. It is best to look in the mirror and examine what causes this behavior. August 1, 2017 at 1:27 pm Everyone has a voice. This author is allowed to express hers. Offbeat is providing her that space. August 2, 2017 at 6:22 am I feel terrible about what I did. Any because people are judged so harshly when they cheat many have to live with guilt and negative feelings, and lost friends and have no outlet for that because they are the one who caused the pain, so they don’t get to claim that they have any. I am learning many lessons everyday since I left, and I will live with the guilt too. I’m okay with that, or becoming okay with that anyway but those in a similar situation can see that it is okay to feel bad and say so! Sure, I screwed up and I am not asking for a free pass on that, just the ability to explain my side of the story and realize that it is not a guilt free/ pain free ride on this side either. And, I do not want anyone’s sympathy, or think I deserve it! I know I was 10% in the wrong, and that is the choice I made and the consequences I live with. But, that doesn’t mean those in the situation should have to stay silent Gus says: January 9, 2018 at 2:13 pm You’re are certainly free to make any choices you want; right or wrong. 10% wrong….really? I think you forgot a “0” on the end of that 10%. Nancy says: August 1, 2017 at 12:58 pm Congratulations on finding your voice and your feet! Well done. A says: August 1, 2017 at 2:40 pm I appreciate the author’s writing this because it is interesting to get a glimpse of a perspective we don’t often hear from. But I’m afraid I still really can’t empathize. Especially when we have no real picture of what was wrong, what (if anything) was attempted to make it better, etc… I am divorced myself, and there are things I could have done better. But when I found my relationship lacked intimacy, I bent over backwards to make stay honest- we had a thousand difficult discussions, we opened our relationship, and eventually he chose another woman (and a general “life of polyamory”, which I found didn’t suit me) over me. Frankly it would’ve been easier to cheat, but having been on the other side, I couldn’t do that to someone. And, jesus, you can initiate a divorce without throwing the extra pain of “I’ve been cheating on you and I’m leaving you for him” in there, yikes. Insult to injury. Morgan says: August 1, 2017 at 3:30 pm Just throwing my voice into the discussion as another person who has been cheated on… The author of the post is not obligated to share every last detail of what was clearly a painful experience for all involved parties with us, a bunch of random people on the internet. While we may not understand — and may never understand — it is my personal opinion that it is not whether or not we hurt others in this life that defines us, but how we react to hurting them. To me, it truly seems like the author is in the middle of a process, looking at the choices they made and what lead to them, their own pain and the pain of their family, and that they need to be witnessed in this process. It’s such taboo to talk about cheating, even if the relationship is unhealthy (which I don’t mean to imply this one was, as you’re right that we don’t know many details). Perhaps this is one of the few ways the author could truly feel witnessed and heard and able to talk about their experience at all. August 2, 2017 at 6:55 am Of course, she’s not obligated to share every detail with anyone. But when choosing to write an article looking for commiseration, empathy, & understanding, leaving out crucial details to humanize your perspective will negatively affect that message. Without it, this reads like “Yeah, I did what I did and it was bad, but I want permission to not feel bad about it anymore.” Maybe that is what the message was supposed to be? It’s still unclear. Jenna says: August 5, 2017 at 6:04 pm Wanting to leave is reason enough to leave. Josh L says: October 18, 2017 at 6:52 pm What’s the point of marriage then? Seems pointless if you can just leave a life-long commitment (Your vows do say this) just because you don’t want to put effort into the relationship (Which she admits). I mean, let’s face it. Marriage is a sham. People don’t even really honor it. Seems like this world should just abolish it and be done so to save all the honest people of the world from actually believing when someone says they’ll love them till final days. Henna says: July 13, 2018 at 4:07 pm “Wanting to leave is reason enough to leave.” Very true, but does that by itself justify leaving in any manner possible? If spouse is a danger to self or others, then yes, grab the kids, yank that yellow handle and let the ejection seat take care of the rest. No looking back. No regrets. BUT…if there was no danger, just a lot of unspoken, glossed over unhappiness that’s been jammed between the seat cushions, then perhaps husband should have been given a chance to rectify the situation. Therapy. Counseling. Heck, even just an honest heart-to-heart. If he chose to do nothing, or be a phallus about it, or if all good faith efforts failed, then fine, it may well be time to leave. No shame, there. But dropping the hat trick of bombs that 1) wife has been unfaithful, 2) she wants to split up, and 3) she is moving out tonight is kind of a manipulative exit, really. Husband was robbed of any and all agency in the matter, as the decision was made for him behind his back long ago. I hope OP has learned better coping behaviors for when things get rough. August 25, 2018 at 12:22 pm Marriage is about committing to working together to create a healthy relationship despite being unhappy. August 1, 2017 at 8:46 pm Judge much, A? Not constructive to tell the author off by your last sentence. What’s done is done. Don’t be an ass about it. Donny says: December 27, 2017 at 2:11 am She could still go back to her husband August 2, 2017 at 6:25 am Sure, I could have left him and not told him I was cheating. But, at that point everything needed to be laid on the table and the truth needed to come out. Not because I wanted to hurt him more, but because if I didn’t someone would have told him and that would have been worse. Should I have tried harder, maybe. Should I have done more, likely. But, I didn’t. Relationships are unique to each couple/ group of people and this is how mine played out. I’m glad that you and your ex stayed honest and tried to work things out. And I’m sorry in the end it didn’t work out. That isn’t my story though, and I know I caused pain and I hate that. August 2, 2017 at 1:10 pm Honestly, having been in your exact position Hetti, it’s nice just to read that others have experienced it and continue to ruminate on the same sort of feelings. Donny says: December 27, 2017 at 2:13 am You should go back to your husband and start fresh…your husband has now fear of loosing you, he will obey anything you say….. Keep your communications with your husband open and everything will be fine January 30, 2018 at 12:03 pm My ex wife cheated on me and is one of the most painful thing i ever felt, i wish she should have just divorce me before cheating or at least not tell me, know i have grown to almost hate her for all the 22 year i spend with her just to trow them away. It feel like she die. hate , anger sadness, i wish all the luck to your ex husband. Selby says: April 2, 2018 at 12:23 pm I really get you and what happened in your marriage. I understand you for jus blurting out about your affair. I did the same. Not because i wanted to hurt him but so mich had been building over the years and when i met this new guy, i felt or at least thought i was happy. Only to realize 2 years later how i could have tried to work things out. I did it all counseling, separation but it didnt work out. Right now i have discovered im not happy anymore. The person who i thought was ‘the one’ has broken me with his cheating, lack of commitment and it has killed me inside. Im slowly trying to build myself up by upgrading myself so that i make a life for me. My ex has since remarried, has a child and i know he is now happy. I avoid him at all costs because it pains me more. He was physically abusive but most times i pushed him to it because i needed validation. People talk about me, they judge me, but its ok. Im looking to healing inside and building myself. August 2, 2017 at 8:20 am As the one who was cheated on, I find the author’s perspective of being the cheater interesting. I remember trying to work it out, the thing about working it out, well it only works if both want to do so…. In many relationships this isn’t the case. I think about all the time I wasted on trying to get him to workout our issues, meanwhile his whole immediate family and his circle of friends were helping him to continue the relationship with his mistress. There was so much more I could’ve been doing to myself happy instead. It’s never easy to walk away from a relationship no matter what side you are on. The hurt is real and it may never go away. Everyone deserves to find their own happiness, and in a perfect world that would happen not the expense of others, but the world isn’t perfect. Also when it comes to the loss of friendships, it’s hard, over Tim I found that the loss of them was actually a good thing for my mental health. There was no risk in being told updates on the X and that makes it easier to pretend they don’t exist and at times keeping yourself sane. August 3, 2017 at 7:51 am Though i empathise with what you’ve been through, and the hard choices you’ve made, I want to ask you to examine why you felt the need to include this line: When I married I meant what I said in my vows, and never intended for it to be my “starter marriage” like some do. It was a forever thing. It feels like you’re trying to distance yourself from other people who’ve had their relationships break down by invalidating their reasons while elevating your own. There’s no wrong reason to end a relationship, and I think it’s important for you to embrace that fact to help you move on from your marriage. You are exactly the same as people who had “starter marriages”. They didn’t make those vows thinking they were anything other than a “forever thing” and they went through the same pain and guilt and grief you have. That they are on the other side, and can look back and call those relationships “starter marriages” now is because they’ve accepted that those relationships didn’t work out the way they hoped, learnt from them, and are ready to move on with that experience to guide them. You need to do the same, and embrace the lessons your starter marriage taught you about communicating your needs. Otherwise every relationship is a starter marriage, or a non-starter. August 4, 2017 at 6:23 am I was talking about the people who legit go into marriages thinking that it will not be their last. Those who joke about it, but honestly believe that it is their first marriage, and not their last. That’s fine if that works for them, but it wasn’t what I thought when I got married I get that marriages break down for all kinds of reasons, and have no judgement on that. Just that I had thought it was my one and only marriage when I entered into it August 3, 2017 at 11:12 am I’m not sure why you’re not able to be with your kids, but think of all the incarcerated mothers who have committed actual crimes they severely regret and will never be with their children. What you’ve done is not so big if you look at it from their shoes. Maybe that’s not helpful, but it’s what came to mind for me, reading this. A good friend once told me guilt helps no one. Martyrdom (i.e. repenting/feeling guilt) helps no one. Once you have acknowledged what you did wrong and vow to do better in the future, it’s in your own and your children’s best interests to have compassion for yourself (not to be confused with self-pity). Much love. Marriage is hard. Mine failed immediately after vows were said in total earnest (cheat-free, but misery-filled just the same). August 4, 2017 at 6:28 am I share custody of my children, but am not the primary caregiver as I didn’t want to uproot them from their home when I left. It’s hard having him use them as pawns when he is made at something I do and then decide to reduce my access and claim that it is better for the kids that way. We are working on it, but have a long road to go. I just try to be the best mom I can be when I do have them, and let them know how much they are loved by everyone. August 4, 2017 at 4:47 pm Telling your spouse you cheated on them, then leaving him, and leaving him with most of the responsibility of raising the children is a lot for anyone to deal with. Regardless of how painful it is for you to not see your kids, from his perspective, he’s just been dealt a couple of pretty big blows that he’s had no control over, AND he might feel like you’re not carrying your share of the parenting responsibilities. If you’ve started a new life with the person who you left your spouse for, limiting access might be honestly what he feels is best (right or wrong, it’s not an illegitimate feeling, and doesn’t necessarily mean he’s being vindictive). Josh L says: October 18, 2017 at 6:54 pm I second this. Sasha says: April 1, 2018 at 3:09 am I get that you cheated,but did you really think you leaving the kids in their home was a good idea. I’m sorry, but putting another man ahead of your children is selfish. You may not think so, but I’m guessing dad is trying to explain many things to them in your absence. It’s a cop out,and flowering it up doesn’t change anything. Your selfish,and I think your relationship with your kids will never be where you want it to be. Forget the pain they have gone through and will take with them in life….just saying Ruth says: August 9, 2017 at 10:11 am I resonate a lot with this. I was 100% committed to my marriage and thought I’d never give up. Until I was so miserable I felt I was sinking. Fortunately we had no kids to complicate things. Thanks for sharing your processing, healing and internal battles. August 12, 2017 at 1:49 pm Interesting look into what can happen to relationships/marriage. Having worked very hard at a marriage that ended in divorce I wonder if the author has learned enough from the divorce to prevent being unhappy in another few years (months, etc) with the new person. It’s often not about the other person, but about our own weaknesses and areas for growth. I’m still friends with my x-husband and I have tried very hard to remember the lessons learned from the end of that marriage. I hope that the author can do the same. Long Story with Questions says: August 26, 2017 at 2:11 pm Thank you so much for writing this! I have been looking for a post like this somewhere on the the internet since May, since my story is quite similar, although no kids or state approved contracts are at play. The whole story is below, as it got quite long, but I have a few BURNING QUESTIONS (for Hetti, or anyone, who also has been through this): – Do you ever feel guilt for not trying to save the original relationship? – How do you cope with anniversaries, important dates, your songs and places you went together? – Do you share your guilt and grief with your new partner, or do you try to keep it to yourself? And now for the story (though it is more me, trying to get it out of the system): I thought my ex was The One. The first guy I really trusted. The first guy I wanted to marry. The first guy I told I loved him and believed it. We moved in together 2 weeks after our first kiss, but we knew each other 2 years prior. We knew we had the same values and the same life plans. I don’t want kids, neither does he. We wanted to buy an apartment in the same part of our city, we both love cars, architecture, theater, etc., you get the picture. I was really happy with this guy and meant it, when I told him, that I wanted to be with him for all the years to come. But this early December, a week after we went to check out first apartment to buy (and then agreed to postpone our home buying plans for a year or two for financial reasons) I found myself at my company’s Christmas party at 2 AM starting a conversation with a coworker I had never talked to before, but had definitely noticed. We talked all through the night til 7 AM, I did not mention my boyfriend the whole time. I wanted to kiss him when we were leaving, but I didn’t and did not show any intention, but there was a weird moment nevertheless. He friended me on Facebook after he woke up and asked if I wanted to see him before the end of the weekend (party was on Friday, so this was Saturday noon, approximately). I made up a generic excuse that I was busy, still no mention of boyfriend. Only in the afternoon, I found the courage to tell him. We did not speak together until Tuesday. Some coworkers were asking what happened, as few of them knew we were together the whole night talking (there were a few of them with us at the afterparty). We made a pact to be friends and were so naive we believed it for a while, but we texted constantly. A week later, there was a good bye party for another coworker, where we told each other we fell in love with each other. I knew it was wrong (as polyamory was not an option for my ex, which I knew from conversations we had before all of this started), but I wanted him in my life so badly. The texting continued and we started seeing each other once a week. I took him shopping for gifts with me. When Christmas Eve came, and I was home alone since my ex went to see his parents, we texted til 4 AM. I was still convinced there was a way out of this, and did not have any plans to go on, but also I did not want to apply the brakes. So I did not. We exchanged Christmas gifts in early January and we hugged for the first time on the same day. We started going for tea or coffee at work. We started hugging regularly. At the end of January, we have already kissed. I think the relationship with my ex was doomed the moment I told this new guy not to plan anything for the last week of February, as my boyfriend went to a conference out of the country. We spent the whole week together. We slept together, in an innocent way, every night. We cooked and baked together. We were in a relationship for that week. On the last day we slept together. I knew one of the relationships should end. But I was so torn. We cried together almost every time we saw each other. My relationship with my ex started to crumble. We used to spend all the time together and now I was away from home two to three times a week (which I do not find unreasonable, within different circumstances) which caused huge fights. I was stuck for two more months. I knew any decision I would make someone hurt, so I just did not make one, but I was hurting all of us three all the way. In the end, I made up my mind, and chose a life with this new person, over the steady love and certainty. Only time will tel if I was right, but I just could not go on like that and the ship has sailed now. I do not regret it, as I am much happier with him, than I was with my ex. We laugh together all the time and I believe we will handle all the sht life throws at us. (Later I realized what exactly drove me away from my ex. Some of it was housewife impostor syndrome – he was six years older than me, so he had a car, we lived in apartment filled with all of his nice stuff… combined with confusion between feminism and capitalism has made me asses my value as a women and in this relationship as much lower than his, since I only made about a third of money he made. I never felt like my opinion on what to do and buy with the money mattered as it mostly was not my money. If I had worked on this issue, we could have saved the relationship. If I fought for my freedom to be out of the house three times a week, we could have saved the relationship. So on the other hand, I do really regret it. I know that my ex is at fault too, but the vast majority of cause and guilt is mine. I know that. And I feel guilty and I regret every day what I did to the person I once wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I hope he heals and learns to love again. I hope life treats him well. I hope that one day he might forgive me, but I cannot expect that. I know I am a cheater, but I also know that things are not black and white and I also need to forgive myself, which as of now, is far from happening. In this whole triangle, I also hurt myself, as I did things I never thought I was capable of. I have a really hard time trusting my judgment now. I keep telling myself that I think I am happy with this new person, but I thought that before, so how do I know this will last and I will not run away again, even tough I know I never ever want to do anything like this again, since I know how much hurt it causes. I get better at forgiving myself, but it’s a loooooooong way. So this is my story, raw and unedited. I hope it helps someone else too. Whether to know they are not alone, or to understand what is going on beneath the surface. Annie says: October 17, 2017 at 12:25 pm I just wanted to say thank you for telling your story. I’m still with my husband, but I cheated on him several years ago. He was utterly poisonous and bitter at life, and I withdrew from him and became highly depressed. Unfortunately, a coworker of mine was also having problems in his marriage, and we confided in each other until we reached a point we shouldn’t have. I’ve never been able to tell MY story because any forum I’ve come across is immediately blockaded with the “cheaters are the scum of the earth” types of people. No one bothers to be open to listen to the REASONS. There’s never a good justification, but I wish there was more understanding. Timmy says: December 1, 2017 at 2:13 pm I came across this article as I am considering leaving my husband. Thank you, thank you, Hetti for writing this. It encouraged me that regardless of my decision I can and will be okay. I am also not alone. Any advice for making the transition out of your marriage while dating another man? My guy is wonderfully understanding and I want to help him as he tries to support me. Thank you! December 25, 2017 at 11:45 am Any update? Is the original author’s relationship still holding steady? I would really like to know. The problem with forums in general is that people do not always articulate themselves and tend to be somewhat one sided and economical with the the truth. Walking out on a marriage sometimes is unavoidable whether it be for a lover or for other reasons. We do not know the details and nuances of each individual relationship and rely on the subjective version of the author which is cool with me and I accept that our experiences might differ. Sometimes,however, the entitlement to “happiness” which seems to override all; our vows, integrity, authenticity becomes a convenient and appropriate excuse for the collateral damage caused by our actions. You should not have to justify your happiness, be prepared to pay the long term price if you gained your happiness at the expense of others. Real life is dealing with kids, budgets, household problems the mundane and routine stuff even the things about our partners that annoy us. Staying committed to the process……I honestly do feel, and our author stated it well we never enter into a marriage to someday abandone our partners…but I suppose the pursuit of happiness trumps that….making marriage a total farce…we should just be honest enough to own up to it and stop trying to justify pulling the trigger….. August 25, 2018 at 12:35 pm Minakelly, I have to respectfully disagree. There are many wrong reasons to leave a marriage. And, in my opinion, there are only a few good reasons to leave a marriage. Jen says: December 28, 2017 at 3:24 pm Look, if you’re unhappy, and the planets align in such a way that you have a good person, possibly attractive, in front of you…who wants you too…and you somehow pull of being alone with them…you will cheat. You can deny it all you want, but you’re probably either 1. Happily married 2. Someone who wouldn’t have a place to pull it off or 3. Someone who doesn’t have a person in their life they would cheat with or don’t have the opportunity to meet such a person. Feeling deeply unhappy in a marriage is awful. “Well then just leave.” Lol. Easier said than done..esp if your partner is a nut bag. How about just don’t judge people. That’s God’s job anyway. December 30, 2017 at 10:05 pm Easy..abandon the institution of marriage..it’s a farce anyway holding it up as some Devine standard is simply untenable and pretending to aspire to the ideals is ridiculous , especially with the divorce rate as it is….Commitment is hard work..staying devoted to someone is tough..making promises while you barely have reached adulthood which is binding on you for the rest of your life is evidently not realistic…Who is God anyway? These forums create the space for people to be judgemental..unfortunately highly contentious and controversial issues like cheating , abandoning your kids open a debate…the author mentioned that she was sleeping around…there were differences, what kind of differences? Did her husband catch her sleeping around? Was she in an abusive relationship..or is she simply a pathological liar? She does not want to uproot her kids, yet she mentions the many moves and changes that occurred..seems to me they have been pretty much uprooted. I do not know any mother that will pack up and go without her kids. In addition very few courts will be unsympathetic to the mother if she takes the children especially when they are still young..even more so if there are elements of abuse (which I don’t think there is).maybe I’m not moving in the right circles meeting enough mothers …there is hardly any context and automatically people will be judgemental..that is what humans do..anyway as long as she is happy..that is all that matters Gus says: January 9, 2018 at 3:06 pm Is the grass always greener on the other side? Everyone can always make any choices they want; good or bad. Here’s my story and I’ll keep it short. We had a happy marriage together 10+ years (as my wife said so herself). She met a new coworker one day hit it off and began cheating on me pretty quickly. After knowing him for about 60 days she decided she wanted that relationship instead of our marriage. She stated “I didn’t know anything was wrong with our marriage until I met this coworker.” This coworker is twice divorced and still married to his third wife. He has a history of having affairs with married women and gets them to divorce their husbands pretty quickly (at least 5 times I know of). He always has three women on the hook so he is never without one. He has also served jail time for domestic violence. He has also “cheated” on my wife since she has lived with him. My wife isn’t a special “unicorn” that will change this guys behaviors. He is nothing more than a con-Man. My point is cheating is never a good thing. If he/she will cheat with you; they will also cheat on you. So before you jump to greener pastures tend to your own pasture first. January 29, 2018 at 1:10 pm Thank you for posting. I have been with my husband for 13 years and have been the victim of his incessant emotional, psychological, and physical abuse for the last 11 years. We have 3 beautiful children together and a beautiful home filled with beautiful things. We both have thriving careers and have an instagram perfect life. I have spent the last 11 years begging and pleading and praying for change. Our relationship is nothing but volatile. Toxic. Pure poison. When I would speak of something he didn’t want to hear of he would say, without any hesitation, “shut the F** up!” He would call me every single name under the sun on a daily basis and if I talked back he would either threaten me with violence or act out his threats. Now I should say this, and this is something a lot of people may relate to, he never left visible bruises so, in my mind, I was not a battered wife. Here is what I have come to understand now: the absence of bruises does not mean the absence of abuse. What?! Mind blown! He’s never put me in the hospital or blackened my eye so that, my friends, is how I have justified his behavior. Now, enduring this treatment for years, I have become accustomed to the ritual of the abuse. The cycle, if you will. I would just wait for the bad to end and the good to start. I would tell myself that I could be a better wife. That I could make him happy if only…. the house was cleaner. Meals were all prepped. Laundry was done daily. I made more money. We had more sex. But guess what…. my efforts were never enough. I got tired of always being the one to try and be better. So I did something out of character. I stopped trying to be better and reached out to an old flame. Not just any old flame though. I reached out to the one that got away. My junior high love that I have known and casually interacted with for the last 20 years. We met up. And we fell in love all over again. We saw each other as frequently as we could and texted daily. He is everything I would ever want in a life partner. And my heart is drawn to him like a magnet. It’s always been him and he has felt the same way about me after all these years. We just have never been on the same page. Even now, we aren’t even in the same book as I am married and he has a girlfriend. But I want him in my life. I want a life with him. So what do I do? I finally get the courage to leave my husband. I left. And what does my husband do? He begs me to come home! Even after all the times he has told me that he hates me and that I am the worst thing that has ever happened to him, he is now fighting to get me back!!! And what did I do? I went back!!!! For the kids, I went back. So here my husband is trying as hard as he can to save his family, everything I’ve ever wanted, and I don’t want it anymore. I feel nothing. I’m numb. Dead on the inside. How can someone go from being the biggest POS husband to husband of the year over night? They can’t. This change will never last. Sure, he is being good now, but what happens when he’s pushed too far? I know what happens, I’ve seen it. We’ve been down this road in 2016 when I found out he cheated on me with a massage parlor hooker. He worked so hard to win me back. He bought me flowers and presents and cleaned the house and made dinner all the time. Then slowly he started to settle back into his old ways. Only this time, it was worse. It only ever gets worse. I truly do fear what will happen the next time he back slides. Maybe that will be the time I end up in the hospital. So, the questions I seek answers to are, should I stay miserable (because that is what I am when I am at home with him) and risk the almost certain recurrence of abuse? Preserving our family in the process and giving our children a mom and a dad that worked it out for them? Or should I follow my heart and leave knowing that he will never change? I know what happiness waits for me on the other side. Even if the other side does not include a life with the love of my life, I know that I will be truly happy living a life without him. I know what the answer is. I just don’t know how to make it happen. How do I get out? More importantly, how do I get out without hurting my children? The only thing that hurts worse than my own misery is knowing that they will be dragged through this and may not make it out ok. Heidi says: February 1, 2018 at 11:08 pm Well, I’m pretty much in the same boat except that I haven’t left my husband of 26 years yet. I married at 16 and barely knew him, no it wasn’t arranged but seem s like it. I didn’t know what love was and I thought as the years went by he was the love of my life. He basically was looking for a wife figure to do all the house chores and to show at family functions. On multiple occasions he’s tried to somehow complain about me not doing what he asks to my family…and of course my family said “you made your bed now lie in it” and that I must be a better wife for example: the toaster had crumbs on the bottom. He tried to just drop me off at the corner of my family’s house like I was a nobody and cried my eyes out saying sorry for I don’t even know what I was about 18 at the time. Well I finally was pregnant at 21 and in my 9th month and I come to find out he’s cheated on me for 4 years and the woman had no idea. I have my daughter there’s so much friction and silence and he smacked me a few times for messing up his relationship accusing me of lying lol and how I would get locked up for calling the other woman. Ok, few years go by I try to forget of course for the sake of my daughter and I have another daughter 6 years later (only Bc his parents pushed for us to have another child) I’ve asked and wanted children from the beginning..so 5 years after having my second daughter I catch him cheating again and this time another woman and it’s been 7 years he’s been with her. I don’t allow him in the house anymore it’s over. 4 months later he manages to speak to my mom and another family member to come back and I got the old school lectures of how I should try give it another chance. I absolutely didn’t want to but again my mother pleaded and I said fine for the kids I’ll do it. I shouldn’t have bc 7 years later I catch him out on a lunch date for Mother’s Day with the same woman. This didn’t hurt Bc I just stopped feeling anything for him at all. I did cry Bc of my kids but I begged him to go and be with her and set me free. He apologized and said he made a big mistake inviting her. Swearing there’s nothing going on…meanwhile my kids are waiting for us to go out for Mother’s Day dinner together. I sucked it up like nothing happened and went home with him. This is the part where I meet someone we hit it off and since then about 5 years now we’re together but not together. I find it so hard to hurt the kids and leave, they’re old enough to accept it but I’m sure it will be hard on them. I am so very unhappy and I don’t love my husband anymore. This other man is way more attentive, caring, and he’s jealous which my husband never was I think Bc he never loved me. Feels good to have someone actually want to know how your day at work was or what your plans are or makes plans to be together. I’m looking to leave asap I’m Just so scared of my kids hating me and my family looking at me the wrong way. And no I wouldn’t move in with the other man, I’d live alone for a while. ESB says: February 27, 2018 at 12:00 pm I’m just now reading these posts, and your saga is probably still going on. I too, cheated on my husband and did it with a man who had been married for over 40 years. My marriage was almost 30 years. My boyfriend’s wife caught us in bed. We had been having an affair for over 5 years. I’m not proud of it, but it really is hard to “just leave”. His kids were grown and long gone. My oldest was, but my younger two were teenagers, ages 17 & 19 & still at home when this bomb was dropped on them. My husband was not a bad person, but we have been through so much financially over the last 10 years, I just never felt secure and anything he said or did. We have had more than one foreclosure (our home & some rental properties) and never seemed to have enough money to cover our bills. He was not a gambler, but he was a spender. I guess you could say I was just tired of it. Somehow in my mind–maybe subconsciously, I felt that being without him would not put me in any worse financial shape than I’m already in with him. My boyfriend & his wife were our friends. Actually, the four of us did a lot of things together. Because of what we did, I hurt her too & none of her extended family nor their kids will speak to me (of course). My boyfriend is not rich by any means, but made some good investments and has and income where he can live comfortably. We were caught last May, and my husband suddenly was able to qualify and purchase a home in September, something that I have been wanting to do since we lost our home in 2011. And he & my teenagers moved out. I cried the first night they were all moved out. I am still in this rental home by myself and wanted to stay at least until our divorce is final, but I just can’t afford this big rent payment alone. My kids do talk to me, even though they were pretty upset in the beginning. In fact, I have a good relationship with both of them. My oldest is the one that knows it all, even the things I don’t let the teenagers know. But he’s still okay with me. He gave us a rough time during his teens so maybe he just views us both as the black sheep of the family together. Lol. However, I’m in a position where I am now going to have to move. My soon-to-be-ex-husband made me “take custody” of our four animals which includes three cats. I have not been able to find a less expensive place to rent my animals, yet he won’t take even one of them to help me be able to move. Therefore, I’m now going to be moving in with my boyfriend in his house. That means that most likely my teenagers will never come visit me because although they are ok with me, it will take a long time before they’re ever ok with my boyfriend again. They loved him when we were all just friends. Of course, I can visit them, but I know that they will never visit me. I feel so guilty for what I did to my husband. Despite our problems, I think I did blindside him just like I blindsided everyone in my family. My parents are still alive and very healthy, and they’re going to croak when they find out I’m moving in with my boyfriend. I just don’t feel I have any choice if I want to live. My boyfriend & I both wanted my divorce to be final. Because his children were grown when we got caught, his is already final. I know in the end I will be okay, but this has been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I turned our lives upside down, but if I had left in another way and not cheated, it would be the same thing. Of course my parents are old-fashioned and my mom is still hoping that my husband and I will reconcile. It is just not going to happen. I think that maybe once my teens get a little older & maybe get out on their own they’ll come around some with my boyfriend. But I wrote this so you may have an idea of how your kids might react. I’d say if you can leave for good without letting it be known you have someone else, you’ll be better off, even if they’re doubtful about your relationship with the other person. February 24, 2018 at 6:37 am Speaking from the experience of someone cheated on whose wife left me and my child for another man, I can tell you that your kids will grow up hating you. You may be happier now but that will not last. It will wear off over time and you are stuck in almost the same relationship you lost by cheating but you will have a trail of destruction left behind you. Paranoia will set in on both you and your p[partner, if you are willing to cheat with him you will do it to them and vice versa. You think that what you have is special(Didn’t you once believe your previous relationship was once special?) but once the routine of normal life sets in you will see that the reality is , its not a Disney ending, you are not a princess being saved by prince charming, you are just 2 selfish people who have to live with the guilt of everything you have done to those that you supposedly “loved”. Jriv says: June 6, 2018 at 3:00 am My exwife cheated on me with her coworker & she is playing victim to justify her infidelity she got pregnant with her affair partner/coworker. I was the one who is emotionally & verbally abused by my exwife, I never ever laid my hands on my exwife.. she is always with her friends & coworkers house she will just come home if she needs to take a shower & prepare for work.. my exwife’s coworkers & friends knew and even supported the affair because she’s telling them that I’m a bad husband when infact I already forgave her from her past infidelity with my niece’s husband… I can’t imagine how horrible of a person my exwife is.. she has no remorse for what she did she is never ashamed of her infidelity and she is very much proud of it. She was never sorry & she always tells the people around her that I abandoned her when infact she is the one who abandons me to be with her affair partner we got a divorce during the time when she is 2months pregnant. Well I thank God He saved me from a toxic marriage full of betrayal and lies Thank God He saved me from a horrible person. Thank God He saved me from a person who only wants a greencard & my money she just used me for greencard. And I thank God also because I have no child with her. I signed a waiver that I was not the father of her child that’s why she will never get a child support from me. I’m happily remarried now & God blessed me with a loving wife & 3 beautiful children. If not for my exwife’s repeated infidelity & if not for my divorce I will not be able to be a father to an amazing children & I will not experience a genuine kind of love from my wonderful wife. Divorce teaches me that I deserve the best. I deserve to be treated with respect. August 9, 2018 at 7:09 pm To the author, I would really like to know how you feel now, one year later. Would you change anything to this article? Do you still feel the same, or have your feelings changed? Having been cheated on by my ex, who recently kind of abandonned our child, that I’m taking care of on my own, I still feel confused. It’s hard for me to see or understand why you would put your needs firat and foremost, at the expense of others. I suffered at times during our relationship, but I always put my family, and my son first. She cheated, and even though I think anyone can cheat given the opportunity, I’m surprised some people don’t have the decency to either ensure breaking up kindly enough, apologizing for the pain they caused others, or fixing their mistakes. My ex is still with the new guy, even though she seems to be hiding her relationship. She never apologized for what she caused, and that’s what has hurt me the most, to feel as though I don’t deserve some kind of apology for everything she’s put me through. My question to you is, have your feelings changed regarding what you have done? Would you have done things differently, or are you still happy with your choices? I’d really like to know. August 21, 2018 at 1:04 pm It’s hard to feel bad for you. I understand how you feel guilty and all, but honestly, I can’t believe that your pain can really be even close to the hurt you caused him. You did mention that you were also happy. At least you have that to fall back on. His pain was/probably still is ongoing with no relief. My wife is doing something similar to me and all I can tell you that it feels like I was damaged through this. I literally felt broken, betrayed, blindsided and worthless. Even though I knew I didn’t deserve this. I felt helpless to do anything about our grieving child. Angry that her ‘boyfriend’ didn’t have to sit there and witness the pain he helped cause our son. Angrier because her lust for him (happiness) mattered more than trying to protect our child from this. Angry at myself for fighting for someone who lied to and humiliated me. And hurt that she showed no real remorse through all of this. And yet we are supposed to ‘friends’ now. I’m cordial because of the kid, but it’s insult to injury. But at least she’s “happy” for now so I guess that’s all that matters. I mean apparently, this is what this is all about anyway. I get it, we all deserve forgiveness, and maybe that will come in time. But to me you sound like a rapist or child molester telling people that you feel a little guilty about what you did, but you’re happy now. You still seem selfish. Just like the rapist who just wanted ‘happiness’, he took something more than just sex. The damage to someone’s psyche and years of emotional trauma you caused on him and your child is what makes this so damaging. If someone is reading this and are on the fence about cheating or not, please just leave first. Especially if your s/o had no idea and did treat you right. You don’t owe it to them to stay, but you do owe them respect. The damage hurts worse than you could ever imagine. Just imagine how you feel if your new “love” did the same thing unexpectedly to you? Now add years, memories, special moments with your family and everything to mix. Likewise your spouse probably never thought you could do the same to them. Jriv says: August 26, 2018 at 10:26 am They will just understand the gravity of what they did to you if it also happens to them… sometimes cheaters will support fellow cheaters and justify their actions and some of their family members just accept & tolerate the affair.. I’ve been in that situation my marriage ended in divorce because of infidelity & my exwife got pregnant with her coworker. If only I could change my past I will not marry my exwife I will not experience tremendous happiness now with my wife & children because I know I deserve the best. Cheating is always a concious decision and it was never an accident it starts from the heart & mind of a cheater. September 13, 2018 at 2:26 pm I don’t care if this makes me seem bad but I admire the author so much and I am glad she left her husband for the other man there is no point in going to counseling if you two are completely incompatible anyway and you already know that. The author didn’t go to counseling because breaking up was better than staying married. I am not married yet but your story glorifies cheating and leaving for another guy so much that I wouldn’t mind following in your footsteps go you, you sexy role model! Jriv says: September 19, 2018 at 3:47 pm Why marry if you cannot take your vows seriously… why marry if you think you don’t want to stay committed to one person Why marry if you can’t see your future with him/her? .. and if your spouse do the best for you & for your marriage in exchage you will cheat on him big time wow just wow.. I hope some people will have even a little amount of conscience to know that cheating is wrong.. cheating is never justified ever. You can talk to your spouse if you do not love him/her anymore & get a divorce .. I think cheating is just for the cowards. Remember Be careful how you treat people What you do to others has a funny way of coming back to you. Comments are closed. Sponsors Hey, we're Offbeat Home & Life, the sister site of Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride). We're your home on the web for alternative home decor ideas, lifestyle stuff for weirdoes, and whatever the heck else we decide we want to write about. Offbeat Home & Life launched in 2011 as a sister site to Offbeat Wed (then known as Offbeat Bride). We're all about supporting you as you create a space in this world where you feel comfortable. This website isn't as active as it used to be, but if you want to follow along with our publisher Ariel's newest work, head over to Find Your Afterglow Recent posts How I’m using cute photo gifts to teach my son about the meaning of family What’s a death doula? (And why I became one) How to adopt an elephant I just got laid off what do I do now? Keep your fur babies close to you forever with pet memorial jewelry Sister site: Offbeat Wed Copyright © 2003 - 2021 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited.	61,132
Escape rooms are challenging games for people of all ages that are played in a series of rooms connected by a secret passage. The game is usually based on a mystery or puzzle and players must use their wits and courage to solve the mystery and escape the room within a set time. Some locals have even turned into “escape room parks” where multiple venues offer similar games under one roof. Since escape rooms are ideal for physical activities, it makes sense why they’re so popular with kids.With multiple uses for this type of entertainment, escape room games are fast becoming an ideal way for kids to boost their mental fitness and knowledge base! While adults may find these mystery adventures highly entertaining too, most people prefer escaping with family rather than beating them at solving mysteries solo— especially when kids are involved. Playing escape room games can be a great family bonding experience. It can be distracting at times as it requires close communication and cooperation between players. Kids usually have a lot of fun working together with their parents to solve the mysteries in the game. Parents can teach their children about real-life situations using the mysteries in the game, thereby improving family bonding. Find more about panic room here. Through this type of educational entertainment, players learn how to properly investigate clues and think logically to succeed in their quests. In addition, it’s worth mentioning that some of these games are also available for corporate team-building exercises or as part of an employee incentive program. Escape rooms provide an ideal way for families to spend quality time together — especially if they involve playing outside. Challenging Escape room games can be pretty challenging as players must use their wits to find hidden clues and solve puzzles to complete their missions successfully. Given this, it’s essential that everyone playing has access to sound physical health as they could get exhausted quickly while solving mysteries. For this reason, it’s advisable to play these games outdoors or at least indoors where there aren't any dangerous substances present in the building’s walls or ceilings. Players should also avoid eating heavy meals before playing as hunger and fatigue can lead to dangerous errors during gameplay. • Learning about the world using your wits and imagination is one great benefit of playing escape room games. Since no real details are provided in these games, players have to use their imagination while uncovering clues hidden throughout the rooms they explore. This trains players how to think creatively while enhancing their knowledge of geography, history, culture and other facts outside their usual sphere of influence. Players can even enhance their education by incorporating what they learn into regular school lessons or classes when applicable. Competitions Escape room games can be used for competitions too— whether it’s between friends or students from different schools competing against each other, there are plenty of ways this game can be put into practice! Players usually need access to several puzzles so no one gets bored easily while working towards solving all mysteries at competitive speeds. It would also be a good idea if competition organizers gave players enough food and water so none get turned off from gameplay due to hunger or thirst during long competition sessions. Checkout Best escape rooms in UK. The following are some of the things you should know about escape rooms for kids or family. While escape room games have been around for decades, more and more people are playing these fun games nowadays.	3,772
As Michelle mentioned in a previous blog, our Mom has asked us to blog about our experiences through this chapter of our lives. It has been 5 years and 4 months since our mother was diagnosed, and this is the first blog that I have written. I was starting my sophomore year at Drake University when I received the call of the impossible. Our unbreakable mom had been diagnosed with Stage 3C ovarian cancer and would be undergoing life-threatening surgery to remove the football-sized tumor in her abdomen. I was 1,200 miles and 3 years of college away from feeling like I had any control. I flew back to Phoenix that night. I was determined to be there for her and with my family. Knowing that ovarian cancer is a force to be reckoned with, I decided that I would leave Drake and transfer back to ASU. My mom did not accept transferring as an option and instead, offered a compromise. Throughout my last 3 years of college I flew home every 4-6 weeks. What an incredible compromise this was. It was important to my mom that I did not give up my college experience, and I could not be more thankful for her persistence. She gave me the sun and the moon; my family and one the greatest experiences of my life. Still, I felt helpless and lonely. I missed doctor appointments, chemo rounds, family dinners, family pictures and more. I missed three years of her story, three years of memories, three years of laughs. Fast forward to 2010. When deciding what I would do after college, there was no other option than to come home. I knew that this time was my time to be there for her. My sisters had each assumed a role in the treatment and healing process and mine was yet to be established. My mom and I moved into a condo next door to Nicole and Billy. Our time in the condo was the start of another chapter. We became roommates; companions. It was the first time I really began to understand the severity of my mom’s disease. For the first time in three years, I was living it. In January of 2012, my mom and I moved into “our” home. A warm, three-bedroom sanctuary equipped with my mom’s #1 criteria – a picture perfect view of Camelback Mountain. In May of 2012, my mom insisted on holding a graduation/birthday party that I will never forget. Like the superwoman she is, two days out of chemo, her main focus was not on sleep and rest, but to prepare the house for one of the most memorable parties we have ever had. In the presence of friends and family, we ate, drank, and laughed. It was the true meaning of house warming. There were many signs over the summer months, from all angles of the universe, that it was time for our family to make our way back together. If you have stayed up to date on the blog over the last few months, you are up to date on our mom’s prognosis. You have been riding the emotional roller coaster with us. You have read about the good, the bad. You have read about doctors appointments – some of which I was there, some of which I wasn’t. I truly believe that the last five years have been “easy” compared to the last 4 months…and frankly, the last 4 days. I now sleep with my mom 3-4 nights a week. I sleep, or don’t sleep, with one eye open and one ear perked. Maybe it was for my benefit more than hers at first. Either way, we are there. Every night I remain half asleep in anticipation for a bathroom break or a cry for help. We hear and experience the things that you all don’t see in pictures. We are having the critical conversations…the ones you hope and pray you never have to have. My sisters and I have each heard concerns from friends and strangers. They don’t understand why we are saying the things we are. They don’t understand what is happening with our mom. How could they? She still looks so beautiful. My only answer for them is that it is because she is beautiful. Inside and out. Our mom’s bravery and grace is inconceivable. It is her courage and strength that makes us strong. My sadness and fear for what is to come is beyond words. I am afraid of losing my companion. I am afraid of responsibility, of feeling lost, of life without her. I am afraid of the major milestones in my life that she will not be there for…my wedding and the births of my future children. However, I am at peace knowing that my sisters and I are all each a product of her. Between the four us, we will strive to achieve the strength, bravery, intelligence, sincerity, grace, and beauty that she exudes on a daily basis. I will continue to love and appreciate my mom more and more every day for the rest of my life. If I can be half the mother and friend as our very own superwoman, I will consider my life a success. Lastly, I want to thank everyone for your incredible outpour of support. Your prayers, thoughts, and words have meant more than you all can ever imagine. Your love for our mom validates everything that we know to be true about her kindred and compassionate being. There are countless families who have not had the luxury to share their story the way our family has. Thanks for listening. While it may be difficult to find the words, I encourage you all to never underestimate the value in a few kind and supportive words. Love to you all, B « Wake me up… What a beautiful journal entry Billie. I cried as I read it. I’m thinking of all of you every day. Love and hugs. You are such a brave girl! You will be so proud of your mom, yourself and your family through this journey. The outpouring of love and support you are and will continue to receive from each other and your friends will help you get through, rough as it will be. Embrace that energy. As difficult as it is, and believe me, I know all too well that it is the hardest thing ever, you will find the courage to see it through. I am sure your mom is so proud of you and your sisters, just as you are in awe of her. You sound like such beautiful girls, what every parent dreams of! I will keep all of you in my prayers. That was so beautiful. Trish Moran Beautifully written. Your mom sounds like a wonderful lady. She is fortunate to have you and your sisters to care for her. You are all so lucky to have each other. Your mom did something magical upon raising all of you to be so wonderful! She inspires me to be a better mother! Prayers coming your way to find the strength to endure all that is in the coming future. Beautifully written ms.Billy. You and your sisters received the love, support, strength and kindness that is your Mom….sweet Coleen. Blessings and love to you all. My heart breaks for you. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for sharing this journey. You know I am proud of you on so many levels. You are giving your mom the best gift she could imagine–showing her that you are indeed her legacy. Please know I will always be a champion for you. You are in my prayers. Like is hard, but God is good. Mary aka Prof. E I praise you B, you are moms ROCK! God Bless you, and cover you with peace and comfort. Thank you for opening your heart to us. Your mom, and her journey has undoubtedly change the lives of so many of us. I thank God everyday for bringing Colleen into my life. During my toughest times, your mom’s charismatic grace, hugs, and kind words always put me back together. You, Michelle, Nicole, Danielle, and your Mom inspires me in many ways. We look forward to hearing from you all often. ~ P.S. What special little blessings it is to watch the grand babies grow so quickly, Thank you guys for sharing so much of them. And I truly enjoy the ones that show Grandma surrounded by with them You are so courageous. You have been a godsend to your mother. I think of you often. Draw strength that you and your sisters have that indomitable spirit passed from your Mom, and will always have each other. Hugs Each blog I read makes me feel closer to you all. I am friends with Danielle, but I want to know all of you. Your mother did an OUTSTANDING job raising such great women. My thoughts are with you guys in this difficult time. XoXoXo Hi Billie, I was on the India trip with your mom. We talked a lot about ovarian cancer because I , too, have had it. Your blog is wonderful. It’s easy to say nice things about your mom because she is a special and brave lady. Please send my love. jen Dearest Billie, Colleen and your family, I want you to know that, although I have not written to you on your blog, you have been in my thoughts and prayers throughout this difficult journey. I have tremendous admiration for you both. You are truly amazing for your strength and courage. Billie, thank you for your beautiful blog. It was very inspiring, just like your mom. I don’t know how best to express my sorrow, but I do know a lifetime of wonderful memories and each other will carry you through the days ahead. With love to you all, Billie: You and your sisters are true testaments to a mother’s love. Your mother knows how much you all love her, as is evidenced by your amazing commitment to her and her every need. You will all gain strength as she has demonstrated strength. What a tribute to her and your relationship with her. Prayers surround all of you at this very difficult time. Aunt Kay When we are born each is given a treasure chest to fill throughout our lives. Colleen carried hers next to her heart filling it every day with the love of and from her beautiful daughters. Don’t we all wish ours could be like hers. Love to you girls That was an awesome entry Billy…..you are so special and have given your momma such perfect care. Les and I are here for you anytime you need us..thank you for letting me give you a hug yesterday. Stregth is sent your way sweet girl. December December October September August July June May April February January December September June May April October August November October September August July May April March February January December November October September August July June May April March February January December November October "As I look out in the future, I dream of a time when women of all ages will have a reliable early detection test for ovarian cancer and more humane treatment for those woman with late stage ovarian cancer." Colleen Drury 4340 E. Indian School Rd. At Colleen’s Dream Foundation, we feel it is important to raise money for research that will lead to reliable early detection testing and improved treatment for ovarian cancer. Because so little is known about ovarian cancer in proportion to other women’s health issues, we have an incredible opportunity for research and education.	11,260
Some great photos from our backyard wildlife camera this month...including a whole series of foxes. It seems as if we have helped create a rather welcoming environment to these critters...we're seeing more them this year than in all the last few years combined. 5 views0 comments Post not marked as liked Recent Posts If you liked our squirrel story You'll love this one--one of our all time favorites from NPR https://www.thisamericanlife.org/115/first-day/act-two-0 And just what you need as a couple of winter storms head into the Sierra. There a	557
We will talk about the psychology of sports and athletes with Doctor Michael Miletic. He is one of the few psychoanalysts currently treating active professional athletes. Miletic serves as a psychiatric consultant to the Detroit Pistons, several professional Hockey teams, and the parents group of the National Football League Players Association. Miletic himself was an athlete. He was even a member of the Canadian Olympic weight lifting team, until an injury cut his career short. Now as a psychiatrist, he counsels individual athletes and is trying to develop a psychological map of the jock mind. Guest Host Related Topics Sports Other segments from the episode on April 10, 2000 Fresh Air with Terry Gross, April 10, 2000: Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich; Interview with Michael Miletic; Review of Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd's album "Monk's Dream." April 10, 2000 The Boom in the Housemaid Industry. Essayist and feminist journalist Barbara Ehrenreich. For three weeks last year Ehrenreich worked for a cleaning service in Portland, Maine. She writes about her experience, and the politics of house cleaning in this month's issue of Harper's magazine. The article is called "Maid to Order: The politics of other women's work" (April 2000). She is a contributing editor of Harper's. Her articles, reviews, essays and humor have appeared in Time, The New York Times Magazine, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, and The Wall Street Journal. Barbara Ehrenreich April 10, 2000 The Old Magic is Still There. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Monk's Dream (Verve records), the new record from soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy and trombonist Roswell Rudd. This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. BARBARA BOGAEV, HOST: From WHYY in Philadelphia, this is FRESH AIR. I'm Barbara Bogaev, in for Terry Gross. On today's FRESH AIR we talk about the politics of cleaning with feminist, journalist and author Barbara Ehrenreich. For a short time last year, Ehrenreich worked for a housecleaning service cleaning the homes of affluent families. Her article about her housecleaning experience appears in this month's issue of "Harper's" magazine. Also, we talk about the mindset of athletes with sports psychiatrist Michael Miletic. As a psychiatric consultant to the Detroit Pistons and several pro hockey teams, he works one on one with pro athletes. Miletic says he's trying to develop a psychological map of the jock mind. And jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Monk's Dream," the new CD from saxophonist Steve Lacy and trombonist Roswell Rudd. That's all coming up on FRESH AIR. First the news. BOGAEV: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Barbara Bogaev, in for Terry Gross. Have you noticed how many people hire housecleaners these days? According to Mediamark Research, the number of households employing outside cleaning help has more than doubled in the last five years. The majority of these households use freelance housekeepers, but each year more people are turning to cleaning services such as Merry Maids, Molly Maids, Maid Brigade and The Maids International. This boom in the international housecleaning industry caught the attention of social historian and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich. As part of her research for a book about low-wage workers, she got a job last year on a cleaning crew for The Maids International in Portland, Maine. Ehrenreich's books include "Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class" and "Complaints and Disorders: The Sexual Politics of Sickness." Her articles and essays have appeared in such publications as "Time," "Mother Jones" and "The New York Times Magazine." She's also a contributing editor to "Harper's" magazine. Her article about her experience as a maid and her thoughts about the social ramifications of the burgeoning service industry is the cover story in this month's issue of "Harper's." In it she describes her typical work day. Starting at 7:00, she was assigned to a four-person crew. They cleaned five houses a day, with barely time for a convenience store pit-stop lunch. I asked her whether she thought going into this that she knew how to clean. BARBARA EHRENREICH, JOURNALIST: See, I thought, "Well, this'll be easy," you know. I'm, you know, actually, in real life, a writer and a journalist, but you know, I'm -- I clean my own house, always have. "This is going to be easy. I know how to do it," right? Well, surprise! You know, you had to watch these training tapes to find out "the system," and the system was incredibly precise, you know, that you -- I'll never forget it. In fact, I think I'll have a hard time shaking it in my own house. You enter a room, you start -- you move from left to right. Well, first you divide the room mentally into these sections, and within each section, you also go from left to right and top to bottom. And you never vary from that. Also, the way you move between rooms is described quite precisely. So there -- you don't -- you don't have to do a lot of thinking beyond which cleaning fluid you might be using or, you know, something like that. BOGAEV: And is the point of all that efficiency? To keep you from thinking... EHRENREICH: That's what the... EHRENREICH: That's what I was told by the boss. He said, you know, this was all done on the basis of time-motion studies. I actually -- once I got over my resentment of this -- was glad to have it because, you know, you -- when you're under a lot of time pressure, you might make a mistake. You might leave a spot out, or you might redo something, which would be even more tragic, I think. BOGAEV: So how sanitary is it? How clean is a house after one of these -- your teams was done with it? EHRENREICH: Well, when we were done, it looked beautiful. I mean, every surface was shiny. You know, we really -- it looked very nice. Now, I have my criticisms, though, of how actually sanitary any of these methods are. Very little water is used in the entire process, and I think this applies to the other large cleaning services, too. Most everything is cleaned with a damp rag. Now, that's -- that's really not going to do it. You know, when I got out of this situation and was full of curiosity about what I'd just experienced, I called some housecleaning experts, and they were fairly appalled, you know, because the goal with these cleaning services is really to make things look good. It's not to kill germs, you know, bacteria, viruses, anything like that. It's just to make things look good. So for example, if you really want to get your kitchen counter clean -- do you want to hear this, Barbara? BOGAEV: I think I've been through this before. EHRENREICH: I don't know. BOGAEV: You spray with a disinfectant, and you wait three or four minutes, and then you wipe it with a clean cloth. EHRENREICH: But you don't -- or you use a lot of hot, soapy water or something. But you don't just wipe with a rag -- a damp rag. BOGAEV: Well, you make the case in the article in "Harper's" that this isn't a good thing, it's not a good trend. And regardless of whether you have a cleaning service or you hire a freelancer to clean your home, it's maybe not such a great thing. Why is that? I'm thinking, as women return to the workplace, their time is worth more. Why do housework if it doesn't make financial sense, especially in a boom time, when -- when we're not thinking of saving the way our post-war parents thought about it? Why not spend the money paying someone to do something you don't want to do yourself? EHRENREICH: Well, you know, it's -- there's a sort of a slippery slope on both sides of this argument. I mean, you can -- you know, on the one hand, you know, you could say to me, "Well" -- and of course, we're used to -- you know, we're used to all kinds of low-paid people, you know, involved in food processing, stitching our clothes somewhere in the world. Why not this? But you know, it's a slippery slope on the other side, too. As you start moving toward being a servant economy, which certainly the upper middle class and the upper class in this country have done, there are -- there are costs, I think, and not only to the relatively low-wage people who do the work. I think there are effects on the family that is waited on. The thing that would go through my mind so often when I was cleaning is what about the children in this setting? You know, you'd walk into some teenager's room and maybe have to take 15 minutes to pick up the clothes and other debris on the floor before you could vacuum. And of course, fold each one of those items very nicely. And you think, "What's going on with this?" Well, first you're producing a kid who is not going to be able to take care of themselves, you know, clearly, but who also has a pretty funny attitude toward the world, you know, who assumes that things that they mess up or dirty up will be taken care of by someone else. And I would not have been happy if my children had been raised or turned out to have that kind of contempt for other people's work. So that's one of the things. BOGAEV: So you see this as a moral issue. There's a moral dimension... (CROSSTALK) EHRENREICH: Right, clean your own mess. That's my -- that's something I try to teach my kids. But another part of my reaction to this comes from having been involved in the feminist movement for 25 years or so. And our -- our radical vision in the 1970s was not that some women were going to go out to work and have brilliant careers while some other women came in and did that tedious work for them, but that men and women were going to share the work of the home. You know, the man you were living with, boyfriend or husband, were going to share the work of the home, and that no woman -- you know, no woman was going to get ahead in her career by depending on, you know, the relatively ignominious work of some other woman in the home. BOGAEV: I think it's interesting, though, that you point out that feminists such as Betty Friedan hailed hiring housekeepers as a big step in women's liberation, that it was demystifying the myth that housework is the woman's lot. So did she get it wrong? EHRENREICH: Well, no. Wait. How is she demystifying the idea that it's a woman's lot? Those house cleaners are not men, by and large. I mean, they're overwhelmingly female. What that says to me, though, about Betty Friedan's brand of feminism is something -- well, it's been said many times before -- is that she was really directing herself to the upper middle class, college-educated woman, and that her notion of the constituency for feminism or -- would -- did not include the potential cleaning person in that, the cleaning woman. You know, it was all, "Hey, we can get ahead if we," you know, "get these cleaning women, and don't even bother having the arguments with our husbands." And it doesn't say, "Well, what about her?" BOGAEV: Where did the momentum go in that bonding of politics and housework? And you point out that in the '60s and the '70s, there was the movement Wages for Housework, and being a feminist practically meant that you fought with a male partner or your housemates about -- about sharing the housework. And that's all faded out. EHRENREICH: I don't know. This is a very vexing question. There's some interesting data from a big University of Maryland study which was reported, I think, last fall. And they really examined the division of housework between men and women in the home. And they found, yes, indeed, men have taken up more work than they used to do. You know, between 1965 and the mid-'90s, there is some -- you know, some more equality between the sexes in the home. But that trend toward men doing more just seems to stop in the mid-'80s, you know, as if it -- you know, men suddenly said, "That's it. That's all I'm doing" or the woman decided "I just -- I'm not going to have this fight anymore." You know, "I'm going to" -- and there was, by the mid-'80s, much less of an on-the-ground, grass-roots feminist movement that was going to provide you psychological support in that fight at home. BOGAEV: I just want to get back to this idea that, you know, it's impossible to remain pure in -- in all areas of your life. I mean, I don't make my own soap or my own cheese. I don't -- not only do I not sew my own clothes, I sometimes buy clothes at The Gap, say. I buy my clothes there. Why draw the line at housework? EHRENREICH: I really -- I'm not -- you know, the point of this article of mine in "Harper's" was not to say, "Hey, fire your maid and do it yourself." It was to say something about the conditions of this kind of work, especially in the cleaning services that are taking over. Just as -- just as we have sought to understand what -- who's making our jeans -- and I confess to buying from The Gap, too -- and how can we pressure that company to do better, to stop with the -- you know, getting the sweatshop closed -- I think we need to know more about the people who do all kinds of work around us, even when the information is painful. And you know, some people, I think, probably do treat their independent freelance cleaning person very well. At least, many people I talk to say -- claim they -- they just pay extravagantly and are, you know, friends with this person. But I think people who -- you know, who use these cleaning services should -- should know what kind of conditions, should know that, in effect -- let me put it very baldly -- that in some sense, their -- their home doubles as a sweatshop during the day. BOGAEV: My guest is Barbara Ehrenreich. She's the author of a number of books of social history and intellectual analysis. She is also a contributing editor to "Harper's" magazine, and we're talking about her article, her cover story in this month's issue of "Harper's." It's called "Maid to Order: The Politics of Other Women's Work." Barbara, we're going to take a break, and then we'll talk some more. This is FRESH AIR. BOGAEV: If you're just joining us, my guest is social historian Barbara Ehrenreich. She has an article in this month's "Harper's" magazine about the politics of housework. It's called "Maid to Order." OK, in the spirit of full disclosure, after my second child was born, I hired a young couple to clean my house every two weeks. And I find that I make all of these really arbitrary distinctions about what I think is OK for them to do for me. For instance, I and the kids straighten up the house like crazy before they come. Some part of my brain just thinks it's not OK for people to pick up after me, but it is all right for them to do heavy cleaning, as if that's a professional skill they have. Now, do you find these kinds of conflicted feelings come up when you talk to people about their hiring cleaning help? EHRENREICH: Yes. Well, I haven't -- I didn't make a point of systematically interviewing employers of cleaning people, but when I have informally talked to friends who do, I think there's a lot of -- there's a lot of anxiety and guilt around this issue, and unfortunately, more in the women than the men, when they talk about it. I think it -- if there's any anxiety and guilt, it should be both men and women who share it. And yeah, so I think that -- it lingers from the huge debates we had about housework in the '70s and the idea then that housework was this -- this form of labor that united all women, right, except for the very, very richest, because we all did it. You know, there's some -- there is some tension. BOGAEV: I do keep reading about women -- women, I guess, and some men -- screaming at the help during dinner parties in front of guests. That seems to be a favorite -- a favorite lead in "The New York Times." EHRENREICH: Yes, I read the same story! BOGAEV: Yeah, that the nouveau riche doesn't know how to treat the help. EHRENREICH: Yeah! No, that's -- that's really appalling. Now, I never ran into anything like that in my short life as a maid, although there were -- there were cases of rudeness, what I could only call great rudeness and indifference. For example, we -- for some reason that beats me, management did not allow us to ever drink anything while we were working. Now, this was an extreme hardship. Part of the time I was working, it was still very hot, end of August. And you -- I said, "What, can't I bring my bottled water," you know? Hey, we yuppies always have our bottled water. You can't take that from me in 90-degree heat. BOGAEV: Why, is this because on the -- on the surveillance camera, the hidden surveillance camera, it might look like you're swilling gin? EHRENREICH: I don't -- I really can't imagine the rationale. It's some demented idea of professionalism, you know, that if you're a profession, you have no physical needs of your own? So you know, I kept hoping someone would offer me a glass of water, and my co-workers, too, if I was feeling generous about it, on these very hot days because, you know, I -- I would be just pouring sweat. This is much worse than gym sweat. This was -- you know, I could wring out my ponytail. I could wring out my braid, I was sweating that much. Only one time did anybody offer me a glass of water, and I was just, like, absurdly grateful to this woman. You know, but they'd walk by with their iced tea or whatever and, you know, they'd never think about this person or people in front of them who were just drenched in sweat, on their hands and knees on the floor, to say, "Would you like some water or" -- and forget about -- you know, forget about coffee or anything in this story. BOGAEV: I guess that's part of the allure of these cleaning services, that you don't actually deal with the people who are cleaning your home. I mean, you see them in your home, but your relationship is with the manager of the service, right? If you... BOGAEV: ... have any complaints, you go to them. EHRENREICH: ... likely to be a middle-class white person, so you don't feel -- you know, you don't feel that you have to deal across any gap of class and race. I mean, it sort of bothers me how uncurious the employers -- the people who use these services are. For example, the one I worked with charged its customers, the home owners, $25 a person -- per person-hour. That means the company was paid $25 for every hour I worked for $6 an hour and change. Now, you'd think, you know, somebody would ask, "Hey, by the way, for the money I'm paying you, the boss, what are you paying the women who work for you?" Or "How come they -- they don't get a break, maybe in as long as three hours? How come I've never seen any of them even run out to the car to get a drink of water?" No questions. BOGAEV: Cleaning really is just one example of outsourcing in the home. There are all sorts of services people are using right now -- personal on-line assistants, personal dressers, dinner delivery, landscapers. These are all kind of the high-end personal assistance service contractors. But I'm curious what you think the side effects are from -- from this trend of people not really taking care of the daily tasks of life and not really learning how to take pleasure from the daily tasks of life, like walking your own dog or, you know, cooking your meals or gardening. EHRENREICH: It's part of what looks to me like a kind of frenzy the upper middle class or maybe upper 15, 20 percent of the population is involved in. They work very hard. They work too hard. It's more than that, though. It's not just that they have a lot of work to do, but it's important if you're in that class to look busy. You know, this is kind of sick, that busy-ness becomes a mark of social status. You know, historically, if you go back, you know, through the centuries, leisure was the status insignia of the very powerful and rich. We've strangely inverted that. And I mean, one of the things I think that's sort of nice about doing housework -- and I'm not going to romanticize it. Some critic called me the Martha Stewart of the left, so I'm pretty careful about this. EHRENREICH: Yeah. He -- this critic never saw my house, obviously. But is -- you know, I'm -- it's not that it's a great psychological thing to clean a bathroom floor, but I think that what we lose is, for example, is ways of interacting with family members that are sort of natural, that are around doing something else. Now, I know, as a mother, you're not going to have a very interesting conversation with a child by putting her down in -- you know, sitting her down in a kitchen with some cookies after school and saying, "Well, how was school today?" You know, nothing comes of that. But -- but what I found worked for me much better, as a mother -- and I had to do it anyway -- was, "Hey, look, you want to put these clothes away?" You know, "Why don't we -- why don't we do this together." And then you're not, like, focusing on that child as if he or she were some kind of -- you know, was what you were working on. She's not the object of your work. The two of you are working on something else, and that's when there's a kind of a calm and ordinary conversation with maybe some very interesting revelations about what's going on with the child. BOGAEV: Well, that's exactly right. There's such an interesting shift in parenting going on. It used to be that you -- your kids were around while you did your work at home. And they joined in, and they learned things. And if parents aren't doing that anymore with their kids, the time ends up becoming all about -- exactly -- the child or about academics, at best, about reading, or at worst TV, that time is just something that you fill, that you don't share together in some meaningful way. EHRENREICH: Right. And I think this -- this helps transmit that kind of frenzy, that kind of high-pressure approach to life down to the kids because they don't see anybody of their social class, you know, actually doing some physical labor or anything like that. They feel that there's all this pressure on them to achieve, to you know, do terrifically on the SATs or soccer or whatever else. BOGAEV: Right, not to enjoy things just for their own sake. EHRENREICH: Yeah. Or even when it's not enjoying it, an enjoyable thing, even when it's a matter of this is something that has to get done. It's sort of -- you know, it can be slow, it can be tedious, but we're doing it together. And that makes all the defense in the world. BOGAEV: Well, Barbara Ehrenreich, I want to thank you very much for talking today. That was fun. EHRENREICH: I enjoyed it. BOGAEV: Barbara Ehrenreich is an author, essayist and a contributing editor to "Harper's" magazine. Her article about the politics of housecleaning appears in the current issue of the magazine. This is FRESH AIR. High: For three weeks last year, essayist and feminist journalist Barbara Ehrenreich worked for a cleaning service in Portland, Maine. Shewrites about her experience and the politics of house cleaning in this month's issue of "Harper's" magazine. The article is called "Maid to Order: The politics of other women's work." She is a contributing editor of "Harper's." Her articles, reviews, essays and humor have appeared in "Time," "The New York Times Magazine," "The Nation," "The Atlantic Monthly," "The New Republic," and "The Wall Street Journal." Ehrenreich shared the National Magazine Award for Excellence in Reporting in 1980, and she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 1987-88. Her books include "The Worst Years of Our Lives: Irreverent Notes From a Decade of Greed," "Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class," which was nominated for a National Book Critics Award in 1989, and "The Hearts of Men: American Dreams and the Flight from Commitment." Please note, this is not the final feed of record Copy: Content and programming copyright 2000 WHYY, Inc. All rights reserved. Transcribed by FDCH, Inc. under license from WHYY, Inc. Formatting copyright 2000 FDCH, Inc. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to WHYY, Inc. This transcript may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission. Sect: News; Domestic This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. There is perhaps no other profession in which the mind-body connection is as crucial as it is in sports. Many professional teams have a psychologist on staff, but the field of sports psychology is mostly geared for quick-fix behavioral therapy and performance enhancement. Dr. Michael Miletic takes a different approach. He's a former athlete who's now a psychiatrist, and he's one of the few mental health workers in sports who practices psychoanalysis. Dr. Miletic may spend years with a patient, slowly exploring their past, identifying the traumas that may have led to their current distress. Miletic has been a psychiatric consultant to the parents' group of the National Football League Players Association, to several National Hockey League teams, and to the Detroit Pistons. He says he's developing a psychological map of the jock's mind. When we talked last week, Miletic told me about the first professional athlete he worked with. DR. MICHAEL MILETIC, SPORTS PSYCHIATRIST: It happened shortly after my residency in psychiatry in Detroit, where I was called to the bedside in an intensive care unit of a National Hockey League player who had attempted suicide by swallowing a combination of antidepressants and sedatives and other barbiturates in a very serious suicide attempt. And I was called in by the family to consult with this very unfortunate and, in fact, life-threatening situation at the time, with the story and history that this was a man that had been spinning out of control for some time and had unexpectedly, to everyone, attempted to take his life as a way to get out of something that felt inescapable to him in his life. BOGAEV: Now, one of his biggest problems was that he had a signature slap shot, and he suddenly wasn't able to hit it, right? MILETIC: That's true. And that, in fact, was an early part of what he felt to be his decline on the ice, and he felt that this was a -- "signature" is a good word, because he was known throughout the league as having one of the most powerful shots and able to deliver it virtually on target each time. Symptomatic of some of his problems was the fact that he was unable to hit the net with the same degree of accuracy or any accuracy at all earlier on in the course of his decline. BOGAEV: Now, in your treatment of him, did you work on regaining this key to his game, his slap shot? MILETIC: There was not a focusing on particular symptoms with this man that I began with, at least. In fact, I began by trying to open up any potential and any possibility of talking about anything with him, rather than focusing on particular symptoms. Instead of focus on symptoms, which I was concerned might narrow the field of his mind, instead we approached it from a point of view of, let's open up the field and see just what we can find as much as possible. BOGAEV: After two years, you did have a breakthrough in therapy with this hockey player. How did the breakthrough come about? MILETIC: Yes, well, breakthrough, I think, was happening more in my mind than in what was going on between us, because things had moved quite slowly. I just sort of continued the same approach of non-symptom-oriented self-reflection and discussion and interaction between the two of us. And what we stumbled upon in -- probably a year and a half later was a very traumatic history that this young man had endured, a traumatic history consisting of his being ritually beaten, either with a belt or with some other instrument, by both an uncle and a father when he was seen as being bad around the house. These memories emerged without much emotion, without much affect attached to them, or given very little significance by him at the beginning, were seen as something both familial and cultural. And so what's the big deal, what's there to think about or talk about? But what I did was to begin to gradually explore the meaning of these beatings to him. And what was very clear to me was that as he would begin to discuss how he was beaten and taken through the different moments of these terrible times to him, he would link them in his mind to his hockey. And particularly what he began to do was to link them temporally to thinking about his slap shot and thinking about collisions and thinking about shooting the puck from the blue line. And what I began to think about was the possibility that this man was experiencing something of a -- I'll use a jargon term which doesn't exactly capture the experience, but something of a subliminal emotional flashback, that as he was shooting, he was connecting somehow the act of shooting a puck with being beaten. BOGAEV: What does that mean, to link, link an emotion, a long-past trauma to something happening now, to his hockey game? He would link them in the same sentence, or he'd switch ideas at -- what do you mean, link? MILETIC: Link takes -- the word "link" takes a lot of different forms. And in this case, with this patient, he would begin to suddenly and abruptly change topic and begin to speak about some of these abusive practices after he was talking about the symptom of shooting the puck and of what it felt like to be on the ice shooting the puck. I would focus him in at times on the emotion that he might be feeling as he was winding up to shoot the puck, and he would blank out, or stop, or stop abruptly in the middle of talking about this. I would ask him, you know, What's happening? What's coming into your head right now? And then he would begin to talk about some of the beatings that would have -- that had occurred. And what I began to realize was that when he began to feel in my room with me the anxiety connected with shooting a puck, it reminded him of the same anxieties that he would feel when being approached by his father, about to be hit. BOGAEV: So once you established this association, or you started digging, digging, digging up this association, did his game improve? MILETIC: His game began to improve, slowly and gradually at first, but in something of fits and starts. Now, what was happening by this time was that he would return to the ice, return to the game, and begin to shoot, and become more aware that he would beginning -- would be beginning to face these kinds of anxieties that, instead of talking to him about suppressing or pushing away at the moment of the game, I was inviting him to allow himself to feel the anxiety that would be coming up, to get more comfortable with the anxiety, in a sense, that would naturally be coming up for him. And then he would come -- he would either be successful or unsuccessful, somewhat sporadically. And then he would come back in to sessions or telephone me afterwards and talk to me more about what his experience was like. And so in deepening ways, we began to uncover and understand more and more deeply about what was happening with him emotionally as he was in the middle of playing hockey, and how much of this would -- of the exper -- of the particular experience connected with and correlated with earlier past experiences. So that once enough work was done, his -- he didn't have to think any more. He went back to being able to feel just in the flow of the game itself, and things became automatic for him again. And he once again developed -- redeveloped, reacquainted himself, reacquired the shot that had been missing from him. BOGAEV: I'm thinking that what's so different about what you do is that it's psychoanalysis. I mean, in general cliche, a sports psychology analysis equals paralysis, just do it, you know, don't think too much, right? You're supposed to be helping athletes sustain the flow of their game. BOGAEV: Do you have to fight that? MILETIC: Actually, that's one of the larger misconceptions about modern psychoanalysis, that it involves overthinking. What I'm essentially trying to do is to remove the obstacles, the emotional obstacles from an athlete patient that are getting in the way of him being able to be in the flow of the game without thinking. So in fact, I would think that what I'm doing differently is, instead of saying to the athlete, Just consciously suppress any kind of negative emotion, I'm saying, Let's open it up, let's learn, understand, and think about, in as much depth as we can, what the impeding emotions are, so that you can return and be even freer. Because this way has a more likely way of being able to really help you deal automatically with those impediments without worrying about consciously suppressing something that you might not be able to. BOGAEV: Have you treated many athletes who can no longer do their signature shot or move, as was the case with this athlete, make the slap shot or dunk the basketball or throw a strike? MILETIC: That's one of the major symptoms that people will come to me with, right. Part of what I'm thinking -- or of how I'm thinking about these kinds of things is that an athlete has particularly enhanced capacities to what I call dissociate himself or herself from his or her life in general. An athlete goes out into the court or onto the playing field and is not immersed, emotionally or cognitively, in the thinking about day-to-day life events, family, kids, investments, in today's world, endorsements, and so on. An athlete that's performing successfully can block all of that out almost automatically, but if not can be helped to be trained to block things out automatically, to feel in the flow of the game. And my experience has been that what's happening with these -- with certain higher-skilled athletes and professional athletes, that they for some reason lose the capacity and the ability to do that, to do something that helps them dissociate from the rest of their life in a way that helps them be in the flow. And this isn't only, I'm finding, limited to athletes, but it's also certain other people that are in high-pressure jobs, business CEOs, entrepreneurial types, surgeons, people that require that sort of intense focus and almost being lost in what they're doing. And when people feel like they're losing their edge, my experience has been that something is happening unconsciously that they're not fully aware of that's coming up in what I call bad dissociative ways, so that they can't concentrate, can't be in the flow, feel fogged out, feel blank -- like they're blanking out, feel that they've lost their aggressive edge. Something's happening in their mind to interfere with the ability to dissociate well. BOGAEV: I'm curious how much your patients talk with you about superstitiousness, or admit to it, or find it a problem. MILETIC: It's a large part of a player's repertoire. I think that prior to and leading up to a game can be a very potentially frightening emotional experience, that a player will experience as excitement or experience as jitters or butterflies or something of that sort. But what they're feeling is a sense of vulnerability. They're feeling a sense of fear. And they're feeling a sense of an out-of-controlness, that they need to somehow reestablish control over. And superstitions are often obsessive rituals or functions designed to help them feel more in control of the things that they're most -- feeling most out of control of at that moment. The place where that gets to be a problem is when the defense itself, when the superstition or when the obsessive ritual itself, begins to interfere with the preparation or the playing of the game. BOGAEV: So can you give us an example from your recent practice? MILETIC: A hockey goalie will come in at a very specific and particular time. He has to be the first one in. He feels a mounting sense of tension, nausea, anxiety, and excitement as he gets closer to the rink. He spreads out his equipment in a particular way, puts on his left sock before his right sock, puts on his right pad before his left pad. Everything is done in a particular sequence and in a particular order. And he pats himself and checks his equipment in exactly the precise order that he needs to do before each -- he can go out comfortably before each game begins. That's one of the milder ones that is probably pretty much known and well known commonly. Once he's out on the ice, there's a team ritual after the warmup, then, of certain and specific individuals just before the puck drops having to be in a particular order in front of him to pat him on the pads before they return back to the bench or to the face-off circle, so that it's not only a ritual that involves the goalie, but the goalie involves the other teammates in the same ritual. BOGAEV: Is everyone OK with this? (laughs) MILETIC: Very cool with it. (laughs) BOGAEV: My guest is Michael Miletic. He's a psychoanalyst who specializes in treating professional and elite amateur athletes. He's been a psychiatric consultant to several NHL teams and the Detroit Pistons. We'll talk more after a break. This is FRESH AIR. BOGAEV: We're back with psychoanalyst Michael Miletic. He specializes in treating professional and amateur athletes. Let's talk about a specific case in hockey, and I'm thinking of the recent example of Marty McSorley. He's the Boston Bruins defenseman who's accused of assault for slashing a Vancouver player in the head with his stick during a game. This is a McSorley player whose specialty really was his, or is his aggressiveness. He's used strategically by his coach, by his team, in that way. McSorley claims that what he did this night in question in February was no different than what he does almost every game. And it's raised questions about excessive aggressiveness, specifically in hockey but throughout professional sports, and raises the question where you draw the line. Once you're in the zone, in the game, are there different rules that apply than would off the ice? MILETIC: Well, your question covers a lot of different areas, from a legal to an ethical to a psychological one, so it's difficult to know where to begin with that one. (laughs) BOGAEV: What are your impressions? What are your impressions of the case? MILETIC: Well, my sense that I didn't hear the quote that you just mentioned, that this is something he does no different from anything else he does in any game, because from my reading, at least, of a number of quotes, he had been deeply apologetic and felt that this had been out of character for him in some way, as far as his explanation went, that a premeditated attack such as this was something that he felt out of control of. And what he thought was not part of his usual aggressive game. Now, I have not spoken with him, nor have I spoken with people close to him, so I can't know for sure. But my sense of putting things together and putting the events together, as I understood them and followed them, had to do with his feeling earlier on, both beaten up physically in the fight, but I think even more importantly, in terms of what might have provoked this kind of egregious act, was that he was taunted by the player that had beaten him up. BOGAEV: Are you often in the position, then, of -- and I would imagine it's a difficult balancing act -- of treating athletes like McSorley in a sport, hockey, which -- in which the norm of aggressiveness really is not normal, the norm is not the norm of the streets but of the rink? How do you help them then channel the aggressiveness or find boundaries on the rink to help them control themselves, to find a line that they're comfortable with? MILETIC: Well, I think that's an important question, because the entire game depends on that. The players were outraged that McSorley had broken the rules of the game. The -- his act diminished the game in the public's eyes. It wasn't seen as an isolated, out-of-control act by somebody who was momentarily troubled, it was seen as an indictment of the game. So first of all, the need to establish these kind of boundaries is essential for the players, for the sport, and for all of us watching the sport. BOGAEV: Well, what do the hockey players that you treat, how do they talk about their moments on the rink? Because they're let loose to follow their instincts, to be in the game, not to constantly be monitoring their aggressiveness. MILETIC: They're let loose to do that, and they in fact have to be able to channel that aggressiveness in order to perform and function well, which makes it an even trickier question and a trickier problem. But at the same time, a part of them has to be able to have some sense of boundary or control about themselves in the same way that the playing field has lines drawn around the border of it, and in the same way that there are boards around the rink. They have to be fully in the flow of the game and in the moment of the game, but part of them has to also be functioning as ready to take signals from themselves when they feel like they're crossing those lines. And for players that I treat, I by necessity -- who have difficulty in maintaining those boundaries, we have to get to the reasons why, what happens at those moments that they lose that capacity, that mental capacity to stay within the limits of the game. BOGAEV: Michael Miletic, I'd like to thank you very much for talking with me today. MILETIC: It's been a pleasure. BOGAEV: Dr. Michael Miletic is a psychiatrist in private practice specializing in treating athletes. He's the psychiatric consultant to the Detroit Pistons and other pro teams as well. Coming up, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new CD from Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd. This is FRESH AIR. Guest: High: Doctor Michael Miletic talks about the psychology of sports and athletes. He is one of the few psychoanalysts currently treating active professional athletes. Miletic serves as a psychiatric consultant to the Detroit Pistons, several professional hockey teams and the parent group of the National Football League Players Association. Miletic himself was an athlete. He was even a member of the Canadian Olympic weight lifting team, until an injury cut his career short. Now as a psychiatrist, he counsels individual athletes and is trying to develop a psychological map of the jock mind. Spec: Dr. Michael Miletic; Sports; Health and Medicine Please note, this is not the final feed of record Copy: Content and programming copyright 2000 WHYY, Inc. All rights reserved. Transcribed by FDCH, Inc. under license from WHYY, Inc. Formatting copyright 2000 FDCH, Inc. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to WHYY, Inc. This transcript may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission. This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. BARBARA BOGAEV, HOST: Steve Lacy is a pioneer of the soprano saxophone in modern jazz who tours the world from Paris and makes a lot of records. Roswell Rudd is a trombonist living in Woodstock, who had hardly toured or recorded at all since the Carter administration, until he returned to active duty in the mid-'90s. Jazz critic Kevine Whitehead says Lacy and Rudd have one of the greatest partnerships in jazz, even though they hardly ever play together. Their new album is only their fourth in the 40 years since they first teamed up. Kevine says the old magic is still there. Lacy and Rudd had abandoned the early '60s that only played (ph) Monk tunes. His music is piano-oriented, but their quartet had no piano. To compensate, they got in the habit of filling in behind each other's solos, to sketch the form or suggest a background or offer encouragement or support. Lucky for us, they slide back into the habit whenever they find themselves without a pianist. That's the case on their new CD, "Monk's Dream," with Lacy's excellent rhythm section, bassist Jeanja Gavanel (ph) and drummer John Betch (ph). Listen to how Lacy sneaks in behind Rudd on a blues at a perfect moment. WHITEHEAD: There's something beautiful about that Odd Couple combination, trombonist Rudd's blasts and bluster versus saxophonist Lacy's cool elegance. In the '60s, some modernists stressed the connection between free jazz and early jazz, because both featured collective improvising by the horns. Unlike most modernists, Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd had played a lot of Dixieland gigs and knew that collective improvising there is no free-for-all but observes a hierarchy of lead and supporting voices. When Rudd and Lacy play together, they may shift discreetly between foreground and background roles. Call it New Orleans counterpoint. WHITEHEAD: I wish more horn players showed the gumption of these fellows, stepping in each other's way like that. Many musicians consider it bad form to comment while another soloist has the floor, including some musicians bored by endless strings of isolated solos. Rudd excels at such kibitzing, and as usual, he brings out Lacy's earthy side. But Lacy set the mood by bringing along some nice tunes by Lacy, Monk, and Ellington. WHITEHEAD: Roswell Rudd doesn't sound bad here by a long shot, but he's not in absolute top form. And some Steve Lacy fans will not cheer the presence of his long-time singer, Irene Abey (ph), on two cuts. The CD "Monk's Dream" isn't the equal of Lacy and Rudd's classics, "School Days" and "Trickles." Yeah? So? Are they obliged to top themselves? No. Is this music plenty good as it stands? You already know the answer is yes. BOGAEV: Kevine Whitehead is the author of "New Dutch Swing." FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our engineer today was Chris Fraley (ph). Dorothy Ferebee is our administrative assistant. Ann Marie Baldonado directed the show. Guest: Kevine Whitehead High: Jazz critic Kevinee Whitehead reviews "Monk's Dream," the new record from soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy and trombonist Roswell Rudd. Please note, this is not the final feed of record Copy: Content and programming copyright 2000 WHYY, Inc. All rights reserved. Transcribed by FDCH, Inc. under license from WHYY, Inc. Formatting copyright 2000 FDCH, Inc. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to WHYY, Inc. This transcript may not be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission. End-Story: Roswell Rudd doesn't sound bad here by a long shot, but he's not in absolute top form. And some Steve Lacy fans will not cheer the presence of his long-time singer, Irene Abey (ph), on two cuts. The CD "Monk's Dream" isn't the equal of Lacy and Rudd's classics, "School Days" and "Trickles." Yeah? So? Are they obliged to top themselves? No. Is this music plenty good as it stands? You already know the answer is yes. BOGAEV: Kevine Whitehead is the author of "New Dutch Swing." FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our engineer today was Chris Fraley (ph). Dorothy Ferebee is our administrative assistant. Ann Marie Baldonado directed the show. Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment. You May Also like May 24, 2022 Remembering 'New Yorker' editor and renowned baseball writer Roger Angell Angell's writing earned him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, when he received a career excellence award in 2014. He died May 20 at the age of 101. Originally broadcast in 2001. Obituary August 17, 2021 The book covers King's Grand Slam and Wimbledon championships, the "Battle of the Sexes," her activism for women's and LGBTQ rights, as well as some joyous and painful chapters in her personal life. July 14, 2021 The six-time All Star pitched for the Yankees and the Indians during his 19-year career. He also struggled with alcoholism. Sabathia reflects on baseball and sobriety in the memoir, Till the End. Did you know you can create a shareable playlist? Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR December 1, 2022 'Monuments to the Unthinkable' explores how nations can memorialize their atrocities In How the Word Is Passed, author Clint Smith explored U.S. sites that deal with the legacy of slavery. Now, in The Atlantic, he writes about German memorials to the Holocaust. Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive: February 25, 2022 Frederick Douglass biographer traces the rise of a legendary abolitionist and orator November 17, 2021 '1619 Project' journalist says Black people shouldn't be an asterisk in U.S. history November 30, 2022 The Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist faced criminal charges in the Philippines after her news site's reporting angered government officials. How to Stand Up to a Dictator is her new memoir. Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive: January 6, 2021 December 17, 2021 Remembering Greg Tate, a culture critic who focused on Black music and art November 30, 2022 Maureen Corrigan's favorite books of the year: 10 disparate reads for a hectic 2022 Some years, my best books list falls into a pattern: like a year that's dominated by dystopian fiction or stand-out memoirs. But, as perhaps befits this hectic year, the best books I read in 2022 sprawl all over the place in subject and form. Here are 10 superb titles from 2022:	52,083
Role-playing games, like all games, are made up of rules. Role-playing games are pretty interesting in that a lot of the rules are free-floating ideas, existing only between the players or in a rulebook, rather than manifesting physically (in the case of board or card games) or electronically (in the case of computer games). Because of this there's a very broad swath of what rules can be, and what they can do, to the point where we often don't recognize rules as rules or, even if we do, we don't really understand what they do to our play. Rules in role-playing games perform two distinct functions, and for the moment let's say that they fall into two distinct types. There are what we might call "continuous rules," which continually shape our play process. Examples of this might be "I'm a GM; I control the world and the minor characters" or "you're a player; you control the character 'Christina'" or "before any knight has become a Veteran, no one may make a statement involving a remnant as a whole." While we play a role-playing game, we don't generally need to state these rules. They are engaged the entire time that we play. Alternatively, we can think of rules which perform immediate, direct functions on the fiction of the game. We might call these "immediate rules." These are rules like "when you act under fire, roll 2d6. On a 7+ ..." When we play a game, we do state these rules, because we need to enact them every time that they come up and then, when they're done, we stop enacting them. They are engaged only in specific, immediate instances. There is a tendency among role-players, particularly those who identify with freeform play as a thing, to classify immediate rules as "rules" and continuous rules as "not rules." Someone who says "we didn't use the rules once in the entire session!" is only referring to immediate rules: the only way to avoid use of continuous rules is to not play the game at all. There is also a tendency among rules-focused game designers like, say, me, to consider all of these things just "rules" and not to distinguish between them. To someone like me, "we didn't use the rules once in the entire session" doesn't make any damn sense at all: of course you were using the rules! You divided responsibility, decided what happened in the fiction, and so on. But there are important differences between continuous rules and immediate rules. All rules exist to constrict and guide our creativity, but they perform these functions in very different ways. Continuous rules tend to shape our creativity by establishing authority and limits to that authority, and then allowing a free range of creative output within that. Because they establish authority and its limits, they socially must be available to all people: there can't really be an element of uncertainty to them (although I'm sure, having said that, that people will come up with counter-examples). Immediate rules, however, have a tendency to say "this happens. Now what?" In general, they narrow creative output to a particular point and then allow expansion from that point. Although sometimes this is fuzzier (like in games which determine narration rights rather than game events) but it's a definite tendency among immediate rules. Whether this is habit, prejudice, or a true facet of game design I couldn't tell you yet, but I bet there's something to it. In terms of recent discussion on anyway, these types of rules have very different ways of bringing unwelcome and unexpected content. In general, continuous rules cannot bring unexpected content: because they establish authority, and must be known to all, there can't be content that is unexpected to all players. Rather, content is unexpected to some players, because anything that occurs is authored by one particular player. That said, these rules can bring about the unwelcome in a couple of different ways: first by using hidden information (where one player is allowed to author fiction-bits in secret, and then on that authority bring things into play), or second by designing the game around a particular social group (so, for instance, Happy Ends and the jeepform community.) By contrast, the result of particular rules (regardless of whether randomizers is involved) is definite and procedural, and thus much more likely to generate an unexpected or unwelcome result. Now that I've built up this binary, I want to finish the essay by tearing it down a bit. Although it useful to think of these as two different types of rules, they are more precisely two different functions of rules. Some rules function more commonly continuously, some function more commonly immediately. But, a normally continuous rule can become immediate, as in: "no, GM, you can't tell me what my character thinks. Actually, she thinks this." Likewise, a normally immediate rule, such as the famously deadly Riddle of Steel combat rules, can function in a game continuously: in Riddle of Steel players will go out of their way to avoid fights in way that is different from most other games. For another example, when in Mud Dragon I say to Tony "that's beyond your capacity, you have to roll for it" and we do, that's immediate, because it applies in this instance, and it determines a concrete result. But when Tony goes "hey, as long as what I do is stupid or pathetic, I don't have to roll" that's continuous, because it never stops being part of our play. So let's not please divide rules, or ourselves, into these categories. Rather, let's use this binary to look critically at how rules function in our games and our social groups. I've been thinking about "ambient" versus "acute" rules, which is, I think, the same thing you're talking about. They get at different things, though, really. Vincent & me have been talking about mediated mechanics (usually quantified mechanical procedures like "roll higher than your dexterity") which end up being "immediate" mechanics. But there would of course be immediate mechanics (like drinking from the bottle in Drunk) that are not mediating. (That one is a narrative cue that directly informs the fiction without having symbolic/representative cues that inform the fiction via human interpretation after weighting or "mediation" by those cues.) Yeesh, yeah. We could draw a line in a bunch of different places. I think this is a particularly productive place to draw the line because, to me, it separates "resolution" from "just play." —Ben These are what I often mean when I talk about structuring tools, too. A shared story you are playing out is a long, continuous fictional cue that guides the flow of play. Very different from the staccato creation of story through the interjection of bifurcated choices that immediate mechanics bring. A function of the continuous guiding form of mechanic or rule is also that they often serve to put everyone on the same page at the start, with a referent that all can look to, to keep the consensus of play moving. This is a major difference between traditional and forge/indie/nar games and the set of larp/scenario/freeform play that is popular in Europe: when you use chance based mechanics to create space for twists and turns for a story or series of events to take place, you create the possibility for narratives with more varied specific events. The choice to use a pre-determined storyline creates a different dynamic between the players and the game. US larp style play and European that is characterized by the extensive use of mediated mechanics have a very different flavor. Julia learned that when she brought our game What to do about Tam Lin? to Denmark. "What is up with drawing cards for our powers?" was a common response. Ben, are we agreed that there can be immediate mechanics that are not mediated? Jeep and others do use them, just judiciously. And of course, much of the continuous type of rule/guide/mechanic/structure would be content derived. Clarifying question: How does designing a game around a specific social group provide the unwelcome? 6. On 2011-05-19, Ben Lehman said: It's at a social level. So like, for instance, Happy Ends. In Happy Ends, all the characters must have a happy ending. In a lot of social circles, this doesn't qualify as unexpected or unwelcome. In jeep circles, though, where tragedy and misery are the rule of the day for characters, a Happy Ending is decidedly unwelcome, and thus brings with it the boundary stretching possibilities Vincent is discussing in posts early. Make sense? —Ben Yes! Thank you. I've myself been discussing the very thing you use in your explanatory example, but hadn't made the connection. 8. On 2011-05-19, Zac in Virginia said: I think another angle on immediate rules is that they both condition people to play a certain way and provide an opportunity for mastery. Continuous rules do that too, but if a continuous rule relates to genre trappings, setting, or suchlike, then it conditions us into a particular creative headspace, rather than into how we approach the fiction we're creating, say. In Polaris, keeping Hearts from dying til they hit Veteran status probably helps folks think less about risk-of-dying and keeps that from coloring their play decisions. At the same time, the setting material is also continuous rules, right? So it colors play decisions at the level of Color, rather than at the level of Techniques, yeah? Maybe? I think that latter group of continuous rules is what Emily is talking about. Another factor is that setting material, functioning as a form of rules, can be/is just as important as other continuous or immediate rules. It colors what we think about, what excites us about the game, what angle we have for characterization and what have you, etc. So it colors play decisions at the level of Color, rather than at the level of Techniques, yeah? Maybe? I think that latter group of continuous rules is what Emily is talking about. Yes. "coloring play decisions at the level of color" = "you can change people's normal social system with content" setting material has a continuous structuring effect. It's positioning, and becomes the material of fictional positioning when it triggers (mediating) mechanical effect—or has substantial effect on your play decisions even if they aren't mechanical. It colors what we think about, what excites us about the game, what angle we have for characterization and what have you, etc. Indeed, and some! These are no small potatoes. I guess I'm not sure what this distinction helps us understand, if continuous rules can also be invoked as immediate rules (and IME, regularly are). I mean, there are also "continuous rules" that operate only in a relatively short window. Like, say, in games with rotating GMs or different phases of play. The underlying assumptions in those games are not really "continuous" at all but shift over the course of play. Jay, I think your confusion has added to the discussion. Good call! Not only are there things that frame our input all the time, and in certain moments, there are things that explicitly change how they frame our input, over time. Neat! The distinction makes sense to me, continuous rules tend to be more higher level than immediate rules; one might say, "be agressive", when another says "this attack action has these consequences". In a fundimental sense both of those rules are acting via players, but the player has more space in the former to express themselves and improvise within the rule. Another distinction is that I can't really think of a definition of "handling time" for immediate rules. Play might take longer or shorter, but there isn't that mind shift to see what the game suggests. It's funny to say that of course, because the biggest part of interuption of play when dealing with principles, turn order, setting structure, etiquette etc is learning them. People don't expect themselves to memorise tables then apply them instinctively, but these kinds of mechanics are much more likely to be treated that way, in fact, perhaps they are used for most of the time because they are intuitively memorisable. This is hard to think about for me. I probably won't get it until I design a game. Check me on this, Ben. I've been saying of Apocalypse World that the resolution rules, the moves, are designed to work for only a second or two at a time, and then dump you straight back into, uh, the flow of play. By this breakdown you'd say that the moves are mostly-immediate rules, and they're designed to refer play back after only a second or two to the game's mostly-continuous rules, which are the players' and MC's agendas, principles and always-says. Sound right? Vincent: Yes. Jonathan: I think the distinction of "rules that occur over a moment and are exceptions to regular flow of play vs. rules which occur continually throughout a period of play" is a pretty good one. Even if you, say, rotate GMs, you usually do so over the course of, at the smallest possible, a scene. I think of this split like—if I can be a physics geek for a moment—waves and particles. Yes, the distinction breaks down if you look at it too finely. Nonetheless, it's a darned useful distinction. —Ben Oh and I should add: It's particularly useful for me because now I can see freeform in terms of rules preferences (freeform preferring people clearly prefer continuous rules over immediate ones), rather than just a set of cultural prejudices about rules or particular methods. —Ben So this would mean, let's see. A "mediating" rule is one that refers materially to fictional things. "Whichever player has the high card, that player's character wins" is a mediating rule, where "whichever player has the high card, that player says what happens" is a procedural rule. These both happen to be immediate rules (usually), but as Emily and I have talked about this, wanting your distinction, we've fallen sort of generally into a habit of mediating=immediate, continuous=procedural thinking. For mediating rules we've talked about resolution mechanics, which are usually immediate, where for procedural rules we've talked about things like "I'm the GM and you're a player," which are usually continuous. But this doesn't really hold. Check me on this, next: in some versions of D&D and its like, your character's alignment is an example of a (usually) continuous mediating rule. My character's lawful neutral, for intance, so I'm supposed to have her do lawfully neutral things. It's continuous, not immediate (except in its violation, which is fine), but it still refers materially to a fictional fact, and maybe to a representational cue if we care about that. Make sense? Emily, make sense to you? Ben: I agree that it's an interesting thing to think about, no doubt. I guess my issue is more whether the way you've put it here clearly describes what I think you're getting at. And that may just be because you're getting at something that's interesting to you while I'm more interested in something else, sitting near it. If we're cool on continuous rules occasionally being invoked as immediate rules (in Vx's example: "No, you can't do that, you're Lawful Good," say), are we also agreed that immediate rules can potentially become continuous rules as well? Say, for example, that we're playing D&D and I've tricked out my PC with all the climbing feats I can get and have magical climbing boots and have gotten my climb skill as high as I can get. I can climb anything with no trouble, no matter the difficulty, and so after a while we've decided that we don't have to roll or invoke a procedure for that anymore. Everybody just knows that my PC can climb anything. That's immediate -> continuous, yeah? And then, taking it further, here's an edge case: I write a custom character move for Lukas' faceless character, Trench, in my AW game. It says, "When you roll+Hard, don't actually roll. Just treat it as if you rolled a 10+." In the beginning, we're going to have to remember that and invoke it, just like in the above example where we might forget my character is a badass at climbing. But eventually, I would argue, it gets internalized and just happens, at least the rolling part. But then Lukas still has to look at the moves and pick his results, right? He'll get Hold 3 on Seize by force and have to choose 3 of the 4 options. So, unlike the previous example, internalizing part of the procudure (rolling) as a continuous rule doesn't get rid of the other aspects (choosing options) of the move, which still need to be invoked. Second question: what about, say, highly procedural "freeform" games like Ghost Opera or Mridangam, where freeform is more an aesthetic choice, creating a certain kind of game experience, rather than a preference for continuous rules? Could that also be operating in other freeform styles without calling it something negative like a "cultural prejudice"? What about just a "cultural preference" or "cultural practice"? I agree with what you're saying. I think you're repeating what I say at the end of my essay, with the examples of Riddle of Steel and Tony and the Mud Dragon. Right? As for the second bit, if you're going to claim that Mridangam is freeform but Polaris isn't, I'm lost again. But we're running up against terminological difficulties here: I think what you mean by "freeform" and what most other people mean by it are different things. I think if I showed Mridangam to, say, a random AmberCon attendee they would identify it as "weird" and possibly "narrative" but definitely not "freeform." —Ben Vincent: I dunno. I wrote this because I couldn't make sense of your mediating vs. procedural distinction :D It would make sense to me that they don't exactly align. Hahahah. 3x replies in my own thread here. I just noticed something, based on your example, Vincent. Continuous rules become immediate in the breech. I wonder if there's any other way of transformation. —Ben Ben: Yup, your TROS example is close to what I'm saying here. Just making sure we're on the same page. I guess I'm less interested in the distinction between continuous and immediate and more interested how rules move between being one or the other. You're probably right about freeform and the feelings of a random AmberCon attendee. Freeform still often equals "no fortune" in my mind, but that may be relatively unique. So Polaris isn't fully freeform because you roll dice. But Mridangam is. I've been trying to switch to calling this "deterministic resolution" for clarity's sake, but old habits. And Polaris, yes, aside from the die rolling, is an icon of deterministic resolution, with the ritual phrases. Mixed-method games are hard to talk about in simple terms, no doubt. Including Amber. Diceless resolution but complex point-based character builds, WTF? "Immediate in the breech" is sharp. The inverse is "continuous in obseleteness / internalization" which isn't as catchy. Help? Ahah! Yes, "deterministic resolution" is much, much clearer. I (emphasis on the I here) think that in general freeform means considerably more than just "no fortune." To my mind, Amber and Nobilis aren't really freeform, in their original state, although Amber in its GM advice (getting rid of the attributes, getting rid of the powers, etc.) is ideologically if not methodologically freeform. —Ben Ben: Yeah, I agree on freeform, actually. And Nobilis and Amber (and Marvel Universe and Active Exploits). Invoking diceless mechanics in the exact same place where you would normally roll dice is a strange in-between place in design, but it has its own aesthetics. I'm not a huge fan of resource manipulation as a strong replacement, but otherwise think its a fertile place to make games, especially for audiences who aren't necessarily sold on (or comfortable with) other kinds of freeform. My prediction is that immediate rules that don't use fortune more easily get used as continuous rules. For example, initiative in D&D3E. We don't normally think much about who is going to go first in the encounter, until the moment we roll the dice. Sure, we game that system in terms of what feats we buy, etc, but it doesn't often affect how we describe the lead-up to combat. In my draft game, Dungeonfuckers, the person with the longest weapon strikes first. As a rule, it's invoked in exactly the same way as D&D3E's intiative (i.e. as soon as one person attacks another), but it doesn't use fortune. The effect in play is very different. If you've got a shorter reach than them, you describe your character doing something other than attacking outright to initiate combat. Also, you buy yourself a spear. That's a super interesting idea, Simon. Are rules that are solely karmic and dramatic easier to internalize? Hmm, that's a strong possibility. Karmic rules would be internalized as heirarchies, yeah? While dramatic rules would become principles or something? "When things are boring, have a fight"? Wait, wait, one other thing! In my previous climbing example, watch what happens! The fortune mechanic ("roll dice to climb stuff") becomes a karmic mechanic ("my guy is good enough to climb most anything") and then gets internalized from there! Wow, that's magic! Now I have to write a game that does that intentionally: Fortune -> Karma -> "Yes." Oh I helpfully said exactly the wrong one for continuous vs immediate in my last post, I can't see handeling time for continuous rules. Classic cases of immediate rules are where the idea of handeling time comes from. Continuous rules; principles, turn structures and so on, are more learnt than referred to (ie it's about learning to do it right rather than checking a table). Wheras mechanics are more referred to than learnt, except that part of them that sticks in your mental model as "This class of situations will lead to this kind of thing via that mechanic", or however detailed you make it. Structuring of play by content would be mostly continuous as well by that characterisation, unless it's obscure setting history/metaplot stuff you go through to get an answer to a question. That's basically a form of outside resolution like a dice roll; no-one can remember what the setting book says, and it could go either way, but you can stop the flow of fictional events to check. Then bang, you have your answer, so you carry on. I have another prediction! I think that continuous rules and immediate rules complement each other, as do rules where you know how things will turn out before resolution (karma?) and rules where you don't (fortune?). If you know how resolution is going to turn out before you commit to it, it leads to negotiation and positioning and description, so that you get to an advantageous position. But without some uncertainty, there's never that impetus to throw yourself into the conflict, to commit. Jay, Regarding the climbing example, I've also seen this sort of thing in play where despite having low or no skill a character still comes to be regarded as good at the thing through repeated successful performance. Like, my character may have a low charisma and have no social skills to speak of but if I manage to repeatedly make high rolls and succeed in my social roll then my character gains a reputation (in the fiction AND among the players) as being a Romeo, or a diplomat, or whatever specific thing the social rolls entailed. Which in turn has an effect on when or if I need to make future social rolls of that type. Josh W. wrote: Continuous rules; principles, turn structures and so on, are more learnt than referred to (ie it's about learning to do it right rather than checking a table). Wheras mechanics are more referred to than learnt, except that part of them that sticks in your mental model as "This class of situations will lead to this kind of thing via that mechanic", or however detailed you make it. The distinction of internalized vs. referred to is right on. They form a background that informs play. It's this that makes folks who focus on the "flow" of play get so uptight about mechanical procedures. But! Principles, turn structures etc. are immediate rules, rather than continuous, I think. (Check me on that.) They are however, not deterministic, (or mediated—we should check our terminology here, are talking about the same aspects of the rules?) Jay W wrote: Mixed-method games are hard to talk about in simple terms, no doubt. I think we mostly have mixed method games, though. The use here is to be able to say more clearly how the games are functioning. "Freeform" is a thing, but it's misleading, since there are all kinds of structures in them that provide guidance, create tension, help form concensus etc. Part of the issue is that freeform is never really applied to games that are without structured. The divide the term describes is that between games which rely on deterministic/mediated mechanics as their core mechanic, and games that either primarily (as Polaris) or in whole reject deterministic mechanics. Simon C wrote: If you know how resolution is going to turn out before you commit to it, it leads to negotiation and positioning and description, so that you get to an advantageous position. But without some uncertainty, there's never that impetus to throw yourself into the conflict, to commit. Uncertainty, yes! How you get that uncertainty is the controversial thing. And what you consider to be uncertain: is it just outcomes that count? Or interpretations of character? Player experience? Consequences and prices paid? If one looks at dice as the only path to uncertainty, that's a narrow, narrow road. rules of play, anyone? I haven't read that section yet, but it seems right. :) Just terminology here. "Deterministic," as Jonathan's using it, means diceless; deterministic as opposed to randomized. "Mediating" is short for "fiction-mediating," which means referring materially to fictional things. An alternative to mediating rules is procedural rules, where the rules tell us how to talk, not what to say. Deterministic mediating: "whichever player has the higher strength rating on her character sheet, her character wins." Randomized mediating: "whichever player rolls the higher strength roll, her character wins." Deterministic procedural: "the player on your left says what happens." Randomized procedural: "whichever player has the highest card, she says what happens." There's a third distinction that's useful to draw, which is cued vs noncued. People use "freeform" to refer to qualities of cues or lack of cues too. ("Cues" here being things you can point to in the real world, like dice and words on character sheets and who's sitting where.) Dogs' traits get called freeform all the time, because you get to make them up for yourself. Ben's point is that on top of all these distinctions, rules ALSO operate both continuously and immediately, some primarily one and some primarily the other, but all in principle both. Great clarifications. I misunderstood what Jonathan meant. Continuing, mediated mechanics can be quantified or descriptor based. Randomized ones rely on quantified cues, or at least ordinal (Benedict is strongest in War). Mediation that is descriptor based is more suited to deterministic use ("the next scene is in Paris" in Doubt) but can be random or arbitrary ("pick a noun to help you describe the aliens" in Sign in Stranger). A distinction of most freeform styles or traditions is the minimization of quantification. And the use of arbitrary, human choice rather than pure randomization. (Freeform traits, as in Dogs or Over the Edge relates to that meaning, though its applied in very different contexts.) Is arbitrary human choice deterministic? Examples I'm thinking of are things like the choice of a partner in The Upgrade (the men choose a woman, not their mate, to be matched with over the course of the reality tv show)and the Devils and Angels scene in Doubt(again, the players choose whether or not to stray, pressured by extra-character narration from other players a la bird in the ear) on one hand, and the simple choice of what character does based on player impulse that characterizes all free-play, and most freeform style play. It doesn't seem right to call free play deterministic. Free play, establishing or simple resolution seem more accurate. Here's a way to look at it: How does fiction get established? By talking. What do we call fiction-establishing talking? Narration. How do we know what to narrate? Sometimes we use mediation, sometimes we don't. If we do use mediation, how do we know when and how to use it? Procedural rules tell us. Procedures can be random or deterministic. Mediation can be random or deterministic. Unmediated narration is neither. It's unmediated narration. I think that's the best label for it in this schema. That's my answer to Emily. More generally, I also think it's useful to think of fiction-mediating rules as existing inside procedural rules. "When you want to punch another character, you pick up the coin and flip it," is a procedural rule. "Heads you hit, tails you miss," is a fiction-mediating rule. I'd identify procedural rules that don't have mediating rules inside them by the label "purely procedural rules". That way we can talk about the random or deterministic nature of employing a procedure ("GM talks" vs "high roller talks") without conflating it with whether or not the procedure mediates the fiction. I hate "narrate" as a technical term with a hate just short of "shared imagined space." It's badly misleading. Fiction gets established by assent, in response to the talking, never by the talking itself. "Narrate" is responsible for some of the poorest game design we've done, and its position as a fixture of our games needs to go the way of stakes setting. I like your procedural / mediating / purely procedural construction a lot. That's useful. That post makes me want to spool up the podcast again just to discuss those points. Judd: Wow. A bigger compliment I cannot imagine. Vincent, gotcha. It seems like we need three terms: (1) for speech that attempts to affect the fiction, regardless of whether or not it succeeds, (2) for speech that attempts and then, through assent, succeeds, and (3) for speech that attempts and fails through lack of assent. It seems logical to me to have a broader term for (1), that (2) and (3) refine. Like, "X", "rejected X", and "admitted X". I'm having trouble finding a one-word X that isn't "narration". Game speech, play speech, and performative speech are fairly clear but unwieldy. Contribution, assertion, and input are convenient but unclear. Anyone got better ideas? Alternative idea: don't discuss the talking, just discuss the dynamics of assent. "Unmediated narration" would become "pure assent dependence" or some such. Sounds impractical to me—most of us tend to like talking about the talking—but maybe worth a mention. The problem's the concept, not the term. The term's perfect for the concept. People like to talk about the talking, but the talking is the part that doesn't matter. Please don't chase after this here! This thread is for Ben's post, not for my opinions about "narration." This is a great discussion. This is definitely more nuanced than my thoughts on Directives vs. Procedures a year ago (http://bankuei.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/procedures-vs-directives/) - in my case, my "Procedure" = Immediate here and my "Directive" = Continuous, here. < Deeper in the Game Emily, the way I find the distinction between continuous and immediate helpful to think about is where continuous rules are expected, part of the default rhythm of the game, and looking them up in the book basically means you've forgotten them, whereas immediate rules form break points, where you don't expect to have to remember, you look it up instead, or roll a dice. Rules appear as continuous when they're edges of a river bank, about pacing and rhythm and colour and general constraint, or as the parameters of a stage. An example: My dad drives in a pretty continuous way; like a racing driver he takes all the corners and lane changes in terms of lines, he'll start turning slightly before he gets to one and smoothly go round the corner. My mother drives straight, until she gets to a corner, where she slows down a bit and starts turning. You can feel the difference between the two approaches in the suspension of the car: When I ride in the car with my mum after not having done so for ages, I can get slightly travel sick, just because of the weird roll when she turns or changes lanes, whereas it's always comfortable to be in the car with my dad, because he treats the corners not as decision points but as parts of the rhythm of a long term path he is taking. You can basically blur together all the transitions. Turn structures can be the same; "I've done my thing, who's turn is it?" or they can be "Right it'll be me then Dan then Dave then Katie" You did some of the work on Monkeydome right? Well in that the turn system is very immediate, you explicitly choose the person who will be the main player now by giving them the dice, unless you start building a rhythm of passing the dice round all the players and then to the GM (or whatever he's called). The latter rhythm would be like the group making the rule more continuous. At the same time the turns are not very strict; there's that continuous roleplaying around the main turn structure, with the principle of giving the player with the dice space to do stuff and mainly supporting them. I'm itching to get clever with this stuff! Monkeydome operates pretty much entirely on the basis of mediating cues, in Vincent's terms; you don't refer to who gets to speak, you just directly give their character spotlight and tell other players not to upstage them. It's on the far side of "roll to narrate" engines, because it has the bareist hint of procedural rules. At the same time the dice roll primarily influences the tone of the scene, something that is normally an overarching principle. But like with alignment, it can be seen in this context as mediating. Mediating tone vs mediating events is curious. Curious! Emily: I mean deterministic in the sense of "self-determined" by the players (through choice) or "casually determined" (if X conditions, then Y happens) by invoking rules or logic (which is still ultimately a player choice, but of a different kind). Not in the sense that there's a fixed outcome. The term is still a bit problematic, I admit. In my mind, it's different than what you're calling "free play" or "establishing." I feel like I understand what Ben and Simon are saying but still feel like you (Emily) and Vincent are using terms in ways I don't fully understand. Guess we have to keep working on this communication thing :) It feels like we all have overlapping terms and language that we're comfortable with and aren't exactly on the same page. Above: it's supposed to be "causally" NOT "casually"! Taxonomies are easy to make and hard to defend. There's this whole other bit we haven't really talked about, which is rules which ask questions of the fiction, vs. rules which ask questions of real-life things. When this came up the first time I drew a little 3-way matrix with "Immediate-Continuous" "Mediating-Procedural" and "Fiction first-Real life first" as a way of classifying rules. Of course, as Ben points out in the original essay, all these categories blur into each other. The matrix was great until I tried mapping actual rules onto it, at which point it got very confusing. My two cents on immediate vs continuous rules: Every rule says some version of "when X, do Y." "When X" is a continuous condition, "do Y" is an immediate action. So how frequent is X? Whatever properties we might attribute to continuous vs immediate rules can be better understood as deriving from rules we use relatively frequently1 or rarely2 along the whole spectrum from constantly3 to almost never4. Well, it's easier for me to understand, anyway. 1-"when you Read a Situation, roll that move" 3-"when it's not your turn to talk, don't" 4-"when you try to brainwash a mosquito, roll 2d30" And then the issue of "brief dip into immediate rule, quickly back into continuous ones" is just a matter of the handling time of "do Y" (roll to hit vs roll hit + dmg + armor + shock vs take a vote, etc.) Is that helpful? Seems like this thread has moved past that stuff anyway, and is mostly about mediation and cues at this point... So much good stuff, and not time to write! Say more about deterministic, Jaywalt. Say more! re: DB. time for new thread? David, I think it's a bit of a wave/particle duality thing, do all rules for a game fit into the domain of trigger/action? Maybe, but you might not see your own behaviour in those terms when using them. So these two categories could refer to the way that people approach the rules, and the ammeanability for the rules to be approached that way. But I'll get back to that. Looking at things in terms of triggers, consequences, frequency of application and other stuff could be one way, one that applies very nicely to events like skill checks or random encounter tables. The thing is that some people like to approach their games differently, internalise them rather than refer to the books or sheets or tables. And internalised rules can blur into seeming like no rules at all, just a way of being. And there are certain ways of veiwing a game from that perspective, like "When your in there playing, does it feel natural? Forced?" "What are the constraints on creativity and the new avenues openned up?" I think the reason that designers couldn't address the concerns that 4e D&D felt "boardgamey" was because they put a lot of attention into how those rules felt as immediate rules (handelling time, clarity when disputed, seperate spheres of application, consistency) and less how they felt when internalised. (Collapsing mechanics into character decision making, variety of pacing in encounters, diversity of strategic objectives within a party, minimum energy and concentration levels required) Ok, I think it was considered, but there doesn't seem to be the vocabulary to express the difference between the continuous feel it has, vs the feel a lot of people were able to get with earlier games. To my mind that's one of the things that's useful about this kind of characterisation, for some functions of game rules, certain features predominate. Some bits of how they work really matter. And you can probably set up two different criteria for judging mechanics that apply to some mechanics more than others: Like I still can't picture how you'd apply handeling time to D&D alignment, except when you start having an argument about whether some character is following their alignment. That's when it appears as an object, as a rule, rather than acting more like an extension of your general playing of your character, and you probably go rummaging in a book to prove your point. Frequency of mechanic application does match up to something I think is quite important when looking at the game from a continuous perspective, the rhythm and energy levels of the game, the amount that you need to keep an eye on stuff, and the dominance of various different types of interaction/headspaces within the game. I'm filling out stuff massively here obviously, but I think it's better to think of them as overlapping approaches to a mechanic that it should be able to fulfill. I can pack a load of stuff into both characterisations, but coming off the back of reading vincent's threads about free play, I'm personally more interested in exploring the continuous side of things at the mo. On determinism, I have something: You know I was saying about my mum and dad's driving? About blurring through decision points or discrete moments? Well in strategy games, after you've played them a bit, you can start doing that even through there are random elements. You go, "right this will happen, and I'll keep about 50% of my units and I'll maybe have enough forces to take there". You make a sort of stretchy present tense, opperating over a larger time scale. Now those dice aren't deterministic to anyone; they do their thing and no-one in the game knows what that will be. But mechanics like chess are at least deterministic to someone; you are able to do what you want on your turn. But the other player is still blurring through the decision points caused by your possible behaviours, with the expected future getting more multi-state (there's a great word for that I've forgotten). If they're thinking ahead and don't know you very well, you might as well be a dice! Emily, does jeep style roleplaying usually involve a bit of churn in groups? Ie a few mutual strangers in each group? Because that would probably be one of the ways to help that feeling of possibility, without any random elements. 50. On 2011-05-25, Josh W said: Oh and sorry if I'm loading you up with too much stuff, don't rush on my behalf, take your time! I've got loads to get on with. Here's what I was thinking about last night (instead of sleeping): Rules can usually be broken down to an "if/then" statement. That's almost never the best way to communicate them, or to remember them, but for the purposes of this analysis, it's useful. The "thing" referred to above can: b) Happen frequently, or rarely The "action" referred to above can: c) Tell you something happens in the fiction, or tell you to do something in the real world d) Be very predictable, or very unpredictable I think that covers what Ben's talking about in this post, as well as Vincent's "Mediating Cues" stuff. Very often, if the "thing" is very common, and the "action" is very predictable, we tend to internalise the rule, and it's never overtly invoked. That's what Ben means by "continuous" rules. They become part of the landscape of play. For example: "If [someone is talking about something 'their' character does] then [give that credibility - it happens in the fiction]" That's a very common rule, which is almost never invoked during functional play, because it happens very frequently, and the action is very predictable. "If a character is going aggro, roll +hard, ..." That's a rule from Apocalypse World. It's almost always invoked when it comes up, because it happens infrequently, and the resulting action is unpredictable (in this case, because you have to roll the dice). Sorry I'm jumping late into this thread! Ben, I've been thinking about this issue for awhile, specifically as triggered by some discussions with Jenskot about 4E D&D, and you've explained it beautifully and succinctly here. The way I was conceptualizing it before is that recent-edition D&D gamers are actually pretty good at following numerical rules (calculating to-hit bonuses and whatnot), but not so good at understanding textual rules. Jenskot's big peeve, and one of mine too, is when people don't play with the "stunting" rules on p. 42 of the 4E DMG?it's one of the major things that can make the game feel less boardgamey. I think violating what you call continuous rules is actually much worse than accidentally violating an immediate rule involving dice values. The latter is easy to fix going forward, the former tends to lead to fundamental deformations of how the game is supposed to work. (The example of people setting stakes for conflicts in Polaris comes to mind.)	46,441
Notices of Meeting include information about the subject matter to be examined by the committee and date, time and place of the meeting, as well as a list of any witnesses scheduled to appear. The Evidence is the edited and revised transcript of what is said before a committee. The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of the business conducted by the committee at a sitting. Dates with dots provide a link to available publications. 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session (September 23, 2020 - August 15, 2021) 35th Parliament, 1st Session January 17, 1994 - February 2, 1996 Liberal 35th Parliament, 2nd Session February 27, 1996 - April 27, 1997 Liberal ACCESS 35-2 36th Parliament, 1st Session September 22, 1997 - September 18, 1999 Liberal 36th Parliament, 2nd Session October 12, 1999 - October 22, 2000 Liberal ACCESS 36-2 37th Parliament, 1st Session January 29, 2001 - September 16, 2002 Liberal ACCESS 37-1 37th Parliament, 2nd Session September 30, 2002 - November 12, 2003 Liberal ACCESS 37-2 37th Parliament, 3rd Session February 2, 2004 - May 23, 2004 Liberal ACCESS 37-3 38th Parliament, 1st Session October 4, 2004 - November 29, 2005 Liberal 39th Parliament, 1st Session April 3, 2006 - September 14, 2007 39th Parliament, 2nd Session October 16, 2007 - September 7, 2008 40th Parliament, 1st Session November 18, 2008 - December 4, 2008 40th Parliament, 2nd Session January 26, 2009 - December 30, 2009 ACCESS 40-2 40th Parliament, 3rd Session March 3, 2010 - March 26, 2011 41st Parliament, 1st Session June 2, 2011 - September 13, 2013 ACCESS 41-1 41st Parliament, 2nd Session October 16, 2013 - August 2, 2015 ACCESS 41-2 42nd Parliament, 1st Session December 3, 2015 - September 11, 2019 Liberal ACCESS 42-1 43-1 . 43rd Parliament, 1st Session December 5, 2019 - August 18, 2020 Liberal ACCESS 43-1 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session September 23, 2020 - August 15, 2021 Liberal ACCESS 43-2 44th Parliament, 1st Session November 22, 2021 - Present Liberal December 8, 2020 Next day publication 2nd SESSION Tuesday, December 8, 2020 [Recorded by Electronic Apparatus] I'll call this meeting to order. Welcome to the 11th meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on October 24, 2020, the committee is resuming its study on processing capacity. Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House Order of September 23, 2020. The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. So you are aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking, rather than the entirety of the committee. To ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow. Members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. You have the choice, at the bottom of your screen, of either Floor, English or French. Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. A reminder that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair. When you are not speaking, your mic should be on mute. With that we are ready to begin. First, I would like to welcome our witnesses to today's meeting. From CropLife Canada we have Ian Affleck, vice-president, biotechnology. We also have Dennis Prouse, vice-president, government affairs. From the Government of Alberta, we have assistant deputy minister Jamie Curran, processing, trade, and intergovernmental relations division, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. We'll get going. If CropLife wants to start, you have seven and a half minutes for your opening statement. Go ahead. Excellent. Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Dennis Prouse, and I am the vice president of government affairs for CropLife Canada. With me is my colleague, Ian Affleck, vice president, biotechnology. CropLife Canada represents the Canadian manufacturers, developers and distributors of pest control and modern plant breeding products. Our organization's primary focus is on providing tools to help farmers be more productive and more sustainable. We also develop products for use in urban green spaces, public health settings and transportation corridors. Last week, this committee heard from Mr. Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada. We feel that he provided some excellent comments and context for the committee, and some of his points are ones on which we hope to build and expand today. This study is a timely one, as it speaks to the broader economic challenges we have and the post-COVID-19 future for Canadian agriculture. Specifically, how can Canadian agriculture and agri-food act as a driver for investment, jobs and growth at a time when Canada will need it more than ever? Fortunately, a road map to this future already exists in the form of both the Barton report and the agri-food economic strategy table report. Both outline the tremendous promise of Canadian agriculture and how we are now falling short of meeting that promise. The Barton report, for instance, sets as a goal of having Canada as the number two agriculture and agri-food exporter in the world. Currently, we are number five. That's simply not good enough for a country with Canada's potential. The economic challenge post-COVID-19 is going to be making Canada's critical industries more competitive, and agriculture and agri-food is at the top of that list. The road to growth in agriculture and agri-food lies in replacing out-of-date and globally unaligned regulatory regimes with new enabling regulatory frameworks that leverage global best practices. These points are also being stressed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Business Council of Canada. For governments, regulatory modernization is relatively easy to implement in that it often doesn't require legislation or even regulatory change. Often, new policy is all that is needed. It also does not require new money—an important consideration in the years to come—and it delivers fast results. It should be a top priority for government across the economy, particularly in agriculture and agri-food. Regulators need to be given a growth mandate—as they are in the U.K.—with clear, measurable targets on regulatory modernization. Specific to processing and value-added products, we have a number of examples of innovations in the form of new plant varieties that have either moved to the United States already or are in danger of doing so simply because Canada lacks a clear regulatory framework for plant-breeding innovations broadly. A key example of that is products of gene editing. These are value-added products that could be grown and processed in Canada, giving benefits to both Canadian consumers and our export markets. In short, processing plants will get built wherever the innovative technologies hit critical acreage first, which is where they get planted first, and unfortunately, right now that is not in Canada. It's unfortunate that Canada is lagging behind many of its like-minded, science-based global competitors, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Argentina and the United States, which have found a reasonable path forward for gene editing and are already reaping the benefits. The Treasury Board Secretariat's regulatory road maps highlighted this as a priority two years ago. We would be pleased to talk about these examples in detail in the question and answer period, but we sincerely hope that, with the announced public consultations on the relevant policies slated to begin in January 2021, Canada can align with these countries quickly and put us back in the game. This is why the government needs to act quickly on the concept articulated in budget 2019 of placing a competitive lens on regulatory agencies. I want to confront one issue head-on. Whenever regulatory modernization comes up, there are instantly accusations that this involves industry's somehow skirting or attacking health and safety standards. That's not the case at all. Our members are deeply proud of the role that our technologies have played and will continue to play in making Canadian agriculture more sustainable than ever. This improved sustainability is not a slogan. It's a scientific fact. Farmers also care strongly for the stewardship of their land, and they are determined to leave a better environmental future for the next generation. Sustainability has been, and remains, a cornerstone of what we do. What that means in practice is that regulators acknowledge and embrace their role in helping to facilitate innovation and competitiveness for Canadian companies, all while maintaining their focus on science-based regulation and the health and safety of Canadians. This is about allowing regulators to focus on their core mandates by being more efficient and focusing on actual risks. Securing market access and growing trade markets will also be a vital part of our recovery. Canada consumes only 30% of what it produces, and agriculture and agri-food create a net $10-billion surplus in our trade balance. Protectionist forces, however, will be strong around the world in the coming months and years. Canada needs to work with like-minded nations to fight for science-based regulation, and against non-tariff trade barriers wherever and whenever they pop up. Despite our current challenges, we believe the future is bright. We have tremendous natural advantages and a smart, strong workforce. Give Canadian farmers and agri-food producers a competitive regulatory environment and access to global markets and we can help lead the post-COVID-19 recovery. Making this happen, though, requires bold, decisive action by government. There is nothing preventing expediting implementation of the road map that has already been broadly consulted on, and nothing preventing starting today. Thank you. We'd welcome any questions the committee might have. The Chair: Thank you very much, Mr. Prouse. Now we'll hear from Mr. Jamie Curran, assistant deputy minister, from the Government of Alberta. Go ahead, Mr. Curran. You have seven and a half minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food and to be part of the committee's study of processing capacity. I'm happy to provide some input on how the Alberta government is working to expand value-added agriculture and agri-food processing capacity in the province, and identify some opportunities and challenges for this important sector. Alberta has also expressed support for the six agri-food sector recommendations of the Barton commission report of 2017, supporting the position that expanding world populations, a rising protein demand in Asia and a need for safe, reliable markets gives Canada and Alberta the opportunity to become trusted global leaders in safe, nutritious and sustainable food in the 21st century. Alberta is well positioned to help feed the growing global demand for food. We are an export-driven province producing significantly more food than we consume. Agriculture and food processing directly employs more than 77,000 Albertans and creates thousands of indirect jobs. A robust, diverse and thriving agri-food processing industry is essential to our provincial and national economy. Under Alberta's recovery plan, economic diversification is a key objective. The agriculture sector and agri-food processing in particular are expected to play a significant role in our province's post-pandemic economic recovery, and we're investing in agriculture as a key element of Alberta's recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed that the strength of the entire food supply chain is only as good as the strength of each segment of the chain. Early on in our pandemic response, we identified agriculture and food processing as an essential service to ensure continuous operation of Alberta's food supply chain. We partnered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to increase the food inspector capacity, ensuring that our provincial inspectors had the know-how to step in if additional federal inspectors were needed. In April, through the Canadian agricultural partnership and Labour and Immigration's workforce development agreement with the Government of Canada, we developed a new agriculture training support program to help employers in the food supply chain provide training. This helps ensure the security and sustainability of our food system and is helping to chip away at the increased unemployment that COVID-19 has caused in our province. Access to capital is another important factor in enabling more food businesses to expand and diversify. Alberta supports Farm and Food Development Canada's capital lending increase by up to $5 billion per year, and in Alberta, Agriculture Financial Services Corporation has also increased its lending portfolio and streamlined the process to get capital into the hands of agri-food businesses quickly and efficiently. Building agri-food processing capacity is a major focus for Alberta. In about half our provinces, agri-food exports consist of primary agricultural products. The proportion of raw commodity exports is much higher for crops: 97% for wheat, more than 60% of canola, more than 50% of barley and almost all pulse exports. Processing more of these commodities in Alberta to generate additional value and create jobs inside the province is incredibly important. Expanding value-added processing will help build a resilient primary agriculture as well, reducing our sector's reliance on global commodity markets that are prone to market instabilities. Processed products are subject to fewer trade barriers than primary agricultural commodities. The Food Processing Development Centre and Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator in Leduc support value-added agri-food business development and are an example of the Alberta government's long-term, continuing support for value-added agriculture in the province. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry also operates the Bio Processing Innovation Centre, which provides product development and scale-up supports for things like fibre decortication and grain fractionation. With a natural health product licence from Health Canada, the facility can also work with cosmetics, personal care products and natural health products. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has announced an aggressive investment and growth strategy to attract investment to our province to build and expand value-added processing capacity and create thousands of jobs over the next four years. We set ambitious targets of attracting $1.4 billion in investment over the next four years, growth of 7.5% per year for primary agriculture exports and growth of 8.5% per year for value-added agriculture exports. The increased investment will directly benefit producers and bolster Alberta's entire economy. To help us hit those targets, new agriculture-specific investment officers will join our international offices in Mexico City, Singapore, United States and the European Union, doubling our international presence. Securing and improving market access is a critical element of expanding Alberta's value-added processing capacity. A favourable investment environment is key to this investment and export strategy, through low business taxes and red tape reduction, among other measures. The regulatory environment has been a significant factor in limiting processing growth in Canada and Alberta. Modernizing, aligning and eliminating overlaps and gaps in Canada's regulatory framework is crucial to reducing barriers to interprovincial and international trade. As a co-champion and chair of the regulatory agility subcommittee, Alberta foresees continued collaboration on finalizing the regulatory excellence initiative. A clean, streamlined regulatory food safety framework would benefit both new and existing processors. Over the past three year years, Alberta spent on average $328 million on BRM programming each year and remains committed to finding more effective ways to support Alberta. At the last FPT conference, it was good to see that long-term options were explored as alternatives to AgriStability to drive predictable, timely and equitable support for the agricultural community. Alberta continues to support funding to AgriInsurance and is opposed to any potential reduction in federal funding. Our province also acknowledges the importance of immediate, short-term agriculture support provided through AgriRecovery. A good example of AgriRecovery in action was the Alberta government's introduction of the fed cattle set-aside program in the spring to help the industry mitigate processing disruptions from COVID-19. In Alberta, we look forward to reviewing the findings of the committee on food processing capacity in Canada in the near future. Alberta hopes the study will contain enough provincial content addressing unique challenges and potential solutions. Thank you again for the opportunity. The Chair: Thank you very much. With that, we'll go directly to our question round. We will start with Ms. Lianne Rood, for six minutes. Ms. Lianne Rood (Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC): Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to all of the witnesses for appearing here today. Mr. Prouse, I'm glad you decided to bring up regulatory approvals. I want to ask you about producers who supply processors and their ability to bring products to new markets. You did touch on that. It is my understanding that Canadian innovators of new crops and varieties find it really difficult to receive regulatory approvals in Canada. Could you tell us about the innovators and the products they have recently attempted to bring to market in Canada? I'm actually going to punt this question over to my colleague, Ian Affleck. Ian is our vice-president of biotechnology, and he's had direct experience with a number of these products. Thank you, and thank you to the committee for having us here today. Excuse me if I get a little impassioned with the answer. I grew up on a potato farm in P.E.I. and studied plant breeding at the University of Guelph, so new plant varieties are probably more exciting to me than many. There are a lot of examples of where new varieties could have come to market in Canada and then didn't. Linking back to what Dennis said in his opening statement and how this relates to processing capacity, I'm sure you've heard from many folks about what it takes to get a processing plant built and how you create an environment that is ripe for investment in this space, but part of that is that you have the product to process in your country that is desired by the person investing in the plant. I can give you a couple of examples of where opportunities have passed us by. Recently, a company working out of Saskatchewan, Yield10, developed four canola varieties with a higher oil content. This is a great processing opportunity and it has benefits for more than just the processor. The farmers are getting more oil per acre, so their greenhouse and carbon footprint is going down. Their farm gate values are going up, and also, then, a processor is able to produce canola oil more efficiently because they're crushing less canola per minute to get the same amount of oil. What that comes back to is that it helps the processor decide that Canada is where they're going to put their capital investment. Unfortunately, they've taken those varieties to the United States first. Those are new canola varieties developed in Canada and commercialized in the U.S. first. As that gets to critical mass acreage and you're a processing company trying to decide where you're going to build that plant, things are leaning in the direction of the other jurisdiction. We have other examples that follow along. Coming to future examples, the protein industry supercluster has invested $30 million in some high-protein varieties that are really exciting and have a lot of opportunity for Canada, but if we don't have a clear pathway to commercialization in Canada, you could also see those be commercialized elsewhere. There's a high-oil soybean in the United States developed by Calyxt, and we still don't have approvals for that in Canada. More so than just getting the approvals, it's the idea that they're needed at all for certain products in Canada. In many countries, the standard food safety requirements are all that is needed and no special reviews of these new products. While at times we talk about gene editing, which is the interesting and exciting new kid on the block for technology, this is really about plant breeding at large, and the plant breeding industry in Canada has seen the impact of our regulatory system over the years. We're falling behind the rest of the world. If we can catch up, if we can make Canada competitive for new varieties that are either specialty for processing or provide the farmer the ability to produce that variety more efficiently per acre, more sustainably per acre and with higher value per acre, it just continues to create the environment where building processing capacity continues to make more and more sense. I hope that responds to your question. Sure. You touched on this already and you named a couple of different companies looking for regulatory approvals. What is the experience of getting those regulatory approvals in Canada, and do you have a suggestion on how the Government of Canada should be facilitating regulatory approvals for companies such a this? Could you maybe touch on what the future is of product research in Canada without the reform of those regulatory processes? Thank you for that. You're hitting on the key point there. What do we do moving forward? Plant breeding is at a crossroads. We've demonstrated through surveys of plant breeders that have been published through the University of Saskatchewan the impact this has had on our ability to bring new varieties to market and how we move forward in a way that makes Canada both interesting for R and D investment and then commercialization. As Dennis mentioned, we're seeing global regulatory trends in Argentina, Australia and Japan that have detailed regulatory approaches and that are very amenable to innovation. We need to catch up with those science-based, risk-based regulatory trends. As Dennis said, we hope there's an opportunity here for Canada. CFIA and Health Canada have both announced public consultations on revised models, starting in January. Here's a real opportunity for us to prepare our regulatory system, our programs, for the next 20 years of plant breeding innovation so that we can continue to see the great successes we've seen in canola and soybean over the last 20 years. The answers are there. They've been followed by other countries in the last five years, and looking at those models and integrating them into Canada is how we'll be able to maintain safety and risk base but also be competitive with other jurisdictions. The Chair: Thank you, Mr. Affleck, and thank you, Ms. Rood. Thank you very much. The Chair: Now we go to Mr. Blois for six minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank our witnesses for their testimony today. I'll start with Mr. Prouse, or perhaps Mr. Affleck, in relation to regulatory reform. I think this will be important writ large, beyond agriculture, in the days ahead. We'll probably have challenges on the fiscal framework on the other side of the pandemic, and we will have to look at creative ways to help drive economic activity. You mentioned, of course, trying to clarify or create a regulatory pathway. What does that look like right now? I understand that other countries look at processing, at the actual tools you are using, the gene editing tools, and Canada looks at the end product and whether or not it's safe. Can you quickly explain a bit about that? “Quickly” is the tough part. This is getting into the science, which I'm far too excited by. You're right. Canada set the right process at the beginning, 25 years ago. It's the product that matters and not the process, but it's the implementation of that regulatory theory that is so important in the policy interpretation of our regulations. As Dennis mentioned, we don't need to throw out regulations and change them to new ones. We just need to look at the risk and the science supplied by other countries and integrate it into our already robust regulatory framework. It's a departure from some of the ways we've looked at things in the past, but it does fit. We can move there. We've seen, even in the last year, that the number of countries taking these new models, and I would say actually starting to do the product-based approach better than us, is increasing. This is our chance to show the world that we know how to do it. Just quickly, which act and regulations? Perhaps you can table that, if you don't know offhand. At Health Canada it's the novel foods regulations. At CFIA it's the seeds regulations and the feeds regulations. Those are the three that are key. It's policy interpretation that is really needed. Thank you. I'd like to go to Mr. Curran with the department of agriculture in Alberta. I really appreciated your testimony in terms of the work your province is doing to attract and to cultivate that culture of bringing innovation and some of the value added to the province. Can you talk about the incubator? Is that something that's driven by government? Is it a partnership not unlike the protein cluster we saw in western Canada? Can you quickly elaborate on what that looks like? It's a government asset located in Leduc, Alberta. It is certainly a partnership with industry and our food processing community, where we help develop products and help scale and commercialize products in both bioindustrials and food. It's been around in Alberta for many years, over 20 or 30 years. Certainly, many successes have come out of it, but it's a long-term application of trying to commercialize processing in the province. Is some of the success that Alberta has had that, when you speak with industry stakeholders, they point to this particular investment as being key to bringing some of their focus to your jurisdiction? For sure. We have specific examples of where industry has grown and created several jobs in testimonials for this specific tool. You mentioned some of the individuals who will be working in your international offices with the Alberta government. Beyond the incubator in Leduc, what are the selling points or what are these individuals doing to try to attract in Alberta? Beyond that, what are some other policy initiatives you've done to try to meet that goal of $1.4 billion that you mentioned in your testimony? With respect to the international offices, they're going to be in-market professionals. They have an understanding of the market conditions and have relationships in the business community. They will be able to foster and sell the attributes of the province to the world. With this addition, we'll have a presence of up to eight international offices. They will be located with the new investment agency in Alberta. There will be a strong interplay between the investment agency and ourselves. In terms of policy applications, in addition to our macroeconomic policies around red tape reduction and a low-tax environment, we have made significant investment into our irrigation infrastructure. There was a recent announcement to enable high-quality supplies for grower irrigated acres. We then have, through the Canadian agriculture partnership, programming for value-added that will help work for the expansion and growth of those 600 companies that exist in Alberta and support our overall growth objectives for the province. Okay. I think it's important to note the partnership that exists between the federal and provincial governments. You mentioned it. Of course, this is more downstream, but it has knock-on effects to the processing capability, which is BRM. We just got a study on that. You brought it up, so I'll quickly mention it. Minister Bibeau has put on record her willingness to improve certain aspects, particularly around the reference margin limits and the compensation amount. Is that something the Alberta government is looking at? I apologize for interrupting you, Mr. Blois. Mr. Chair, the interpretation is no longer working. The Chair: Could we check the interpretation service, please? Do you want me to keep talking, Pat, so that we can see if they can do the translation? The Chair: Is it working, Mr. Perron? Could you repeat your last question, Mr. Blois? Mr. Chair, could you roll back the time on the clock? The Chair: Okay. Try it again, Kody. I'm happy to ask it. I have about 45 seconds on my clock. I just want to make sure that's about what you have. The Chair: Yes, that's about it. We stopped the clock. Okay. I'll quickly ask my question. We talked about business risk management programs. Minister Bibeau, after the conference between her ministers, had talked about making improvements around reference margin limits and the compensation amount. You just talked about the importance. Is that something the government is looking at, at the provincial level, to be able to improve these programs? The province has committed to looking at long-term reform, not short-term reform. Okay. I appreciate that. The last thing I'll mention—and I might not be able to get it out in my 20 seconds left—will be to the gentleman with CropLife. You talked about the different plant breeding aspects and how some of the canola crops went to the United States. Obviously, yes, there's probably room on regulatory reform. Is that also just due to the bigger consumer market? How much has that been happening in the past just because of the size and scale of the consumer market? I'll stop, Pat. Thanks. The Chair: Thank you. I'll have to stop you there, but hold that question. Perhaps you'll have a chance, Mr. Affleck, to answer it with another member. We'll continue with Mr. Perron for six minutes. You have the floor. I will allow Mr. Curran to respond quickly to Mr. Blois' question, because I'm interested in what he has to say. The Chair: Was that question for Mr. Curran or Mr. Affleck? I don't know. The Chair: I believe the question was for Mr. Affleck. Thank you. I would say that the opposite applies, where it would make more sense to commercialize in Canada because there's more acreage for canola here. That's where you would want to commercialize. For small and medium-sized enterprises, they need to get that commodity into a marketplace and start returning investment. It's what pushes it into the U.S. first, and then Canada will get it once we figure out how to get it through. It might not even need any approvals in Canada. It's too opaque. You have your product. You have to get it in the field somewhere and you get it in the field where you can. The North American consumer market is basically one market. Canada has the advantage in canola, when it comes to acreage, to get it into the field. Yes, I would say, Mr. Blois, really quickly, that's why we're so passionate about this subject. Canola is ours. That is a triumph of Canadian agriculture and Canadian biotech. The regulations that were first in place in the mid-nineties allowed that industry to flourish. Now they need a reset, which is to Ian's point. I had not thanked the witnesses for being here, because I wanted to hear the answer to Mr. Blois' question. I would therefore now like to thank all the witnesses for their time and for making themselves available. You spoke about regulations to be amended. If you had one specific aspect in mind that needed changing, what would it be? You're giving evidence before a committee that can have an influence on the government. What would your recommendations be? What we're seeing globally as a regulatory trend is that, instead of saying if things are inside and outside of ranges, which is very vague.... That's the problem. People aren't sure what they have to do in Canada so they go to places where they are sure. The global regulatory trend is this: Are you working inside of the genome of a plant, or are you bringing things in that are outside of the genome? Are you working with the DNA that's already in the plant or are you bringing in some new DNA? If you're bringing in new DNA, there's more oversight. If you're not, if you're just doing conventional breeding, onwards you go. That's the competitive space we're in. On that specific canola example, they look like conventional breeding. They were not regulated anywhere else in the world, so they moved to those jurisdictions. I understand from your response that the regulations are not precise enough. We might do well to more clearly identify which constituents have been genetically modified. Should these be more highly regulated? I'd like to have some details about this. Yes, it's understanding what a plant is capable of and using that as a barometer of when you need to look and when you don't. Other countries are lining up behind that. Europe published their food safety report two weeks ago that said gene editing provides no additional risk above conventional breeding. We need not only to be clear and more precise, but we need to update ourselves, as Dennis said, to the modern state of the science that the rest of the world is kind of beating us to. This is the opportunity we see in front of us with the consultations coming in January. What would you say to the movements demanding clearer identification of GMOs? I assume this would not be a problem for you. I think, if you're speaking of labelling specifically, of how we label products, it's important to preserve the Canadian approach that we mandatorily label for food and safety issues: food, nutrition and safety. Once you move to consumer preference issues, then you're no longer preserving that integrity of health and safety as your mandatory labelling requirement. Following what is safe is first key and then consumer preference. We should facilitate that through private industry approaches to marketing. I was going to say that there is a private labelling system that's available now for consumers. In our view, that works well. We think we'd be heading down the wrong road and contrary to what Health Canada's policy has been by moving to a mandatory system. Don't you think that the people who want this are entitled to know, particularly if the research proves that there are no impacts? In any event, we're getting into matters of opinion. I'd also like to hear what you have to say about consumers who want more organic crops. Is this kind of farming in conflict with yours or do you see it as another form of production that might be complementary? Absolutely. I think almost all the innovations to plant breeding, whether they're conventional breeding, gene editing or genetic modification, provide environmental benefits and sustainability benefits, even something that doesn't sound like it, like a high-oil canola. You need less canola to get the same oil, so your carbon intensity per acre is going down when you have those new products. If it's 5% higher yielding, once again, you need less land and fewer inputs to get the same amount of food. That's where innovation will help to continue to lead us to a more sustainable agricultural system. The GM canola varieties we've had over the years have allowed us to really invest in no-till agriculture so you're not turning over the soil and you're sequestering carbon into that soil. These innovations will help agriculture sequester more carbon moving forward, so innovation will lead us forward. The Chair: Now we have Mr. MacGregor for six and a half minutes—no, for six minutes. Thanks for the extra time, Chair. No, I'm just kidding. Mr. Prouse, it's good to see you again. You and I have talked many times over the last two and a half years since I became an agriculture critic. Certainly the topic of regulatory reform has always been a hot one. I'm glad to see that there's going to be that round table and consultations in January. I'm curious as to what some of the responses are that you are getting from the executive branch of government on why we're still sort of having these conversations even though you and I started talking about them way back in 2018. I was going to say this conversation with government actually dates back to late 2014, I believe. Sure, but from my timeline, it's been less. Yes. Ian is very fresh off some thoughts and some discussions. Ian, I'll let you take it from there. From a government standpoint, this has been demonstrated as a priority. It's in the road maps, it's in the strategy tables and we have the protein industries supercluster all there. We have working groups, etc. The challenge is being as innovative with our regulatory policy as we are with our innovations. Instead of being bound to old interpretations of regulation, it's looking at the new science and where the globe is going and then integrating that into our policy interpretations. There are ways to do that, but we have to be bold and we have to want this to be successful. I think that's a threshold we have to cross, and we're continuing to have this discussion in an effort to do that, but we've seen in the last five years countries pass us. The Argentinian regulators have published a peer-reviewed paper on the innovation and economic advantages they've already seen from their changes. We're not just behind. We're behind enough that others are publishing on it. Mr. Affleck, when we had the Canola Council appear before the committee, they were talking about the great promise that exists in our biofuels sector and how they really want to be a part of it. I know canola is a desirable source, especially for biodiesel because it has that low saturated fat content, which allows it to be processed into biodiesel. Are there varieties of canola developed that would be specifically used as a possible biofuel source, versus traditional canola that might be going towards making cooking oil and so on? I'm not aware of a specific one. If you have the right innovation environment, people will definitely pick that ball up and run with it. I think we see those examples. Right now I can list 15 new varieties that are under development in the United States and almost none in Canada. They have a clearer pathway and they're more in line with global trends. We're trying to get there and there's an opportunity to do that. I would just expand on that, Mr. MacGregor. I think it's about creating a regulatory environment that's able to respond quickly. These technologies now allow for new traits to be developed in much shorter times than before. That's why we risk falling behind unless we make those changes. Thank you. I'd like to turn to Mr. Curran and the Government of Alberta. Mr. Curran, we're talking about processing capacity. Of course, Alberta, has the High River Cargill plant. On Cargill's website it says that between Guelph and High River, that's basically 55% of Canada's beef processing capacity right there. High River, of course, was hit quit hard with COVID-19, and it's an integral part of our processing capacity in Canada. Could you maybe talk about a few of the hard lessons that the Government of Alberta has learned from that experience? What steps are you taking into the future to help protect that? What kind of assistance do you want to see from the federal government? Are you looking at diversifying operations, or is it maybe putting in more safety protocols to prevent anything like that from happening in the future? That's a great question. In terms of lessons learned, I would say the ongoing relationship and preparation with their processing sector as a whole is important because we monitor supply chain. The preparation is a key part of it. As we adapted to the changing conditions of COVID-19, we learned a lot in terms of how we can work together in a collective manner and work very closely with processing sectors. Now we have regular touch points with our federal counterparts and our processing sector. We have biweekly calls to just touch base in terms of how we continue to maintain continuity to support the needs of the processing sector and to keep the industry whole. The ongoing work in responsiveness with the fed cattle set-aside program was a critical success as part of this, leveraging AgriRecovery and responding quickly and nimbly to meet the oversupply needs of the cattle industry as we adapted to new processing capacity. The critical learnings for me were that preparation, the partnership and our ability to leverage the current programming, such as AgriRecovery, to respond to the pandemic. In terms of ongoing support from the federal government, we continue to focus on labour and our challenges with labour as a whole. The labour programming continues to be a priority. It was discussed recently at the FPT table of ministers. We continue to advance and evolve the work around labour. The Chair: Thank you, Mr. Curran, and thank you, Mr. MacGregor. Thank you. The Chair: We'll go to our five-minute round with Mr. Warren Steinley and Mr. Epp. For the members' information, it's fine if you want to split your time, but I won't intervene so you have to keep tabs on how much time you have. Mr. Warren Steinley (Regina—Lewvan, CPC): I'm starting right now, Mr. Chair. Thank you very much. My first question would be for Mr. Curran. It's along the same lines as my colleague, Mr. MacGregor, on the processing capacity of livestock in Alberta. With just two major plants and the safety concerns around what happened during COVID-19.... These plants shut down, which backlogged a lot of livestock producers and made everything take longer, from feed livestock to basically having to wait a little bit for a fall calf run. Is there a look, in Alberta and across western Canada, towards bringing in medium-sized processing facilities and trying to encourage some diversification? In your opinion, what would be some of the impediments—which this study is supposed to undertake—to encouraging some of the medium-sized processing facilities to be set up? I'll talk about opportunities. We think there are both livestock and crop opportunities. The market conditions will drive that. We work with all the stakeholders that are prepared to invest. At the end of the day, the policy environment needs to be competitive, and that's a critical piece. As a province we've created that macroeconomic environment to be a competitive jurisdiction by reducing red tape and, of course, advancing a very low tax environment to incent overall processing as a whole. We also have the programs to help enable that from a value-added perspective. We know there are great growth opportunities for things like hemp. There are impediments, such as varietal development. We know that's an impediment to deriving some varieties for hemp in other sectors. Specifically, with respect to cattle processing, it comes down to market demand, logistics, cost of capital and infrastructure. All of those things will help create a competitive environment for cattle processing. Both witnesses talked about the regulatory competition and that we need to ensure our agriculture producers stay competitive. What would be the two biggest issues facing agriculture producers now in Alberta and western Canada, Mr. Curran? Why are we not as competitive as producers in other countries around the world? I don't know the two biggest issues. In my opening remarks, I mentioned that access to capital is always a challenge for processing. The ongoing labour at some of our facilities for processing is always a challenge. Those are two things that come to mind. With respect to how we address some of those challenges, we have the lending tools through the Alberta Agriculture Financial Services, our private institutions and our federal counterparts with the former FCC. We know those capital opportunities exist, so we have the environment now that will help overcome many of those impediments for investment, export and growth. Investment and trade are interrelated, even on the export side. We need strong trade agreements, working through those areas and working with governments where there are non-tariff barriers. It's highly interrelated, and our goal is to drive exports and investment for the province of Alberta and to focus on those two areas to support growth. Are there some non-tariff internal trade barriers that you see as impediments where we could help to make sure there is easier cross-provincial ability to access markets? Are there some non-tariff internal trade barriers we could tear down? I want to be careful around how specific I am here. There are certain countries that have specific provisions in place with respect to COVID that sometimes impact on trade. The Chair: Thank you. I'm sorry; we are out of time. You have five minutes, Mr. Drouin. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank Mr. Affleck, Mr. Prouse and Mr. Curran, who took the time out of their busy schedules to spend some time with us today. Mr. Affleck, on the regulatory framework you guys are working on with gene editing—and Mr. Blois touched on that—the international partners are used to another regulatory framework, and in Canada, we're essentially based on outcome: whether or not it's safe. With your dealings with U.S. companies and others, is that, within itself, creating a barrier, or is that helping? It's about to create a bigger barrier. I would say that the product-based approach is right. We've preached it for 25 years. We've convinced a large proportion of the world that we're right, and they're moving to product-based approaches that are better than ours. Now, if that's what sets in, we are also importers of food ingredients for processing. If we have created a more opaque system that applies more rules than the rest of our trading partners, this is going to make it harder to import those food ingredients as well because if we're overlaying rules that others don't have, now every time you're importing something, you have to sift through to see if there's something unique in Canada that no one else has to worry about. We're running into those now, and if we don't align, that's going to get worse. It's not just not growing it here. We're going to start having trouble figuring out...or it will be discouraging to try to import things to Canada because it will be more complex to bring things into this country. I was going to say that this product-based system served us well for an awfully long time. There have been 125 novel traits approved in Canada since about the mid-1990s. We're 125 for 125 on safety on that. We haven't had one turned back yet, so it works well. It just simply needs a mandate. It just needs an upgrade. That's correct. Thank you. Mr. Curran, you have touched base on the incubator in Leduc. I am curious to find out—and if you've been following that particular story for the last, I think you said, 20 or 30 years since it's been invented—how that incubator has evolved from when it started to now. How do you measure success? Do you look only at the successful stories that move on to scaling up after the fact or...? Obviously, there have probably been some failures at some point. For sure. Not every company is successful. It has evolved from food product development to more commercialization and trying to scale companies. We've grown and expanded that facility over the years. In terms of measuring success, our hope is that we create a product, test the product.... Well, we don't create it. The business creates it, and we help it facilitate the creation. Not only are Alberta-grown products used, but we also use Alberta labour. We've come to a point where we're actually not only serving the domestic market but also an international market. We're continuing to grow and commercialize. That's how we see success. Of course, not everyone is successful for whatever reason—the market isn't there—but, certainly, we have many successes. Thank you. In your opening remarks, you mentioned that access to capital is an issue, as is labour. Is the Alberta government looking to automation to solve part of the labour issue? That's something about which we've often had discussions with companies like Cargill, for instance, that access TFWs. What about the automation that can replace some of those jobs to create new ones, essentially? For sure, automation and technology definitely need to be considered as conditions change. At the end of the day, it just depends on how much capital industry is willing to put forward and how government can help support and incent that to support the overall automation of the industry. It's coming. It's a trend, and we're very in tune with it. The Chair: Over now to Mr. Perron for two and a half minutes. Good afternoon once again. Mr. Curran, when you were asked some questions about abattoirs, you said earlier that everything should be market driven. Over the past few months of the pandemic, people were nevertheless worried when processing capacity became compromised. Without casting doubt on any of the major processors, a number of witnesses spoke about the importance of diversification in order to allow medium-sized players to enter the market. According to you, what are the ideal conditions, or what is still missing, in Canada to allow the smaller players to operate in the market? I don't know specifically, but I certainly know that we have not only two large players in Alberta but also several meat facilities throughout the province in every major community. We have meat inspection throughout the province. Do we want it to grow? Of course. We have not only JBS and Cargill but also Harmony Beef, which has been open for, I think, five or six years now. Certainly, the conditions are— Do you think that interprovincial trade rules could be made more flexible? Some witnesses spoke about that. If so, what would have to be changed? Yes, for sure. At an interprovincial level, our goal is to continue to create opportunities there. There is domestic equivalency work we're working through under the Safe Food for Canadians Act. Alberta is trying to advance this to demonstrate our domestic equivalency so that we can trade. As long as we have the standards and meet the food safety provisions, I think this creates an opportunity for strong interprovincial trade. As for standards, do you believe that federal-provincial cooperation is adequate? Is it working well? Do you have any comments about possible improvements to the risk management programs that were mentioned earlier? The Chair: I too would like to hear the answer to that, but unfortunately we need to move on to the next speaker. Mr. MacGregor, you have two and a half minutes. Go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Curran, in the motion that's guiding the study we're embarked upon, one of the items in the motion reads as follows: “while also supporting the goal of increasing local capacity to protect food security while providing safe food for all Canadians”. Are there any thoughts you can offer to the committee in relation to food security and how processing fits in with that? That's a very good question. I guess I would say that we monitor the supply chain very closely around ensuring we have strong food security. There is certainly a trend toward local products. There's a trend in which retailers and others are using locally grown products in the retail community to support those food security needs, whether it's greenhouses, the vertical type of greenhouses, or.... I guess I would go back to our opening comments in terms of our strong belief that if you have a strong primary sector, it helps support a processing sector. We're making very strategic investments in irrigation infrastructure to grow up to 200,000 irrigated acres, and to leverage the current infrastructure using the same water allocation to add 200,000 acres and provide that consistent quality supply of food for the processors, for them to be able to grow and expand. We think it's interrelated, and we think there's an opportunity there with those strategic investments. Thank you. Mr. Affleck or Mr. Prouse, if you wanted to add anything, I have about 40 seconds. I was just going to say, Mr. MacGregor, that on the things we're talking about, there are a lot of very small companies. I don't want anybody here to have the impression that we're just talking about large multinationals. A lot of the examples Mr. Affleck gave are very small start-up companies. That's the exciting part about this technology and about gene editing, but it's why we need that regulatory capacity to change so that we can have homegrown crops, we can have local processing and we can enhance that food security. Thank you. The Chair: Thank you. This is unfortunately all the time we have for this round, but I would certainly like to thank, from CropLife Canada, Mr. Ian Affleck and Mr. Dennis Prouse, and from the Government of Alberta, the assistant deputy minister, Mr. Jamie Curran. Thank you so much. With that, we will pause to bring in our next panel. We'll be back shortly, so don't go too far. We'll be suspending. I'd like to congratulate Mr. Prouse on the magnificent tie he is wearing. The Chair: So noted, Mr. Prouse. Thank you very much, sir. I love Snoopy. The Chair: We'll suspend to change the panel. Thank you. The Chair: Welcome back. I'll call the meeting back to order for our second panel. We have with us today, from Bonduelle Americas, Daniel Vielfaure, chief executive officer. We also have, from Food Secure Canada, Gisèle Yasmeen, executive director. You will each have seven and a half minutes for your opening statements. We'll start with Bonduelle Americas. Go ahead for up to seven and a half minutes, please. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, everyone. I am Daniel Vielfaure, deputy CEO of the Bonduelle Group and CEO of Bonduelle Americas. I am also co-chair of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's food processing round table and co-chair of Food and Beverage Canada. Food and beverage is the largest manufacturing sector in this country. It includes 7,000 companies, employing 290,000 Canadians and generating close to $120 billion in annual revenue. Unfortunately, it is also a sector that is often overlooked. That vast majority of food does not go straight from the farm to the grocery store. Our agriculture products are shipped to Canadian food plants, plants that turn wheat into bread, cow’s milk into yogourt and cheese, and hogs into bacon, and plants that can our tomatoes and other vegetables. Food manufacturing is a critical component of Canada's domestic food supply. Our 7,000 companies buy over half of Canada's agriculture output. We add value to crops and livestock production, and we ensure Canada maintains its food sovereignty. We should all be concerned that, with COVID, Canada’s food system has experienced a series of shocks: the collapse of food service, the disruption of supply chains, the impact of border closures, the costs to protect our workers and most recently, the fees imposed by some of Canada’s grocery retailers. These shocks have destabilized Canada’s food processing sector. In 2018 Dominic Barton and the agri-food economic strategy table tapped agri-food to drive economic growth. To achieve this, we need to address some fundamental issues: resolving the processing sector’s labour problems, rebalancing relationships across the supply chain, and ensuring our front-line food workers are recognized as a priority. First, I would like to talk about labour. Even before COVID-19, labour was the biggest and most limiting issue facing our sector. We simply do not have enough people, and we do not have enough people with the right skills. On any given day, Canada's food manufacturing is short 10% of its workforce. By 2025 we expect to be short 65,000 workers. This is a missed opportunity. There is demand for Canadian products here at home and abroad, but until we address industry labour issues, our ability to invest and grow will remain constrained. We are, therefore, encouraging the federal government to act on an urgent basis and work with industry to develop a labour action plan for Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. Second is rebalancing the supply chain. Canada’s grocery sector is over-concentrated, with five large retail companies controlling 80% of the grocery market. This has allowed retailers to regularly impose arbitrary transaction costs, fees and penalties on their suppliers. Most recently, in the past few months, and despite the pandemic, major retailers have announced even more new fees. This cannot continue. Other countries have faced this challenge and have addressed it by implementing a code of conduct. We are encouraging Canada to do the same. We were pleased that, at their meeting last week, the federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers committed to strike a working group to look at this issue. We encourage the federal government to continue to prioritize this and to commit to having a code in place by the end of 2021. Finally, I want to talk about our front-line workers. Even in a pandemic, Canadians need to eat. It is thanks to the efforts of our front-line workers that Canada’s food plants continued to operate throughout COVID-19. As companies, we have invested an estimated $800 million to keep our workers safe. We have also spent countless hours reinforcing with our front-line workers the importance of their continuing to come to work so that Canadians can eat. It is critical that governments also reinforce for our front-line food workers the critical nature of their work and the importance of their contributions. As we move forward, in particular, we ask that the federal government consider the importance of front-line food workers in any rapid testing and vaccination programs. Despite the measures we have put in place to mitigate risk, food plants remain congregate settings, and it is on all of us to do what we can to ensure our front-line workers remain healthy and know we value their efforts. Mr. Chair, these hearings have been organized to look at processing capacity in Canada. Let me be clear. There will always be food, but if we do not address the issues I have outlined, we will be importing more of our food from other countries and manufacturing less of it here. I thank you for the opportunity to present to you today and look forward to your questions. The Chair: Now, from Food Secure Canada, we have Ms. Gisèle Yasmeen. Go ahead for seven and a half minutes. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and the members of the committee, for the invitation to appear today. I'm coming to you from Musqueam territory, also known as Richmond, B.C., in greater Vancouver. I'm representing Food Secure Canada, a national alliance of organizations and individuals committed to achieving zero hunger, healthy and safe food and a sustainable food system for all. We're happy to provide you with evidence to support your study to identify policies and measures that the Government of Canada can take to ensure stability and renewal of the value chain in the agri-food sector. This presentation is further to the brief we submitted to you in July, based on our study published in May, entitled “Growing resilience and equity: A food policy action plan in the context of Covid-19”. The Chair: I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's an echo and there's a bit of background noise. Can you unplug your headset and plug it back in? I've been having some problems with this one. Is that better? The Chair: No, sorry, Ms. Yasmeen, it still has a kind of an echo and a scratchy noise in the background. I think they're trying to figure it out here. We'll just give it a minute or two. Okay. Let's give it a try. I would like to situate my remarks in the context of the food movement, which is a social movement that has been active on the ground in this country for decades and has had an impact on the supply chain, as well as positive impacts on human and animal health and the environment, particularly soil and waterways. Given the commitments of the Government of Canada to the UN sustainable development goals, aligned with the food policy for Canada announced by Minister Bibeau in June 2019, as well as the commitments in the recent throne speech, it is imperative to include citizen perspectives such as ours in your work. The activities of Canada's local food movement represent some of the most heartening developments for the country in decades. They include horticultural production, food processing and distribution activities, and innovative practices in retail sales, restaurants and waste management, from one end of the country to the other. Food Secure Canada is proud to support this social movement, which includes the Coalition for Healthy School Food, whose work deserves consideration as part of this committee's work, as I will explain in a few minutes. This committee has been tasked to look at opportunities and solutions to increasing processing capacity and competitiveness in regions across the country to meet the export objectives and also to support the goal of increasing local capacity to protect food security while providing safe food for all Canadians. The purpose of the study also includes identifying barriers to increased processing capacity in Canada, such as grocery concentration in the marketplace. Let me speak to these issues one by one. Increasing processing capacity at local and regional levels is urgently and desperately needed as evidenced by COVID-19, and can build on what's already happening on the ground. Besides the explosion in demand for local food, we witnessed bottlenecks in the supply chain and unprecedented food loss and waste as a result. This was partly due to the lack of smaller-scale infrastructure and related diseconomies of scale due to the concentration of facilities controlled by a handful of transnational corporations. Canada needs infrastructure to serve small and medium-sized enterprises such a cold chain, small local abattoirs, food hubs and processing and storage facilities. The policy priority should be to buttress the development of healthy, just and sustainable food systems in Canada with a full cost accounting of the health, environmental and broader economic impacts in supporting decent and sustainable livelihoods and community-based and -controlled development. The goal ought to be to prioritize lightly processed foods, given that excessive consumption of highly and ultra highly processed foods poses a serious health problem. Diet-related disease is costing this country $26 billion per year, according to a study by Heart and Stroke. Diverse stakeholders such as McKinsey agree that the externalities of the current global food system in health and environmental costs are greater than the value of agri-food itself. In terms of the link between local capacity and food security, food insecurity is primarily about income inequality rather than a lack of food. Charity models won't get to the root of the problem. Unequal access to land and capital is also an issue for small-scale food producers and processors around the world, including Canada, where farmer debt is a serious concern. Workers' rights also need to be respected up and down the food chain with the goal of creating decent work regardless of immigration status and meeting the demands of temporary foreign workers for permanent status. Having said all that, logistics and supply chains are a distinct but very important issue. Our food system is so highly skewed towards the export of commodities that it hampers the development of opportunities here and poses risks when borders thicken or in emergencies. The COVID crisis has exposed the interconnected fragility and concentration of power within Canada's dominant long-distance, globalized food supply chain. This isn't just in grocery retailing, but affects all facets of production, processing and distribution. Weaknesses include an over-reliance on import and export systems, especially for fruits and vegetables; the concentration of ownership by a handful of transnational corporations in the food sector; and the need for greater investment in local food infrastructure overall. COVID-19 recovery is an opportunity to build back better in the interests of greater resilience and equity as well as environmental sustainability. I would like to provide an example of public sector procurement on how well-designed programs can help kick-start the transition we need. Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program and in budget 2019 the Government of Canada committed to consult with the provinces, territories and other stakeholders that already invest, to develop such a program. There are also compelling examples from indigenous communities, such as self-governing Yukon first nations. If well conceived, such a program could not only positively affect child nutrition, for which UNICEF has pointed out that Canada is grossly underperforming, and reduce hunger where, again, a wealthy country such as ours bears the shame of having one in six children living in food insecurity, but a national school food program could also have positive economic and environmental impacts if procurement prioritizes local small and medium-sized enterprises that produce and process healthy, sustainably produced food, as well as interest youth in related occupations. Therefore, we should emphasize social as well as technological innovation, support small-scale processing by SMEs and support local food economies. There are opportunities for women, who have particularly been hard-hit by the pandemic, as well as economic potential in solidarity with communities that have been traditionally marginalized by the food system, including indigenous peoples and people of colour, especially Black communities. This is already happening on the ground and can be accelerated and deepened with the right supports. To conclude, I would like to say a word about the economic aspects of local food. A 2015 study published by the McConnell Foundation showed that if only 10% of the 10 main fruits and vegetables imported into Ontario were replaced by local products, it would lead to a $250 million rise in provincial gross domestic product and the creation… The Chair: Excuse me, Ms. Yasmeen. As you are using a different headset, you need to change the language at the bottom of your screen for your comments to be interpreted into English. All right. I'm almost done. The Chair: If you could finish in English… I'll finish in French. Is that okay? The Chair: Unless you change the language at the bottom of your screen, if you finish in French there will be no interpretation into English. Okay. I'll change to English for the end. Also, the interpreters have my notes, which you're welcome to have as well. To sum up, a study by the McConnell Foundation showed that just increasing local production of fruits and vegetables by 10% would have very positive economic impacts on jobs, on gross product in Ontario and so on, so there's a real opportunity to invest. I'll leave it at that. Thank you very much. The Chair: I have a point of order, Mr. Chair. The Chair: I just want to make sure that Ms. Yasmeen has understood properly. Feel free to continue to speak French if you want. If you're speaking French, select "French" as the interpretation language and if you're speaking English, select " English". Otherwise the interpreters won't be able to hear you very well. It's just a technical matter. Please speak in your own language. All right. The Chair: Just let us know if there's a problem, Ms. Yasmeen. Now we'll go to our rounds. Mr. Epp, you have six minutes. Go ahead. Mr. Dave Epp (Chatham-Kent—Leamington, CPC): Thank you, Mr. Chair. To both of you, thank you for your testimony. I'd like to direct some initial questions to Mr. Vielfaure. It's good to see you again, sir. I did appreciate your reference to tomatoes in your opening comment. We've certainly heard many witnesses provide testimony documenting the practices that retailers have imposed upon their suppliers such as Bonduelle, with fines, fees and other unscrupulous practices. Can you comment on how, when you have that impacting your relationship with your customers, that impacts your suppliers, the farmers and the vendors who have you as customers? It obviously complicates the negotiation with the unions of growers that we have to negotiate with, whether it's in Quebec, Ontario or Alberta, because every cost increase that we have, that we're experiencing, is pushed back. On top of that, incremental fees are brought into our balance sheet. Clearly, it makes it more difficult to value the whole chain and pay the growers what they're entitled to have. It's a battle we have, because we're in the middle of it. Clearly, some of the opportunities that growers have are to grow something other than the crops that we need to manufacture, and they can sell those to different markets. We have to be competitive and pay them something that will allow them to grow our vegetables versus other crops and other things. It just makes life impossible and we're stuck. There is a limit to where we can reduce our operational margins. Thank you. One of the goals of this study is for us to examine how we can attract additional foreign direct investment. Bonduelle is a bit of an anomaly, a private French company that's actually come into Canada and into the U.S. and bought companies. You have companies in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta, in Wisconsin and New York in the U.S., and in the Americas. Can you comment, because you're operating in these different jurisdictions, as far as where you're finding favourable policies that encourage you to further invest? What kinds of incentives towards processing capacity are you seeing, and what advice would you have for our government? Right now one of the burdens that we're facing is labour, and I've mentioned it. To bring in capital expenditure, to even increase our production and capacity in Canada.... I'll use Bonduelle as an example because we do export about half of what we produce in frozen vegetables to the U.S., even if we have plants in the U.S. One problem we have right now is that when we do present very good projects in Canada that will need to have more workers, we cannot guarantee we'll have the workforce to work these projects. It's a limitation where the group now is challenging us because we are experiencing problems. Just this summer, 105 of our Canadian office workers had to go and work in the plants to subsidize the workforce we were short of. It's a first in the history of a 167-year-old company, so it's just not sustainable. We need to solve this issue. I'd say, on the other hand, though, Canada is a well-regulated country with a lot of good agricultural land and everything, so that's what attracted Bonduelle to come to this place. Thank you. Perhaps you could thank some of those office workers. I think they processed some of the green beans we delivered to you. Could we go now to two questions around the regulatory environment? In November 2017, the Competition Bureau ceased an inquiry into some of the practices, saying there wasn't enough evidence. With what you're seeing this year coming from the retailers, is this something that should be reviewed again by the Competition Bureau? Is it warranting further inquiry? You've mentioned the code of conduct. Do you feel that would be enough? I don't know that they go with illegal practices, so I don't know if the Competition Bureau would find anything. Anyway, they had this first inquiry and they did not find anything. I think it's just the concentration that is too much. These companies announce publicly what they do so the other guys know it. These letters are public. It's not against any laws to do this, and they're doing it. The concentration that they have allows them to do this. You even have American companies that are in Canada that do it in Canada and do not do it in the U.S., because in the U.S. they don't have that concentration. The same density from the manufacturers to the different distributors is not the same in the U.S. as in Canada. Thank you. My time is limited and I want to get one more question in here if I can. Canada's regulatory environment is a bit of a two-edged sword. We're known for our food safety, our regulatory framework holds that up, but that also imposes costs on compliance on both your suppliers and you, and onto the retailers. Can you make a comment on what your assessment of today's balance is? I think it's a strength that we have these Canadian regulations as long as they're well applied and they protect the safe food we have. I think it helps us internationally. The Chair: Thank you, Mr. Vielfaure. Unfortunately we're out of time. Now we have Mr. Tim Louis for six minutes. Go ahead, Mr. Louis. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to our panellists for being here today. I want to focus on how processing fits into food security in our supply chain, especially with the issues in the north dealing with Inuit, first nations and Métis. Since we're testifying and appearing from all over the country, it's only fitting that I say that I am appearing on the traditional land of the Anishinabe, Haudenosaunee and the Neutral peoples. I will focus my questions, then, on Ms. Yasmeen. I read your report and it's very well done. I appreciate your testimony today. You talked about food insecurity and supply chains and how we can support indigenous food sovereignty. You have, hopefully, some ideas on how we can help, especially up north where they can have their own food systems and advance policies building that local food system there. You mentioned how important local is for environmental reasons, for health reasons, for a number of reasons. What kinds of strategic investments can we make to ensure that we have co-operation from all levels of government—provincial, territorial and federal organizations—to help ensure food security for indigenous people, especially in remote and rural areas? Thank you very much, Mr. Louis. That's a great question. Thank you for your interest also in indigenous food sovereignty. I think the primary point is that it's about people defining their own food systems. Indigenous peoples, no matter where they were in the Americas, traditionally had control over their food systems. The indigenous food sovereignty movement is about reclaiming that control over traditional foods and country foods and being able to distribute, grow and harvest traditional foods within their own indigenous food lands as some call this. As a result, we've seen lower costs, because.... Of course, imposing a southern diet particularly in remote and rural regions in northern environments is unwise, and the health consequences are often not very good and are, in fact, terrible. The indigenous food sovereignty movement, whether it's up north or whether it's in southern latitudes.... Most first nations and Métis people are in southern latitudes actually, not in northern latitudes, and many of them are close to big urban areas. My answer to your question would be that it is the approach. We have been critical of nutrition north as a program. I know the intentions are good, but nutrition north has sometimes reinforced these more colonial approaches. Really, it's about first nations, Métis and Inuit communities reclaiming and having control over their own distance. There are also innovations happening. There are low-input greenhouses being developed all over northern remote regions, etc. You've practically answered my next two questions, but I'd love to hear you expand on them. One, are there any ways of using technology to improve things, and two, what programs exist now and, because we're looking to improve things, how can we improve something like, let's say, a nutrition north system? You've already answered but if you can expand on those things, that would help. I think nutrition north does need to be looked at one more time in terms of meeting outcomes, as I mentioned in my remarks, broadly defined. We can't think about food as just filling bellies and eating whatever. We have to think about nutrition. We have to think about chronic health conditions. We have to think about cultural survival and biodiversity and those questions, all of which are very important overall and are particularly important to first nations, Métis and Inuit communities. I would encourage you to look at that program or to work with your colleagues to look at that program, but most importantly, to have first nations, Métis and Inuit peoples at the table for these discussions, because there's nothing worse than having policy made for you by people who don't actually understand your situation and who are not members of those communities. What I would like to encourage you to do...and we would certainly be interested in co-operating. We have many in our network who might be interested in appearing before your committees. I am not first nations, Métis or Inuit. We all want to be allies, but at the end of the day, those communities have to have control and speak for themselves. Furthermore, with COVID-19, they've been under lockdown in many cases, so things have been very challenging particularly in the isolated communities. With technology, again, it's the same thing. What is appropriate technology? Who controls it? What is the full cost-benefit analysis? There are some interesting things that are happening. We published recently on our website some reports of activities that are happening in communities all over the country. As well, there's a new report on Inuit food sovereignty, which we had not been aware of before. There's a growing sovereignty movement. Okay. I appreciate that. I would like to concede the rest of my time, but this is fascinating. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you. The Chair: Mr. Perron, you have the floor for six minutes I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here with us today. Ms. Yasmeen, one of the major objectives of the study we are currently conducting is to analyze the local processing capacity. In your presentation, you emphasized barriers that had an impact on local processing capacity. If you were asked to identify barriers that should be eliminated and come up with a specific recommendation for the committee, what would you suggest? As I mentioned, there are infrastructure issues. There's a lack of infrastructure at the small- and medium-sized levels, which causes many food processing problems. We had them before, but there has been a high level of concentration. I am thinking in particular of abattoirs. I'm aware of the fact that you heard a witness speak about this last week. I think that all facets of the infrastructure are relevant. For example, there's the cold chain. Linda Best, of FarmWorks in Nova Scotia, told me that 30% of SMEs did not have adequate access to the cold chain in Canada. There are therefore infrastructure problems of that kind on a very small scale, but also on the medium-sized scale. Access to capital might also be considered. Concretely, what can the federal government do? Would it be to launch investment programs or to provide financial support to small processors to diversify the chain? Yes. It should also work with the provinces. In addition, as I said earlier, public-sector supply needs to be considered. Even Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada had the idea of supplying its own cafeterias. And the public sector has hospitals and schools. I mentioned healthy school food, but there should also be cooperation with the provinces to provide a solid base for all efforts to support our own industry and our health system, which would also help the environment. We often think of hospitals and schools, where all food services are provided by big multinationals. Quebec is currently doing some interesting things on the food front. An increase in federal health transfers would also be useful, but I digress. Yes, but in health it's a matter of prevention, and nutrition is a major factor. Let's talk about prevention and nutrition. You emphasized lightly processed foods earlier. We spoke with earlier speakers about the development of new genetically modified crops, among other things. Where do you stand on this? Do you think products derived from genetically modified organisms should be labelled? When you say “lightly processed”, can you explain what you mean by that? Yes, of course. Our position on GMOs is that it's important to do all the required tests before new products that contain them can be marketed. Furthermore, labelling should list everything for consumers. Consumers are entitled to know what they're buying. As for lightly processed and ultra highly processed food, we advocate the minimum required for consumption of various foods. What we find on the shelves often no longer resembles the original food. These products have been so highly processed and filled with all kinds of things that they are no longer really edible, by which I mean that they are harmful to health if eaten in large quantities. They contain sugar, salt and certain types of fat that are harmful to health. The ideal would be to process food as little as possible, particularly fruits and vegetables. Half of every plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables. It even says so in Canada's food guide. So you're in favour of the idea of developing regional processing operations because the additives in overprocessed food often extend shelf life. With fewer additives, products would have to be processed closer to home, by smaller processors, but of course the major processors would remain. Yes. It depends on what we're talking about. What has always intrigued me is the fact that we produce an enormous amount of lentils and legumes, which we export abroad, for bagging, and then we import them back again. These legumes and lentils are certainly healthy. But we could develop our own industry. We have a supercluster in this area. So processing food locally would be a source of economic wealth. We certainly agree on that. You mentioned foreign workers, which we have already discussed at length, farmers' debts and the fact that we tended to export our products. And at the same time, we're in a market that would like to increase its exports. How can we reconcile these two visions? Canada will definitely continue with imports and exports. That's only normal, but… The Chair: Thank you, Ms. Yasmeen. Unfortunately, that's all the time we have for this round of questions. Now we'll move to Mr. MacGregor for six minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Yasmeen, I appreciate your bringing the theme of food security into our conversation on food processing, especially your comments about a national food nutrition program. My colleague Don Davies has sponsored Bill C-201 in the House of Commons, which aims to do just that. I was looking at a provincial example. Here in British Columbia we have the feed B.C. program, which links many of our farms and food processing centres with health care operations and with post-secondary operations. Of course in every small community you have elementary schools and middle schools, so that infrastructure already exists. The demand is potentially there, and of course, many of our food processing facilities are located in small towns. They are smaller operations. I'd like you to expand a little more about what a food program for schoolchildren could do for the food processing industry. Thank you. I'm also calling in from British Columbia and hugely exciting things are happening here, but also in Quebec and other provinces, even P.E.I. There's already a lot of work under way provincially and also at municipal levels, school boards, to start connecting these dots. What we need is a standard. We need some principles around how to roll this out. The Coalition for Healthy School Food has a brief that we co-submitted with them to Parliament for a cost-shared approach. Since investments are already being made, it's not necessary for the federal government to pay the whole bill. There are opportunities there. There are, again, infrastructure issues around connecting schools with producers and processors, and this is already happening on the ground. There's no need to invent the wheel. It's really about gap filling and making sure that all our children have access to a healthy snack or meal at some point within the school system. The same could be said for hospitals. McConnell has a whole program called Nourish around hospital food. Hospital food is notorious, isn't it? We know about hospital food. The one place where we should be eating healthy food— We've all had that experience, yes. There is a movement to bring that healthy eating strategy into the hospitals and also build up our local economies and the producers and processors, supporting technically small-scale producers and processors as a result. I also want to cross over into the food policy for Canada. We've had a few witnesses on our study so far talk about federal programs like the local food infrastructure fund and the money it produces to help smaller-scale processors to maybe upgrade their facilities and so on. From our position as a committee, we ultimately want to deliver a report in the House of Commons with some clear recommendations. When you're looking at the federal landscape as it exists under the food policy for Canada, are there any further recommendations you think we could make? Do programs like the local food infrastructure fund need to be expanded? Can you add anything to that? I think the pending nominations, hopefully soon, of the Canadian food policy advisory council will help connect the dots federally. There's a silo approach not just within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which is one department where the food policy is small potatoes. The programming money is small potatoes, if you'll pardon the analogy, compared to the CAP, the Canadian agricultural partnership. The whole food system needs to be viewed horizontally, as I said. It can't just be seen as agriculture and agri-food. You have to look at the health dimension, you have to look at the economic and social development, and you have to look at the environment. I know it's hard to do. I used to work in government, too. It's hard to work horizontally. The structures are so vertical, but that is absolutely what's needed. If we're going to meet our climate change targets, if we want a healthy population, if we want economic resilience and true economic development that doesn't just benefit a few, if want real cross-cutting opportunities across the board for women, minorities and indigenous peoples, then we're going to have to operate systemically. I think the program envelopes are going to have to adapt. Other countries have tried this. France has its new EGAlim law, although things can flop at the programming level. We have to integrate the policies and the program objectives. I do have some criticism of the local food infrastructure fund. I thought the first round of those grants was too.... Why is the federal government making $25,000 awards? The cost of administration is higher than the actual award. We have to look at transformational change in our system. That's where the federal government, with the provinces, the territories, indigenous leaders and others, have to have a role. It's about everybody working together. It's hard to do, but we have no choice. All of these international reports have said the same thing: The time is now. We are not going to make it as a planet or a species if we don't redo the way we think about food and food systems. Yes, I think our experiences over the last number of months really underline the need for that particular word, “resiliency”, and how we build it into our food systems. That wraps up my time. I really appreciate your contributing to our report. Thank you. The Chair: You're always on time. Thanks for doing that. We'll now move to the second round. Mr. Lehoux, you have the floor for five minutes. Mr. Richard Lehoux (Beauce, CPC): Thank you, Mr. Chair I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here with us this afternoon. My first question is for Mr. Vielfaure. Mr. Vielfaure, you spoke at length about problems related to the shortage of food processing workers. You even mentioned a rate of 10%. I imagine that some of these workers would have to be more skilled. How are you planning to solve the problem? What role might the federal government play? We need to offer business training programs and encourage companies to improve the expertise and skills of their workers. It will require programs that are much better aligned with the sector. We have foreign workers at the moment, but they tend to do the work that Canadians no longer want to do. Let's be honest about it. We need programs to develop our expertise. That being the case, do we also need to encourage a major shift by the companies towards enhanced robotization? I suspect that you're going to tell me that that would require financing. No. I would say that the food sector does not have many huge companies. I heard Ms. Yasmeen speak about it. There are in fact already lots of small businesses in the regions. For them, automation would be very difficult because of their size. There are government programs for automation and Bonduelle Americas would like to take advantage of these. On the other hand, they are conditional upon creating jobs, which is completely ridiculous. We're told that they're going to provide funding for an automation program if we create jobs, just as we are in a program to reduce our workforce requirements. It's crazy. It means that we can't take advantage of these programs. Ultimately, there are inconsistencies in the approach to labour shortages. Absolutely. What's the answer then, Mr. Vielfaure? There is a solution. As I said at the beginning, I'm the co-chair of the food processing industry roundtable. We want to establish a workforce committee, which would study all aspects of the question, including education and attracting young people to work in the food sector. It's important to look at the big picture. Before the pandemic, there was already a labour problem. How can it be dealt with? Even in Canada, we'll have to turn towards foreign labour. How can we go about it? We have no choice. We're going to have to continue to use foreign workers. The 10% limit will have to be removed, as has already happened in certain sectors. Is this something you're raising on behalf of your food processing companies? Yes. The problem was exacerbated this year by COVID-19, but it was there already. It needs to end and we need to toss out the myth that Canadian businesses hire foreign workers to save money. It's not true. A foreign worker cost us a lot more than a local worker when you take all the expenses into account. I would now like to ask you a question, Ms. Yasmeen. You spoke about smaller scale food processing, in our smaller communities, which raises the question of regulation and its application. Does the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have enough resources at the moment? What's preventing smaller processing companies from starting up? I've often heard it said that the regulatory aspects can be time-consuming and expensive for small players. I'm no expert on this matter, which goes somewhat beyond my organization's mandate, but I would encourage you to explore it thoroughly… If processing capacity is to be increased on the smallest of scales, then the problem needs to be clearly analyzed so that action can be taken in the right places. That was what I meant by my question. You're right. Rules are made to apply generally to everyone, except the smallest players. These rules, policies and programs were often introduced because certain interests prevailed… A problem mentioned by small local abattoirs—because there are some even though few remain—is the problem they have getting in touch with agency inspectors. It might be necessary to operate on both levels at the same time. That's right. I know that would be a huge change, but I'm aware of other witnesses who spoke about it. For example, there was the National Farmers Union, which mainly represents small farmers… The Chair: Ms. Yasmeen and Mr. Lehoux, your time is up. Thanks to both of you. Thanks to the witnesses. The Chair: Ms. Bessette, you now have the floor for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to begin by thanking the witnesses here today for their testimony. I'm going to ask a few questions in the same vein as Mr. Lehoux', beginning with you Mr. Vielfaure. Your company, Bonduelle Americas, has a new processing plant in Bedford, in my riding of Brome—Missisquoi. This year, the federal government established the Agri-Food Pilot project to facilitate the retention of workers by offering foreign or semi-skilled workers permanent residence. Can you tell me how the pilot program could benefit companies like yours? The program is extremely beneficial to companies like ours and we take advantage of it. Foreign workers come every year for four, five or six months. Some now come for a year. If we succeed in having these workers immigrate and come to work for us, so much the better. They would be filling jobs for which we are experiencing a shortage of workers. If the program were made even more accessible and flexible, it would be extremely useful for companies like ours and for meat and other processing companies. Thank you. Can you tell us about your company? What are the challenges in regional processing, particularly in terms of capacity? I'll come back again to workers. It's truly an enormous problem, particularly because we're regional. The food processing industry is often regionally based because the products come from the regions. However, fewer and fewer young people are staying. We're having trouble keeping them there so that they can work for us. There is also the challenge of environmental infrastructures and other similar factors with respect to slightly larger plants. Sometimes, when a plant is a large one, it consumes as much water as the municipality. Our Bedford plant is a good example of this and we've established a partnership with the municipality for water treatment. These are the kinds of challenges the regions are facing. The size of the businesses, and their labour and support requirements, can sometimes cause problems for the municipalities. Thank you very much. How can the government facilitate large-scale processors like your company and, more generally, promote growth in the sector? In our case, and also for smaller processors across Canada, a code of conduct is required. I spoke about this earlier in connection with distribution. You need to understand that Canada is a small and highly concentrated market. There are therefore not all that many options for Canadian processors if they were to go into close negotiations with one of the major distributors. Being healthy here would help us export much more. It's clear to me that the code of conduct is very important. We're talking today about promoting small processors. But honestly, we have to recognize that they are the ones that have the most trouble negotiating with the major distributors. It's very complex. Thank you very much. That's all for me, but if one of my colleagues wants to ask a question, there are a few minutes left. The Chair: There is one minute remaining. Does anyone want to ask a question? Mr. Chair, you say we have about a minute. I will quickly ask my question. Ms. Yasmeen, you mentioned Linda Best here in Nova Scotia. She's a constituent of mine. She does tremendous work through FarmWorks. In your work with your organization, can you speak to the importance of venture capital and some of the challenges the smaller producers have in being able to access loans from banks to be able to make some of this happen. Again, my understanding is that this is definitely a barrier. It's outside the scope of our mandate as a more civil society oriented organization, but from our networks we have learned that access to land and capital is a big barrier for small producers and processors. In terms of addressing the details of how that works exactly, I think it would be better to have someone from those small business communities answer the details of those questions, but it's definitely a barrier. The Chair: Over now to Mr. Perron for two and a half minutes. Thank you very much. Mr. Vielfaure, you emphasized the importance of introducing a code of conduct, which seems to be in the works. You also gave a good description of the labour problem. I would like to ask you about regulation. People who have appeared before this committee have told us that deregulation was required, or at least changes to Canada's regulations to harmonize our practices with others elsewhere. Given that your company, Bonduelle Americas, has a presence in many countries, your expertise could be invaluable to us. What ought to be changed in the regulations? You said earlier that strict food safety regulations could be an advantage. Could you give us more details about that? I don't think that we should reduce our efforts in terms of food security and safety. Canada has done very well in this regard. Furthermore, when processing is done in Canada, it adds value to the Canadian brands being exported. As for products that may be consumed, including “phyto” or plant-based products, we would do well to align our regulations with others, particularly in view of the fact that we have a major competitor in the United States. Bonduelle Americas is a good example. We are sometimes required to take products that are authorized in the United States but not in Canada. Inventory management becomes complicated. In situations like these, it would definitely be desirable to harmonize our regulations. Don't you think that this might make the situation less advantageous for Canada? You spoke about this at the beginning of your statement. Not at all. In this instance, we're not talking about food safety or security, but rather about plant-based products that companies don't even bother to have approved in Canada because the market is too small. Financially speaking, it's not worth it. On the other hand, Canada could base its regulations on research carried out elsewhere for approval purposes. It's not even because we would turn the product down. What's involved are often products that are healthier, but that companies don't bother to have approved in Canada. What can we do about this? Do you have something you can suggest to us? I believe that there could be cooperation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the FDA, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, are perfectly capable of working together. They're doing so already. It would mean that the studies would not need to be done over again. There is no reason why we can't trust studies that were done properly elsewhere. The Chair: Thank you very much. The Chair: Now we'll go to Mr. MacGregor for two and a half minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Yasmeen, when you are reading through Food Secure Canada's report about how we build those resilient food webs in local and smaller communities.... When Food Secure Canada is interacting with the many organizations involved in food security and small farmers, what kind of feedback are they needing? You already talked a little bit about the access to capital, but what about some other models like the co-operative model? Are they just looking for the capital funds to get a facility built that will then allow them to take their business to new heights? I'm just wondering if you can expand a little more on that for the committee's look at this issue. There are lots of different models out there. There are some co-operatives and social enterprises. There are just regular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that are a part of their local communities. Some of the challenges I've been hearing about recently are in distribution and who controls the distribution. Sysco and GFS are really big players. There are now some alternatives to those distributors, which are now servicing smaller producers and processors because of, again, sometimes the logistics, the last-mile logistics, the last-kilometre logistics and everything. I know there are some challenges there in terms of being able to access distribution networks. We talked about retailing as well. Again, this is a bit outside of the scope of the mandate of my organization, but there are all sorts of challenges in terms of getting your products into retail because of maybe some kind of regulation of the CFIA and whatnot. Those are also issues. There is a host of issues. Again, it's how the system is designed, what its objectives are and who is at the table when policies and programs are developed. That is the key message. I am not necessarily the best spokesperson for the business side of things. That's the best I can do within my mandate, but I would encourage you to hear directly from the very small-scale producers and processors. Okay, I appreciate it. Thanks so much. The Chair: This is, unfortunately, all the time we have but I certainly want to thank, from Bonduelle Americas, Daniel Vielfaure, and from Food Secure Canada, Gisèle Yasmeen, for your perspectives on how we can improve our processing capacity in Canada. With that we shall say goodbye to our committee until Thursday. Everybody, have a nice end of the day and we shall see you the next time. Thank you.	109,313
I have a tradition; every year around December 1st I take a long weekend and go stay at a historic inn in New England. Sometimes I venture to Concord, Massachusetts to stay at Concord’s Colonial Inn, walk Walden Pond, visit Orchard House and take in the grounds of the Old Manse but usually I go to the Publick House Inn in Sturbridge Massachusetts to attend Sturbridge Village’s Christmas by Candlelight. The tradition began as a spur of the moment trip in December 2009 to Sturbridge Village—one of my favorite places of childhood. My fiancé and I went, had a blissful time and were contemplating returning in 2010 when I was fatefully asked to give a reading at the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge, Massachusetts (the neighboring town) on the first weekend in December. Thus one trip began a yearly pilgrimage. This past weekend was our weekend away. The trip was far from perfect. Seemingly everything that could go wrong did; the trail of difficult included a broken bed, stomach flu and issues with work that invaded our period of calm; however the trip wasn’t a complete bust. Despite everything that went wrong, we managed to enjoy moments here and there, such as our holiday dinner at the inn’s Tavern. The meal consisted of roasted duck, cornbread and sausage dressing and roasted butternut squash.. Finally and much to our relief, when the night of the lantern-lit walk through Sturbridge Village came, things couldn’t have gone smoother. I cannot convey the magic of the evening or paint the full scope of the experience for you. I can only give you a brief sketch and try to do justice to this: our comforting New England scene. We arrived at dusk. Grass-paneled lanterns line the dirt pathways. White twinkle-lights entwined with garland wind their way around the stretching wooden fences. A bonfire burns on the village green. In the distance carolers sing in costume on the stone steps of the old bank—their voices carrying over the roof tops, settling on the village, a resounding hymn. Father Christmas sits fireside in the Tavern, his soft leather boots muddy on the wide floor boards, his broad body wrapped in soft green robes, long beard glistening in the firelight. The smell of gingerbread, fruitcake and cider travels up from downstairs. Somewhere in the distance I hear the clap of hooves on the cold ground. Two Clydesdales are pulling a carriage through the winding roads. Seeking warmth we sit for a time on the village green, staring into the depth of the white flames of the bonfire. As the oak logs smolder my pressing worries give way to peace. At the end of the evening, as the candlelit village grows smaller in the distance, one truth resounds within me: The smell of the hearth makes me homesick for a land my mind cannot recall but my heart knows. On Christmas morning my favorite breakfast to make was a baked apple. 1 Apple of your choice. (I use Golden Delicious.) Core out the center of the apple. Place apple on tinfoil. Stuff the hole with the butter and brown sugar. Sprinkle nuts and raisin over and around apple. Enclose the apple with tinfoil and bake in a 350° oven for 20-30 mins (depending on size) until soft.	3,277
Employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 55,000 jobs in November, or a 0.27 percent increase over the previous month. The three-month average from September to November was 86,330 jobs, or a 0.43 percent month-to-month change. This is down from the previous three months, June to August, which averaged 201,330 jobs or […] Housing Starts Push Construction Growth in South and West by Matt Sedlar , 12/08/2020 Employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 107,000 in October, or 0.53 percent, according to the latest state jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction Construction jobs increased by 72,000 in October, or 0.99 percent over the previous month. This is the largest increase in jobs since June, when 159,000 […] Construction and Manufacturing Jobs Slowly Climb, While Mining and Logging Slump Continues by Matt Sedlar , 10/30/2020 Employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 93,000 jobs in September, or 0.47 percent over the last month, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The three-month average, from July to September, was 68,000 jobs, or a 0.34 percent change month-over-month. Construction Construction jobs increased by 26,000 in […] More of the Same in Blue Collar Jobs as the Numbers Creep Up by Matt Sedlar , 10/07/2020 Employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased in August by 45,000, or 0.23 percent over the previous month, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction Construction jobs increased by 17,000, or 0.24 percent over the previous month. The three-month average from June to August was 69,000 jobs, or […] by Matt Sedlar , 09/02/2020 Employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 39,000 jobs in July, or 0.2 percent over the previous month, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fun fact, employment in these sectors is at the same level as when Trump took office in 2017. However, employment has decreased by […] Revised July Numbers and Weak August Job Growth Raise Questions About Slump Again by Matt Sedlar , 10/02/2019 Jobs in the blue collar sectors of construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 12,000 in August. The big news is not, however, the August numbers, but the revised numbers from July. Last month’s report was fairly positive about the state of manufacturing as it appeared to be finally climbing out of a slump. […] Manufacturing Gains in July, But a Weak Month for Construction and Mining by Matt Sedlar , 09/05/2019 Jobs in the blue collar sectors of construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 15,000 in July, but in a surprise twist, that growth was mostly in manufacturing, not construction. Job growth was primarily in the South and West, with the addition of 12,400 and 8,300 blue collar jobs, respectively. The Northeast only added […] Manufacturing Rebounds in June, But Slump Persists in the Northeast by Matt Sedlar , 07/25/2019 Construction, manufacturing and mining and logging added 37,000 jobs in June, a rebound from mediocre May numbers. The May jobs numbers were actually revised upward, from 8,000 to 11,000, with the gains split between construction and mining and logging. In what is a pattern over the past several months, increases in June were heavily concentrated […] by Matt Sedlar , 06/27/2019 Jobs in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 8,000 jobs in May. The story here is the continuing weakness in manufacturing and mining and logging now coupled with a dismal month for construction. But looking at individual states and regions, a clear picture is starting to emerge about who is winning and who […] by Matt Sedlar , 04/25/2019 Employment in construction, manufacturing, and mining and logging increased by 12,000 jobs in March. This is a bump up from a gloomy February but nowhere near as strong as prior months. In fact, the average over the last three months (January, February, March) was 21,330 compared with 43,000 in the prior three months (October, November, […]	4,419
animateclay I always thought the shot of the father was amazingly done. What clay are you using again Randy? 6 years ago I always thought the shot of the father was amazingly done. What clay are you using again Randy? RandyB Thanks Marc! I have always used VanAken. Sometimes it's a little spongy, but I've gotten used to making it work, whatever the issue. And I like the vibrant colors, often using them straight out of the package - like the dad's shirt - VanAken turquoise. 6 years ago Thanks Marc! I have always used VanAken. Sometimes it's a little spongy, but I've gotten used to making it work, whatever the issue. And I like the vibrant colors, often using them straight out of the package - like the dad's shirt - VanAken turquoise.	756
SM: Before we get into the interview, you may want to tell our readers a little about yourself (just leave out the “real” dirty laundry). LOL. But seriously, aside from the fact that you’re US-based, a reporter, and most importantly, a Bowiehead (like me), what else do you wish to share about yourself? SM: Today it gives me great pleasure to introduce author Cary Ashby to Sylvia Says. Cary (and no, his surname was never “Grant”) and I met online on one of those David Bowie forums. As we are both diehard Bowieheads, it only made sense that we’d start chatting about our hero, then one thing led to another and we discovered we were both working on novels. Cary was working on his debut novel while at the same time he maintained the very busy role of roving reporter. Now, before we go any further, readers, being an Aussie I use Aussie spelling in all my blog posts, and being a Yank, Cary uses “U.S.” spelling (so no, you’re not seeing spelling mistakes). Okay, so I can finally welcome Cary. Therefore, without further ado: welcome to Sylvia Says, Cary. It’s such a pleasure to have you featuring on my blog today. CA: For the past 16 or so years, I have been a newspaper reporter. I have always covered our local school districts and lately, my focus has been on doing features. Of course, I will write as many A&E (arts & entertainment) stories as my editors will let me. LOL. Since I did the “cops and courts” beat for 12-plus years it’s nice to chip away at and redeem the black parts of my soul. For some extra money, and I do mean a little bit, I also cover high school football and basketball games. In my spare time – and when the motivation hits me – I write op-eds* and reviews about various comic book projects and the related media on my Cary’s Comics Craze blog. So basically, I feel like I write, or should be writing, all the time. And that can be a double-edged sword. [*Note by SM: meaning of “op-ed” – jargon speak for a newspaper page opposite the editorial page, devoted to personal comments, feature articles, etc.] I grew up in the beautiful state of Virginia in a VERY small town called The Plains. I earned my B.A. in English with minors in secondary education and music at James Madison University. My plan was to be a band director and/or a high school English teacher. Life took some detours and here I am, where my late mother said I should have been as a back-up plan – working in journalism. Since September, I have returned to singing in the church choir and playing handbells, which has been great for my soul. I live in a lovely little city called Norwalk, Ohio, and it’s a wonderful place to call home. SM: Life always seems to throw us detours, Cary, and here’s another one for you: I know of many reporters/journalists who have turned to writing books; so what was it that made you turn to novel writing? CA: It really started with my writers group, which meets once a month. We read our works in progress to each other and get wonderfully constructive feedback. I hadn’t done any fiction writing in years, so I started out just reading some of my nerdy blog posts. Having been a long-time mystery reader, I realized I always wanted to create my own P.I. or investigator. But it had to be original, not a knock-off of another character. SM: And this brings us to Colt Maverick. What inspired you to invent this character? Tell us a bit about Colt. What is he all about? CA: As I said, I wanted my character to be as original as possible. That’s tough when you’re writing mysteries. The name Colt Maverick came to me literally, when I was going to bed. It speaks to his somewhat rebellious nature and the name spoke to me, so suddenly I was ready to go! As an aside, many of my friends and readers say they absolutely love the name Colt Maverick. So if nothing else, I gave him a memorable first and last name. I couldn’t just have Colt be a P.I., so I made him a retired pro football player who had been a Marine sniper. Colt is a bit full of himself; some of my readers have called him arrogant. Really, all this happened in just what was going to be an experimental scene, but I ended up loving this guy. He’s fun to write, and you just never know what he’s going to do or even say. But, as a P.I., he’s always going to end up pursuing justice for everyone involved. That’s why I started the hashtag on social media of #WhatWillColtDo or #WWCD for short. SM: Well, he certainly sounds like an original character with an impressive background. Now, you released Colt’s debut novel not so long ago, so what’s coming up next for him? CA: I have been working on a follow-up story for not quite a year. There have been several stops, starts and do-overs. The writing hasn’t been nearly as “easy” as the original. It’s been tough going and honestly, Colt and I are just off a couple-month “break.” But I’ve found something I can stick my teeth into – and it gets Colt into a mess at the same time. That’s where he shines. Colt is investigating a security breach related to the murder of an attorney. What’s been fun is bringing back supporting characters from my first novel. That’s challenging at the same time because, as my writers group told me early in this draft, I can’t assume everyone read the first book. SM: Well, I can relate to that with my Mia Ferrari series. I believe there is a fine balance between not telling too much about the characters, but enough so that if a reader comes in at say, novel number three, they can still relate to the main protagonist and to the regular characters. This is not easy to do. The same goes for continuity. Recently, I read the third book in a mystery series (written by a well known author) and a character this author had appearing in novel one ended up with a totally different name in novel three. This put me off as a reader, and it isn’t the first time I’ve come across inconsistencies in the novels of bestselling authors. If I may be so bold as to suggest a method I use for consistency: I keep a file of white cards for each character, which come out of the file every time I start a new novel—this way I’m reminded of the little things that I may no longer remember from two novels ago. CA: That’s a great idea. I may steal that tip from you. Continuity is tough; I can’t imagine what you face with your Mia Ferrari books. I actually have a Colt Maverick sourcebook of sorts. I started a notebook devoted to the world of my novel, which details everything from who is related to whom to what they drink. It’s been helpful. SM: That’s a great idea, Cary. I think all authors have their own methods so they can remember and ins and outs of their characters. I could go on about this topic as it would be interesting to see what other authors out there do to remember all the details when they’re giving life to their characters, but now we’re running out of time; therefore, before we conclude I have a couple of quick questions: 1. Do you have a release date for the next Colt Maverick novel? 2. Is there anything you’d like to tell potential readers out there? CA: No release date on the sequel. Or even a tentative completion date. Not even close! I really am taking it slowly, mainly due to finding time with my work as a professional writer, but most importantly, so I can do it well. Lately I have taken to writing during my lunch break. SO many people who have read my novel have an immediate question when they see me: How is the next one coming? It’s incredibly exciting to know people want to read more about Colt, and honestly see my debut novel as the first in a series. Guess I must have done something right! Hahahaha. To any potential readers, it’s a blessing that you support authors, especially independent ones like Sylvia and me. Also, once you do read someone’s book, please post a review or send the author an email and/or direct message on social media and let him or her know what you think. Give us shoutouts! Constructive feedback is very helpful. Personally, there’s also nothing better than knowing you enjoy what I wrote. I have taken to heart the constructive criticism on my first book; that’s only going to help push me to make the next one even better. SM: Well, thank you so very much for taking the time to feature on Sylvia Says today. I really enjoyed learning about Colt Maverick and I look forward to reading about his adventures. Cary, I wish you all the best with the Colt novels, and please make sure you cut me into the deal when those film options come knocking at your door. Did I tell you I’m really good with continuity? LOL. CA: Good try, Sylvia! Hahahahaha. It has been a pleasure to be on Sylvia Says; thank you! For more information on Cary Ashby and where you can purchase Colt Maverick’s first mystery please CLICK here. A blog about the joys, trials, and tribulations of life on planet earth, plus all things literary. Sylvia Massara is an Australian author who is passionate about animal rights, climate change and saving our planet, plus the right of individuals to choose DIY euthanasia.	9,092
I know its been a while since I’ve written anything here. But I lost my MALE BEST FRIEND to a trucking accident. He was a local truck driver. He’s been since I met him over 22 years ago. He loved to drive state to state for 2-3 weeks at a time, but since he started having grand children he wanted to be home more to spend time with them, so he changed his shift to locally. January 10, 2019, My sister called me. I was taking a nap. I saw that it was her and answered the phone. She asked me if I had seen anything on FB about my BFF Rodney dying in a trucking accident. I sat straight up in bed as my heart started beating fast, I told her No. She told me to get on line, and go to our brother ex wife page. It read RIP Rodney Adams, and I was SHOCKED!!! I was mad at her for posting it, I wanted her to take it down. I was in denial and didn’t want to believe it. I asked her where did she hear that from? She told me from someone she knew. So, I went to his mom’s page, his daughter, sons, BFF, his siblings and NOTHING. No one had said a word. I couldn’t cry because I didn’t believe it. Not MY BEST FRIEND! As the night went on I was glued to all of their FB pages and finally his sister posted. I was devastated. I knew it was true then. Still I couldn’t cry because I had just spoken with him less than 2 weeks before. We worked different shifts and when we talked over the phone.. WE TALKED!!!!!. He always made me laugh with his stories. I use to call him just so that he could make me laugh. I can’t believe that I wont see my friend anymore. His BFF Mike for over 45 years was calling him to say that his MOTHER had passed away, just to find out the HE (((Rodney))) had too on the SAME DAY. There was a HUMAN WASTE spill on I-75 that was backed up for miles and miles and miles. After “cleaning up” the right lane only ((( they were STILL cleaning up the other lanes))) they had to open it up to release the traffic. Well…. all of the waste along that right lane wasn’t completely gotten up. A trailer truck carrying a camper slid in the right lane on the waste leaving part of the camper hanging out of the right lane. He got over as much as he could from on coming traffic. Then Rodney comes along driving his truck, SLID in the waste as well and slammed right into the back of the man and his trailer. The driver was okay had a few injuries. The family said the first responders prayed with Rodney as he was pinned to his truck. He was in and out, after the prayer they told the family that he complained of his legs hurting. As soon as the jaws of life pulled him out, he died INSTANTLY. The days after as it sunk in, I have crying spells daily. Even to this day. I think about him calling me all the time as he drove. His family put him away beautifully. I miss my silly friend. He loved people, and LOVED HIS FAMILY. They said that so many times at his service, how he loved his Facetime LIVES, his family, especially his grandkids, family barbecues, Prince and his Superfriends. They are made up about 7-8 friends who went to high school together. One thing I am grateful for…. his relationship with God. He LOVED GOD. They had the best relationship I can say this myself. I can’t wait to see him again. Here is a song that his sister and her husband sung at his service. It happens to be one of my favorite songs from a CD I purchased years and years ago. Rest Rodney. I love you. Posted on February 12, 2018 February 12, 2018 Several times a week I like to sit and talk out loud to myself. Yes, I live alone so I talk out loud so that I can hear my own thoughts. Most times they’re about myself, or maybe something that happened and I want to go over it again. I do this to check myself. Sometimes, I can say something that someone heard differently than I meant, and I like to go over it a few days later, to see where I can better communicate. But mostly, I like to examine my heart. I was talking to a male coworker of mines and I came to the conclusion that I need to study my bible more. I told someone today.. I’m half way through life… I’m 50, I’m almost to the “next level”. LOL I gotta laugh at my own thoughts. But it’s true. I pray and talk to Jesus daily, but, I NEED TO STUDY MORE. I love my closeness with God. I love how he speaks to me. I just feel that its always more to him. No matter how many times you read a Scripture it will always come back to you in a different light at another time. I hope you got that. But you have to put in the time. You have to make time (( I’m talking to myself as well)). You have to set aside time for God. Yes, yes, yes we get off track, not to say we don’t love and acknowledge him, but that study time, and time alone is EVERYTHING. Sometimes I get wrapped up in LIFE, and we lose sight of whats really important. I remember Tyler Perry would write his fans these long uplifting, encouraging, and inspiring emails. He hasn’t written any in over a year!!! I would look forward to his messages. But again, we all get off track. Doesn’t mean we don’t love God, or have a relationship with him. Just means we have got to get back to what bought us here. For me….. more time with God and more studying! I was thinking one day… Cree what is YOUR dream? I always felt that it had to be some huge thing that I bought or lived in. Whenever people asked, I never wanted to say, because I felt it may not live up to what others had dreams of. Maybe, to own a shop or something, but none of those things has been my dream. Mines is so simple (( don’t take the word simple lightly than how I’m using it)). My dream is to sit at my own BOOK SIGNING, and see the lines out of the door. I want women and men to say how much I inspired them. I want them to say, that they thought they were the only ones to go through what I’ve written. I want them to say, how I helped them to express how they were feeling about a certain situation. I want to see their faces, talk to them, cry with them, connect with them. I want to look them in their eyes and feel everything that they carry. My second dream is to marry someone I’m completely in LOVE with and he feels the very same way about me. I want to do MARRIAGE seminars. I want to help marriages stay alive. I first believe that husband and wife should have great chemistry and that’s what I LOVE. GREAT CHEMISTRY IS EVERYTHING. I want my husband to be full of GOD, and I want to be submissive to him. I can go on and on about both of my DREAMS for myself in this LIFE…. but I’ll stop here. MY ACE FAMMMMMMMMMMMILAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Posted on January 25, 2016 January 25, 2016 I was watching a clip of Jada Pinkett-Smith when she was about to be interviewed concerning the Aunt Viv video. It kinda blew me away when the reporter couldn’t get her question out fast enough, and Jada snapped her fingers and told her to “get it out”. It reminded me so CLEARLY of situations that’s happening daily to so many people. Please click the link below to see just what I’m talking about. Ever since I started working at 14… I always pride myself on treating people like I wanted to be treated. That always stays on my mind, but let me be clear there have been many times, where I’ve fell short of that. I never knew what it is about me (( well I know now)) that always made members of management take a liking to me. Not only that, but my co-workers as well. I’m not saying that they favored me, but I am saying that I respect others, they respect me, and I don’t haha hehe in their faces. I talk to people with a tone of voice where they get it, and not be offended. I don’t talk side ways, and I don’t scream. I use DIRECT eye contact, and #1 I will not complain to a co-worker about something that’s management related! I go to them. I say all of this to say…..catch and check “side ways talking” on the spot. Because once it builds up, you will allow people to run all over you. Now, I know the difference in playing and acting silly, being sarcastic and having fun because you know the person. But just off rip.. HELL TO THE NAW! I know a lot of people. I know how to communicate. I know how to express myself. I know how to get my point across. Yes, I may come on strong, but I enjoy working on that. I have came a long way. People, mainly coworkers have always felt that I was the favorite of management…. not true. I love myself, and I respect myself. I can see things from a level of a person with Power, and a person who has no Power. Thank you Jesus I can. I hate unfairness. I can’t stand favoritism. MY POINT! To see Jada snap her fingers at the REPORTER… when she would NEVER EVER EVA EVA EVA EVA do that to Oprah, Cicely Tyson, or Denzel Washington, pisses me off to NO END! People mistreat others according to how they SEE THEM. That’s just DISRESPECTFUL AND UNACCEPTABLE!!! I have seen Celebrities on Twitter speak or hold a conversation to another celebrity… and wont that person BREAK THEIR DAYUM FINGER NAILS RESPONDING BACK,((( and will apologize if they saw it days later)))) just to not seem like they are ignoring the person. Its fu*ing sad. I listen to Steve Harvey in the morning. And when he’s talking to a Celebrity on the phone, they’ll ask how he’s doing, and its laughs and conversations. But when a non celebrity call in, he rushes to say that he’s doing fine, and if the story don’t make sense he will TALK ALL KINDS OF SIDE WAYS …. and I just be like ARE YOU SERIOUS? Could NEVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BE ME!!!! I have to turn the station because I can’t stand to listen to the down talk. The interruptions, the side ways talking, the making the caller feel STUPID AND WORTHLESS. Pay attention. Thing is…. he probably has no idea he does this. Its a AUTO-PILOT of who to talk to side ways… and WHO NOT TOO. Publicly, celebrities don’t talk side ways to each other. BEFORE CLOSING Speak up for yourself. People like me because I communicate, I don’t play games, I do my work, and I don’t stick around for “conversations that has nothing to do with me”. Know your worth. Don’t let people talk to you any kind of way. Snapping fingers and making you feel like, ((((in Jada’s case)))) if you don’t hurry up and ask the question.. THEN YOU WONT HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET YOUR ANSWER. UM CUSE ME…GURL watch out! (( move to the side)) I AM La’Crease… (((I don’t have to do anything else!))) Posted on December 14, 2015 December 14, 2015 Hahahaha…Ive seen this video before and its SOOOOOO FUNNY TO ME.. Because I finally get a chance to see HOW I LOOK when someone says something stupid to me. LOL I’ll make faces just like that, it keeps me from saying something that will offend…. YOU! Down to the word “boo” I would have explained myself using the very same words. LOL LOL Those facial expressions are priceless. Patti wasn’t going to let the conversation go on without her EXPLAINING her part. SOOOOOOO MEEE!!! LOL When I DON’T want to offend you, I JUST want you to UNDERSTAND. Patti was showing the audience that its paper not the actual cupcake she’s holding. OOO weee that was funny. I promise this is MEEEEEEEEEEEE ALL DAY.. My family and friends LOVE when I have to do that. I keep it friendly laughing and to the point! I don’t want anyone mad at me.. I just need you to UNDERSTAND. Take a look! Posted on July 28, 2015 July 28, 2015 Just sitting here crying my eyes out re-watching Whitney Houston’s funeral thinking about God and how we must all leave someday. I was also thinking about how close Whitney and Bobbi were. You can tell in every video, how much love they had for each other. That lil gurl loved her mother something deeply. I can relate, because I feel the same way about my mother. We’re very close, talk on the phone everyday, we’re always together. I was at her apartment late last night. Took her to dinner the night before, I take her grocery shopping, take care of her bills, out for rides, trips, and her doctor’s appointment. I LOVE my mother something deeply. Bobbi Kristina was a young gurl when she passed away, I CANT imagine the pain she went through with the world watching. Always having to say “I’m okay” when she wasn’t. I just CAN’T imagine the tears she cried every time she thought about her mom. The love of a mom is DEEP.. A love that God can only create. Then I think about my daughter, my one and only, my 9/3/86… I love this lil gurl something deeply and she loves me the same way. We’re so close its scary sometimes. I wonder how did God give us the ability to love so strong. Don’t get it twisted… I LOVE GOD more than anything and anyone. HE GAVE ME- THEM BOTH. Since I have HIM.. I have them. I’ve been playing the song below all morning, crying my eyes out, thinking about the LOVE OF A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. Posted on February 15, 2015 March 2, 2015 (Continued) #FIFTYSHADES I realized what he was doing…..he was interviewing. I thought to myself…. “I know dayum well he aint the one doing the interviewing.” Now… I’m staring at him. He’s so dayum fine …he catches my eye. I found it hard to turn away. I was nervous. I can’t be interviewed by him because I know me… I’ll be nervous. Oh my GOD.. I thought to myself.. this is not happening to me. Not today. Not this time in my life. I have no control, I felt weak, and once he saw this in my eyes he would take me mentally to a whole new height. So… I sat there. I tried to convince myself that he wasn’t the one to interview me, that maybe there were several interviewers. I had to have went over this in my head about 20 times. He kept looking at me, so I decided that I was leaving. Nope, I wasn’t about to be interviewed by this man. He was NOT going to intimidate me. Nope not today. Now…. I have this thing about me, if I catch the eye of someone attractive and for me…. its one of MY “ugly” days, then I will NEVER be intimidated no matter how good he looks or turn me on. Because in my mind, I’m thinking Ok Cree….he thinks you’re cute today, just wait till he sees you looking good. So, that kinda helps me. But on this day………………… I was looking good!!! My face was MAC FLAWLESS… skin beautiful, eyes wish a brotha would look me into these marbles and not get caught up – lol, lips poppin, hair on point no wigs or fake hair, smile… SMILING, eye lashes batting… had on my all black outfit with my boots…. couldn’t tell me nothing before I left out of the house. As I sat there…. I made up my mind that I was leaving. Wasn’t going to put myself through this.. I’ve been down this STREET a time or two of being CHEMISTRY intimidated and not able to get out of it. I stood up, grabbed my purse… just then I remembered that I parked valet and didn’t have my keys. Dayum.. I said to myself and sat back down. I decided that I was going to stay. That I was going to get through this interview and have full control. I fought myself all while he was still interviewing. I know me…. I’ve been though this before. There aren’t many times a woman look into a mans eyes and become star gazed on first site. Its a feeling that paralyzes you. But I must admit its one of the sexiest minutes to be apart of. But dang…. why couldn’t this happen while at the grocery store, mall or restaurant somewhere…… NOT A INTERVIEW. SHAT! He stands up and shakes the hand of the person he just interviewed and the person leaves. My heart is pounding as he’s walking towards me to get to the desk to ask “whose next”. We make eye contact and we speak at the same time. I knew he was coming for me. I was in trouble. He goes to the desk and the gurl points at me. “DAMMIT” I said in my mind… he IS the one going to interview me. I embraced myself as he walked towards me looking me DEAD in my eyes, trying to “download” my every thought in my head…..through my eyes. We smiled and its a wrap for me…. I already know. He walks toward me and says ” LaCrease Walker?”…. Yes, I said as I stood up to shake his hand. He walks in front of me and says lets go over to this table the one he was at while doing the other interview. I was so dayum nervous… I started to say… “YOU KNOW WHAT?” I’m good on this job, it was nice for you to call me. I’m outta here. But I didn’t. He sat in the chair and I sat on the couch. There was also a table there, that he had all of my information on. I couldn’t turn my mind off of how FIONE he was as he looked at my resume. He looked good from afar, but up close OH MY GAWD!!!! I kept telling myself…GURL….. get it together. It was silence as he looked down. He knew what he was doing. He was loading up on me, when he came up from that paper and asked that first question… I knew he would take FULL CONTROL. As he asked me the first question… he sat back and had his way with me. Looking me so deep into my eyes, downloading everything about me. Reading me, taking mental notes. Just dogging MEEEEEEE.. LOL Just like in the movie during the interview scene. All I could do was try to stay focus. The chemistry was so deep..so alive. So in my face. Then he asked more questions. Still staring me in my eyes as I spoke…so sexy and so sensual. I felt my body reacting to his stares. I tried to redirect my thoughts, but he kept looking at me. I know my eyes started telling him what my thoughts were… I couldn’t even help it. LOL I was slipping away yall. Whenever he spoke about the company… that was my time to regroup my thoughts and get myself together. I kept having to have these inside pep talks with myself, because I didn’t know how much of these intense stares I could take. Just as I got myself together, there goes another question. A time for me to talk while he download my thoughts. THEN…… in the middle of me answering a question… he stops me and says… “Take off your coat”. To myself… I’m like “OH HELL to the N word NAW… um um you wont be seeing this beautiful shapely booty, my thick thighs and my waist line that carries it all. NOT TODAY!!! LOL LOL LOL I told him that I was fine. He insist. But the way he said it.. it wasn’t in a sexual way… or out of order…. NOT AT ALL… LET ME BE CLEAR…to him….. it only made sense to “get comfortable”… since I appeared to be ” NERVOUS” and the interview just started. I didn’t want to do it…. if I ever had a chance to get out of it…. IT WAS GONE NOW. I stood up which the space between his chair and the couch I was sitting on… placed me right in front of him.. LIKE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. I stood up and began taking off my coat… I tried to turn my head as I did it.. but our eyes locked and I PROMISE ON every TRUTH IN ME…. this man took off my coat for me!!!! His eyes told my coat to come off… AND IT OBEYED LOL LOL I had never in my life FELT SOMETHING SO INTENSE. When I took it off and sat it on the couch.. I felt like my breast, vagina, behind everything was EXPOSED! Its funny now looking back on it… but it wasn’t then. Shat…. I don’t even remember the interview after that. LOL Whenever he spoke and shared things with me about the company, I reloaded trying to get “the POWER” back that he was “stealing” from me. LOL When it was my turn to answer the questions… my mind started failing me again.. worse every time. I starting thinking about kissing him, laying on the couch…all of this sexual stuff started coming to my mind. I’m saying to myself… “guuuuuuuuuurl if you don’t knock it off!!! I couldn’t even help it… I was under a spell. The way he was looking at me.. he knew what he was doing. I was so weak and he knew it. He controlled the whole atmosphere and he was loving it. FINALLY …. the interview was over. YES!!!! He said.. I’m going to set you up on for a second interview. I was happy about that. He told me what time to come back in 2 days. I got to my car sat in it….. and almost needed a cigarette. I don’t smoke cigarettes, weed, anything… don’t even drink.. but I needed a hit of something that day. I was in a daze all the way home. I kept hitting my wrist asking myself…. what the HELL JUST HAPPENED? The experience was GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT!!! But dang….. not at a INTERVIEW! I thought about that man all day and all night. I couldn’t even sleep the meet was that INTENSE. I had a plan for him.I was going to “get that ass back”. When I go back… I was going to be in CONTROL. I was not going to let him take over my mind, sexually and mentally again. I didn’t sleep for 2 days thinking about it. I remembered what he said…. he kept saying how he loved my bubbly personality. This time… I was going to be about BUSINESS . I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE that about myself. I can give you BUBBLY.. SMILES.. LAUGHS… COMMUNICATION…SEXY, everything… but when I put on my BUSINESS FACE…….YOU WILL NOT be able to figure me out… because I’m in control of MEEEEEEEEE. I LOOOOOOOVE that in myself. The day and hour came for me to go back for a second interview… I walked up in there like I WAS PART OWNER.. LOL LOL Sho the FORK did… Yalp had on my BUSINESS face like………..who WANTS TO SEE ME AND WHERE THEY AT? LOL LOL Guess who comes out to greet me.. looking BETTER THAN THE TWO DAYS BEFORE… GOOD GAWD…. um um ummmmm. One look into my eyes as we shook hands to greet……and he said….. “you don’t seem as bubbly as you did before”… I LAUGHED MY ASS OFF IN MY MIND. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA YESSSS ITS WORKING…. He said you’re okay? I said yessss… I’m good!!!! I’m saying in my mind as we lock eyes… “what you want me to sit around here naked in the second interview too”? NOT GONE HAPPEN BOO. LOL LOL LOL I was so happy I had my POWER back. He was looking good though… but I was ready for him and his PARALYZING STARES. LOL He directs me to the same area we were in before. But this time I sat in the other chair that sits a table, the couch I was on and the chair he sat in. He leaves to get the person who wants to meet and interview me. They both come back, but only the guy who is doing the interviewing sits down and in the chair that handsome* sat in last time. We got to talking about the job, then about his friends, dogs, homeless people, being sick.. kids, everything. We WERE KICKING IT.. I was so comfortable… I felt so good. He was so cool. Then…………here HE comes…. didn’t he PARK his FIONE self on the couch between me and the interviewer… sat and stared at me THE WHOLE TIME. I’m saying to myself.. GOD MAKE HIM LEAVE!!!!! I cant take it. He watched my every move, heard every word I said.. analyzed me, captivated me, sexually intimidated me, took off my clothes without ONE touch, downloaded all my thoughts, made me apart of his atmosphere, and took all MY POWER away. I tried to ignore his presence… I tried to pretend he wasn’t there. I tried to believe this wasn’t happening to me. I tried to stop looking at him. He was loving it. He knew exactly what he was doing. I had no control. The guy who was doing the interview was so into his story and life.. he had no idea I “left the building”. LOL I was at Mr. “House”. LOL I couldn’t stop looking over at him. I was a mess. He got me. He got me good. After that… didn’t even matter. I was butt naked again.. in his presence. I just let myself go. What the hell I thought to myself… he won! My thoughts took over and my nipples got hard. My vagina walls started doing the Harlem shake, flips, cart wheels… and whatever thoughts came to mind….. my body REACTED. AT one point… I tried hard to get back FOCUSED…. but it was like little kids in my head with markers, crayons, pencils and ink pens… coloring and scribble scrabbling all over my thoughts. What ever conversation I tried to muster up.. I couldn’t because the kids in my head…. scribble scrabble on my thoughts. HE got me.. h Then came time for paper work. We had to get in the elevator ALONE together.. and oh boy…. NOT THE ELEVATOR…. so personal… so sensual. The chemistry…… can’t even explain. I will say… that I LOVED the experience.. I LOVED how I felt… I LOVED the attraction and chemistry between us… but it was the wrong setting. Posted on December 20, 2014 This Monday night I was watching Christmas Movies. I never watch them, or listen to the music… I never could get into them. But I’m a new fan. I watched 2 of them, and it has gotten my juices flowing to write a LOVE STORY. I’ve always had one in me, but those movies inspired me to go in. Not sexual.. but to explore LOVE exactly how I see it in my mind. I was always afraid of letting it go, and putting it on paper. When I started writing it, I thought of people I know in real life and it just started flowing. The visual is awesome. I have a long way to go, but getting started has got me so excited about it. I’m going in. If only it was real life… Just listened to Luther…. I’m going to write a little.. got me thinking.. Posted on November 14, 2014 November 14, 2014 Today was a good day. Even though I had a breakdown … whew.. um um um. God always knows.. I mean not only knows… but ACTS ON IT when you’re on the ledge. I knew I wasn’t going over, but I sure stood on it today baaaaaby. Yes the gurl did. But he came through for me and I’m happy. I can’t even make up the things I’ve been through this year. Things always get better when you believe. Saw a old friend today who knows me like he knows himself, told me that he loved me and that God is his witness, I’ll be his wife before he dies. Wow that is POWERFUL! Too bad I can’t have who I LOVE. Before I close I just want to say to all those who are reading. Love each other, don’t take friendships for granted. Be there for that person as well, its not all about you. Because one day, you’ll go looking for your friend, and they’ll be gone. Keep promises and stay in touch, not only when you need to be heard, but just because you LOVE THAT PERSON. Here is one of my favorite videos*SOLID* from husband and wife Damion and ( my gurl) Maria Brumfield. Posted on September 26, 2014 September 27, 2014 This is so cute!!! I love kids so much. I think the gurls are twins. One is mean and the other is nice LOL LOL I know twins just like this. Why at the end it made me cry… awwww. Posted on September 21, 2014 Till it runneth over, Holy Grail Gloria and her friends Fed The Homeless!/BLOG My Adult Raisingurls.. Daijah and Nell My Raisingurls growing up God is SERIOUS (about forgiving) Why are you staring? 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A year after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was rolled back, the Chinese army is on the borders in Ladakh and Pakistan is planning to convert Gilgit-Baltistan into its fifth province. With three nuclear powers active in a small region, nobody knows where Jammu and Kashmir is heading towards, reports Masood Hussain A huge gathering of men and women on protest. in Hunza area of Gilgit. They are seeking the release of Baba Jan, a local politician, who was arrested on trumpeted charges in 2011. If 2019 was for Kashmir, the 2020 summer was completely dominated by the Tibetan plateau, parts of which formed included the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, from Leh to Baltistan. Both the belts separated by the Line of Control (LoC) exhibited almost a similar situation, this fall. Leh leaders called for a boycott of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Leh and Home Minister Amit Shah had to intervene to get them reverse the populist decision aimed at reversing the protections the region enjoyed till August 2019. On the other side of the divide, the major Hunza belt in Gilgit in threatening a boycott of the November 15, assembly elections if their jailed leaders are not set free before the elections. However, the main focus remains on the larger issues in the region. A year after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was undone and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories, the Chinese army is on Ladakh borders. There have been a series of meeting at the military commanders’ level and the diplomatic front. So far, there is nothing substantial outcome other than the rival armies are in a high state of readiness. On the other side of the divide, Islamabad has hinted it will upgrade Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) into Pakistan’s fifth full-fledged province. Being ruled by PML-N for the last more than five years, the election on GB’s 24 general seats of the assembly could bring a change in the ruling party in a region that is key to Pakistan’s growth and strategic goals, especially because of Chinese investments and interests. This has triggered a serious crisis, at least diplomatically. Delhi is saying the GB is part of “occupied territories” and Pakistan lacks a right to do what it intends. People taking out a rally in Leh demands constitutional safeguard. Pic:: Excelsior Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) and the Kashmir separatists are insisting that elevation of GB to a ‘provisional province’ will be as good as annexation and will have an impact on the Kashmir issue. Interestingly, the majority of GB and China would support the Islamabad move. This is happening at a time when the Kashmir political class in Srinagar is in disarray and has somehow found the Gupkar Declaration as the sole umbilical cord. The declaration seeks restoration of status quo ante envisaging the undoing of reading down of Article 370 and Article 35A. Though the change in the GB status has been in the news for a long time, the fresh spell started on September 17, 2020, when Pakistan’s Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur said Prime Minister Imran Khan would be flying to GB for announcing the region’s upgrade to the status of a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights, including its representation in the Senate and the National Assembly. Imran Khan with Kashmiri separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Bilal Gani Lone during the latter’s visit to Pakistan using the cross LoC bus. “After consultation with all stakeholders, the federal government has decided in principle to give constitutional rights to GB,” the minister told a delegation of GB journalists, according to The Express Tribune. “Our government has decided to deliver on the promise it made to the people there.” In a follow-up, The Dawn on September 22, reported that “the government and the opposition almost reached a consensus on granting “provisional provincial status” to strategically-located” GB. “The sources said the issue was discussed in a meeting between a government team comprising Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar with the leader of the opposition and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari,” the newspaper reported. “Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and PML-N’s secretary general Ahsan Iqbal were also present in the meeting, which was held in Islamabad a few weeks back.” The report said the Pakistan army chief was also part of the deliberations and opposition parties supported the move as long as it does not impact the “Kashmir issue”. Commentary in Pakistani newspapers suggested that while Pakistan army had rejected the idea earlier, at least twice, this time, it is part of the new emerging consensus on the issue. “The government of India has conveyed its strong protest to the government of Pakistan and reiterated that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of so-called Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947,” a statement issued by the external affairs ministry in Delhi said on September 29, 2020. “These are cosmetic exercises intended to camouflage its illegal occupation. We call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.” The statement said that Pakistan has “no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it.” Chinese premier handing over a handmade portrait to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 during his India visit. In May, when the Pakistani Supreme Court allowed the Imran Khan government to hold elections in GB, Delhi issued a virtual demarche against, what it said, an effort aimed at “material changes” in the disputed territory. “The Government of Pakistan or its judiciary has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Instead, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation,” the MEA spokesperson said. Muzaffarabad Unsupportive Delhi apart, there is no support to the idea even from the PaK, also part of the same disputed territory. Though the people avoided moving out in a protest – as had happening during the reign of Nawaz Sharief, there are murmurs against the move. The lawyers of the region have come out against the idea already. Besides, there is also no possibility of any separatist from Kashmir supporting the idea. Unlike Delhi, their opposition is mostly around the argument that it will change the nature of the dispute over Kashmir. Government of India sees the territories of the erstwhile state fall in Pakistan’s control and administration as disputed. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi paying tributes to the valour of the soldiers, during his visit to Nimu in Ladakh on July 03, 2020. A PIB Photo “If it is true that Pakistan plans to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) to a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights, it will unwittingly disturb the disputed nature of the State of the Jammu and Kashmir,” US-based separatist Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai wrote recently. “It will be akin to the unilateral action taken by Narendra Modi on August 5, 2019, when Article 370 and 35 A were abrogated.” Fai said the last time when the similar move was initiated during early 2016, it backfired forcing Sharief, the then Prime Minister, to write letters to Kashmir separatists that no such elevation was under consideration. Supporters At the same time, however, there are individuals, parties and societies who not only support the move but are excited about it. “The policy shift is pragmatic and optimally timed and seizes the opportunity opened by Modi’s self-defeating move of scrapping Kashmir’s special status and China’s military campaign against India in Ladakh,” Riaz Akbar and Yawar Abbas, a scholar and a medical doctor, wrote in a joint 2-part series in The Express Tribune. “Giving constitutional cover to G-B was overdue, and the threat of a military response by India to it may have deterred Pakistan in the past, but with China keeping India busy in Ladakh, the Indian response may come just in the form of an escalation of cross-border firing.” They have discovered their own wisdom: “While Modi’s revocation of Kashmir’s status was hugely unpopular with the people of Kashmir, and India had to enforce a yearlong lockdown of the whole state, Pakistan’s elevation of the status is highly popular with people of G-B, who are already anticipating the move.” There are supporters to the idea even in India, that too from the rightwing. “India has already effected a major material change in the status of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir by amending Article 370 of its constitution and by bi-furcating the state into two Union territories. This Indian action is almost surely not going to be reversed in future by a non-BJP government,” Sudheendra Kulkarni, speechwriter of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee wrote in The Wire in a three-part series that focussed on the region with a focus on maintaining status quo and reviving Musharaf-Manmohan formula for a peaceful co-existence. “Therefore, there is no reason why Pakistan cannot bring about a constitutional change to make Gilgit Baltistan its fifth province, which has been a longstanding demand of the people of this region. Certainly, the time has come for Pakistan to acknowledge and respect their choice of being its full-fledged citizens.” For a peaceful region, Kulkarni even suggests that India should join the Chinese BRI and the borders around Kashmir should turn soft. It is already known that the GB, the erstwhile Northern Areas, are being held in a “colonial” fashion for the last more than seven decades and the peoples’ excitement about the province-idea is a hope that their “statelessness” will end. The region had acceded to Pakistan, in anticipation of the issue being to the United Nations, according to Kulkarni without any violence or bloodshed. However, GB eventually became part of the dispute over Kashmir by Pakistan’s own decision-making. The idea might address the emotions of the GB people but at the core of the province-move seemingly is the CPEC, a network of roads, railways, and pipelines on which Beijing is investing the US $64 billion with an avowed objective to connect China’s strategically important northwestern Xinxiang province to the port of Gawadar in Baluchistan. The two are already connected with 784-km Karakoram Highway. The corridor will eventually open Africa and the Middle East for China as Pakistan can earn billions from the economic activity from the new version of the Silk Route. For obvious reasons, the investment lacks a sort of legitimacy because the area is disputed. World Bank has been terming GB as an area with “vague legal status”. It was merely this reason why the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB) refused to fund the US $14 bn Diamer-Bhasha dam that Islamabad sees crucial to its development, irrigation and power generation. It is hanging in balance for the last 20 years now. If set up, it can produce 4500 MW of clean energy. Commentaries in the Pakistan media suggest that China has been pushing Islamabad to go for this formal annexation – on a provisional basis – for almost 20 years now. The last time the idea was in circulation had Chinese push behind it at the peak of Nawaz Sharief regime. Islamabad’s policymakers seem to be lured by yet another suggestion. “Legalising Pakistan’s control over G-B also raises the prospects of an important suggestion floated by the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan: joint development of the GB-Xinjiang region as sister provinces, and to turn them into a single economic and strategic theatre at the (Belt and Road Initiative) BRI’s point of origin,” the two authors wrote. “Such a venture will not just give an international flair to BRI’s starting point, but will also bring innumerable economic, strategic, and cultural benefits to Pakistan via Central Asia, West Asia and Eastern Europe.” Interestingly, GB is directly linked to Afghan territory, Wakhan and that is another corridor to reach Central Asia. Chinese investments are already a major mover and shaker in the region where three mighty mountain ranges – the Karakoram, the Himalaya, and the Hindukush, meet at Jaglot’s ‘Junction Point’. Despite emerging as the crucible of climatic change with the surge in the melting of glaciers, the GB has already started attracting good, albeit small, investments. It is already a roaring tourist destination. The mineral-rich region has also reported certain demographic changes in past, that policymakers in India, see as “material changes”. August 5, 2019 In Kashmir, the idea of Gilgit has traditionally remained as the remembrance of centuries-old collective punishment of Beagar – the forced labour that British protected Dogra depots were extracting from Kashmiris to feed their outposts. However, the Gilgit Baltistan returned to news the day Modi government decided to read-down Article 370 and withdraw the protection to the demographic composition of Jammu and Kashmir by undoing Article 35A. The changes in the Constitution of India came with a statement by the Home Minister, Amit Shah, a day later. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating Home Minister Amit Shah after the passage of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill in Lok Sabha on August 6, 2019. “When I talk about Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin are included in it… We will give our lives for this region,” Shah retorted to a Congress lawmaker. The statement came in wake of repeated statements by the rightwing leaders and writers suggesting that they will have to retrieve entire territory from Aksai Chin to GB. The maps of the two brand new Union Territories show GB as part of Ladakh and PaK part of Jammu and Kashmir. These “material changes” have led to shifts in the thought process on the other side as well. As China moved its soldiers into Ladakh, Islamabad is toying with the fifth province idea. Interestingly, the region that Pakistan is keen to upgrade as its fifth province has India and China sitting against each other on its borders. The entire region that is in news in Ladakh is not far away from the corridor that links China and Pakistan. In fact from the Daulat Beg Oldie side, the belt is within the range of India’s ordinary howitzers. Where the instability of Jammu and Kashmir, military tensions in Ladakh and the new annexation idea of the GB will take the region will be the defining moments of the new Great Game. The only difference is that unlike the spies wandering in deserts as tourists and discoverers in the early nineteenth century Great Games, it is the era of drones and nuclear bombs. Interestingly, all three powers possess nuclear arsenals and that adds to the worries of all. Indo Pak relations Previous articleBriefing October 11-17, 2020 Associated with the Srinagar dateline since 1987, Masood Hussain has served a number of media organisations in the last more than three decades. He served Kashmir Times for around a decade and joined The Economic Times which he left in 2015 after 17 years. He is currently the Editor of Kashmir Life.	15,802
Talks continue to avert a massive strike and railroad shutdown. The strike could happen as soon as Friday, but we're already seeing the effects. Railroads are cutting shipments. Amtrak has stopped some passenger routes. And, as Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports, the sticking point for workers isn't pay. It's the tough lifestyle railroad work imposes on people who keep the trains running. FRANK MORRIS, BYLINE: On a normal day, about 7,000 freight trains like this BNSF train snaking through a rail junction in Kansas City crisscross the United States, carrying most of the stuff that makes the economy work. MORRIS: But this whole system could shut down later this week because the people who drive these trains for a living are so angry. DENNIS PIERCE: I have never seen this level of anger, animosity, acrimony - you pick the word that means they're pissed off - 'cause they are. MORRIS: Dennis Pierce is president of the engineers' union. He says freight train engineers and conductors haven't had a raise in three years, but that's not the issue. PIERCE: They do not have days off. They do not have a schedule. MORRIS: They're on-call, Pierce says, sometimes for weeks on end. Railroad engineers and conductors are well paid - typically around $100,000 a year - but the lifestyle is brutal. MILDRED HOOD: Yeah, it sucks the life right out of you. HOOD: You're constantly thinking about the job. When I got off work, I'd go home and I'd go to sleep, and I immediately know when I get up that they could call me to go to work. MORRIS: Engineers and conductors want more predictable and flexible schedules. They've been bargaining with the railroads, along with 10 other unions representing railroad workers, for close to three years. The upshot of all that talking is a compromise hammered out by a board appointed by President Joe Biden. It would offer rail workers the biggest pay hike in decades - 24% - but it doesn't get at the work schedule issues. And Dennis Pierce says the railroads can do better. PIERCE: Union Pacific reported its best year ever last year, and that's like 160 years' worth of best years - billions of dollars in profits. They can afford everything their employees are asking for. MORRIS: Still, most of the railroad unions have tentatively signed off on the proposal currently on the table. The engineers and conductors are holding out and could trigger a strike Friday morning. That would cause immediate problems for manufacturers, says Lee Sanders with the American Bakers Association. LEE SANDERS: If we don't get the ingredients that we need to our plants, we won't be able to make the products that we need to get our wholesome products to the consumers. MORRIS: So empty shelves are a possibility. Farmers are worried about shipping grain. Dangerous chemicals have already stopped moving. Especially valuable goods are next, and passengers are getting stranded too. MORRIS: Amtrak is already shutting down most of its long-distance routes. That's because, outside of the northeast, Amtrak trains run on track owned and operated by the big freight railroads. So if there's a strike, those trains can't run. At Union Station in Kansas City, Tina Henderson (ph) and her baby daughter are waiting for their regular train to St. Louis. TIA HENDERSON: People need to travel back and forth. People that don't have as much finances don't have a car, so I feel like them stopping, that'll be a horrible thing to do 'cause people wouldn't be able to make it home. MORRIS: So a railroad strike would cost billions of dollars and derail lots of travel plans. It's a political nightmare for the party in power. The Biden administration is leaning on railroads and holdout unions to come to an agreement. If they don't and there's a strike or a lockout, Congress will likely force the two sides to accept a deal and go back to work. For NPR News, I'm Frank Morris in Kansas City. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Frank Morris has supervised the reporters in KCUR's newsroom since 1999. In addition to his managerial duties, Morris files regularly with National Public Radio. He’s covered everything from tornadoes to tax law for the network, in stories spanning eight states. His work has won dozens of awards, including four national Public Radio News Directors awards (PRNDIs) and several regional Edward R. Murrow awards. In 2012 he was honored to be named "Journalist of the Year" by the Heart of America Press Club.	4,713
In August 2015, the Free Reformed Church of Launceston asked FRC Baldivis to declare a day of prayer in view of the pressures towards same-sex marriage and other breaches of biblical norms on sexuality and marriage. FRC Baldivis agreed to declare a day of prayer for the Free Reformed Churches of Australia on 12 February 2017. I chose to preach on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Beloved congregation of Christ, If our federal government had gotten its way, yesterday we would have gone to the polls to vote in a plebiscite on so-called marriage equality. We would have been voting on whether or not the Australian government should allow for same-sex marriage. However, the other parties blocked the plebiscite. They want to have a free vote in parliament on the matter. We shouldn’t be thinking that this matter is done and dusted. Labour, the Greens, and even some from the Coalition are still pushing for a free vote. It would probably only take a change of Prime Minister to make it happen, and given how often this country has been changing prime ministers in recent years, don’t hold your breath. Meanwhile, the media is also putting enormous pressure on our society to allow for homosexual people to get married. While I was in Cairns, I watched a bit of a TV show called Bride and Prejudice. Maybe some of you have seen it. It’s about “forbidden marriages,” couples getting married against their parents’ wishes. One of the couples is two men, Chris and Grant. Grant is an American, and his parents are supportive. Chris is an Australian, and his parents are totally against the marriage. His mom is a Jehovah’s Witness and his ex-military dad is portrayed as just another Aussie bigot. The show creates sympathy for Chris. And also for Chris and Grant as a couple. After all, they have to travel all the way from Australia to Palm Springs, California in order to exchange their wedding vows. TV shows like this prepared the way for same-sex marriage in North America and TV producers know that this has power to change things here in Australia too. In August of 2015 the consistory [of the FRC Launceston] sent a letter to the church at Baldivis asking for a Day of Prayer in view of efforts in our nation to allow for same-sex marriage. The church at Baldivis is the church for calling Days of Prayer. They considered the matter and agreed to call for a Day of Prayer in our bond of churches for today. It’s not only because of same-sex marriage, but also because of other pressures on biblical norms regarding marriage and sexuality. We think of sexual activity before or outside of marriage, pornography, divorce, gender confusion, and so on. Today, we will pray for our nation. We’ll pray here in church, but you’re also encouraged to pray at home with your family, and as an individual. We must plead with the Lord to have mercy on Australia. We have to beg him to restrain the forces of evil which continue to threaten our national well-being. But in connection with that, it’s also good for us to be reminded from God’s Word about the norms that God has established for marriage and human sexuality. That’s why we’re looking at this passage from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 this morning. This should be a well-known passage to us. When we’re faced with the issues we’re facing today, our thoughts should go to what God’s Word says here. This passage is clear about what’s sinful. It identifies various sinful behaviours and tells us what the consequences are. But it also offers hope with the gospel. Through the good news of Jesus Christ, there is a way for people to be delivered from sin. There’s not only a way for us to be delivered, but also a way for this nation we love. The passage tells us of two types of people: unbelievers and believers. It shows us not only how they are different in principle, but also how they must be different in practice. You could say there’s both description and prescription. And so I preach to you God’s Word from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 with this theme: There’s to be a radical contrast between unbelievers and believers. We’ll consider what characterizes: We sometimes think that our society must be one of the worst that’s ever existed. Morally speaking, can there have been a worse time in human history? Knowing your history helps you to keep everything in perspective. If you know something about the history of Corinth, that helps you realize that the wickedness of our day is more of a revival than an innovation. It’s a revival of evil, not the appearance of something that’s never been seen before. The city of Corinth had a reputation, even amongst pagan Romans and Greeks. It was originally founded in the time of the ancient Greeks, and then re-established in the time of the Roman Empire. It was a port city and, as a result, also a party city. It was a place to have a good time, a place to get drunk and go crazy. Corinth had wide-spread prostitution, male and female. Some of that prostitution was associated with the worship of Roman gods. You’d go to a pagan temple and the worship involved sex. Homosexuality was accepted as normal in Corinth, both for men and women. Men would often be involved in homosexual relationships with boys. Marriage was not really respected. Corinth in the days of Paul was a cesspool of vice and the ugliest forms of paganism. The gospel came to Corinth sometime in the early 50s. Paul was part of the way in which that happened, but others were involved too, like Priscilla and Aquila, as well as Apollos. The gospel came and there were people who heard the good news of Jesus and believed it. They turned from their sin and turned to Christ. By the time Paul wrote this letter, the Corinthian church had only existed for a few years – perhaps even only three years. The people to whom he was writing were still baby Christians. They were babes in the faith, “infants in Christ,” and it showed. You just have to read through the first chapters of this letter to see the issues they were dealing with. There was division and disharmony, infighting. Then in chapter 5, we find that the church was even tolerating stuff that the world would find disgraceful. There was incest – a man who called himself a Christian, a member of the church, sleeping with his step-mother. The church turned a blind eye to it. No discipline. Then chapter 6 describes even more ugly stuff in the Corinthian church. People who called themselves Christians were suing each other in court. Church members were engaged in lawsuits amongst themselves. It was shameful. Look, the problem was not that the Corinthian church existed in the world, the problem was that the world was in the church. In some key ways, the church was indistinguishable from the world. In some ways, they were even outdoing the world’s wickedness. That was the problem that the Holy Spirit was addressing in our text. It wasn’t the world’s wickedness as such, but the fact that the church was joining in with the world, and in some ways even surpassing it. It’s a pretty sad situation when the church is living worse than the world. How can a church like that bring honour and glory to God? Verse 9 has Paul asking a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is one where the answer is obvious. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” Of course, they know that! They know it because Paul and others taught it to them. When the gospel came to Corinth, the missionaries taught that you have to turn from your sin and turn to Christ in faith. You can’t keep on living in sin if you become a Christian. They knew that – they knew it with their minds, but their lives were saying that some of them didn’t know it with their hearts. They didn’t really know it in the most meaningful way. So this rhetorical question is meant to remind them. They’re reminded that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. What this means is that the person who lives in sin is not going to receive the blessings of living under God’s rule into eternity. What it means is that the person who loves their sin and won’t hate it and fight against it is not going to have eternal life. The person who clings to their sin and won’t let go of it is not going to heaven. That’s true of people out there in the world, but here the Holy Spirit is especially applying these words to people in the church. Today it’s still true, also for us: the unrepentant and unrighteous church member will not inherit the kingdom of God — will not be saved. You see, what first characterizes an unbeliever, whether in the church or outside, is the lack of repentance. It’s the unwillingness to forsake sin. What sin does is deceive us. That’s why the next words of our text say: “Do not be deceived…” Sin is all about deception. It’s about making you deny reality and live in a fantasy. Sin came into this world through the deception of Satan with Adam and Eve. Sin continues to exist because of lies and deceit all around us. When the Holy Spirit says, “Do not be deceived,” he recognizes that there’s a real possibility that we might be deceived. We need to recognize that too. For the Corinthians, they lived in a society dominated by the lies of the devil. We do too. The world we live in lies to us constantly. Do you see it? Are you aware of the way the world is trying to bringing us away from God’s reality and into fantasies? Think of that show Bride and Prejudice. That show wants to deceive you. It wants you to sign on to the cause of so-called marriage equality because you feel sorry for Chris and Grant. It wants you to be okay with gay marriage because these men are feeling hurt when Chris’s parents won’t support them. It plays on your emotions and tries to change your mind through your feelings. Do not be deceived! Be aware of the ways that sin lies to us, whether it’s our own hearts, or the lies of society around us. Loved ones, see the lies for what they are and reject them. In Corinth, the lie was that you can be a wicked and sinful person, and everything will be okay. Our city tolerates just about anything. No worries. In the Corinthian church, the lie was that you can still live like the world, or maybe even worse, and you’ll still go to heaven, still inherit the kingdom of God. The lie was that the holy God can’t be all that serious about sin. In verses 9 and 10, the Holy Spirit emphatically speaks truth to the lie. He’s finished with generalities. Now he becomes very specific. There are specific sins of the Corinthian world which characterize unrepentant unbelievers. They’re named and we’re not left with any doubt. The Holy Spirit could have left it vague, but he decided to have Paul lay it all out. Now before we look at these specific sins, the list is not comprehensive. Other habitual sins could have been mentioned: like blasphemy, for instance. But the focus here is on the predominant sins in the Corinthian context, sins which predominated in the world and were also challenging the church. Some of these sins are also challenges in our world today. Unless they repent, all who live in these sins remain under God’s judgment. They will not inherit the kingdom of God. Instead, they will inherit his wrath for eternity. Verse 9 first mentions the sexually immoral. This is the broadest term the New Testament uses for sexual sin. It covers every way in which the Seventh Commandment might be broken. The sexually immoral habitually lust after people they’re not married to – that includes through pornography. The sexually immoral unrepentantly engage in sexual activity with people they’re not married to. Sometimes that’s before marriage – pre-marital sex of any kind, not just the sexual activity that normally results in babies, if you get my drift. Those who are sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God – they will not live with God in fellowship forever through Jesus Christ. Then Paul mentions idolaters. Remember that in Corinth idolatry and sex went together. So there’s a direct connection between being sexually immoral and committing idolatry. There’s not going to be any room for rationalization: “Oh, I wasn’t really being sexually immoral because I was worshipping Aphrodite.” For us today too, we have to realize that sexual sin also involves idolatry. We may not have a temple to a goddess, but the nature of sexual sin is always worshipful. Our society has turned sex into a god. We’re tempted to do it too. If we buy into that lie, there is no inheritance in the kingdom of God. Adulterers will also not inherit the kingdom. Adultery is when you’re married to someone, and then give yourself to someone else outside the marriage. It usually starts with emotional adultery and then transitions to physical, sexual adultery. Adultery accounts for a great number of the divorces in our world today. In the church too, adultery is often the reason behind divorces. God hates divorce and God hates adultery. Therefore, he is not going to have unrepentant adulterers in his kingdom. Are you tempted to commit adultery? I beg you: don’t. If you get stuck in that sin — and it’s easy to get stuck in it — you won’t have a place in God’s kingdom. Then we have “men who practice homosexuality.” The original Greek actually uses two terms here. If you look at the note in the ESV, it says, “The two Greek terms translated by this phrase refer to the passive and active partners in consensual homosexual acts.” This then refers to people who are actively in homosexual relationships. It’s not speaking about Christians who might struggle with same-sex attraction, but about those who are actually engaged in homosexual activity. There’s a long background to the biblical view on this. Let’s pause here and review that. Homosexuality appears after the fall into sin. It was not part of God’s original design for this world. The first mention of homosexual behaviour is in Genesis 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah. The men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual relations with Lot’s guests. That was partly behind God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Now sometimes you’ll hear people say that it was their lack of hospitality that led to God’s judgment, not their homosexuality. Well, the little book of Jude tells us different. Jude 7 says that these cities underwent punishment because they “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire.” You can’t get around that. The rest of the Old Testament likewise describes homosexual behaviour as an abomination in God’s sight. Leviticus 18:22 says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination.” Someone might say, “But that’s in the Old Testament. It’s in the Mosaic law, so it doesn’t apply anymore.” Anyone who says that needs to read Romans 1. There, in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit says that homosexual lusts and activity are dishonorable and unnatural. Homosexual activity, whether among men or women, is shameful according to Romans 1. Loved ones, the Bible is clear. First Corinthians 6 is not the only place that says it. The whole Bible testifies that God views homosexual lusts and activity as sinful. When you give yourself over to that lifestyle, you’re not a Christian. When you commit yourself to identifying as a homosexual person and living a homosexual life, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. The world around us tells us lies about this. The Bible tells us the truth. The Bible teaches us that we can never accept this. Since it goes against God’s plan for the good of our race, we should do everything we can to fight against efforts to normalize homosexuality, especially in regard to same-sex marriage. Look, if the Bible tells us that homosexual behaviour is sinful and destructive, then obviously same-sex marriage is too. If it comes to a free vote in Parliament, we’re going to need to mobilize. We’re going to have to contact our elected representatives and present the case against it. Do everything we can. Let me say one more thing. Following the biblical teaching on this doesn’t allow for us to be rude or mean-spirited towards our homosexual neighbours. I know, by holding to what the Bible says, they’ll already think we’re rude or mean-spirited. They’ll call us homophobic or bigoted or whatever else. But we’re still to treat people with respect. People who identify as homosexuals are still created in the image of God. We’re called to love them, not hate them. We can’t approve of what they do, but we can still pray for them and be kind to them as much as we can. We ought to long for the opportunity to share the gospel with them, and to see them believe it and have their lives changed by it. Verse 10 describes others who won’t inherit the kingdom. Unbelievers characterized by thieving won’t. Those who are greedy won’t. Notice with this one how there’s a heart issue explicitly mentioned here. Greed is something that lives in the heart and is not always visible on the outside. You can hide greed. But if you’re hiding greed in your heart and holding on to it and living with it, the kingdom of God is closed to you. Drunkards are mentioned next. If you think it’s okay to get drunk every weekend, you’re not a Christian bound for heaven. If you think it’s okay to get drunk at any time, the Holy Spirit says you’re out. Revilers are people who use abusive language. They treat people with disrespect. In connection with today’s Day of Prayer, it’s fair to say that if you constantly treat homosexuals (or anyone else) with abusive and hateful language, you will no more inherit the kingdom of God than they will. Last of all, there’s mention of swindlers. These are con-artists. They trick people and defraud them. As long as they don’t repent, swindlers are also barred from the kingdom. It’s quite a list and again I remind you of two things: the list is particular to the situation in that church in that time. It’s not comprehensive. You might go through the list and notice that your pet sin is missing. You might congratulate yourself on still being an heir to the kingdom of God. You’re deceiving yourself if you do that. Read the whole Bible and you’ll find that any sin not repented of results in your name not being on the list of kingdom heirs. Second, let me remind you that it is not the case that having committed any of these sins in the past automatically results in your disqualification from the kingdom. I’m sure there’s someone here who’s been sexually immoral, who’s worshipped idols, been drunk. Perhaps some have robbed or swindled. We may even have people here who have engaged in homosexual activity. The passage tells us that all these things are sinful, but that’s not all. It also tells us that you’re only disqualified from a kingdom inheritance if you stay in these sins and don’t turn from them. If you don’t repent and hate your sin, forsake it, then yes, I have to warn you: you’re not going to heaven. But if you hear this and you go, “Oh, I hate it that I did that. I just hate it. I hate it because I know God hates it. I cast contempt on it. I don’t want to ever do it again. I want to live in Christ, I want to live for God’s glory.” If you say that, you have absolutely nothing to fear. You’re going to receive the inheritance promised to Christians. That becomes all the more evident as we take a closer look at verse 11. Here we find what characterizes Christians. First of all, the Spirit says through Paul, “And such were some of you.” Christians can have a past. Some of the Corinthian Christians had a past life. They used to be characterized differently. Some were sexually immoral, others idolaters and adulterers. Some had engaged in homosexual lifestyles. Some had been thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers. They had a past life. But the past was in the past. “Such were some of you.” The word “were” here is crucially important. They’re not these things any longer. A change has come. That change has everything to do with the gospel. What characterizes Christians is what God has done for them in the good news. There are three gospel things mentioned in verse 11. “You were washed” – all those things mentioned in verses 9-10 are dirty and unclean. When you do those things, you’re filthy in the eyes of God. That’s true of any sin, not just the ones mentioned in our text. Sin muddies us, pollutes us, soils us. We need washing and the gospel is what provides that. By believing in Jesus Christ, sins are washed away with his blood. We are made whiter than snow in God’s eyes. All the filth is gone, and there’s nothing but purity and holiness. The washing is what God does for believers. He did it for the Corinthians, he does it for us, and he’ll do it for anyone who takes hold of Christ by faith. If anyone says, “I’m a dirty sinner in God’s eyes, I need washing with Christ’s blood – O God, please wash me and make me clean” — if anyone says that, God will hear and answer. He will wash and purify the dirtiest sinner. “You were sanctified” – sometimes sanctification in the Bible is speaking about the process of becoming holy. But there is another way that the Bible speaks about sanctification and that’s what we find here. This is what we call definitive sanctification. When God chooses someone, calls someone, works faith in someone, and so on – he is setting that person apart from the sinful mass of humanity. He is setting that person apart as his chosen child. All who truly believe in Jesus Christ are definitively sanctified in this way. The true Christians in Corinth too were sanctified by God, marked as his, set apart as his own beloved people. Formerly they were enslaved to sin, but now they’re God’s children. God does that through the gospel. Last of all, “you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Justification – I love to preach on it. This is such a rich and beautiful part of the gospel. This morning, we can only touch on it. Justification is God’s one-time declaration that we are right with him because of what Christ has done in his life and death. When we embrace Jesus as our Saviour, the heavenly Judge declares that we are righteous. He says that we have everything we need to live with him forever. We have perfect obedience in the life of Christ has lived for us. We have forgiveness through the death of Christ on the cross for us. All of it is guaranteed in the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection was God’s way of saying that he accepted Christ’s work on our behalf. The Judge says that believers are right with him, and we’re adopted into his family. We are heirs of the kingdom of God! Our Father has bequeathed us his kingdom. We have this in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour, and it also comes to us by the Spirit. The Spirit is the one who gives faith so that Christians take hold of Christ for salvation. So these Corinthians with a shady past had been washed, sanctified, and justified by God. The gospel had changed their standing before God. What characterizes Christians is the incredible work of God in their lives, bringing them to Christ through repentance and faith. Implied in these verses is the idea that the Corinthians have to be who they are. They can’t go back to being like the world. They have to be different, because of what God has done in their lives by his grace. God has called them to be different. Christians in the church can’t walk like the world does. If we’ve been washed, we can’t wallow in the muck. If we’ve been set apart, we can’t try to erase the distinction God has made with us. If we’ve been justified, we can’t act like we’re still accused sinners outside of God’s family, living under his condemnation. So that’s one important take-away from this passage: if you’re truly a Christian, more and more the past has to be in the past. That’s a process, but it’s an essential one. Without that process, no one is a Christian. Another important take-away from this passage relates to our current situation. We have real hope to offer this world. Look at those words again in verse 11, especially at the beginning, “And such were some of you.” There is hope for change in the gospel. People’s lives can really be changed, and that happens through the good news of Jesus Christ. On this Day of Prayer, just think of one or two people you know who are lost. They’re not Christians. Perhaps they’re living in one of the ways described in our text. Maybe it’s a different way. But they’re without Christ. They haven’t been washed, sanctified, justified. Do you know someone like that? Think of that person. On this Day of Prayer, I would encourage you to pray for that person by name, intently and specifically. Pray for God to open their heart for the gospel. Pray for the Holy Spirit to do his work of regeneration. Pray for that person to see their sin and misery and their need for Jesus. Pray that you would have opportunities or more opportunities to share your gospel hope with him or her. Ask God to give you love for that person, and also courage to speak, wisdom to say the right words at the right moment. Loved ones, God hears these prayers and he will do surprising things with them. Expect it. But pray. If we want to see our beloved country repent and follow the Lord, it starts with us praying for individual fellow Australians, caring for them, and sharing the gospel hope. No one is beyond that hope. The Corinthian church testified to that. “And such were some of you.” Loved ones, our world is dark and seems to be getting darker. You could look at that and just resign yourself to it. You could be passive and just say, “Oh well, the Bible said it would get worse and worse, so there’s no point in fighting it or saying anything.” That would be a wicked response. It’s wicked because it shows no love. Do you love your country? Do you love your neighbours? Shouldn’t we care about the welfare of our land? If we care, shouldn’t we do something? Shouldn’t we say what we can when we can to stem the tide of wickedness? Shouldn’t we at least pray? AMEN. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) About the Author Rev. Wes Bredenhof (B.A., M.Div., Th.D.) is pastor of the Free Reformed Church in Launceston, Tasmania. Read More Related Posts 25 June 2022 Rev. H.G. Gunnink: “That is deformation.” 19 June 2015 9 August 2016 1 May 2019 8 July 2014 About the Author Rev. Wes Bredenhof (B.A., M.Div., Th.D.) is pastor of the Free Reformed Church in Launceston, Tasmania. Read More Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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The fifth in Craig Johnson’s Longmire series of novels about a Western sheriff in Wyoming, after 2008’s Another Man’s Moccasins, is The Dark Horse (Viking Penguin, 2009). The reader will have various ideas of who the dark horse of the title is. It could be Walt Longmire himself because in this story he goes undercover to solve a crime. Or it could be the woman who confesses to the crime but who, Longmire is sure, is nonetheless innocent; her actions and motives are more than obscure. Or it could actually be a dark horse: the jet black mare Wahoo Sue is probably (along with Dog) the star of the story. At any rate Walt is out of Absaroka County this time, up in Campbell Cty, at the semi-invitation of its sheriff. He’s gone to the one-horse town of Absalom, which allows Biblical digressions into the story of King David’s son, whose fate my pa used to hold up as a warning in the 1960s against wearing long hair. Walt has a Lincoln Town Car this time. Maybe he thinks he’s Raylan Givens. And he also has a new hat. But neither last. Mr Johnson about to enjoy a grill(e) There are the usual Western tinges to a modern crime drama. Especially cowboy is one of the characters, old Hershel, who seems born to the saddle and has an original Yellow Boy Henry, which, like the 1876 Sharps in The Cold Dish, is destined to play an important part in the tale. We are also told that the last time Walt went to the movies was in 1974, to see Ulzana’s Raid, that excellent film with Burt Lancaster. There are, too, references to James Arness, Ken Curtis and The Lone Ranger’s horse Silver. On page 205 of my paperback edition Walt delivers himself of the perceptive line, “No matter what we did to try and form the West, however, the West inevitably formed us instead.” In the last ‘reel’, as it were, there is an impressive ride down from a great mesa (or butte, depending on your definition) with shootin’ and gallopin’ that could have come out of any oater. True, there is also a brand new red Dodge truck but still. Mr Johnson writes well. Sometimes, through Walt, he is astute, even wise. Unlike bone, once that illusionary magic circle of safety is broken, it can never be completely repaired and is not stronger at the break. He can also be witty. How’s this for an image? She released her nose and smiled; she always smiled when she was relaying information like this, the way sharks smile when they see snorklers wearing yellow. Actually, the snorklers, as opposed to snorkelers, are one of the few solecisms. Most of the prose is impeccable. Dog is revealed to be part German Shepherd, part St. Bernard, so we can get a better mental picture of him now. My own golden retriever Wyatt is almost as well trained and obedient. But Dog makes Rin Tin Tin look like a dumb mutt. We are also told a little more about Walt’s parents and youth, so that’s good. Henry Standing Bear is there of course and he does play a part in the story but much less this time. Walt kinda goes it alone. Undercover. Though his undercover skills are somewhat limited. Vic also only appears tangentially, towards the end, but there is just enough time for a little more consummation devoutly to be wished, in a motel room. Her brother has proposed to Walt’s daughter Cady, back in Philly. Will she take him? Perhaps the next volume (Junkyard Dogs) will reveal. If she does, that might complicate the Walt/Vic relationship somewhat, don’t you think? Naturally Walt picks up more injuries, this time a smashed-in head and a broken foot. At least he isn’t actually shot this time. I hope he’s well insured. The old German doc Isaac Bloomfield will doubtless patch him up again, as he does in every vol., but by the end of the series I fear that our hero will be plumb full of holes. Readers of vol. 3, Kindness Goes Unpunished, will recognize the occasionally dropped remark boy howdy. The author has said that he would like Gary Cooper to play Longmire in a film. But Coop isn’t returning his calls. Actually, if I did have a criticism, and being a critic I guess I am allowed, it would be that this time the bad guy is too much of a black hat. A bit of saving grace would have made him a trifle more convincing. But this villain is a tad overdrawn.	4,282
I had the good fortune of attending a wedding at Terrain on a beautiful sunny day a few weekends ago. Having never been to the garden center and home goods store, I asked a few of my friends who had visited to tell me a little bit about the place. They said to expect a lot of gardening tools, pots, urns, plants, flowers, greenhouses, a cafe and much, much more. With this in mind I made sure I had a camera so that I could photograph Terrain’s many offerings for those of you who have never visited. My main concern that day, however, was the family wedding, but with a few moments to spare before the occasion, I took a small tour of the adjacent center. What struck me as I wound my way past a small gate was the number of tasteful and unique items for the home that were carefully arranged around the store, both inside and out. I took in as much as I could in that twenty minute span. The outdoor areas of Terrain have staged patios, beautifully organized container flowers and greenhouses where one can pick out just the right plant, shrub, chair or other garden ornament. The urns, tuteurs and pots of flowers alone are absolutely amazing. That is just the beginning. When you step into the actual store, you are immediately taken in by the abundance of home goods. You can see various pieces of fine furniture, farmhouse-style furniture, mirrors meant to mimic vintage pieces, sconces, frames and linens. It feels as if one has walked into a barn. I love the rectangular terrariums displayed on that farmhouse table, because they have copper edging which casts a warm glow under the lights. While I was there they were having a tag sale! I wasn't in the market to buy anything, but I did see several items that piqued my interest. Against this window-paneled wall there are flags, garlands and other festive items. I love the striped pillows on the garden chairs. These are perfect for that tranquil outdoor space of yours or even a small breakfast area near the kitchen. Many of the glass terrariums available for purchase can be filled with beautiful succulents located beneath. Everything you need to create that perfect arrangement is located here. These linens really caught my eye. It's always nice to come across 100% linen tablecloths in simple patterns. To me, the simpler the pattern and the softer the color, the better. Trays meant to be used underneath planters are located in this area. Available in copper and galvanized aluminum, they come in many different shapes and sizes. Those long window planters along the bottom left-hand corner are superb! The copper trays are beautiful, but those darkened aluminum ones can easily take to some paint. A beekeeper's area with primers on beekeeping and various bee-themed items. Those yellow boxes that you see in the middle contain a Philadelphia specialty: John & Kira's Chocolate Bees. They are delicious! Tablewares galore can be found toward the middle of the store. What I love about this layout is that there is plenty of space to walk around and everything is arranged just so. A multitude of small plants are scattered throughout the store. This makes table arrangements quite easy if you're at a loss as to how to create a nice table setting. I fell in love with those wire garden baskets and the wooden trugs on the shelf. The wooden ones are quite expensive, so be prepared. In this area we have American made glassware from Mosser, handwoven picking baskets and even some cookbooks. If you feel like pampering yourself with spa-type products, visit the bath area. Natural sea sponges, artisanal soaps, fragrances and even makeup for the ladies can be purchased at Terrain. Who knew? Here is more of that Mosser glassware. Some of it is in jadeite! How nice to find made in the U.S.A. jadeite that is of high quality and true to the vintage color. I picked up and inspected those mixing bowls and I have to tell you that they are quite hefty, saturated with color and absolutely beautiful. These faceted tumbles are also very pretty for summertime drinks or every day sips. I'm tempted... As I said, there are outdoor areas which have many garden furniture pieces, such as these teak tables and iron chairs. The jardiniere chairs lacquered in that soft mint hue are very nice. I think they were my favorite pieces from their outdoor collection. A nice venue for 47 guests. I thought I would share with you the menu from the wedding. Although everything was delicious, I did have my favorites. The Maryland blue crabcake sliders were so tender and tasty that I devoured 3 of them while sipping a glass of rosé wine. The mushroom & dandelion green tartlets were also quite good. The freshly baked bread in terra-cotta pots with whipped butter was heavenly to say the least. I also loved the grilled asparagus salad with microgreens and the fresh pappardelle. The grilled rainbow trout with smoked ratatouille, braised red kale and garden herb puree were cooked to perfection. The carefully planned menu was befitting of this special occasion. Making my way back to the wedding venue next door, I finally understood what everyone had been talking about regarding Terrain. It is indeed a wonderful place. With two locations, one at Glenn Mills in Pennsylvania and one in Westport, Connecticut, you really ought to visit if you are ever in either of these areas. For those of you who plan on having a celebration for a crowd in the near future and need a location, visit Terrain and book a private event. If you can't personally visit these stores, I do recommend going to their website. Look for the tag sales that pop up!	5,668
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The Contact Dermatitis Investigation Unit (CDIU) is based in the Barnes Building in Salford Royal where the team will carry out the patch testing process. This involves a number of steps. First will be the consultation where a history will be taken to identify what allergens may be contributing to skin conditions. The next stage would be the application of the patches and then a further consultation following the application then the final step is the outcome of the patch test where the results will be discussed which may highlight potential sources of allergens contributing to a patient’s recent or previous skin condition. This can provide patients with information relevant or of old relevance if they do in fact suffer with contact allergies to help them appropriately manage their skin condition going forwards. The patients will be given a written copy of the outcome which will give them to knowledge to help guide them of what to avoid in the future to help them manage and control their skin. Within the Contact Dermatitis Investigation Unit, there are a number of Specialist team members including Dr Jason Williams, the Director of CDIU who leads the service. Within the department, there is also a Specialist Doctor, Specialist Dermatology Registrar, Specialist Nurse, Patch test Co-ordinator and a team of support workers to ensure the safe, clean and personal running of the unit. Both children and adults are seen in the department. Services Offered Contact Dermatitis Investigation Unit provides facilities including: Prick Testing if relevant and deemed appropriate by the clinician Your Appointment – what to expect? A patient attending CDIU for testing is expected to bring their treatment creams and ointments and any relevant additional items which could be contributing to problems with their skin condition. For patch testing, 4 appointments over 4 different days will be arranged. The first appointment will be a patch test assessment appointment and the other 3 will be 3 appointments in the space of one week. Where to find us Patients are generally referred from their GP or specialist Dermatologist team member. Referrals are to be made to the attention of Dr Jason Williams at the main address.	2,321
Spiritual direction, by its very nature, escapes precise definition. It is a gift, given by God, and functions as a special charism. The following are tentative descriptions: To give support to a person to see the work of the Holy Spirit/God in his or her life. To be a companion to a person in seeking the meaning of life. To accompany others seeking the mystery we name God by tending the holy in their lives. A friendly relationship in which one person helps another to discern and respond to God’s will for them. Companioning another person, together listening to the movement of the holy, the divine, in that person’s life. Spiritual direction can happen in groups, but more frequently happens in one to one relationships. Spiritual directors are persons who have discerned within themselves the gift of spiritual direction, who have had this gift affirmed by others, and who are open to improve and deepen their ministry. 2. Why do spiritual directors need an organisation across Europe? Europe has its own distinctive and inter-related cultures, languages, spiritual traditions, history, etc. Europe is growing to a new unity: politically, economically, socially, and needs a spiritual basis for that unity. Spiritual direction can be one means to support this growth. Moreover, spiritual direction is by its very nature often a hidden and lonely ministry. The need for mutual support is high. Europe as a whole has a spiritual richness which is greater than that enjoyed by any of its constituent parts. Mutual support on a pan-European basis has a potential for enrichment which more local initiatives cannot possess. There are also a number of practical reasons for organizing spiritual directors on a European level rather than worldwide: distances, and the costs of transportation being obvious examples. 3. Can anyone join SD-Europe? SD-Europe began as a Christian organisation. Membership is open to anyone practicing the ministry of spiritual direction. Applications for membership are subject to scrutiny by the Executive Committee. 4. What is the cost of membership? The present annual membership fee is 15 Euros. It is hoped that members will remain loyal to SD-Europe for many years, and for this reason we want membership renewals to be as simple and as cost-effective as possible. Thus we will encourage the use of standing orders and direct debits where possible. 5. What are the benefits of membership? The network of members will obtain a variety of benefits, partly depending on how they use SD-Europe and what they need. A range of benefits might include support, sharing of ideas, education, conferences, a directory of spiritual directors in Europe (at least of members of SD-Europe), newsletters/magazines, prayer, pilgrimages, and a forum in which to listen to others, to network, and be amongst like minded persons. Currently we organise an annual gathering of members. Finally, it is to be hoped that lasting friendships will be formed, some of which may be across national, language and denominational barriers. 6. What is the Executive Committee of SD-Europe and who is on it? The Executive Committee serves SD-Europe by being its governing body. It is elected from the membership at the Annual General Meeting. It has a minimum of three members and a maximum of six. 7. What happens at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of SD-Europe? The AGM of SD-Europe will be a formal business meeting, and for this reason it is highly likely to coincide with a conference so that as many members as possible are encouraged to attend. The first General Meeting took place in November 2004. Then the Constitution was signed and the first Executive Committee was elected. After this first General Meeting, Annual General Meetings followed. The first AGM, which took place in February 2006, adopted the Constitution, and elected the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and other members of the Executive Committee, and conduct any other business. Subsequent AGMs will also consider the reports from the Officers and the accounts and finances of SD-Europe. 8. How will SD-Europe keep in touch with me, or how can I contact you We believe that it makes sense, where possible, to use the internet and e-mail to keep in touch with each other, as this is very cheap and quick. However, post and telephone may also be used. Regional and national meetings may also be set up. The Chair and the Secretary will always be available for contact, preferably by e-mail.? 9. Does SD-Europe have a legal constitution? Yes. The Constitution is available to all members and prospective members. The Constitution was formally adopted by the membership at the first meeting of SD-Europe, and the Constitution includes a process for amending the Constitution when necessary (see number 7 above). It would appear that at least some of the business of SD-Europe will be conducted in English. Both the Constitution and this explanatory document are in English, and SD-Europe is subject to English Law. However, it will be up to the members and the Executive Committee to decide how best to proceed at any gathering, and it is certainly possible that different languages will be used, and translation provided where necessary. 11. How is the Executive Committee elected? Details of the election procedure are described in our Constitution. 12. What about meetings for all the members of SD-Europe? All members are entitled to attend and vote at AGMs and at any Special General Meeting (SGM) which may be called. SGMs are rare, and are designed for urgent business that cannot wait until the next AGM. There will be other online meetings, conferences, socials etc. which will also be open to all the members. 13. Are there any procedural rules for meetings? The Constitution provides rules for formal meetings. This covers such matters as quorum, voting, and minutes, and provides that the members may add further procedural rules as standing orders. Normally voting is by simple majority on a show of hands of those present. The election of the members of the Executive Committee is described in the Appendix 1 of this document. 14. What about the finances of SD-Europe? The funds of SD-Europe will comprise the membership fees, together with any profit made from conferences, publications etc. These finances will be controlled by the Treasurer, who will manage the bank accounts of SD-Europe. Proper accounts have to be kept. The Executive Committee will exercise oversight of the finances, and the members will be informed at the AGM. SD-Europe will comply with the current law concerning inspection, examination or auditing of the accounts, and it will be up to the members to choose or approve the choice of the person charged with this duty. In the event of SD-Europe incurring debts and having to be wound up, each member would be liable to pay no more than £1 towards those debts. The Constitution can be changed by the vote of two-thirds of the members present at a meeting specially called for this purpose. If it ever proves to be redundant, SD-Europe can also be wound up or dissolved by a similar vote. Paul Booth is our Company Secretary. He advises and supports the EC in legal and other official matters and serves as Moderator at the AGMs We are an international association of Spiritual Directors from a variety of Christian traditions with full membership open to all trained Directors/ Accompaniers in the continent of Europe. SD-Europe offers several levels of Membership - from Friend through to Full Member. Each level brings different benefits.	7,771
Guest Post: Further Developments on French Law Regarding Anti-Bribery Prosecutions by Multiple States \| GAB \| The Global Anticorruption Blog Skip to primary content Law, Social Science, and Policy ← Previous Next → Guest Post: Further Developments on French Law Regarding Anti-Bribery Prosecutions by Multiple States Posted on April 19, 2018 by Matthew Stephenson GAB is pleased to welcome back Frederick Davis, a lawyer in the Paris office of Debevoise & Plimpton, who contributes the following guest post: The Supreme Court of France recently reversed two criminal judgments on the application of the international double jeopardy principle (or ne bis in idem, as the principle is known in Europe and elsewhere) in transnational bribery cases (and others). Taken together with some other recent developments, these developments suggest a renewed determination in France to regain leadership from US prosecutors in enforcing international bribery norms in France. The ne bis in idem principle limits prosecutors’ power to pursue individuals or companies already convicted or acquitted elsewhere, including in other countries. Several European countries have domestic laws endorsing this principle; in France, the prosecutor is not bound by non-French outcomes if the French prosecution is “territorial” (that is, if an element of the offense took place on French soil) but cannot prosecute a defendant already pursued elsewhere if the only French basis for prosecution would be so-called “extraterritorial” principles (such as French citizenship of the perpetrator or the victim). Separately, a number of Europe-wide treaties, the most effective of which is the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement (CISA), have provisions that, with some exceptions, basically mean that no one can be prosecuted twice in Europe for the same offense. But these provisions do not apply to US prosecutors, who are by far the most aggressive and effective pursuers of cross-border crimes such as overseas bribery. US courts interpret the Double Jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to mean only that a single sovereign cannot prosecute the same defendant twice for the same offense. Some have argued that the US position creates a tension with Article 4.3 of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which provides that when more than one country is competent to prosecute, they must consult to “determin[e] the most appropriate jurisdiction for prosecution,” clearly contemplating that only one country prosecute a given defendant for the same acts. But for reasons I have explored elsewhere, as well as in this space here and here, US prosecutors have not followed the spirit of Article 4.3, instead acting as the “final arbiter” of outcomes around the world, not hesitating to bring actions if they deem non-US outcomes insufficient. Two formally unrelated decisions of the Paris Court of Appeals in 2016 – the ones that the French Supreme Court just vacated – seemed to complicate matter still further: One decision involved the so-called Oil-for-Food prosecutions where French prosecutors, applying laws very similar to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, pursued individuals and companies alleged to have violated UN rules on doing business with the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. One of the companies so pursued, Swiss energy company Vitol SA, had previously pled guilty in New York state court to charges derived from the same facts. The trial court ruled that since both France and the United States were signatories to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the ne bis in idem provision of Article 14(7) of the ICCPR protected against a French prosecution. The Paris Court of Appeals reversed this dismissal, and convicted Vitol under French procedures permitting an appellate court to do so. But the appellate court’s reasoning was limited: Vitol’s problem, the court ruled, was that the ICCPR protects against multiple prosecutions for the same “offense” (whereas some of the European and other treaties prohibit multiple prosecution based on the same “acts”), and Vitol’s guilty plea in New York had been for grand larceny rather than corruption. The court’s language seemed to suggest that the ICCPR would bar re-prosecution in France after an earlier US conviction for the same offense. Later in 2016, the Court of Appeals decided the Tesler case, and seemed to offer further protection against re-prosecution after a US guilty plea. The defendant, Mr. Tesler, was a British national who pled guilty in the US to FCPA violations, and then was prosecuted under French law for the same offense. Tesler argued this re-prosecution was barred by the ICCPR—a conclusion that language in the Oil-for-Food appellate opinion seemed to endorse. While both the trial court and the Court of Appeals agreed that the French prosecution was barred, the reasoning was different: The courts held that Mr. Tesler’s US guilty plea deprived him of his right to self-defense under the European Convention on Human Rights. To reach this conclusion, the courts first held that the plea had been “involuntary,” in the relevant legal sense, because of the “decades-long” sentence Mr. Tesler would have suffered if he had not pled guilty. The French courts then observed that according to the terms of the plea agreement, if Mr. Tesler were to subsequently deny responsibility for the violation—including in the context of defending himself in a French prosecution—he would be subjected to the risk of further prosecution in the United States. Taken together, the two decisions created an odd asymmetry: They offered some limited but clear protections to individuals and companies that negotiated outcomes in the United States, but provided no relief against US prosecution if a French outcome were obtained first. As noted above, US prosecutors recognize no double jeopardy limit based on outcomes from a different sovereign, and also the ICCPR has been systematically interpreted in the United States to be a “non-self-executing treaty” that does not create personal rights. But earlier this year the French Supreme Court vacated both decisions. In Oil-for-Food, the Court ruled that the ICCPR only limits the acts of a single sovereign, which is consistent with the prevailing view on this issue. In Tesler, the Court simply said, without elaboration, that the US outcome would have no impact on the French proceedings. These results may be viewed as doing no more than removing somewhat odd decisions that had created anomalies and asymmetries in cross-border investigations. They come, however, at a time when it is clear that French lawmakers and prosecutors are focusing their attention on the fact that French companies are routinely prosecuted by US authorities – iconic French companies have paid more the US$2 billion in payments to US authorities on FCPA cases that easily could have been brought in France – and are determined to rectify this imbalance. In December 2016, France finally adopted the Loi Sapin II, which for the first time permits prosecutors to negotiate the equivalent of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, and now three such agreements (two involving corruption) have been published. The National Financial Prosecutor of France clearly views the new law as encouraging her to “repatriate” bribery and other prosecutions that take place on French soil or involve French interests, and a number of investigations are pending that may give her opportunities to do so. This shift has not been lost on French editorialists: The Oil-for-Food decision was recently highlighted by France’s most important business daily, Les Echos, as heralding a new era when French prosecutors will not only prosecute French companies so that the fines are payable in France, but might also pursue American companies and thereby redress a perceived imbalance and slight to French sovereign interests. The clarification of French law on international double jeopardy brings it in line with other countries and eliminates an asymmetry that might have encouraged resort first to US prosecutors to preclude a French prosecution. The apparent commitment of France’s National Financial Prosecutor to use newly available tools to prosecute French companies reflects a determination to reassert responsibility for enforcing international norms applicable to French companies in France, and not in the United States. The next step will be to see if US prosecutors find future outcomes reached in France to be sufficient and will defer to them. As a compromise, French and American prosecutors might agree to joint investigations and share in the fines. While imperfect from a French perspective, it would be a welcome step forward for French taxpayers, since in the four sizeable FCPA outcomes negotiated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) with French companies to date, the US prosecutors thanked their French counterparts for their cooperation– but kept 100% of the proceeds. Reddit Related This entry was posted in Guest Commentary and tagged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, France, Frederick Davis, international double jeopardy, Loi Sapin II, ne bis in idem, oil-for-food scandal, Tesler by Matthew Stephenson. Bookmark the permalink. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School View all posts by Matthew Stephenson → 2 thoughts on “Guest Post: Further Developments on French Law Regarding Anti-Bribery Prosecutions by Multiple States” Hilary Hurd on April 27, 2018 at 6:10 pm said: Really interesting post, Frederick. I wonder if a US anti-corruption champion with a globalist bent would ever consider introducing a bill that formally implements Article 14(7) of the ICCPR. Were a good-faith principle of complementarity to exist, it seems likely that it would encourage prosecutors to collaborate trans-nationally to build stronger cases. Fred Davis on May 6, 2018 at 11:23 am said: In my opinion, the chances of US legislation implementing Article 14(7) are zero, especially since other countries agree with France that it has a “single sovereign” limitation. Further, the DOJ would ever countenance limiting their powers in that way. And while I agree with you that complementarity should be enhanced, it is a bit tricky to find a regime that accomplishes that and yet recognizes national policy prerogatives. What would happen, for example, if another country cut a “sweetheart deal” with one of its corporations, should be the US be compelled to respect that? One approach would be to build on Art 4.3 of the OECD treaty to create a consultative group to determine the country that should prosecute if more than one can. This is essentially what Eurojust does within Europe. More realistically, there should be better communication between prosecutors in the US and in other countries, and I believe that is happening — to some degree.	11,088
High School Basketball star Josh Speidel, was involved in a car crash over the weekend. The Columbus North senior, a 6-8 basketball standout, was hospitalized after he was involved in a car crash Sunday night. Josh received a head injury from the crash, which caused swelling in the brain. By Monday night the swelling had gone down, and everyone is praying for a quick recovery According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff's office, Speidel was involved in a two-car accident on U.S. 31 at 7:04 p.m. Sunday. Speidel was driving a Honda and entered the roadway from a perimeter road on the west side of U.S. 31. His car was struck on the driver's side by a southbound car, which had just exited Interstate 65. Speidel’s passenger, Kaylee McCracken, was treated for minor injuries. The driver of the other car, Janell Foley, was treated and released at the scene. Her passengers were not harmed. Josh Speidel’s coach, Jason Speer, drove to the hospital the night of the accident to comfort Josh’s family. A lot of teammates also gathered at the hospital to show their support. Speidel is a recent Vermont recruit and one of the top players in the state. He is averaging 25.6 points and 9.3 rebounds this season for Columbus North, which is 14-3 on the season. Everyone is wishing Josh a speedy recovery. Not only is he a great basketball player, but a great friend to everyone. A “Go Fund Me” account was set up to help pay for Josh’s medical expenses. The link is below if you would like to make a donation. We wish you a speedy recovery! Similar/Read More The Perfect Camera Settings for Action and Sports Photography The 2018 school year is upon us now, and you are probably making plans to attend your first set of games to cheer on the home team! We want to see your live action shots plastered all over social media, so to help we want to give you a few tips. Photographing sports and action is all abou The high school rivalry that has dominated Illinois football for over 100 years digitalsportsnews \| August 22, 2018 Arcola and Tuscola, two small towns just 8 miles apart in the heart of Illinois, have two of the winningest high school football programs in state history. Before they match up again this season for the first time in years, read about their historic rivalry that dates back to the 1890's Click He	2,397
Planing boats normally achieve their best possible running attitude at or near full speed and lightly loaded. As the boat slows from maximum speed it will begin to settle at the stern or "squat". And weight can vary extremes by adding passengers, fuel, and gear. Uneven weight distribution makes the boat harder to handle, difficult to get up on plane, and usually results in some listing to port or starboard. Large and small boats benefit from trim tabs for the same reasons — they get the boat out of the hole and on plane quickly, they correct for uneven weight distribution (although the skipper should strive for even weight distribution always), improve speed, safety, and overall boat performance. A common complaint is "I only have two speeds — trolling and full throttle." With trim tabs a boat can often perform better at intermediate speeds while staying on plane. The Benefits of Adding Trim Tabs Performance — Trim tabs increase speed, reduce pounding, some may correct listing (although the proper method to correct listing is by proper weight distribution), eliminate porpoising. Efficiency — Reduce fuel consumption, reduce engine laboring, and eliminate squatting. Safety — Improve visibility, reduce wake size, improve handling, and reduce hull stress. How They Work and What They Do Trim tabs usually consist of two adjustable stainless steel planes mounted at the transom of the boat. Controlled by a hydraulic power unit, the tabs can move up and down when activated by the boater. They provide lift to compensate for changes in speed, weight distribution, and water conditions. When they are deflected downward, the water force on the trim tab creates upward pressure, raising the stern and reducing hull resistance. The surface area of the tab, the angle of deflection, and the speed of the boat all contribute to greater lift. Burnt Lake Motorsports are experts on the different types of trim tabs for purchase, or installation. Give them a call today for more information on how to get optimal performance from your boat.	2,058
Home › Forums › The Annex Board › EJ is a snake in the grass !!!! › Reply To: EJ is a snake in the grass !!!! January 9, 2010 at 4:43 am #9413 Sorry, I just don’t see it. EJ is a villain, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His condust is terriblw and yet he is self-rightous. I did like him with Nicole because she knew what he was and loved him anyway. I am one who like Sami with Lucas.	407
As I sit at home in the evenings, I scroll through seemingly endless feeds of people my age doing anything from getting engaged, married, having children, working their dream job… the list goes on. Often this will happen as I am eating ice cream from the tub in my underwear, while Always Sunny plays in the background. What a comparison, huh? It may indeed sound that, being 25 and all, I am having a quarter life crisis of some sort, but no. Not entirely. Maybe momentarily. More important however is the lesson I have learnt, or rather am learning. We put so much focus on reaching some kind of finish line, that we forget to really enjoy it. A little while ago I was told I needed to care less. Completely out of context to this, but absolutely something worth applying to most things in life, don’t ya think? Obviously we have to take care in life, but not without the freedom to take risks which, yes, may well prove to be mistakes later down the line. You never know, they might even send you rocketing to success! How’s that for positivity? My point is really this; instead of getting sucked into photos online from people I don’t really talk to anymore, I need to get out and experience my life for whatever it is. Sure I’ll double click in approval of these images and maybe leave a comment of “congratulations!”, or “must see you soon!”, followed by a quick catch up, but then it’s back to the real world. Contact that PR. Write a review. Just message a mate for crying out loud, but also embrace those moments sat alone doing nothing in particular. Success is not about being busy all the time, but being conscious of your actions, taking the time to consider when to put the work in, and when to take a break. Let’s talk about work for a moment. I think the thing that gets to me most is people living out their dream role. It’s not that I’m feeling deflated about not working mine, it’s more that I don’t even know what it is. I have never really had a clue what grown up Sam would be up to, and here I am in what used to be my sister’s room back home trying to figure it all out. Of course there is the whole writing thing. This is something I enjoy, so why then have I not pursued it as a career? The quick answer? Fear. If this is something I really love, there is fear of rejection and even the realisation that I might not be all that good at it. I’m not a confident person, so every time I put something out there for people to read I am sweating buckets, and that’s just posting it out to beloved friends and anyone else who happens to come across it. Imagine having to send it off for someone to scrutinise before a whole bunch of people, potentially across the world get to tear it apart. You need to care less. Yes. I hear you and I am working on it. Not only professionally but generally in all aspects of life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to let go my inhibitions entirely, but I am absolutely going to loosen the reins and hopefully give my shoulders some well needed relief – literally and metaphorically. I might even find new things I love, and finally be able to say what my dream job is, because yes, writing; I like it a lot, but there could always be something else. I could do it for a week straight and hate it. That’s another fear. At the moment though this is all very much fear of the unknown, so of course the key is to get out there and give it a go. At some point. As for marriage and children, I am very much a long way from that right now. At the end of the day I’m too busy trying to figure myself out to even begin to understand any boy in my life. Side note. Isn’t it funny that at 25, I’m still referring to them as boys? Get me a man goddamn it! In all seriousness though, please don’t. Not only do I find it really awkward when people try to set me up with their friends (further side note: if you really must set me up with someone, do it on the sly so that I can just imagine that we just happened to fall for each other – please and thank you) I’m really rather enjoying having the freedom to live for myself. Sure spooning is nice, but going somewhere or doing something just because that’s what I feel like doing in the moment is even better. I’m not saying that this is impossible while in a relationship, but I think there are some important steps to be made on your own before settling down. These might not be the same steps for everyone, and it could be that you’re already in a relationship and still figuring things out with a partner who is able to support that. Hey, hat’s off to you, gotta love a healthy balance of intimacy and freedom! It might even be a whole different situation entirely, but that’s exactly it. Nothing is simple, or supposed to happen a certain way. We are all on different paths. Some of them will look similar, some may cross or perhaps join together, some may even tail off unexpectedly. Still, as many twists and turns, or hell, plain old straight paths we take, we are forever in control of where we end up, whether that be for a few moments or a lifetime. There does not have to be one end goal. What you achieve does not have to amount to one big thing. I mean, it can, but it doesn’t have to. It could be that you got that promotion, or maybe you started your own perfect little family or bought your dream home. Maybe you raised awareness for something that people didn’t know about. Maybe you sat down and wrote a blog post. Maybe you didn’t cry this week. Maybe you did. Maybe you got out of bed. All of these achievements, no matter how you may rank them in your head, are important. Yes, even crying. Hiding your feelings isn’t necessarily being in control. Being conscious is being in control. I guess the conclusion I’m coming to with this is to just live in the moment, but don’t forget to take things into perspective. Of course I am still going to scroll through Instagram and eat ice cream in my underwear, but what the hell is wrong with that? That’s my down time and nobody is going to shame me for it. I simply won’t allow it. However I will take each post with a pinch of salt, or take some inspiration from it. Gone are the days of passively scrolling, if I ever find myself doing that, I have some unfollowing to do. In all seriousness, if what you are seeing is not bringing you joy then there is no point in seeing it. Tailor your feed to keep you happy, make decisions to keep life interesting (whatever that means for you), but most importantly, and I cannot stress this enough, keep in touch with your loved ones, because you never know when you will need them most. I know this post has merely touched upon a few topics that could be bigger, but hey, welcome to the scrambled brain of a 25 year old. Maybe I’ll break them down further somewhere down the line, but for now this is me, letting off some steam and hoping that maybe you can relate. Related Hi! I am a music and lifestyle blogger based near Margate, UK. Forever keeping an ear out for new music, particularly anything of the indie persuasion and always willing to spout on about life in general. Open to collaboration and new ideas, get in touch! View all posts by Samantha Mae Author Samantha MaePosted on June 25, 2019 October 5, 2019 Categories Thinking Out Loud 3 thoughts on “Getting through your twenties” June 25, 2019 at 18:00 Samantha, you are wise beyond your years. I really enjoyed reading this. I am also 25 years old, and I have experienced a quarter life crisis LOL. It’s a very real thing. I too do not have any children/ nor a boy (HAHA!) I think we are at a stage where we are figuring ourselves out. we are in our prime time right now! I always thought early 20’s was too young for kids. I think early 30’s is an ideal time, well for me anyway. I wish you best in your journey to finding yourself! I am also looking forward to your future content. LikeLiked by 1 person June 25, 2019 at 18:17 Ahh thank you so much. We definitely put a lot of pressure on ourselves and social media only piles it on more, but still we want pretty pictures to gaze at haha! Best wishes to you too, we got this! LikeLiked by 1 person June 25, 2019 at 18:25 You are so welcome! I agree with you, we basically grew up with social media so it also may be playing a part as to why we feel entrapped in the idea of being beautiful/successful.	8,471
This lesson is a part of an audio course Connecting the Many Pieces of the Puzzle of YOU by Sylvia Gaffney, PhD Lesson 3 on "Connecting the many pieces of the puzzle of you" is all about your skills. First of all, let's begin by establishing the fact that skills are different from talents. You see, you can learn skills and acquire knowledge. When you learn a new skill, you actually learn steps in an activity. You can repeat the steps in the activity until you do it quite well. Think of word processing as an example. You may not have other mechanical skills, but you can learn to be quite proficient in your keyboarding skills. You learn by practicing the steps for keyboarding over and over. With enough repetition, you can retrain your brain and learn another skill. Now, talents, as discussed in Lesson 2, are inborn. They are either there or they're not. You can't teach talent. Your major challenge as it relates to talents is to figure out what these are, how to increase their effectiveness, and how to use them productively. While talents and skills are different from each other, they are interconnected with your achievements. Achievements are something you know you did well, you enjoyed doing, and are still feeling a sense of pride when you think about it. You used multiple skills to accomplish your achievements. Pause and think about four or five achievements and the skills that you used to accomplish what you achieved. Then determine what talents you are continually using to be successful because those will be in your achievements. There is a pattern. You control your impact narrative when you are aware of and have clarity around what you have to offer in any given situation. You have numerous skills that contribute to your personal skill repertoire. Skills form the foundation for what you have to offer. Skills are the universally accepted language used to describe your contribution to an organization. Skills are used when forming teams, during performance reviews, in project management assignments, and obviously, they are used in resumes. Skills are your work currency. They're easy to discuss because there are multiple and diverse ways to talk about them. You can organize, analyze, and categorize your skills. The important point is that if you don't talk about your skills yourself and learn how to do it in a way that is effective, somebody else will inevitably do it for you. And, their version may not be what you want to portray. Skills are organized in this presentation into four skill categories. The first category zeros in on your technical skills or job content skills. These are the ones needed to do the duties of your job. Your work content skills are usually what most people think of when asked about their skills. Technical skills are baseline, they're assumed that you have them, and are considered necessary to do the job you've been hired to do. Job content skills may include certain subject-matter. You may be required to master specialized language, processes, procedures, and systems needed to be effective in your position. Let's take an example from the IT industry and focus on one position that the industry has to get a better feel for how these technical skills work. Let's look specifically at skills used by programmers. Programmers need to know how to code in different software languages. And, programmers make use of additional skills during the time they are actually coding. For example, any of the people who perform these duties have skills that may be numerical, creative, analytical, manual, and probably are detail-oriented. They are able to focus and concentrate for very long periods of time. They need to think logically and methodically and organize their project. You get the idea. It's the same with any job-related skills. Additional skills are used along with your specific technical expertise. Individuals acquire the skills they need for the technical side of their positions through different means. They may have had formal or informal education, on-the-job training, they may have been self-taught, or may have observed or shadowed others to learn. Next, we will move on to the next category to assess your behavioral skills are your self-management skills. These are the soft skills most valued by a company and are determined by the culture of the organization and the values of the leaders. It's critical to be clear about which soft skills are valued by your organization. Likewise, you need to know what is not valued. But most importantly of all, whether or not your own values resonate with your organization's culture and what they value is what you have to offer. Behavioral, self-management, or soft skills are about being emotionally smart. These skills make up your personality and your basic character and they focus on self-awareness, feelings, and emotions. Behavioral skills, self-management, or soft skills are considered to be important personality traits required for success, for being successful in today's environment. They are looked at apart from other skills because they focus on self-awareness, feelings, and emotions. It is a different, but very important way to assess your skill base. To be successful in today's marketplace, individuals need to be smart about what they feel in order to handle their emotions most appropriately. It's that difference between your IQ and your EQ. Your intelligence quotient, your IQ, is many times what gets you your position in a company in the first place. It is, however, your emotional quotient that helps you to grow, develop, and be effective in your impact on the organization. A successful individual has a greater sense of self-awareness. He or she has learned to be emotionally present on the job. According to Daniel Goleman in his book "Emotional Intelligence", EQ is the ability to understand one's own feelings, have empathy for the feelings of others, and regulate emotions in a way that enhances living. Similar to the primary colors that are the basis for all of the other shades and hues, there are primary emotions that are foundations for all other emotions that humans experience. In one form or another, we feel anger – fear – shame – guilt – sadness – surprise – love – disgust – enjoyment. Feelings just are. It's what we do with these feelings that makes us emotionally smart. Emotionally smart people have a high degree of EQ. Next, the third skill level has to do with your Transferable Skills. These skills are generic and can be used cross-departmentally or in occupations that require similar tasks or activities regardless of the actual job title. These skills can be transported from one job to another with very little extra effort on your part. If you are able to input data in one situation, you can certainly do so in another. Transferable skills can be used and reused effectively in different situations. These generic skills make you even more valuable to your organization. You can be cross-trained to do other work because you have those transferable skills. Consider those skills mastered for your current or past positions that can be used for similar types of tasks or activities in other parts of an organization. Another way to transfer skills is to reassess a hobby you enjoy and explore the possibilities of monetizing it. Photography hobby has in some organizations become a paid position. And then there is the whole world of the internet that opens up multiple opportunities for reevaluating what you have to offer and how and where your transferable skills can be applied. Notice this: you duplicate your skills, and some of your skills fall into more than one category. None of that really matters. These repetitions help you see your recurring success patterns and themes. These recurring success patterns and themes are what is important for you to know. Now, the fourth and final skill category that we are talking about in this presentation has to do with your resiliency skills. We will spend the whole of Lesson 4 on the topic of resiliency because resilience skills form the baseline for all your other skills. Self-Care & Mindfulness Written by Listen to the full course Connecting the Many Pieces of the Puzzle of YOU 93% Related courses 93% Mindfulness: Self-Care for Daily Life 93% 93% Become a teacher Affiliates © Highbrow, 2022. All rights reserved. When you visit or interact with our sites, services or tools, we or our authorised service providers may use cookies for storing information to help provide you with a better, faster and safer experience and for marketing purposes.	8,984
Introducing the 2022 Love List: As we head into what is generally known as the season of giving… let’s remember the most important kind of love…SELF LOVE! This is a great time of year to evaluate what you want to take forward into 2023 and what new things you may want to integrate. And those who have been following me for years probably know that it has become a tradition around here to put together my version of a “favorite things” list called the Love List, first established in 2018. Over the past two years (since the 2020 Love List), I have been living life and along the way finding some cool things that I LOVE. And today, I am sharing those things with you! The main categories of the Love List are as follows: Products – Lifestyle products to nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Things that beautify you naturally while also elevating your consciousness. Experiences – Transformational experiences to awaken, inspire, and raise your frequency. Books – Heartfelt books to expand your awareness and transform your life. Tools – Tools to connect deeper with your spirit. May you enjoy everything that your magical 2022 LOVE LIST has to offer! Okay, seriously… I only trust a small handful of products when it comes to skincare. Especially products that go on my face! I found this line of products and started out with the Active Infusion Oil which is a retenoid and Vitamin C facial oil. It is a clean product and feels so great on your skin! I’ve been using these products for the past 1.5 years and loving them more and more as time goes on. The Hydration Boost Concentrate is another product that I love! It is a “plant hydration and antioxidant complex”. It is oil-free and works to increase hydration and leave your skin plump, rejuvenated, and with a beautiful glow. This product is formulated for all skin types and conditions — and helps keep rosacea and acne in check! And it works with oily, dry, and dehydrated skin types. If you know me, you know that I swear by these products, and have been using them for years now. I first discovered these products after a close friend of mine gave me a sample and I’ve been obsessed ever since! Annmarie and Kevin Gianni are the amazing people behind these products. All of the ingredients are completely natural, organic, and cruelty-free. This skincare line has so many wonderful products with their own unique purposes, but one of my personal favorites that I wanted to share with you is the Citrus Mint Cleanser. It gently lifts excess oils, removes makeup and impurities without harsh chemicals, and helps keep my pores clear and skin feeling refreshed. It has a nice lather without the toxins. It is perfect for those that steer clear of creamy cleansers. I’ve been using Lily Lolo … and I absolutely L-O-V-E these products. I found these products when I was looking for a great mascara that is non-toxic. I love a good mascara and it’s hard to find one that works great without all of the gunk in it! And then, I started exploring the Lily Lolo more and found the BB Cream. This is like a hybrid between skincare and makeup! It’s made with all natural and organic ingredients and is completely free of harsh chemicals and addiditves. I use this for light coverage to help keep my skin looking young and healthy! This stuff is packed with nourishing and anti-ageing goodness, as well as mineral pigments which help smoothe over any imperfections. It is lighter than foundation and I love it for everyday use. I discovered Laurel from my facial acupuncturist. She used their Hydrating Elixir on my face and it was love and first spray…LOL! This Hydrating Elixir is made up of hydrating, nutrient and antioxidant-rich plants that are the building blocks of cellular life and activity. It’s packed with lots of vitamins and house-made plan extracts, like Rose and Marshmallow Root, Sandalwood and Frankincense — which all help contribute to the ah-mazing smell! Facial mists are not just to feel good in the moment, they offer hydration which is an important piece to keeping your skin healthy. I like to start and end each day with this — after cleansing my face. It is so refreshing and did I mention that yummy smell?!? So good! SAIE Those who have read my book may remember that I had a pretty scary situation with skin cancer years ago — so I know the importance of sunscreen, especially on your face! This is my go-to for all-natural protection, with a glowy finish! Saie Sunvisor has a ton of Vitamin C to help brighten the appearance of skin and help protect against free radicals. Meanwhile, the Vitamin E and Aloe Vera keeps the skin hydrated and nourished. I use this product DAILY. It doesn’t matter if I’m planning a day at the beach, or working from home, you can guarantee I’m not leaving the bathroom without first applying this sunscreen to my face and I love to mix this will my Lily Lolo BB Cream. They blend nicely making it easy to have just one application for your face each day. I came across this mineral line in 2015 and have been using them ever since. Minerals are the building blocks of every process in your body. When I first started taking them, I could notice my energy increase and my body simply loved them! Mother Earth Minerals are organic health supplements from the purest sources on the planet, made with all-natural ingredients! The ones that I use the most are Healthy Balance, Zinc, Selenium, and Iron. These are easily assimilated and great to keep the systems of your body operating properly. Patricia first came to me through my podcast — and I just had to work with her! I was so intrigued with her work that I even invited her onto the podcast. If you’re interested in hearing more about using your home to manifest your future, then listen to the episode here. Patricia is a Feng Shui expert, manifesting magnet, alchemist, healer, and real-life Irish Celtic Chaman who guides her students toward a healthier, and more prosperous life. She is the creator of Powerhouse Feng Shui and the author of The Happy Home: The Guide to Creating a Happy, Healthy, Wealthy Life. Patricia uses her wealth of knowledge to help those on their inner work journeys transform their souls and manifest their futures through their environments. We can no longer leave any energetic stone unturned! We need to know how our environment and our home affect us. Our environment impacts our soul experience, and how it manifests our energy. I am LOVING the revamp of my home office after working with Patricia. For more information on working with Patricia click here. Another amazing connection that initially came to me through my podcast is the great Debra Silverman! She came onto the show to talk about her journey into the amazing work she does and what she believes are the key aspects of astrology we should all be aware of. When Debra Silverman was 20 years old, she met an Astrologer who blew her mind and changed her world forever. That was the moment she realized the stars in her own world had aligned just right, and she had found her life’s purpose in Astrology. Debra has combined her expertise in esoteric soul-centered astrology and her extensive education in psychotherapy to develop a unique psychological and spiritual model that helps individuals going through major life changes. Debra helps her clients achieve emotional health and wisdom by customizing their treatments based on their astrological charts. Debra is not personally doing readings these days due to a jam-packed schedule but click here to get more information on receiving a reading from one of her Certified Astrologers. QI COILS I was energetically drawn to Qi Coils. During my healing journey for my neck, they provided me incredible relief from pain, but their applications go far beyond pain. They can be utilized to raise your frequency and consciousness. Qi Coils are tools that broadcast electromagnetic frequencies through a mobile app using a magnetic coil. There is a coil of both Yin and Yang and have been designed to clear the negative and attract a positive energy. They are designed to work with specific sounds and frequencies, making it even easier to calm your mind — I use this tool to help expand my state of consciousness to enhance my meditation and manifestation practices. This is the one I use. Like a lot of the wonderful connections mentioned in this post, another beautiful soul who came to me through my podcast is Kute Blackson. Kute is a member of the Transformational Leadership Council, a select group of the world’s top 100 authorities in the personal development industry, and is widely considered a next-generation leader in the field of personal development. His mission is simple; to awaken and inspire people across the planet to access inner freedom, live authentically, and fulfill their true life’s purpose. “Too often we limit our lives by putting conditions on them. We think things should go a certain way, and when they don’t, we hold on to what isn’t working, reinforcing what is causing us pain and affirming our lack of trust in the universe. There is another way: We can harness the power of relinquishing control and discover more purpose and meaning in our lives.” Surrender is necessary in any type of transformation, but it is especially necessary right now, in the last few years, and in the years to come, as we are in such a powerful time of change. This book is a must-read for anyone who recognizes they are on a spiritual journey. Seriously, it has some incredible golden nuggets. It gives you a sense of what it means and feels like to surrender into the guidance of Spirit and the gentle nudges along the way. You can order a copy on Amazon, and other book retailers. Julie Jancius is an Angel Medium and author of the book “Angels and Awakening.” Like many of us, Julie did not know automatically how to communicate with Angels — she discovered this skill in her adult life and has since made it her life purpose to teach others how to hone in their connection with the Angels. Stay tuned for a forthcoming interview with Julie on The Soul Frequency Show podcast. In Angels and Awakening, Julie teaches us that everyone can communicate with angels and Source energy. It does not require years of study or coming from a gifted family. We are all born with the ability to connect with our Angels. This book gives the reader the tools to tap into their connection with the angels. I am a fan of all things that raise your vibration, and this book certainly makes the list! I rely on my Angels for guidance every single day, and help my clients to do the same! This book does a beautiful job of showing you how to step into this alignment and start receiving guidance from your Angels. Laura Lynne Jackson is a renowned psychic medium and bestselling author, and she possess an incredible gift — the gift of communicating with those who have passed before us. In the book Laura tells stories of people who have experienced uncanny revelations and instances of unexplained synchronicity. It is truly a beautifully written piece to help us to see beyond ourselves to a more magnificent universal design. Signs teaches us how to recognize and interpret the life-changing messages from our loved ones and spirit guides who have passed before us. If you’re looking for an encouraging and equally interesting read, I highly recommend this book. Susie Carder was introduced to me by a friend, and I invited her onto the podcast to learn from her more about how we can grow our businesses and monetary wealth. If you’re interested in reshaping your relationship with money, you can listen to the full episode here. Susie is the inventor of the Predictable Success Method™. In her book, Power Your Profits, Susie walks you through a start-to-finish plan for taking your business from startup mode to the multi-million-dollar mark! I recommend this book for any small business owners, or anyone looking to transform their relationship with money. I discovered this kid’s book series in looking for reading materials for my 10-year-old son. And Jameson cannot get enough of it… he LOVES these books (which of course makes me a happy mama!). R.L. Ullman has an incredible imagination and his writing style is so fun. His other book series are wonderful too. This book series is a cosmic adventure for kids (and adults) that is precious. Epic Zero follows Elliott, who comes from a family of superheroes, and wants to be a superhero…but is instead stuck in middle school. Until one day a mysterious girl changes everything. Epic believes he is the only one who can, you know, save the world! If you’ve got a kiddo in your life and you’re looking for some fun, creative content, check out Epic Zero. It helps kids to believe in themselves, feel like heroes in their own lives, and also to consider a futuristic life of multidimensionality. Sunlighten Sauna has been a friend of mine for many, many years now. I first got into detoxing over twelve years ago when I first started my healing journey, and this has been one of my favorite health tools. Infrared light therapy is associated with a whole host of health benefits – everything from weight loss and lower blood pressure to better immunity. Sauna therapy is a healing method that’s been around for over a thousand years and is a great way of supporting our organs during the detoxification process by getting toxins out through the skin. An infrared sauna is hotter than a traditional dry sauna and therefore you sweat more which ultimately leads to greater benefits. Sunlighten Sauna is the global leader in infrared technology, and their saunas are powerful healing tools everybody should implement in their health regimen – especially if you are dealing with any kind of health issues. It’s obviously great for physical detox but it’s also great for emotional detox as the water in our body is storing emotion. Therefore, if you’re going through emotional turmoil, getting into an infrared sauna may be tremendously beneficial. I have spent many years thinking a lot about how electromagnetic radiation affects our bodies and our energy. I first discovered Blueshield in an article about scalar energy and decided to test it out for myself. I immediately felt an energetic connection to the product, and my experience with it was wild. I felt a wave of energy in the room. Both me and my son Jameson could feel it, and it was so intense I almost needed to take a nap. After about an hour, my body had adjusted and I felt normal again. I was in awe of the experience I had with Blushield and so I invited Brandon Amalani, the company owner, to come on as a guest on The Soul Frequency Show. When I first discovered Blushield, I only ordered the plugin and felt a real difference in the energy in the house. We now have the plugin upstairs and the cube downstairs. The powerful and unique thing about Blushield is that it has the ability out-compete harmful frequencies. Instead of attempting to block the harmful frequencies, the Blushield introduces the body to a better alternative by emitting beneficial frequencies. Our bodies will then choose to attune to the benevolent frequencies when there’s competition. Various symptoms have been linked to exposure to harmful electromagnetic radiation, including insomnia, dizziness, lack of concentration and depression. As someone who works with energy every day and is extremely sensitive to it, I make sure to do whatever I can to mitigate the effects of EMF on my body. EMFs, however, are a part of life on the planet at this time, and so it’s important that we pay attention to how it affects us and that use devices, like Blushield, to aid us in protection. There are also a ton of clinical research studies that have been done on grounding the human body for health. I actually recorded a podcast with Clint—click here to listen and get more information. Designed and produced by Clint Ober, the Ground Therapy Sleep Mat helps you to connect to the continual stream of beneficial electrons from the Earth’s surface, providing a number of miraculous benefits! When I lay on my mat it sends me into total relaxation mode! It makes your body feel heavy, and you sink deeply into the mattress — super, super relaxing! If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, or you’re just looking for full-body relaxation, I highly recommend giving this sleeping mat a try. Wendy Myers, the creator of the product is a great friend of mine and actually gave gifted me with a this beautiful prodcut before they even launched it. The pendant brings you into a calm, peaceful state and brings the body out of fight-flight mode and into rest and digest, which is where the healing process takes place. When I wear it, it I feel peaceful but at the same time energized, like I’ve just come out of meditation. The Harmoni Pendant is designed to both protect and correct the energy field of those who carry it. Some of the benefits of wearing the pendant include EMF protection, more energy, pain relief, stress relief and improved mental clarity. It has also been found to improve athletic performance and is being used by professional athletes who have reported experiencing huge benefits. In this day and age, we are constantly being exposed to electromagnetic frequencies that disrupt the harmony of our own energy field. And while there exist many different devices that can protect us from dirty frequencies in our home, the Harmoni Pendant is genius due to the fact that it follows and protects us wherever we go. The pendant looks great and is an easy way to ensure overall protection from EMF. Get up to 66% off on a Harmoni Pendant – perfect for holiday gifts. — I hope you have enjoyed The Soul Frequency Love List 2022 as much as I have enjoyed sharing some of my LOVES! Remember to take care of YOU in the upcoming holiday season, my dear. Much love and gratitude! Let me show you how to transform your life! Grab your copy of The Soul Frequency Book and start building your healthy, awakened and authentic life.	19,055
Constructing new buildings for a business can feel like an overwhelming task. Hiring commercial construction services can safely take care of many project needs. When preparing your budget, it is wise to watch out for errors that can sometimes be made. Multiple estimation errors could have large costs for a construction site. However, there are ways to estimate that will save you from lots of trouble down the road. In this post, you will learn how to avoid three costly estimation mistakes. Not Having a Second Opinion: It is understandable that an owner would want to handle as much of a project as possible. Estimations are an extremely part of any project. Don?t be afraid to have a second pair of eyes look at your estimations. You will always want to double check for inconsistencies. It is wise to encourage fellow members of your crew to contribute ideas that may wind up saving money. Not Preparing for Last Minute Changes: You don?t want to think about it but changes could happen during your project. Creating formulas in spreadsheet software is great for reducing these mistakes. You will also want to ensure that you are accurately tracking every cost, no matter how small or infrequent. Accurately tracking your numbers will save you from a small error becoming a massive one as time goes by. Too Much Underestimating: Ending a project with money to spare is a great feeling. You don?t want to have the completing date near for a project to find yourself without any funds. When preparing for costs that have a lot of variables for them, it is best to round up costs. Deviations often happen in construction. Leaving a bit of money set aside to prepare for deviations is a wise decision. Underestimating construction materials, especially on larger projects, could incur quite a cost. In closing, there are several mistakes made during estimation that can be costly. You don?t want to be under budget when hiring commercial construction services. Consider having the staff look at your plans to see if any cost saving measures could be put into action. You will want to set aside funding to prepare for any last minute changes. Posted in Hvac contractor in cloquet, Plumbers in cloquet mn, Right equipment Previous Next Leave a Reply Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment. Recent Posts How to Address a Damaged Subfloor Under Carpet How to Keep Wall-to-Wall Carpet Clean During Home Renovations May 2017 M T W T S S « Apr Jun » Archives Select Month November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012	4,209
Since our start in 1980, our committed brokers and staff members have been providing affordable commercial truck insurance. Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas drivers have coverage with our American Insurance Brokers, Inc. We are located in Mandeville, LA, off Highway 59, where it intersects Firetower Rd. in the Trace Shopping Center. The dedication and quality service that we show our clients has made us one of the leading trucking insurance agencies in the southeastern region of the United States. Our brokers want you to be safe and protected, and they can be reached via email to answer any questions or concerns that you may have about our truck insurance. Mississippi, Louisiana, and all of the southeastern states we serve can contact us any time. Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Since 1980, American Insurance Brokers, Inc. has been a full-service commercial vehicle insurance agency. We provide the affordable commercial truck insurance Louisiana truck drivers and trucking companies need.	1,100
How to skip school without them calling home. How Do I Skip School Without Getting Caught?. 2019-01-08 How to skip school without them calling home. 3 Ways to Skip Class 2019-01-08 How to skip school without them calling home Rating: 9,2/10 1571 reviews How to Skip School Or maybe your child was a late bloomer, getting off to a nice relaxed start with reading at age nine that is, a nice, relaxed start in retrospect; you were a nervous wreck until he finally caught on. That was more or less the hardest part. They do have complete authority to call the doctor and confirm your illness, which makes this risky. I've never regretted my decision of skipping a grade with her. Then drive him to a thrift store and have him pick some outfits for himself, if he refuses then you pick the clothes he will be wearing. I do come from a family where, if I had defied my parents the way our son defies us, I would have been smacked into next Tuesday. However lunchtime also gives a better set options for leaving at the end of it, since it's longer you have time to walk about and still have an excuse for doing something. Next 3 Ways to Skip Class I don't know what to do. I'm at my wits end. But since his attitude and defiance are almost a daily issue several times a week at minimum what can we do to really make him see that his verbal defiance as well as his physical defiance of doing the most basic things brush your hair, put on a belt so your pants don't fall down is really making his own life harder than it has to be? Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Personal Finance Daily newsletter. Running out of the school: never tried this before, so this isn't from experience Advice- Wear a dark hoodie and bend over so the cameras cant see your face. Dollar's side in the incident, lamenting about how unfair it was that the authorities intervened in his disciplining of his child. I really dont understand if she has some other problem mentally going on or does she just enjoy defiant behavior. Next I also was raised to spare the rod is to spoil the child! In the morning, make a big deal about not completing a really important assignment - act panicked, pretend to cry, and furiously try to finish your work. The first day of middle school. Then once your parents leave, just stay home. If you choose to bring an iPod, keep the volume low and only use 1 earphone, so that if someone comes near your stall, you know when to turn the music off. If the school marks you absent after five minutes, claim you were just late coming from the bathroom or from the previous class. Reed also advises students to ask about prior learning assessments, which essentially allow a college to evaluate whether they can give you credit for skills you can prove you learned on the job. My daughter's are my life. Next 3 Ways to Skip Class A call from your parents will seem more real, even if the appointment isn't. Maybe one day I'll get my own movie. Eventually they did have to go home and magically, their parents always seem to know that they skipped school and they always get scolded. Beginning in kindergarten, I attended school with the same group of kids. If you are skipping often and feel you have justified it to yourself then don't make it a routine that kind of behaviour and absences are very easy to notice, even to a rookie teacher, also doing it too much is a dead giveway. The teachers check attendance at the beginning of each class unless it gets delayed a bit. If you just can't stand the thought of another boring lecture on nothing, why not nap it off in the nurse's office? Illustration by I feel like I am always giving you guys a road map for how to do the exact opposite of what your parents tell you to do. Next How to Successfully Skip a Day of School :: essays research papers My grandaughter even attacked me today. Also memorize what time you get home. I've also dealt with many of these questions in our own family, and made different decisions based on each child. Say you've lost it or left it in your gym locker, and claim there's something important inside keys, wallet, etc — but don't actually abandon these. If you aren't at a class, and the teacher and office was unaware you wouldn't be there, the call home and let your parents know. Molly and I actually discussed this whole issue together quite a few times, and realized that because she's been a grade level ahead, that's how we've viewed her - our expectations were raised because of it. Next How to skip school without being caught — The Sims Forums To avoid this, try to use an existing relative rather than making one up, but make sure that either that relative is already dead or one of your incredibly obscure - second thrice removed, who lives in a jungle and survives off of the rare bumbleberry fruit. Anyone has any suggestions for the question What do you do when your teen refuses to obey any instruction? If you pretend to display common symptoms of a common cold, such as sniveling, coughing, and sneezing, it will seem more like you have a cold. . He is not perfect and could spend a little bit more time with her but she claims he doesn't teach her anything when I have seen him talk to her about things. So on Saturday, I posted a video on YouTube. Finally, when returning to the house, put the car back in the exact same place. Next Successful guide to cutting school? Widely acknowledged to be the easier and often less painful side of this excuse, faking it can be accomplished in many ways with a variety of methods. Heck, even those who were critical of him, insinuated that he had spoiled his daughter with too much technology and money. Usually, you won't want to try to fake a parent's voice — the office isn't stupid — so it's usually best to come up with someone else to cover for you, then share. Just when he was really starting to enjoy himself, all of a sudden the bus icon pops up and try as I might, to delete it, I couldn't and I just had to sit and let him do his thing, which was to run on foot, all the way back to his house and get on the bus and only then could I make him get off and continue his day. You'll be gone just as it's all kicking off. Next How to Leave School Early.: 8 Steps I'm ready to leave but this is my home. I made this mistake before I was an experienced veteran. You can bet I didn't do that again. Yes, such is the realization of many a school skipper. The next 2 hours were dreadfull! If you're acting fine and chatting with your friends in the back of the classroom one minute, then trying to tell your teacher you're about to puke the next minute, no one's going to believe you. To begin, this cannot be a spur of the moment thing, it must be thought out and practiced. Next How to Leave School Early.: 8 Steps Spend a long time in the bathroom in the morning. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help. Everything changed that eventful afternoon when my mother told me that we were moving. She has no appreciation for anything that is given to her. Again, I decided against holding him back, and again that panned out as a good decision. My mom would always say, failure will never overtake if my desire to succeed is strong. Also, if your parents are nice, chug a lot of caffeine. Next Going back to college as an adult? Here’s what you need to know If I acted like he does when I was his age I'd not be writing this. Other great places are those that have maybe a small gate with a side street or two close to them, even hopping the fence isn't the worst plan, you're actually much better off getting figured out afterwards than you are getting caught in the act, since it becomes a little more grey, when they can't be completely sure what was going on to start with. Then take all his toys, electronics away and put them in sealed bins out of his reach; have him spend one or two weeks like this. Also no school, no matter what is completely inescapable, some may be harder to fool, to the point where it's a waste of effort but it can always be done. For her it is a power struggle. Then she turns around and says I hate him. My method involved faking an illness I chose a stomachache.	8,199
Bitprop contributed its expertise and data to this research report done by DAG on how small-scale development could be better supported. Small-scale rental housing: Moving from the low to the high road Bitprop contributed its expertise and data to this research report done by DAG on how small-scale development could be better supported. Published on June 8, 2022 Small-scale rental housing offers wide-ranging public benefits and significant opportunities to spur a post-Covid economic recovery. At the same time, its informal and unregulated character poses health and safety risks, impacts service and infrastructure provision, and inhibits sustainable densification of well-located neighbourhoods. Allowing business as usual risks taking entire areas onto a ‘low road’ of overcrowding, insecurity and instability. Experts, practitioners and city officials agree that a fundamental change in approach is required.	943
I was recently thinking about skillsets for my self employment as a celebrant and came up with quite a few. With this blog, I hope to be encouraging you to think about your own personal skillsets and the contribution you make to the world with them. It sounds exhaustive, but for my self employment there are various attributes I need. To be empathetic, to make people feel at ease at often the worst time in their lives, to notice behaviours and adapt your own accordingly, to be non-judgemental, to be highly organised, to be a “people” person even when you don't feel like it sometimes, to be able to multitask and juggle several services at once (with all their individual requirements) in different stages, to be able to hide your own emotions at the appropriate moments (there is the very occasional and rare dislikeable client who you still have to get on with), to remember names (so many of them!!), to feel the fear and go for it, to be a reasonable navigator and a very good time-keeper, to be flexible (but with limits and boundaries too!), to have some history of your own that will actually enable you to sometimes understand what someone is going through and if you don't – to have the empathy to put yourself into that mindset, to be a great listener and an active note-taker when there are distractions (children, dogs, multiple people talking all at once and over each other), to have systems in place that keep you organised (I have checklists, electronic folders and sub-folders), to be creative and do your own marketing (I created my own website, business cards and do a newsletter)... these are just a few and it sounds exhaustive. Some of these filter over into my personal life. It's good to be organised with personal paperwork but I'm not so great at that... currently wading through reams of stuff about pensions which I hate with a vengeance as it's all SO complicated. To be a good listener and have empathy is great, however you have to be wary of absorbing too much from other people and then taking on their pain and the worry about them. You have to keep a bit of yourself back and then some more for your own sanity. To have a sense of humour (even a dark one) is vital as a balance in this wonderful but unique industry of the funeral world. So enough about me, how about you... what do you feel you bring to this world? What do you bring to others and yourself? You might be surprised at what comes out... I find myself saying (about my second job) that I am ‘just’ a cleaner but that denigrates the role. No one is ever ‘just’ something. We are all important and we all have something to say, to give, to contribute. Thoughts on the above? Please feel free to post a comment below. Moodscope members seek to support each other by sharing their experiences through this blog. Posts and comments on the blog are the personal views of Moodscope members, they are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Email us at [email protected] to submit your own blog post! Comments More posts My Psychiatrist and Me Moodscope® is © Moodscope Ltd 2022. Developed from scales which are © 1988 American Psychological Association. Cannot be reproduced without express written permission of APA.	3,466
Testimonies of four UFCW members before the Insurance, Commerce, and Labor committee, 17 February 2011 Statehouse Mobilization against SB 5 and Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 I want to thank Chairman Bacon and Ranking Minority Member Sen. Schiavoni for giving me a few minutes to speak here today on Senate Bill 5. I have read the articles about this bill, talked to my friends about it that would be affected, and cannot see how this bill will help create jobs in our state. I have worked at Chief Supermarket in Coldwater, Ohio for 16 years. I am the meat cutter in the store and I’ve been cutting meat for 36 years. On a regular basis, I cut meat for the local fire department. I know that if our firemen had to take a cut in wages because they no longer had collective bargaining rights, they would not be able to shop at Chiefs — which is a locally owned store. They would have to drive 10 miles out of town to go to a discount store like Wal-Mart or Dollar General and, then people’s money would be going to an out-of-state corporation. If our firemen or other public employees like teachers make less money or lose their jobs, it is less likely that their dollars will stay in our community and create jobs in Coldwater. This effect could even cause a store like Chiefs to lay off workers or close. And, if it closes there would only be a carry-out store in Coldwater to serve the community. Before working in Coldwater, I worked for a non-union store and I was not able to provide my family with quality of life they have now. I am a widower, and my wife passed away from cancer. My son attends the University of Toledo. If I was still working at a non-union store, I know I would not be able to afford to send my son to college as a single parent. My son is studying criminal justice and plans on serving our state by going into Law Enforcement. We all know that those who protect us daily need someone standing up for them to keep them safe on their jobs. I want to make sure that my son has the same type of representation that police officers currently have to keep him safe while he is out protecting Ohioans. As far as I can tell, this bill does nothing that will help Ohioans and will prevent more people from achieving the America Dream of giving their family a better life. I think we all know that people don’t become a teacher, police officer, or fireman to get rich. These are professions that serve the public and people make a sacrifice by choosing those careers. Lastly, my friend’s wife works at the local unemployment office. And, I know that public employees have made sacrifices over the past several years to help out with the state budget issues. They have taken furlough days and pay freezes. And, the furlough days amount to a pay cut. My friend’s wife is scared to death that if this bill passes she is going to lose her job. She is very passionate about her work — she helps those who have hit rock bottom and need a job. If you pass this bill, you will only be adding to the Ohio unemployment line and you will be reducing the help for those job searching. Ohio needs solutions to our jobs problems. But, SB 5 is not a solution. It will sacrifice middle class Ohioans and out-of-state corporations will be the ones to gain. I want to thank Chairman Bacon and all of you for giving me a few moments to speak today on Senate Bill 5. I have never given testimony like this before and I am a little bit nervous. But, I feel like the issue of collective bargaining rights is too important to sit on the sidelines. And, the one thing I keep wondering about is that this state is hurting for jobs and I don’t understand why the Honorable Senator Jones would introduce a bill that will kill Ohio jobs. I grew up in Toledo and my mother and father both worked. My parents had union representation to keep them safe at their jobs. To be quite honest, I didn’t know that some workers didn’t have unions and the rights unions fought for, like employer provided health care until I moved. I have been a Kroger employee for 38 years and I work at the Englewood store just north of Dayton. I work in the meat service department and I get to interact with Kroger customers on a daily basis. These are people who choose to shop at an Ohio-based store to keep their dollars in Ohio communities. One of my customers, a teacher, was recently laid off. She is bilingual and could not find another job in our community, so she had to move to Arizona. I keep thinking of the other qualified teachers who could lose their jobs if they no longer had collective bargaining rights and what a sacrifice that would be for our children’s education, and SB 5 could cause some qualified teachers to leave the profession altogether. I am a single mother and I raised my daughter who now has two children of her own. I know that I would not have been able to provide my daughter with the same opportunities she had growing up if I had not worked at a union store that enabled me to make a living wage. I also know my daughter benefited from a strong public education that was provided to her by dedicated teachers. Now my daughter is a small-business owner and she provides jobs in her local community. She would not have been able to start this small business without my support. At my job one of my most important concerns is safety. And, I realize that at times people are tempted to cut corners to save the bottom line. But, this actually just increases costs in the long run if people get hurt and cannot work. If someone is hurt he or she has to be paid for disability and the business will spend more money to train someone else to do the job. Recently, I had to bring up a safety issue to management at my store. We have a piece of equipment called a scissor jack that enables us to hang store displays. OSHA says that, anything that goes over 5 feet, people need a safety harness and we didn’t have one at my store. Because of my union representation I felt safe to speak up about this safety issue to management and this enabled me to prevent a potential accident. Now, I understand that the state has budget issues and we need jobs, but taking away collective bargaining rights that enable people to have a decent wage, work place safety and a voice is not the solution. This bill is only going to put Ohio further in the red. If people make less, they will spend less and, people will move out of state to find better opportunities. I hope that all of you can work together to find common ground and better solutions for our state because we need all your energy and innovative ideas. Thank you for your time. Thank you for giving me time to speak today to your committee on Senate Bill 5. I am very concerned about the effect this bill could have on our state and what it will do to the people who keep our communities safe, like our police and firemen. Collective bargaining rights are a way to keep those who protect us safe at their jobs. I have worked at Kroger for 35 years in Delhi, Ohio. And, I am proud to work for an Ohio-based company. My Dad worked at Kroger for 34 years and raised 9 kids and because of his job was able to send some of them to college or trade school — so that they could have a secure middle-class life. I am the fuel manager at our store and I am responsible for safety at our fueling station as well as writing orders, our staff schedule, and I keep track of all the banking for our station. I am a proud member and steward for my union, the United Food and Commercial Workers. And, I take my responsibility as a steward seriously to make sure that agreements and safety standards are upheld to keep workers safe on the job and to make sure they are not discriminated against. This creates a better work place and helps employers reduce turnover which can increase costs by having to constantly train new, inexperienced people. Now, not all companies care about experience. My neighbor used to work at Frish’s, which is a restaurant chain down in SW Ohio. She worked there for 18 years. One time she forgot to add a coffee onto a customer’s bill and she was accused of stealing and fired from her job. After 18 years of experience and dedication to her job she was let go because of an innocent mistake. If she had representation that issue could have been resolved and she could still be in her job. If public employees lose their collective bargaining rights how many could be let go because of a simple mistake? Then, their replacements will have to be trained and this could end up costing the Ohio taxpayer more in the long run. I recently got married in May. And, my wife’s daughter lost custody of her two children. My wife and I have custody of a 2 and a 6 year old. There is no way that without my job benefits I would have been able to take in two young children. If my wife and I would not have been able to take them in, they would have gone into foster care and that would have been a greater cost to the state. I can only imagine that there are others who serve our communities as firefighters, policemen and education employees that have similar stories. I want to leave you with one more example as to why collective bargaining rights are important and that getting rid of them is not a solution for our state’s budget and job problems. My stepbrother is a Cincinnati fireman and he was injured on the job. The department had a brand new ladder truck and it wasn’t properly tested. He was at the tiller wheel and the driver went over a curb and he hit his head on the ceiling and messed up his entire spine. To date, my stepbrother has had 5 spinal operations and he cannot work. But, because of his union representation he is on disability and has had health care to pay for his operations. I worry that if my stepbrother didn’t have union representation he would not have received the care he needs. Also, he could have become a burden on the medical system by not being able to pay for his medical bills, which just ends up being a greater cost to society. I hope this committee seriously considers the potential consequences that SB 5 will have for middle-class Ohioans and Ohio businesses. Thank you for your time today. Mr. Chairman Bacon, thank you for giving me time to speak today about Senate Bill 5 and the importance of collective bargaining rights. I have worked for the Pricehill Kroger in Cincinnati for almost 24 years. It will be 24 years on April 10th. I am a customer service manager and I get to work with all walks of life on a daily basis. I am glad that I work a store that has union representation. I know that I would not have been able to provide for my kids and send them on to higher education without having this job. I also made the choice to send my 4 children to parochial schools. Without a job with a living wage, there is no way that would have been a choice for my family — it would have been out of the question. I can only imagine that if public employees lose their collective bargaining rights some of them will lose their jobs and will not be able to help their children. And, some of them could lose wages and benefits and may not be able to help their children have a better life — which is what most middle-class Americans want — to provide a better life for their children. Isn’t that the American Dream? I have friends that belong to the Cincinnati Police Department. And, I’ve talked to them about Senate Bill 5. They are strongly against this bill. They know it will undermine their work place protection. And these are the people that put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe. Plus, most of them have worked for the police department for at least 15 years — making it difficult for them to try to find a different type of job. I also know that, if my friends lose their purchasing power, they are going to have to make tough choices on where they shop and may have to go to discount stores and those corporations are not based in Ohio. Kroger is an Ohio company that invests in our community. I know you all have very tough decisions to make and that your job isn’t easy. But as you have heard from me and as I know you have heard from countless other middle class Ohioans — SB 5 is not the solution to Ohio’s problems. Thank you. The testimonies above were first published in the UFCW blog on 17 February 2011; they are reproduced here for non-profit educational purposes. For more information, visit <oh.aflcio.org/index.cfm?action=calendar>, <www.afscmecouncil8.org> and <www.facebook.com/pages/Stand-Up-For-Ohio/167952849919161>. See, also, “Ohio Labor: No on SB5!”; Dan La Botz, “A New American Workers Movement Has Begun” (MRZine, 18 February 2011); Dan La Botz, “Thousands Rally in Columbus to Stop Anti-Union Bill” (Labor Notes, 18 February 2011). Late Imperialism and the Expropriation of the Earth. What is Socialist Feminism? Barbara Ehrenreich In remembrance of Barbara Ehrenreich (1941–2022), we are reposting this article, which first appeared in WIN magazine on June 3, 1976, and then published in Monthly Review in 2005 (Volume 57, Issue 03). Finding your class bearings in a leftwing universe (Work Work Work reviewed in ‘Morning Star’) November 28, 2022 Foster to give Engels Memorial Lecture on November 30 (Plus: ‘Morning Star:’ Stabilising the human relation to the earth) November 28, 2022 Stimulating thoughts anew for the cognoscenti (Radek reviewed in ‘Counterfire’) November 17, 2022 Watch: Trotsky and France, Haiti, and Lula’s victory (Gerald Horne on the ‘De Facto Podcast’) November 9, 2022 COP27 achieved nothing. No surprise. November 28, 2022 Food, Farming, and Africa: An Open Letter to Bill Gates November 17, 2022 Ecosocialist Bookshelf, November 2022 November 9, 2022 The hottest eight years on record November 6, 2022 November 2022 (Volume 74, Number 6) November 1, 2022 The Editors What Comes after a Cycle of Protests? The Case of the 2020 Women’s Protests in Poland November 1, 2022 Magdalena Muszel	14,976
Just slightly smaller than Lesvos and 4th largest of all Greek islands, Rhodes is a hub for cruise ships pouring 1,000s of travelers into the city for short land-side excursions. Fortunately for us, our travels did not overlap with the hordes of cruises. Only 20 mi/30 km from the Turkish coast, Rhodes Island is popular for its lively nightlife, excellent beaches, flowers, hills and historical sites. The island has a fairly active artists’ colony, and it’s not uncommon to come across a painter at work. Rhodes island offers its visitors a history that goes back in time thousands of years, to the ages of mythology. The beautiful myth of Rhodes says that after Zeus’s victory against the Giants, he decided to divide the earth among the Olympian gods; The only god who received nothing was Helios, the god of the Sun. He, according to the myth, was absent and “No one remembered to include him in the draw”! When he came back he demanded his share, but Zeus told him that he was not able to make the cast again because the rest of the gods would not agree. Helios was disappointed but asked Zeus and the other gods to promise that the land that was to rise out of the sea could be his. As he spoke, a beautiful island slowly emerged from the bottom of the blue sea, Rhodes. Helios bathed Rhodes with his own radiance and made it the most beautiful island in the Aegean Sea. The visitor can find monuments and evidence of Rhode’s long history and myth to explore scattered all over the island. Some of the most important historical sights and monuments on the island are: In Rodos City: The Medieval City of Rhodes and the Palace of the Grand Masters Outside of Rodos City: The castle of Monolithos The castle of Kritinia The castle of Feraklos in Haraki Here is my 2 Day Itinerary to Rodes, Greece: Much of its flavor and architecture arrived with the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who occupied it 1310-1522. In the capital, Rodos, see the medieval quarter of Old Town. Old Town is surrounded by the most impressive, well-maintained pair of medieval walls which easily could take hours to see all the towers and former moats. A UNESCO site since 1988, the parallel walls are separated by a dry moat and is in outstanding condition. The 3.2 mi/5 km long and 12 meters wide walls distinguish Old Town from the rest of the city. Inside the walls, each street and turn compelled us further into the maze of streets taking time to meander through the Greek, Turkish and Jewish neighborhood. Along the way, we stopped for lunch and shopping at little pockets of shops. (see below for a list of our favorite restaurants) Your tour must include time at the 14th century Grand Master’s Palace, the most prominent historical and architectural landmark and once the residence of the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller. The Palace holds two permanent archaeological exhibitions: “Ancient Rhodes – 2400 years” celebrating 2400 years since the founding of the city of Rhodes (408/7 BC) and “Rhodes from the Early Christian period to the Turkish conquest (1522)” covers the city from the 4th century AD until the beginning of the Ottoman period. For €10, a 3-day ticket includes entrances into the Grand Masters’ Palace, Archaeological Museum, the church of Our Lady of the Castle and the Decorative Arts Collection. Spend Day 2 in New Town and outside the city. New Town is north of Old Town. Mandilara Street is home to some of the best restaurants and shopping in New Town. The long-standing Koykos Restaurant serves traditional Rhodian recipes such as Koulouria, a hand-made local pasta topped with fresh crumbly cheese and spices is beloved by both locals and tourist. The Agios Nikolas Tower (at the harbor entrance), marks where one of the legendary 7 Wonders of World, Colossus of Rhodes, once stood. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios, and once straddled the harbor which boats had to enter through. Now, unimpressive columns are set in place of the feet as a remembrance and are considered an island ‘must’ see. How to get there: From the Old town’s East wall, you walk the jetty with the three, well-preserved Wiatraki Rhodes Windmills toward the Fort of St. Nicolas. The jetty makes a turn to close in the harbor, and at the end is the ancient Colossus. Now you can take the best picture of the two Colossus with Rodos in the background. As you walk the outskirts of new town along the coast, take a quick look at the painted walls of the Eklisia Church to see the walls that are covered from floor to ceiling in paintings of scenes from the Bible and of the saints. Lastly, even if you don’t get in the water, spend an hour resting your feet from the walking and enjoy another view of the Mediterranean Sea at the beaches before heading back to Turkey. Most travelers are only staying in Rhodes 1 day. I would suggest spending most of the time in the Old Town, but make sure to walk along the outside of the Old Town by the water so you enjoy the sea as well! During the high season, between April-October, a double-decker sightseeing bus waits for travelers and cruise passengers at the port. While the bus could use some work on the sound system, the 12 Euro day pass gives you access to 2 buses making an hour-long loop around the city of Rodes; a quick way to get your bearing of where you may want to spend your day. The route also passes by the unimpressive Acropolis of Rhodes to see a theater, stadium and two temples. The buses pass by every hour which gives you chances to stop and look through the ruins before catching the next bus. If time permits in your busy schedule and the buses aren’t in season, you can hike or take a taxi. How to travel from Turkey to Rhodes: The 1-hour fast ferry takes passengers from the Marmaris port in Turkey to the entrance of the Old Town, Rodos of Greece. Rodos splits into ‘new town’ and ‘old town.’ If you have two days, spend one day exploring each. See my articles 8 Tips for Traveling to the Greek Islands from Turkey to explain the one-way and round-trip tickets from Turkey. Where to eat: In New Town, the long-standing Koykos Restaurant served traditional Rhodian recipes. “Koulouria” with fresh local pasta and crumbly cheese and spices is beloved by both locals and tourist. In Old Town, the Odyssey Restaurant offers up delicious traditional Greek dishes at a reasonable price for the touristy part of town. I suggest the mixed meze plate for 2 and a mug of the local Alpha beer. Our nontraditional restaurant choice would be the George & Maria Art of Falafel, located near the Koykos Restaurant on Mandilara Street. For dessert, we enjoyed yummy, single serving lemon pies from PURE Sweets & More in New Town. Where to stay: For budget travelers, we recommend the Lydia Hotel in New Town (50 Euros per night) or the Medieval Rose Inn guesthouse in Old Town (25-30 Euros per night). In New Town, the fore-mentioned Koykos Restaurant is also a beloved 8-room guesthouse. If you like a little luxury, Rhodes Park, and Suites Hotel near Old Town (180 Euros per night). This island is so small that it would be easy to stay in the central city and take day trips to other areas of the island. What to buy: When your sandals break in Greece, buy another pair! I heard Chios was the place for leather shopping, but Rodos has way more options. Real soft leather sandals in the latest fashion cost around 35 to 45 Euros. I hope you found my 2 Day Itinerary for Rodos, Greece helpful! We will definitely return for another weekend and explore other parts of the islands! There is so much more to see! Watch our video about our travels to Rhodes Greek Island HERE. We want to hear from you! Did you enjoy this 2 Day Itinerary for Rodos, Greece? Have you been to Rodos, Greece? What did you love when you traveled to Rodos? Read more information about other islands we have visited: 8 Tips for Traveling to the Greek Islands from Turkey Chios (coming soon) Related Previous post Next post ADOPTION: The Funks are adopting! Recent Posts November 14, 2022 September 22, 2022 Today was youth and sport day and Sofia didn’t have school. So naturally, we spend our day at the beach. Jason switched his work day to Saturday this week-thanks @jasoninturkey ! Sofia has 2 ice creams and I took literally these 3 photos. After 3 weeks at home it was amazing to get out and be with friends by the sea. Mutlu Bayramlar herkese! And happy 2.5 years to Sofia! Ramazan is coming to a close here with this weekend bayram or celebration! Unfortunately we are still on lockdown through Monday. It’s also why I have been MIA. But we are almost done!!! The weather is warming up, the sun is out, and family comes in 2 weeks! We are ready for a bit of freedom!!! Happy Mother’s Day! For the child that didn’t come from my body, but was born in my heart years before you became ours. Thank you for making me a mama. Thank you to the women who trusted us with you to raise. Thank you to my momma for teaching and loving me! And thank you to all the women in our lives with and without kids who are also mothering mentors to us. What many joyful and hard moments and thoughts I have stored away that I will always treasure. Every bit of Turkey and its food revolves around seasons and events. Ramazan is no different! Here in Turkey, there is a special bread made only during the Ramazan, the 30 days of fasting. It is a must have when attending Iftar with locals or even if you aren't fasting, it's worth a try. Last day out was a success. Sofia’s school played outside all morning! And after we rested, she went out again. Jason surprised her with a balloon and we got a scoop of ice cream. Hopefully tomorrow she won’t asked to do all of these things again 🤪. Now we start the countdown: 18 (edited from 17) days till freedom. (Sorry your eyes are closed @jasoninturkey ) Enter your email address to subscribe to new posts by email. Email Address Recent Posts November 14, 2022 September 22, 2022 May 17, 2022 April 25, 2022 We are just living the expat life, learning the language and exploring all Izmir has to offer! Oh and we host a bi-weekly podcast where we encourage other to intentional dream about internationally living as we share our journey about what that looks like for us. Today was youth and sport day and Sofia didn’t have school. So naturally, we spend our day at the beach. Jason switched his work day to Saturday this week-thanks @jasoninturkey ! Sofia has 2 ice creams and I took literally these 3 photos. After 3 weeks at home it was amazing to get out and be with friends by the sea. Mutlu Bayramlar herkese! And happy 2.5 years to Sofia! Ramazan is coming to a close here with this weekend bayram or celebration! Unfortunately we are still on lockdown through Monday. It’s also why I have been MIA. But we are almost done!!! The weather is warming up, the sun is out, and family comes in 2 weeks! We are ready for a bit of freedom!!! Happy Mother’s Day! For the child that didn’t come from my body, but was born in my heart years before you became ours. Thank you for making me a mama. Thank you to the women who trusted us with you to raise. Thank you to my momma for teaching and loving me! And thank you to all the women in our lives with and without kids who are also mothering mentors to us. What many joyful and hard moments and thoughts I have stored away that I will always treasure. Every bit of Turkey and its food revolves around seasons and events. Ramazan is no different! Here in Turkey, there is a special bread made only during the Ramazan, the 30 days of fasting. It is a must have when attending Iftar with locals or even if you aren't fasting, it's worth a try. Last day out was a success. Sofia’s school played outside all morning! And after we rested, she went out again. Jason surprised her with a balloon and we got a scoop of ice cream. Hopefully tomorrow she won’t asked to do all of these things again 🤪. Now we start the countdown: 18 (edited from 17) days till freedom. (Sorry your eyes are closed @jasoninturkey )	12,793
Recently, the hugely popular singer Taylor Swift sent out a tweet that read, “As my 25th birthday present from the media, I’d like for you to stop accusing all my friends of dating me. #thirsty.” This is something that she should have said a long time ago, and she has the right to do so. Taylor Swift is known for dating many people, but if her true fans go back and count all her confirmed relationships, there are actually not that many of them. This shows that the media plays a huge part in the reputation(s) that this celebrity, and any celebrity, has. Which begs the question: should celebrities’ personal lives be off-limits to the press and media? Taylor Swift has had a huge media presence since she was just 16. Ever since then, the media has documented her every move. I could never imagine any of that happening to a 16-year-old girl, someone who is just as normal as you or me. Just because a normal person has a talent that they want to do something with, they are automatically harassed and watched by all of America. Some say this is just part of being a celebrity, but why does it have to be? When did media start accusing celebrities of being in a relationship with every person whom they hang out with, accused of being unhealthy every time they eat junk food, and so many other things? Why does everyone care about the bad things? I don’t think that this is right at all. I understand that people want to know what their favorite celebrities’ lives are like, but the media is extremely biased. While there is sometimes good in the never-ending stream of magazines featuring famous people, it’s usually just bad. The media should stay out of celebrities’ personal lives, and people should stop constantly looking for the bad in celebrities. They’re just normal people with some more talent than others, and they should have privacy too. Donate to The Pitch $150 Contributed Our Goal Your donation will support the student journalists of Walter Johnson High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs. Junior Zoey Becker is the Online Opinion Editor for the 2015-2016 school year. She is very excited for her second year on The Pitch Online. Zoey is also...	2,312
Posted on November 6, 2019 November 10, 2019 Author Glenn Pew Comments Off on What Is The Role Of A Family Lawyer? Have they ever heard of a Family Attorney? If you have, how much do you know about their work? We know that they are lawyers and deal with legal issues, but what more do they do? These attorneys deal with issues such as child custody, divorce, etc. They act as intermediators between you and the concerned family member. Here are some of the issues that the family lawyer deals with. Hiring a Divorce Attorney is important while filing a divorce. Divorce can be mentally and emotionally stressful,and a lawyer can help in relieving you from the mental stress of running around the court and dealing with legal paperwork. They also act as intermediates,which means that you do have to discuss things with your partner. They also ensure that things are being handled and dealt most legally. Many family attorneys also deal in preparation of a will and estate planning. They help in developing a will that is as per your wish and does not have any kind of conflict. They will also ensure that the willis executed after being deceased. Child custody can be a big problem at the time of divorce or separation. A lawyer will help you in making the best possible arrangements. The lawyer will make sure that the parents are abiding by the agreement made by them in their children’s custody. In case either of the parents violates this agreement, the other can file a case with the help of the lawyer. Representing You In The Court Litigation in case of family matters are complicated; this is when an attorney can help to simplify the procedures. Attorneys are well equipped to handle such cases as their handling are handling them for quite some time. They have all the necessary knowledge that is required to deal with litigation. Family Law Firms You will find many law firms that specialize in family issues and bankruptcy. These law firms have experienced and knowledgeable attorneys who are very well aware of the law of the state. These firms generally offer free consultation on your first visit. This is a kind of guidance that will make you understand the need for hiring a lawyer. In case of bankruptcy, these firms also help in filing the papers and making sure that you have has your counselling on debt to improve your conditions in the future. Tagged Divorce Attorney, Family Attorney Law How Legal Consultancy Services are a Solution to all your Legal Issues Posted on June 15, 2022 Author admin Even in today’s modern world, where information is so widely available, the masses are still uninformed and oblivious when it comes to legal issues. That is why they do not realize the paramount role of legal consultancy services that can actually make their lives easier when it comes to seeking legal advice. One must never […] Law What questions should I ask personal injury lawyer? Posted on April 1, 2021 Author admin What questions should I ask a personal injury attorney before hiring them? If you have been injured in an accident, then you are probably in a state of shock. You obviously don’t want to be interviewed by anyone from the insurance company or the police without your permission. So, what questions should I ask a […] Law What is The Right Fees of a US Immigration Lawyer in UK? Posted on July 31, 2019 July 31, 2019 Author admin Movement legal counselors are not, by and large, the most very paid lawful experts. They comprehend that their customers frequently face issue getting to such an extent as the specialist to work in the U.S and deal with their expenses thusly. Truth be told, a show has developed in which a considerable lot of them […]	3,800
You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Tinsy Winsy and I hope you will not be disappointed! Your first newsletter will arrive next month. In the meantime, please enjoy the many things I offer subscribers for free - including a pdf of my latest book, Taming the Dragons. Click here. Thank you. Family Hidden History and ADGD I MEET A MOOSE Fear and Faith and a Squished Banana What is WRONG With Me? (I'm an Orchid.) by Brenda Wilbee, in Taming the Dragons , Inspirational , Christianity ONCE upon a time … the raging dragon … a hero and a damsel in distress. Remember the old fairy tales? Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty and happily ever after? It was always that way in our bedtime stories. But what about real life? What’s happened to our happily ever after? Daily we live under the dragon’s fire: we can hardly conceive of victory. Once upon a time a dragon stepped across our path, the hero pulled his sword. The damsel swooned. And here we are, men slaying, women submitting, all of us forever locked into fairy tale roles that have somehow been Christianized—thinking this is the only way to respond to conflict. And we wonder why we live in defeat. We live in defeat because, typically, men have been taught to conquer conflict—to slay the dragon. Counterpoint, women have been taught to submit to conflict—to subdue by swooning before the dragon, to give in. When both of these roles, conquering and submitting, are practiced exclusively, it puts all of us at risk and backs us into a corner. For one thing, it leaves men always on the battlefield without any R&R, and we all know that men are dying younger than women; maybe this is why. Alan Basham, former director of the counseling center at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington, adds another interesting angle. He believes that men die younger than women because they are never allowed to experience the love of damsels in distress until they first relieve the distress. And so men, their use of sword and shield an art form, are dying not so much from battle wounds but from something more deadly—not being loved for who they are, but only for what they do. Women are living longer, but in today’s violent world they’re often surviving as victims, helpless damsels who shy from picking up sword and shield in self-defense. As women, we’re to await the hero and, in the event of a hero’s absence, submit. We grow up learning to depend on rescue. Like Rapunzel? Failing rescue, to then commit ourselves to martyr-dom and self-sacrifice. So if statistically men are dying younger than women, women statistically are surviving as victims. But if we’re to defeat this destructive pattern and find victory—for both men and women—we need to recognize roles other than those our fairy tales have assigned. But is that fair? Is there more to story than just hero and heroine, Warrior and Martyr? What of other characters and other choices when up against peril? Peter Rabbit fled. Thumbelina asked for help. Fairy god-mothers guessed riddles and transformed rags into riches, frogs into princes. Warriors and Martyrs, yes, but there are also Pilgrims, Orphans, and Wizards. We have options; we have choices. When up against conflict there is more than one way to tame the trouble. For one, we can trade shoes. If we are men, we can learn what it means to submit, to be a Martyr, to swoon in the face of conflict—as did Hansel at the wicked witch’s house. Likewise, if we are women, we can learn what it means to be the fairy tale Warrior, to slay and conquer and defeat—as did Gretel to save Hansel. Both of us can try on new shoes altogether and learn a few new roles. I suggest that if Warrior and Martyr aren’t working, try Pilgrim, Orphan, or Wizard. Because when we deal with dragons the same old way every single time, it doesn’t always work. The dragons too often win. And it’s why so many of us are not living happily ever after. For a woman, particularly one raised in the more conservative churches, this concept of choice can be difficult. Making it even more difficult is that the male Warrior and female Martyr roles are the fundamental warp and woof of our heritage; they’ve been woven into our literature, our myths, and our laws, and then passed down to us. So it’s quite difficult to look at Scripture and see a different story, and this is why it’s so difficult for us as religious women to see we have a choice. We can’t help but look at the Bible and see reflected from its pages our own cultural misunderstandings. We look into the pages of Scripture and almost automatically see only the fairy tale roles of Warrior and Martyr. David the Warrior. Martha the Martyr. And so when the dragon roars, men rush to slay, women to submit, all of us dying and being victimized, and we zip right past all the other possible choices. We forget that there is a choice. We didn’t even know to look for choice. I didn’t know to look for it. Like most women raised in the church I only knew the role of Martyr. This was it as far as God was concerned; in conflict I was to swoon, to give in. But at the age of twenty-nine I was forced to wake up to the fact that this wasn’t working. Self-sacrifice was getting me just that—sacrifice of self. My doctors were concerned. Why? I wondered, looking around at the failure of my life. Was I doing everything I could? Had I missed something important? I spent some time poring over Scripture to find out where I had gone wrong. At first I kept finding verses that supported the role of Martyr—good old Sarah keeping mum and winding up in Pharaoh’s harem, Martha washing dishes and serving tea and sweeping floors. These women kept shoving me back to square one. Fogged by cultural mandates, I saw only men slaying and women submitting and it all seemed to work out so well in the Bible—but in real life? Was the sacrifice of self a woman’s only option? One day, eating granola at my kitchen table, I ran into Deborah, a Hebrew prophetess and military commander. Nobody in Sunday school had ever told me about female warriors. And then I found Abigail while eating cold toast. Nobody had ever told me about her either. She disregarded her husband and before it was all done King David married her. Wow. Ignore her husband and find a new life? Suddenly I began looking at men and women in the Bible with new understanding. Every morning over breakfast, I was able to find, easily enough, all kinds of roles being played out in the lives of dozens of men and women all down through Jewish history as they battled the dragons before them! Here was Tamar, seducing Judah in order to assure herself of her lawful rights to a son by his house! Priscilla in Rome, teaching and discipling men. Mary Magdalene, a financier of Jesus’ ministry. Suddenly, no longer stuck interpreting Scripture from my fairy tale assigned position as Martyr, I began to grasp the concept of alternatives. In the face of conflict I could flee, I could fight back, I could play tricks, I could choose! Behold! Deborah the Warrior! Ruth the Martyr! Esther the Orphan! Hagar the Pilgrim! Abigail the Wizard! For me, a religious woman taught to blindly submit, this was liberating illumination; I rejoiced in this affirmation, this permission to make a different choice! This was my beginning. I have since gone on to discover these same roles everywhere, not just in the Bible but in women today, in history, in characters from our favorite stories. They can even be found in our fairy tales—oftentimes more picturesquely than in the book of Judges. We don’t know Deborah the Warrior, but we know Mrs. Jumbo. Few of us have been taught to see Ruth in the role of Martyr, but Piglet? Jumping into Kanga’s pocket in lieu of Roo? We certainly aren’t used to looking at Wizards in the Old Testament; this idea can seem threatening. But in fairy tales? We love and applaud our fairy godmothers. In looking back I am not sure how any of us missed the obvious, for choice is the underlying theme in both our childhood stories and Scripture, read to us from the cradle. I’m not sure why the “Matchstick Girl” sticks in our minds or why we get stuck on Martha when Jesus himself said Mary’s way was better—for all stories, “in the beginning” and “once upon a time”—teach us choice. I’m not sure, yet for some reason, we have restricted ourselves, and in our self-imposed restriction the dragons win. How then, do we choose and dragons lose? Naming a thing brings power over it. God said: Let us make man in our image ... and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.1 He then told Adam to name every living creature.2 Naming empowered mankind to rule. In the same way, by naming our choices we gain the power to choose. In my own life, once I got it through my head that I could in fact choose, and that I had at least five options—Orphan, Pilgrim, Martyr, Warrior, and Wizard—I discovered that given any crisis I could literally sit back and decide which of the five I would use to solve my problem. Choice took the sting out of my powerlessness. Choice enabled me to move from victim to victor. Did this particular dragon, I’d ask myself, naming my options, call for Mrs. Jumbo, the fairy tale Warrior? Or Abigail, the Old Testament Wizard? Or was the battle one to martyr myself for, as did Ruth of Moab? Piglet in the Hundred Acre Wood? Orphan, Pilgrim, Martyr, Warrior, and Wizard. Naming is one thing, understanding another. Fortunately we have the Bible to offer example and fairy tale to offer metaphor. Out of the Old Testament we have our beacons of choice: Esther, Hagar, Ruth, Deborah, and Abigail. We also have in The Wizard of Oz (handily enough) Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, and Wizard. An odd combination, but one that serves clear purpose. Both Esther and Dorothy are Orphans, needing and finding help through their own courage. Hagar and the Scarecrow are Pilgrims, fleeing cultural expectations in order to seek clarity of mind and identity. Ruth and the Tinman are Martyrs, sacrificing from a position of power in order to redeem. Deborah and the Lion are Warriors, drawn into the fray to protect. And Abigail and the Wizard are Wizards, taming evil by naming it for what it really is and, when they can, bringing into play creative alternatives. By following the footsteps of these Biblical heroines and by metaphorically walking the yellow brick road of Frank Baum’s Oz, we can discover on a more personal level what it means to make these choices. The following six chapters—Innocent, Orphan, Pilgrim, Martyr, Warrior, and Wizard—open with a character from the Wizard of Oz, each a role model for powerful choices. I quickly partner in women from the Bible so we might understand the scriptural support for such a role. And because the idea of choice can be difficult to grasp, I go on to tell short stories of women who’ve made these choices: Two women from history, literature, two more from the Bible, two contemporary women, two personal examples of my own life. These stories told, each chapter concludes with a second—and closer—look at what each role means. An Orphan learns to ask for help, yes. But an Orphan also learns in the process how to help herself. A Wizard names evil in another person’s life, true. But a Wizard also names the evil within herself. Finally, I end each section with “Something To Think About,” a Study Guide that provides more Scripture and offers questions to ponder—accompanied by journaling pages to write down your own experiences and ideas. My dragons have largely been those of single parenting, poor health, and poverty. Today I have other challenges. Others have problems with their marriages. Still others have conflict on the job, with their kids, with their finances. Men, too, have their troubles. Yet it seems some of us—if we’re to be honest—aren’t coping with crisis well. I’m convinced we live in defeat or despair or from behind plastic masks because we remain stuck responding to diverse conflict in but one prescribed way. But by choosing among our options—taught to us by our fairy tales and modeled for us in the Bible—we can begin to see God active in our affairs; and because we choose to, we can begin to put away that despair and pain and move toward redemption and new life. This is the happily ever after our fairy tales and Jesus’ promise. Once upon a time … the raging dragon … a hero and a damsel in distress. Wait! The hero doesn’t pull his sword, the damsel doesn’t swoon. Both pause and then choose—Orphan, Pilgrim, Martyr, Warrior, or Wizard. We too can choose. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”3 So said Jesus. We can live happily ever after.	13,229
Massage therapy is the practice of working the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of bringing them back to their normal state in order that the body can heal itself. Thus, massage eliminates pain and stress and helps you achieve an overall feeling of well being. Massage therapy is a perfect complement to chiropractic. Chiropractic works on the bones and massage therapy on the muscles, which together are often the cause of pain and dysfunction. Some of the Benefits Include: Improves your range of motion and flexibility. Reduces stiffness and muscle tension. Increases the release of endorphins- the body’s “feel good” chemicals. Relieves stress and anxiety. Assists in the recovery from injuries and certain types of surgery. Increases the blood flow of the body which aids in healing. Boosts your immune system. Our massage therapists are licensed here in the state of Florida and received training in anatomy, physiology, hydrotherapy and several different types of massage. The Types of Massage Offered are: Swedish Massage: done to relax and reduce stress as well as help circulation and increase range of motion. Deep Tissue Massage: done with a firmer pressure; it deeply works the muscles and connective tissues to relieve aches and pains. Hot Stone Massage: combines Swedish and Deep Tissue techniques while utilizing hot stones to massage the tissues and are placed on the body to enhance relief and relaxation. Neuromuscular Therapy: done in order to relieve spasm and pain by applying pressure at specific points in the tissue. Most patients request an hour massage, but thirty and ninety minute massages are also available. Give us a call and we can help you choose the type of massage and therapist that is right for you.	1,798
First, there was Tomu. Then, came Fomu. Now, there is Qomu, which sits between the two on the CPU-FPGA spectrum. Read the full update. PCBs Are Here! Good news! The new PCB vendor has succeeded in producing enough PCBs to allow us to run production, and as a result Fomu is now at the Crowd Supply fulfillment facility and will begin shipping next week. As soon as your order ships, you will receive an email with tracking number. Read the full update. Nov 26, 2019 Hi backers. In the last update, we said that the PCB vendor we were using was having a lot of trouble producing reliable circuit boards for us, and that we may be forced to switch PCB vendors. In the end, we made the switch, and we're still waiting on new, working PCBs. Read on to find out more about our experience so far. Read the full update. Oct 24, 2019 Hello Fomu backers! You may have noticed that the shipping date on the Crowd Supply website has been slowly slipping. This is because of a manufacturing delay, and today I would like to share with you the reason behind this delay and what we're doing to fix it. It all has to do with the manufacturing of the actual printed circuit board, which is a complex beast. We have a solution to this problem now, so read on to find out more! Read the full update. Aug 29, 2019 Last week, thousands turned up to the German forest to take part in CCCamp -- the camping version of Chaos Communication Congress that happens every four years. Fomu was there, and both Tim and Sean gave workshops on Fomu, as well as a presentation discussing the genesis behind the project. Read on to find out more! Read the full update. Aug 07, 2019 First Batch Shipping from Factory The first batch of Fomus have begun to make their way to Crowd Supply in Portland. Once they get there, Crowd Supply can begin sending out Fomu boards to each of the backers. We're still waiting on the next batch, which we expect to be complete in late August, but we're happy that the first few hundred units have started their journey to get to you. Read the full update. Jul 16, 2019 We've updated the plastic case, loaded Foboot v1.8.6 onto production units, and started work on what will become the Fomu software stack. We're not shipping yet, but we hope to be very soon! Read the full update. Hi everyone. We have good news, and we have bad news. The bad news is that Fomu will be delayed a couple of weeks due to some PCB manufacturing issues. The good news is that this gave us more time to hold a Fomu workshop at Teardown, which gave us a lot of interesting feedback, including one particular catastrophic bug that we managed to fix due to the production delay. Read on to find out more! Read the full update. We went to China last week to help begin mass production ("MP"). Additionally, later this month Fomu is once more returning to Portland to attend Teardown. Read the full update. May 02, 2019 Happy May to all Fomu backers. In this update, we'll talk about all of the amazing progress being made to bring Fomu to you. There has been a lot of progress on the software side, and we implemented a debugging mode that we think you'll really like. Finally, if you're in the Portland, OR, USA area this weekend, stop by and say hello! Read the full update. Apr 01, 2019 Design is Locked In Hi Backers! We've been hard at work producing both hardware and software so that we can bring you your USB-port-sized FPGAs. There's been a lot of progress, as well as a few setbacks, and now everything is in place to begin the final phase of production. Read on to find out more! Read the full update. Feb 18, 2019 Greetings backers! With the crowdfunding portion of the campaign over, it's time for us to work on the Fomu firmware. We're using EVT boards for development, and the final revision of the EVT hardware just came in. Read the full update. Feb 04, 2019 Conclusion of the Fomu Campaign Hi backers! Thank you once again for helping us make Fomu happen. Because of your support us, we can begin work on producing USB-port-sized FPGA boards. And we'll be sure to update you as we make progress on the project. Read the full update. Less Than One Week to Go! Hello backers! There is less than one week to go on the Fomu campaign, and you've already helped us to break the $20,000 barrier. Thank you to all for supporting us. Last week Sean and Tim both gave talks at Linux.Conf.au 2019 in Christchurch, and the videos for both presentations are now available. Read on to find out more, and to watch the talks. Read the full update. Hi backers! As mentioned in the last update, Sean and Tim are at Linux.conf.au 2019 this week in Christchurch, NZ. Both uf us are giving talks, and we'll post links to recordings and slides afterwards. Sean is giving a talk on the Tomu plastic case, including how it will be adapted for Fomu. Tim is giving a talk on Symbiflow and the open source FPGA toolchain that powers Fomu development. Read on to find out more! Read the full update. Jan 15, 2019 Fomu's Open Source Community is Awesome Hello everyone! In this update I'd like to highlight some of the really cool projects people are already doing with Fomu. With just under three weeks to go until the Fomu crowdfunding campaign officially ends, people have started to play with some prerelease "hacker" editions of the board, and are coming up with some pretty cool designs. Read on to find some of the highlights. Also, remember that Fomu prices will go up once the campaign ends! Read the full update. Hi backers! Welcome to the new year, and a new Fomu update. Thanks to all of you wonderful people, the Fomu campaign is going well. In this update, I'd like to talk about the 35C3 session as well as give a hint about some of the work we're doing with the EVT boards. There's less than a month left on the campaign, so let's get right into it. Read the full update. Dec 26, 2018 We hope your holidays are going well. Thank you all for your support so far. This update is to tell you all about our plans for 35C3. Read the full update. Dec 24, 2018 Thanks to everyone who’s contributed so far, Fomu is now fully funded! Read the full update. Dec 18, 2018 The Fomu Campaign is Now Live With our new project, Fomu, we want to replicate the same ease-of-use as Tomu, but with a more advanced FPGA board. Meet Fomu and help us put an FPGA in every USB port! Read the full update.	6,699
Wonderful service. All at the highest level. Never for 6 years there were no problems, it became even a VIP-client, which is nice. Read all the rules to the end, it's your money, gentlemen. I'll say honestly, cheaper prices I have not met, monitored directly by the rolling companies. It is necessary and convenient! I have been using it for 4-5 years. I never regretted it. Read specially reviews with low ratings. Conclusion - illiterate people who do not read the conditions and rules make mistakes and clog the wrong addresses, and blame the site for this. I Used several times. It is necessary to look carefully, what exactly you book and what exactly conditions at the supplier. I especially like the ability to change dates and times, as well as the class of the car. Since it is an intermediary, it takes time to confirm the supplier, but this is normal. At prices much cheaper than taking directly from the supplier. On customer service is also a solid five-star	998
Ibiza has many incredible places to see, and if driving has you stressed out, then book our first class chauffeur services. You can focus on enjoying yourself while we worry about driving Booking an Ibiza Chauffeur is a must, often due to summertime events, certain areas of Ibiza become hot-spots for vacation goers. In such places it will be almost impossible to get a taxi. This sort of thing happens very often and can lead to delays, rescheduling, and canceling events. Be it that you have to attend a party at a club, or join friends and family for dinner at that special restaurant. You can certainly be more at ease with being on time by hiring an service with private driver in Ibiza. A private driver allows you to be both spontaneous and punctual. We do this by always being ready at your disposal to drive you anywhere, anytime Can you hire someone to drive you around? It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the diversity of choices at your disposal in Ibiza. Even more so if you have in mind that some of the best experiences aren’t within walking distance. We can support you by acting as a concierge and facilitate a perfectly planned holiday. This includes a good balance of activities, to maximize your enjoyment of the island and on top of that be chauffeured everywhere in style. Book now! What will be the designated car and driver on the wildest night of clubbing in Ibiza? Simple … book a professional chauffeur service from Ibiride, and no one has to miss out Imagine if you will, not having to stress about researching which beach, attraction, or site to visit. Then try and figure out a means of getting there and back. You would not have to worry about getting tickets for that one show you were always hoping to see. Or having to struggle to find a ride back at the end of the night. Your private driver can do all these and much more. Parking can be a serious problem around hot-spots in Ibiza. Plus if you sample some delicious local drinks and cocktails, finding your car could be interesting. By booking one of our Chauffeur Services , you will not only have an experienced driver that takes you wherever you need. You will also have access to the knowledge and know-how of our entire team. We are happy to help you plan the perfect itinerary for your vacation. experienced professional drivers thriving towards full customer satisfaction Spanish and English speaking knowledgeable about the island and its attractions discreet, polite, and with a positive attitude Book! Hire a Ibiza VIP chauffeur to enjoy the next level of comfort and relaxation Ibiza is a destination that has many different things to offer. Be it that you are planning to relax and take in the sun at one of the many breathtaking crystal clear beaches. Or you are looking to immerse yourself in the top-notch club scene. Enjoying a vacation in Ibiza is easy if you have the right tools at your disposal. Why not get the help of a knowledgeable friendly local to chauffeur you to your favorite places? At first glance, you would think that there are many similarities between a taxi and our personal chauffeur services. If you think that both take you from point A to point B, then you are probably right. The real difference is how they do it. Taxis are great if you can find one and if the one you find turns out to be nice. We always guarantee an elegant, spotless vehicle and a courteous professional driver. Our fleet is sure to meet all your expectations. What are the best Private Drivers in Ibiza? Our VIP Ibiza Chauffeurs Service can be just the chauffeur driver services, or a luxury van with a private driver at your disposal for as long as you need. You always enjoy the friendly services of our knowledgeable and resourceful drivers. They can help you have an informed, stress-free, comfortable and safe vacation in Ibiza. We cater to a wide variety of guests with an even more diverse range of interests. Do not hesitate to get in contact with us, if you are ready to enjoy all that Ibiza has to offer . We are absolutely certain that we will have the perfect solution for your transportation services needs. We are a company that provides top quality private transfers and ground transport services in Ibiza. The ibiRide team strives to always provide our guests with the highest quality in transport services. We guarantee to meet all your needs and keep you satisfied. Let us design the perfect transfer solution for an experience you won’t forget! Transfers from/to Ibiza Airport Transfers in Ibiza Private driver Secure payment ©2022 ibiRide. All rights reserved. ibiride.com uses cookies to provide necessary website functionality, improve your experience and analyze our traffic. By using our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our cookies usage.	5,027
Family Focus Resource Center is launching a series of webinars for parents and professionals during the COVID-19 closures. Read more April 19, 2020 Although we cannot have our Resource Fair at CSUN, we are considering other options. Read more Family Focus is here to help! April 1, 2020 Family Focus Resource Center is here to help! Click here to find out how to contact us, and for our COVID-19 resources page. Read more The 2019 Special Needs Resource Fair is coming October 20th, 2019! June 12, 2019 The Family Focus Resource Center (FFRC) is currently planning its 7th annual Special Needs Resource Fair, which will be held on Sunday, October 20 at the University Student Union. Read more	725
Three Decades After Its First School Funding Lawsuit, New Hampshire Turns to the Public for the First Time to Find an Equitable Solution for All Students Debra West February 9, 2020 Support The 74's year-end campaign The first $18,000 in donations will be matched dollar for dollar. Please help us deliver more essential coverage of K-12 education.	348
A couple's relationship can be threatened by others. To minimize potential damage, explore conscious or unconscious motives that a third-party might have. Specialist is general and bariatric surgery, all minimally invasive methods. Senior general surgeon and head of bariatric surgery division. Premium private hospital, provides the highest quality medical care, individualized treatment by the country’s… Dec 26, 2017 Checking out others? You probably think your partner is too. This general kindness quiz that was completed by more than 1,300 people. I would like to share with you the highlights of this study, along with a few surprises. Specialist is general and bariatric surgery, all minimally invasive methods. Senior general surgeon and head of bariatric surgery division. Premium private hospital, provides the highest quality…	878
We really enjoyed the wonderful Middle Eastern foods, vegetables, fresh bakery and wonderful deli. Enjoyed the best falafel sandwiches for lunch much there. Can’t wait to come back. Sincere thanks to the owner who made us feel welcomed. Last Saturday a gentleman helped me look for the perfect gift for my neighbor. She was very appreciative. I had no idea what to get and he was very helpful! That deli smelled delicious, I will be back with my Husband to eat! THE BEST PALESTINIAN FOOD IN TOWN! They make fresh bread daily and are the masters at Sharwerma Sandwiches! And prices are fair! The staff is so kind and welcoming and they have it all here it is a one stop shop! I stop in at holy land everytime I am in the Milwaukee area! I wish you would all open up in a Chicago too! To-go sandwiches, kabobs, and spice selection are great- but the baba and house flat breads are worth the drive from ANYWHERE in the Milwaukee area.	992
The term commercial real estate refers to property that is used for commercial purposes. This could mean storefronts, land with the potential for profit, and rental properties. Examples of commercial property would be office buildings, malls, grocery stores, and more. Commercial properties are also divided into five categories such as multi-family, office, hospitality, retail, and industrial. Commercial real estate is subject to different laws, financing, and taxes than residential real estate. While the purchase of this type of property is an exciting investment, it can be a lengthy and complicated process that the average person isn’t familiar with. Since there is so much to be known before making such a big decision like this, here are a few tips for purchasing your first (or next) commercial real estate property. Before you begin searching and investing time looking for commercial real estate, it’s vital to ask yourself why you are wanting to make this investment and if it’s right for you. If you are unsure of your ultimate goals, you may want to reconsider. Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself: What kind of property do I want? What do I plan to use the property for? How much of a down payment can I make, and is this feasible? Will I need a property manager? It is important to ensure that you can afford your investment before starting your search. Securing financing ahead of time allows you to create a budget and compare your financing options before committing to a deal. To find the best rates, speak with several lenders and consider various loan types. If you know what kind of financing options you have before you begin your property search, you will know exactly what you can afford and the process won't be stalled. When you begin your search for a commercial property, your real estate agent will show you quite a few before you settle on one you think is right for you. Refrain from feeling rushed to purchase the first one you see. It is important to consider the price, allowed uses, condition, and location. In areas near downtown, hospitals, universities, and busy areas, properties sell more quickly and for a higher price. Ask yourself some more questions such as: Is it worth taking risks for the potential rewards? Is there another property that would suit my needs better? What has this property been used for in the past? Is there any maintenance that would be required immediately? 316 Realty Group is Here for You It goes without saying that identifying a property to buy can take time, a lot of money, and the help of a professional is definitely needed. Finding someone who is aligned with your goals is important. Finding and purchasing commercial real estate is a complicated process with many facets, and you'd be better off working with an expert than trying to figure it out on your own. 316 Realty Group offers commercial real estate services in the greater Houston, Dallas / Fort Worth, Austin, and Waco markets. You can rely on our team to help you develop an investment strategy, search for properties to purchase, analyze the deal, acquire concessions, negotiate the terms, and identify the best options. Contact us today, we look forward to working with you! by Dustin McCaffry We all know what residential real estate is all about and what those properties are used for: living. Commercial real estate, on the other hand, can be used in a plethora of ways, from a business to a health facility, to a warehouse, to apartment complexes, and more. Commercial real estate brokers must also be well-versed in tax and zoning rules, as well as market statistics, financial analysis, and more. To protect your best interests and get the best return on your investment, you should always hire a broker for any of your commercial real estate transactions, just as you wouldn’t build a house without an architect or file taxes without a CPA. Here we will go into more detail on what exactly commercial real estate brokers do. A commercial real estate broker assists clients in searching for and purchasing a commercial property, including performing a thorough search on listing platforms for any suitable properties and negotiating the best possible purchase price and terms for their clients. A commercial real estate broker also assists clients in selling commercial real estate assets by conducting comprehensive market research to determine the best listing price, implementing advanced marketing strategies to attract eligible buyers, and negotiating the best sale conditions. Other aspects of the sale will also be handled by these brokers, such as organizing walk-throughs and marketing the property. Lastly commercial real estate brokers assist landlords and tenants in finding commercial real estate premises to rent. They also negotiate the best lease terms for their clients and implement market research to set rent and other fees. Other responsibilities include locating high-quality renters, and when working on behalf of a tenant, locating the greatest deals on spaces that match the client’s specifications. Networking Locally Commercial real estate brokers establish connections with prominent members of the community where they plan to work. When a commercial space is on the market or a potential buyer appears in the area, this gives them a competitive advantage. Many people shy away from investing in commercial real estate due to the many complicated rules and regulations governing commercial real estate taxation. The fact that these rules and regulations differ across states, industries, and zones adds to the complexity. To perform the aforementioned procedures on behalf of their client and therefore eliminate a barrier to commercial real estate investment, a commercial real estate broker must have a thorough awareness of tax and zoning rules. Client Negotiations Commercial real estate brokers must be excellent negotiators and mediators because they deal with more than two parties when arranging a sale or lease. Conflicting incentives are common among the parties, which a commercial real estate professional can help resolve through talks. The ability to communicate and persuade is essential for a commercial real estate broker who wants to negotiate successfully. It’s always in the best interest of one to have access to the knowledge and expertise of a commercial real estate broker when buying, selling, and leasing a commercial property. This definitely isn’t a task you want to take on by yourself! If you are searching for a space or even want to know what options are available to you, reach out to one of our agents with 316 Realty Group. We are always ready to exercise our professional expertise for you!	6,970
Fungi are the cause of skin problems caused by ringworm, a disease that can also affect the scalp and nails. Infections called ringworms go by different names, depending on the area affected. Thus, when it occurs between the toes it is called 'athlete's foot', when it appears on the body it is called 'tinea corporis', when it affects the nails it is called "tinea unguium", when it affects the Scalp is called 'tinea capitis' and when it affects the groin area it is called 'tinea cruris'. The appearance of the skin is the key for the doctor to establish the diagnosis. But in addition, this can be confirmed with two types of tests: one consists of taking a sample of the affected skin and analyzing it under the microscope and another in lighting the affected area with the wood lampas the fungus can appear fluorescent when the skin is examined under a blue light in a dark room. Ringworm is easier to treat when it affects the skin. The skin should be kept clean and it is recommended to apply antifungal powders, lotions or creams for topical or external use. These products generally contain miconazole and clotrimazole. And in addition, it is important to wash the sheets and bath or shower towels every day while the infection lasts. Medicines for the skin are effective in a period of 4 weeks. On the other hand, when ringworm affects the scalp or nails or the infection seems severe or persistent, it is necessary to administer antifungal medications by mouth. Antibiotics may also be needed to treat related bacterial infections. For this reason, see your doctor right away if you have signs of a bacterial infection such as inflammation, hot skin to the touch, sudden worsening of redness in skin patches, red lines, pus or other discharge, and fever. These additional infections can appear as a consequence of scratching, for example. However, you should always seek medical help if ringworm infects the scalp or beard, or if the skin does not improve with self-care measures within 4 weeks. Ringworm is a contagious disease that is easily transmitted from one person to another. For these reasons, ringworm is a difficult disease to prevent, but take precautions: 1. Avoid touching the infected areas of other people's skin. 2. Avoid contact with infected animals such as cats or dogs. 3. Keep your skin clean and dry. 4. Shampoo regularly, especially after a haircut. 5. Regularly wash the clothes you use for sports. 6. Always take a shower after practicing sports because the dematophytes settle on the skin and proliferate with sweat (heat and humidity). 7. Avoid sharing clothes, towels, hairbrushes, combs, hats, or other personal care items. These items should be washed and dried very well after use. 8. Wear sandals or shoes in gyms, locker rooms and swimming pools. Do not go barefoot in public areas. 9. Avoid touching pets that have hairless patches. 10. Wash your hands often after handling pets. Marisol New. Editor of our site You can read more articles similar to Ringworm: prevention, diagnosis and treatment, in the category of child hygiene on site.	3,085
of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Grace Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury Fifty years ago our predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey met in this city hallowed by the ministry and blood of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Subsequently, Pope John Paul II with Archbishop Robert Runcie, and later with Archbishop George Carey, and Pope Benedict XVI with Archbishop Rowan Williams, prayed together here in this Church of Saint Gregory on the Caelian Hill from where Pope Gregory sent Augustine to evangelise the Anglo-Saxon people. On pilgrimage to the tombs of these apostles and holy forebears, Catholics and Anglicans recognize that we are heirs of the treasure of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to share that treasure with the whole world. We have received the Good News of Jesus Christ through the holy lives of men and women who preached the Gospel in word and deed and we have been commissioned, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8). We are united in the conviction that “the ends of the earth” today, is not only a geographical term, but a summons to take the saving message of the Gospel particularly to those on the margins and the peripheries of our societies. In their historic meeting in 1966, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey established the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission to pursue a serious theological dialogue which, “founded on the Gospels and on the ancient common traditions, may lead to that unity in truth, for which Christ prayed”. Fifty years later we give thanks for the achievements of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, which has examined historically divisive doctrines from a fresh perspective of mutual respect and charity. Today we give thanks in particular for the documents of ARCIC II which will be appraised by us, and we await the findings of ARCIC III as it navigates new contexts and new challenges to our unity. Fifty years ago our predecessors recognized the “serious obstacles” that stood in the way of a restoration of complete faith and sacramental life between us. Nevertheless, they set out undeterred, not knowing what steps could be taken along the way, but in fidelity to the Lord’s prayer that his disciples be one. Much progress has been made concerning many areas that have kept us apart. Yet new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us, particularly regarding the ordination of women and more recent questions regarding human sexuality. Behind these differences lies a perennial question about how authority is exercised in the Christian community. These are today some of the concerns that constitute serious obstacles to our full unity. While, like our predecessors, we ourselves do not yet see solutions to the obstacles before us, we are undeterred. In our trust and joy in the Holy Spirit we are confident that dialogue and engagement with one another will deepen our understanding and help us to discern the mind of Christ for his Church. We trust in God’s grace and providence, knowing that the Holy Spirit will open new doors and lead us into all truth (cf. John 16: 13). These differences we have named cannot prevent us from recognizing one another as brothers and sisters in Christ by reason of our common baptism. Nor should they ever hold us back from discovering and rejoicing in the deep Christian faith and holiness we find within each other’s traditions. These differences must not lead to a lessening of our ecumenical endeavours. Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper that all might be one (cf. John 17: 20-23) is as imperative for his disciples today as it was at that moment of his impending passion, death and resurrection, and consequent birth of his Church. Nor should our differences come in the way of our common prayer: not only can we pray together, we must pray together, giving voice to our shared faith and joy in the Gospel of Christ, the ancient Creeds, and the power of God’s love, made present in the Holy Spirit, to overcome all sin and division. And so, with our predecessors, we urge our clergy and faithful not to neglect or undervalue that certain yet imperfect communion that we already share. Wider and deeper than our differences are the faith that we share and our common joy in the Gospel. Christ prayed that his disciples may all be one, "so that the world might believe" (John 17: 21). The longing for unity that we express in this Common Declaration is closely tied to the desire we share that men and women come to believe that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to save the world from the evil that oppresses and diminishes the entire creation. Jesus gave his life in love, and rising from the dead overcame even death itself. Christians who have come to this faith, have encountered Jesus and the victory of his love in their own lives, and are impelled to share the joy of this Good News with others. Our ability to come together in praise and prayer to God and witness to the world rests on the confidence that we share a common faith and a substantial measure of agreement in faith. The world must see us witnessing to this common faith in Jesus by acting together. We can, and must, work together to protect and preserve our common home: living, teaching and acting in ways that favour a speedy end to the environmental destruction that offends the Creator and degrades his creatures, and building individual and collective patterns of behaviour that foster a sustainable and integral development for the good of all. We can, and must, be united in a common cause to uphold and defend the dignity of all people. The human person is demeaned by personal and societal sin. In a culture of indifference, walls of estrangement isolate us from others, their struggles and their suffering, which also many of our brothers and sisters in Christ today endure. In a culture of waste, the lives of the most vulnerable in society are often marginalised and discarded. In a culture of hate we see unspeakable acts of violence, often justified by a distorted understanding of religious belief. Our Christian faith leads us to recognise the inestimable worth of every human life, and to honour it in acts of mercy by bringing education, healthcare, food, clean water and shelter and always seeking to resolve conflict and build peace. As disciples of Christ we hold human persons to be sacred, and as apostles of Christ we must be their advocates. Fifty years ago Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey took as their inspiration the words of the apostle: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 13-14). Today, “those things which are behind” – the painful centuries of separation –have been partially healed by fifty years of friendship. We give thanks for the fifty years of the Anglican Centre in Rome dedicated to being a place of encounter and friendship. We have become partners and companions on our pilgrim journey, facing the same difficulties, and strengthening each other by learning to value the gifts which God has given to the other, and to receive them as our own in humility and gratitude. We are impatient for progress that we might be fully united in proclaiming, in word and deed, the saving and healing gospel of Christ to all people. For this reason we take great encouragement from the meeting during these days of so many Catholic and Anglican bishops of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) who, on the basis of all that they have in common, which generations of ARCIC scholars have painstakingly unveiled, are eager to go forward in collaborative mission and witness to the “ends of the earth”. Today we rejoice to commission them and send them forth in pairs as the Lord sent out the seventy-two disciples. Let their ecumenical mission to those on the margins of society be a witness to all of us, and let the message go out from this holy place, as the Good News was sent out so many centuries ago, that Catholics and Anglicans will work together to give voice to our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring relief to the suffering, to bring peace where there is conflict, to bring dignity where it is denied and trampled upon. In this Church of Saint Gregory the Great, we earnestly invoke the blessings of the Most Holy Trinity on the continuing work of ARCIC and IARCCUM, and on all those who pray for and contribute to the restoration of unity between us. Rome, 5 October 2016 His Holiness Francis Tweets by AnglicanWorld Lots of people like Anglican Communion News Service. Archive Search by Month Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Archive Search by Year Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 Archive Search by Month Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Archive Search by Year Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995	9,577
Ben Williams arrived at Brize Norton on Friday along with the other 82 Brits who had been airlifted from Wuham. The BBC’s Ben Brown scooped an iPhone interview as the plane sat on the runway. The game was afoot. Could smoothie Ben elicit a ‘reaction’ from the hopefully distraught UK national? Did Mr Williams feel ‘let down’ by the British government’s slow response? No, err, actually, I think they did rather well getting us out. BB tried again. We understand that your Chinese wife couldn’t get on board and now you will be separated for several weeks. This must be very annoying and disruptive..Well, said BW, there have to be rules and what’s a few weeks when we’re in a potential global medical crisis? Anyway, we’re used to spending time apart. And so it went on, BB playing the media ‘let’s get a controversial soundbite’ game while BW seemed relaxed and grateful despite obvious disturbance to his life. His refusal to point any fingers of blame culminated wonderfully when asked whether the on-board atmosphere had been tense, angry even. ‘No, it was rather chilled; we had good food and drinks.’ Mr Williams wasn’t playing the media game. The media prefer controversy to contentment. Reporting has been replaced by fanning flames and most observers are aware of this game. When lives are at stake and the fates of nations at risk those who have the privilege of a vast audience should recognize the difference between sport and real life. Consequences. The bongs and bangs surrounding that moment on Friday when we left the EU were the discordant sounds of a farcical game. Dominic Cummings, we learn, was in tears because he played a blinder. In tracksuit bottoms and untucked shirt he is the embodiment of his own clever mantra: think, believe and do the opposite of whatever the current wisdom suggests. This approach led the flawed but probably honest journeyman David Cameron, to dub Cummings as a ‘career psychopath’. I’m all there for thinking outside the box but when winning is the only game in town and the great European project is the fall-guy, the stakes are way too high. Boris’s words in praise of his Machiavell last Friday focused on the brilliance of Cummings’ infamous slogans ‘Take back control’ and ‘Get Brexit done’. Word games to win over a confused nation. Nicola Sturgeon, easily the most impressive of the UK senior politicians has always played a rather longer game. Independence. Brexit has given her the handle to reopen that door and this morning that fine and honourable politician, Donald Tusk, indicated to Andrew Marr that the Scots might well be welcome in. Well he would wouldn’t he? Alastair Stewart didn’t appear to know the rules of the twitter game – don’t get involved in any debate if you are remotely famous. You’ll lose your job or end up in court. There’s a game going on out there. Trolls are searching the twittersphere for faux-racists, sexist, un-LGBTQ, multi-phobic, unwoke and just plain normal people to feed a manufactured sense of outrage. Alastair, your mistake was in playing their game. You should have stayed on the subs’ bench and let Lawrence Fox do the talking. December 2022 October 2022 July 2022 May 2022 March 2022 January 2022 November 2021 April 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 July 2015 June 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 September 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 Autobiographical notes – people Education Register Log in Comments feed Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.	4,728
Hello friends! I've been a busy girl since I got back from Cuba (I also just realized I haven't posted any pictures from it, haha. I will share some in a post another day). I had my first one on one training session with a client and she is rocking her program. 5 lbs lost in less than two weeks! I'm so proud of her. This feeling is exactly why I wanted to become a personal trainer. I've created programs for people with gym memberships but I have also created and specialize in programs for you to do at home with minimal equipment. The client I just told you about works out at home too and has a couple kettle bells and some hand weights. You can get great results at home!!! So after saying that I want to show you my personal set up. I have a corner in my living room that was perfect for my set up - it's about 3 feet deep and is out of the way. I have accumulated this equipment since I started working out almost 3 years ago. You don't need everything here but variety keeps it interesting and prevents you from getting bored. Here's what I have and I've listed the price (before tax) and where I bought it from: Resistance bands (in plastic organizer) - $12.99, Walmart 5 lb hand weights - free, hand me down from my cousin who got too strong for them 10 lb hand weights - $8.99 each, Canadian Tire adjustable hand weights, up to 20 lbs each - $47.99, Canadian Tire sandbag - hand made but materials cost under $40.00, filled with cat litter mirror - from my parents old bathroom Lebert equalizers - $130.00 (includes tax and shipping), Lebert website stability ball - hand me down from my mom but you can get them for under $30.00 So everything here has cost me less than $300.00 in about two and a half years. A gym membership runs upwards of $500.00 per year. This is exactly why I refuse to sign up for a gym membership! Even if you need to buy heavier weights you're still saving money. I love working out in my living room because I can crank my music and not have to worry about my headphones falling out. And when a good song comes on I can shake it without judgment haha. Other Apps Comments Popular posts from this blog November 09, 2019 This is my go-to program when I don't know what to do and when I still want results. My arms get CARVED when I follow this program as well as my legs. I do these as circuits - meaning I do one exercise and move onto the next completing all exercises and then repeat again for as many times as I can or have time for. Aim for 2-4 rounds depending on your fitness level and time. This is a 4 day split and you can use it however fits your schedule: Day #1 - biceps, triceps, shoulders Day #2 - legs & abs Day #3 - back, chest, shoulders Day #4 - plyo & abs You can do this every day for 4 days on, 3 days off. You can do them every other day. Or you can just do it whenever you have time to do a workout! Some of the exercise do use a cable machine but you can easily swap them out for dumbbell or band exercises. Just make sure you're working the same muscles or muscle group. I love this split because it is so flexible and can work for so many people. March 14, 2018 Hello! I hope everyone is doing well and you're crushing your goals. I hope you had a chance to check out my travel blog about our trip to New Zealand. If you haven't and you'd like to see the pictures, the link is www.kelseystravelpics.blogspot.ca . Can we also just take a moment to talk about how long January felt?! I swear it felt like 3 months, and now February and March just zoomed by. I've been struggling with my workouts the past few months so have been quiet on my Instagram and on here. I just haven't been making exercise a priority and I have to change that. Saturdays used to be my 'go hard' days and I can't seem to get a workout in at all on weekends. I also stopped working out as soon as I get home after work so I'll be getting back into that. I started a part time course in January so I'm in class once a week and I've been making the mistake of not working out on Wednesday and then I end up missing Thursday as well sin March 15, 2018 I have tried a few veggie burger recipes and they usually crumble and don't stay together. I found this recipe and made some changes. Mostly because I like adding veggies when possible because it can be hard to eat enough in a day. Again I didn't take pictures because I was being lazy and was trying to get them done fast. I made these on Sunday morning while waiting for breakfast to be delivered (it was Indian food, a ton of calories, and soooo delicious!). These turned out fairly well but they could have used more herbs and spices. I definitely added enough garlic I started writing this so long ago that I forget the measurements! But here is an approximate recipe: 1.5 c. or 15 oz can (drained) black beans, half mashed 1 c. cooked brown rice 1 c. spinach, chopped 1/3 c. frozen corn, microwaved for a bit to half cook them 2 T of salsa 1 egg 1 c. bread crumbs half a small onion, chopped finely 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely salt a This page uses cookies to provide ads directed to your interests and needs. I make a small commission when you use these links to make purchases so thank you in advance!	5,588
Some weeks ago, I asked people from my newsletter who are on my Slack channel what they wanted to learn more about. One of the common requests I kept getting was to learn more about how I work. Previously I described my process from a design perspective, but this week I wanted to give you a more detailed peek into how I scope and plan my projects. To give new readers some background and context, I've been freelancing for more than 10 years, so it's fair to say I've completed at least 100 projects. During that decade, you'd assume my design skills would grow the most, but instead I found my project management skills developed more significantly. Honestly, it doesn't matter how talented a designer you are, if you can't manage and run a project, you won't be successful. You need to have good planning and research skills! Vetting clients and the scope Vetting clients is difficult, but it's definitely something that you'll improve over time. In the beginning of your career, it's common to be afraid of turning projects down. I still occasionally feel this, but I've become far better at it - usually because my gut feeling tells me to! And whenever I've gone against my gut feeling and committed to the projects anyway, they've always ended in disaster - usually in the form of late or missing payments. Designers are often told that asking 'Why' a lot is the key to great solutions. But for some reason, most designers fail to ask. Last summer when I worked on Toast, they initially came to SuperFriendly wanting a media hub. But because Dan runs his business like a professional, he didn't go ahead and quote them for that right away. Instead, he opted for curiosity and asked, "Cool, why do you want that?" Turns out, it wasn't actually what they needed. By choosing to be curious and ask 'Why', we were able to deliver something that provided much more value and solved their problem. Once I've made sure I understand the problem and I believe that I'll be able to do great work together with the client, I begin scoping the work. In my early days, I usually scoped work by thinking of something I've previously done, how long that took, and then charged the client roughly the same. At that time I didn't really track hours for projects, so I had no idea of knowing which projects were financially beneficial. I fixed that pretty quickly when I began having issues valuing my projects. Lesson learned. Scoping is about appropriately setting expectations for yourself, your team, and your clients and managers. It’s a rare skill that separates the amateurs from the professionals. Which one are you?How to scope work Once the project is scoped, I turn to my contract template and write down the project brief along with my terms: budget, deadlines, and deliverables. Basically what gets done and when. I send a contract to my client through DocuSign and inform them that I won't be able to reserve the time for the project until the contract is signed. Once they sign it, I set up the new project in Harvest with the budget. For keeping track of things I primarily use a mix of Notion and Things. I set up a new template in Notion with a basic Trello-board (Backlog for ideas, Doing for current activities, In Review, and Done). Each activity has its own page with additional details but this overview makes for a good homepage for the project and all its important information. In Things, I keep track of daily stuff I need to get done. These are usually more practical things like Design landing page or Review filters. For production heavy projects, I do most of my project management through Things! I initially said that project management and having a defined plan is key to any successful project. And while I do think that is true, here's the flip side of that coin. Most projects won't end up like you planned them. Things happen (Hello COVID-19) that turn your planning upside down and force you to adapt your plan to the new scenario. That's ok though! The important thing is not to get it right the very first time... the important thing is to have something to start from! I write a newsletter every two-four weeks. I'll let you decide if it’s any good but people seem to stay on. In fact, thousands of smart people incl. designers from Amazon, IDEO, Figma and Shopify are subscribers. Latest post Interview: Matthew, Head of Product Anton Sten is a designer, and UX consultant based in the south of Sweden. For project inquiries or advising, please email [email protected].	4,609
Morgellons coverage in the local media has never been very good, with the natural tendency of TV news to compress things into sound bites, and to force emotional responses from their viewers instead of informing them. This coverage reached a new low on 3/6/2008 with the broadcast of the KFMB piece titled : “Is Mysterious Skin Condition A Disease Or Delusion?”: The majority of the segment is taken up with an interview with a woman who claims she has Morgellons. Her symptoms began in July with what she thought was an insect bite. It soon evolved into skin lesions. “One evening I was kind of scratching at one of them, what appeared to be a little white moth flew out of some of these lesions,” she said. Her terror continues. She says citrus acid brings worm-like threads out of her body. Seeing is believing. Here’s where things get ridiculous. The woman takes some freshly cut lemon, and rubs it vigorously over her hand for a minute, squeezing and twisting the lemon slice until her hand is covered with lemon juice and lemon pulp. She then rubs her hands together, rolling the pulp around on her fingertips. Then she points at some lemon pulp and says “This is worms, can you see it coming out right there?” Later, with hand dried off, she digs at a piece of dried skin at the edge of a wound – the unsaid implication being that this is the same thing. The footage then cuts to her plucking off another piece of lemon pulp from a different region of unbroken lemon soaked skin. The piece continues: [She] has seen countless doctors, but her symptoms are getting worse. “To be diagnosed by doctor after doctor as being delusional, it’s beyond frustrating,” she said. I’m sure it is very frustrating, and I feel very sorry for her. However, little white moths are not flying out of her lesions. The “worms” are lemon pulp. I don’t know anything about her other symptoms, or her skin condition, which may well be related to a real medical condition, but in this regard, she holds a mistaken belief. If countless doctors are telling someone the same thing, over and over, then is there not a chance that the doctors are right? Despite the title of the piece, there is no questioning on the part of KFMB. They totally accept this woman’s story. Presenting her as a rational person who simply has worms coming out of her skin and is being ignored by countless doctors. They totally ignore the very obvious fact that there are no worms, and that all they are seeing is lemon pulp. May 7, 2008 by Mick West Delusions Media Photos Science You may also like... May 7, 2008 at 9:09 pm Yes, it was pretty sad how the news reporter says absolutely nothing about the worms/lemon pulp. And if they were worms wouldn’t they want to focus more of the story on it. Obviously a fluff piece. May 7, 2008 at 9:10 pm I am still interested in what the CDC study will say. May 7, 2008 at 9:14 pm I’m very interested in what the CDC will say. I suspect they will be quite comprehensive in describing the various things that they found that lead people to think they have Morgellons. I also suspect they might recommend some new guidelines for dealing with idiopathic skin problems. May 12, 2008 at 10:22 pm I think another piece on Lymebusters would be interesting. Who is this Dr. Hildy character they talk about? Whats the news with hexagonal “glitter” chips? I find it an intriguing website. May 13, 2008 at 8:26 am Hildy is a quack. The glitter is actually glitter. Lymebusters is interesting, but I think I’ve already said enough about it. If you spend enough time reading it then it’s fairly obvious what is going on there. It’s rather sad, but stirring it up is not going to help. May 13, 2008 at 7:09 pm Yeah, I looked into Dr. Hilde. An environmental toxicologist who believes that Morgellons “fiber” are conductors for EMF signals to control people. Of course the fibers come from chemtrails and are nanotechnology. People at lymebusters are now thinking this is what causes their Morgellons. Man, where did this idea come from??? May 15, 2008 at 10:03 pm Hmm, called Dr. Hildy: integrative health systems She can cure your morgellons with a first time consultation fee of $225. Follow up appts range in the $100-$125 range. Must be a lucurative business May 16, 2008 at 5:19 pm The fibers are Light Encoded Filaments The “glitter” are geometric forms that utilize light to work with the filaments to alter our DNA and to cause a natural god-given evolution using the sun’s rapidly increasing gamma and x-rays, that was planned within us eons ago. The crawling sensation is a new nervous system forming within the body. not bugs. The chemtrails, gmo, and pollution are methods of attempting to ruin and confuse this very natural and LOVINGLY DESIGNED CHANGE. The disinfo and confusion that this is a plague is meant to bring already evolving individuals into a state of fear and chaos, so that they will not become enlightened. The HAARP signals are methods of blocking and modifying the signals already coming from the sun. as ludicrous as it may seem, this explanation is THE explanation, and because of people’s inability to accept this information… presenting it. very well may play into the nay-sayer’s agenda… “that it’s all wacko stuff.” it is the revelation… and the explanation of literally.. everything in existence. Dr Hildy is helping by giving “light” to people’s who’s bodies haven’t been able to cope with it. people that have gotten better, have gotten the proper “light” therapy from her, and are in much better health, from taking much better care of themselves, and loving themselves. They do not want you to evolve.. to change.. into your holy higher self. This is the holy touch of god on your forehead, the Christening. you have to take care of yourself through this change, and help others through it. we are soon to be introduced to certain “visitors” … be careful as to believing WHO is responsible for WHAT. you have the right to your holy grail. your native 12 helixes of DNA are growing back. don’t be deceived. they want you to stay at 2… and remain controllable. warning.. this post (if it’s not deleted) .. will most likely be thoroughly mocked and laughed at. trust your heart. May 16, 2008 at 11:00 pm That’s a sad comment, and a sad video. It’s quite evident what the problems are with it, so I’ll not point them out here. Any viewer can do that for themselves. I do, however note you include the hexagonal glitter in the video. Have you considered that this might actually be hexagonal glitter powder? Glitter power is made from thin film cut into hexagonal shapes. The shiny kind is metalized polyester film (polyester with a very thin metallic coating). This matches what you see in many of the photos, with the metallic film peeling off. Other types of polyester film are used, including transparent. Glitter power is commonly used in crafts, greeting cards and cosmetics. Glitter power sticks to even normal skin very easily, and can be transferred from person to person, or objects to person. Glitter powder is often glued to a surface, and may form clumps, and have residual glue on the surface. See: May 20, 2008 at 9:51 pm I have been reading lymebusters lately and it has struck me as a very sad situation. A lot of these folks seem to really believe in theories such as chemtrails/government experiments, and that even this site is paid for to dissuade people. One post involved people claiming their “morgs” changed into the shape of things they saw during the day. Apparently Dr. Hildy’s new theory is the big thing. I really hope these people can get some help for their conditions and feel better. The first thing I would do would be get away from that message board until the CDC figures out what is really going on. Gillian says: June 7, 2008 at 4:47 am How far we have come. Delusional Parasitosis the regular debunkers kept drumming into me. Now things have done a complete flip and even the nay-sayers and debunkers are hanging out for the CDC to figure this one out. The NIH Office of Rare Diseases are taking Morgellons very seriously, please check new information on the Morgellons Research Foundation Website. Things are moving way too slow with this study and the illness/disease Morgellons won’t go away. I really thought I was through the worst of this horror, unfortunately we have been under extreme stress and my symptoms have returned, much to my horror. 6 years of my life has been totally ruined. I’m only human I want to know why this is happening to me, my partner and now to my friends. Morgellons is life altering to the point I can not express in words. I live for one reason only my 14 month old baby boy needs a mum. Even after saying that the truth is I could have been a statistic a few days ago, lucky we didn’t have a great deal of pills in the house, I took enough to make me sleepy, but not kill myself. Our lives and other peoples lives can not continue this way. We have all been to Timbuck Two and back searching for answers,but more importantly medical help & support. I reckon us Aussies are outta luck on this one. My sincere love to everyone who is suffering from this very under-recognised controversial disease. Gillian says: June 7, 2008 at 11:51 pm Hi 911 thanks for the tip, I went straight to Lymebusters for a read. The information I read was extremely informative and TRUE. I didn’t come across any info. from Dr Hildy. Honestly it made me feel better to read other people describing exactly the same things as me. Hair moves towards lesions like the hair is sucking. I personally believe some little bugger is swinging off the end of the hair. I didn’t say nano, but something very small. My hair tunnels under my skin around my entire hair line, cuts my skin like a razor. Enough said I guess. Take care all. Rebecca says: June 11, 2008 at 5:44 am Gillian: I’m sorry you’ve been under such stress recently! I believe that if you link that to the outbreak of symptoms, the best way to get rid of your symptoms would be to reduce your stress. I understand how difficult that can be because I have an anxiety disorder myself. Have you seen a psychiatrist? Do you take anti-anxiety medication? It can really help. Please take care of yourself. Gillian says: June 16, 2008 at 1:37 am Hi Rebecca, thank you for your kind words. I feel stress did contribute to my recent outbreak, even though I have no idea what stress is, neither does medical science know. Hmmm reduce stress?? I agree, but I would probably end up in prison after killing a dozen people. There were other things which we believe contributed to us both deteriorating. We moved into a rental property a month ago, a newly built home. Admittedly we made a quick hasty decision in chosing this rental, but with a land developer sending us broke what choice does one have. The depression had set in us both so deep, we were literally going insane in a motel room, and poor little William missing out on normal things like bath time because there was no bath, he didn’t have his own room, the place was an utter disgrace (dirty), I had to cook our meals in a tiny kitchenette/laundry. The washing machine & tumble dryer going nearly 24/7 the noise was horrible, but the lack of fresh air, sunlight etc was the worst. We liked the house when we viewed it, thinking to ourselves “this place will look great once the owner builder/landlord cleans up the yard & the inside given a good professional clean.” Unfortunately no one bothered to clean anything, 18 months worth of building dust, sawdust, grout, glue, paint & goodness knows whatelse. We couldn’t see through any of the windows the dirt was that thick. I contacted the agent on the Monday morning complaining profusely about the state of the property. This person didn’t attempt to calm me down or say sorry, she was ready for a fight and appeared to enjoy the fact that I was extremely upset (I was raising my voice). She was adamant she’d told my partner there wasn’t going to be enough time to have the house cleaned, and hoped we didn’t mind a bit of grout & paint splashes here and there!! As you can imagine I literally launched into the air like a rocket upon hearing this. I ended up hanging up on her, she was pressing my bully buttons. I am very very exhausted of being bullied, it started when we moved to Australia and I was only 9 years. Prior to that I had coped 3 years of bullying in New Zealand. Unfortunately for us money talks and the real estate industry in Australia is exactly the same as it was when my family emigrated here 31 years ago – CORRUPT! Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis, the investors & developers have moved in and the “Australian Dream” of families owning their own home is no more and never will be. As long as negative gearing is allowed to keep happening NO ONE will ever own their own home. Our new home was meant to be finished in January. We had been fed misleading information by all parties, including the NOW sacked legal representative. Our approved finance/loan ran out after 3 months & we had to reapply, problem was my partner had lost his job, so he had to find something, anything quick. Luckily he managed to land a make shift job installing the new energy efficent light globes into residential homes. Sadly, he was retrenched after 2 weeks along with 46 other people because the government hadn’t made up their mind about carbon credits. We spent 6 months in a motel which cost us nearly $20,000. We had no choice but to stay there. We were being told by certain unnamed persons that settlement should be 2 to 3 weeks away, so of course we were not going to commit to a 12 month rental, move all our possessions out of storage which was sucking $450 a month from us. Well wouldn’t you know it the day we moved into the rental property we got a phone call informing us the developer would like to settle in 2 weeks. Knowing very well no bank was going to lend money to an unemployed person, we had to quickly find a new solicitor. The developer issued us with a recission notice for breach of contract & plans to take our $30,000 deposit (by the way we should have only given 5% deposit, but we were asked for 10%!!). We risk to lose more than $30,000 because the other “liars” all want their cut/commission!! We have to find another rental property asap. The 3 of us have been ill since the day we moved in, bad colds and coughs. The house is absolutely freezing, the roof has no insulation, and the reverse cycle heater/air conditioner can’t heat an entire house. We asked the electricity company to send us an account because we could literally see our money flying out the roof. We are up for $181.00 for 2 weeks electricity useage. This entire nightmare is costing us $400 a week in rental!! We kick ourselves so hard over this. We were desperate for a home, and made a really bad decision, neither of us could think straight, the depression was crippling us, but the worse for me was my beautiful little William didn’t deserve any of this. Just to think we spent christmas. new year, Tony’s b’day, William’s 1st birthday & my 40th birthday in a motel. Yes I have seen a Psychiatrist. He said I don’t need to see him anymore. I don’t take psychiatric medication anymore. When William was 3 months old I was admitted to the local Psychiatric Hospital as a voluntary patient, my sleep deprivation, and anger scared my parents and they asked for someone to please help me. I was made involuntary and put in high dependency. I got upset because no one was attending to me, 2 hours sat on a couch after being promised that I could shower upon arrival and I would be given all my personal belongings as well. I showered 2 days later after begging for my personal items, to find that one of the staff had ripped the wires out of my hair dryer. Some of my clothes were stolen from the tumble dryer during my 10 day stay. There was nothing to do but walk the hallways, I did manage to escape, but the police had to take me back. This is the best part – I was diagnosed with Post Partum Psychosis and this diagnosis was made by 3 people who had never met me before, and they hadn’t even been in my home 5 minutes. They woke William & myself from our afternoon sleep, so naturally I was not happy!! Their words were “we believe you have a new type of psychiatric disorder that a woman can develop after child birth, it is called post partum psychosis”. I know why I was upset, and I know I was slipping in & out of delusions, but my delusions were not dangerous. I was upset with a lot of people and I had every right to be. Thanks for caring Rebecca. Do you recommend any good medication just in case? August 4, 2008 at 8:45 pm Have you seen a psychiatrist? Do you take anti-anxiety medication? It can really help. I meant to say “yes I have seen a psychiatrist, but the psychiatrist said I am physically ill & need a medical practitioner”. Anti-anxiety medication being helpful? I am not so sure, I was given Xanax back in 1998 (obviously the GP’s attempt to numb the onset of this). After 2 months on Xanax I took an overdose of them. These pills were never pumped from my stomach, no charcoal was given in the ER. Xanax stays in the body 10 years. August 19, 2008 at 11:43 pm I just happened on this site and read some of the responses of the negative people basically saying what’s going on here w/ morgellons is some weirdo saying some sci fi unbelieveable crap! Well 3 months ago I would have probably agreed however (my story in short form) we pulled 2 dead rats w/ maggots all over them from our moldy/wet rental house basement. Soon began to see alot of strange looking bugs then mite/lice type things all over the house, which soon led to us getting stung w/ things that we couldnt see but felt like red fire ant bites constantly. After a few days we all broke out in lesions/sores everywhere. These seeped white goo from them, some had black things inside them and many other things such as these. went to emergency room…tested for scabies (all 5 of us) negative 2 times for everyone. After countless doctors appt’s wth them not helping at all, we started noticing things comeing out of the lesions/sores and other non sore spots on our skin. A few days later those sores started seeping out different types of fibers, hair like strings, plastic looking very tiny tube like things and so many other weird unheard of things. Everyone around our family has seen this happen and some are also infected, and im sure the remaining are next. This is very scarey and weird. Now Im not sure where to go from here other than to turn to God (which I have through this whole thing…but I need to get stronger with him in my soul. To help any morgellons suffer: I put approx 15 alfalfa tablets (bought at walmart $4) in the bathwater, sit there for a while and see what happens. I did and all of a sudden these black specks came flushing out of me so fast it was so scarey! Thats where I stand now, sometimes I just want to wake up from this horrible nightmare but then realize I am living a true nightmare! For those of you that are completely skeptical and think this is a made up story, all I can say to you is “God Bless you and if you continue to not belive then you will see for yourself 1st hand what all of us are going through (I can assure you of that) God Bless all of you and remember to live one day at a time August 20, 2008 at 11:41 pm The video is ridiculous. However, this only proves that some people are very stressed out, and that this woman may be identifying with the idea of Morgellons. The media is clearly either taking advantage of her in order to produce ratings or trying to scare or discredit people by allowing the woman to do an unscientific test (she doesn’t even use a strainer!). It doesn’t say much to me about the actual existence of the condition or the experience of those involved. My old apartment had bugs and I started wondering what the black specks were, and then realized it was loose leaf herbal tea from my tea ball. I am not saying that there is no Morgellons or that it doesn’t involve black specks (bed bugs do as well, a lot of things do, so who knows), but that science is best when it doesn’t leap to conclusions (have the black specks been analyzed?) and when the simplest answer which works is held to be true. Also, the first step in order to prove that something is true, is to try to prove that it is false. If I was told I had a certain condition, I would use that treatment after an evaluation of potential benefits and risks, and if I did not improve by months later, I would try to find an alternative explanation. This comes after the adults have tried to accept treatment for delusional parasitosis or at least received counseling (as having a new disease that does exist would be intensely stressful and horrifying – with no admission of delusion – the therapist would listen). I agree that doctors need to analyze the discharge from lesions, and that they can’t always be trusted to diagnose properly or treat patients correctly, having experienced this somewhat myself. I also do not think children experience delusions as often as adults, but I do think children are influenced by their parents, both directly and indirectly. August 21, 2008 at 9:07 am 1. The fibers are environmental and unrelated to any illness 2. Morgellons is not a distinct disease 3. People who think they have "Morgellons" probably have a mixed variety of physical and/or mental illnesses.	22,354
You’re starting to think Google+ may be a good use of your social networking time? If you read Kelly Dingee’s post on Fistful of Talent about why she’s excited about using Google+ and Google profiles for recruiting, you should be! One of the big reasons to use social media is to help you find people you want to know. I wrote about how to find people on Google+. Be sure to take a look at my post, because it gives you the tools to figure out the next important piece of the social networking puzzle: How to BE found! Your Google profile (which you probably own but don’t pay much attention) is important. If you’re not already on Google+, you can find your profile via Google profiles: http://www.google.com/profiles. If you are already on Google+, you can start to test out how easy (or difficult) it is to find you via your profile by searching the various tools I listed in the “how to find people on Google+ post.”Think of the keywords you want people to use to find you. Are you a graphic artist working mostly in Atlanta?Ã‚Â Search, {“graphic artist” and “Atlanta”}. How many pages does it take to find your profile? Identify the keywords you want people to use to find you. (Follow that link for advice about how.) Maybe your location is not important, but the fact you design custom Facebook pages? Decide your KEY keywords. NOW – pack your Google profile with those words. Similar to LinkedIn, where it is easier to find you if you include keywords in your titles, descriptions, skills, etc., it appears Google will index you higher in search if your profile is packed with your keywords. List all of your titles. Include professional associations. List anything including keywords in your profile. A trick? Google doesn’t offer a “keywords” section to “tag” yourself in the profile, which would be similar to LinkedIn’s “specialties” section, where it is appropriate to list words and phrases relevant to you. Why not add one in? In your “Introduction” section, add KEYWORDS: and then fill in all the words and phrases you think will help people find you in search. I did it, and it immediately impacted my search results in Google+. Take a look at my profile. Try a “before” and “after” search to see if your rankings improve. Let me know how it works for you! photo by Auntie P Related Posts: Three ways to find your perfect career How to get recognized at work How to be grateful at work How to get the appreciation you deserve at work Does your company appreciate you? Filed Under: social media, Social Networking, Uncategorized Tagged With: Career Advice, career coach, career expert, how to be found on Google+, how to find a job using social media, how to write your google profile, keppie careers, Miriam Salpeter, social media, tips for google+, tips for google_	2,783
Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance announces third round of Leadership Fellowship Awards Candace Thompson-Zachery. Photo by Shoccara Marcus. Click here to download high-resolution version. Middletown, Conn.—Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) has announced the third round of their Leadership Fellowship Awards, presented to Candace Thompson-Zachery, a recent graduate of the two-year Master’s program in May 2020, and generously funded by Anne Miller, continuing the legacy of ICPP program co-founder Sam Miller ’75, as well as the Ford Foundation. Based in Brooklyn and originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Candace Thompson-Zachery is a dancer, choreographer, and cultural producer, with a vested interest in Caribbean dance and culture. She is the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an initiative that supports and presents Caribbean dance performance in New York City, and produces her own choreographic work through the project ContempoCaribe. She has been recently appointed Manager of Justice, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives at Dance/NYC, a non-profit umbrella organization for dance in New York City. “ICPP is thrilled to support Candace Thompson-Zachery’s vital curatorial practice in Caribbean dance that allies a thoughtful study of diasporic forms with ingenious models for hosting and presenting performances," said Acting Director and Visiting Assistant Professor of Curatorial Practice in Performance Noémie Solomon. "We remain inspired by her deep-rooted work with communities and her dedication in promoting a diversity of practices to broad audiences in New York City and beyond. We are grateful to the Ford Foundation and to the Sam Miller Memorial Fund for supporting the ICPP Leadership Fellowship which nurtures vibrant and underrepresented perspectives in the field of performance curation." "During my tenure in the Performance Curation program at ICPP, I focused my research on the world of Caribbean dance and its presentation," said Candace Thompson-Zachery. "Receiving the ICPP Leadership Fellowship allows me to not only expand the reach and possibility of my own curatorial ideas, but also to take further steps towards cultural equity in the performing arts landscape. I am honored to have such a prominent institution support my curatorship and for what that symbolically represents for the many communities to which I belong. This fellowship will seed the continuation of my project Caribbean/The Future, support the programming partnership of my organization Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, and create paid artistic work for participating Caribbean artists." Please see below for more information about the Caribbean/The Future project. Thompson-Zachery was selected by a committee of ICPP faculty, senior staff, and curatorial advisors based on her performance and scholarship during the Master’s program; the viability/originality of her proposed fellowship project; demonstrated need; and fit with her partner organizations. The fellowship awards were developed with the generous support of a Ford Foundation grant to help provide a pathway to leadership for historically underrepresented perspectives in the professional world of performance curation. Upon graduation, the fellows develop and execute a curatorial project at an arts organization, and continue in this role for up to one year. The fellowships offer the opportunity for the actualization of work developed by students in their thesis or practicum coursework. The Leadership Fellowship supports ICPP’s mission of diversifying the workforce in arts organizations, and expanding the curatorial perspectives in performing arts presenting. The first recipient of the fellowship in 2018 was Ali Rosa-Salas, who partnered with New York’s Abrons Arts Center. The recipients of the second round of fellowships in 2019 were Deborah Goffe, who partnered with Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts; and Victoria Carrasco, who partnered with Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain in Montréal, Québec, Canada, Curated by Candace Thompson-Zachery and presented by Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE with Assistant Director Safi Harriott, this project is made possible through the ICPP Leadership Fellowship. Caribbean/The Future Space Residencies seek to create enlivened virtual sites to stimulate creativity, deep investigation, and play among Caribbean practitioners. Based on the Caribbean/The Future Commission +1 Series, this space will focus on three artists and intentionally bring together community around their work. The artists will be supported by a residency fee and work with Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE to create a month of intimate gatherings that can be conversational, improvisational, legacy finding, and future opening to stimulate their practice in new ways. Ideally these spaces will build on Candace Thompson-Zachery’s scholarship around "work-specific sites." In her Performance Curation Master’s thesis, “Encounters in Caribbean Dance: Curating Beyond Display,” she offers, "What kind of building [of work-specific sites] would allow works to be supported, challenged, and completed by the presence of a motivated audience; allow multiple methods of engagement; take up the philosophies and practices that have sustained Caribbean peoples for centuries; and be a reminder of their magic." Although the Caribbean/The Future project was envisioned as a multi-platform curatorial initiative that would take place in person, the Caribbean/The Future Space Residencies will serve as a pilot in an iterative process towards making these work-specific sites a reality. Each artist will be responsible for one public sharing as part of their residency. Additionally, Candace Thompson-Zachery hopes to produce one virtual Move + Discuss Series Event, a workshop, discussion, and community ritual event expounding and questioning hyper-visible constructions of Caribbean cultural practice in June for Caribbean-American Heritage Month; and Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE Choreographer Repertory Screenings, showcasing dance works and dance films that haven’t been shown in recent time. For more information about this project, please visit www.dancecaribbeancollective.com. We are excited to continue our collaboration with Detroit-based movement artist Jennifer Harge as part of ICPP’s Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Performance Artist Case Studies. For the program’s Summer Intensive, Harge will present FLY \| DROWN: Process Revisited. In FLY \| DROWN: Process Revisited, artist Jennifer Harge will share the research and process of creating FLY \| DROWN -- a performance installation that platforms how Black women use their homes to reclaim and assert autonomy over their bodies, histories, and communities. Throughout the evening, Harge will recount the process, show footage of the work (including past works), and invite the curator of FLY DROWN, Taylor Renee Aldridge, and longtime collaborator, Miryam Johnson, to talk about pivotal concepts of the project. The event will be live-streamed on July 16th, 2020 7-9pm EDT. Watch here: bit.ly/flydrown. An integral part of the program at ICCP ensures students gain professional experience. Fortunately for me, my practicum assignment brought me to work with curator Claire Tancons who was in the midst of preparing for Sharjah Biennial 14. Assisting with her platform ‘Look For Me All Around You’, one of the three exhibitions curated for the biennial in the United Arab Emirates, was quite surreal. Simultaneously, it allowed me greater insight into larger artworld structures and its day to day operations with an innovative curator, while flexing a wide variety of my own strengths both artistic and administrative. Seeing various concepts explored at ICPP come to life with serious and tangible implications was particularly thrilling. My responsibilities while in Sharjah consisted of stage management and artist relations on the performance days, social media documentation, some PR coordinating, production advising and site coordination with the SAF team. What stood out about these tasks was the necessity for the curator’s input at every stage of each artistic event, and the need for all contributing collaborators to understand the larger vision. My presence became critical in allowing the curator’s vision to be entrenched on an operational level. Conversations with Claire Tancons also highlighted certain challenges in working on such an ambitious international scale and the entrepreneurial strategies needed to balance the needs of the artistic works with available resources. Additionally, my observations revealed the immaterial labor involved in the role of the curator: being the singular figure that connects the artists in the platform, the management of collaborators and their collaborators, representing the platform for the press while also overseeing operational tasks and hosting dignitaries and political figures. Curatorial responsibility therefore includes a substantial emotional portfolio and considerable operational choreography that should be accounted for. Post-biennial has brought an ongoing flow of revelations mainly about the use of site for ‘Leaving the Echo Chamber’ (the theme for the entire biennial), a topic most recently explored through the Considering Site course at ICPP. I saw the various levels of site engagement in terms of UAE and gulf region history as a site for reference and engagement, the multitude of locations around Sharjah and the Emirates that were inhabited by the exhibitions, and the use and awareness of space at each site as conceptualized by the curatorial vision, the artists’ interpretation, the public’s interaction and the event’s design and management. Reading the reviews that have surfaced since the shows opening has allowed me to position my own tastes and predilections against that of international tastemakers. The imprint this new knowledge has had on me is making its way through my own artistic career and my journey within the Performance Curation program. The meaningful conversations I enjoyed with artists from all over the world, continue to disturb my understandings of cultural production both from a New York and Caribbean perspective. I leave this encounter changed and charged. Wesleyan Receives $250,000 Mellon Foundation Grant to Support Artist Residency, Commission Program December 20, 2018 by Lauren Rubenstein The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Wesleyan a $250,000 grant to implement an innovative artist residency model to deepen engagement with the arts on campus and expand their impact in the community. The grant will be spent over three-and-a-half years, in a period ending in June 2022. Wesleyan has a long history of hosting artist residencies, in which visiting artists offer master classes and give talks based around a single performance or art installation. Most residencies have been relatively short-term, with a few notable exceptions. Under the Mellon grant, the University will establish an expanded version of the artist residency model with a focus on commissioning original, innovative work. Resident artists will teach a semester-long course, and will become embedded in a particular department but also work across departmental and community borders. They will also conceive and develop a piece of art or performance with student interns/apprentices who are integrally engaged in the generative process over a 12-month period, and premiere that commissioned piece as part of Wesleyan’s presenting or exhibition season or, depending on the work, in a venue off campus. “Historically, universities have been crucial for artistic experimentation, and Wesleyan has long been a home for adventurous, creative work. With support from the Mellon Foundation, we will nurture, support, and promote innovative artistic work,” said President Michael S. Roth. “Our goal is to give artists the resources and stimuli to help them be cultural catalysts, while also infusing the arts more deeply into campus life at Wesleyan.” The project will be housed in the Center for the Arts and overseen by its director, Sarah Curran. Curran is planning to host three artists-in-residence, each for a yearlong period, over the course of the grant. In keeping with the University’s longstanding commitment to interdisciplinary learning, the artists will engage with faculty and staff from areas across the University. “The longer residency period will be key to developing transformative relationships with faculty and staff in areas across the University,” said Curran. “We plan to host regular gatherings to promote interaction and build relationships between faculty and artists. Courses offered by resident artists will be cross-listed with our other relevant departments, and resident artists will be encouraged to participate in University-wide meetings and events.” Wesleyan has long made its performing and visual arts offerings open to the public, and more recently has made efforts to engage with students in Middletown’s public schools and in after-school programming. With help from the grant, Wesleyan aims to expand these efforts, in partnership with the University’s Jewett Center for Community Partnerships. “An artist residency and commission program will be another important step in our efforts to support art-making as a mode of long-term research that energizes the educational experience and enhances community engagement,” said University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Joyce Jacobsen. “We are extremely grateful to the Mellon Foundation for its support in these efforts.” The grant comes at a propitious time for the CFA, with a number of new staff coming on board with plans for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations. Curran is in her second year as director and has enhanced the focus on art and performances that cross disciplinary boundaries and involve students in the creation and presentation of works in ways that are integral to their academic experiences. The CFA also recently welcomed Ben Chaffee as associate director for visual arts and Fiona Coffey as associate director for programming and performing arts. Miya Tokumitsu recently joined the University as curator of its Davison Art Collection. Nicole Stanton, associate professor of dance and associate professor, African American studies and environmental studies, began this fall as divisional dean of the Arts & Humanities. She is the first person from the performing arts to hold this role. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation previously awarded grants to Wesleyan in support of the arts, including grants for the Creative Campus Initiative and the Institution for Curatorial Practice in Performance. The arts have long been at the center of the liberal education offered at Wesleyan, and this latest grant to the University from the Mellon Foundation will further invigorate the teaching, learning, and creation of art on campus and beyond. November Convening: "Present Traditions: Performance Curation and Cultural Exchange in a Global Era", thoughts by Jessica Wasilewski (ICPP 2017) November 28, 2018 by Jessica Wasilewski As part of the November Intensive, ICPP hosted an international convening in conjunction with the venue of the Sultan of Yogyakarta and his court at Wesleyan University. The convening gathered a series of U.S.- and Southeast Asia- based curators, artists, and scholars, including Keng Sen Ong, Rifda Amalia, Yoko Shioya, Liz Behrend, Kim Jin Hi, Ugoran Prasad, and others. Jessica Wasilewski, ICPP MA '17 and Senior Producer at the Park Avenue Armory, reflects on her participation to the convening and on the performance by the court dancers and musicians in light of her expertise on questions of cultural exchange and performing arts initiatives across the U.S. and Southeast Asia: "Perhaps like some of you reading this, I have always felt most at home in a darkened theater watching performance. Watching dance, in particular, brings me comfort, even when the work addresses or explores fundamentally challenging ideas and topics. I am fulfilled by human-to-human transference of energy through movement, without using (or using only limited) spoken verbal communication. I was surprised to discover a similar comfort, a similar contentment even, while researching and writing my thesis as a master’s student at ICPP from 2015-2017. Having permission to express myself in the written word and to explore ideas deeply personal to me revealed simultaneous relief and stimulation. My thesis research examined the conditions for dynamic cultural exchange through the performing arts, particularly in festival formats in the United States. I focused on three U.S.-Asia initiatives taking place in the U.S. roughly a decade apart from each other: Festival of Indonesia In Performance (1990-1992), an 18-month, nation-wide performance festival featuring twelve music, dance, and drama groups from Indonesia performing traditional, classical, and contemporary work; Dance, the Spirit of Cambodia (2001), a presentation of dance and music performance, both classical and folk, from Cambodia in a two-month tour of twelve U.S. cities; and Season of Cambodia (2013), a two-month festival initiated by Cambodian Living Arts that presented the work of 125 Cambodian performers, filmmakers, and visual artists in 34 New York City venues. This line of research is quite niche, or so I thought until the invitation to attend ICPP’s “Present Traditions: Performance Curation and Cultural Exchange” convening arrived in my inbox. A convening held in conjunction with a visit from Hamengkubuwono X, the Sultan of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, and centering on discussions of “tradition” and the presentation of traditional body practices in contemporary performance, felt like an immediate connection to and direct extension of my time at Wesleyan. I was primed to present some of my research prompts and findings with the group. What I wasn’t prepared for was the number of intimate connections I would make with peers, current ICPP students, prospective ICPP students, and Wesleyan and ICPP faculty and staff due to our shared experiences and interests. My thesis advisor, Rachel Cooper (Director of Global Performing Arts and Special Cultural Initiatives, Asia Society, New York), attended a portion of the convening, and Anderson Sutton (Dean, School of Pacific and Asian Studies & Assistant Vice Chancellor for International and Exchange Programs, University of Hawaii), who was on the planning committee for the Festival of Indonesia In Performance, was in the room, too. ICPP founder Sam Miller was very much present in spirit, and I couldn’t help but revisit the countless conversations he and I had about the identification, preservation, and development of traditional, classical, and contemporary art practices in Cambodia, as well as some personal advice he shared with me a few years back – that the harvest you sow today results from the seeds you planted several years ago. The highlight among highlights of the convening for me was experiencing a performance by the court dancers and musicians of Yogyakarta in Crowell Concert Hall. The final work on the program was a rare performance of the Bedhoyo, a sacred classical Javanese court dance performed by nine female dancers and accompanied by the instruments of the Gamelan. The movement was performed at a luxuriously slow pace, allowing for appreciation of the intricacies of the choreography, the ornateness of the classical dress, and contemplation of the intention of the work: to align various aspects of the universe – the heavens, the human world, and the earth. Experiencing the Bedhoyo in person was an incredibly special and transformative experience, not just because of the rarity of the performance of the artform outside of Yogyakarta courts, and not just because it brought me “home” to a darkened theater at Wesleyan, but because it – and the convening – encouraged a critical expansion of the notion of “tradition” and revealed, unsurprisingly, the importance of face-to-face, people-to-people interaction in efforts of cultural exchange. I remain passionate about the work I began with my thesis research and continue to consider sustainable ways of responsibly presenting international performance work – whether traditional, classical, contemporary, or otherwise. I hope that by reflecting on cultural exchange initiatives such as Festival of Indonesia In Performance;, Dance, the Spirit of Cambodia;, and Season of Cambodia and by engaging in ongoing open-minded dialogue with colleagues, artists, and academics, successful methods of promoting cultural exchange through the performing arts can be revealed and applied not only among diverse nations, but among more localized populations as well, celebrating the diversity that exists within our own U.S.-based communities. Thank you to the amazing ICPP staff, as well as the Ford Foundation, for the opportunity to participate in this convening and for prioritizing this very relevant conversation." At MoMA, How Judson Blew Up the Rules of Dance September 11, 2018 by Siobhan Burke Bravx curators Thomas Lax (ICPP faculty) and Ana Janevski for the beauty and care in “Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done.” July 28, 2018 by Olivia Drake This summer, students seeking a master’s degree in performance curation from Wesleyan’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) are working on the first of six performing artist case studies funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. On July 16, the ICPP Entrepreneurial Strategies class discussed the first artist — Becca Blackwell, an award-winning trans actor, performer and writer based in New York City. Blackwell is working with consultants and mentors at ICPP to develop a strategic framework for the next two to five years of their career. Blackwell will also be presenting their work at Wesleyan on October 5. Click here to view photos of the class. NEFA's National Dance Project announces annual awards Congratulations to NEFA's National Dance Project award winners, including ICPP alum Jaamil Olawale Kosoko! Apply for a curatorial mini-intensive at Wesleyan University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance in July 2018! Applications will be reviewed starting May 31, 2018 and will continue until the positions are filled. The curatorial mini-intensive provides accommodation and a modest travel stipend. Click here for more details. 7 Students Graduate with MA Degrees from Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance May 27, 2018 by Olivia Drake On May 27, seven students graduated with a Master of Arts in Performance Curation through the Center for the Arts Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP). Since being introduced as a pilot initiative in 2011, ICPP has graduated 16 students from the ICPP Master’s program (including this year’s class). ICPP encourages emerging curators to enrich their understanding of intellectually rigorous, innovative, and artist-centered curatorial models. Through a low-residency model, ICPP asks its students to not only engage with ideas but also to simultaneously put those ideas into practice in their professional lives, developing responsive curatorial practices that address the interdisciplinary nature of performance work today. The mix of ICPP instructors—artists, scholars, curators, cultural leaders, writers, and theorists—is intended to spark new possibilities and connections both intellectually and professionally. Instructors provide theoretical and practical tools for students to deepen their research methodologies through reading, writing, viewings, and discussion. The degree recipients include Michèle Steinwald ’13, Ellina Kevorkian, Ali Rosa-Salas, Brian Hyunsuk Lee ’13, Katrina De Wees, Rachel Scandling, and Michelle Daly. Steinwald and Kevorkian were unable to attend the commencement ceremony. Following the 186th Commencement ceremony, the recent alumni gathered for a reception with their friends and family at the Center for the Arts. Click here to view photos of the event (Photos by Tom Dzimian). May 18, 2018 by Judy Hussie-Taylor Judy Hussie-Taylor, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Danspace Project, and Program Advisor and faculty at the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University, writes about the passing of Sam Miller in Artforum. Click here for the full article. Sam Miller, ICPP Co-founder & Director May 15, 2018 by Sarah Curran A message from Sarah Curran, Managing Director of ICPP and Director of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan, on the passing of Sam Miller ICPP Receives $200,000 Grant from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation May 7, 2018 by Camille De Beus The University’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) recently received a two-year, $200,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) in an effort to inspire a dialogue about the new economy of the performing arts. "Tell them everything you know." Bessie Schönberg to Sam Miller (1952-2018) May 3, 2018 by Judy Hussie-Taylor Sam Miller with Ralph Lemon and David Thomson at Danspace's 2011 Gala April 28, 2018 by Olivia Drake Wesleyan’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) has been awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The grant will be used to support performing artist case studies, working with artists at critical points in their careers to provide analysis of their entrepreneurial strategies, as well as engagement with the economic drivers of cultural production. This funding will further ICPP’s efforts to bring to light different models for artist development, and highlight successful tactics for philanthropic support over the arc of their career. Findings developed during the case studies, including best practices and replicable models, will be shared via a website and print publication, as well as at various conferences. February 1, 2018 by Olivia Drake Wesleyan’s Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) received a two-year, $150,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. The award will support a new leadership fellowship program; three curatorial mini-intensives for prospective students; and two global curatorial forums designed to bring an international perspective to the discussion and dissemination of best practices and forge a global network of performing arts curators. This funding will further ICPP’s efforts to advance diversity among participants and to amplify the graduate program’s impact on the field of performance.	27,285
I mentioned about 6 weeks ago that I was considering changing my approach to updating website subscribers, moving away from an automated email service to a manual “Newsletter” service. Well, it’s time to make the change and I hope/believe that it will be of benefit to readers. The principal change will be that subscribers will get less frequent, less repetitive but more useful updates. The Newsletter will replace the previous Feedburner system which I have found to be increasingly unreliable and frustrating. That system, being automated, sent out email alerts every time I updated the blog, fine in theory but flawed in practice. The first issue is that my blogging schedule is somewhat erratic so readers may get updates once every 2 to 3 months or daily, as was recently the case when I had a blogging splurge. The second issue was that there seemed to be a persistent glitch leading to repeated mailings of the same blog posts over and over. Irritating to me and unacceptable to subscribers. Goodness knows we can all do without being bombarded with email, let alone repeated emails! Those people who were subscribed under the old system have been moved over to the new system, there is nothing more for you to do, no need to resubscribe, etc. Should subscribers feel that the new system is not to their liking, there is a simple unsubscribe feature (which obviously I hope doesn’t get too much use ) What will it look like? Below I’ve posted a mock-up of the first Newsletter, which I’m sending out to existing subscribers in conjunction with the announcement here. The actual Newsletter will have functioning links from each of the articles shown. If you see something of interest, then clicking will take you through to the specific blog page or post. Obviously, the exact layout may change or evolve as we progress. For those who aren’t already subscribed, just click on the image above. For existing subscribers, I’d appreciate any feedback you may have. ~KD Related Comments are closed. ….to the online home of Kevin Dowie, Melbourne, Australia, based traveller and photographer. This blog relates to my travels and photography, and as far as possible is “focused on original content”. My internet and blogging activities are entirely self-funded and I am committed to providing an “uncluttered” website experience. Consequently, the site has no annoying pop-up pages, advertising, affiliate marketing or spamming. Many of the photographs featured in the blog are available for purchase or for commercial or editorial licensing. Inquiries are welcome via the Contact page.	2,672
Chip Gross is the managing director at Work & Co in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is a city known for many things: the food, the music, the culture. The traffic! But I don’t know if Atlanta’s really ever been seen as a design city like one would see New York or Chicago. That reputation is rapidly changing though, and that’s thanks to Chip Gross. Chip is the managing director for Work & Co’s newest office in Atlanta, and with over 20 years of experience under his belt, he’s helping the city be recognized as a destination for design talent. We started off talking about his new position, including how it differs from his past roles, as well as the challenges of setting up a new office during a pandemic. Chip also spoke about growing up throughout New England and attending UPenn, starting his career in Chicago, and then moving to Atlanta for grad school. We also talked about Chip’s experiences at IBM, iXL, Brighthouse, and AKQA, and how those prepared him for what he’s doing now. Chip has put in the work and now it’s time for him to take center stage! All right. So tell us who you are and what you do. Now, how has 2022 been going for you so far? I know you started off this year … Mentioning Work & Co, you started off with some pretty big news. Right. Yeah. No, it’s been a really dynamic time and really exciting at the same perspective. I mean, starting off in January, I guess I decided to make a bit of a change and join Work & Co as we were making a decision to come into Atlanta and establish a space and a studio here. And from there, the excitement has been palpable. The response has been really positive. I think Atlanta in many ways has been awaiting more opportunities to have a company that focuses on digital product design. So it’s been nothing but good news and hopefully more good news as we roll through more of the year. But it’s been a lot of fun so far. Yeah. I was curious when I heard about Work & Co opening an office down here, I mean, I was excited first of all, but then also curious. Why set up a presence here in Atlanta? Because as people may or may not know, it’s headquartered in Brooklyn, but you’ve got offices all over the world. What about Atlanta was significant enough for Work & Co to say we want an office here? Well, I think there’s a few different reasons for us to look at Atlanta as a place that we wanted to put a space or a studio. One of them is … You’ll see from the different places that we’re located, because we’ve got eight offices globally. That includes, like you mentioned, Brooklyn.We’ve got Portland. We announced LA at the same time we announced Atlanta. And then we also have Copenhagen, Belgrade, and we also have Rio and San Paulo. So one of the things that I think is a unifying factor around the places that we put our studios, our offices is we want to be a place where we can find really great talent. And Atlanta’s a place that I think has been underrepresented for a long time in terms of the experienced digital talent that exists here. And having previously been involved in establishing a studio in Atlanta have no doubt that there’s a lot of really great designers and technologists and product managers that have been looking for an opportunity to work for a company like ours. And then in addition, I think one of the other aspects of where we put offices is also in many ways not looking at where we can build collections of clients, but actually where we can also build an amplified culture. So whether it’s Copenhagen or Brooklyn or Portland or LA, in many ways these are centers of culture. And Atlanta is very much in that same perspective. I mean, we literally have a sitcom named after us that’s been getting a lot of people really excited about what Atlanta’s about. I mean, we’re the cradle of the civil rights movement. All the social activism around that. We’ve got this outsized impact on music and media. And all those things we feel like are a really rich kind of collection of advantages that I think are really uniquely Atlanta. And yeah, we have, being in Atlanta, this saying about Atlanta influencing everything, and we really do take that to heart. And we think Atlanta is a perfect place for us to position a studio and have a presence. How has it been so far adjusting to this new role, especially with not just coming into the company, but also establishing an office here during a pandemic? It’s been different from other times when we’ve … Or at least when I’ve been involved in doing this type of a new studio implementation. I think in many ways we’ve seen this as an opportunity to think about what does it really mean to create a post pandemic studio. And think about creating an environment in a place where people don’t necessarily have to be, but they want to be. And creating an environment where people are excited to come and collaborate. Because you can kind of see as I’m talking I really struggle with even calling it an office. And I really think about this more in terms of creating a space for all of our different team members to be able to collaborate together. And I really lean more heavily in calling it a studio because it’s a place of creation. So whether you’re creating a design or you’re creating a collection of code, we want to create a place where people feel that they can come and be part of something bigger and also do it in a way that also creates impact, not just for the companies that we’re working with, but also the communities that we’re established within. And also being in Atlanta, I think we want to make sure that we’re building a studio that also looks and feels like Atlanta, that really does amplify and build off of all the rich culture and diversity and capability that’s here. And I think that’s a really powerful thing for us to be able to tap and one of the things that gets me really excited when I think about the possibilities here. Well, let’s dig into that a little bit more. Talk to me more about your work at Work & Co as managing director. What does an average day look like for you, with your team, with your direct reports, et cetera? Yeah. Well, it’s still early days for us and we’re still in the process of building more of the team. But I guess if there is an average day, because so much of it is defined by what’s happening in the course of a particular set of projects that we may be involved in. Because we’re establishing ourselves with … I mean, we’ve been in the Atlanta market for the last two years so we’ve had people that have been here, but now starting to figure out where we physically want be located within the city. We’re in the process of finding that right place for us to have a physical location. Right now we’re pretty close to some space in the west Midtown area. And we have been looking at that area because it’s a very dynamic and vibrant part of the city. It’s in close proximity to all of these great academic institutions, whether it be Georgia Tech, Georgia State, it’s not too far from Emory. We also have close proximity to the Atlanta University Center. So as we want to become part of the broader Atlanta community, it really gives us a really nice foothold there. So on any day, we’re in the process of vetting and looking at possible locations to build out the studio. In many cases, we’re doing interviews and trying to find more great team members to bring on to the Atlanta team. There’s been a lot of really great interest and excitement from the business community here to learn more about Work & Co and the work that we do and the types of digital product capability that we can bring. So a day for me could be sitting down with a candidate and talking to them about all the potential that we have and the things that we’re trying to bring into the market. It could be sitting down and talking with potential clients. Also ensuring that our team also has a chance to get together and build some of that culture and community that we really think is going to be critical. So I guess for lack of a better way to describe it, in some ways it’s unpredictable, but in many ways it’s helping to help us drive this objective of having a really strong presence and even more visibility within the Atlanta community. Okay. So the Atlanta office is hiring. Okay. That’s- It definitely is hiring. We have been hiring. So if there are folks that are interested in getting involved in a company that very singularly is focused on digital product design and development, Work & Co is a great place to look at. All right. And of course, for folks who are probably regular listeners of the show, they know that Work & Co also has posted many positions on our job board. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to expand that to include the Atlanta office as well. I know this isn’t your first time leading a studio. You were a studio lead at AKQA. Before Work & Co you were managing director at BrightHouse. Right. When you look back at those two and then look at what you’re doing now, what makes Work & Co a different experience? Well, in many ways, what excited me about Work & Co is the fact that we’re very singularly focused on digital product design and development. I mean, when you think about even our name, Work & Co, the intent behind the name is focusing on the work that you do and the company you keep. So when we talk about the work, it really is focused on a company that doesn’t do or try to do everything across the spectrum of digital advertising and other dimensions of the digital ecosystem. We really are focused on designing and building and shipping products that we think will transform companies and by extension the world. The founding of Work & Co is very much built on this premise of stripping away things that we felt were not necessarily critical in the aim of doing this work of designing and building digital products. So the co side of it, in terms of the company, was really intentionally developed so that we could ensure that we have the right tools and the right abilities to help create the right environment for creativity to flourish. And you’ll see that even … If you come in and you work with Work & Co you’ll see that we’ve really tried to ensure that we don’t have people focused on things that take them away from the time it takes to really do the type of level of digital product work that we do. We don’t do, for example, time sheets. We’ve been doing this long enough for nine years now, where we’ve got a really definite and definitive methodology for how we do the work. So we’re able to have teams that are dedicated to a particular project and don’t spread ourselves across three or four things at once where we’re not able to have everybody really focused on what’s most critical to developing this particular product for this particular client. And I think a lot of the work that we’ve been able to produce really speaks for itself, whether it’s building an omnichannel experience for Ikea and helping them figure out what their first eCommerce app should look like, whether it’s working with Apple and thinking about what’s the in-store experience. And when you think about what today at Apple is, a lot of that was conceptualized by Work & Co. And then we’ve also obviously spent time working with a wide range of clients in helping them to develop products that we think are game changers and able to help transform the ways that they deliver their services to their users. Now, you mentioned some pretty big names there. I’m curious, how do you approach a new project? Like say a client, they go to Work & Co’s website, they email you. What does that process look like to get started with a project? One of the things that I would definitely say is having been at a number of different digital shops, one of the things I’ve been really impressed with the process at Work & Co is it really does begin with understanding is this work that we think is going to be shippable. Because as you saw when we talked about kind of the importance of the work side of things, not only want to design and think about how we can create beautiful and dynamic and amazing digital products, but we also want to make sure that they’re ones that actually come and live in the world. So when we talk about shipping, over the nine years that we’ve been in existence, we’ve shipped over 300 different products. So the beginning of our process is really trying to understand, is this going to be meaningful work? Are our teams going to be excited about engaging on this work? Is it going to be work that’s meaningful and is going to have impact? And it doesn’t always necessarily mean it’s going to be the most lucrative work for Work & Co every time. We’ve done work with Planned Parenthood. We did a chat bot that was ranked as one of the hundred top innovations the year that we developed it with Planned Parenthood. We’ve done work with … We just released breastcancer.org. We’ve thought about what are the things that are important for us to be able to invest our team’s time in? And candidly, in the business development process, we generally have a pretty solid stream of work that’s coming in. Whether it’s just through, like you mentioned, the email channels or we have past clients that refer us for work that they think might be worthwhile for us to take a look at. In some cases, it’s a friend of a friend of a friend that knows the type of work that we do. But many cases, we have a lot more work to vet than we end up actually doing, because we really want to be thoughtful and purposeful about the work that we decide to actually proceed with. So once we get to that point, we want to make sure that we shepherd the work through the company and the same level of care, ensuring that whether it’s something that’s going to be starting with strategy and working itself into design and then potentially into development. We get all the different stakeholders involved, looking at the work, making sure that we’re asking the right questions and then building out a scope with product management leading it so that the people that are actually delivering the work are the people that are actually scoping the work, which in other agencies that I’ve worked in hasn’t always been the case and in some cases it’s really led to some problematic projects as a result. So again, because we’re so singularly focused in developing digital product and shipping it, we’re able to be really, really thoughtful and intentional about how we actually move the work into the company. And we build the right team that’s going to really be passionate and excited about the work. And then we also make sure that we’re working collaboratively with the client as we do the work. So we have a saying within Work & Co that we do prototypes and not presentations. And the ways that we actually create and concept the work is through the process of creation and iteration. So we’re not going away thinking about what this could be, and then coming back to the client and showing them something that’s in process. They’re actually working with us in some cases in the Figma files. Seeing it evolve and become this conceptual product and then eventually a detailed design product. And then eventually a product that goes out and lives in the world and helps them be transformative and engaging with their users as a result. Now, I feel like even with all of that that you mentioned, it’s super important to have something like that here in Atlanta. And we’ll get more into your background, but I know just from starting out here as a designer and working my way in different companies and stuff, I don’t know, the Atlanta design scene has been different from what you may see in New York or Silicon Valley in terms of that level of focus, not necessarily I would say on product, but certainly not in the ways that you’ve just described it with Work & Co. It almost seems to be a bit more, I don’t want to say transactional. Actually the word that I’m looking for is behind. It feels a little like Atlanta sometimes … And I’m making a gross generalization here from my vantage point, but sometimes it has felt a little behind. And I’ve heard this even from other Atlanta design professionals I’ve had on the show, from friends of mine and colleagues are just like, Atlanta is not there yet in terms of it being a design city like where you would have that sort of variety, maybe with, like I said, Silicon Valley or New York City or something. I would actually disagree with that hypothesis because I think in many ways Atlanta has been very much … And I’m talking into the context of digital product design and development. Yeah. We’ve had a number of agencies here and in some cases, what I think gets overshadowed is there’s a lot of great campaign work and there’s a number of more traditional advertising agencies that have been above the radar. But for as long as I’ve been in Atlanta and in this space, I think there’s been a lot of really great work that gets developed or designed in Atlanta, but maybe it’s out of an agency that is primarily based in another geography. So a lot of the talent in Atlanta, candidly, doesn’t get the same shine that it might get in another city like Chicago or New York or Silicon Valley, just because the work is kind of used coming out of those places, when in many cases, some of the design or the development work is actually happening in Atlanta. So that’s another reason why for us having a actual studio space here will really allow us to showcase and amplify the Work & Co level work that can be done and produced out of Atlanta and also contribute to the work that we’re doing across all of our different geographies. I mean, again, one of the reasons that we’re here is because we think and we’ve seen so much talent that doesn’t necessarily get a chance to engage on work that happens in Copenhagen, for example, or work that may also take flight initially in Rio de Janeiro or San Paulo. So in many ways, we really do believe that making this connection between the level of work that Work & Co does with the level of talent that we know exists in Atlanta, we think is very much a marriage made in heaven. Atlanta talent does not necessarily get the same shine. I totally agree with that. Again, I’m basing it off of my viewpoint of, again, like I said, you’ve been here and you’ve certainly seen much more in the creative community, but I definitely have felt it. I’m not disagreeing with you from what you’re saying, because I do know that there are several people that may have started out here as design students or started out as designers and then they just felt the opportunity wasn’t here so they had to go somewhere else. Or they go somewhere else and do well and then now Atlanta wants to claim that in some kind of way. It’s an interesting kind of thing, but I hope that with Work & Co being here, they’ll help to really bolster what you said earlier about the creative community here. I think so. And I think the secret is definitely getting out. I mean, you hear about a new company every week that’s decided to build a presence in Atlanta. Whether it’s Nike or Airbnb, BlackRock or Visa. I mean, all these companies are now coming to the realization that Atlanta really does have something attractive and unique and diverse and something that they can’t necessarily find as easily in other parts of the country or albeit the world. Yeah. Speaking of which, let’s talk about where you grew up, which was not Atlanta. You’re originally from Delaware. Talk to me about growing up there. Yeah. It’s not a place that a lot of people necessarily claim to be from. Shout out Joe Biden and Aubrey Plaza as two other Delawareans. But yeah, I mean, I was originally born in Delaware and grew up in Delaware for about the first nine years of my life. My dad actually worked for a insurance company. So as a result, we moved around a good bit. But Delaware was really interesting just because during the time that I was there, Delaware was going through a bit of a awakening itself. And one of the most, I guess, formative experiences that I had was when I was in elementary school and Carter had gone through the process of the busing between suburban and urban areas. And I actually … My family had moved from the downtown area of Delaware into the suburbs. And then I actually had the unique experience of being one of the few black students who actually was living in more of a suburban area, but was being bused into an urban area to help bring better sense of diversity to the in town schools. And it was a really amazing experience and I think it really helped underscore and gave me some perspective on just some of the disparities that exist between both sides of it. Whether folks that were living in the urban communities or even the folks that were living in suburban areas that just didn’t have the same level of awareness of what it meant to be different. And also the importance of being able to have an appreciation for navigating different types of environments. Whether you were a black student in a white environment or a white student in a black environment, it was a tremendously eyeopening experience and I think something that also gave me a lot of desire to always try and find common ground as I grew up and lived in different places over time. So after the nine years in Delaware, I moved from Delaware to New Jersey, a fairly rural area of New Jersey. Spent a few years there. Then my parents actually moved from New Jersey to Baltimore, and I had a different experience there when I lived in the suburbs of Baltimore. Then we actually moved from Baltimore to New York City. That was the beginning of high school for me. New York in the mid ’80s was a pretty interesting place to spend time. I think that was another just opportunity for me just to see the importance of diversity and living among a community that was comprised of everything from white Catholics to Dominicans, to Puerto Ricans, to Haitians, Jamaicans. It really gave me a love of that type of environment. And then ironically, my parents moved from New York City to the western suburbs of Chicago. And if anyone out there knows what Naperville and Lyle are like as part of DuPage County, I think it’s probably … At the time when I moved there, it was like 95 or 97% white. So I almost went into culture shock going from Stuyvesant Town, lower east side of Manhattan to the suburbs of Chicago in an environment where I was literally … I think I was maybe one of two African Americans in my senior class. I don’t think there were any black females in my senior class. That was definitely a very interesting period of time. And I think I learned how to deal with a good bit of solitude, but also learned to stand up for myself. I think it helped me develop a certain level and awareness of self that I wouldn’t have otherwise had if I had remained in one place my entire life. So your family kind of did the whole New England tour. Would have thrown in Connecticut, you’d had the tri-state area pretty much. Just about, yeah. And then of course, after high school I actually went to Philly. So I think I decided that Chicago was great, but it was nice to get back on the east coast. Okay. Talk to me about your time in Philadelphia. You were at the University of Pennsylvania. Yeah. Yeah. That was another formative experience for me, because if you remember … And I guess I’m dating myself. Yeah. I was there in the late ’80s going into the early ’90s so there was this whole kind of black African American awakening. We were dealing with everything from the Rodney King incidents with the LAPD and we had some protests related to that. While I was there, some of my classmates and I actually started a African American newspaper. So I had a chance to get involved in the creation of media and helping to create a voice for the black community at Penn. One of the first times I think we got a chance as an African American organization to celebrate Kwanza. And it was just a chance for us to really kind of say we’re here and we’re a vibrant part of the community. I remember going to dances and listening to Public Enemy and all of the great beginnings of hip hop music and rap that in many ways were a signifier for just the importance of culture during that period of time. Yeah. I think also being at Penn, it also gave me a lot more confidence knowing that I could definitely hold my own with the best and the brightest, so to speak within the university and also had a chance to just develop some really great friendships that I have to this day. So it was a really great experience and opportunity for me. I bet it was fun too, wasn’t it? It was a blast. I mean, I probably don’t want to incriminate myself on this- Podcast. But we had a phenomenal time and I don’t think I would’ve changed anything about that time at Penn. It was a really great time. Now, after you graduated from Penn, you were working at Hewett as a consultant, which eventually is what brought you down here to Atlanta, right? Exactly. Yeah. And I mean, to give the listeners context, coming out in the early ’90s, there was no worldwide web. So at the time when I went to work for Hewett, I actually kind of stumbled into the technology side of things because Hewett was basically a consultancy that helped companies set up and establish benefits and managed 401k plans. And they had actually had a solution that was mainframe based and they were migrating it to a client server environment. And in the process of getting involved in that, I really became that much more enamored and interested in technology. That’s what kind of peaked my interest in wanting to … Even though I had focused in economics at Penn, I always had kind of a love of technology. I mean, when I was younger, I played around with Atari game systems and Commodore 64s and all of that just started to become not much more interesting to me. So there was an opportunity to actually go from Chicago where I was working to Atlanta, because that’s where they were migrating this new technology system. And never been to the south, had always heard good things about Atlanta and decided that’s where I wanted to go ahead and try to see what Atlanta was like. And ironically, I came down here and just never left. I mean, you came down here in culturally what I think just had to be such a rich time. I mean, you mentioned everything that was going on in Philly, but then you come down here to Atlanta and I’m not just talking about Freaknik, although Freaknik is I guess part of the cultural ambiance of the ’90s in Atlanta. But even to just step back and look at where black America was during that time. I mean, we mentioned music. New Jack swing, hiphop, et cetera. But then also the LA riots. And this is a time, as you mentioned, before the internet. How did you feel as a black man navigating through the world at that time? I mean, as a black man in Atlanta, it was just such a welcoming environment to be quite honest. I mean, I don’t know if everybody has the same feeling. But whenever you’re somewhere else and you fly into Atlanta, the minute you get off the plane and you walk into the terminal, you can just feel the embrace of blackness throughout the airport. And I think that just extends to the city. As an African American, Atlanta really is in many ways that proverbial Mecca, because the city is … Depending on where you draw the boundaries, whether it’s the city proper or the metro Atlanta area, it’s majority black or just about majority black. Just the amount of culture and just the sense of belonging is really something that you just don’t get in other cities to the same dimension that you get in Atlanta. So being able to come down here … And again, the context of Atlanta, this was right as the Olympics were happening. So the world was really focused on Atlanta. There had been an amazing amount of investment in building up the city, preparing for all of these people descending on it from all across the world. You mentioned all of the different cultural aspects of Atlanta were also at play. For me again, it was just another validation of the importance of being in an environment and a community that’s supportive and really embraces you. That’s one of the reasons why I think I’ve stayed so long and that I’ve grown a family here is it really helps to give you a sense of a support system. And it just gives you a sense of love and inclusion that I just don’t think you necessarily find as much in other places, especially as a person of color. That’s very true. I mean, back pre pandemic when I would travel for the show or I would travel for work, nothing to me was more comforting than flying back into Atlanta, coming into the airport. And then you’re taking the elevator up to baggage claim and you see the black girl with her arms stretched out in a hug. I hear they put her back. I know they took it down for a while because they put up this digital screen, but I heard that they put her back up there. But it’s just like this embrace like welcome home. And so many people I have talked to that don’t live here do not understand. They’re like, Atlanta’s this, Atlanta’s that, Atlanta’s a party city, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I’m like, I feel so at home and comfortable in myself and in my culture in Atlanta than anywhere else. I mean, granted, I’ve been here for a long time, but there’s a comfort here that lets you know this is where you can always come home. Yeah. It’s palpable. I mean you really do feel it as you move throughout the city. And I think that’s one of the reasons why there is so many transplants to Atlanta because when people come down and they get a feel for that aspect of Southern hospitality, but also that sense of you can be from a lot of other places but still feel at home in Atlanta. And I think it’s something that a lot of people really connect to. For me, one of the things I realized as I was working with Hewett was that in order for me to, I think reach my fuller potential, whether I was going to focus on business or technology, was to go and invest and get the MBA. Because I really think it gave me a better and deeper appreciation of what it means to not only build and run businesses, but also all the skills that you need to become a really good leader and be able to help work across different types of teens and groups. I mean, MBA classes are generally case based. So you’re always getting an appreciation of what it means to work as a team. And I think that’s actually experience that has really helped me as I’ve worked through different agencies and when I’ve been on the client side. It’s that ability to kind of cross over and build strong relationships as well as be able to think about not only what’s a great product experience, but also what’s the broader ecosystem that these products need to live within and having an appreciation for how something’s going to generate revenue, how something’s actually going to functionally work and operate. Understanding what it means to, if you’re working on a FinTech project, understand all the different dimensions of managing assets and dealing with financial systems and cash management, all those underlying processes. So for me, I think the value of the MBA was really just being able to understand how businesses work, how you build the best teams, how you develop the greatest ways of people being able to build really great products as a result. Because they’re inspired and they’re also investing in the importance of culture and collaboration. So that took me over to Emory to go and go through the MBA program. It’s something, again, was another formative experience for me and I think it gave me some of the resilience I needed to have as we were starting to reach the beginning of the 2000s and the world was starting to get a better appreciation for what the web and digital actually meant. Yeah. That’s a really peak time when the worldwide web was starting to really kind of become something that is more and more commonplace. I mean, I remember I was in high school going into college right around that time. Actually in 2000 I was in college. But I was in college during that time in undergrad and I remember I was studying at Morehouse. I was studying computer science. And I was telling my advisor that I wanted to be a web designer because I had been reverse engineering websites since I was in high school, trying to teach myself HTML and figure it out. And I really wanted to pursue that. And at the time, I mean, again, this is 2000, I didn’t know that there was a difference between web design and studying computer science. I thought, well, it’s all on the computer. It’s all on the computer. It’s the same thing, right? And I remember him telling me vividly that, “The internet is just a fad. If this is what you want to do, we don’t do that here. We study programming for mainframes.” And all this sort of stuff. And I ended up switching my major to math after that. But it’s really hard I think now, especially in 2022, to realize that 20 something years ago, the internet was such a completely different place than what it is now. I mean, the way that technology has grown and changed and evolved the world. But back then, it really was something that not a lot of people really knew about and were doing. But at this time you were working with an interactive agency, right? You were working at iXL. And actually even before then. I mean, when I came out of business school, I actually went to IBM. I went into the management consulting side of it. But very quickly thereafter, we kind of evolved into this whole question of what is e-business and what does the web mean in the context of helping companies engage digitally? And it was a fun time because IBM was willing to invest in an internal agency that they call the Arts Cafe for those who remember that time in IBM. And it was kind of this place where we had these quirky designers. And I think at one point we had a three legged dog that was in the studio and we worked on things like the Masters and the Grammys. It was a really great time of exploration, beginning to think about what it meant to create websites and presence on the web. And then starting to think about, well, not only doing brochureware and marketing on the web, but how do you actually create wholesale businesses where you then start to get into eCommerce and all the different ways that digital evolved out of that? So for me, being at IBM was a great entry into this whole area of digital e-business and it also gave me an appreciation for what it means to actually build product at scale and build things that have global implications. And you have to think about language and you have to think about the impact of launching products and different geographies with different rules and regulations. And it was the thing that really got me excited and passionate about digital. Wow. Brochureware. I have not heard that term in forever. Wow. Good reason for that. Yeah. Yeah. No, but to your point, I mean eCommerce and so many things now that we completely take for granted over the web were just such new things. Like companies trying to figure out how can I conduct business on the internet? Because before … I don’t know. Maybe before the 2000s, the internet was essentially a library for the most part. It was basically for research. You would find different university websites or you just find encyclopedias or things like that. It did not have a lot of entertainment value. I know that there were brands that were starting to figure it out because then also you’ve got technology like Shockwave and Real Player that we’re starting to bring media into this space. It’s funny. When I do presentations, I have this slide and it shows, I think it’s like a Pepsi world from 1999. And it shows the full matrixy experience but then it has something on the bottom that’s like to take the slow lane. If you have less than a 56.6 kilobit modem or something like that, take the slow lane. And people were like, “What does that mean?” Because everything now is like the fast lane with broadband and stuff. But the internet was just such a interesting place. And companies were really trying to figure out how can I be a part of it in some sort of way? Oh, for sure. And I think that’s where you started to see the birth of different digital companies. A lot of them were really driven by who was actually footing the bill. Because you’d have the very technical consultancies that would engage with the CIO or the CTO. And then you’d have the traditional advertising agencies that might be engaging with the CMO. And as a result, you started to see your usual suspects start to move into digital advertising and experience at the very minimal level. And then you also had kind of the C-suite. The CEO and the chief strategy officer who might be engaging with a consultancy like a McKenzie or a BCG or a Bain and then starting to come into digital, trying to determine, okay, well strategically where’s the value that digital can bring. And I think that’s where you started to see this morphing of companies into this patchwork of different types of digital entities that were all trying to figure out what’s the right way to come at digital at that time. It was a really, really dynamic time to be watching it all emerge and unfold. Yeah. Because things just changed so quickly. And to your point, like you said, there were a lot of people really just trying to figure it out. This is something completely new in a very nascent field. Nobody is “an expert” on it yet. Everyone’s just trying to figure it out. Absolutely. So you’ve had such a storied career here in Atlanta. I’m not going to go through all of the experiences, but I will list them out so people can get a sense of … I’m going to unfurl the scroll so people can see what your pedigree is. Show how old I am. No, no, no, no. You’ve mentioned IBM. We talked about iXL. But you were at Interland, you were at UPS, Razorfish, SapientNitro, Hearst Autos, and then of course earlier we mentioned a AKQA and BrightHouse. When you look back at all of those past experiences, what would you say are the most valuable things that you learned about yourself? All of them had their learnings and takeaways. I think if you go back to iXL, which in some ways you could argue is one of the first digital agencies that really just kind of staked its claim around digital. I think in some ways it became a little bit indicative of just all of the excitement around what digital could be, but also the crashing reality of going at digital and not understanding the underlying business realities of what it means to run an agency as well as what it means to understand what the marketplace was able to bear. I mean, I think iXL in particular was an interesting experience because there was so much potential and it grew so quickly into so many different areas of focus that it almost just collapsed under the weight of trying to do too many things at once. And it was humbling for me because it was one of the first times I actually went through a layoff. That was right around the 2000 with the Y2K and the implosion of dotcoms. And I just never forget the time where I’d gone through the layoff and I had to go home and tell my wife who was pregnant at the time that I had just been laid off. And I think that experience for me, one, you always remember a situation like that, but also having gotten through it helped me realize the importance of resiliency and that nothing’s promised and that you’re going to take risks in this world and in some cases the risks aren’t going to necessarily work out the way you expect, but you learn from them. And it wasn’t the last layoff I went through. As a result, I think it made me stronger having gone through it. But it also didn’t dim my passion and desire to be part of the digital landscape. So like you mentioned, from there, I went to Interland, which actually went through its own acquisition and ups and downs and dealt with my second layoff there. But then I got to UPS and it was a really great time for UPS where they were trying to take digital and embed it in all the different processes that they use in delivering packages. So I got to work on integrating UPS technology and Yahoo and eBay. Got a chance to work on what they called their enterprise release process where you’re doing digital implementations and new feature and product improvements across the entire UPS enterprise. So that also gave me an understanding of the importance of having everybody across the enterprise involved in digital transformation. You were making decisions that could literally lead to billions of dollars in revenue if things didn’t come together the right way. So I think that was maybe another example of where I learned a lot from going through that experience. And then AKQA I think was another really formative one just because I got a chance to start up a studio from the ground up. I was the first employee in Atlanta for AKQA and at the time that I left, we were 33 or 34 people. We had some really great products to look back and point to. And it was a really great way, again, for me to have this confidence of being able to build a team, build a studio, create an environment where we could really do some phenomenal digital product work and also feel like you really were able to show what you could do when there was just, again, that high level of uncertainty of what the future might bring. So I really look back and cherish that experience. And I think that’s what also gave me that much more confidence now coming to Work & Co of being able to know how to create something and build it and also do it in a way that really builds a great environment for creativity. So your career has really grown and blossomed in the same kind of trajectory as I think Atlanta has grown, not just as a tech hub and a well known startup city, but also as a design city. And you’re bringing that here with this new Work & Co office and then building off of all the work that you’ve done. If there’s somebody that’s out there listening that wants to follow in your footsteps, what advice would you give them? I think what I would say is one, obviously the earlier points around resilience and once you find that there’s something that you’re passionate about, not letting short term setbacks change your desire to be able to pursue them. And I think one of the other things that I think has been really valuable for me is to also have great examples that I can look to of people that have been down that road before and have in some ways inspired me to continue on doing the work that I’m doing. I think for someone that wants to break into the digital product space, I think there’s also a good point to be made in terms of all the different ways that you can be part of this company without necessarily being a designer. For Work & Co in particular, in many ways it proverbially takes a village to build really great products and to be able to ship them. So that includes having great strategists, great product managers, great technologists. You had Reese on earlier. You have great writers. And then you also need all that infrastructure, whether it be HR or recruiters, marketers, PR. So even though we’re very much focused on digital product design and development, we have to have all those different skills and capabilities in order to be successful. So one of the things I think that’s really important is for people to have exposure and visibility to this area and this type of work. And I think one of the most unfortunate things for a lot of African Americans is they don’t even know that this exists as a career. That you can be a managing director or you can be a great designer or you can be a great technologist and work in this environment. I think it’s just kind of a shame that there aren’t more venues like this podcast and like some of the other things that are out there to just give high schoolers and middle schoolers who are coming up an understanding and appreciation for what digital product design is all about. So that may be a little bit of a tangential answer to your question, but I think more than anything else, you’ve got to work your network. Usually there’s a friend of a friend who knows somebody at a company that you want to get involved in. And I think you’ve got to be able to have the confidence and courage to be able to work your network, as well as recognize that you may have to take a somewhat … You’ve got to come in sometimes through the side door versus the front door and find a way that … If you’ve been working in customer service, there might be a way that you could use that to get into the operations side of an agency. And then by doing that, get exposed to other areas that you might want to actually grow into and be able to take courses and develop skills from that standpoint. I’ve worked with some great designers that actually started off being developers and that they really saw that integration and the intersection between technology and creativity and were able to grow into more senior roles over time. So I’d say those are some of the points of advice that I would probably give to someone thinking about this particular industry. Now, I feel like I know what the answer to this is going to be, but I’ll ask it. But what are you the most excited about at the moment? There’s a couple things that I’m really excited about. I mean one … And yeah, maybe it’s the silver lining of the pandemic, but now that we’ve been through two years of basically self isolation, the level of digitization of every different aspect of our lives. Something that we couldn’t have even imagined a couple years ago. The fact that we can do almost every aspect of whether it’s healthcare or managing finances or running a business or engaging with colleagues via Zoom and things like that. We’ve basically gone through arguably five to 10 years of digital evolution in the span of two. So one of the things that excites me, and one of the reasons why I think it’s such a great time for Work & Co is the fact that if you really look at all the different developments that have come to play in the last two years, there’s a digital product designer and a digital product technologist and a product manager behind almost everything that you can think of that’s emerged over the last two years. So it’s a really great time to be able to work in this industry and to help create what the next wave of digital innovations and advancements are going to be. So that’s one of the really, I think, important things that really gets me excited about where we are right now. And I mean, literally society is remaking itself before our eyes and it’s remaking itself with this veneer and this kind of core of digital from every different aspect of it. And I think so many of the folks that are coming into the space now, their wildest dreams are probably underestimating exactly what’s going to play out in the next 10 years. Who are some of the folks that have influenced you over the years? I mean, going from Philly to Atlanta, and again, the long career that you’ve had here, who are some of the people that have really helped you out as mentors or as peers? How I would answer that is a few different positions. I mean, one, I think from an inspiration standpoint, I mean my mother and father are at the core of it. I mean, my dad, he was raised kind of the later years of his elementary and high school life by an aunt. He grew up in Delaware. And if you know anything about Delaware in the ’50s and the ’60s, I mean, it was a pretty segregated place. My mom actually used to get up in the morning and look across the street at a school that she couldn’t go to because of the color of her skin. So for them to be able to create the opportunity for me to be where I am, I think is something that I always just take as a point of inspiration that no matter where you are currently, with the right support and the right inspiration, you can really go anywhere. So start with that in terms of those who inspired me. And I think we maybe didn’t talk about it too much, but we really underestimate the importance of representation. Just how important it can be to see somebody in a role that you never envisioned yourself in. And the example I’ll give you is when I was at IBM, I was in the media and technology group within IBM at the time. And we were at this conference in IBM. They generally had these big sales conferences where they get together people from all over the country. And I think we were at Disney at the time. We were in this big conference room. They were having different presentations, but then they had this one section of the conference where they had an executive come out and the executive was actually John Thompson, who is currently … I think he’s lead director at Microsoft. And I remember being in the audience and seeing John Thompson walk out on stage. And if you know anything about John Thompson, I mean, really inspirational. He’s almost the same demeanor as like a Barack Obama in terms of how he talks and just how engaging he can be. And I remember just being transfixed by him walking out on stage, being who he was and being just so moved by the fact that there was this guy who looked like me, in some cases kind of talked a little bit like how I talk, and he was running a major part of IBM’s business. And then he went on to become CEO of Symantec. And I think people don’t always realize just how important a incident like that can be. I mean, I never got a chance to really talk to John Thompson. I only saw him for a very short period of time, but that experience for me was something that told me that, yeah, I can be a managing director. I can start a studio. I can do all the things that I see everybody else doing because he’s already done it. He’s been there and he’s been able to achieve in an environment that probably wasn’t very favorable to him being successful. So that’s how I would probably answer the question about mentors. And then wherever I’ve been, whether it’s at BCG, I had Jim Lowry and Justin Dean who were great role models for me as a managing director. When I was at UPS, I had Joycelyn Pearson, who was my boss, a dynamic and phenomenal leader. Those are the things that I think helped me get through those tough times and it helped show me the importance of seeing and knowing from seeing that you can be that person and be successful in any type of environment. Now, where do you think your life would’ve gone if you hadn’t started working in the creative field? For me, it goes back to that point around exposure. Because I’ve always had an interest in creativity and design. Had I been exposed earlier to architecture as a field, I think candidly, I might have actually gone into that as a career. But growing up, you just didn’t have that level of exposure to the wide range of fields that are available that tap on the creative side of the brain. I remember when I was at Razorfish and we started to look at some of the other parts of the business and the media side of the business. And you walk into these media agencies and you would see kind of a sea of white faces and in many cases a sea of white female faces. And some of it was a result of people being exposed to things and recognizing that these are places that actually existed that you could have careers. And I think for a lot of African Americans and people of color, they don’t necessarily have exposure to some of these different fields and areas of possible careers. And as a result, we don’t necessarily get a chance to develop as big of a body of leaders and representatives in those companies and in those industries. What do you want your legacy to be For me, I think it actually goes back to this question of purpose. And when I was at BCG, I was in a part of BCG called BrightHouse and we spent a lot of time with organizations talking about purpose. And I think when you first come out of school, a lot of your focus is on what do I need to do to show that I can be successful and how can I achieve and show my achievements? And I think now where I am in my life, it’s actually less about let me do things to prove what I can do versus actually what can I do to actually help drive and leave a legacy behind. So when I was at BrightHouse, we talked a lot about personal purpose. We went through some exercises and I ended up with my personal purpose being to live into lead with optimism. When it comes to legacy, I think if I can be an example that other people look to and see that it’s possible to be a managing director or to be successful in being kind of a quasi entrepreneur and to bring new things into being, that I think gets to my answer around legacy. Being able to help empower others to understand and be optimistic about what they can become and not feel like they’re limited by where they may be at a certain point in time. Just to wrap things up here, where can our audience find out more information about you, about your work, about Work & Co? Where can they find that online? Well, they can definitely find out more about Work & Co at work.co, which is our website. And I think it’s a great way to see the wide range of work that we do, the different types of careers that we have, as well as the capabilities that we have in house. And if people want to learn more about me, obviously there’s LinkedIn, which is a great way to connect and get a better understanding of some of the different things that I’ve been involved in, both on the professional side as well as I’ve been involved in some non-for-profit organizations too. Like there’s one that I’m involved with now called Redefine Ed. And it’s actually a non-for-profit focused on improving educational outcomes for Atlanta public school students. So that’s another passion of mine and a place that you can learn more about me and how I’m involved in the community. Nothing about the cars? Well, I am a car enthusiast, so you’ve done your research. And I do like to tinker with automobiles. I haven’t had as much time most recently, but I’ve spent some time working on everything from a Pontiac Fiero to a Porsche 944. I mean, right now I’m playing around with a BMW. So yes, I do like to get my hands dirty and kind of take my mind off the day to day by just figuring out how things work and making them work better. Sounds good. Sounds good. Chip Gross, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show. One, just for sharing the passion that you have behind building this new studio, this new branch of Work & Co here in Atlanta, but also to show just how much perseverance you’ve had throughout your entire career, how much you’ve brought to the Atlanta creative community. I’m really excited to see where a Work & Co really comes from here. But then of course, I’m really just … As you talked before about visibility and representation, it’s good for someone like me to see someone like you doing what you’re doing. And I hope for people that are listening that they are proud to see that as well. So thank you so much for coming on the show. I appreciate it. Oh, it’s been my pleasure and I really enjoyed it and hopefully gave some people some inspiration to come and be part of this whole world of digital product design and development. Sponsored by Hover Building your online brand has never been more important and that begins with your domain name. Show the online community who you are and what you’re passionate about with Hover. With over 400+ domain name extensions to choose from, including all the classics and fun niche extensions, Hover is the only domain provider we use and trust.	57,584
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Jan Logie, Louisa Wall and Tau Henare Two of New Zealand’s lesbian MPs and an outspoken National MP have played a key part in an international push to urge Ugandan leaders to get rid of the nation's proposed anti-gay legislation. The New Zealand delegation to the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Kampala, made up of National’s Tau Henare, Labour’s Louisa Wall and the Greens’ Jan Logie, joined with fellow parliamentarians to urge a commitment to the safeguarding of human rights for all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. The trio was instrumental in proposing the actions to be taken by the geopolitical Twelve Plus group, comprising 46 countries affiliated to the IPU. The Twelve Plus group has extended its plea, writing to both the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament and the leaders of political parties, to get rid of proposed legislation that would discriminate against gay Ugandans. "We want to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow parliamentarians in fighting inequality, poverty and discrimination on any grounds, and we respectfully implore parliamentarians to extend human rights protections to all citizens,” Henare said. It's a powerful statement from Henare, who has in the past mocked gay Labour MP Charles Chauvel with 'Miss Daisy' taunt in the House and described a push to remove the negative use of the term gay from schoolyard speak as "a gay story". Henare said the IPU Assembly, attended by over 1500 parliamentarians from across the world, is a significant opportunity to express concern. The New Zealand delegation has also proposed an item for inclusion on the agenda of a future Assembly on sexual orientation and gender identity rights and the role of parliamentarians in affirming these rights in legislation, as the other members of the delegation. Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff First published: Wednesday, 11th April 2012 - 2:56pm This page displays a version of a GayNZ.com article that was automatically harvested before the website closed. All of the formatting and images have been removed and some text content may not have been fully captured correctly. The article is provided here for personal research and review and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of PrideNZ.com. If you have queries or concerns about this article please email us	2,366
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Aspen Brook reservations are easy! Call (970) 586-3748 to book direct or click the BOOK NOW button on the home's page you would like to reserve. Check availability and reserve! We will be in contact with you through VRBO, Vacation Rental by Owner. You will be able to contact us through the Contact Host link from VRBO or you may contact our office, either by phone or email if you have any questions. Aspen Brook Vacation Homes is a Premier Host on VRBO and has 5 unique homes, each with different offerings. Check-in begins at 3 pm on your arrival day. You can check in anytime after 3 pm and will go directly to your home using the address provided on your Rental Contract. Use the 4-digit entry code on the Rental Contract to enter the home after 3 pm. Check-out time is always 10 am unless a late check out has been approved by our office and paid for in advance. Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park are great places in any season. Summer is busiest offering high-mountain trails for hiking, lush tundra teeming with wildlife, and “only-in-summer” opportunities like driving Old Fall River Road. Spring and fall are also very popular because of the many options available for hiking, snowshoeing, and wildlife viewing without the larger crowds of summer. Winter is pristine. It’s quiet and beautiful with special opportunities to view the national park in ways that only the winter season offers. Snowshoe over a frozen lake; take in views that can’t be seen in summer, or try a pair of cross-country skis through the forest. You can take a packed lunch and head for Hidden Valley to take the family sledding for the day. The sun is invigorating and warming even in winter. You can always sit by a fire in your Aspen Brook home and enjoy the peace and quiet of the mountains. You’ll find Estes Park restaurants and shops open and very accommodating year ‘round. Aspen Brook has special rates for all four seasons. Cancellation Policy Many of our return guests make reservations a year or more in advance of their stay. In Peak Seasons we often turn away requests for reservations. As a result, our cancellation policy is written to discourage those who would make a reservation without being fully committed to honoring their contract with Aspen Brook Vacation Homes. If you believe your plans may change, we highly recommend travel insurance. Please click on the link below to see our full cancellation policy. Cancellation Policy Aspen Brook Vacation Homes (Aspen Brook) includes accidental property damage protection with every reservation. This protection covers accidental damage to the property you are renting up to $1,500 as long as the damage is accidental and reported to Aspen Brook before your departure. Please click on the link below to see our full protection plan. Policies and Rules We rent our vacation homes with the expectation they will be cared for as if you were a guest in a friend’s home. SMOKING IS NOT PERMITTED INSIDE THE HOME OR ANYWHERE ON ASPEN BROOK PROPERTY. You are responsible to notify everyone in your party of this most important HOA policy. Other policies and rules are contained in the following disclosures. Aspen Brook is a planned vacation rental home development with a Homeowner’s Association representing vacation home owners, part-time residents and some full-time residents. The HOA’s policies afford a private and quiet setting for each Aspen Brook home. All HOA policies must be observed by everyone, including Aspen Brook Vacation Homes guests. You can find Aspen Brook’s HOA policies listed below. Each of our rental homes at Aspen Brook is privately owned and managed by Aspen Brook Vacation Homes. The amenities, décor and furnishings are a reflection of the homeowner’s style and type of vacation home they prefer. Every home has at least one gas fireplace and central heat and some homes have air conditioning. See each home for details and amenities. Based on our conversation with you when making your reservation, we do our best to match needs and requests with the most appropriate home. However, it is your responsibility to thoroughly investigate the layout, bedroom configurations and amenities offered in a home before choosing the home for your stay. All homes have a fully equipped kitchen with all the dishes and cookware needed for the number of guests the home accommodates. In addition, all homes have a washer/dryer, fireplace (either gas or wood burning), and a deck or multiple decks with a gas grill and outdoor seating. There is high speed Wi-Fi, cable, flat screen TV’s and a DVD player in each vacation home. Some of our larger homes have amenities such as two living room spaces, additional fireplaces, whirlpool jetted tubs, hot tubs, riverside locations and mountain views. Every home has a land line phone for your use for any domestic U.S. calls during your stay. The community of Aspen Brook offers a picnic and recreation area that can be used by your group on a first come – first served basis. The use of this area is for Aspen Brook guests and residents. There are picnic tables for an outside gathering, a playground for children and access to the Big Thompson River for fishing. This area is open from 9 am to 9:30 pm. All children must be accompanied by an adult while playing at the picnic and recreation area. Meandering through Aspen Brook’s property is the Big Thompson River. You are permitted to fish this section of the river during your stay. A fishing license is required for anyone over 16 years of age. We can direct you to some wonderful guides in our area. With Rocky Mountain National Park right across the road from Aspen Brook, there are miles of hiking trails just moments away! Click on Info/Events for more ideas. Aspen Brook Vacation Homes, LLC, is the agent for the individual (homeowner) whose home you have rented. As the agent, we have duties to represent the homeowner in accordance with the terms of a property management Agreement that exists between Aspen Brook Vacation Homes, LLC and the Homeowner. Smoking anywhere at Aspen Brook is NOT permitted No firearms or fireworks of any kind are permitted Posted 15 MPH speed limit must be obeyed for the safety of pedestrians Each home has two parking spaces (not including inside a garage) with a maximum of four cars per home Turn off exterior house lights when not in use. This impacts others staying in homes next to you Garage doors must remain closed except when moving vehicles in or out (for your safety and the bears) Quiet hours are 9:30 pm to 8 am No loud music or activities that interfere with others at Aspen Brook – at anytime The playground area is open from 9 am to 9:30 pm. Use at your own risk. Children must be accompanied by an adult. This also applies to the river area. Posted rules must be obeyed	7,131

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