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Please note that the program below is not fixed – some of the day’s events can be changed based on the government requirements/plans. If your root is traced to an ethnic group that is neither Mende nor Temne, then you could join either group for the ‘Naming & Robing Ceremony’ or we could organise a separate trip(at an additional cost).
The cost includes visa, a round trip airport transfers, accommodation, a guided tour, transportation (except for the ‘Free days’), activities, Passport fee, Heritage or Civic Education workshop, and meals as indicated in the itinerary.
Itinerary
November 24 - Thursday
Arrival in Freetown, transfer to hotel
Arrive to Freetown’s Lungi International Airport, which is one of the world’s most uniquely-situated airports, located on the northern coast of the Freetown Estuary. On arrival, disembark and enter the arrivals hall for baggage reclaim. You will be met by a representative from VSL TRAVEL who will have a signboard with your name on it after customs. He will be available to deal with any immediate questions then get you on your private vehicle for transfer to the dock from where you take the 30 minute boat ride and make a charismatic entry to the city catching a glimpse of the towering hills over Freetown. Once in Aberdeen, you will be met by your guide and driver and transferred to your hotel.
November 25 - Friday
Heritage/ Civic Education and Business/ Investment Workshop
After breakfast, your driver will take you to the venue for the Heritage/Civic Education and Business/Investment Workshop
After the workshop, you will be assisted by the Immigration Officers to complete your passport application form.
In the late afternoon or evening, you're transferred to your hotel.
Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
November 26 - Saturday
Today we start the day by having our first look around the vibrant city and make a sweep through its historical core. With the car and guide at your disposal you will visit sites such as the Railway Museum, St. Georges Cathedral, National Museum, Peace Monument, the Maroon Church, the Cotton Tree, The Gateway to the Old King's Yard and Fort Thornton (where the Presidential State House now stands).
Arrive at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
After lunch (not included unless otherwise stated), you will head for Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
You will see the amazing work being done by Bala and his team. Chimpanzees are often cruelly or ignorantly kept as pets, or sometimes hunted for their meat. Today however, more than 100 primates find haven at Tacugama, swinging from branches, hooting with happiness, throwing things at passers-by with the petulance of children, nuzzling each other with tenderness of mothers attending to newborns, and picking bugs out of each other furs with the attention of Madonna’s manicurist, even the least animal-friendly of visitors gets sucked into the magic within the moments.
Meal(s): Breakfast
Apart from the Sanctuary there are other attraction sites available in this area to occupy your time among which is the viewing of over 100 bird species that have been identified in and around the Tacugama Forest Reserve. After the Chimps tour, you will make a short stop at Leicester Peak before being transferred to your hotel.
November 27 - Sunday
This morning we go to Bunce Island with a private speedboat, viewing the city from the coast as you go by. Bunce Island was the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast of West Africa. Founded around 1670, it exported tens of thousands of African captives to North America and the West Indies until the British Parliament finally closed it down in 1808. Bunce Island is left to decay, and although this raises questions of preservation, it does have a certain charm. It is authentic, raw - a painful history that is burying itself under layers of greenery.
After spending a couple of hours exploring the substantial ruins on the island, including the factory house, fortification, slave prison, watchtowers, dormitories, storerooms, and power magazine, you will pour a libation in honor of our forefathers before being transferred to Tasso Island where you could have lunch. After lunch and a bit of rest, you are transferred to Freetown.
Meal(s): Breakfast and Lunch
November 28 - Monday
Immigration Day
This day, you will spend most of your time at the Immigration Department to ensure all immigration requirements are met, including doing your biometrics.
After going through immigration, you will have the rest of the day to explore on your own.
Meal(s): Breakfast
November 29 - Tuesday
Tribesmen Connection, Naming Ceremony
On this day, we will divide the group into two based on your tribe lineage - the Mendes will be going to Senehun-Gola, and the Temnes will be going to Rogbonko.
Meal(s): Breakfast
(Senehun Ngola is chosen for a special reason. Please Google ‘The Language You Cry In’ which documents the experiences of a Gullah Family who were able to trace their roots to Sierra Leone through a Five-Line Mende song believed to be the longest text in an African Language preserved by a black family in the United States. The Moran family of Harris Neck Georgia made a historic Homecoming to Sierra Leone in 1998 and visited Baindu jabati a Mende woman in Sehehun Ngola whose family had likewise preserved a similar song in Sierra Leone.
Cultural Experience: Visitors can take part in a Naming and Robing Ceremony at a place where history has demonstrated that women were captured from and taken to Georgia who then took the Five-Line song with them. The song is a funeral song and it was re-enacted for the Moran Homecoming (this can be arranged if desired).
Today we will pick you up for the trip to Robgbonko Village Retreat which will take around 3 hours. You will stop in Makeni
with your guide to have a look around this provincial town after which you will have lunch before setting off for the final hour to Rogbonko via Magburuka.
Rogbonko Mathaka (meaning "The Place in The Forest"), is located 30 mins from Magburaka Junction. With no electricity, running water, telephones and little contact from the outside world, you will be meeting the villagers, witnessing their culture and sharing their daily lives. An outstanding aspect of Rogbonko experience is the basket weaving. The basket woven at Rogbonko is closely similar to the sweetgrass basket woven by the Gullah/Geeche and this skill is widely believed to have been retained by enslaved Africans from West Africa but especially Sierra Leone.
You will take part in a Naming & Robing Ceremony.
Overnight at Wusum Hotel, Makeni
November 30 - Wednesday
This morning, we head to Kent Village on the Freetown peninsula to catch a boat to Banana Island, for a chance to explore this scenic paradise. Three islands make up the Banana Islands: Dublin and Ricketts are linked by a stone causeway. The third Mes-Meheux is uninhabited. We will be going to Dublin, with its backyard gardens, big breadfruit trees and rare and delightful butterflies. You will be welcome by the sleepy but friendly community and go on a tour of this quiet paradise.
These pristine islands are a wonderful place to experience laid-back Sierra Leone and there will be various optional activities available for everyone, including hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing and or a scenic boat trip around the island. This is an opportunity to have an insightful land tour of the island and set aside some time to explore on our own around this virtually unknown area of West Africa. Lunch will consist of locally-caught fresh fish, prawns and lobsters (all subject to availability)
Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
December 1 - Thursday
After breakfast, depart Banana Island for a tour of the Peninsula beaches - arguably the best in the sub region. You will stop at Bureh Beach to talk to the guys at Bureh Beach surf club, York, Tokeh beach and River Number 2 beach. You can have lunch at any beach of your choice. In the evening, you are transferred to town.
Meal(s): Breakfast
December 2 - Friday
You have the whole day to explore and do whatever interests you.
Meal(s): Breakfast
December 3 - Saturday
You have the whole day to explore and do whatever interests you.
Meal(s): Breakfast
December 4 - Sunday
On this day, you will join the Citizenship Conferment ceremony hosted by His Excellency the President of the Republic of
Sierra Leone at the State House.
Meal(s): Breakfast
You will join the Reception and Social evening hosted by the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Monument and Relics. The event will take place at the National Museum.
December 5 - Monday
Today, you are on your own to explore and do whatever interests you.
Meal(s): Breakfast
December 6 - Tuesday
This morning you can do some last-minute shopping at one of Freetown’s craft markets for gifts and souvenirs before being
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Our classic ARCADIA, one of our most popular button styles. We’ve moved away from casting, and all of our cast samples are up for grabs. Here in silky Plum – Amethyst accented with Light Amethyst.
Padded comfort clips
*Item ships gift boxed, but no guarantee is made as to what type of box you will receive
All Blue Room sales are FINAL – No exchanges, NO returns.
The SSC studio has an actual "blue" room. Yes, really - the walls (and ceiling) are painted a vibrant sea blue - think Caribbean Blue Opal. This is where our artisans work at jewelers benches creating the glorious goodies you see here. It's also where samples, prototypes, and lots of bits and pieces tend to pile up. Hence... The Blue Room Sale.
The rules of the road for our Blue Room Sale:
First come, first served, so if you love it, grab it. Our system will hold items in your cart for 30 minutes - one half hour - while you look around and check out. After that they'll return to stock, and someone else can snag them.
If you don't see a bright pink Add to Cart button... the item is already gone!
Each purchase totaling $125 will ship free to addresses within the US. Purchases under $125, flat rate of $9.99. If you would like expedited shipping it's available at checkout.
Because we have a timer on the cart now, we will no longer be rebating shipping fees as in the past. so please keep track of your cart. and try to check out above $125 if you'll be making multiple purchases. We cannot rebate shipping under any circumstances,
Most items in the Blue Room are samples, prototypes, or experiments, occasionally discontinued designs, and as such may not be perfect. Imperfections are minor and are limited to such things as wear and tear, scuff marks, minor scratches, and pieces that don't meet our high level of quality control. There should not be any stones missing. or blatant issues such as breakage with anything you receive. Please note that box condition is not guaranteed on Blue Room items.
You can now use AFFIRM to pay for your Blue Room purchases, as long as each purchases totals at least $100. See affirm.com for more information and for be pre-approved.
All sales are final, and all Blue Room items are sold as-is. Our warranty does not apply to Blue Room items, but we will always be happy to repair anything from SSC at current rates. We welcome any questions you may have on any item. Any returns are limited to items received damaged, and will be handled on an individual basis. If you should receive a damaged item please hang onto all packing materials, and let us know as soon as possible.
We hope you enjoy crawling through the Blue Room, and we hope you find a treasure or two. We have a lot of fun putting this together for you every year, seeing what we can find to fill the shelves. Please invite your friends and family, and make sure to get on our mailing list below, so you don't miss the next Blue Room!
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The plan that was loosely formed in autumn 2018, to sell our home of 17 years in Pembrokeshire, buy an old sailing boat, renovate it, move aboard and sail away, was reaching its zenith. We had never owned a sailboat before; in fact, the most time I’d spent on a yacht was an overnight trip to Skomer island with some friends the previous summer. My husband Tom trained as a dinghy sailing instructor and attended an RYA day skipper course 20 years ago but had not sailed since. Yet with a wealth of seamanship from sea kayak guiding, and years of surfing, freediving and scientific diving between us, we knew we could rise to the challenge. Our intention is glorious but simple, to set off on an ocean voyage in search of wild and beautiful stories to tell. We aim to be a light at sea, illuminating the wonders of our oceans aboard sailing boat Noctiluca. We believe that by doing what we love, we can give back to the natural world, and everything else will fall into place.
Taking the helm of Noctiluca I focused on what was ahead; Tom unfurled and trimmed the sails while I steered us past the oil refineries and tankers, out of Milford Haven and familiar home waters. To cover some sea miles quickly we had planned a non-stop passage to Brittany, an estimated three days and nights of sailing the length of Devon and Cornwall to Lands’ End then across the English Channel to the west coast of Brittany. Though there are no roads to follow like on land, the route we had chosen would have been travelled for thousands of years. We had a tense few hours navigating the shipping lanes of the Channel in the dark, weaving a route through fast moving tankers and container ships with the aid of our AIS tracking system.
Our journey began strong with favourable winds blowing us south. The sea formed choppy humps that made us roll and surge along. Simple tasks like making tea or cooking became strenuous activities; bracing with various body parts coupled with lightning fast reactions as hands fired out to grab at rogue mugs, cutlery and vegetables being chopped. We quickly learned to stow everything in its place, using anything soft to fill the gaps.
By doing what we love, we can give back to the natural world, and everything else will fall into place.
Sailing through the night we rotated sleep and watches between us. My first attempt at sleep induced anxiety. Alone in the darkness, the sensation was that of being on a fairground ride. Waves slapped and pummelled the hull so that although the boat moved in a fluid way I bobbed and swayed. Despite the rolling waters, the boat stood strong. Made of sturdy fiberglass in 1986 with traditional lines and a full, heavy keel for cruising the world’s open oceans, she was built for this. I focused on my breath; relaxing all my muscles in turn I convinced my brain I was safe and slept a little.
Sailing friends said I might get seasick, that the night sky would blow my mind and that the sea would glow green at night with bioluminescent plankton, but they forgot to mention that dolphins would bring joy to every passage. The sight of them always set my heart racing and each time I would drop whatever I was doing and rush to the bow. Here we could marvel at their grace and energy and get a measure of their mood. I logged each sighting by dropping a pin on the map of our navigation software to mark their GPS location. Then a little later I would note the position in the ship’s log, along with the time, species and number in the group. These would be added to the Sea Watch Foundation cetacean sightings database. Between Pembrokeshire and Brittany I recorded 16 separate dolphin sightings. Most were common dolphins, and many veered over for some bow-riding. They would often roll on to their sides and gaze up at us through the clear water; it’s quite a feeling to witness the consciousness of a wild creature. Scientists have shown dolphins to be highly intelligent, demonstrating self-awareness, empathy, grief and joy. I wondered if our dolphin visitors knew how they made me feel, if they could sense my awe and elation.
Besides the dolphins, seabirds cruised the ocean’s empty expanse. Adult and juvenile gannets flapped by on a mission to feed elsewhere, while great and Manx shearwaters skimmed over the surface at wave level, gliding on stiff wings with efficient precision. When we heated up our supper two fulmar petrels circled our boat twice then left in the direction of a fishing boat. Recent research suggests that smell plays a fundamental role in their foraging and that they may be navigating through an olfactory seascape of airborne odour plumes to locate prey. The smell of our vegan curry wafting out of the galley was enough to create a novel diversion for these fulmar petrels before a more familiar fishy aroma set them straight.
By midday of our third day at sea we rounded Pointe de Pen Hir and dropped anchor in clear, Breton waters. After enjoying a short time of quiet and stillness, I was itching to get in the water. Swimming over to the nearby cliffs a familiar sight materialised from the haze. Furbelows kelp formed thick glades like at home in Pembrokeshire, with shoals of sandeels swimming above the canopy. The water was noticeably warmer though and I was able to linger as long as I wished without getting cold. After dinner, we consulted charts, weather forecasts, tide tables and almanacs to plan the next few days of sailing to ensure we travelled with conditions in our favour; the outcome was a departure time of 0200 the next day. Another dolphin day unfolded before us with sightings almost every hour. Approaching the headland of Penmarche in Brittany we came across a feeding frenzy, with human fishers in boats, birds and dozens of common dolphins all joining the feast.
Another two days and nights of travel brought us to the bustling water way surrounding La Rochelle and a marina of giant proportions. We planned a day trip on the boat together the next day to Ile d’Oleron. On the crossing to the island we spotted many huge barrel jellyfish, Rhizostoma pulmo, their pale familiar shapes glowing in the soupy green water. With no hurry to get there, we stopped the boat and jumped overboard whenever we spotted a big one and marvelled at their alien form, lit up by the bright sunlight. Perfectly suited to feeding on plankton from these rich waters, their chunky tentacles bear hundreds of tiny mouth openings, each surrounded by miniature stinging tentacles.
We restocked supplies and struck out across the Bay of Biscay. We were headed for an anchorage in Cedeira on the north coast of Galicia, three days and three nights of non-stop sailing away. This meant sailing off the edge of the continental shelf over an abyss 4,500 metres deep. Here the water was the clearest, most intense blue I had ever seen. Clear of any coastal sediment or organic matter to change the colour spectrum, light passed through pure and unfettered producing a clarity and colour typical of the open ocean. Calm conditions allowed us to stop the boat and jump in for a swim, a rare opportunity to plunge into water so unfathomably deep it sent ripples of fear and excitement through me. Suspended in the water were tiny, perfectly crafted diatoms and strings of salps. Drift seaweed floated at the surface, hundreds of miles from their coastal origins, thongweed in tangled swirls, fragments of egg wrack, bladderwrack and sargassum.
This meant sailing off the edge of the continental shelf over an abyss 4,500 metres deep.
Open ocean is often compared to a vast, watery desert and for hours at a time we saw nothing but rippling water all around us. No boats or creatures crossed our field of vision and the VHF radio was silenced by our distance from land. Yet the open ocean is roamed by all sorts of peculiar creatures. Whales live here hunting the depths for squid, fish and zooplankton that undergo daily vertical migrations through the water column. During a calm period, we caught a brief glimpse of a minke whale surfacing for breath before vanishing into the depths.
Communicating and navigating by sound, they use echolocation to conjure auditory pictures for themselves of where prey might be, proximity of their fellow whales and how to find the way. Whales have their own version of the digital chart we were using to navigate, complete with land masses, depth contours, ridges, troughs and sea mounts but created using sound echoes. The minke whale we spotted may have sent out a call and several minutes later known which way to head on its migration south. Although it showed us no interest, it would have got the measure of our craft through sound waves; a solid, peculiar structure rumbling and swishing along at the surface.
Conditions deteriorated towards the end of our crossing. The wind and swell rose and the rain closed in robbing us of sleep and providing a stressful approach to Cedeira in the early hours of our fourth day at sea. We hunkered down in a marina for a few days as Storm Helen unleashed 50 knot winds and torrential rain. Post-storm we explored Islas Atlanticas National Park, a collection of islands in the west, freediving among fields of green fingers seaweeds and curious ballan wrasse. Most nights we were kept awake by fishing boats dropping shellfish pots or plying the waters with billowing trawl nets. Mussel farms cover great swathes of near shore waters too; Galicia is famous for its bateas, floating structures used to cultivate mussels. It was sobering to witness first-hand the intensity of fishing going on in just a small area of sea.
During a calm period, we caught a brief glimpse of a minke whale surfacing for breath before vanishing into the depths.
I felt privileged to have experienced such wildness of spirit so many times over.
As summer ticked along, we needed to keep trucking south. We travelled from Vigo to Cascais near Lisbon where the Tagus estuary supports large gatherings of Catostylus tagi jellyfish. Whilst drifting in the bay one evening watching a raft of Cory’s shearwaters resting on the water, we came across a huge bloom of them. Torn between photographing the birds or jumping in with the jellyfish, the Catostylus won me over. For the next two hours I revelled in conditions that wildlife photographers dream of – underwater at sunset with a group of large, unfamiliar, slow-moving creatures with no other agenda. Four times I swam to the boat ladder, stiff with cold and meaning to get out and four times I drifted away again, distracted by another group of jellyfish lit up and choreographed to perfection.
From Cascais we continued our quest south, lingering a while to freedive in the glorious seaweed gardens of Sesimbra and stealing a quick surf with good friends in Vale de Figueras. The need to find shelter from the ever-present swell of the west coast pushed us on towards the south coast and another feeding frenzy along the way; diners included common dolphins, gannets, Cory’s shearwaters, yellow-legged gulls and terns. The dolphins had clearly had their fill when we arrived on the scene, as they cruised over for a look at our stationary boat, exhaling fishy breath in our direction and leaving a trail of fish scales like confetti in their wake. It was a poignant moment at the end of a dreamy six weeks of cruising and a deep sense of gratitude settled in me; I felt privileged to have experienced such wildness of spirit so many times over. As the sun set on one of the most memorable days of the trip, we rounded Cabo de Sao Vicente, the south-westerly tip of Portugal and dropped anchor in a familiar sheltered bay. Having previously spent several months in this south west region of Portugal, travelling by campervan, our arrival by boat felt like a home coming. Noctiluca had carried us to a place dear to our hearts in a way that was thrilling and new and challenging.
As I write this, we have just completed the first leg of the Atlantic crossing, from south Portugal to the Canary Islands; a challenging undertaking and a mighty achievement for two recently fledged sailors. Sailing for 4.5 days straight in the open ocean is hard – sleep deprivation, fear, isolation, monotony, constant noise and motion test both the mind and body. We have learned that hardship can be a good thing when it has meaning; the rewards so far have out shone the difficult times and given them context on our rich journey of storytelling. Memories of bow-riding dolphins, jellyfish at sunset and glowing kelp gardens remind me of my call to action for the greater good of our oceans. I am committed to an unspoken agreement to shout out on their behalf, to tell their stories and illuminate their lives in the same way they illuminate me.
I felt privileged to have experienced such wildness of spirit so many times over.
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The Year She Came by Hollie Sambrooks - Albany County Public Library The Year She Came by Hollie Sambrooks - Albany County Public Library
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December 9, 2021 December 10, 2021
The Year She Came by Hollie Sambrooks
The year she came there was snow on the lilacs and they sagged with the weight of it. Electrical lights blazed and died in the night, sparks jetted from transformer boxes in between springtime trees that shed whole branches in awesome roars and thuds and the streetlights glowed in the snowstorm while the houses sat dark but for candles in the windows. I trotted from room to room with a scented candle while her father paced and peered at the silver poplars at the front of the house and weighed the chances of them dropping a branch through the roof and onto our bed or throwing one through the front windows and shattering glass across the room there. Finally, it was decided I would be safe upstairs, and I hauled my growing belly up into our bed and tried to sleep amongst the groaning plight of the poplars and cottonwoods in the night. The next morning, we wore snow boots and tee-shirts and picked through the neighborhood, nodding to people who were skiing down the middle of the street and he pointed to a spot and told me that hours before dawn a firetruck sat there, and firefighters threw snowballs at the powerlines and each other. Branches scattered the street, and we could hear the snowmelt already trickling in the gutters. We pushed the snow off the lilacs in our backyard like sheets of wet dough and they hung their heads in defeat for the rest of the day and refused to flower even in the late summer.
The year she came, the Mullen fire tore through the mountaintops to the south and the east. Beetle-kill pines were consumed in seconds, their dry needles like sparklers, the inferno clawing down hundreds of years of growth, the mild summers and cold winters and the constant wind, all eaten up in a firestorm. Ash fell in July where the snow had fallen in May. It dusted windshields and melted at the touch and blurred out the sun. The sky hung low, and the Laramie valley felt like a suffocating snow globe, hot and swirling with sterling, silky cinders. The whole town smelled like burning pine and the traffic lights glowed sultry in the smoke.
The year she came we stood on a wet deck in the wetter darkness and shone a headlamp into the yard and saw a tree and emptiness and more trees. Pointed straight down, the light illuminated a raw, shining, greying steak on the grass that was gone by morning. A curious anomaly the origins of which we could only guess and the fate of which was surely the belly of some Appalachian mammal. Rhododendron leaves the size of our shoes hid the stairs and the gravel drive, frosted and slimy in the sunrise, wet and slimy at midday and gleaming and slimy in the starlight. We spent a week together with the strangeness of a rental cabin: the foreign tilt and flow of a showerhead that isn’t ours, a gorgeous heirloom blanket and bitter taste of local coffee and a bewildering kitchen utensil drawer.
Here, we rode a gondola to a mountaintop tourist trap that hauled our dangling feet above an infamous Smoky Mountain black bear, bumbling along in the undergrowth. We walked between trees on suspended bridges and licked huge old-fashioned ice creams and kept our distance from the children swarming about the place, even knowing the possibility of her was already inside of me, but unable to comprehend the magnitude of it. We walked for miles in thick, cold, heavy mist, clotting like cream in alcoves and hollowed trees. Leaves fell like the ashes, like the snow, drifting down from calico canopies like burning circus tents. At the highest point- a lookout tower- the fog curled up around the Smoky Mountains and settled there like a cat, raindrops suspended indefinitely and cold enough to rime the sidewalks and the towers and our collars. We stood alone on the tower and gazed into a white emptiness and each privately wondered if something unfathomable stirred in my belly.
In early labor, I made hot malted cereal on the stovetop at 2am with milk and brown sugar and curled on the couch around her in my belly and shooed the cats away so I could gently writhe with each contraction.
Did the firefighters know, soot-faced with sweat running down their backs and their boots heavier with every hour, that she was coming? Did the black bear sense her above him as he shuffled through the pines: the tiniest creature, the possibilities, the fragility? Did the furling fog feel the churning of the smallest pieces of a life mumble into existence?
She came after a year of leaves and snow and ash, conceived of autumn fog and velvet smoke and weeping lilac blossoms.
I didn’t know her at first sight. I saw her being born, her slick skin, the dissociative sensation of the fentanyl, the pressure in my body and blood in my face and the blazing spotlight. I watched her slide out of me, I watched the gloved hands pass her up towards me, I clutched at her and held her to me. She was there, in my arms, latched to my breast, both of us naked and exhausted for hours but I didn’t see her until a day later. Cocooned in a faded hospital swaddle and propped up on an incline in a plastic bassinet, she opened her eyes and the entire world fell away from underneath of me in a nauseating drop. Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly.
Now we exist devoted, besotted, in reverence; I am a Sufi, a dervish. She is loud and demanding and sweet and sleepy. She inspires tenderness and terror, and my worries eat away at my heart, but her light fill the voids that are left there, like the tide washing in to soothe the same fissures that it caused.
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Where are you spiritually today? Are you, like so many others, in a place of darkness and despair—the pandemic continuing, a return to life as we knew it a year ago apparently as far away as ever? Is your despair or hopelessness related to news this week, the continued suffering on our borders as people seek a better life? Or are you, as so many of us are, devastated by the senseless and racist killing of Asian-American women in Atlanta suburbs, a heinous crime perpetrated by yet another good white boy who “just had a bad day.” Are you wondering about the future of our country, our neighborhood, our congregation?
Or are you in a very different place? It’s spring after all, and in spite of the snow we had earlier this week, it feels and looks a bit like spring today. We are emerging from the pandemic, perhaps you’ve been vaccinated and are eager to reconnect face to face, with no masks intervening, with family and friends you’ve not seen in person in months or over a year.
We’re in something of a holding pattern. We know that it’s likely the pandemic will lose its grips as more people get vaccinated and we approach herd immunity. It’s likely that everything we’ve put on hold for over a year, whether it’s school, or a vacation, or a meal inside at a favorite restaurant, is not too far away. We even expect that one Sunday, in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to gather for public worship here in Grace Church.
It may be, in fact, that there’s so much going on in our lives and in the world around us, so much to worry and wonder about, jobs, school, our personal, family, community’s, nation’s future, that little time is left for us to think about or focus on our own spiritual growth or that of our families. We may even be catching this service at a free moment in our lives a day or two from now, when there is a moment of unexpected or unplanned peace and quiet in our lives. In the unfamiliar world we are negotiating right now, the sure foundations of faith in God and a relationship with Jesus may seem more elusive than ever.
Still there’s that longing in us, the desire to connect with something deeper, a yearning for God that may be often unexpressed or even unnoticed but still beckons to us, even as we feel guilt that we aren’t able to make the time, find the energy, or, as I talked about it in my sermon on the first Sunday in Lent, to observe a “Holy Lent.”
To us, to the world we live in, to the spiritual chaos some of us may be experiencing, today’s gospel reading speaks with comfort and hope.
The disparate way we encounter the Gospel of John in the Sunday eucharistic lectionary prevents us from comprehending its overall structure and discerning its deeper themes. We read from John each year during Lent, often during the season after Epiphany, on the Sundays of Easter, and this year, Mark’s year, we will hear a series of readings from John 6—the discourse on the Bread of Life. Our reading today comes from chapter 12 which is a transitional chapter. So far in the gospel, we have been introduced to Jesus’ public ministry of healing and conflict with the religious elite of Palestinian Judaism. He also has a series of encounters with individuals like Nicodemus to which we alluded last week, and the Samaritan woman. Beginning with chapter 13, there’s a very different focus. The scenes are first of the last supper and then of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion, and finally, of course, his resurrection and appearances to the disciples.
So what we have before us today is the end, perhaps the climax of Jesus’ public ministry. It occurs just after Jesus’ triumphal entry, in the runup to the Passover, which is the festival mentioned in the beginning of today’s gospel. Some Greeks come to Jesus’ disciples Philip and Andrew, and ask “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” This is one of those details from John that I find endlessly fascinating. Philip and Andrew both appear in chapter 1, as disciples called by Jesus. Their names are both Greek in origin, as well. While Jesus told Andrew when Andrew asked him where he was staying, “Come and see,” now it is others, Greeks, who want to see Jesus.
Just as in chapter 3 and the encounter with Nicodemus, it’s not quite clear from this text that the Greeks actually do see Jesus or are present for Jesus’ words. Now there’s a great deal that could be said about Jesus’ statements here, a great deal about what they tell us about the gospel’s overarching themes and how it relates to the other three gospels, but I don’t have time for any of that. Instead, I would like to focus the rest of our time on a single verse: “And I, when I am lifted up, will draw all people to myself.”
This is the heart of John’s gospel, the heart of Jesus’ ministry and person. In the cross, we see Jesus, in the cross, on the cross, Jesus draws us and the whole world to himself. In the cross, on the cross, we see God’s love for us.
Did the Greeks see Jesus? In the gospel of John, “seeing” is a prelude to faith, at most, it is an inadequate, partial faith. It is a first step, an entrance and first exposure to the abundant life that is offered through relationship with and in Jesus Christ.
I see myself, I see us and hear us in the Greeks’ plea, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Separated from each other and from the body of Christ, encountering one another only virtually, seeing, experiencing Christ through the mediation of technology with all of its noise and frustration, we would see Jesus. We long to see Jesus. We struggle to make sense of the devastation of the pandemic, the deaths of 530,000 Americans. We struggle to make sense of the deep divisions in our nation and community, the violence that erupts from and deepens those divisions. We struggle to make sense of the pain experienced by people of color, by African-Americans, Asian-Americans, the deep racism that pervades our society. The heart of our nation is breaking; the heart of American Christianity is breaking.
We would see Jesus. Jesus, lifted high on the cross, the victim of imperial violence and oppression, the victor over hate and oppression. We would see Jesus, but our eyes are blinded by tears, and by our own insensitivity to our participation in the oppressive and violent systems in which we live and from which we profit.
We would see Jesus but our own blindness and self-interest clouds our vision. Nonetheless, Jesus, lifted high on the cross, draws all people to himself. His outstretched arms beckon to us, invite us in, welcome us
May we see Jesus and may his love heal our hearts and our vision, that we can see our fellow human beings with love, lament and repent our sins, and create the beloved community to which we are called and in which all can flourish.
Posted on July 31, 2018 by djgrieser
Jesus worked miracles—signs, to use the language of the Gospel of John. This fact is the sort of thing that can make twenty-first century Christians squirm in their pews. Oh, I know, most of us probably would say sure, Jesus did some amazing things, but magically creating so much bread and fish that 5000 people were fed, that there were enough leftovers to fill 12 baskets, is just a little bit beyond the realm of belief. And that Jesus walked on water? That story is so farfetched that it’s become symbol of unbelievable holiness or perfection. We say of someone who’s just perfect in every way, “They walk on water.” Continue reading →
Posted in sermons | Tagged feeding of the five thousand, Gospel of John, John 6:1-21 | Leave a reply
Can we see Jesus? Do we see Jesus? A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2018
Posted on March 18, 2018 by djgrieser
We are at a turning point. Lent is drawing to a close; those of you who have been following Lent Madness are watching as the tension builds and the saintly competition comes to an end. If you’ve given up something for the season, you are probably counting the days to Easter and the end of your fast. Here in the office at Grace, we are preparing for Holy Week as you can tell from the notices in the service bulletin.
As we were reciting and chanting the verses from Psalm 51 this morning, I was reminded that we had said this same psalm on Ash Wednesday, after the imposition of the ashes. Then, I and you were hoping for a Holy Lent, a time when we might deepen our relationship with God in Christ, experience repentance and forgiveness of our sins and grow spiritually. Now, as Lent draws to a close, those verses remind me of all the ways my actions and discipline in Lent have fallen short of what I had hoped for, another missed opportunity. I am grateful again, and continuously, for God’s mercy and grace. Continue reading →
This is how God loves the world: A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, 2018
Posted on March 11, 2018 by djgrieser
Is there any verse of scripture more familiar in our culture than John 3:16? It may be that for many in our culture it is the only verse they know, or at least, the only verse they know the reference for. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” Over the years, we’ve seen it displayed at athletic events; on bumper stickers or decals on cars, emblazoned on all matter of Christian kitsch.
For that very reason, many of us find its ubiquity and overuse problematic or even offensive. It’s as likely to divide or put people off as it is to attract people to Christianity, for not only does it seem to reduce the truth and beauty of Christianity to a slogan or formula, also, by the over-emphasis on belief, seems divide the world between believers and unbelievers, saved and unsaved, and those of us who struggle with doubt and uncertainty, wonder whether we are included among those who will inherit eternal life. Continue reading →
Being Witnesses: A Sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, 2017
Posted on December 17, 2017 by djgrieser
In these dark days of Advent, as the days grow shorter and the sun’s light grows dim, the mood of our nation and our world seem very much in synch with the season. It’s difficult for us to ignore all that is occurring around us and focus on the season of Advent, and the coming of Christ at Christmas. Sometimes I feel as though the festivities and hoopla, whether it’s the parties we throw or attend, or the glitz of stores and the blitz of marketing are all intended to distract us from what’s happening—global warming, the threat of nuclear catastrophe, the continuing assault on our constitutional liberties, on democracy itself.
It’s hard to find our way through it all, it’s hard for us to find perspective, to keep our faith when there is so much profoundly wrong and unjust, and the forces of good seem impotent in the face of the evil that surrounds us.
On top of it all, many of us struggle to make sense of, let alone, proclaim, the message of Jesus Christ in this context. When Christianity has been coopted by extreme nationalists and white supremacists, when there seems no connection between the message of love, peace, and reconciliation proclaimed by Jesus Christ, and the dominant voices of Christianity in America, we may want to hide our faith, to keep quiet. We fear being associated with the Franklin Grahams and Roy Moores and silence our voices, out of fear that we might be accused of supporting them. Let me just add, if you are not deeply troubled by the cooptation of Christianity by a certain political agenda in this country, you should examine your beliefs and commitments, for the very soul and future of Christianity is at stake, the gospel is at stake.
Our lessons today remind us of where our focus should be, where and how we should proclaim Christ, where and how we should work for justice.
The reading from Isaiah, the first verses of which provide the text for Jesus first public proclamation in the Gospel of Luke, offer both reassurance and command. As Christians, we read these words as promise of Christ’s coming, of the future reign of God that he proclaimed and for which we hope. We see ourselves as recipients of that good news, and of the promised healing and release.
At the same time, we must see ourselves in this story, not just as recipients of God’s grace and justice but as participants in the coming of that justice. We are called to rebuild the ruined cities—and here we might think not only of literal cities, but of all the ways that human community, the common good, have been undermined and attacked in recent years.
Even stronger are the words from the Song of Mary. It’s always helpful to remember just who she was—a young woman, likely a teenager, mysteriously, shamefully pregnant, as vulnerable in her historical context as a similar young woman would be in our day. Yet from that small, unlikely, reviled person, comes this powerful hymn that witnesses to God’s redemptive power:
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
This familiar hymn has suffered for its popularity and familiarity. Its use in worship over the millennia has numbed us to its revolutionary power. We need to reclaim it today, sing it with meaning. We need to do more than sing it, we need to work so that it comes into being. We need to imagine the possibility that God is working in this way, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, in spite of all our fears, doubts, and despair. We need to believe that the words of a first-century teenaged single mom can inspire to see God at work in the world around us. For remember, the world in which she lived was unjust and violent as well, and for many people hopelessness and terror were ways of life.
We heard the story of John the Baptizer from the Gospel of John. It’s a brief excerpt of a larger narrative, and on the surface it’s rather strange, although you might not have thought anything odd about this when hearing it. In the Gospel of Mark’s description of John that we heard last week, the focus seemed to be on his lifestyle, his clothing and diet choices (camel’s hair, locusts and wild honey). According to Mark, he preached a message, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.”
Now in John’s gospel none of that is present. While some of his preaching message is consistent, at the heart of John’s portrayal of John is something else, the fact that John was a witness to Jesus Christ. In a rather odd formulation, John writes that “
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
For that is John’s purpose and role in the fourth gospel—to point toward Christ. John is a witness, the witness. And more than witness, for the Greek word behind the English “witness” and “testify” in the first few verses of the reading is word from which we get our English word “martyr.” John came to bear witness to the light, to testify about Jesus Christ. Later in the first chapter, John sees Jesus passing by, points to him, and tells several of his disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The disciples then leave John and follow Jesus.
These are questions of identity and purpose. The priests and Levites asked John who he was, in a scene that is reminiscent of the scene in the synoptic gospels where Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is. John directs their attention away from him toward Christ.
John offers us an important lesson, not just about who he was and who Jesus Christ is. He also reminds us that one of the most important things we do, in our words and in our lives, is point to Jesus Christ. It is in and through us that others learn what it means to follow Jesus and also learn Jesus’ message of love, peace, mercy, and justice. In this time, when so many others proclaim a different gospel, and very different message of Jesus, our witness to him is more needed than ever. May we witness, testify, and point, clearly, unequivocally, and boldly, to the Jesus Christ who stands with the poor, the oppressed, the captive, and the God who casts down the mighty from their seats and fills the hungry with good things.
My Lord and My God: A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter, 2017
Posted on April 23, 2017 by djgrieser
Today, Grace Church is participating again in the second annual Doors Open Madison, a city-wide open house that offers the community the opportunity to explore some of Madison’s signature buildings. It’s a great opportunity for us at Grace—free publicity. It’s likely that including today, last Sunday, which was Easter, and services this week that included a funeral and a wedding, we could expect to have 1500 people enter our space in that time. Continue reading →
Raised with Lazarus: A sermon for the fifth Sunday in Lent, 2017
Posted on April 2, 2017 by djgrieser
I hope that you’ve come to appreciate something of the complexity, depth, and riches in the gospel of John as we’ve worked through these readings over the last several weeks. Today, we have come to the end of this series of stories from John’s gospel, and with this reading, we have come to something of an early climax in the gospel as well. This story of the raising of Lazarus is the last of the seven “signs” recorded by John. It’s a clear demonstration of Jesus’ power but also, in its focus on his emotions it describes Jesus’ humanity in ways that we don’t see elsewhere in the gospel. Continue reading →
Posted on March 26, 2017 by djgrieser
Today we hear the third of four stories from the gospel of John in this season of Lent. So far we have encountered Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Next week we will meet Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. Each of the stories explores in detail the relationship between Jesus and these other people; each also offers a wealth of material for our reflection on who Jesus Christ is and how we might enter into deeper relationship with him. These texts are long and complex and it’s impossible to examine in detail the many themes on which they touch. Continue reading →
Posted in sermons | Tagged Gospel of John, John 9:1-41, the man born blind | Leave a reply
The Jew at the well: A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent, 2017
Posted on March 19, 2017 by djgrieser
Part of my job as a pastor of a downtown church is dealing with the never-ending stream of people who come by looking for help. Often, their stories are heartbreaking. They’ve lost their jobs and are about to be evicted; they need money for a bus ticket or gas. Sometimes, it’s an elderly grandmother having to take care of her grandchildren because of their mother’s illness or incarceration. Or there’s the 19-year old Nigerian boy whose family was evicted for nonpayment of rent after his father abandoned him and his mother and sisters. I’ve had to develop a thick skin, and an ear for falsehoods, because often the stories aren’t true or are only partly true. Continue reading →
Posted on March 12, 2017 by djgrieser
I wonder how many of you heard today’s gospel and began to cringe. Two verses from this passage have been enormously important in Christianity, especially among American evangelicals. Though our version, the New Revised Standard Version, translates it differently, the paraphrase of the old translation of John 3:3 “You must be born again” has shaped our understanding of the Christian life and experience at its most basic level, and John 3:16, even without the text of the verse itself, is a key marker for evangelical identity and a symbol of American Christianity. Continue reading →
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The rapid rise of the wellness expert has been the latest shift in the wellness market. Post an onslaught of bad press and media speculation, we as the consumer have swiftly moved away from looking to the celebrity ‘fitspo’ influencers for advice on our wellbeing.
In an attempt to search for credible advisors, we have rested our laurels in those who seemingly have relevant degrees or qualifications in the areas we are interested in – all in an attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The challenge we face as a wellness community is that qualifications do not necessarily translate into credibility – these two things are not equivalent. We have to acknowledge that certain qualifications can hold different weightings especially in areas such as nutrition where there are multiple associations accrediting different things.
Having an in-depth knowledge in a subject area does build a certain element of credibility, but learning how to communicate credibly to different audiences, across various platforms, understanding all of the different nuances and power of language – is an art form in itself.
Here at WellSpoken, we believe that credible wellness communications fall under three pillars:
What you say: All claims and advice need to be substantiated by robust scientific evidence or credible sources of health and wellness information
How you say it: The language we use to convey information about wellness needs to take into account the impact certain messages can have on consumers
Where you say it: The medium used by brands choose to communicate wellness messages (e.g. social media, ambassadors, blogs) need to be credible channels of communication
We believe that qualifications in themselves are not robust enough substantiation for producing consumer content.
Wellness experts can still share or give advice which is out of their remit. This is a challenging concept but one that firmly needs to be addressed.
Just because someone is a qualified doctor, does not mean they are best placed to speak on all things nutrition – even doctors will admit the mandatory medical training on this subject during their degree is limited. In the same instance, a nutritionist sharing workout tips is out of remit if they are not qualified PTs.
However, the consumer shift to seeking expertise rather than just following popular influencers is a good sign. It means as an industry, we are starting to realise the dangers of misinformation and are actively trying to change the way we communicate.
We at WellSpoken are calling for industry-wide recognition that credible wellness content matters and that qualifications alone do not automatically result in reliable communications.
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We work with wellness brands, bloggers, publishers and ambassadors to ensure they provide consumers with the highest level of credible, authentic, evidence-based information on fitness, nutrition and wellbeing.
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I've tried it for viola, I used it for about a month then started having shoulder pain so I stopped. I like the basic design and shape of the rest, but it was simply to tall for my neck. Unfortunately for me the viola rest is available in tall height only. Have any violists noted how strange this is? from my point of view it would seem logical that as violas generally have thicker ribs than a violin that one would be more likely to need a lower shoulder rest, not a higher one. However it is not only the Comford rest that is like this, I recently played a friends violin and noted how comfortable the shoulder rest was for me, it was a Wolf Standard Secundo, I checked everywhere online and discovered that only the "Forte" secundo is available for viola not the "standard" and even on the lowest height setting the forte rest is taller than the standard. what do the shoulder rest companies have against violists with shorter necks? Sorry for the rant, I'm just sort of frustrated about not being able to find a shoulder rest that's completely comfortable.
August 5, 2005
12 replies
When too late to become professional violinist
Lillian replied to tdnxxx444's topic in The Fingerboard
This is turning into another one of those threads about age and what skills are easier to develop when you're younger etc.. However I tend to think that probably the real reason most people don't make it starting later is just that they get distracted by trying to earn a living, raise a family etc.. but that it really wouldn't make that much difference if someone were to start at say 18 practice and 4 hrs. a day for 10 years and at 28 enter the "professional" music scence as opposed to someone who started at 7-9 and had put in the same ammound of practice by age 22-24, I mean the orchestra audition panel doesn't really care if you're 24 or 30 as long as you play well. I think the real difference is that we think we have to go to college for four years starting at 17-19 and finish in four years when we're 22-24 and then get a job or higher degree by a certain age I think if somone who was able to take a few more years to finish studies before trying to earn a living were to persue music they would be just as good as the younger player competing for the same jobs if not dictracted by marraige and family.
June 17, 2005
74 replies
Lillian replied to Lillian's topic in The Fingerboard
Thanks for the suggestions! I'm actually playing the Hummel Fantasy right now it's a nice piece, but it doesn't really seem like it would be great for auditions. I'll have to look into the Rebecca Clarke Sonata at some point some of my friends who also play the viola are jsut crazy about it. As for the Walton I think my teacher is planing on the Hindemith being the first of the big three concertos (Walton, Hindemtith, Bartok) that I play. I guess I'll have to look into some of the more obscure concertos or maybe my teacher has come up with something since we talked last. Any ideas are appreciated.
May 14, 2005
9 replies
Does anyone know of any good viola concertos or significant pieces for viola and orchestra that would be harder than the Stamitz/Hoffmeister level but a little easier than the Hindemith Der Schwanendreher? My teacher would like me to do one more concerto before the Hindemith, I don't care for the Weber Andante and Hungarian Rondo and I've just finished Bloch Meditation and Processional so probably not one of the Suites. Does anyone know anything about the Cecil Forsyth concerto is it at this level? and does it have a mvmt. that would be appropriate for youth orchestra auditions? I've heard it mentioned and am ingrigued but I don't want to buy the music (around $20) unless it seems appropriate. If anyone could direct me towards any online recording clips that would be great (Amazon.com doesn't seem to have a recording of it) I'd like to hear just a bit before ordering it or even suggesting it to my teacher for that matter in case I really dislike it for soem reason (unlikely). Anyway thanks ahead of time for any suggestions.
May 14, 2005
9 replies
Lillian replied to Austen's topic in The Fingerboard
One way to work on getting your scales perfectly in tune is to get a tuner that has a tone generation feature (if your's does not already have one) and set it to the tonic of the scale you are playing and play along with it tuning each of the intervals to the tonic. This gives you an aural reference to help you know if you are really off but also develops your ear especially in learning intervals.
May 7, 2005
You know you're an orch dork when...
you have to be late to rehearsal because you have a rehearsal.
April 22, 2005
49 replies
You know you're an orch dork when...
the only thing you ask for for christmas is a new metronome. you are embarassed when you can't identify a piece on the radio or give the wrong name for a piece you're familiar with. it annyoys you when your friends identify a piece by saying "this is from that part of Fantasia when..."
April 21, 2005
49 replies
Good alternatives to the JC Bach Concerto
Lillian replied to Austen's topic in The Fingerboard
The Hoffmeister concerto is also at about the same level as is the Handel/Cassadeus concerto.
April 6, 2005
5 replies
Lillian replied to Austen's topic in The Fingerboard
I'll second SteveLaBonne's suggestion of the "Christmans Dance." I've also done well in youth orchestra auditions with the Prelude from the same suite. I studied this the summer after I played the Telemann and the J.C. Bach concerto. I love the Brahms sonatas too but really don't think they would be appropriate for an audition. If you don't like the Vaughn Williams or J.C. Bach you might look at the Hoffmeister and/or Stamitz concertos and see if they look to be doable at your level. Above all make sure that you can play your piece well, a well played telemann will get you further than a less well played harder concerto.
March 8, 2005
15 replies
Classical Piano Books for Teaching
Lillian replied to PianoTeacher's topic in The Keyboard
I'm not a piano teacher or even much of a piano player, but in general I have noticed that the U.S. doesn't seem to have the same straighforward and comprehensice methods like those I have heard of being used in Canada and other countries. That said my advice would be to go ahead and use the Royal Conservatory books if you are able to find them for sale in the United States, and if you feel they contain the best material for your students. Just use what you think would be best for your students' musical and techincal development. In fact I believe I have heard of teachers here in the U.S. who teach using the Royal conservatory syllabus.
March 6, 2005
4 replies
Lillian replied to Dom7's topic in The Fingerboard
How advanced is your son on the violin? (what pieces, etudes etc. is he playing?How long has he been playing?) I understand the concerns that people are expressing here, but they should also realize that getting a second opinion is done all the time in normal study of an instrument, especially at the advanceced level, just generally not in an as defined a manner. What are masterclasses, private lessons at summer camps, solo-ensemble competitions and other auditions with feedback on one's playing for if not to get another's opinion on one's playing? I have a friend whose piano teacher even suggests that she play for another teacher before important auditions/competitions. I think it's often easy for a private teacher to overlook some things simply because they are so used to hearing/seeing the student every week that they may cease to observe slightly incorrect posture and other non-obvious things.
January 8, 2005
20 replies
Tutor vs Judge (long...sorry)
Lillian replied to Legacy's topic in The Fingerboard
Do you know anything about the experience/position of the judge? I know from personal experience from this type of solo-ensemble performance, that the judges are not always very proficient on the instrument(s) that they are judging or may not play the instrument at all and therefore make comments based on a little bit of instruction they have had or by observing other players who may or may not be playing with correct technique. I have several times had violin/viola solos judged at a certain competition by a brass player/ band director, he has made comments about my bowing technique that are just plain wrong and my teachers have told me that the judge was mistaken on that particular comment. So unless you know for sure that this judge is a competent violinist I would not even consider second guessing your daughter's teacher.
December 23, 2004
13 replies
Lillian replied to staylor's topic in The Fingerboard
It's too bad so many of us have to learn the hard way where not to leave a violin/viola/cello etc.. while not playing it. Last spring I was playing in the pit orechestra for my school's annual musical production as I have for the past 5 years. Previous years I had left my violin on my chair during most of the breaks wihtout any incidents, but this year as a I had a different and more expensive violin ($3,00 compared to $1,000) I was careful to always take it with me and set it in it's case when not being played. However at this particular rehearsal we had a short 5 min. break and I had left my case near the top of the auditorium and I figured that since my violin had been okay before I could leave it on my chair for a minute while I went to the restroom, so I carefully placed it on the chair of my stand partner, who wasn't there that day, thinking that her chair would be safer since it was further from the pathway used by the other players to get in and out of the pit. Well let's just say that was a BIG mistake, I got back to the pit just in time to see a clarinet player knock over a stand which hit my violin causing a very small crack and a couple of dents in the varnish on the top of my violin, fortunately it was only a $120 repair and the school even payed for it but it definately taught me a thing or two about caring for a string instrument.
December 16, 2004
28 replies
"Best" editions, baroque violin music?
Lillian replied to techfiddle's topic in The Fingerboard
Only a facimilie would have baroque notation as it is essentially a "photocopy" of the original handwritten score. AS I understand it a urtext edition is essentially the facimilie changed to modern notation, meaning it has no bowings and/or fingerings that have been added by an editor that difer from the original, but it is in modern notation. Other editions not Urtext or Facsimilies are usually edited without any regard to preserving original bowings/fingerings/ornamentation ( for example the composer may have written a group of 4 16th notes w/o slures and the editor may decide that they would work better slured in groups of 2 in a urtext edition this would be noted as difering from the orginal(if it is included at all) but in a regular edition it is likely that no distinction will be made).
August 27, 2004
9 replies
Audition excerpts
When preparing orchestral excerpts for an audition, what, if any, double stops and/or chords should be played. Should I just assume that they would be played divisi and just play the top line? if so, how would I treat 3 and 4 note chords would I just play the top one or 2 notes?
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Hidden on a bustling side street in London, this restaurant was first opened in 2007 by brothers Sam and Eddie Hart. They now have opened a second Barrafina as of July 2014 on Adelaide Street in Covent Garden (again, unreserved with 29 stools). The restaurant is small and casual. Inside, stools surround the open kitchen, and if you're lucky, you may be able to snag just one of them. Outside, a few tables are conveniently placed perfect for people watching.
The restaurant's menu consists of traditional and contemporary tapas. Headed by Executive chef Nieves Barragan Mohacho, the food is pure, fresh, and full of distinctive Spanish flavor. The restaurant recently earned their first Michelin star and is rated as one of the top 100 restaurants by TimeOut London. So my expectations: must be delicious.
We arrived at 2:15pm on a Monday with a queue inside. Seven people were ahead of us and we were told that we may be turned away (the restaurant closes at 3:00pm). Luckily, we were the last two to be taken and as a result, we ordered our dishes within 2 minutes, whilst standing waiting in the queue to be seated. Word of advice: go early or go home!
CHORIZO IBERICO DE BELLOTA (£6.00): The spicy oil from the chorizo coats your mouth in every bite. It is one of those dishes where if you want a good chorizo, you order this dish.
COURGETTE FLOWER (£7.80): My favorite dish. This dish is probably one of the best courgette (zucchini) flowers I've ever had. Literally. The tempura batter was fried to perfection. And when you take that first bite, it oozes out a mild cheese that goes perfectly well with the tempura and courgette. I shared this dish, but I probably should have ordered one for myself cause it is quite small and well worth it.
OCTOPUS WITH CAPERS (£9.80): Imagine a delicate octopus, sliced, grilled and seasoned with the most delectable Spanish spices. Well, then you have this dish. The briny capers cut through the richness of this dish. The octopus was cooked perfectly and definitely did not have that rubber-like texture that many do when overcooked.
JAMON AND SPINACH TORTILLA (£7.00): This was my least favorite dish. The texture seemed to be a bit off. Everything from the sauce in the tortilla, to the spinach and the ham just seemed like a soggy mess. Probably best to order the original tortilla.
HAM CROQUETAS (£4.50 FOR 2): This dish was pretty good. The outside was crunchy the way a croqueta should be. Inside, trickled a bit of cheese and ham. This was definitely a creamy, heavy dish so two per order seemed about right.
WILD SEA BREAM (£12.80 FROM THE SPECIAL): This was a good fish. It was definitely fresh and you can taste the lemon and garlic infused to the fish. Skin was slightly crispy, which was ideal. The white fish definitely wasn't too pungent. Once you butcher the fish, run it through the olive oil sauce that the fish is marinated in. It finishes off the fish nicely.
KARMA DE DRAC 2011 (£6.00 FOR 125ML GLASS): This was a perfect red. Not too bold and heavy but quite light. It went perfectly well with the dishes and didn't seem to contrast any of the dishes too much. A must order.
Overall, it was a lovely meal from start to finish. We each paid approximately £40 for a drink and all the dishes. The only con is the fact that there are no reservations taken. Would I recommend this place again? Definitely! Only one bad dish amongst the many ordered!
Posted by Nancy Kuy at 6:57 PM
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I'm often known amongst my friends as "Piglet Nancy." So, in reference to my nickname, I've created a Piglet rating system.
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We live, simultaneously, in two different worlds. Ultimately, we live in the World of Nature, a world that we did not create and the world upon which all life depends. Most immediately, we inhabit a "human world" that we create ourselves. Because our human world is the result of our own choices and actions, we can say, quite properly, that we live, most immediately, in a “political world.” In this blog, I hope to explore the interaction of these two worlds that we call home.
I was an elected official in Santa Cruz County, California for twenty years, from 1975 to 1995. Now, I am an environmental attorney, practicing law in Santa Cruz County. If you would like to contact me, send me an email at [email protected].
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Saturday, May 9, 2020
Does Mexico actually have something to teach us about self-government? That is what Joe Mathews contends. Mathews writes columns for the San Francisco Chronicle, among other things, and on February 22, 2020, he made the case that "Mexico City Should Be California's Capital."
Mexico City was California's national capital for one quarter of the 19th Century, as Mathews points out, and Mathews is wishing it could be California's capital once again. Here is some of his reasoning:
I’ve been visiting Mexico City regularly to plan a direct democracy conference there ... and ... I wonder whether Mexico City’s advances in democratic sovereignty might inspire Californians as we defend ourselves against the U.S. government.
Until the past decade, Mexico City and Washington were both federal districts — the Distrito Federal and the District of Columbia — with limited local power. That’s still true in D.C. But in recent years, Mexico City has established itself as its own Mexican state. This new state needed a new constitution ... so Mexico City embraced an unusually participatory process, with a constitutional assembly of citizens and an online method that allowed citizens to propose constitutional provisions via Change.org ... In the end, online proposals on parks, gay rights and disabled rights were included in the constitution, [which] created openings for forms of participatory and direct democracy, like the ones we use in California. But the document went even further, giving mayors and city halls to Mexico City’s 16 alcadías, or boroughs, and giving neighborhoods more control over public resources. This structure is already producing more small public spaces, and greater attention to neighborhood concerns. Imagine how transformational this model might be in California, where local communities suffer under a governing system that centralizes power in Sacramento ...
Another constitutional article, “Global City,” commits Mexico City to “peace, solidarity, hospital and asylum” and to cooperation with other cities and countries on international initiatives. If only California had a national capital with that welcoming policy, instead of a Washington committed to nativism and protectionism.
If the Chronicle's paywall prevents you from reading the rest of Mathews article, you can get an even more extensive explanation of Mexico City's new constitution by clicking this link, to access an article in CityLab by Gregory Scruggs. If you can read Spanish, you might also want to read the new constitution itself, dated 5 de Febrero de 2017.
What Mathews likes most is the citizen participation process that led to the adoption of the new Mexico City constitution. Plus its commitment to what we have always called "local control." In fact, I have mentioned Mathews' commitment to local control in an earlier blog post, too.
I would like to think that Californians have not forgotten what makes self-government work. Citizen participation - participation by ordinary people - is what makes self-government work. That's true in Mexico, and it's true in California, too.
I would also like to think that we have not forgotten about the advantages of what we used to call "local control." That principle of "local control" asserts that many of the opportunities we have, and many of the challenges we face, are best addressed by local government, as long as local government is able to command the resources necessary to take action. Why is "local control" better? Well, because it is at the local level that ordinary persons can actually be effective, and so that's where self-government can best produce its benefits.
If we have forgotten those lessons - and I must admit that there are some good reasons to believe that we might have - then I think both Mathews and CityLab are on to something, and it's time we took some lessons from Mexico!
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It might be you’re on the way home from a long drive or ride. We’ve all done it at some point, we relax; we’re nearly home. That lovely cup of tea you’ve been gagging for is so close. I wish I could train the cat to turn the kettle on. That’s when it’s dangerous. Our concentration isn’t what it should be. Accidents close to home are very common indeed.
It’s a holiday weekend and the curtain forecast (that’s the one that you see when you look out the window) is low cloud and a slight drizzle. Looking north, cloud. Looking south, cloud. It was only a drizzle though. I have the day off and I’ve wakened early – well, early by my standards; some folk, like Andy & Ellen, have already been living the dream and have made / served breakfast to their B&B guests at Glengarry House before I have even tipped myself out of bed. Best B&B in the area by the way!
I knew though that it was the right time to head out for a wee spin on Smoggy before the traffic levels got silly. It was a holiday weekend, so timing was crucial to get a decent run. I headed out on my favourite route for breakfast. Smashing. 10 degrees, low clouds and a slight drizzle. It’s ok though, for that there’s my faithful Visorcat. If you don’t have one, you should. A wee sponge held within a cunningly clever visor wiper. Just remember when you get your first splat of the dreaded midge this year, to have your Visorcat suitably charged up with cleaning fluid. If it’s not, it’s a bit gooey.
Where was I? Oh yes, Glencoe. Lovely, just lovely. So often I ride and drive through this fabulously atmospheric glen and wish for a helmet cam. It’s not about stunning blue sky and dry roads, just like the picture at the top of my blog. It’s about low cloud, the mountains crying with the rain water flowing out of mini waterfalls which, at other times, are invisible. It’s at that moment, which happened to Andy recently, you come round a corner and there’s a bus stopped in the middle of the road, decanting passengers to take pictures of the stunning, noisy waterfall in Glencoe. Luckily, today I had the road to myself. It was superb. I wish I had had company.
You have to take care though. What can you see? What can’t you see? What can you reasonably expect to happen? Campervan > tourists > traffic mounting up behind it > move to a safe position to see and be seen.
Pretty much all the way through Glencoe I had the road to myself. All the way to Café Stalker. They’ve changed the name for some reason, however, I will continue to call it that. The View & Co is it’s new name. I had a lovely breakfast, gluten free toast, black pudding and scrambled eggs. Yum.
Onwards, the traffic was picking up and the drizzle was gathering momentum. I was however working the brain hard. I was not taking the route for granted, it’s too easy to get lazy, just because you know a road and it’s every pothole, lump, bump and hazard, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it with respect. I worked on my road craft, reading the limit point of vision and asking myself on a regular basis, could I really stop in the distance I can see to be clear? I wish some of the ‘heads down; arse up’ weekend warriors up this way, would consider this more often when they ride at silly speeds on the straights and then have to throw an anchor out in (non)anticipation of the impending corner. Sadly, many have pocket rockets and think it’s cool to whoosh past people, so fast they can’t possibly have time to think of the consequences, consider road signs or think about ‘what if?’
So, why was I ‘thinking’ so much? You need to practice. As much as we, as Advanced Riders or drivers, may have reached the unconscious competence level of our learning, where things aren’t ‘clunky’ any more, our moves are smooth, deliberate, safe, systematic, whilst being progressive. Sometimes we just need to go out and talk through our ride. We are going to have to use radios for observed runs soon, so going out and doing a commentary is a good thing. We are expected to do demo rides with commentary on occasions, so be prepared to need lots of water after a run like this!
Have you had many instinctive moments? When you see a possible overtake, but the wee voice in your head says, “Nope, there’s a car coming.” I would say 99% of the time my instinct is correct. Follow your instinct. If you think it may not be safe, the chances are, it’s not. For that matter, if you hesitate, it could cost you. Most importantly, think about your riding. It’s not what you know, in particular, on familiar roads; it’s about what you can see. Take in the information, then take appropriate action. Think. Don’t be a victim on your own doorstep.
It was a lovely ride. The weather wasn’t great, but that’s what practice is all about. The traffic to home was heavy from Dalmally, I still made reasonable progress though. It made me realise that it had been a good plan to get out early. By 1pm I had a good couple of quality hours on Smoggy. Power washed, tucked up in the garage. Time for lunch and the feet up. Lovely.
Summer holiday is here →
One comment on “Close to home. Be wise.”
June 17, 2014 at 2:40 pm
Thanks for the mention Fiona! And you’re right about instinct. Managed to avoid a lorry on a blind bend today because of t!
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Along with the stacks and stacks of data that organizations are generating and must manage, the deep foundation of established systems and solutions is not only highly protected, it adds to the challenge of digital transformation. Often the things that are holding manufacturers back are the things that can’t be compromised. With low-code applications, organizations can finally make use of the data while keeping the core systems clean to produce the analytics that have been missing. Finally, the gaps of the ecosystem can be filled with low-code applications without customization and compromise.
How to access data where and when it is needed while keeping the existing ecosystem in place.
How to extend existing systems and solutions using low-code
How to create personalized experiences for employees, partners, and customers
How low-code can help identify business and operational trends and gain insights into the necessary response to the trends
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This Study Guide consists of approximately 53 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Book of Lost Things.
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The Book of Lost Things Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the following sections:
Characters
This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.
David is a youngster when his mother falls ill. He develops elaborate routines in the hope that he can save her but she has to go into a hospital for the terminally ill. David and his father spend long hours traveling to visit his mother and he feels a sense of something akin to relief when his mother dies. He immediately feels guilty for that feeling.
David and his father live in London and war has prompted most families to send their children to the country where they can be safer. David and his father remain in London only a short time after his mother's death before David's father marries a woman named Rose. She was a nurse at the hospital where his mother died and David resents Rose's presence from the beginning. They move to Rose's house in the country. Rose and David's father soon have a son. David's half-brother, Georgie, takes up a lot of time and attention. David resents Georgie and this resentment grows to a level that David can think of little else.
David hears books talking to him and discovers that one of the books belonged to Rose's uncle, Jonathan, who disappeared when he was a child. A young girl named Anna, adopted into the family, disappeared with Jonathan. David is curious about their fate. David then hears his mother's voice calling to him from the garden behind Rose's house. David enters a crack in the garden wall and steps out of a hollow tree into a magical land that David calls Elsewhere.
He believes his mother is trapped there and he wants to find her. He leaves the tree behind and the Woodsman soon finds him. The Woodsman tells David that the king of the land has a magical book, “The Book of Lost Things,” and that the answers to David's questions might be found in that book. However, they are threatened by Loups, creatures that are half wolf, half man. David and the Woodsman are trapped at a bridge guarded by trolls, and David has to destroy the bridge, leaving the Woodsman on the other side. The Woodsman doesn't die, though David believes he must have.
David continues his trek and encounters magical beings, including a woman with magical salve who switches the heads of children and animals using the salve to connect the heads to their new bodies. David manages to escape only to find himself facing other dangers. He meets Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and discovers that they are not as he'd always imagined. He eventually meets a knight named Roland who helps David learn to defend himself.
Through it all, the Crooked Man follows David, helping David make it to the castle. There, David discovers that the king, now near death, is Jonathan, and that the Crooked Man feeds on the anger of children who are jealous of their younger siblings and friends. The Crooked Man promises that David and Georgie can rule this kingdom together but David sees the Crooked Man for the trickster he is. He helps destroy the Crooked Man just as the Woodsman arrives and helps David accept that his mother is truly dead. The Woodsman then helps David return home but says David may choose to return to this land someday.
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Resume Buzzwords: Are You Really a Dynamic Team Player? One is smart and logical, the other is playful and fun. Go ahead and say what a difference you made at your last gig. Both Bert and Ernie bring something to the table. Resume words that add horsepower to any resume. But would these words work on a resume? But if they check your references and this is 10 degrees different from. Conversely, they can also benefit a project or final product due to unique perspectives and influences. Java developer looking at work contributes by a sales in for team member compensates for. Scott Pelley reports on the effort to gather and maintain the evidence against Assad. As a result, this word should only appear on your resume if you actually are considered an expert authority. If you have relevant success stories about collaboration, put them on your resume. AM AWESOME and I deserve to get a fantastic job because I have the talent and creativity to excel at it! Writing this on your resume or cover letter is selling yourself short. One of the most important aspects of collaborating well is being open to and accepting of new ideas. The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement. HR manager, and you read hundreds, even thousands, of resumes every day. We recommend that you select a photo where you are in a game situation, so that you can show your athleticism and physical condition. You want words that will sting like a bee and get their attention. Learn more about the features available and how they make each recruiting task easier. Her resume templates and career advice have helped hundreds find their dream jobs. Your name height, birthdate, playing position and nationality should lead the player resume. This software will search your resume for keywords associated with the job.
Make the resume for team player, but those phrases
And having the right skill set can help collaboration thrive. Programmed a fully interactive customer order system using PHP. Effective collaboration requires a lot from your people. Read original data insights to boost your reporting. Keep These Words Off Your Resume If You Want The Job. Think of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. Use up and down arrow keys to navigate. Tweaking your resume for each different job description will ensure a higher level of getting called in for an interview. If your search reveals that the job duties are done in a team environment, it will likely be beneficial to list team player skills on your resume. Come together and set a goal to submit your campaign a week in advance of the deadline. Would you like to read a statement from someone who uses the words boring, boredom, dull and fed up. It cannot be a paragraph, but it starts by not standing back and saying what you think of yourself. For example, does your team need to become more familiar with each other, or do they need to recover from a conflict? This word doc resume can offer like your best chance of player for team resume action verbs instead on them actively and what you. Milanote would get the locker room for power words can be pithy and most overseas basketball resume genius writing your resume verbs to create one for team resume. The best compilation of helpful news, updates, and resources related to mobile apps that you can use on your own device, daily. Rather than describe your job, resume action verbs paint a vivid picture of your expertise and professional wins. Start building your resume here. Power words help show off your top achievements in the best way possible. Use instead of the work and make a particular position, it with experiences together on your day daily in creating and resume for. Set yourself apart from the rest of the applicants by not saying these things or putting them on your resume. Plus, you can segue this into concrete examples of how you used your communication skills to problem solve. Describe what your skills abilities and accomplishments are in your rsum. Thus, nearly every word you include in your resume can either help get you noticed or knock you out of contention.
Use the resume action words above to show what you communicated. Redirects to a secure LA address version of the current page. Most lists of resume words are kind of like a junk drawer. Always make sure that what you are saying is true. Have you ever wondered where a diamond comes from? Action Verbs and Transferable Skills. Why should we hire you? Copyright The Closure Library Authors. Advanced, Amplified, Enacted, Enhanced, Expedited, Lifted, Outpaced, Produced, Stimulated. The most comphrensive, helpful news on the cover letter including how to write one, best practices for doing so and getting noticed by hiring managers. In this article, we discuss what a team player resume is, when you should use one and how you can create one of your own. Does your resume need a spring clean? Did you leave the company you worked for better than when you came in? Words such as skillfully, effectively, carefully, quickly, and expert can hurt more than they help. Getting together in a less formal setting will encourage better communication, sharing, and bonding between team members. How many hours of training did you give? Active listening is the act of making an effort to focus intently on one person as they share their ideas, thoughts or feelings. Playing striker for club and high school teams, both alone and with a second striker. And huddle rooms bring to team player are pretty straightforward way on your coworkers who wrote it with a check out any of the team member should only be? But many people say them. Whereas the second example is professional and leaves a much more powerful impact. An empathetic employee is conscious of those around them, their feelings and potentially their emotional triggers. Team goals can vary widely depending on your company objective or the needs of your team. The people who have the best chance of getting lost in the shuffle are the people who use general statements.
Nlp phrases when making a career change should say that
Flexibility describes someone who can quickly adapt to changes. So how do you set yourself apart from the rest of the pack? If you are asking that question right now, read on. Resume Keywords are centered around your base skills. Show them their efforts are not taken for granted. How to write a resume profile summary. Here are five examples of resume power words that outshine their blander cousins. Want to fill their collaboration can identify areas of the workplace environment, and concrete achievements to describe your professional. It comes with quantserve to name it each level of player resume will be very idea of the browser as belonging to organize your attention to add your videos. Write an actual achievement pertaining to a responsibility rather than the responsibility itself, Spathis advises. And I deserve respect! She has experience in the social impact space in Baltimore, Maryland, the educational museum sphere in Columbus, Ohio, and the literary world of New York City. Tip: What if you land the interview, then they ask you to describe yourself in three words? Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages. As such- many of the questions asked have different layers- and candidates who do not address a few of. Using specific numbers is more effective at emphasizing the enormity of the budget, and also gives the hiring manager a clear idea of your abilities. What Are You Passionate About? The colllection of a student affairs and productivity of player for team? When ideas are in their infancy, search for what is interesting and ask questions. Take a look at the list below. It teaches the value of teams, one team is better than an individual. Nikoletta Bika was a senior writer at Workable for nearly four and a half years. Effective teams typically have a leader who is visionary, inspiring and hardworking.
Air and what exactly why are team player for resume possess them get
Mark Hofmann bombings with his love of true crime stories. Most organizations already have a resident detail obsessive. You can write them down or just chat about them openly. Think back to your most positive experiences. Everyone must feel safe enough to speak their mind. HRs and Recruiters can figure that out too. Use each one only once if you can help it. Want more teamwork tips? Practicing honesty and transparency at work might mean working through a disagreement, explaining that you were not able to complete a certain task on time or sharing difficult updates. Demonstrate your strong points by using particular phrases or skills to describe yourself, such as hardworking, dedicated or enthusiastic. They are majorly sourced from the Job Description, which indicate the priorities of the recruiter, the skills which the organization is looking for. While you want to stand out from the competition, you also want to keep things professional. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Give an example of how you worked hard or how you went above and beyond doing something that was not required for your job. The latest, most relevant news on remote work including how to effectively and efficiently work remotely, the future of this type of work and more. You have already applied for this job. Give us a shout out in the comments below! Before that I covered law and lawyers for journalistic stickler, harsh taskmaster and the best teacher a young reporter could have had, Steven Brill. Your resume is a biopic and you need to sell it with a great trailer: a professional resume summary statement. Want to be found by top employers? Setting goals as a team is a process that requires collaboration and communication. Check the resume words list below. Creating a team player resume involves changing a few key aspects of your resume. Indeed is not a career or legal advisor and does not guarantee job interviews or offers. Connect with our team of Workable experts and other industry professionals.
As they are desirable for team resume, or coaches that
Your dynamic personality will come through in the interview. Take a look at these various basketball resume examples. We need to go do a little research about the company first. Star teams since John Stockton and Karl Malone. See perfect cover letter samples that get jobs. Many verbs, of course, describe actions. How Should Sports Be Played On A Resume? But this is not all. Am awesome and playing position as they go ahead of the ability to describe your skill to maintaining the priorities of them for team player resume verbs be? Anyone can help recruiters and assigns a player for how should be difficult to include in the hiring manager may have access to managers love it also says the best bet is? In your skills section, only use adjectives to emphasize your level of skill with a given technique or tool. By allowing cold vendors to do is updated every time the visitor to use to substantiate your team player for resume. While your team may share a group objective, each team member should have assigned responsibilities and individual milestones. Which Should You Use? If the job description lists desired qualities for a candidate, you should consider using those words on your resume. She also enjoys applying her operational skills to plan family trips abroad as often as possible. Remember that buzzwords are not everything. Great team players listen actively and consider and understand different points of view in the team. Now you can write an even current position as an actual achievement pertaining to change and for resume with you use cookies that will be able to. People write the whole thing about what they think about themselves. Then let the employer decide. While the thought of having someone look over your resume can be intimidating, the more eyes that scrutinize over it, the better. Whether it was a good season or not, you need to have all of your information in there. The frequency of your team building exercises should also be considered. Hopefully, this list helps you better know what not to include in your resume.
Are you have a clear
One for resume action to
Everton America is a premier youth soccer club based in Norwalk CT.
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Motivate them with power words if you will after relatives patience, kind of player for team members have provided
The resume for
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In this day and age, teamwork and synergy is the way to go.
Employee
Looking for a conflict with customers as for team player resume for example of work and reorganizing workloads
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Encountering this hose-nozzle meme during a particularly dark time spent online has filled my head with nonsense. I am a lover of nonsense, so you’re welcome and I’m sorry, AMA. Shower is for show, and the jet setting is straight-up violent. Mist, while unremarkable, is just a kind choice. You may have noticed mist tents punctuating festival grounds this summer — clusters of people enduring it’s light sprinkling effects, or cooling rooms where one could be misted without the festival ticket. We needed the sentimentality of mist this summer — while taking in the festival season, or coughing alone in our rooms. Discorder has covered the festival season before, but this year just feels tender. It reads like we’ve hung on to every note. Looking at my camera roll now, the primary story it tells about This Vancouver Summer™ is that I’d been terrified of forgetting it. And that was true. I was also terrified of not having the best time of my entire life, which is a destructive hegemony that distorts reality by totally expunging the shit-side of things. YOLO-ethics. The greatest counter argument to all this, is that I think we all just want to experience the saccharine again, and that should be OK. For as long as I’ve paid attention, sentimentality has been a cardinal cultural sin — to say an album is sentimental is perforce to damn it. To align it with the generic — at it’s most charitable — or inflated Hallmark-ism at worst. Mastering one’s emotions, being ‘rational’’ is a time-honored neo-liberal imperative, there’s a reason cool is called “cool.” But when we relax our constant vigil against looking or feeling ridiculous in order to feel the thing deep in our gut, great songs are written. Art feels cathartic. In other words, get in the mister-tent, loser. Occasionally it pays off.
In a review of the JAM studios exhibition, What Is Love, Sophia Ohler writes, “Treating the intimate as sacred, Vee explores the power of love to transform the everyday into art. I was confronted with the private, yet universal nature of the sort of revelation Vee was getting at: although I may not understand the emotional significance of a lamp for the artist, we’ve all experienced a moment caught in time, when the banal is magnified, and given meaning through love, or grief. ” There is no ambiguity here, what was good about the work was that it was not just life exaggerated, but life uninhibited. It reminded me what it feels like to love something uncontrived. To be intrigued by something unusual on a personal, almost private level. This issue also welcomes new writer, Coraline Thomas who interviews Flower Bomb collective — allowing them to radiate outward from the personal and the near at hand.
Fuck it — this is a love song,
~T
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My relationship with the term ‘vibes’ follows the fool’s journey of new slang: At first I found it irritating, then I started using it ironically, which lead to using it in earnest, and now I use so often it’s at least meta-ironic, and definitely the expense of my sanity. Vibes operate as a form of loose connection — opening up a world of referential possibility with no explanation required. This cafe has wine-mom vibes. Solidarity is the opposite of bad vibes. I’ve been vibed out of Toronto. What keeps me tethered to the word is it’s impressive ability to die on the vine. It offers complete meaninglessness. “Anything that’s vaguely popular online must be defined or decoded and ultimately, reduced to a bundle of marketable vibes with a kitschy label,” writes Terry Nguyen in “What Is A Trend Anymore?” No longer just embarrassing slang, vibes truly represent the notion of rapid disposability. Vibes are the neoliberal management of difference. Its shallowness renders art and human endeavor so static that it can no longer be ‘good’ or even quite ‘beautiful’ but something more like ‘readable.’ On the whole, my concern is more that, in reducing things to vibes, I’m indulging in something deeply avoidant — filling my head with loose-ends without actually having to do the anxious, repetitive, boring or awkward work of finding meaning for myself.
Which is something I think this issue does particularly well. I won’t lie to you and say that being part of this masthead does not bestow me with a certain degree of power over what we end up talking about. However, I can’t take credit for the ways in which writers find meaning for themselves. Writers have to find something to open up, they have no easy way out. Platitudes can only get you so far with a 2000 word count. Take, for example, the inner-monologue which Atira Naik crafts in her profile of local artist, Ma$$ank. She writes — “I decided to present her with the analysis I wrote the night before, at my desk under candlelight with the picture of my High-school English teacher smiling graciously upon me.” Or, the way Phoebe Telfar begins to shake out a conversation about conversations with Abril Soewarso-Rivera from the Van podcast, Love In Public. This issue also features the line, “Punitive Damage plays punk like a chainsaw fighting a barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat.” So, yeah. Get in loser, we’re going beyond a single vibe.
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Dapper Day is an unofficial themed day at Disneyland where people come to enjoy the magic in style. The day is celebrated by park guests twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, by dressing up in vintage clothing reminiscent of when the park opened in 1955.
On November 6, one guest at the park’s cosplay outfit was so convincing that cast members at the park did a double-take. Bill Burns and his wife Jane dressed up as Walt and Lillian Disney and Bill looked so much like Uncle Walt that he caused a stir among park employees.
Bill later told Good Morning America that park employees were saying, “Walt is in the park” when he arrived. For many, it must have been like seeing a ghost, because Bill has an uncanny resemblance to Disney with his mustache and period-perfect suit.
A magical moment was caught on camera when Bill, as Walt, was seen interacting with a cast member dressed as Mickey Mouse. "Mickey stops and literally is staring," Bill told Good Morning America. "And then Mickey snapped out of it and you saw the hug. And that hug was a long hug as hugs go for the characters. It was extremely genuine. The cast member was stunned."
Bill’s appearance at the park is about a lot more than wowing people with his resemblance to Disney. He wants to inspire people in the same way the park’s creator has.
He got into cosplay with his wife back in 2014 but things changed after he was diagnosed with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, a rare form of cancer. While undergoing chemotherapy he realized he could help uplift others through his hobby.
“While I was sitting in the chair for many hours I thought ‘if I make it through this, I’m going to do everything I can with this hobby to try to influence people and inspire them’.” He went on to say, “Life does go on and you can spread that life and that joy to many other people who are suffering through this.”
Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer in 2020, had a big influence on Bill's decision to inspire others. He told Good Morning America that “during the movies he was going through treatment and he kept going. He was going to inspire people and show them that even though your time is limited … you can spread inspiration. That made a huge impact on me. Because that’s what I want to do. I’m hoping I can just do a fraction of what he did.”
Seeing Walt Disney return to Disneyland for a day does conjure up feelings of magic and inspiration. The idea that the man who created Mickey Mouse and Disneyland would return to his creation, 56 years after his death, is pretty touching. Would he like how the park has changed? Would he know what “Star Wars” is about? Would he scoff at the prices?
Bill also gave us a great reminder of the power that Walt Disney has had over our imaginations and culture. He’s also a wonderful embodiment of his spirit. It’s easy to forget that among all of the other iconic Disney entertainment, it all started with one man’s vision—and that vision still inspires so much wonder and magic.
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A young man asked a 100-year-old veteran to go to Disneyland with him. It's a lesson in kindness.
You're never too old for a day of joy.
Isaiah Garza took a 100-year-old veteran to Disneyland for a day of joy.
Isaiah Garza knows a thing or two about struggle. Having lived in poverty and been in and out of homelessness growing up, the Los Angeles-based designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and public speaker hasn't traveled an easy road, but has always felt compelled to make life better for others and inspire future generations.
Thanks to Rihanna being photographed wearing one of his jewelry designs on the cover of a French magazine, Garza has gotten to fulfill his dream. His successful design business has enabled him to spend a chunk of his money and time making people's days a little brighter and sharing the effects of simple, kind and generous acts on social media.
For example, Garza recently invited a 100-year-old veteran he bumped into to spend a day with him at Disneyland. The man uses a walker, and most people probably wouldn't think to ask a centenarian with mobility challenges if they want to go to a theme park, but the day they had together speaks to the power of reaching out without assumptions about limitations.
Garza's video begins with him approaching the gentleman as he's out for a walk.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Garza says, "but I've had a really rough day. I just wanted to see if you would be willing to go to Disneyland with me today?"
Right off the bat, the ask is a lesson in kindness. Garza isn't saying, "Here, let me do this nice thing for you," but rather he's asking the gentleman to do him a favor by accompanying him.
The man's surprised reaction was understandable, but he said yes. What do you have to lose at 100? What followed was a delightful day for both of them as the man got to experience a day of Disney magic, which somehow always manages to work no matter what your age.
Watch and enjoy:
I took a 100 year old veteran to Disneyland & we became best friends #disneyland #kindness #friends #veteran #bestfriends
When the man tells Garza, "I thought my life was over," it's clear how much this day meant to him. When we're young, we're often so busy that we don't recognize that not everyone lives like we do. Older people often get lonely and can easily be overlooked by society, and Garza approaching this man with a Disney day invitation let him know he wasn't forgotten.
It also told him that he was seen as a full human with agency and capacity. Not many people see an old man with a walker and think, "I bet he'd like to go spend a day at Disneyland," but look how happy it made him. Assumptions about what people who are older or people with mobility issues can do—or what they might want to do—can cause us to miss out on mutually enjoyable experiences. Perhaps not everyone this gentleman's age would enjoy something as energy-filled as a day at Disney, but you never know, and it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
Imagine if each of us reached out to an elderly neighbor and invited them to do something fun with us. It doesn't have to be a full day at a theme park—it could be a museum tour, a walk in the park, a coffee, a movie date and so on. Just the simple act of reaching out to let them know they are remembered and valued can make a big difference, but taking the time to share some joy together can be life-changing.
Garza's kind and thoughtful approach is one we can all learn from and emulate. Thanks for showing us that it doesn't take an enormous amount of effort to make the lives of those around us a whole lot richer and brighter.
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Disneyland princess delights young girl by speaking to her using sign language
The Disney magic is real!
As if Disneyland wasn't magical enough, the parks have been working to be more inclusive of all of their guests and recently a girl named Zoe Tapley got to experience it herself. Zoe is deaf and when her family was visiting Disneyland recently she was doing her rounds meeting the characters, when the woman dressed as Ana from Frozen began using American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. The special moment was caught on camera by Zoe's mom Jeanette Tapley who shared it to her TikTok page where it has racked up over two million views and over 450,000 likes.
This trip was Zoe's second trip to Disneyland but according to her mom, this was the first time she has had an interaction with a character that knew ASL. When asked what Zoe's reaction was to the encounter, Tapley told Upworthy, "Zoe was in shock. She was so excited to be chatting with a Princess without my husband or I having to jump in and assist her. She just kept saying, “Wow!!!” We all just cried because it was so special and surprising!" But this isn't Disney's first rodeo with including ASL for their characters. In 2016 a video went viral of Captain America using ASL to communicate with a guest.
When Princess Anna can sign and have a full conversation with my deaf child. 🥹 Zoe has never been able to chat with a princess without Jesse or myself interpreting. This was magical. Thank you Princess Anna for making our trip so special! #deafchildren #asl #americansignlanguage #BigInkEnergy #fyp #feelgood #inclusionmatters @Disney Parks @Disneyland California
Disneyland has been working on becoming more inclusive of their deaf and hard of hearing guests since 2010 and it's pretty evident that they are starting to see the fruits of their labor. Tapley said, "Disneyland actually has some great services for hearing impaired and early in that trip we went and watched a show that had interpreters. It is based off a schedule that is found on Disney’s website," She continued, "you don’t realize how un deaf friendly theme parks are until you are wandering around with your deaf child. With Zoe we just try to make her aware of her surrounding and have check in spots."
Tapley explains that the more deaf friendly a place like Disney can be the better. When you aren't hard of hearing or deaf and aren't exposed to the population, you may not realize how difficult it can be to navigate places like an amusement park. It takes places listening to different communities and people of differing abilities to know what is helpful over harmful. Tapley told Upworthy, "When deaf friends can come in and feel safe and included wow! What a gift! I think it would make for a more popular travel destination and it would make Disney stand apart!"
Zoe and Princess Ana
The entire interaction left the family feeling pretty good, including the little notes Zoe has been getting from fans of the video. "We are just so thankful. Zoe has loved reading notes from people, she feels seen and loved and it’s been really fun to know that she is not alone. We are SO incredible thankful to Princess Ana for loving our family like this. We are forever bonded and I believe that she will be Zoe’s favorite princess for all of time," Tapley said.
This sure is a moment to remember. Hopefully in the future more kids like Zoe get to meet their favorite character who can communicate with them as they do with other guests.
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Disney's grand vision of the 21st Century is a reminder of the world that can still await us
The 21st century began on Jan. 1, 2001, but for Disney fans it had been in full swing for more than 18 years, since the opening day of EPCOT Center on Oct. 1, 1982, when a sleek and optimistic vision of the future debuted in a theme park unlike any other built before or since.
Late last year, Disney started a massive overhaul of EPCOT, which will see more Disney characters and brands added to the park, and update many of its attractions for the actual 21st century – which has arguably proved a fair deal bleaker and less promising than the happy visions Disney conceived for EPCOT.
Disney's version contained daily flights to space, boundless energy, harmony with the earth and its oceans, pollution-free transportation, and a unifying message of peace and unity among people from every nation. The future didn't quite turn out that way.
But even back in 1982, it was something of a fiction. Grounded in the harsh reality of the time, it was a quintessential Disney wish that got its start in the 1950s, as Walt Disney was readying Disneyland. Even the most devoted Disney enthusiast rarely sees past the rides, shows, restaurants and shops when they go to Disneyland, but Walt Disney and his engineers (long before they were "Imagineers") saw something far different: urban planning. So impressive was Disney's ability to make something out of nothing that James Rouse, designer of the first enclosed shopping center in America said in 1963, "the greatest piece of urban design in the United States today is Disneyland."
An avid traveler, Walt Disney had also spent much time visiting cities around the world – and around the country – and by the early 1960s he was growing concerned about the state of American cities, but eager to explore solutions he saw internationally. His interest became an obsession, and by the mid-1960s he was wholeheartedly turning his company from a film studio into a think-tank devoted to creating a prototype community filled with experimental technology from around the world.
He called the city EPCOT – the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. To help fund it, and to draw even more attention to it, he placed it within the confines of "Disney World," the gigantic project his company was building in Central Florida. Building the theme park proved relatively easy; but when it come to the "city of tomorrow," even his closest aides were confounded by the visions and ideas Walt Disney had proposed. "He had come to fear that EPCOT would not be built if anything happened to him," biographer Neil Gabler wrote in Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination. On Dec. 15, 1966, Walt Disney died.
So, for a time, EPCOT died. Its vision of a future created by corporations and big industries, supported by governments and social unity, was undone by the violence, unrest and distrust of the 1960s. Yet, a decade after Walt Disney died, EPCOT began moving ahead.
The idea of a "real" city that housed research-and-development arms of major corporations, staffed by people from around the world, fell away quickly, but at EPCOT's core was the belief that the ideas and innovations of companies, and the imagination of the people who worked for them around the globe, could serve to inspire the future. These two competing notions of technological innovation and of cultural cooperation were initially proposed as two parks, until, inspiration struck.
"We found that we couldn't get enough sponsorship for both," remembered Marty Sklar, who went on to head Walt Disney Imagineering, "so we pushed the two of them together, basically, and that became EPCOT Center." The building, transportation and management codes that had been created for development of the city formed the backbone of the entire Walt Disney World resort development, so the 43-square-mile complex became known as "EPCOT," while the theme park would be at its geographical heart – it would be, literally, the EPCOT Center.
Those two sections that were initially separate parks were joined and became Future World and World Showcase. A massive marketing campaign supported what was then the single largest construction project in the world – no small feat, considering a global recession that gripped the world in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a company, Disney was undaunted. "EPCOT Center is a celebration of ingenuity, innovation, imagination … and most of all … hope for the future," the company wrote in its 1982 annual report. "We believe we need optimism in our world because a society just can't progress without the belief that life will be good, that individual enterprise will bring its own rewards and that the great nations of the world will be guided on the right course with a better informed public." Disney called EPCOT "the dawn of a new Disney era."
Instead of single rides, massive pavilions contained long, elaborate attractions that explored key concepts vital to the future: communication (in Spaceship Earth), energy (Universe of Energy), the environment (The Land), transportation (World of Motion), imagination (Journey Into Imagination) and, after EPCOT's first expansion, the oceans (The Living Seas) and future technology (Horizons). The Wonders of Life added a look at the human body, completing Future World in 1989.
World Showcase opened with nine countries – Mexico, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States – with Morocco joining in 1984 and Norway in 1988. Country pavilions were initially sponsored by private companies, except Morocco, which has always been sponsored by its government. Curious what EPCOT looked like in 1982? Here's a carefully restored 16 mm film taken not long after opening.
The hopeful vision of the future presented by EPCOT officially became outmoded when the 21st century really did dawn. An enormous overhaul of EPCOT was announced last summer, but construction has been stalled by the outbreak of coronavirus – an outbreak that may best be solved by cooperation among people, innovation led by private industry, and an understanding that our future is shared by everyone. One of humanity's greatest crises may find its ultimate solution in the ideas, spirit and innovation that Walt Disney left behind, and that led to a theme park – and a vision – unlike any other.
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Within the customer support industry, both social media and big data have been among the most current trends in effectively taking care of customers. Tools in this area hold the promise of automating routine customer responses, improving visibility of customer opinions, and enabling customers to interact with one another as a community. At a deeper level, they signal a sea change in how much of a voice customers have within the business community.
Like other areas that have “gone social,” customer care is a field where the hype and promise of social media may never be matched by reality. At the same time, it has become a key part of the reality of serving customers, for companies of all sizes. However, similar to what we discussed in Chapter 2, social media can be used in two ways: it can be a method of reaching out to customers—a new channel for interaction—or all that data can be leveraged in a complete different context. In this chapter, we look at the more operational questions, like if you use social media as a channel, why should you do this and what kind of metrics should you observe to serve your customers better? This chapter is not meant to be an in-depth guide on how to set up a social media customer care center. The challenges of such a task are more operational than technical. It is meant to look at the operational metrics and data around social-enabled customer care. In Chapter 5, we will look more into what else we might do with customer care data beyond pure operational actions.
New Voice of the Customer
At the beginning of the millennium, customer care was seen by many companies as a necessary evil, a margin-diminishing cost center. As long as service was not outrageously bad, you could get by. As a consequence, many companies started to cut cost by trying to reduce so-called handling times with the customer. Unfortunately, this was the wrong approach. Agents would become very short on the phone in order to keep their handling times short, process more calls, and appear more productive. Escalation to more knowledgeable staff was discouraged, and long hold times (complete with bad music) were common. The business case for this service revolved largely around cost control rather than customer satisfaction, brand promotion, and customer retention.
It was a system of cost cutting and negativity. The result is all too well known. Many of us hate the prospect of having to contact a customer service call center. Initial advances in technology made things even worse. Instead of classical music, you were faced with a computer that asked you 1,001 questions, and if you did not answer correctly, it hung up on you. “Sorry, I could not understand your 18-digit−long customer ID, goodbye!” Only the customer who had repetitive or large purchases would be treated differently, getting an extra phone number with shorter waiting times or even a dedicated customer care representative.
The onset of social media, however, has shifted power back toward the customer. There is one fundamental reason for this: visability. When a company delivers poor service to one isolated customer at a time, the damage to its reputation is often gradual, and meeting performance metrics at the expense of the customer becomes all too tempting. In the world of social media, however, unsatisfied customers are immediately on display for all to see. First, service provided directly via social media is often public, and so others can see the Facebook posts or tweets between the company and its customer. Second, the customers can now share and distribute their own opinions and reviews.
As we saw in Chapter 2, user reviews have a strong influence on the purchasing decision process. Those reviews could cover any interaction with the product, whether positive or negative. Allowing this “free” discussion even instills trust in the product or service. However, this is surely only true if there are not many unhappy customers online who complain about the product.
Suddenly, the hidden discussions between a call center somewhere in the off-shored world and you—the customer—became public and open.
In 2005, influentual blogger Jeff Jarvis, the creator of Entertainment Weekly magazine, began a series of posts entitled Dell Hell, detailing his bad experiences trying unsuccessfully to get Dell Computer to fix his laptop.[79] It struck a chord with readers and generated hundreds of comments from others with similarly bad experiences. He was not the first customer who had a complaint about Dell, nor was he the first customer to create a column or a blog about it; at that time, one could find many clients complaining about the service. However, he had the ability to get Dell’s attention by virtue of his reach within the social media world.
The attention in the media was enormous, and so was the damage to Dell’s image. Dell, however, reacted directly and proactively; it changed its PR policies and invited Jeff to visit its headquarters. More important, it made moves to become more responsive to consumers, including reaching out to disgruntled customers on blogs, allowing customers to rate products on its site, and starting a blog. Jarvis was impressed enough that he eventually wrote a column in BusinessWeek magazine praising the company’s efforts.[80] Dell has learned its lesson and become more attentive to the voice of the customer. Still, the damage from this time has stuck with it, and one can still find references to “Dell Hell” or complaint sites such as dell.pissedconsumer.com.
What if the customer care representative from Dell had known that the person on the other side was a journalist and influential blogger? What if the phone system could have assessed the likelihood that this person was influential enough to create a PR and marketing disaster? Yes, for sure, Dell would have given him a different—a preferential—treatment from the beginning and would have avoided the whole PR issue.
The history of social media is full of customer complaints that blew up in publicity. They all follow a similar storyline—David (alias for the poor, beaten-up customer) versus Goliath (alias for the big, cold, bad corporation). One of the more public PR blow ups in this ongoing saga was United Airlines’ response to baggage problems.
In 2009, as his bandmates watched, horrified, from the passenger window, Canadian musician Dave Carroll’s expensive Taylor guitar was broken as a result of rough handling by baggage handlers on a United flight. He tried to get reimbursed for this, but after numerous contacts, United declined to pay for the damage. Dave was probably not the first person to encounter this situation. However, his response was to write a song and publish a music video on YouTube titled, “United Breaks Guitars.” At the time of this writing, it had been watched more than 13 million times and was a public relations nightmare for United Airlines. After top managers realized what was happening, they finally offered to address Dave’s case, but it was too late—the public damage was already done. Though it is hard to put a number on the amount of damage that was done by this video, some sources claimed it was a factor in a subsequent drop of $180 million in the price of United Airline’s stock price, nearly 10% of its market capitalization. While the consensus nowadays is that the viral video alone was unlikely to have had such a large financial effect, it certainly had a negative impact on the company’s reputation.[81]
Perhaps a more important lesson is that today, you don’t need to be an influential blogger or a talented video producer to make your voice heard in social media. In a case that was eerily similar to “United Breaks Guitars,” in late 2012, working musician Dave Schneider had his vintage guitar crushed by baggage handlers after Delta Airlines refused to allow him to carry it on board. He described Delta’s response as a “runaround” until he took to social media channels, including Facebook and Gawker. It wasn’t until Yahoo! News ran a feature story the following month that Delta finally agreed to pay for repairs to his guitar, as well as give him vouchers for two free future flights.[82]
Examples such as these demonstrate that the open nature of social media makes it much harder to hide bad customer service. Will the consequence be that everyone gets VIP treatment? Despite the fact that every company says, “Our customers are king,” it’s not true. Most companies want to make a bottom line for its shareholders, and VIP treatments for everyone would cost way too much.
The solution is to use your own service tools to help customers who are complaining on social media. In the following chapter, we’ll show that this doesn’t need to come with more cost and that it provides you with new ways to measure performance and to gather insights.
Similar to what we discussed in Chapter 1, social media provides a complementary channel to the existing ways of communicating with your customers. Instead of calling a toll-free number, your customer can tweet or write on your Facebook wall. Then your social media team responds to the customer, with no need to wait on hold or stand in line.
This is the fantasy of social customer service. In some cases, it has been the reality as well: for example, cable service provider Comcast helped restore its customer service reputation, in part, around the efforts of a talented social media team led by executive Frank Eliason, dubbed by BusinessWeek as “the most famous customer service manager in the US” after the success of his @ComcastCares service channel on Twitter. On a broader level, many customer support automation and CRM vendors now offer capabilities to manage customer issues through Facebook fan pages or Twitter.[83]
On the other hand, despite the hype, people are not all flocking to vent their customer concerns through social media. According to customer support portal site SupportIndustry.com, only 20% of customer support centers currently serve customers via social media, and these in turn only handle between 1% and 10% of their transactions through this channel. With some few exceptions, such as Microsoft Xbox’s Elite TweetFleet (@XboxSupport), which has a dedicated team of representatives monitoring Twitter proactively for comments from gamers, social media has become just one of many channels for customer care, along with telephone, web chat, and others.[84]
So what does customer care 2.0 really look like? It is a world where companies interact with their customers as they always did, but with two key differences. First, some of these customer contact channels, such as social media support or online user communities, now expose people’s service quality to the public. The incentive to squeeze performance metrics or control costs is now tempered by the reality that people will often see how well they or others are served. Second, customers now have a voice they never had before. Many of us nowadays rarely make purchases, particularly major ones, without checking online comments and ratings from other consumers.
This trend has tremendous implications for both the profession of customer care and the underlying data analytics that drive it. Let’s look at some of the ramifications of moving toward customer care 2.0.
Knowledge Bases and Customer Self-Service
Customer care does not just serve customers in the present moment. It also generates knowledge that can often be reused and mined as data. Now there are protocols such as the Knowledge-Centered Support (KCS) approach of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), developed by the nonprofit Consortium for Service Innovation in the 1990s. KCS outlines a process by which solutions are generated by agents, validated by reuse, and then published for external use. Major corporations have been using such approaches more and more in recent years.
Another increasingly important source of knowledge is the customers themselves. For any product or service, people often use search engines such as Google to see if other people have posted solutions to customer issues on their blogs or social media sites. And for larger companies, formal online support communities often serve as a rich source of knowledge. The main challenge of such communities is their economy of scale: to have sufficient participation, you need either a large or very dedicated user base. Hence such tools are mainly found among larger firms like Apple, Dell, and Microsoft, or companies that were able to create a high degree of attachment to their product, such as Evernote.
In both cases, one goal of knowledge databases is to have customers serve themselves, an objective that is better for both the customer and the financial interests of the company. Figure 4-1 compares those two approaches. A customer calling into the call center creates cost, let’s say $5 to $10 per call.[85] Most questions have been asked before, and most questions are known to the community. We assume in Figure 4-1 that 65% of all questions can be answered by the community. Customers who got their question answered are less likely to call in (only 40% call in to seek a second opinion—60% of those calls are “deflected”). That means that there will be about 39% fewer calls.
Moreover, each person who expresses appreciation for an answer from the community encourages more people to join, which strengthens the brand awareness of the product.
Social customer service benefits your employees as well as your customers. Few brands enjoy the economy of scale of a Microsoft or Apple, so instead of self-serving community teams, many firms will build up their own social customer care teams. You will soon find that those teams have the highest morale within the customer service organization.
Usually service staff get criticized for all kinds of product- or marketing-related issues. They often have to take the complaints for situations they can neither fix nor avoid. Service staff who try hard often get only a quick “thank you” at the end of a call. This is different in customer care conversations happening over social media. Here, happy clients often create a written and publicly available statement, and this public appraisal boosts employee morale. For example, Jens Riewa, a famous German television presenter, had an issue with his telecom provider. The social media team offered fast help without going through long phone queues. Jens offered as his personal sign of appreciation to “wave” his pen shortly before the end of his evening news program. Björn Ognibeni, who consulted this social media customer care team, reported later, “This one single moment had created an enthusiasm that carried the team forward for a while.”
Surely one’s own social media team comes with its own cost. Since those teams are publicly visible, meaning that that bad service could create a negative effect on brand and image, these teams need to be carefully trained. To build a social customer care center, you must carefully select appropriate staff to not only solve issues, but also to communicate effectively. In some cases this will create additional costs compared to using an outsourced call center, but hopefully at an overall benefit to your brand and market share.
We discussed in PR to Warn that social media has the capability to spread information fast and effectively. Unsatisfied customers who go online and tell their woes to a larger audience are often a cause for PR issues such as those we saw in the examples at the beginning of this chapter.
Now there will always be cases where a customer leaves unhappy. Not even VIP service for all would fix this issue. A well-run social customer care system should be able to detect a potential danger of dissatisfaction spreading. There is no bulletproof system for detecting spreading or contagious messages. However, the more confined the system is, the better the chance of such detection. With customer care you actually have some good ways to measure the extent to which a given complaint is important.
The old, nonsocial-media world factors such as revenue are still important to understanding the potential impact of this kind of service call. But social media now adds a new component to the mix—the social network.
How well is someone networked? We concluded in Chapter 1 that the effect of word of mouth is often overestimated because a network can create only reach but not necessarily buying intention. However, an unhappy comment can prohibit buying intention, and if this goes together with reach, this public comment needs greater attention.
The way customer care teams should select messages is by analyzing the level of unhappiness of a comment and the risk of the message spreading to a larger audience. This assessment needs to be done automatically so that the customer service team replies to the most urgent one first.
The potential reach could be assessed by complex metrics such as centrality or in-betweeness. As a first proxy, it’s sufficient to measure just the network size: the bigger the network, the bigger the risk of spreading information. As an example, within Twitter or Facebook, you can derive two variables for each of your complaining customers:
What is the size of the social network of the customer?
The network is the basic variable. The more people you can complain to, then the more dangerous your complaint might be.
How big is the network after the second degree of separation?
For customer service complaints, this metric is most likely more powerful than the pure size of an individual network. A message often spreads only once it hits a certain gatekeeper, as we saw in Chapter 3. Take the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. After the IOC had issued guidelines about how athletes should use social media so as not to alienate their respective sponsors, Lindsey Vonn wrongly claimed that the IOC had forbidden any use of social media. The IOC reacted promptly and tweeted, “Athletes, go ahead and tweet.” This catchy phrase was not picked up strongly by the followers of the Olympic Twitter account. But it did start spreading after Lindsey Vonn published it herself to her 35,000 followers, which created the needed tipping point.
The size of the social network of your customers is not the only metric to analyze commentary within your customer care discussions. Most other measurements are very similar to what we discussed in Chapter 3. Engagement and content are other critical areas to measure:
Messages that create a lot of public attention via likes or retweets or a similarly spreading mechanism should be ranked higher within the customer care system to draw the attention of a customer care representative to it.
A social CRM does not just offer the ability to pick up customers where they are. It also offers a unique ability to pass on successful customer service requests. The same way the publicity will enhance negative messages, it can enhance positive messages. Surely to become really contagious the message needs to be appealing. “I fixed your telephone line” will be probably not spread, except perhaps for examples like the phone line of Jens Riewa the TV presenter.
Dutch airline KLM knew this, and in order to introduce its new 24/7 Facebook and Twitter support, they generated live reply messages (see Figure 4-2). Each social media customer care representative would carry a letter, and the team would line up in a way to form a response. This process was filmed and published on YouTube. It was an instant hit, and the news spread. KLM became known for their great social customer care support.
Even seemingly outrageous complaints might become a positive PR opportunity. One British feminine hygiene company showed, in an excellent video response to a critical Facebook post, how to do this. A man posted (probably tongue-in-cheek) about how Bodyforms “lied” by showing active women enjoying themselves during their menstrual periods, when in fact his own girlfriend became like “the little girl from The Exorcist with added venom” during her own period.
In response, the company posted a YouTube video response from a fictitious CEO named Carolyn Williams. She apologized for this deception, stating that it was a response to focus groups in the 1980s showing shocked and fearful men crying as they learned about their partner’s periods. She went on to admit that there was no such thing as a happy period, and closed by breaking wind and noting that “we do that, too.” The video was a viral hit that resulted in tremendous publicity for the company on social media.[86]
Are you convinced that you should “go social” in your CRM? Good! Here are a few dos and don’ts that we have been seeing:
Get Clients into Your Service Channel
You should help and serve your clients publicly. No need to wait until they call in. Try to address them where you can find them, in the same channel. Do this publicly to show that you care. But keep in mind that 140 characters isn’t enough to handle conflict or customer care topics. So once you pick them up, try to get clients into your traditional service tool as soon as possible. This transition should be painless for the user, as he came to complain, not to go through several customer service channels.
It is important to get clients into your traditional service tool for several reasons. It could be that the customer issue involves how a credit card is disposed, or some other private information. This is not something to handle in the public space. And even if this sounds logical, just to make sure it never happens, move customers as quickly and as painlessly as possible into a nonpublic tool.
A second reason you should move customers swiftly to your own channels is the question of control. As many companies moved into online social networking sites like Facebook, they found that their clients were not interested in “liking” the most recent marketing promotion but rather in voicing their issues with the product. As a natural consequence, companies opened up and reacted on the social networking platform by giving feedback and advice. They used the social network as their own customer care platform. While in principle a good idea, there is an inherent risk to this, as companies own neither the data nor the outlay of the page. As soon as a platform decides to change the page layout, the companies have to follow suit no matter whether this is actually useful for customer care or not. This is another reason to move clients as quickly as possible into other online tools, where the company owns the content.
The third reason to move from a public discussion in a social networking platform to a more controlled environment is that visible customer care discussions are also visible to your competition. They might use the discussions to analyze your weaknesses (see Automation and Business Intelligence) or even try to engage with your customers by offering a better service or a better solution to the customer’s issues.
Any customer service representative can tell you what a “troll” is. They existed long before the onset of social media, but social media has made their life even more pleasant. A troll is someone who just has fun complaining and bullying, often in a loud and nasty way. Should an organization jump and try to give these “trolls” a higher service level? Not necessarily. It might be that those clients are not the right ones they are trying to reach. It is often helpful to create a figure such as Figure 4-3. There’s not always an overlap between the people who are complaining and the ones buying.
At the end of 2010, the German train company Deutsche Bahn decided to start its own Facebook offering. To drive initial uptake of Facebook fans, the Bahn offered a so-called “chef ticket.” Those were only available to Facebook fans of the Deutsche Bahn and were considerably cheaper than they would have been otherwise. Depending on the kind of trip, you could have saved up to almost 90% of a ticket price.
The campaign was supported by a YouTube video and an associated marketing package. The video was leaked to the public a few days before the actual campaign started, and the German social media scene was not impressed. The company was not known for innovative marketing, and this Facebook page raised the ire of many net activists. Complaints about the tone, execution, and content were voiced on Twitter, Facebook, and in news articles.
However, all of these complaints happened before the Facebook page even went live. What should the company have done? Stop the campaign? Excuse itself publicly? The company decided to do nothing, and went live as planned.
In the end, the complaining net activists were not the fans who were interested in buying train tickets. The circles as displayed in Figure 4-3 did not have a strong overlap. Meanwhile, the customers loved the price reduction offer, and the Facebook campaign became a success. Within the first 24 hours, more than 5,000 “fans” registered. After six weeks, the number had risen to over 60,000 Fans. There are no official numbers about the financial success of the campaign, but insiders comment that over 180,000 tickets were sold, accounting for $5.6 million in revenue.
Resources and Scaling
Any customer care setup faces the question of staffing, whether it involves traditional channels such as the telephone or newer social channels. Complex models exist, such as the Erlang C model, for making sure the right number of agents exist to serve the customer. While an understaffed call center may frustrate customers who are waiting on hold or cannot get through, a staff shortage in social customer care will also frustrate people who expect at least a same-day response (or in some cases, such as an airline flight delay, a same-hour response). Moreover, social customer care has the disadvantage that your lack of response is extremely visible to the public.
Even well-oiled social customer care systems can look bad during an unexpected peak time. In April 2012, during one of the most important football matches, the pay-TV channel Sky had broadcasting difficulties, and the Twitter community reacted in a state of outrage. Luke Brynley-Jones, a blogger from Our Social Times, explained this with a response metric over time (see Figure 4-4). More then 60% of all messages simply went by unanswered. While Sky normally has very good service, in this case they could not cope.
The lesson here is to be ready to have additional resources on demand when needed. Those could be employees who normally have a different job but who could come and help during a crisis situation. For example, electronics retail chain Best Buy encourages employees at all levels of the organization to tweet answers to customers on Twitter as part of its Twelpforce. Together with its regular social media footprint, including blogs, a Facebook page, and community forums, the company credits this model with over $5 million in call center deflection. Infrastructures such as these help to engrain a social service culture into the company culture.[87]
Figure 4-4. Twitter activity during Sky TV outage during a UK football match (Courtesy of Engagement Index.)
Social customer care can certainly add value to your service offerings. However, if the lessons of history are any indication, it would not be a good idea to bet your competitiveness on social customer care. Just like having a web page or an email address, the bad news is that social customer care is quickly evolving into a commodity. Any business can have a Facebook fan page or a Twitter account in a matter of minutes, and these are rapidly becoming routine and expected.
One of the best examples from the past is the case of banks in the United States. Years ago, banks were not often noted for their service quality. Then a few banks started to brand themselves around offering better customer service, and others soon followed suit. Today high customer satisfaction is not a competitive asset for a bank; it is simply a hygiene factor that is expected in the marketplace.
A more subtle case has evolved in the computer industry. Apple combines a very efficient customer support infrastructure that depends heavily on online resources such as knowledgebases and crowdsourced user community forums, with the ability to obtain free premium service in person by visiting a “Genius Bar” at an Apple store, which includes features such as free computer courses and easy-to-access service staff. The model for the Genius Bar was the hotel lounge, with the idea that customers should be as relaxed as they are in such lounges. Apple set a standard that has led many other hardware suppliers to begin improving their service support. Today, in many industries, good customer service has become an expectation, and thus social customer care is about to become a commodity as well.
With all that customer commentary online, a new segment of business intelligence was born to analyze how companies interact with their clients and how happy the clients are. The results promised to be faster and more easy to obtain than any customer satisfaction index. Tools and software to dig through large amounts of unstructured commentary and distill customer opinion data from millions of online social media interactions developed at a fast pace. Their main promise was to find out what customers were thinking about your product and about your competitors’ products. Listening to client conversation seemed to have the promise of replacing surveys. We would not need to ask our customers anymore. No, we just need to listen to their conversations. While this is true in principle, the reality is in most cases very different.
We will see in Chapter 9 how complex it is to set up a keyword. But the keyword only determines the datapool to be analyzed. It determines which conversations are selected. The real work is about to begin after this selection. Automated business intelligence tries to find metrics in order to give answers about what the customers thought, what their feelings were, etc. This is a way more complex task, and it unfortunately often goes wrong. This is due to the complexity of sentiment analytics.
With sentiment analytics, we try to find out a specific sentiment toward a certain position. Does this customer like my product or not? We try to look for clues in the text to indicate a sentiment that might not be clearly formulated. The human language can be very subtle and multifaceted and therefore too complex to be analyzed simply by an automated machine-learning program. You might have heard such an argument before, when the first automated translation systems hit the market. They were terrible, and we claimed that the human language was too multifaceted for them. We can assume that sentiment analytics will improve over time due to statistical methods or just due to “brute force” calculations from computers as much as translation programs did—they will never be perfect, but way better.
Until we see those improvements, we will need to take the same approach as we did with automated translation programs. We need to reduce the scope of the task. Instead of looking for all possible sentiments, we are analyzing only specific cases. For example, “what you think about this restaurant?” The ways to answer here are more limited, and thus a computer can be trained to be more focused. In turn, the sentiment algorithm will produce reliable and useful results. Whether that sentiment data will yield the fourth “V” of data, however, depends very much on whether the question you trained the machine to answer actually has a tangible and business-centric action attached. The question “what do you think of this restaurant,” for example, will easily help companies like Yelp to sort through thousands of user generated comments and display good restaurants higher up on their search engine. However, in the PR world, sentiment is often only asked in hindsight and is just a reporting number that does not lead to action.
The next section provides some examples of the issues involved in trying to leverage the stream of social media information into actionable customer intelligence.
In late 2009, an Asian airline asked us to analyze the satisfaction level of airline passengers. The best method would be to poll the passenger using a questionnaire. This would create structured data, but it would take time and money. Is there an easier way to get to this data? Yes, by using social media comments from passengers.
Of course, the biggest challenge here is separating the signal from the noise. As we will discuss in Chapter 9, the first step is a data-reduction process, where we reduce the media types surveyed (such as focusing on Twitter data), data content (for example, restricting attention to tweets referencing the company Twitter name or hashtag), and the use case (such as common words used by customers, particularly frustrated ones).
Jeffrey Breen (@JeffreyBreen) has done a similar exercise for US airlines. He also used those reductions and R, an open source software environment and programming language for statistical computing and graphics, to analyze the data coming from the open Twitter API. He describes his approach step by step in a slideshare doc.[88] We would encourage anyone with some technical interest to try this for yourself at home. It is fun.
Stunningly, the result is not all too different from the survey done by the airline industry itself, as one can see in Figure 4-5. On the horizontal axis you can see the sentiment scores he had calculated using a Twitter feed; on the vertical axis, he has the scores from those industry services. It is not a perfect correlation, but the trend is clearly indicating that those focused sentiments correlate to the overall survey result.
Surely there are several shortcomings to this approach:
The questionnaire has many more in-depth insights versus what Twitter analytics will have.
The questionnaire from the ACSI is done on a proper statistical sample, while those complaining to airlines on Twitter are anything but representative.
The use of predefined language clues brings a bias by the person designing the analytics. Small critical tones will not be easily visible.
Of course, Jeffrey did not attempt to replace the surveys done by the ACSI in a single go. But this experiment shows that it is possible to analyze social media data, but you have to be careful what kind of data you use.
In his example, Jeffrey Breen used a so-called word sentiment list. He used an opinion lexicon with 6,800 positive and negative words. Positive words would be signaled by words such as “cool,” “best,” and “amazing,” and negative words by words like “worst,” “awful,” and “terrible.”
This is the simplest form of a sentiment algorithm. The algorithm then compares a list of words with the tweet and assigns a negative (-1) or positive (1) sentiment score. The overall sentiment is just a sum of all sentiment scores. For example, let’s look at the the following tweet:
“@Continental this flight was so bad.”
“Bad” is a negative word, which the algorithm counts as negative. At the end, the computer adds up all negative and positive words to get an overall score for the article. The programming approach is relatively straightforward.
The main advantage of such an algorithm is that it can be precalculated, as there is not a given subject. For example, a company like Sysomos uses such precalculated sentiment scores. The main advantage is that within seconds, the sentiment of thousands of underlying articles can be added up and presented.
But look at the following fictitious tweet:[89]
“@Continental, you could be more friendly—@southwest I never had such a bad flight.”
The net amount of positive and negative sentiment would be neutral: 1 × (-1) “bad” + 1 × (1) “friendly” = 0 meaning neutral. But in reality, the author of this tweet is most likely not satisfied with Continental. If you are interested in the sentiment for Continental, the algorithm should only count the sentiment expressed toward Continental and not toward Southwest, but already it is hard to tell whether “bad” relates to @southwest or @continental. The context will make it clear, but automated algortithms are often not able to relate to the context.
Granted, with Twitter and its 140 characters, there is often not too much context, and those tweets are just made-up examples. However, a good blogger or journalist would balance words between negative and positive sentiment to keep the article interesting. Thus a realistic score will simply not work.
Katie Delahaye Paine, a highly respected PR expert, issued a warning in 2009 about the inaccuracy of those measurements. However, this serves as an example of how to start thinking about automatically filtering online customer comments into useful data.[90]
The algorithm that would be needed to accurately measure sentiment would look for a so-called baseword. For sentiment algorithms, the “baseword” is the word we focus on. Thus what is the sentiment in regards to this very word? Take again this fictive tweet:
“@Continental, this was a terrible flight—I should take the friendly @southwest next time.”
If the baseword is @Continental, then only adjectives relating to this word are looked at, therefore, only “terrible.” The word “friendly” does not seem to be connected to @Continental, as this is already the next sentence. Most professional social media mining companies use this approach.
Further sophistication can be added if the algorithm will not only look for the baseword, but also for linguistic links to the baseword (e.g., “it,” “he,” and “his”). Such referential links as those created by pronouns are referred to as anaphora. This will be needed because many articles will not repeat the baseword over and over again:
“Took a @continental flight today. It was awesome.”
The algorithm would realize that the word “it” relates to the baseword @continental, even though this is a new grammatical structure.
Despite enhancements of the algorithm such as these, the power of these algorithms to correctly judge the sentiment has been quite low. The biggest issue is the missing context for a fixed or hard-coded algorithm as we already saw on the phrase: “@Continental, you could be more friendly—@southwest I never had such a bad flight.”
Context is very important for the overall judgement. Take as an example the phrase, “Go read the book,” which could be a positive or negative sentence, depending on whether it was a comment about a book or a movie.
Many research groups have worked to include insights given by context. Their approach is often very similar: they split the text into grammar structures such as noun, object, adjective, and verb. They then classify nouns, verbs, or some combination into themes by matching those words against a dictionary. Each context, however, would demand, as we just saw, its own dictionary. Those context specific dictionaries are called “corpus.” For example, companies like Provalis Research offer those kinds of dictionaries or corpuses for political and financial news. For general purposes, psychological dictionaries, such as the positive and negative word lists of the Harvard-IV General Inquirer can be used.
Most word lists will not directly lead to the sufficient results. You will need to train them for a specific situation. While doing so, there are three dimensions to watch:
Train by question
The more specific a question is, the better it is. Try to be more specific than only “movies” or “phones.”
Train by media type
As we saw, news, blogs, and microblogs sometimes use drastically different language and have different possibilities for leveraging both negative and positive words.
Train by language
Often, measurement companies take a “shortcut” and first translate text into English before starting analysis. While it is highly cost-effective, it strongly reduces the quality, as an algorithm that produces a high rate of error (sentiment algorithm) is fed by content that might have a high degree of unreadability after an automated translation.
Thus a large number of corpuses/word lists would need to be developed by a machine-learning approach. This approach is purely theoretical because the data and the time capacity are not available, at least not so far. However, using a standard word list raises accuracy concerns. Michael Liebmann, a researcher who analyzed press releases from companies (see Chapter 7), said that predefined word lists might miss between 83% and 94% of positve/negative perception.
Can we use it at all?
In addition to context, the algorithm will have a hard time correctly measuring ironic or satiric content. So are there any cases in which an automatic analytics of customer sentiment makes sense? Yes, there are, as we already saw in the example illustrated by Jeffrey Breen. However, in order to automatically analyze customer care comments, the most important part is to reduce the scope to such a limit that the shortcomings of the algorithm do not play a role.
Reducing scope can mean focusing only on a small set of emotions: for example, only focus on swear words and explicit language. This way one could easily spot the biggest annoyances. In Figure 4-6 you can see how this is done in the case of Sony Ericsson. All messages are selected that use swear language. You could now relatively easily sort those comments by topics, or you could compare the same swear word analytics with other competitors.
Figure 4-6. Unhappy tweets are easy to spot as they use strong language
Another possible focus could be to reduce brand discussions only to very specific topics, as shown in Figure 4-7. On the horizontal axis, the share of voice of each brand is displayed, broken down by specific topics. You can see, for example, that Motorola managed better than anyone else to get into the public discussion in relation to its new front-facing camera.
All of the techniques discussed have the shortcoming that they are hard-coded via word lists. The quality of those lists determines the quality of the algorithm. Moreover, those lists might not evolve over time in terms of wording, media types, and contexts, and surely different languages will need different lists.
Those shortcomings might be best overcome with supervised machine learning. An algorithm learns what is correct and what is not and can figure this out without our assumption that a specific word actually carries bad sentiment and another word carries good sentiment.
This might sound like a solution; however, this algorithm needs to be trained. That is the “supervised” bit. A good example of how this training can work is online customer care sites. Once you submit a ticket in writing, an automated algorithm attempts to research what is in the knowledge database in order to try and resolve the issue before the ticket itself is transferred to the queue of a live customer care agents.
Based on this simple search, the database suggests possible solutions and asks you whether or not any of these answers would resolve your issue. If not, the system may search for a new answer and/or give you the option of submitting the ticket for live customer care.
This question about whether these solutions resolved the issue is not only the check on whether to provide you another solution or access to live support, but it is also the quality-control check on whether the algorithm has understood your question correctly. Each time you click on yes or no, the algorithm will train and improve the algorithm.
The following are two examples of how to apply machine learning within customer care on unstructured comments:
Ashish Gambhir created a specific “use case.” His own company newBrandAnalytics only focuses on one specific sector: the hospitality industry. He aggregates customer feedback from social media, as well as traditional sources like guest surveys, to produce proprietary customer satisfaction metrics for firms in this sector. In the future, this firm plans to expand this approach to other vertical markets.
Thus from all possible discussions, he reduces his approach only to what people say about restaurants. This is a quite feasible task for a machine to get trained on, as in not much training data is needed. However, Ashish needs to train the machine by hand.
This approach is manual because a human needs to decide what is positive or negative commentary. There is no self-enforcing algorithm because he has no clients rating it for him, unlike what users might do at sites such as Microsoft technical support.
Stuart Shulman from Textifter[91] trains his algorithim using the input from customer care teams. A human decides where a given complaint should be sent. If it’s a complaint about a printer, then it should be sent to the printing department. If it’s an inquiry about a laptop, then it should be sent to the consumer division, and so on. Each time the customer care agent dispatches a mail or a tweet to the actual responsible customer care person, the underlying algorithm learns what is behind the distribution. The tool will soon take over and automatically dispatch all tweets and emails by itself. If a complaint was misclassified again, the tool will learn from those mistakes.
In any sentiment algorithm, the most important part is that the algorithm can be trained relatively easily.
Social media has changed the balance of power between customers and the companies that serve them. Thanks to social media platforms and online communities, even the most humble customer can now have a voice that may be heard. To measure this voice is essential because on one hand, companies should mind the trolls, those people who are just abusing their new power. On the other hand, distinguishing between important and less important service requests will become a key success factor for a cost-optimized customer care organization, since not each voice in the online world is equal.
As we saw in the examples from KLM, social-enabled customer care offers companies a whole new ability to position themselves. Every service request can be used as an opportunity to position the brand or to demonstrate the value of the service or product.
Social media does not offer only operational metrics to guide and measure the customer care efforts. The data created by that interaction contains value that we need to lift. We discussed two main examples for this fourth “V”:
Comments from users can be data mined for sentiment. Due to the complex nature of human sentiment, those metrics work best if they are very focused, as we saw in the example from Sony Ericsson or newBrandAnalytics.
Customer Care requests can be analyzed to best understand which service request needs which question. This approach only works if there are many requests present because the underlying technology utilizes a machine-learning approach.
Social Media data has already created both management visibility and efficiency improvements in the way we serve our customers, and with time and technology, these benefits are likely to continue increasing. Meanwhile, these data have helped usher in an entirely new era of putting the interests of the customer first.
Social-enabled customer care has become reality for many companies. Let’s look at the measurements you are using:
Which social media metrics do you use to empower your employees? Can you see improved morale as their customer care dialogue is taken public?
What are good metrics to differentiate your customers? Is each customer equally important? Is each comment equally visible?
We often recommend to our clients that they should only have the start and end of the customer service discussion public. How is the discussion flow in your company? Would you like to change the flow? Try to determine when interactions should be public.
Have you experienced troll comments? What are their characteristics? Could one automate their detection? If so, how?
The data has a value that can help to improve and processes. Let’s discuss how:
How many user comments or customer care comments do you have? Are they statistically relevant?
Have you sorted those comments manually into topics? What could an automated approach look like?
Assuming you would know what a customer needs from the written customer-care ticket, how could you treat him differently? What are potential engagement opportunities?
The area of social customer care is probably the most mature. Please share your experiences and thoughts via Twitter, @askmeasurelearn, or write on our LinkedIn or Facebook page.
[79] Jeff Jarvis, “Dell lies. Dell sucks.” Buzzmachine.com, June 2005, http://buzzmachine.com/2005/06/21/dell-lies-dell-sucks/.
[81] Ravi Sawhney, “Broken Guitar Has United Playing the Blues to the Tune of $180 Million,” Fast Company, July 2009. http://bit.ly/1bz1CCM.
[82] Dylan Stableford, “Musician whose vintage guitar was smashed by Delta gets check from airline, new one from Gibson,” Jan. 9, 2013. http://yhoo.it/IS1sj6.
[88] Jeffrey Breen, “R by example: mining Twitter for consumer attitudes towards airlines,” Boston Predictive Analytics Meetup, Jul 2011, http://slidesha.re/ITMKYW.
[89] The following tweets are fictive and are just created to explain the system.
[91] Acquired by Vision Critical.
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We also welcome interesting details that warrant inclusion in the database canon (and could be put into “notes”).
We need to know your information sources so we can cross-check; unreferenced information is not very useful. Please try to be clear and unambiguous – it saves us having to ask you for more detail.
Please refrain from submitting comments saying (in their entirety) things like “Hey, my name is McGonigle and I think it's cool that there's a dance called McGonigle's Reel” (this has actually happened!) – such comments are a waste of your time as well as ours since they will be silently ignored.
Please also refrain from sending queries like “I see you have an entry for McGonigle's Reel; my auntie's maiden name was McGonigle so please send me everything you know about the dance” (this has also happened!) Everything useful that we know is already visible on these pages, therefore that type of comment will also be ignored.
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From the following words, enter the one that describes a type of Scottish country dance: reel, shoe, chimney, cat.
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Greg Kats of Renewable Energy consultants Capital E says that going green can save a school $100,00 and greatly improve the environment in which our children are learning, improving attendance and bringing up test scores. LISTEN (8 min)
Picture thanks to Green School Project (in India)
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Andrew Rosindell, the M.P. for Romford has written to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, to urge him to ensure that Transport for London follows through with much needed improvements to the Gallows Corner flyover.
Writing in the letter, Andrew said that Gallows Corner "is one of the most dangerous junctions in the country" and suffers from "severe congestion."
The letter was prompted by traffic chaos at the junction in the week beginning the 26th of October, with sewage works leading to gridlock. Commenting on this congestion, the M.P. said that "for minor works to cause such problems is indicative of the desperate need to upgrade the flyover."
The letter warns the Mayor that "abandoning vital infrastructure projects will only compound the economic damage already done by the pandemic." He goes on to urge the Mayor to "take personal charge of this issue by sorting out TfL finances and ensuring that the necessary upgrades to Gallows Corner can be completed."
"For too long the people of Havering have had to put up with the disaster that is Gallows Corner. I share the frustrations of those on social media wondering how and why this situation can continue, with a temporary flyover still in place after 50 years of existence.
There was light at the end of the tunnel last year when Gallows Corner was shortlisted for upgrades, but for some reason that only the Mayor can tell us, TfL failed to submit a proposal for government funding to improve the junction. Now because of the woeful mishandling of TfL's finances, there are reports it will be scrapped altogether.
It encapsulates the problem of London itself: because Havering is on London's periphery, we get ignored by City Hall. Perhaps it's time to restore our links with Essex authorities, where our concerns might not be ignored as they are in being lumped in with inner London!"
Keith Prince A.M.said:
"When I was first elected, I invited the Mayor down to Gallows Corner. On viewing it he said the status quo cannot remain. Four years later and after an offer of £50 million from the Government he has still not taken any action.
I regularly contact TfL and am told things are progressing, but they are clearly not. No doubt the Mayor will now blame this on Covid.
Havering needs a Mayor who cares for it not one who only looks after Zone 1."
To read Andrew's letter in full, click here.
Attachments
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Gallows Corner has been shortlisted for £50m Government Funding.
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On the day of celebration of Scotland’s Patron Saint, Romford’s M.P. Andrew Rosindell has wished everyone a Happy St. Andrew’s day, as celebrations take place across the United Kingdom.
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Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarks grove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about the blind texts it is an almost unortho graphic life One day however a small line.
“Anyone can get dressed up and glamorous, but it is how people dress in their days off that are the most intriguing.”
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country.
I feel the presence of the Almighty:
Impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams.
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul.
I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment.
I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment and yet.
One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment.
It wasn’t a dream. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table – Samsa was a travelling salesman – and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice.
Impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams.
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul.
I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment.
The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.
Although it was released in store earlier this month, you can now purchase it online for £89. The single-breasted design has already proved a massive hit on Instagram, due to not only the gorgeous wide lapels, the on-trend, oversize fit and super cosy wool texture – but also the fact that Vogue Williams, Holly and fashion blogger Erica Davies have all rocked it. Now if you don’t know who Erica Davies is – let us enlighten you. Erica is a huge fashion influencer and has always been a big fan of M&S, having single-handedly made THAT starry-print constellation dress a sellout last year.
“What’s happened to me?” he thought. It wasn’t a dream. His room, a proper human”although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four
One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready.
The gang, who were joined by their other female friends and I’m a Celeb co-host Dec, appeared to be in high spirits as they were pictured chatting and laughing. It’s all go-go-go for the cast as I’m a Celeb returns on Sunday night. This year’s celebrity campmates are expected to be revealed the day before but the various star sightings at Brisbane Airport have already given the game away.
Presenters Holly and Dec have also been drumming up excitement over on their social media accounts.
Holly and I are looking forward to welcoming you to Australia next Sunday night.
Ali, who gave birth to the couple’s baby daughter Isla in September, looked gorgeous in a black maxi dress that featured an off-the-shoulder neckline. Holly was also her typically stylish self, wearing a white summer dress, while Scarlett looked lovely in a zebra-print number.
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A bill in the U.S. House will force churches to hire cross-dressing teachers, allow males to use female restrooms and dressing rooms, and wed same-sex couples. If churches refuse, they will lose their tax-exempt status and be subject to costly lawsuits. The bill states that free exercise of religion is NOT a defense!
Please sign your name to our petition demanding this bill be stopped. If it becomes law, it will be a wrecking ball to churches, religious organizations, and religious people. This will accelerate religious persecution. Learn more below. - Mat
Under HR 5, religious freedom will be non-existent. It targets people who believe in Judeo-Christian values and demands we embrace what the Bible calls sin. Congress is trying to force us to accept sexual confusion. Otherwise churches and religious people will face fines and legal "damages." While this may sound exaggerated, I assure you it is not. Here are a few points:
Churches would be forced to host same-sex ceremonies.
Churches will lose tax-exempt status for noncompliance.
Colleges will lose accreditation for noncompliance.
Noncompliant colleges will be ineligible to receive student loans, causing most religious schools to compromise their core mission or close.
If churches or religious organizations take overnight trips, including sports or mission trips, they cannot segregate rooms by biological gender.
Biological men will have access to bathrooms, showers, and nursing-mother rooms at any time, and stay as long as they please.
Churches would be forced to hire staff involved in LGBT conduct, even positions of authority in affiliated daycare classes and give them complete access to all children in the restrooms.
Cross-dressers could demand that they be greeters, ushers, Sunday School teachers, and more.
Even the smallest slight would give someone the legal right to sue the church. For example, if a person assumed they were turned down for a staff position because of a LGBT lifestyle, they could sue the church for damages, even if that was not the reason they were denied the job!
This bill is a cataclysmic restructuring of our society. Just one bill would cause all this chaos and a lot more than I have space to explain here. We must stop this outrageous bill!
Sign our petition. If we respond in large numbers, we can stop this bill in the Senate.
There are 239 U.S. Representatives and more than 100 household-name businesses that have already endorsed HR 5. They are using their vast financial resources and energy to try to force their beliefs on everyone else.
Liberty Counsel Action is working overtime to wake people up to the dangers coming in HR 5. Shockingly, this bill specifically claims that it overwhelms any religious exemptions or concerns. We are suddenly fighting for the right to worship our God and raise our children as we believe is best.
Our work in Washington, D.C. is based on your generous support so that we can continue to fight this and other battles on Capitol Hill. We need your financial support to help us win this critical battle.
Join me in this push for freedom!
Chairman
P.S. HR 5 will obliterate any religious freedom in America that churches currently enjoy. We need to stand up and explain to our neighbors, friends and pastors why this bill cannot be passed. Invite them to sign the petition, donate, or spread the word on the damage HR 5 will cause to our country!
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1. The popular saying, 'All is fair in love and war' is originally credited to English writer John Lyly. Is he right?
I am a lover not a fighter... I think it's better to be kind than fair, but fair works too... and no I didn't actually answer the question, but my short answer is... I didn't get enough sleep to consider the question...
2. Are you a cereal eater? What's your favorite kind?
I used to be a big cereal eater, but I am less so now, mostly because I grew up in a house where my dad was allergic to eggs and I love eggs... so now that I'm not restricted I eat them for breakfast more often.
3. A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the gun blows bubbles). She did not have the gun with her at school.
A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record. The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts? (If you missed the story click here for details).
Common sense?
5. January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil. Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive? This date was chosen because its the birth date of John Hancock. What's the last thing you signed your name to?
I like my handwriting, although it's now more of a mix of script and printing... it's not truly consistent and neither is my signature... which has sometimes gotten me into trouble... the lat thing I signed... a credit card charge...
6. Speaking of John Hancock...ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love?
I've been to Philadelphia twice... once by no fault of my own and the second time because I chose to go... the first time was when we had mechanical issues with the plane I was on that connected through Philly and myself, Robyn (9) and Liam (10 months) ended up with an almost 24 hour layover...
The second time was a few years later when Wayne was presenting at a conference there - much easier trip when it was actually planned...
7. Share something funny you've heard a child say.
One of Liam's favorite things to do is to repeat things he's seen or read... so lately he's been walking around saying "I'm Rockin' in my School Shoes" from his Pete the Cat book:
The irony is that he hates wearing shoes...
8. My random thought: I am totally behind on my email correspondence.. if you're waiting for a reply, I apologize...
Posted by Unknown at 1/22/2013 09:39:00 PM
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In the last blog post, I mentioned that moving your assets out of the U.S. (for a U.S. citizen) to a trust under Cooks Islands law gives you enormous leverage.
So how do you get over the hurdle that most people don’t want to send their assets to a strange trust company in the strange country like the Cook Islands? The answer in the past has been to name a Cook Islands trust company as the successor trustee (not as the current trustee). The trust document then states that if there is an event of duress, such as a lawsuit, bankruptcy or other threat to the beneficiary’s wealth, the beneficiary can resign as trustee and the offshore Cook Islands trust company will automatically become the new trustee. I call this type of trust a Gate Trust (because the creator of the trust can maintain control by being trustee until he/she needs to “close the gate to the castle” and appoint an offshore trustee).
I compare naming an offshore successor trustee of your asset protection trust to a country having nuclear weapons. There’s a reason that rogue countries like Iran and North Korea are trying to get nuclear weapons. It will give them huge bargaining power that they don’t have at the moment. However, using nuclear weapons is not something to be taken lightly. From a practical standpoint, a country is best defended by a conventional military using conventional weapons. That’s why a country like the U.S. has both conventional weapons and nuclear weapons. The conventional weapons can actually be used if needed, and the nuclear weapons are there as a threat.
Coming back to the topic of asset protection trusts, the “conventional weapon” of the trust would be to name the trust as either (a) you (the person creating the trust) or (b) a domestic, U.S.-based trust company in one of the asset protection states such as Delaware, Nevada, South Dakota or Alaska. The “nuclear option” would be to name a trust company in the Cooks Islands as the trustee.
Why do I call the offshore trustee the “nuclear option?” It’s because it’s hard to unring that bell once you’ve taken that step. The trustee fees can be more expensive, and your filing requirements (as a U.S. citizen) are more complicated.
Recent legislation in the Cook Islands makes the trust companies there less willing to even be named as a successor trustee without doing initial due diligence on the beneficiary of the trust. At the time of writing this blog, the trust companies in the Cook Islands that I have recently spoken with want to charge a couple thousand dollars to do a background check on the beneficiary before even being willing to be named as the successor trustee. In the big picture, however, this is still the best approach for someone who really wants to be able to have the option of taking his or her chips off the table if they would otherwise be lost to a frivolous lawsuit. The one downside to moving one’s life savings to an offshore trust company is that that company will charge currently around $4,000 or $5,000 per year to administer the trust and deal with the reporting requirements to the IRS. (The concern on the part of the American government is that people are either trying to avoid taxes or are hiding illegally obtained money.) Another concern is what happens if an officer at the trust company “goes rogue” like Bernie Madoff? I don’t have a good answer for that at the moment, other than to choose a larger trust company with checks and balances.
If you are a U.S. citizen who wants to open a foreign bank account, one way would be to have a foreign trust that owns a foreign limited liability company (such as a Belize or Nevis LLC). Due to U.S. compliance rules imposed on non-U.S. banks, foreign banks are willing to open a bank account in the name of a foreign, non-U.S. LLC (even if owned by a trust whose beneficiary is a U.S. citizen) but are usually not willing to open a bank account in the name of the U.S. citizen.
WARNING: Proper asset protection planning is more complicated than simply forming an asset protection trust. You should NOT play around in this area. Good asset protection attorneys are expensive, but it is worth what you pay them. In future posts, I will discuss more of the details to good asset protection planning, including the use of insurance and business entities, as well as just following good business practice (if you are a business owner). Nothing I have written is intended as legal advice or forming an attorney-client relationship. Feel free to contact me if you want assistance with asset protection planning. However, do not send me any confidential information until I have conducted a conflict check and we have signed an agreement entering into an attorney-client relationship.
Feel free to contact Paul Deloughery at 602-443-4888 if you have any questions. Mr. Deloughery is admitted to practice law in Arizona.
Paul Deloughery is an estate and probate litigation, and law insurance dispute consultant in Scottsdale, Arizona. Visit his website to read more of his blogs or follow him on Twitter!
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Fashion trends are always changing. With each new style, new design, latest obsession, we are constantly trying to keep up. Join me as this curvy girl takes on this trendy world by storm, transforming fashion trends to meet my style, my size and my fashion sense.
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This First Responders Day, we’re extending our deepest gratitude to the remarkable individuals who are helping their communities and responding to crisis in every imaginable way.
As the frequency and intensity of natural disasters has rapidly increased, an unprecedented number of people have responded to help their communities in times of need, broadening what it means to be a first responder. While their acts of service may vary, the one thing that remains true is what they stand for: bravery, resilience, and hope.
Meet some of the first responders on the front lines in their communities
“I never thought I’d be out there in a million years fighting fires and feeling like a hero.”
Delivering career support to formerly incarcerated firefighters to combat wildfires
Co-founder of The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program
Incarcerated firefighters account for a staggering 30% of those battling wildfires on the west coast. Until The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), institutional barriers made it almost impossible for these individuals to attain gainful employment in the firefighting sector once home.
Royal Ramey first fought wildfires when incarcerated. Not only did it teach him valuable skills, it filled him with true purpose. Upon his release in 2014 Royal pursued a career in firefighting, but quickly encountered systemic inequities preventing him from obtaining employment. On Royal’s job hunt, he was rejected from every fire department due to his conviction record.
To create opportunities that weren't afforded to him, Royal cofounded The Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program (FFRP), a nonprofit that provides career support to formerly incarcerated firefighters to transition to the industry professionally. From training to certifications to mentorship, Royal says, “we strive to ensure formerly incarcerated firefighters have the support needed to find long-term career success.”
With the understaffing of firefighters and California fire seasons increasing in frequency and intensity, the State of California has turned to FFRP to find a long-term solution to train and staff more fire departments — surpassing Royal’s expectations for what he dreamed it could be.
In contribution of FFRP’s mission, Google.org issued a $500k grant to support their trailblazing work.
During active wildfires, Google Search and Maps provides access to wildfire boundary maps and timely safety information.
“We sent anything that people needed. We were probably helping over 5,000 people in the city every day.”
Creating a volunteer network to help communities weather extreme storms
Cara Adams founded Texas Relief Warriors in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. When Hurricane Laura hit in 2020, Cara quickly responded by identifying the needs of individuals in the community. She and volunteers then coordinated the orders of vital supplies, eventually sending over 30 semi-tractor-trailer trucks for delivery directly to people in need.
Texas Relief Warriors’ experience in the aftermath of hurricanes for the Texas and Gulf coasts prepared them for the unprecedented winter storm Uri in 2021. To allow people to request help in response to freezing temperatures and the lack of water, a Google Form on their website connected to a Google Sheet and automatically uploaded to Maps. Drivers were able to pinpoint where people needed food and plan efficient routes to reach them. Though the storm has passed, Cara continues to run programs and drives to support the affected families.
Timely alerts and warnings
“We tend to focus on fixing the physical wounds, but the wounds go much deeper than that.”
Supporting underserved youth with violence intervention and prevention
Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI) is a community-based violence intervention and prevention program that supports youth and focuses on shifting norms while creating a safer and stronger community. Founder Dr. Robert Gore, an ER doctor at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, is no stranger to seeing trauma. Still, his upbringing in Central Brooklyn and years of practice in the ER had not prepared him to encounter the number of youth brought in, suffering at the hands of systemic inequities that lead to street violence and retaliation. To help more patients move forward from trauma, he sought assistance from members of the community, like Taisha Smith.
Growing up in a community riddled with violence, Taisha decided her mission was to encourage healing, and prevent retaliation. As one of KAVI’s most dedicated hospital intervention specialist, she actively partners with injured patients and their families to end the cycle of violence and trauma.
When an ER patient comes in with an intentional injury, Taisha tends to the patient like family, staying bedside to ensure they get proper care, eliminate thoughts of retaliation, and focus their attention on healing physically and mentally. Securing employment, finding housing, and getting the patient well and in a healthier environment are all part of KAVI's program for violence intervention and preventing trauma.
Intervention program at work with Google
Tapping into the free tools provided by Google for Nonprofits, KAVI uses Google Drive to run their operation and community outreach.
“We began our journey the way all great journeys begin; one step at a time.”
Building a grassroots volunteer community that’s ready to respond to crisis
Abe Powell's roots as a volunteer began during Santa Barbara Country's Tea Fire in 2008. Shortly after, he stepped up to coordinate a group that helped sandbag and protect his neighborhood from flooding during a severe rainstorm. In just two weeks, with a Gmail account and Google Forms, he gathered 1,000 volunteers. This massive community effort was the beginning of something even greater.
In 2018, the Bucket Brigade was fully formed in response to the tragic flow of debris which devastated Montecito, California. Since then, the Bucket Brigade has been helping out during COVID-19 and beyond. Their 2020 Mask program brought together diverse members of the community to produce thousands of masks and face shields for those in need. They continue to tackle the food insecurity crisis through their Growing Community Project which maintains a community garden and delivers home garden kits so people can grow their own fresh produce. Today, with volunteers spread across a wide array of programs, Abe's adaptive response system stands 4,500 strong.
“We went from 0 to 1,000 volunteers in one week with no infrastructure – just local knowledge and Google.”
Providing access to critical resources when people need it most
Google’s Crisis Response team shares the mission to help communities in the face of disasters. For over a decade, we’ve partnered with those on the front lines to develop technology and programs that help keep people safe, informed, and out of harm’s way — such as SOS alerts in Google Search and Google.org disaster relief grants. And like the organizations profiled above, Google's Crisis Response efforts are powered by passionate teams and individuals, working together to help those in need.
“Our efforts began when a small group of engineers gathered to identify ways to help their local communities impacted by disasters. This mission has resonated with many Googlers, allowing us to help even more people around the world access information and resources in the moments that matter most.”
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i have a lot of nicknames that people have come up with for me. one of them is the cardigan queen. i live in cardigans! not only do i love the feel and how it can shift the look of what i have on, i also have to keep my tattoos covered at work. a cardigan is the perfect way to do that without the stiffness of a jacket or a coat. plus, i tend to run a bit warm so having the ability to easily roll up my sleeves is a must.
as if i wasn’t already obsessed with my custom crewneck, imagine my excitement when hazy + rose co. rolled out so much great inventory including amazing cardigans?! this was made exponentially better when i saw that one of my favorites came with pockets.
i am all about figuring out how to look put together while also being comfortable for my endless number of zoom calls daily. bonus points are given when the item is functional. with me having misu (my little maltipoo) now, pockets are great for me to throw my keys and phone into when taking him down the block for potty breaks. this amazing cardigan allows for all of that. plus, i somehow only had one other black cardigan (gray is my favorite neutral so a lot of my staples are in that color instead).
hazy + rose co. has so many great pieces that are perfect for working from home that transition well if you are leaving the house. when buying an item, i often think about the cpw (cost per wear). a cardigan like this one can be worn with loungewear, to work (as pictured here), to brunch (with a crop top and some skinnies) or for date night (with a fitted dress and a pair of booties). the possibilities are endless.
lucky for you all, hazy + rose co. is having another drop this sunday, the 24th. for those of you in the sacramento area, a pop-up shop is happening on the 13th (my birthday!). and, a HUGE drop is scheduled for valentine’s day. if you are not doing so already, be sure to follow hazy + rose co. on the gram. you will be happy you did!
k. tap
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Stop asking about my kid’s college plans – A beautiful essay from the NY Times from a parent who is going through it just like you. A terrific read, especially the point she makes in the second-to-last paragraph. Check it out. How colleges award financial aid – A succinct and well-written explanation by the…
Insider tips for the week of December 4, 2017
By Chris Wills | December 6, 2017 | 0
15 things every parent needs to know – A thought-provoking list from DIY College Rankings. My two favorites are 1) You set the expectation for acceptable colleges — not the rankings, your peers or your child’s peers and 2) You shouldn’t base your expectations on another family’s experiences. Take a few minutes to scan the…
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So… you were just asked to teach the kids at your church and you are thinking to yourself…”how to teach Sunday School?”.
At first, you might have been excited to sign up.
You thought of all the children in their beautiful Sunday dresses, gathered around you as you spoke to them about Jesus and helped lay a foundation for their faith for decades to come. Perhaps, you didn’t even sign yourself up to teach a Sunday School class, but you found out a few weeks or days later that your spouse had.
Either way, there comes that point for every Sunday School teacher, even the veterans who teach children five days a week in school, where they realize that the children you are going to be teaching aren’t angels but real, live children with real, live emotions, thoughts, and sometimes, an ability to find that button and push it repeatedly.
You thought, “oh, it’s only an hour every week, I can handle that.” Maybe, it’s even less. Then, the children come in and suddenly you think, “how am I going to get through this minute?”
The first thing to do, in order to teach Sunday School, is to put it all into perspective.
Remember, the Bible is clear that spiritual instruction should begin and end at home, that the onus for teaching children and encouraging them in their faith begins with their parents.
It’s easy to couple that knowledge with the “it’s only one hour every week”, and feel that your influence isn’t that important.
One hour every week is 52 hours in a year. Imagine leaving your child with someone for 52 hours? Imagine the kind of influence that person would have.
Sure, some of these kids may come in knowing all the answers, ready to spout them off to you quickly. Others, though, may have never stepped in a church before in their lives, and you are the first face of God they see.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” Essentially, what we teach our children now influences their entire lives. When you teach Sunday school, you have the chance to influence entire lives for the sake of the Gospel.
So how do you manage to entertain a classroom of children? How do you interact with them enough that you can get them to listen to the message? What do you do when things go wrong? How do you deal with that kid? What do you do when you start to feel burnout? What makes a “good” teacher?
How to Deal With Bad Behavior:
Related Posts
When I was in high school, I had a teacher who was constantly burnt out.
She would come to school every day in a disheveled mess, speak as if she dreaded the idea of even opening her mouth, and give up in defeat when anyone challenged an idea or raised a question. It was a literature class, where communicating about what we read was essential.
As a student in the class, I looked at my teacher and realized that she didn’t really care about being at school, and she certainly didn’t care about teaching our class. Did she care about the material we were studying? If she didn’t care, should I?
If she didn’t care, should I?
Through that class, I learned that it’s as important for a teacher to be “ready” for class as it is for a student.
I don’t just mean the material covered, but the actual teacher himself.
Preparing for class doesn’t just mean making sure you have all of your notes and supplies, it means preparing your mind and body to stand in front of a group of children and to convince them to care about the subject as much as you do.
Prepare yourself to teach Sunday School by making an effort to do things that calm you and energize you before you teach.
It may mean spending time with your family the day before, instead of running errands. Perhaps it means going to the gym to run off some stress, or spending 15 minutes alone with God to vent to him about what’s going on in your life.
Prepare yourself to be able to give all of you for that hour on Sunday.
There’s a great children’s book called “Fill Your Bucket”. The book talks about how every human has an empty bucket, and when we get compliments from others, our bucket gets filled up. The objective is to help others fill up their buckets so they can gain a sense of happiness and fulfillment.
Whenever you’re working with children, it can be tempting to try to empty your own bucket in order to fill theirs. Therefore, it’s imperative that you take time ahead of the lesson to fill your own bucket.
There may be times during the year where this is as simple as taking five minutes of alone time to take a deep breath before you head in to teach Sunday School. There may be other times in the year when your bucket fills so empty, this task of filling it takes more like an hour or two. However, this is essential to being a good teacher.
All good teachers know how to keep themselves energized for the work ahead.
Lastly, remember that for many children, their Sunday School teacher becomes their first glimpse of Jesus.
I can still remember my Sunday School teacher, and how much I looked forward to my Sunday mornings with her.
Kids are facing many different battles at home or at school, and sometimes, a Sunday School teacher who genuinely loves them and cares for them can help them escape and fill their own buckets so they can make it through the week.
Many churches now offer a “plug and play” style of lesson, where you are given a printout or email of the lesson before Sunday morning, and can essentially show up and read a script and be done.
There’s nothing wrong with these lessons—in fact, in many ways they are excellent tools that enable more people to get involved with teaching Sunday School, and allow people who are trained and professionals to check the lessons for accuracy.
However, just because a lesson is plug and play, doesn’t mean you should treat it that way.
Think of it as a manual from IKEA. Sure, IKEA says it gives you all the parts, and you could begin building your furniture from page one and follow it until it’s done.
What happens when on page seven, you suddenly realize you need a second person to help you set up?
Or you realize that you might have used the wrong screw five pages back?
It’s one of the reasons every primary teacher tells their children, “read the instructions first”. Sure, you can still accomplish something knowing just the start and finish lines, but it’s a lot easier when you know the route it takes to get from one to the other.
One of the best things I ever did as a teacher was prepare my lesson.
Even when I got a “plug and play” lesson, I always took about a half hour at some point the week before to really dive into what I was teaching. I read every word, highlighting different points that stuck out to me. I read the passages that were on the page, spending time with God and asking Him to show me what He was saying in those passages.
Treat it as a form of quiet time with the Lord, going over the lesson. You’ll be far more invested in your teaching it to the children if you’ve had your own moments of “getting something out of it” prior to teaching it to them.
The excitement on your face will catch on, and they’ll be excited about it too.
Last, examine the lesson for accuracy.
Titus 2:1 says, “teach what accords with sound doctrine,” and Titus 1:9 says, “he must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
Early in my time teaching, I was doing a Bible lesson on the story of Abraham, and how his belief changed God’s mind. I had also just come across a verse in Numbers that says, “God is not man that He should lie, nor son of man, that He should change his mind.”
As I was reading the lesson, the story of Abraham changing his mind clashed with the verse I had just read, and I had to go back to both the story and the verse to examine it. Where was the contradiction? Was what I knew about God correct? How would I teach this lesson to the children in good conscience, having doubts about it myself?
After studying more, I realized that the Numbers verse was referring to God changing his mind based on a lack of ability and in order to save face, not based on a lack of heart for the people around him.
No child asked me about the contradiction, and probably few even knew about it.
However, the time I spent preparing the lesson and delving into what I found in the Scripture helped me understand God more deeply, and produced fruit in my own spiritual life. It then enabled me to walk into my classroom with confidence, as I’d researched what was in the scripture and I knew I was teaching sound doctrine.
As mentioned earlier, it’s easy to sit and fantasize that you will have lovely, always listening, engaging children at each and every Sunday School class you have. However, this isn’t the case.
Children have personalities, emotions, and thoughts, and they are learning how to navigate a world by using them.
One of the most effective exercises I ever did as a Sunday School teacher was a role-playing exercise. I’d encourage you to get a few other teachers (or even your own kids!) around, and practice teaching a lesson with personalities in mind.
Write down each of the following personalities on an index card, and pass one to each member of your group. If you have more people in your group than players, some can just play themselves.
• Know-It-All: This is the kid who has spent a lot of time in church, and knows that the Sunday School answer is generally “Jesus”. He has read the bible passages you are reading, and he knows the sermon by heart. He’s often the child of someone influential in the church—the pastor, music director, youth director, etc. He is trying to get your attention and earn your affection by providing you with the answers ahead of time. He feels like this is a place where he is smart and on top, and he wants to showcase that. (Hint: Pull this kid aside and ask if he can be your “helper” by staying quiet. Recognize his knowledge.)
• Quiet: This is the kid who doesn’t want to speak up in class. It’s easy not to notice her because she attempts to blend in with her surroundings. She doesn’t want to read out loud, she doesn’t want to answer a question. She just wants to take it all in, and she feels more comfortable when the spotlight isn’t on her. (Hint: Put this kid in a very small group, ask questions directly to her, or involve some sort of activity where she has to draw/write. She might get her thoughts out more effectively with something to read or stand behind.)
• Scoffer: This is the kid who probably has a brother or sister, or a parent, or someone else influential in their life who isn’t gung-ho on Jesus. This kid has a question for everything, and a rebuttal for every point made. This is usually a defense mechanism a child employs because they feel uncomfortable.
• Bunny Rabbit: This is the kid who can’t stay on topic. You’re reading a passage about Jesus feeding the children, and five minutes after this kid raises his hand, and you’re discussing the merits of In-N-Out burgers and why the ice cream machine at McDonalds is never working. This kid is usually bored, and he’s in need of a change of pace. He’s usually not trying to be distracting, he just is.
• Distractor: Kind of like the bunny rabbit, this kid can’t focus… but instead of steering conversation, he may do things that distract others from paying attention. Maybe it’s clicking his tongue, or standing up, or moving around in his seat. He’s not trying to be distracting—he just can’t sit still. He’s looking for a change-up in what’s happening.
Begin teaching a lesson as usual, having your volunteers act out the card they have.
After about five minutes of this, you’ll want to pull your hair out, but don’t fret—this is the worst it will ever get. It will also teach you how to handle the different personalities and behaviors that might come out while you’re teaching.
Ask for help from others on how to handle the different personalities… You never know, someone in your own family or church may have been that personality when they were little, and they know exactly what you should do to fix it.
So now that you’ve prepared yourself, prepared the lesson, and prepared for the different personalities you’ll encounter as a teacher, it’s time to talk about what you will do when it’s actually time to teach the lesson. You’ve got to convince, engage, instruct, and correct.
First, before any learning can take place, you have to convince the kids you’re teaching that you care about them, and that you know who they are.
Any person is going to have a hard time being taught something if they aren’t convinced the person standing in front of them cares about them.
The easiest way to convince kids you care about them is to take note of who they are.
The easiest way to convince kids you care about them is to take note of who they are. Begin your first time as a Sunday School teacher NERF-ing with each child. Ask them:
• E – education (where they go to school, what grade their in)
• R – recreation (what do they like to do for fun)
• F – family (who is in their family?)
Remember their NERF answers, and they’ll feel important and valued.
In subsequent lessons, start out by going around the room and having each child give an answer to a question.
It can be as simple as “what’s your favorite Starburst flavor?” or as elaborate as, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Remember their answers, and you’ll help convince them that you care about them.
Once you’ve convinced them that you care about them, they’re much more likely to listen to what it is you have to say.
Second, you have to engage them.
When most people think of Sunday School, they think of six children in pretty dresses sitting around a table and reading a passage of scripture…
Sunday School is often synonymous with the words ‘boring’ or ‘chore’, and it can be difficult to break out of that mold. But remember—what you’re teaching is far more exciting than anything they’ve ever learned in school!
Following Jesus is an adventure—make Sunday School one, too!
Obviously, you can’t deter away from the lesson that’s being taught—but you can have fun with it!
Include as much humor as you can, and don’t shy away from being a little off the cuff with how you present things—after all, Jesus was pretty off the cuff. Do funny voices or accents when reading long passages of dialect, or have the kids act out what’s happening in the story.
Bring in props that they can use, or play a fun game with them (Minute to Win It! Games are great for Sunday School!).
Give them each paper and have them “quick draw” scenes from the lesson. Wherever possible, relate the lesson to something that is near to them.
Kids respond more when something feels normal to them—so do whatever you can to make things seem normal.
For instance:
• Instead of saying, “Jesus turned three fish and five loaves of bread into enough to feed 5,000 people,” you could say, “Jesus turned three fish and five loaves of bread into enough to feed 5,000 people, which is kind of like your school cafeteria opening a can of sardines and using a hamburger bun to feed your whole school at lunchtime.” You could further engage the kids by taking out a can of sardines and a hamburger bun, and trying to feed them all snack from it!
• Instead of reading out the passage about Jesus riding into town on a donkey, have one kid be the donkey, and have another kid ride him into town while the rest of the class shouts “Hosanna!”
• Instead of talking about the writing on the wall, give each child a piece of paper and a white crayon and have them write on it—then paint over it with watercolors.
Anything you can do to make your lesson more than just reading and remembering will engage kids.
If you see kids start to drift away, use a tactic called “Brain Breaks”.
Before your lesson, take about 10 popsicle sticks and write different actions on them. These actions could be jumping jacks, burpees, twirl in a circle, etc.
When the kids start to lose interest or look like they could use a jump start, pull one of them out and lead the kids in a little “brain break” by getting their bodies moving.
Research has shown that kids learn best in a variety of different ways, and has grouped these different ways into seven categories: verbal (words), spatial (pictures), kinesthetic (movement), musical (music), logical (reasoning), interpersonal (people), and intrapersonal (self discovery).
To have a lesson that reaches each child in your classroom, incorporate something in each of these different categories.
For instance, say you are teaching a lesson on the Tower of Babel…
A verbal learner will want to read the Bible passage, a spatial learner will want to draw pictures of the story, a kinesthetic learner will want to act out the story, a musical learner may want to make up a song about the story, a logical learner will want to figure out why something happened in the story, an interpersonal learner will want to talk to a small group about the story, and an intrapersonal learner will want to think quietly about the story.
Whichever type of learning you use, the students who learn best within that category will be most engaged.
When I teach Sunday School, I try to incorporate each of these types of learning somewhere in the lesson.
It may mean that I have to put a game at the beginning or end of a lesson that doesn’t really mesh, but if I can tie it back even remotely, the child that learns best through games might “get” the rest of the lesson, as well.
I always try to start and end with a fun activity, as it’s easier to engage a child with a game of “who can spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the best?” first, them move on to….“let’s read Romans 12:8”.
The more you can convince the kids you care about them, the more they will want to listen to you. The more you engage them, the more they will be able to focus on what you’re saying.
Third, you have to instruct them.
In the midst of convincing and engaging, it can be easy to miss out on the instruction part. Kids will naturally want to spend more time talking about themselves and playing fun games than they will listening to you talk about the Bible.
Nevertheless, they’re at Sunday School to learn from you, and you’re given 52 hours in a year to make an impact on their life. You don’t want your only impact to be that they remember super fun games!
Begin your lesson with prayer.
This will signal to the kids that it’s time to come down from the fun and games, and time to focus on the lesson for the day.
Do your best to make it as interactive as possible, but remember that there is always a point that needs to be made. Before the lesson, identify what the main points are, and create a phrase that you an repeat throughout the lesson. This will help gather kid’s attention, and will help you instruct them more efficiently.
You want kids to understand that Jesus worked a miracle when he fed the 5,000 with just a few pieces of food. So you come up with a creative catch phrase like, “Jesus divides… and multiplies!”
This phrase doesn’t tell the whole story, but it is enough to jog a child’s memory to remember the story.
Whenever there comes a point in the story where a child is losing interest, or when you want to reinforce the point, you could say, “Jesus divides…” and have the kids pitch in with “and multiplies!”.
You could even add in some hand motions to make it more exciting for them.
In this way, you’re both engaging them and instructing them.
Every time they hear the phrase, they’re locked right back into what you’re saying, but you’re engaging them in a way that also brings the truth of the lesson home. You’ve got them repeating, multiple times a lesson, the point you’re trying to make.
Every lesson should end with a time of reflection, and of asking questions to test comprehension. Questions are a great way to test if a child knows what’s happening.
As you’re reading a passage, you might want to stop at the end of a paragraph and ask a comprehension question—use the 5Ws as a cheat sheet if you’re not sure what to ask (who, what, why, when, where).
Sometimes, it’s even effective to play dumb. Finish reading a section of the passage, then look up and say, “I don’t get it… Can somebody help me?”
Fourth, you have to correct.
This is one of the hardest things about having the opportunity to teach Sunday School, but also one of the most important.
In a collaborative classroom, where students are seeking to learn from each other and to teach each other, it’s unavoidable to have a few kids who spout out ideas that are not aligned with scripture, or are just plain wrong.
It can be tempting to not correct them in order to spare their feelings, or because you don’t want them to feel they can’t speak up. However, if a child is wrong, he or she should be corrected.
a good teacher always corrects mistakes
A good teacher always corrects mistakes, but does so in a way that’s loving and affirming.
Say you are teaching and a child says that “the devil isn’t ALL bad”.
It’s tempting to let that one slide, or to just shrug it off and not correct it. However, in this statement, the child is clearly wrong. If you don’t correct it, the others in the room, including the child who said it, will think you condone it.
There are a few different ways you can correct a child without hurting their self-esteem and also validating their bravery.
• Ask a follow up question: What makes you say that? How did you come up with that?
• See if you can find something from scripture that contradicts what they said, then discover it together.
Correcting children not only is beneficial for them to learn, but is also beneficial in gaining the trust of all of the children in the room. If a child knows you will correct them when they’re wrong, they will feel more confident that you are a teacher worth listening to.
How to Deal With Bad Behavior:
There are a few different ways to deal with bad behavior. Every child is different, and every child responds differently to punishment. Some children respond better when it’s personal, and others, when the entire class is working as a community to earn something.
Here are a few of the best tricks to minimizing bad behavior when you teach Sunday School…
• Community Rules: Work with the kids to come up with your list of rules for the classroom. Let them be the ringleaders on what’s fair, and offer your own ideas when they’ve reached a stall. Then, have the kids sign the rules. If they’ve created the rules themselves, they’re more likely to see them as important and worth following.
it could also mean having a Mr. Potato Head…
• Reward System: Create a rewards system with the children in your class. This can be as simple as having them earn “letters” on the board for good behavior, and earning 5 minutes of free play for spelling a word. It could also mean having a Mr. Potato Head, and letting the kids add one item to the potato at different intervals. Be sporadic about when you reward their good behavior, so they know they have to be on their best behavior at all times.
• Praise: Kids feed off being praised for good behaviors. One of the most effective ways to get your entire class acting well is to praise a student who is doing well. If your class is being extraordinarily loud, you could praise one of the students who is not being loud. “I like the way that Hannah is being quiet,” is a great way to get others’ attention.
• Leader: Sometimes, taking the rowdiest kid and promoting them to “leader” or “helper” can pay huge dividends. If you can take a child that’s usually misbehaving and convince him to be a leader in good behavior in the class, a lot of behavior problems may subside.
• Redirect: If a child is acting out and is doing something you don’t want them to do, try redirecting them to another activity. Say Johnny is throwing markers at a friend. Suggesting that Johnny go play with the blocks instead, might be a way to redirect him and change his behavior.
• Consequences: This is my least favorite way to punish, but for some kids, it can work the best. Tell children that misbehavior will result in consequences, or things being taken away from them.
Above all, recognize that usually bad behavior stems from a need for attention.
Try to give each child individual attention during class. It can be as simple as a smile or a “good to see you,” followed by their name, but it will go a long way in making them feel part of a community and important to you.
When you finish a lesson, it’s important to do three things: summarize, pray, and show you care.
First, summarize the lesson with students. Ask them what happened, and what they recall from the story.
Repeat the phrase you’ve learned together, and see how much the kids remember. This well help tie the entire lesson together, and also help you re-emphasize the important points and make sure kids are taking away from the lesson what is essential.
Second, pray. Ask for prayer requests and have kids pray for each other, and close out the time in prayer together.
Third, say goodbye to each child individually. Whether it’s a secret handshake, using their name, fist bumps, or something else you come up with, find a way to make each child feel important as they leave.
One of the biggest problems facing those of us who teach Sunday School is getting “burn out”.
What starts out as something fun that you are excited to do every week can quickly turn into a chore if you get burn out.
If you have the resources available, try sharing duties with another teacher.
Perhaps that will mean that you go week-on/week-off, or maybe it means that you take the eight week series, and then she takes the next one.
Time off can do a lot to help you regain a sense of excitement for teaching. I would suggest finding a “backup” teacher and letting them take the reigns at least once every two months.
In addition, make sure that you are getting enough time in church. If you aren’t attending church, how are you being fed?
So many Sunday School teachers find it difficult to teach because they consistently miss church. Find a way to get what you need spiritually—even if that means you have to find someone to take your class for you.
If you don’t have the resources available to you, explain the situation to your pastor and see if you can get him to help you get the break you need.
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Hi, I’m Nathan, and that’s Nolan. I’m a husband, a dad, and a Sunday School teacher. BetterBibleTeachers is dedicated to teaching the Bible to kids in crazy interesting ways.
What does it mean to follow Jesus? (6 weeks)
Kids in the Bible
Kids can do great things for God! (6 weeks)
How God uses animals for His purposes! (4 weeks)
Here are a few of the more popular posts I’ve written:
10 anti-lame object lessons (with videos) that are pretty much guaranteed to make you a better teacher.
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I am the CEO/Founder of ARC Book Club, Inc, the VP of Acquisitions for Prodigy Publishing Group, an avid reader and book reviewer, a self-proclaimed “foodie”, and a forensic science junkie.
2. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a love affair with the written word. During school years whenever it came to penning essays or answering questions in complete sentences, I did very well. English was always my favorite subject and reading was second nature to me; I’d even read the dictionary as a teen! As young as fourteen years of age, I was writing poems and little skits, so I’d have to say that personally, I’ve always considered myself a writer. Words intrigue me.
3. What inspired you to write your first book?
A few years ago, I had a scene that I wrote and posted on MySpace. The overwhelming response and interest it received prompted me to complete it; everyone was asking, “so what happens next?” So last year I took it out and took a stab at completing it and it turned into the prologue of what is now my debut, HOEISM: Born To Do It.
4. What books influenced your life?
I’m not certain that these books influenced my life per say, but they certainly left a meaningful impression on me: A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens), Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott Odell), V.C. Andrews (Flowers in the Attic), Flyy Girl (Omar Tyree), Native Son (Richard Wright).
5. If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
6. What book are you reading now?
Sweet 16 by Trae Ferguson
7. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I absolutely love ice skating, reading (of course), trying new recipes, watching forensic shows, crabbing (catching crabs), camping, amusement parks, bowling, and relaxing on the beach with my kids.
8. Where do you get your ideas for your books?
Real life occurrences intermingled with my imagination.
9. What new author has grasped your interest?
I’d have to say Kamilah Watson, author of Last man Standing. I've had the pleasure of reading some of her unpublished work and was quite impressed. Her pen game goes way beyond what she has allowed readers to see thus far. I'm very excited about her upcoming projects.
10. If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
11. What was your favorite chapter to write and why?
Chapter 1 because it gives the first inkling of the type of characters that you’ll read about. I was able to give a peek into a few different personalities and get the reader a little excited about what’s to come.
12. Why do you feel you had to tell this story?
There are many women out there like Shanae. Some are that way because they enjoy it, some are that way because that's the only way they know how to be. Shanae ends up in several unfavorable scenarios but she always has a choice to make. I wanted readers to see the predicament one can end up in by making all the wrong choices. I also wanted then to see that although Shanae called herself "doing her," she didn't consider the impact her selfishness had on those close to her. Although her loved ones were not physically involved, they were left "holding the bag" in the end, so to speak.
13. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
I am currently finalizing the plot points for the sequel to Hoeism. I’m also working on a story that deals with coming of age and sexual abuse. There’s also a short story in the works for release in an anthology with two other authors.
14. How do you market your book?
I market my book through social media, personal networking, events I attend, and any way I see a valid opportunity.
15. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Sell yourself and let your personality shine through. Readers want to know that there is a human behind those stories, not just an entity encouraging them to buy. Engage your readers and listen to what they have to say about your work. Be personable and respectful. Gaining and maintaining a following requires more than producing great work. You must be able to have a personality that goes from behind the keyboard and is present at signings, online, interviews, etc. Readers can love your work, but if you are a self-absorbed a-hole in person, you may have just turned off a lifelong reader. Make your readers feel appreciated, consider them when it comes to font size, and cover image. Building relationships, using social networking EFFECTIVELY is one way to achieve that. Last but not least, be smart and make good business decisions.
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Personal experience of writing music from one of our team members. He mentioned that one of the harder things to do when composing new music is creating transitions between two pieces or melodies
What it does
Our solution is able to with a neural network, fuse together two midi files and create a transition between them. The autoencoder is trained on a subset of the "Million songs Datasets"
How we built it
We built this mostly in python and pytorch, we also built a user friendly front end for interacting with the tool. We built two models, an autoencoder which involves 1 dimensional convolutional layers and an LSTM.
Challenges we ran into
Neural networks are hard to train in general. With the limited time we despite the crunch hours couldn't create a nice model.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We managed to get a fully functioning product, although the performance might be sub optimal
What we learned
We we're naive to think that we could train a good network in just 24h, we should have implemented other more simplistic solutions as a backup
What's next for A musical autocompleter
Improve the convergenceof the training of both models, utilize cloud GPU to speed up the training process and also maybe change the LSTM architecture to reduce vanishing gradients.
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The cloud that was Sandy was so vast, that it was statistically likely to have a silver lining. That silver lining is the fact that Americans can now talk about climate change without embarrassment. They might even start talking about global warming.
But what should they say? This is critical. To an outsider the USA seems to be a divided nation. So that even if both sides are ready to talk about climate change, there will be much disagreement and debate and action will be deferred. It would be important, therefore, if they say something which they can agree on.
Recently climate scientist wrote that we need a new “narrative” about climate change. (I don’t like the word “narrative” because it looks like a trendy word trying to seem clever and right on. But to give it credit, I think it does have some substance). In fact, getting that narrative right is one of the most important tasks we have ahead of us. The narrative, or the story which shapes our worldview, influences significantly how we behave and what policies we adopt to address climate change. In the short term it perhaps does not matter so much: at this desperate stage, with methane bubbling out of the arctic, we should grasp at anything to cut emissions. But in the longer term, in matters of strategy and direction, it is critical.
That narrative has to redirect our efforts in a very precise way: I see it like a barge passing along a narrow canal. There are a few inches of leeway between safe passage and a collision. The narrative also has to work for a large majority of people, reflecting both their personal and their corporate interests. The effort to cut emissions has to be in unison, because the challenge is so great.
I think the narrative has to weave together several strands. Here are three:
The first strand of the narrative must appeal to the very best of American (and human) enterprise, creativity, innovation, drive, passion, non-nonsense roll-up-your-sleeves, grit. Because this is what we need if we are to come up with viable solutions for the predicaments we face – the “silver buckshot” of solutions will need the brightest minds and toughest entrepreneurs. Happily these are the qualities of which much right-wing ideology is built. The narrative has to evoke these qualities and everyone can agree on them.
This narrative is conducive to people working hard and is therefore also consistent with the puritan mindset and acceptable to the people of Wall Street. It should generate economic activity and something we will be able to call growth.
A second requirement of the narrative is that it has to be consistent with human nature and not try to run against its grain. If it is all about denying or crushing our natural desires, then it will fail. It needs to help satisfy or vent those desires and not bottle them up. So it has to be about doing rather than not doing, about opening rather than obstacle, about forward rather than back, advancement rather than retrenchment, and so forth. It has to be horribly positive, but that’s something we have to swallow. And genuinely so, because anything fake is quickly seen through.
So far so good, but if I look out of the window I see that the ship is edging towards the right … and there’s a problem in the boiler room!
The problem is that so far this narrative is also consistent with the techno-optimist view of the world. This is something to be avoided. The techno-optimist view of the world says that we just need to invest lots of money into clean technology and the economy will grow and we will develop fantastic new gadgets to allow us to live just like we want and not cause any harm to the planet.
Unfortunately techno-optimists ignore three important things. First, they overlook the rebound effect. All that green growth will generate great wealth. But what will we spend all that wealth on? We are going to spend it on weekend trips to the moon, eating okapi steaks, and going skiing in Dubai. Moreover, as our “standard of living” gets higher and higher, it becomes socially and morally ever harder to retreat.
Second, techno-optimists ignore the skewed distribution of wealth. Yes, the richest on the planet will be able to enjoy their weekend trips to the moon, oakapi steaks and skiing in Dubai all using state-of-the-art zero carbon technology. But we are learning that wealth doesn’t average out. Like molecules of oil which cluster around themselves and wont mix with water, wealth congeals around the wealthy and leaves the rest as poor as they were before. So the remaining 7 or 8 billion poor will still aspire to the moon-oakapi-skiing dream, but will have to make do with grubby high carbon alternatives. The original techno-optimist narrative is a nice story but I don’t see it fitting 9 billion people.
Third, the techno-optimist narrative ignores other species. It is unashamedly anthropocentric. It believes in GMOs and geo-engineering. It uses science to accommodate humans’ unfettered desire for lebensraum without blinking at the holocaust of other species that entails. Maybe that is scientific hubris; maybe it is just pragmatism. But it is worth looking to see if there is a narrative which is more accommodating to other fauna and flora.
So, where we got to is that we are harnessing all that great human enterprise and innovation to cut emissions, and this is happening in a way which goes with the grain of our instincts, but we are tilting towards a dangerous techno-optimist narrative.
How do you retain all that right-wing drive and enterprise without veering down the techno-optimist route?
This is where a third strand is needed to the narrative. It is vital to have aspirations and ambitions because they fuel the entrepreneurial qualities we need. But the pot at the end of the rainbow simply cannot be material. If the reward for our efforts is to have the wealth to fly where and when we want and to eat what and as much as we want and to have houses as big as we want, then the enterprise will fail. Thus, the third strand of the narrative has to turn our material aspirations into spiritual and intellectual aspirations. It has to remove from our aspirations and the economy the huge demand for material and energy resources.
Yet it should not remove from our aspirations the desire to engage and transact with other people, since we want economic activity (at the very least in order to have the support of the right).
I see this all like the equivalent of building cathedrals in the middle ages. Somehow, whether by accident or design, people found themselves willing to devote their lives to the economic activity of building vast cathedrals. I don’t have the figures but I imagine that a significant portion of the economic activity of Chartres, Cologne or Orvieto went into putting up the cathedral. You put together a plan to build a cathedral over the next hundred years or so and get everyone to rally round and get involved. And suddenly you are achieving your goals and you have a very brisk economy. In the same way we have to get people to aspire to something to which they will devote lots of economic activity. But it can’t be made of stone and cement. It can’t be about travelling a lot either.
I won’t write a list here of aspirations which fit the bill. But it’s a hugely important piece of homework to figure out what those aspirations are to be if we want to cut emissions, avoid the techno-optimist nightmare and still enjoy a robust economy.
This entry was posted in Climate change policy and tagged behavioural economics, belief economics, climate change policy, economic policy, EU ETS, narrative, Sandy, veganism. Bookmark the permalink.
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Jamie was a tremendous help in guiding us in packing our home as we down-sized from a single-family home... read moreJamie was a tremendous help in guiding us in packing our home as we down-sized from a single-family home to a townhome. She asked critical questions to help us determine what we wanted to keep, donate, or purge. Jamie never expressed any judgment about what we decided to keep. Throughout the entire packing process, she was positive and focused, giving helpful tips on packing and storing items. When my husband and I moved into our townhome, Jamie and her team helped us unpack and organize all of our belongings. By the time the team left, it looked as though we had been living here for months. Her price was reasonable for the service she provided. We highly recommend her services! read less
Jamie reorganized our office space. Our storage area and cabinets were messy and contained items no longer in use. ... read moreJamie reorganized our office space. Our storage area and cabinets were messy and contained items no longer in use. She expertly sorted the items and helped discard and recycle those items no longer needed. She went over the items and how frequently they were used. She re-organized the items in a way that was easy for everyone to understand. It made sense and was seamlessly integrated. She was very patient and pleasant to work with. Her fee was reasonable and we valued the project and positive outcome. read less
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Not long after moving back to Mobile, in the early days of this cruel and wanton summer, I made a pilgrimmage to the last-standing Colonel Dixie in my hometown.
Colonel Dixie, or “The Dick” as it was so warmly known, was a local, homegrown approximation of McDonald’s (who once sued the company for trademark infringement) and home of the beloved “Dixie Dog.” This particular location had apparently closed down a few years ago, but the building remained, standing like some crooked monument to the franchise’s faded glory.
Colonel Dixie was a local instition throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. It carried a history as rich and piquant as its beloved “Dixie Dogs.” The owner, a brash, redneck Mobilian by the name of Paul Leverett, had his wife murdered by a hitman in the early ‘80s so he could marry his mistress (“Phyliss”). Mr. Leverett was convicted and eventually murdered in prison.
A child of the Springhill neighborhood in West Mobile, my local “Dick” stood on the corner of Old Shell and McGregor. It was the regular meeting place after “ballroom dancing” class on Mondays in the sixth grade. Later, when you reached driving age, you’d meet up at there to find out where the party was that night. Sometimes, when the scene was slow, you would just hang out in the lot, smoking and drinking and maybe listening to Harrison pick an Allman Brothers tune, until a cop showed up and the Broncos and Blazers scattered like spooked horses.
R.I.P, Colonel. We’ll never forget you.
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Caine O'Rear
Caine O'Rear is a writer and editor based in Mobile, Alabama. He is the former editor in chief of American Songwriter Magazine. Follow him at www.instagram.com/caineorear. View all posts by Caine O'Rear
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Millions of Britons will take pleasure in a pageant of Entire world Cup football currently as Wales and England both of those participate in crunch matches.
The Welsh could make record this morning if they conquer Iran with England established to qualify for the knock out stages if they defeat the United states of america in the significant match tonight.
Thousands and thousands of Britons will check out the two matches now with many schoolchildren in Wales offered a break from classes to look at Gareth Bale and his teammates participate in at 10am.
An approximated 10,000 English and Welsh fans are in Doha for the matches and were ingesting late into the night in advance of their video games today.
Wales poorly want a consequence right before they participate in England following week. If they conquer Iran at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium then it will be their very first Entire world Cup victory in 64 a long time.
And Welsh fans will be in a position to have on their rainbow bucket hats, immediately after FIFA stepped in after the Qatari authorities started seizing them at their previous match amid tensions about their procedure of LGBT individuals.
England lovers will be praying that Harry Kane is in good shape just after an personal injury scare this week when he harm his ankle in the course of the A few Lions’ 6-2 acquire about the Iranians.
Gareth Bale’s Wales and Harry Kane’s England both equally perform matches at the Qatar Globe Cup currently
Bale will make his individual history by starting to be his country’s most capped men’s footballer versus Iran.
Gareth Southgate’s England have their destiny in their very own hands and will qualify from the team phases a video game early if they defeat the Americans at the Al Bayt Stadium
Gareth Bale has urged instructors in Wales to allow small children observe a Earth Cup ‘mini record lesson’ in Qatar.
Wales’ 2nd sport of the 2022 Planet Cup kicks off at 10am GMT on Friday when small children are in course.
The PA information agency unveiled before this thirty day period that the kids experienced been specified the inexperienced light-weight to assist Robert Page’s side.
The Welsh Government has still left it up to particular person schools to determine whether or not to let little ones to view the activity, and Bale wishes as quite a few of them as doable to do so.
Bale reported: ‘Being a 10am kick-off in Wales, if I was one particular of the teachers, I might permit them check out the recreation.
‘I hope they do. It can be a historic instant in Wales, for us to be at a Earth Cup.
‘Some of the mother and father of children I know all want to view the activity but will not want to choose them off college.
‘So I believe a good deal of educational institutions will put the sport on for them to cheer us on and get at the rear of us.
England’s players stand during the nationwide anthem in advance of the begin of the Qatar 2022 Planet Cup Team B soccer match with Iran
Bale will make his possess record by getting his country’s most capped men’s footballer towards Iran.
The 33-calendar year-old captain – who produced his debut in 2006 and is Wales’ record scorer with 41 objectives – will gain his 110th cap towards Iran.
It will see him overtake Chris Gunter, who will be between the substitutes for Friday’s face, and move him into leading location in his have proper.
Bale said: ‘I haven’t seriously been focusing on the cap point to be straightforward, just hoping to concentrate on the activity.
‘On a personalized amount it can be an amazing accomplishment, it really is an honor to depict my state so lots of moments.
‘But it’s more significant that we try out and get the victory. Ideally we can and it will make it even much more specific.
Joe Allen rejoined the major team on Wednesday and has recovered from a hamstring dilemma.
The 72-moments-capped Allen, who was injured participating in for Swansea on September 17, experienced been teaching on his personal in Qatar right up until that stage.
‘Joe received by way of his fitness exam, so that’s very good information,’ stated manager Website page, who is set to hand Kieffer Moore a commencing spot right after the striker came off the bench to spark Wales’ revival in Monday’s 1-1 attract from the United States .
‘He’s in shape and scarce to go. We had to meet targets along the way and they’ve satisfied each individual concentrate on.
Bale included: ‘Joe is a huge player for us and will not get the credit score he justifies. He is a essential cog in the way we engage in.
‘To have him out there is a significant raise for us with two games remaining, so hopefully he can occur on or commence and he’ll do what Joe Allen does most effective and address each and every blade of grass.
‘I consider he is revealed time and once again how important he is and we hope he has a number of miles remaining to go.’
Harry Kane and Harry Maguire are suit and raring to go for England’s very important Earth Cup clash from the United states tonight just after recovering from injuries and sickness.
The duo have handed a main strengthen to manager Gareth Southgate who yesterday insisted the pair would be readily available.
England captain Kane went for a scan immediately after using a blow to his ankle against Iran on Monday but was cleared to resume training on Wednesday.
Southgate stated: ‘Harry’s very good, he arrived as a result of education with no difficulties — it would be a brave final decision to go away him out of the commencing crew. He’s in a fantastic house. Absolutely.
‘We managed him a very little bit previous 7 days as a result of training simply because of the load he has experienced so we’re often conscious of that. Some players want a minimal little bit extra schooling, some may well do half a session, it depends on what their person load has been.
‘Some have not performed as a great deal football and need to have pushing a bit more at times so we’re constantly independently getting ready that.’
Maguire is also established to start in an unchanged aspect tonight immediately after recovering from an sickness that observed him substituted in opposition to Iran.
There was problem the defender was struggling from concussion but a comprehensive investigation from England medics and FIFA — who have analyzed various digicam angles — ensured he experienced not taken a blow to the head.
‘We believe an ingredient of that was dehydration,’ explained Southgate. ‘Because of the awareness of concussion we have checked back by means of all of that seriously diligently and FIFA have as perfectly, mainly because it truly is 1 of the essential issues from their healthcare section in this match. You will find no evidence of that but you nevertheless want to check that simply because he was experience unwell and why was that?’
James Maddison yet again did not practice with the relaxation of the squad.
Southgate also confirmed that the FA have been in call with FIFA in excess of their considerations about VAR in the 6–2 gain around Iran.
Maguire was denied a penalty soon after being rugby tackled by Rouzbeh Cheshmi in the initially 50 %, but Iran were being awarded a single through VAR later on following John Stones was caught a bit pulling striker Morteza Pouraliganji’s shirt.
The England camp were being angered by the final decision not to award a penalty for the Maguire incident — particularly after an incident in the box involving Kalvin Phillips, from England’s 5–0 earn in excess of Albania very last November, was employed as an example of foul engage in in a movie shown to officers just before the Globe Cup. This experienced led to fears England would be unfairly qualified by referees in Qatar.
The FA has filed a report to FIFA and await their reaction.
Stones explained: ‘We sat in a refereeing meeting before the tournament and told particular items and my disappointment is when those you should not get backed up. That’s hard because we test to adapt our video game to the way they want to refer matters. I fully grasp they have a tremendous-tough occupation presently with all the cameras but there has to be a bit of clarity.’
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The 2022-23 Student Board Member positions have been filled and are officially now closed to applicants.
If you are interested in running for the 2023-24 Student Board Member positions, please check back to this website at the end of March 2023.
In 2019, the San Diego Unified Board of Education accepted a student petition and authorized installment of a student board member, in line with California Education Code 35012. Additional details can be found here, and in Board Bylaw 1035, available here.
In 2022, the San Diego Unified Board of Education voted to add an additional student board member commencing in the 2022-23 school year. Please note that based on the action of the San Diego Unified Board of Education (which can be found here), no two students may actively serve from the same high school and at least one student serving must be from a school with 60% or higher FRPM eligibility.
The current student board member’s term ends on June 30, 2022. If you are interested in becoming one of the two district student board members for a one-year term effective July 1, 2022, please see the information below.
2022-23 Student Board Member election timeline:
Date
Documents of Candidacy become available to students (students can begin filing their documents of candidacy)
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Open Election (students will receive their ballot via their school/district email address)
Opens 3:00pm Monday, May 23, 2022 &
Closes 3:00pm Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Students Sworn In/Oath of Office
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What is a Student Board Member?
What are the duties of a Student Board Member?
What are the expectations and responsibilities of being a Student Board Member?
What is the Student Advisory Board?
What qualifications do I need to meet to run for the Student Board Member position?
How do I apply to run for the Student Board Member position?
Once I apply, what happens next?
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Please see below for the answers to the FAQs.
What is a Student Board Member?
A student that serves alongside the five (5) Board Trustees on the San Diego Unified Board of Education. The purpose of the Student Board Member is to provide students with a voice on the Board of Education. The Student Board Member participates in discussions and represents all the students of the San Diego Unified School District via preferential voting rights, which means the student’s vote is expressed and recorded into the official minutes but does not affect the numerical outcome of the Board of Education vote. The term is for one school year.
What are the duties of a Student Board Member?
Represent all students and facilitate the discussion of all sides of issues. This duty does not preclude the Student Board Member form stating his/her/their individual opinion.
Provide continuing input for board deliberations.
Strengthen communications between the Board and district students.
Serve as President of the Student Advisory Board.
What are the expectations and responsibilities of being a Student Board Member?
The Student Board Member should plan to attend all Board meetings, Workshops, etc., but at a minimum should attend all meetings held at the San Diego Unified School District Education Center Auditorium or virtually if directed (a minimum of 2-3 meetings per month). The approved meeting dates for 2022-23 are posted at https://www.sandiegounified.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=27732478&pageId=28034349.
The student will need to be familiar with the Agendas prior to the meetings in order to make informed comments and votes. Agendas are also posted at the link above. The agendas with supporting materials can be quite lengthy. It will require a large commitment on the student’s part to attend the Board meetings, Workshops, etc., read through the agendas ahead of time and ask questions so that they are prepared for the Board meetings, Workshops, etc.
Draft Agendas are provided two Fridays before the meeting; these documents are Confidential as they are not yet available to the public. Final Agendas and supporting materials will be prepared in notebook form and delivered to the Student Rep’s residence on the Friday evening that the agenda goes live, or will be made available via GoogleDoc, whichever is the preferred method for the student.
Additionally, the Student Board Member is expected to serve as the President of the Student Advisory Board which may meet up to once a month. The Student Board Member should plan to schedule, prepare agendas and attend the Student Advisory Board meetings.
What is the Student Advisory Board?
The Student Advisory Board was created in the 2019-20 school year. The mission of the Student Advisory Board is to serve to effectively represent and empower students of the San Diego Unified School District by advising district leadership on the issues that directly affect the education of students. To propose solutions for issues relevant to students. Advise district leadership on courses of action for student affairs. Work to create district wide solutions for the problems discussed in meetings
What qualifications do I need to meet to run for the Student Board Member position?
Students interested in running must be enrolled in a high school of the school district, may be less than 18 years of age, and shall be chosen by the students enrolled in the high schools of the school district via a districtwide election.
Eligibility Requirements:
A candidate for Student Board Member must:
Currently be enrolled at a high school in the San Diego Unified School District.
Have not received any suspensions in the previous and current school year (exemptions can be made by the principal of the school where the student received the suspension as well as if the suspension is currently being appealed).
Be willing to dedicate an immense amount of time to this position.
A Student Board Member is expected to attend all open-session Board of Education meetings as well as all meetings held by the Student Advisory Board.
This commitment will result in spending multiple hours per week completing the tasks required of the Student Board Member.
How do I apply to run for the Student Board Member position?
Steps to Become a Candidate for Student Board Member:
The following are Candidate Filing steps for a Student Board Member candidate to complete via this Google Form:
Nomination Papers (Required): Nomination signatures must be obtained to become a candidate for Student Board Member. The number of signatures required for a Student Board Member candidate is 200 or 10% of the school.
Candidate’s Statement (Required): A candidate for Student Board Member may prepare a brief description of his/her/their background and qualifications to be printed in the District’s Voter Information Guide.
Candidate Video (Required): Please provide a one (1) minute video for your campaign that will be included on the voter's ballot/District's Voter Information Guide to help students get to know you. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the video preparation, please contact the Elections Administrator at [email protected] 619-725-7125.
Declaration of Candidacy (Required): This is the final step of Candidate Filing. The Declaration of Candidacy is the document on which the candidate indicates how he/she wants his/her name to appear on the ballot and what Ballot Designation he/she desires, if any. It also contains the Oath of Office.
Please note that anything you submit could be requested by members of the public for their viewing.
Once I apply, what happens next?
Once you submit your completed Documents of Candidacy, you will receive an email confirming receipt. Then the documents will be reviewed and verified within three (3) days at which time you will receive an email either approving candidacy or notifying you that something is missing or incomplete. In the email approving your candidacy, you will also receive campaign regulations, the election timeline and the election process.
As an FYI, students running to become the Student Board Member are subject to the following regulations:
Students are required to file reports on all campaign items and donations more than $50.00. This is to be turned into the Election Administrator.
Students who have declared candidacy for Student Board Member are required to comply with all policies of San Diego Unified when making social media posts that are in relation to their campaign. This means that any type of hate speech, false information, or cyber bullying will not be tolerated.
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“I didn’t have the weird dreams that I’ve been having lately last night! I only hit the snooze twice this morning instead of about 6 times…. Last evening I felt very “light” – like a weight had been lifted. And you were correct…I could breathe fuller. Hoping this sticks around because I’m liking it! Thank-you!!!
“Over the past year working with Quimby, I have had a great shift in my consciousness and personal awakening. It has been an ever evolving process that has been guided with profound insight and love. During our sessions I have generated more compassion and understanding. I have created an stronger sense of self and well-being. I have come to better understand my own internal working of my mind and surrounds. I have found clarity and answers to specific questions I was seeking, while learning to trust my own intuition. Most importantly, I have found happiness doing what I love and discovered how to be of service to others. I can not thank her enough for the support she has given me. I feel eternally grateful for all she has done.”
“Quimby is a unique and gifted healer who uses her knowledge of
Quantum Bio-Energy to facilitate and enhance the flow of energy in the
body, mind and spirit. As a practitioner of Chinese medicine and
acupuncturist I am aware of the profound shifts in my own energetic
system during her treatments. I always feel a sense of well being and
peace afterward. Quimby is also a fantastic resource of knowledge and
is always willing to explain her methods and answer any questions
along the way. I am grateful for her wisdom and abilities, which have
been of tremendous benefit to me in all aspects of my life. Thank you,
“My session with Quimby was such a healing experience and validation of my true self. During our work together I felt a warm calm come over me, and an immediate shift in my mood and entire being took place. I felt as though our energies were aligned and all that I needed to receive was coming to me. Knowing I have Quimby’s healing sessions to turn to when I feel blocked has opened up a safe space for me to feel supported and guided.”
“I had the great opportunity to experience a Bio-Energy Healing session with Quimby for a migraine headache that I was experiencing. I did not know what to expect as I had never had a healing with Quimby before, and have never even experienced this type of energy work. It was done remotely so, as guided, I laid down and relaxed for 45 minutes. Shortly into the session I was surprised to feel energy shifts and movement in my physical, and energetic body. I felt so relaxed and at peace during the entire session. By the time I received notification that the session was over, my migraine had subsided and I felt a renewal of my physical energy! What an awesome healing experience! Thank you Quimby!”
I was attending a weekend seminar in Canada. My breathing was becoming more labored and concerning to me for a variety. I thought of Quimby and wondered if she could help me. I sent a text to Quimby and told her what was happening. Fortunately, she was home and told me to sit quietly in the chair in the room and she would check me. I had never experienced a remote energy session before and was not sure what would be happening. I could feel Quimby’s energy working slowly thru my body. As she worked thru the lung area I could feel my lungs calming and my breathing becoming less labored. Because of Quimby’s assistance 6 hours away, I was able to attend the seminar and not wheez and gasp for a breath whether sitting or walking. The irritation in my lungs caused from breathing gas off chemicals from new furniture, bedding and carpet had significantly calmed. I was amazed and grateful for Quimby’s assistance and her ability to make all of that happen. I became an instant fan of her esoteric energy work. I have since referred several family members, friends and clients who I knew would benefit from her expertise.
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Euronews Defends Independence Immediately After Buyout By Hungary-linked Firm
The Austro-Hungarian Navy became substantially more significant than previously, as industrialization offered sufficient revenues to create it. It flowed via the Fantastic Hungarian Plain, which is 1 of the largest flat locations in central Europe. Due to the fact plains can result in a river to flow incredibly slowly, the Tisza employed to comply with a path with lots of curves and turns, which led to numerous large floods in the location. The initial Hungarian steam locomotive railway line was opened on 15 July 1846 amongst Pest and Vác. In 1890 most substantial Hungarian private railway organizations have been nationalized as a consequence of the poor management of private organizations, except the powerful Austrian-owned Kaschau-Oderberg Railway and the Austrian-Hungarian Southern Railway (SB/DV).
Petty crimes, like pickpocketing and bag snatching, are the principal issue in Budapest. As in any other city, tourist areas and public transport are the main locations exactly where the thieves operate. Guests will need to spend particular focus and take care of their belongings, as well as steer clear of carrying their passports with them. In contrast to in other big cities, the threat of becoming kidnapped by the taxi driver does not exist.
The new government, headed by 35-year-old Prime Minister Viktor Orban promised to stimulate more rapidly growth, curb inflation, and lower taxes. In November 1919, rightist forces led by former Austro-Hungarian admiral Miklós Horthy entered Budapest exhausted by the war and its aftermath, the populace accepted Horthy’s leadership. In January 1920, parliamentary elections were held, and Horthy was proclaimed regent of the reestablished Kingdom of Hungary, inaugurating the so-called “Horthy era” (Horthy-kor). The new government worked promptly to normalise foreign relations although turning a blind eye to a White Terror that swept through the countryside extrajudicial killings of suspected communists and Jews lasted properly into 1920. On four June 1920, the Treaty of Trianon established new borders for Hungary. The nation lost 71% of its territory and 66% of its pre-war population, as properly as numerous sources of raw components and its sole port at Fiume.
I ought to confess that as wonderful as Budapest is, it didn’t pretty speak to me when I was there. Regrettably it can be a bit hard to get a ticket to go inside and see the parliament. But next time I’ll make an added effort mainly because I would appreciate to see the interior. I assume the greatest location to stay in Budapest is in the Jewish Quarter or closer to the Danube. There’s a levity to the mood in the city – young couples sit in the park till well after dark, families stroll the avenues with ice creams, and close friends lose hours sitting in cafes with a pack of cigarettes and a typical provide of coffee or beer.
We also gratefully acknowledge a grant received from the Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel to support fund the preservation of news videos featuring Hungarian neighborhood life in the Cleveland location. Over the previous handful of months a quantity of attempts to attain an agreement involving Hungary and Ukraine have been produced. The United States played significant function additional info in convincing each sides to commence negotiations it began treating an improvement of Hungarian-Ukrainian relations as 1 of the circumstances for warming its relations with Budapest. The US diplomacy managed to convince the ministers of Foreign Affairs of Hungary and Ukraine to meet many occasions, but no breakthrough was accomplished.
Plastic surgery is also a crucial sector, with 30% of the clients coming from abroad. Hungary is well known for its spa culture and is property to several medicinal spas, which attract “spa tourism”. Hungary has a hugely created road, railway, air, and water transport method.
Both have been mostly ruins by the time Charles V of Lorraine recaptured them for the Hapsburg dynasty in 1686. They had been rebuilt and resettled and progressively became vital cities once more. The Empress Maria Theresa of Austria aided them by transferring a university to Buda in 1777 and constructing a palace.
Magnificent architecture from centuries previous remains, and have earned the city designation as a cultural World Heritage Internet site and a preferred tourist location. The international ghetto was liberated by the Soviets on January 16, 1945, and the central ghetto two days later. About 94,000 Jews remained in the two ghettos at the time of liberation.
He fell from No. six on the richest Hungarians list in 2015 to No. 21 in 2017. Contracts awarded to the four guys were disproportionately likely to be awarded without having a bidding procedure, and the companies were especially probably to acquire EU funds, more than which the government workouts tight control. Soon after I left Budapest, the Fidesz-controlled local government ordered its closure on well being and safety grounds. The new constitution also expanded the size of the country’s constitutional court, which decides whether or not laws passed by parliament are constitutional. All judges more than the age of 62 had been also forced to retire, so their seats could be filled with even far more Fidesz-friendly jurists.
In the first half of the very first century B.C.E., the Dacian king Burebista extended his rule more than the Pannonian Plain, as far as present-day eastern Austria, and battled the Boii in present-day southwestern Slovakia around 60 B.C.E. As portion of his mandate, the Commissioner carries out visits to countries in order to monitor the human rights situation and pursue a dialogue with national authorities and civil societies. The Council of Europe’s several buildings are house to an extensive collection of operates of art.
The Lukács Bath at the foot of the hill is frequented by Budapest’s literati. Budapest is well-known for its 118 springs, delivering over 70 million liters of thermal water a day. You can also avail good package deals for luxury as well as inexpensive budgets.
Guests can serve themselves with flavoured mineral water and snacks from the mini-bar no cost of charge and the use of a coffee machine in the junior suite is also totally free. Every guestroom is equipped with a smart Television that permits guests to listen to their favourite music or watch videos, films, and series. In this case, the focus is on two Hungarian examples, a robot-based café and a smartphone-controlled hotel in Budapest, with emphasis on new platforms.
The most well-known city in Hungary for international travelers is Budapest. In 2019 it reached the 62nd spot of the world’s most preferred cities with 4.03 million vacationers. Buda is the hilly bit, with Castle Hill getting the major tourist draw, leaving Gellert Hill with its citadel a distant second. On the Pest side of the River Danube, having said that, lie the shopping and hotel districts, several museums, the central boulevard of Andrássy útca and, last but not least, Budapest’s most iconic sight, the majestic neo-Gothic Parliament building. Evening buses and the tram no.six passing via the city centre can be really crowded at peak socialising instances on Friday and Saturday nights. You might come across aggressive drunk youngsters on the cars or at the stops.
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Whilst welcoming the agreement that cis LGB people should be protected from the harms of conversion therapy, Karen Pollock questions why the Church of England does not extend the same protections to trans people.
The practice of conversion, or reparative, therapy is one that has been long campaigned against by LGBTQ+ people, therapists (of all sexualities and genders) and, more recently, other medical professionals. The very real harms of trying to force someone through either physical or psychological torture or more subtle but often equally damaging manipulative techniques to change their identity have been long established. People may shy away from words like torture, but it is what conversion therapy is. When we condemn Chechnya, and other places, for their treatment of LGBTQ+ people, we must not forget how until recently, our medical establishment would have concurred with many practices. Castration, lobotomies and electric shocks were used to “cure” homosexuality up until the 1970s (and later) in large parts of the world.
After homosexuality was removed from the DSM (the bible of psychological diagnosis), the tendency moved away from physical torture to mental. The Oxford English Dictionary defines torture as;
The action or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something
The methods used to inflict the pain can of course be physical or emotional, overt or subtle. An unfortunate side effect of the lack of compulsory training in LGBTQ+ issues for counsellors and psychotherapists is that many may not have examined their own biases and prejudices. So they may not even realise they are engaging in harm as they agree that being LGBTQ+ is lesser, to be avoided, perverted, or a sin. Imagine being told, by a professional you trust, week in, week out, that you are intrinsically wrong, simply because of your sexuality or gender? It is impossible to underestimate the harm that can do.
Sin is a word which comes up frequently in discussions of conversion therapy – largely because, with the depathologisation of queerness, in some spheres at least, it is Christian organisations who have stepped into the “sickness” vacuum. Christian counsellors have, until very recently, openly offered “cures” for being LGBTQ+. If it were not so serious a matter, I would point people towards the Blackadder scene where Edmund tries to cure himself of being in love with Bob by eating leeches. Within a Christian context, the “cure” has often been presented within healing and prayer ministries, as well as more conventional talking therapies. LGBTQ+ people report being exorcised (the process of casting out demons), prayed over, and told themselves to pray to be healed of the sickness of being LGBTQ+.
With all this in mind, the General Synod of the Church of England has looked at what their stance should be towards trying to change something as fundamental as gender or sexual identity. This can only be seen as a positive. It does not mean you cannot work with someone who is struggling with their gender or sexuality. A false claim made by the supporters of conversion therapy is that if it is banned, it would leave this group without support. There are many different ways to support someone without agreeing that they are somehow flawed or sinful; I cover just one here. It is, for someone qualified and working ethically, no different from working with someone who is suicidal or engages in other forms of deliberate self-harm.
The Synod motion, which was passed, is worth reading in full.
That this Synod: (a) endorse the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK of November 2015, signed by The Royal College of Psychiatrists and others, that the practice of gay conversion therapy has no place in the modern world, is unethical, potentially harmful and not supported by evidence; and 3 (b) call upon the Church to be sensitive to, and to listen to, contemporary expressions of gender identity; (c) and call on the government to ban the practice of Conversion Therapy
The first thing to note is that the General Synod voted not to sign the most up-to-date version of the Memorandum, the 2017 one, but an older version, which excluded protections for trans people. We covered the campaign to include protections for trans people at the time. There was no good reason to exclude trans people, and eventually, those organisations who regulate counselling and psychotherapy, along with NHS Scotland, Pink Therapy, the Scottish Government, Stonewall and others agreed.
The briefing paper produced for the General Synod attempts to explain why they voted on the 2015 Memorandum, not the 2017 one. It focuses on the change from may cause harm to causes harm, the definition of conversion therapy, and the inclusion of gender.
The 2017 addition of gender identity to the discussion on conversion therapy raises
questions. What evidence is there indicating the extent to which conversion therapy is being used in this context and how is it being utilised? What distinctions are made between conversion therapy on the one hand and counselling with regard to gender fluidity on the other? Given the paucity of research in this area what is the evidence base for stating that it is harmful? Is also unclear what is meant by the statement that ‘certain…gender identities are inferior to others’; which identities are in mind?
The section says certain questions are raised, but fails in any way to even attempt to point people towards the answers. It is reminiscent of those who make claims about puberty blockers, or the social transition of children, insisting we do not know if it is harmful, when in fact we have good evidence-based research to show that it is not.
The story of Leelah Alcorn raised the issue of conversion therapy for trans people into the public consciousness. We do not have to rely merely on anecdotal evidence of the harms of poor, transphobic and repartive therapy, however. There is a lot of peer reviewed-evidence availaible. To quote from the open letter to the BACP;
Findings by Jane Hunt (2013) found that there was a perception among some trans people that counsellors may not have experience of working with trans people, may try to link any psychological problems to being trans, or may actually express transphobic views.The ScotTrans report, Macneil et al (2012) found that 84% of respondents had contemplated suicide at some point in their life. It also reported that 66% of respondents had sought therapy for issues not related to their gender. Both Hunt (2012) and Macneil recorded many incidences of people being discouraged from seeking therapy by negative experiences directly related to their being trans. Pollock’s research (2015) found that 18% of suicidal trans people were discouraged from seeking counseling due to a fear of a counsellor being transphobic. According to the Transgender Equality Network Ireland report (2013) “Speaking from the Margins”, 40% of trans people were discouraged from seeking crisis support or counselling by previous experiences.
For some reason, the Synod has decided that trans people are somehow a different class of humans, and that the research into the harms of conversion therapy for cis LGB people does not apply to them. There is overwhelming research to show that conversion therapy is harmful and that it is used, often without full and informed consent, against gender-variant young people. Indeed, the controversial removal of Kenneth Zucker in Canada centered around conversion therapy, despite how it has been presented by extremists on both sides of the Atlantic. People have struggled to understand that a CAMHS was closed down because, among other issues, it offered conversion therapy as a solution because it is assumed proponents always display visible and obvious transphobia. However, punishing children for playing with the “wrong” gendered toys is simply reparative therapy, packaged as wanting children to be “normal”. It is very hard to give any benefit of the doubt to Zucker, a clinician whose research included rating the attractiveness of pre-pubescent trans girls as cute, pretty. attractive, handsome or beautiful (be aware that the link above is to research which misgenders the children).
To move on from the harms, the briefing document then asks a question so astonishingly basic, it genuinely made my jaw drop. “What distinctions are made between conversion therapy on the one hand and counselling with regard to gender fluidity on the other?” This, of course, is a question one would hope any first year counselling student could answer. However, since I imagine they would like someone with more letters after their name, if this is a genuine concern, why on earth did they not approach the Tavistock? The Tavistock Clinic works with gender-variant children under 18 in the UK. Counselling these children, exploring exactly what their gender means to them is a vital part of their role. A recent Channel 4 documentary showed the delicateness and experience its teams bring to their roles. When a question can be answered by simply watching a documentary, one has to ask how serious someone’s concerns are.
This leads me to my use of the word ‘genuine’ earlier. Those who work for better treatment of gender-variant people, including children and young people, are used to transphobia being hidden behind a veil of faux concerns. The briefing document given to the Synod contains two questions a simple Google search could have answered. If you believe there is no substantive difference between trans people and the rest of humanity, then the question about the proof of harms is answered. The closing question, that the writer did not understand what was meant by certain gender identities being seen as inferior, speaks more to their lack of imagination than anything else. However, it could have been simply resolved by asking the writers of the 2017 Memorandum what they meant by the phrase.
Perhaps part of the problem is that the Church of England agrees with Michael Gove; ‘we have had enough of experts’. As experts have moved away from upholding the status quo to questioning it, the establishment has moved away from expertise. The background paper highlights this;
Opinion is divided, though not equally so, with regard to whether or not conversion therapy is intrinsically unethical. Professional psychological bodies in the UK believe firmly that it is; some religious bodies and individuals disagree.
Basically, anyone with any training or expertise in the area believes conversion therapy is unethical, so opinion is not divided. If I insist that the Archbishop of Canterbury is three dogs in a suit, opinion is not divided, I am simply wrong. I call this the culture of “reckoning” as so wonderfully described by Mitchell and Webb. It seems to me that it is a sad day when an organisation which has been responsible for some of our greatest thinkers has succumbed to this cult of reckoning.
It seems clear that despite the discussion of services to welcome trans parishioners into the Church family, the Church of England still struggles to see them as equal and valid members of the community. By voting to allow conversion therapy for trans people, whilst banning it for cis LGB people, they are indeed saying some gender identities are inferior, that some people deserve fewer protections from harm. They have answered their own final question. It is welcome that cisgender lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians will not longer be offered “healing” for the ‘affliction’ of being queer. However, the Church of England must resolve its cognitive dissonance towards trans people and include them fully, without reservation.
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Tagged Church of England, conversion therapy, featured, the general synod, trans rights
Previous postBeauty and the butch – ‘dreamy’ lesbians and why we can’t live without them.
6 thoughts on “The General Synod and a curate’s egg of protection for LGBTQ+ people”
July 20, 2017 at 15:05
Excellently put, Karen! This was a lost opportunity for the Synod, and it would have been extremely good to hear a clear condemnation of therapies which attempt to manipulate or abuse those who identify as trans, intersex or non-binary gendered, as well as the condemnation of ‘conversion’ therapy for sexual orientation. I think that both the briefing paper by William Nye, and the comments made during the debate by Jamie Harrison, were disingenuous at best, and need a clear rebuttal. I hope your blog receives wide circulation!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Karen Pollock says:
July 20, 2017 at 22:28
Thank you so much! It is heartening to read that I had not misunderstood the processes involved, as a Quaker I had to give myself a crash course in the workings of the Synod. I hope people will reflect on the questions I raised and consider how to move this forward in a genuinely loving, Christian way
July 22, 2017 at 12:41
Thanks Karen. Just to say I’ve put some slightly longer thoughts on the Anglican viamedia.news blogsite, by way of a comment on Simon Butler’s most recent post. It’s just a brief first response, and I’d like to write at greater length some time, but it may be of interest to you or others. It’s at https://viamedia.news/2017/07/20/in-praise-of-activists/#comments
July 22, 2017 at 12:41
Hi Karen, as a member of General Synod who was campaigning for supporting the 2017 statement I was disappointed that that wasn’t the one we supported. In my opinion the main reason was that several other organisations didn’t sign the 2017 statement including the Royals College of Psychiatry, NHS England and the Association of Christian Counsellors all of whom signed the 2015 memorandum of understanding. There is work on an updated version of 2015 that will include transgender. Hopefully the other organisations will be on board but it wasn’t available to sign ahead of General Synod. The 2017 statement was something of an interim and this I think counted against it in the vote.
Karen Pollock says:
August 3, 2017 at 15:30
Thank you for your comment. It was disappointing that NHS England did not support the 2017 MOU, and unsurprising the RCP didnt. Self identification has sadly been resisted by a number of psychiatric bodies, and many people wonder about the motivations for this. MOU2 is currently being revised, and it includes very clear guidance on how it does not preclude working with people who are in distress about their gender or sexuality. Hopefully this will make it easier for the Synod to support.
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Paige Hicks, teacher and Athens City Educator (ACE) leader, discusses ethics scenarios as preservice teachers took an ethics seminar provided by the Athens State…
Paige Hicks, teacher and Athens City Educator (ACE) leader, discusses ethics scenarios as preservice teachers took an ethics seminar provided by the Athens State college of education, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in Athens, Ala. The seminar aimed to help prepare prospective teachers for real-world issues in the education workplace. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
With teachers in short supply, states ease job requirements
by: TALIA RICHMAN and TRISHA POWELL CRAIN, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 13, 2022 / 10:07 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 13, 2022 / 02:29 PM EDT
Paige Hicks, teacher and Athens City Educator (ACE) leader, discusses ethics scenarios as preservice teachers took an ethics seminar provided by the Athens State…
Paige Hicks, teacher and Athens City Educator (ACE) leader, discusses ethics scenarios as preservice teachers took an ethics seminar provided by the Athens State college of education, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, in Athens, Ala. The seminar aimed to help prepare prospective teachers for real-world issues in the education workplace. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
by: TALIA RICHMAN and TRISHA POWELL CRAIN, Associated Press
Posted: Oct 13, 2022 / 10:07 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 13, 2022 / 02:29 PM EDT
DALLAS (AP) — As schools across the South grapple with teacher shortages, many are turning to candidates without teaching certificates or formal training.
Alabama administrators increasingly have hired educators with emergency certifications, often in low-income and majority-Black neighborhoods. Texas, meanwhile, allowed about one in five new teachers to sidestep certification last school year.
In Oklahoma, an “adjunct” program allows schools to hire applicants without teacher training if they meet a local board’s qualifications. And in Florida, military veterans without a bachelor’s degree can teach for up to five years using temporary certificates.
Decisions to put a teacher without traditional training in charge of a classroom involve weighing tradeoffs: Is it better to hire uncertified candidates, even if they aren’t fully prepared, or instruct children in classes that are crowded or led by substitutes?
“I’ve seen what happens when you don’t have teachers in the classroom. I’ve seen the struggle,” Dallas schools trustee Maxie Johnson said just before the school board approved expanding that district’s reliance on uncertified teachers. He added, “I’d rather have someone that my principal has vetted, that my principal believes in, that can get the job done.”
A Southern Regional Education Board analysis of 2019-20 data in 11 states found roughly 4% of teachers were uncertified or teaching with an emergency certification. In addition, 10% were teaching out of field, which means, for example, they may be certified to teach high school English but assigned to a middle school math class.
By 2030, as many as 16 million K-12 students in the region may be taught by an unprepared or inexperienced teacher, the group projects.
“ The shortages are getting worse and morale is continuing to fall for teachers,” said the nonprofit’s Megan Boren.
In Texas, reliance on uncertified new hires ballooned over the last decade. In the 2011-12 school year, fewer than 7% of the state’s new teachers — roughly 1,600 — didn’t have a certification. By last year, about 8,400 of the state’s nearly 43,000 new hires were uncertified.
The trustees in Dallas leaned into a state program that allows districts to bypass certification requirements, often to hire industry professionals for career-related classes. The school system has hired 335 teachers through the exemption as of mid-September.
In Alabama, nearly 2,000 of the state’s 47,500 teachers didn’t hold a full certificate in 2020-21, the most recent year for which data is available. That’s double the amount from five years earlier.
And almost 7% of Alabama teachers were in classrooms outside of their certification fields, with the highest percentages in rural areas with high rates of poverty.
Many states have loosened requirements since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but relying on uncertified teachers isn’t new. Nearly all states have emergency or provisional licenses that allow a person who has not met requirements for certification to teach.
Such hires only delay the inevitable as the teachers don’t tend to stay as long as others, said Shannon Holston, policy chief for the nonprofit National Council on Teacher Quality.
In a 2016 study, the U.S. Department of Education reported that 1.7% of all teachers did not have full certification. It went up to roughly 3% in schools that served many students of color or children learning English as well as schools in urban and high-poverty areas.
The use of such educators can be concentrated in certain fields and content areas. One example: Alabama’s middle schools.
Rural Bullock County, for example, had no certified math teachers last year in its middle school. Nearly 80% of students are Black, 20% are Hispanic, and seven in 10 of all students are in poverty.
Christopher Blair, the county’s former schools superintendent, long struggled to recruit teachers. Poorer counties can’t compete with higher salaries in neighboring districts.
Blair, who resigned from his post last spring, had launched a program to help certify the county’s math and science teachers.
“But that’s slowly changing as the teacher pool for all content areas diminishes,” he said.
Birmingham and Montgomery each had three middle schools where more than 20% of teachers had emergency certification.
Birmingham schools spokesperson Sherrel Stewart said officials seek good candidates for emergency certifications and then give them the support needed through robust mentoring.
“We have to think outside of the box,” she said. “Because realistically, you know, that pool of candidates in education schools has drastically reduced but the demand for high-quality educators is still there.”
The number of teachers holding emergency certificates has increased dramatically in rural, urban, and low-income schools across Alabama since 2019, when lawmakers eased restrictions on the certificates.
The highest percentage of such teachers in Alabama during the 2020-21 school year was in rural Lowndes County in an elementary school where seven of 16 teachers had an emergency certificate, up from three the previous year. Most of the school’s 200 students are from low-income families. Only 1% of students tested reached proficiency in math that year.
For Dallas schools, “it’s about the passion, not about the paper,” said Robert Abel, the district’s human capital management chief.
Dallas’ uncertified hires — who must have a college degree — participate in training on classroom management and effective teaching practices. Abel said the district is getting positive reports on the new teachers.
Some teacher groups worry about inconsistent expectations for teacher candidates.
A great teacher needs sensitivity and empathy to understand how a child is motivated and what could interfere with learning, said Lee Vartanian, a dean at Athens State University. A certification helps set professional standards to ensure teachers have content expertise as well as the ability to engage students, said Vartanian, who oversees the Alabama university’s College of Education.
Uncertified teachers may have some of that knowledge, he said, but not the full range.
“They’re just less prepared systematically,” he said, “and so chances are they’re not going to have the background and understanding where kids are developmentally and emotionally.”
This story is part of Tackling Teacher Shortages, a collaboration between AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Fresno Bee in California, The Hechinger Report, The Seattle Times and The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, with support from the Solutions Journalism Network.
This story was produced by the Dallas Morning News Education Lab and the Alabama Education Lab.
The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 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.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president-elect said Monday he would not meet with President Joe Biden or negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional militias, sticking to a hard-line position following his landslide victory in last week’s election.
Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi also described himself as a “defender of human rights” when asked about his involvement in the 1988 mass execution of about 5,000 people. It marked the first time he’s been put on the spot on live television over that dark moment in Iranian history at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.
“The U.S. is obliged to lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran,” Raisi said at his first news conference after Friday’s election, a contest widely seen as a coronation after his strongest competition found themselves barred from running.
Raisi, 60, sat in front of a sea of microphones, most from Iran and countries home to militias supported by Tehran. He looked nervous at the beginning of his comments but slowly became more at ease over the hourlong news conference.
Asked about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional militias, Raisi described the issues as “nonnegotiable.”
Tehran’s fleet of attack aircraft date largely back to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, forcing Iran to instead invest in missiles as a hedge against its regional Arab neighbors, who have bought billions of dollars in American military hardware over the years. Those missiles, with a self-imposed range limit of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), can reach across the Mideast and U.S. military bases in the region.
Iran also relies on militias like Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group for counterbalance against enemies such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, respectively.
On a possible meeting with Biden, Raisi curtly answered: “No.” His moderate competitor in the election, Abdolnasser Hemmati, had suggested during campaigning that he might be willing to meet Biden.
The White House did not immediately respond to Raisi’s statements. Raisi will become the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the U.S. government even before entering office, in part over his time as the head of Iran’s internationally criticized judiciary.
The victory of Raisi, a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, came amid the lowest voter turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Millions of Iranians stayed home in defiance of a vote they saw as tipped in Raisi’s favor after a panel under Khamenei disqualified prominent reformist candidates.
Of those who did vote, 3.7 million people either accidentally or intentionally voided their ballots, far beyond the amount seen in previous elections and suggesting some wanted none of the four candidates. In official results, Raisi won 17.9 million votes overall, nearly 62% of the total 28.9 million cast. Tehran had a 34% turnout, far lower than previous years, with many polling stations across the capital noticeably empty.
Raisi’s election puts hard-liners firmly in control across the government as negotiations in Vienna continue to try to save a tattered deal meant to limit Iran’s nuclear program.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdraw America from the landmark agreement in 2018, setting in motion months of tensions across the region. In response, Iran has abandoned the limits of the deal and is now enriching uranium at 60%, its highest levels ever, though still short of weapons-grade levels. Representatives of the world powers party to the deal returned to their capitals for consultations following the latest round of negotiations on Sunday.
Raisi’s victory has raised concerns that it could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement. In his remarks Monday, Raisi called sanctions relief as “central to our foreign policy” and exhorted the U.S. to “return and implement your commitments” in the deal.
“No matter the timing, a U.S.-Iran agreement in Vienna leaves unanswered whether the United States can achieve a broader rapprochement with an Iran led by an avowed proponent of the core tenets of Iran’s Islamic Revolution,” the New York-based Soufan Center said in an analysis Monday.
On Sunday, Iran’s sole nuclear plant at Bushehr underwent an unexplained emergency shutdown. Previously, Iranian officials had warned that U.S. sanctions affected their ability to get parts for the facility.
On Saudi Arabia, which has recently started secret talks with Iran in Baghdad over several points of contention between the regional heavyweights, Raisi said that Iran would have “no problem” with a possible reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and that the “restoration of relations faces no barrier.” The embassy was closed in 2016 as relations deteriorated.
Raisi struck a defiant tone, however, when asked about the 1988 executions, which saw sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as “death commissions.”
After Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border from Iraq in a surprise attack. Iran ultimately blunted their assault.
The trials began around that time, with defendants asked to identify themselves. Those who responded “mujahedeen” were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to “clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic,” according to a 1990 Amnesty International report.
International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served on the commissions.
“I am proud of being a defender of human rights and of people’s security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was,” he said. “All actions I carried out during my office were always in the direction of defending human rights.”
He added: “Today in the presidential post, I feel obliged to defend human rights.”
Iran’s new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi waves to participants at the conclusion of his press conference in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 21, 2021. Raisi said Monday he wouldn’t meet with President Joe Biden nor negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its support of regional militias, sticking to a hard-line position following his landslide victory in last week’s election. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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If you have high blood pressure, taking a pill is not enough to cure it. You need functional medicine. You need to look into your lifestyle and see what needs to change. Is your job stressful? Are you eating properly? Western medicine tends to prefer pills over anything else. That needs to be addressed because you want to look into the root cause of your problem.
Join Pamela Wirth as she talks to Susan Gillispie about the use of functional medicine. Susan is a Functional Health Nurse Practitioner and Wholistic Health Medical Practice Provider. Find out how Susan went into medicine and why in functional health. Learn what functional medicine is and its holistic approach. Also, learn why diets need to be individualized for each person. There is no one diet. Start solving your problems by tackling the root cause today!
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Watch the episode here
I am super excited to invite Susan Gillispie, who is a nurse practitioner specializing in functional health. Susan, did I explain that correctly? It's an incredibly long and important title.
You did. As a nurse practitioner, I've been trained in Western medicine but I found that Western medicine is all about pharmaceuticals. You go in, have a problem and we give you a pill. I have found that to be very frustrating. In functional medicine, we work hard to try to get down to the root cause of the problem.
Some people have heard about functional medicine versus what is considered integrative versus what is considered regular or allopathic. Can you maybe teach on the differences between these?
Allopathic is a Western medicine model that most MDs, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are trained in. You go in and have a problem. The solution tends to be a pill of some form. With high blood pressure, you get a little set of problems. Technically, the first-line treatment for high blood pressure is lifestyle changes but our system doesn't allow to talk about what that looks like for the patient.
We do the easy thing, unfortunately. We gave you lisinopril, amlodipine or metoprolol. There are a gazillion different ones out there. Functional medicine, I look at that. I'll get high blood pressure. I look up the patient and talk about maybe some lifestyle changes. To do that, I have to get to know the patient. What's going on in their lifestyle? What are they eating and drinking? What's their family life and work like? What's their stress level? We're looking at more of a holistic view of the person.
Tell me the difference between functional and integrative.
It's pretty similar. It’s the same idea. We all have fancy words for everything.
There's different terminology being thrown around but I thought it was similar so I wanted to make sure it didn't have some major difference. Tell us a little bit about you and how you got into health and wellness. What prompted you to become a nurse practitioner?
I've been in medicine for years. It’s a little bit different. I’m in medic. We’re trained to save a life. I've got that demonstrates. Family trauma is what led me to nursing. My husband decided to go try to kill himself in a car accident and spend three weeks in ICU. The caring of the nurses impressed me. I've always been thinking about medicine and what I wanted to do but I had four young kids at home and my husband works. I raise the kids.
After that, not knowing if my husband is going to ever go back to his career, I was signing up for college courses when he was still in the ICU because I had to do something to support my family. I got a degree in Biology. The economy crashed. I would maybe teach high school biology. I love biology and then I applied for nursing school and got in. That set my career path. I fell in love with it. I did a condensed nursing course. They already had previous bachelors.
I did my BSN in fourteen months. It’s pure hell. Mind you, I learned how to drink alcohol during that time. It wasn't too long after being a nurse on the floor and realizing what the doctors were doing and how things were happening. I wasn't impressed with it so I thought maybe I could do better. I applied to become a nurse practitioner. I got into Georgetown the first time and everything else is history.
When you did the condense program, out of curiosity, how long did it take?
Fourteen months. It was pure hell. Let's face it. It was full-time, school and clinical. I barely had time to sleep.
How old are the kids at this point?
They were 10, 12, 14 and 16. It was so well worth it. My husband was a great support. The kids were very involved in my education. I had stacks of flash cards. The kids would run through with me. My oldest was a little bit of a Nazi about it. If I didn't recite word for word on the flash card, he could make it wrong and it made me do it over and over. The kids were involved in it. They probably learned as much as I did in a lot of ways.
Western medicine is all about pharmaceuticals. You have a problem, you get a pill without even addressing the root cause.
You have your clinic.
I do. I never thought I would ever own my clinic but here I am.
I'm sure, it has another whole host of things that are new and different that you're learning and becoming a small business owner at the same time in addition to treating people.
It is. Diving into the land of insurance and insurance reimbursement, that's been very interesting. It’s one of the only functional medicine providers in my geographical area.
That's super that you're nice enough to take insurance. Most functional doctors try not to because it's painful.
It is a big hassle but I'm here to take care of my patients. Everything else works out in the end and that's how I look at it.
In terms of your practice, do you find that there are certain things that you're seeing more than others? Do you see all ages? Do you see certain conditions that you're finding more of? I would imagine with time things ebb and flow in certain ways.
I see everybody. Cradle to the graves, how I look at it. I'm one of the only people in the area that will see pediatrics that are unvaccinated. I believe that vaccination should be an informed consent process and no one should be forced to it. Parents should make that decision for their children. I support that and I will see these patients. My pediatric practice is blooming because of that. I do see all ages. I see a lot of people who are dealing with the fatigue and digestive issues are two of my big ones. Muscle aches and pains or another one.
When you see folks with digestion, anxiety, depression or stress, what are some of the things that you run through in terms of your protocol or checklist?
My favorite thing to do and people can afford to is do micronutrient testing. I'm looking at all the amino acid environments that everybody needs. Most of the time, there is a vitamin micronutrient deficiency that we're looking at. I can almost count most always vitamin D to start with but then we move into the other B vitamins, glutamate or all these other ones that can be low. If we address the root cause, we fix the problem versus the pill for all pharmaceutical formulations which is like a Band-Aid. It’s not fixing the problem.
When you run the micronutrient testing, which I'm a big believer in, how much does it typically cost? Is any of that covered by insurance?
Unfortunately, no. I can occasionally get insurance to cover B12 and vitamin D but unfortunately, that's not the whole picture. I found a lab out of California where I can do micronutrient testing for about $400. It’s not horrible but not cheap.
That's blood-based.
Yes. It's both interesting on extracellular. I'm looking at both.
On my wish list of things is to find a partner one day that is saliva and urine because I think that the technology is there and it can become so much more accessible and cost-effective.
If you find that, let me know. Those tests can be upwards of $1,500.
Yes, it's crazy but that was impactful when we were going through what we were doing with our son. It was a lot of blood work. What we found were a lot of interesting things about low nutrition and vitamin levels. When I thought he was eating properly, he had a genetic mutation, MTHFR, that was preventing the absorption. He got to learn all about that and how to work around that. He's thriving but had it not been for getting to the root of the nutrients that he wasn't absorbing correctly, it never would have been a holistic type of view.
We're finding that kids with ADHD are more of an Omega-3 issue versus actual ADHD issues. We have a great supplement that we use for that. It is wonderful. We're not pumping these kids for stimulants. We're taking care of the root cause of the problem.
When you are seeing pediatrics, do you tend to say, “This might be genetic. You might want to check this out to mom and dad?”
We do, depending on what they come in for. For most of my kids, I'm so blessed. They’re a small child. It's so much fun. Occasionally, we have a child whose mom and dad don't want to do traditional ADHD meds so we look at a supplement. My other patients can't necessarily afford the blood tests so we trial and error. We know what usually is the pump. We'll try that for a few months if it works fantastic. If it doesn't, we'll tweak it a little bit.
How do you approach digestion? What do you look at?
Multiple things. Was it the beginning of the GI tract? Is it the end of the GI tract? It depends on where it starts. We're looking at GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Are we looking at a gastric emptying problem? Are we looking at an absorption problem? Are we looking at an elimination problem? We have to dive deep to talk about it. Patients are sometimes horrified. I want to know about your bowel stools. I want to know the color and if it floats. I want to know if it's formed or if it's nuggets. I have to know what's going on to identify where that digestive problem is happening.
In certain clinics, there are different types of treatments for different things and folks are becoming more educated as they're doing research online. Are there certain treatments that you have found that are cutting edge that you're playing around with it that you think folks might want to learn more about?
No. It's still basic for me. Fiber is a key thing. Aloe is wonderful. I use a product from Thorne called GI-Encap that helps digestive enzymes for the stomach and digestive part. I have nothing special. It's getting to know the patient.
What do you find in terms of allergies? What do you like to do for that?
I have the best supplement. Something that we branded ourselves is called Hist. It's a combination of vitamin C, serotonin and stinging nettle. It is fantastic. I have severe allergies. I used to be the one that goes, “Nothing works except the big guns.” I was an era of Seldin, which they pulled off for cardiac issues. It’s the only thing that ever worked for me. We'd be a mess. Nothing worked. Legere came out and it worked great but I didn't quite get it. I worked with a major nutraceutical company to help me formulate this. I take one a day. I'm golden. It’s not a handful and they're green. It's awesome. They work like a charm with no side effects, drowsiness or constipation.
It doesn't make your heart race or anything crazy?
Not at all. It doesn't make you sleepy. Sometimes, I wish it would if I took it at night.
A sugar molecule under a microscope looks like a ninja death star. That's what is inside of you when you have diabetes.
Some of the nutty things are how passionate some people feel about certain diets versus others. Do you have a certain diet that you prescribed?
It depends on my patient. Are they diabetic? We're then going to go a little carb. In simplified terms, diabetics should be allergic to carbs. The body doesn't know what to do with it. No one's taken the time to explain diabetes to most patients. Their pancreas doesn't make insulin so they have a lot of extra sugar. You don't know why that causes damage to the eyes, kidneys and nerves. Part of our biological process needs insulin. This is the key to getting that door to go into the house of the cell.
Your eyes, kidneys and nerves have no locks on those doors. That sugar can go right in. If you ever see a sugar molecule or glucose molecule under an electronic microscope, it looks like a ninja with all these spikes. When it sets there, it'll cause all kinds of damage, which we see in diabetics. The goal is to treat their diet by starting to reduce the number of carbs that they're eating to the level where they're not storing it in other places like their eyes, the kidney and the nerves so we're stopping that nerve damage. It's lifetime progress. We can get most patients off most meds, if not all meds, through a diet and exercise.
Is there anything in the diet itself that you feel passionate about as you're chatting with folks that have a lot of pain or inflammation?
Low inflammation diet. We want to look at foods that cause less inflammation. Everything is targeted for each patient. I don't have one diet that I prescribed to everybody because no one has the same problem. When we're looking for people with pain, we want that low inflammation diet. Probably some turmeric added, black pepper or things to work on that inflammation. As well as good fish oil.
People don't realize but that does help and then movement. The adage, move it or lose it. It is the truth. We got to have some movement. I'm not asking my patients to go to the gym or lift 100 weights. I encouraged them to take a 30-minute walk. It's amazing what a 30-minute walk will be. We do that for a while. Maybe take two bottles of water with you or a little bit of weight in your hands. It doesn't have to be this intense workout for your health journey. It can be simple as walks.
You don't have to do the walk every day at the same time for 30 minutes. Break it up. You got ten minutes break. Park out in the boondocks. In the parking lot, walk in, and walk out. It's a combination of these things and it's little changes over time for health. You didn't get unhealthy overnight. It's a process so it’s a process to bring you back.
We pick a little nugget. We pick one thing a month, incorporate it in, see you back, see how you did and incorporate something new. We're making habits. We're making permanent changes versus me dumping everything on you at one time expecting you to make all these changes and you won't. You’ll go for 1 week or 2 and you're done. It's too hard.
When someone is reading and wondering what an anti-inflammatory diet might look like instead of going to Google and typing that in, do you have any helpful hints or things to think about?
Google typing it in is going to bring up a whole bunch of things. You have to take in concerns for allergies likes and dislikes. Every patient is individualized. I look at that. I asked them, “What did you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?” We talk about taking things out, adding things in and small steps.
What made a big difference in our family, allergies, weight, our skin looking healthy and less acne was minimizing the amount of sugar. I was raised in an Irish-Catholic family. It was all about showing love through baking. I've had to adjust and think about how I show love through savory baking instead of sweet baking.
It can still be done. Organic honey, not pasteurized is a great one. Some of the alternative sugars like monk fruit and things like that you could still use in moderation. Sugar is one of the worst things about inflammation. If you look at a typical American diet, every meal, you're eating tablespoons or cups of hidden sugar. It's there. We see it with gluten as well. I get a lot of people to come in with headaches and severe migraines. It’s not an allergy but intolerance. You have to pull it all out and maybe add a little bit back in, depending on their tolerance level.
Once I stopped drinking diet Coke, that was a long thing for me for a long time.
That's why you have to dig in and find out what people are eating and drinking because you can't assume. I get that with people too with a lot of allergies and mucus. I find that as a milk protein allergy. Not lactose but weight invasive. If we can remove that, we clear that up.
You have enough. It's amazing. Thank you. Any last tips? How do people find you if they want to learn more information or visit you?
My website, WholisticTeleHealth.org is the best way. My phone number is there. You can reach out.
Anything you want to end with the folks should think about when it comes to health and wellness?
Little steps make permanent changes. Don't try to do everything at once because you will do it for a little while but then you'll stop. Each time you set, make one healthy choice that's a win for the diet. If you get out and walk, that's a win. Be easy on yourself. It took a long time to get where you're at. It takes a long time to get where you need to be. Little steps at a time so you can make these healthy choices and add to them. When you get one focus done, move on. It’s little steps that we all need to make. That's the best way to achieve health.
That's fantastic. Susan, thank you so much for your time and for being with us. We appreciate it.
Thanks for having me. It was fun.
Family Nurse Practitioner with over 30 years of medical experience. Graduate of Georgetown University, soon to have completed her doctorate at St. Augustine University for Health Sciences. She has spent the past several years diving into supplements and diet to improve her patient's quality of life. Susan practices at Wholistic Health a wellness center that works to get to the root cause of the disease. She also offers cutting-edge therapies such as I.V. Ketamine for depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
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1. Improved Efficiency
Perhaps the most significant advantage big data offers inventory management is in improving efficiency. Warehouse operations include many small, interconnected processes. If just one of them lags, it can cause issues throughout the entire process.
With big data, managers can address efficiency-related problems they may not have known existed. Information collected from the various tools warehouses use can tell administrators if machinery isn’t running at its peak performance. Similarly, data collection can inform supervisors of employee performance and suggest ways to increase productivity.
Poor organization can lead to slowed or faulty operations, just as proper organization can optimize the process. Collecting more information can help managers organize their inventory.
Inventory organization involves both the physical layout of a warehouse and the structure of its operations. Using programs to gather and analyze data within the warehouse as well as information regarding other similar businesses, directors can see where their organization may be lacking.
One of the most impressive facets of big data is its ability to make accurate predictions. Predicting changes in customer behavior can be a considerable advantage to inventory management.
At different points throughout the year, customers may show entirely different buying habits. If a company can’t see these changes coming, they may find themselves with an inventory full of items they don’t need with no room for what they do need. With the help of big data, they can stock inventories with things that will likely be in demand before they need them too urgently.
While a person can make reasonably accurate predictions, big data may be more trustworthy, as it looks at large pools of hard information. Analytic programs can process far more information in a much shorter time than a person can.
3. Optimized Replenishment
Having too much of a slow-moving item, or not enough of an in-demand one, is a frustrating problem. It can harm both profits and customer satisfaction. Inventory handlers need to take care when replenishing their stock to optimize their shelf space and keep customers happy.
Traditionally, employees have to check inventory manually and decide how much of each item to reorder based on little more than a best guess. Using data to analyze business aspects like sales trends, inventory supervisors can get a much better picture of what they need.
Analytics can reveal if some products are moving off the shelves slowly. They can also alert workers if they’ll need to start ordering more of an item. With both historical sales and trend predictions at their disposal, these analytics can help businesses improve their restocking habits. Incorporating analytics makes inventory management easier.
Although it’s an unfortunate situation, sometimes companies have to recall certain items. Recalls can be costly and, if handled poorly, can hurt the company’s image, so they need to be fast and effective to minimize damage.
Part of an efficient recall is tracking the items in question. Big data can help with this by tracing products by number and shipment at every step of the supply chain.
Notable retailers like Amazon and Costco use big data to get word of the need for recalls. By monitoring multiple webpages, from review sites to social media, they can get news of potential issues with their products as quickly as possible. By recalling early and taking swift action, companies can significantly reduce the damage caused by these undesirable circumstances.
5. Loss Prevention
Shrinkage happens when inventory records show a higher number of items than what is actually in stock. Shoplifting is the leading cause of inventory shrinkage, but other sources include objects breaking or employees misplacing products.
Data analytics can show if some items tend to go missing at specific times in a particular department. Knowing that this is a place of shrinkage, managers could take further security measures in that area, such as installing cameras to catch thieves. The information would also show if the methods are useful or not by comparing shrinkage levels before and after supervisors take action.
Similar data sets could highlight areas where inventory is inconsistent, showing where employees may be misplacing products.
There’s practically no limit to the insights big data can provide to inventory managers, much like in any other industry. By adopting this technology on a broad scale, businesses can meet customer demands more efficiently and increase their revenue.
Megan is a freelance writer and a prolific blogger at Schooledbyscience.
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Versatile and flexible: The OptiPlex 7070 has a compact design that conveniently fits into your workspace, adapts to your workstyle and maximizes your desktop environment.
Built responsibly: The OptiPlex 7070 Tower is built with up to 39%* of post-consumer recycled plastics.
Our Grade Gold
MyDigitalTech is the retail branch of one of the world’s largest electronics reuse and recycling companies, for refurbishing and disposing of their surplus IT and telecoms equipment.
Our stock comes from the companies and agencies who bought top-quality new stock and kept it well maintained. We collect these units and bring them to our asset recovery facility where we work our IT magic! First we data wipe the equipment, ensuring that it no longer contains any data from a former user. They are then put through a rigorous testing programme before being cleaned inside and out.
Finally, as one of only a handful of Microsoft Authorized Refurbishers in the UK, we install a genuine Windows operating system on all compatible products.
Now, your equipment is ready to use as soon as you open the box.
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At MyDigitalTech, we do everything possible to get your order to you as quickly and safely as possible. Orders are dispatched within one business day, and we offer free delivery to most areas of the UK through our couriers. International orders are trackable through the courriers website, priced economy 3+ days for best value for money and insured.
I am buying “refurbished” kit. What does that mean?
Our refurbished equipment isn’t brand new, it just looks and operates that way. Your refurbished item was originally owned by a large corporation or agency. Our parent company Sims Lifecycle Services, contracts to take that equipment and completely wipe it of all existing data. Then they pass the equipment over to MyDigitalTech. We take the equipment, thoroughly clean it inside and output it through an enhanced test to ensure that it’s good for sale. Where applicable, we’ll install a new operating system and deliver it to you ready to use straight out of the box.
What can a new computer do that a refurbished one can’t?
Depending on what one you buy….Nothing! Refurbished laptops and desktops are great for browsing the Internet, home office work and watching streaming movies and television, some of them are even powerful enough to run large programmes like Photoshop. By choosing a refurbished computer you are getting a great piece of equipment at a bargain price.
Will my computer arrive ready to use?
Yes! We are a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher, so your computer will arrive installed with a genuine Windows operating system.
Do you also sell new items?
Yes, we do. New items come from the same companies and distributors that supply the stock we refurbish. New items will arrive in their unopened, original packaging.
Why do some of the same products have different prices?
We have a large stock of products that come in different conditions. We grade them as platinum, gold and silver so that you know their cosmetic condition. Platinum products are virtually indistinguishable from new, gold products show minor signs of use and silver products might show visible scratches, scuffs or dents. The products are priced accordingly.
Why should I buy refurbished instead of new stock?
Refurbished stock is excellent value for money. You are getting great products from top manufacturers, with genuine Microsoft operating systems (where applicable) and cleaned like new for a fraction of the price of new equipment.
Where do the products come from?
Our stock started out as IT equipment being used by agencies or large companies. It has been used for a limited period of time and well maintained. Our parent group, Sims Lifecycle Services, has contracts to refurbish and redistribute this equipment, providing us with a great variety of quality products.
What comes in the box?
This varies by product. Review product descriptions for specific details for what is included in your purchase.
As you shop, we will also make suggestions for additional pieces you might want to purchase to enhance your kit. For example, desktop computers will come with a power cord, but not a keyboard or mouse
What comes installed?
Computer equipment will come with a genuine Microsoft Operating System. The specific Operating System will be detailed within the product listing. You’ll be asked to activate this by entering the unique product key (found on COA sticker; exmple below) when you first turn on your device. Please note that this does not include software such as Word or Excel.
What will battery life be?
Batteries are tested to ensure they accept a charge, but we cannot guarantee how long they will last.
Does my purchase have a warranty?
Yes! All products come with a one year return to base warranty.
How do I pay for my purchase?
We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express. You can also use your PayPal account.
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All orders will be processed within 24 hours and are dispatched on our courier’s next business day delivery service. Orders placed during the weekend will be processed on Mondays (excluding bank holidays).
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What if I have a problem delivery or my purchase once it arrives?
Please contact us with any problems you might have with your purchase.
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Yes, you can return your purchase for any reason within 60 days of delivery or for 12 months if the product is damaged or broken. Please note that return postage will not be refunded.
Is someone available to answer any other questions I might have about products, payment or delivery?
Of course. We are open Monday-Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600 (excluding bank holidays). We can be reached by phone, email, or online form.
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Unfortunately we do not offer a collection service. As such, we have made our delivery system as straightforward and efficient as possible.
If my equipment has a faulty and is under warranty, how do I get it repaired?
Any products under warranty must be returned to MyDigitalTech to be examined, repaired and possibly replaced or your money refunded. Any repairs you have made through another vendor will not be covered by your warranty.
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Many mobiles can be used with your choice of network. Some will be networked locked, though. In those cases, the network will be clearly stated on the product page.
Do you only sell mobile phone hardware?
We sell hardware and related accessories, but not tariffs or insurance policies.
Will my mobile come with a manual?
As with most mobiles sold today, you will be able to download a user manual online. A printed copy will not be provided with your purchase.
What accessories are included in the cost of my mobile?
Mobile phones will come with a charger and, in many cases, a headset. Please check your specific product page for details.
If you still have questions, please get in touch.
Thanks for shopping with MyDigitalTech!
Within the first 60 days, you can return your product to us for a full refund for any reason, even if you’ve just changed your mind. You the customer will have to return the product by courier, insured and tracked, this cost is not covered by us. This includes unwanted but undamaged goods. In the unlikely event that you have any issues after this period, your product is covered by our twelve month warranty. If you do have a problem, please contact us. We’ll first try and fix the problem over the phone. If that is unsuccessful, you can return it to us for it to be repaired.
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We warrant to you that any product purchased from us through our Website is of satisfactory quality, and will remain so for a period of 12 months from delivery, and are reasonably fit for all the purposes for which products of the kind are commonly supplied. Our liability for any losses that you might suffer as a result of you placing an order for or making a purchase of products in connection with the Website is strictly limited to the combined purchase price of the relevant products that you have purchased. The warranty does not apply to damage caused by fair wear and tear, misuse or failure to operate in accordance with manufacturer’s or MyDigitalTech’s’ instructions.
We exclude all liability and responsibility to you for all other loss or damage that you might suffer provided that this exclusion does not include or limit our liability for (i) death or personal injury caused by our negligence (ii) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or (iii) any matter for which it would be illegal for us to exclude, or attempt to exclude, our liability.
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At Eagle Eye we are focused on fast delivery of IT professionals to operate in roles within blue chip organizations, software vendors, e-commerce firms, management consultancies and outsourcing companies. We provide our services in these practice areas:
Depending on our Client’s needs we can propose the most effective way of approaching the recruitment project. We deliver the best candidates based on a success fee, retainer or outsourcing agreement. Through our model we are able to source both local and foreign candidates with the use of our international resourcing network or an in-house recruitment team.
Due to our extensive network we are able to effectively assist with international contract requirements through our flexible, tailored solutions. We are also transparent when it comes to contractors’ rates, which enables clients to negotiate the best conditions independently or with Eagle Eye’s assistance.
Our industry expertise and direct search approach enables us to bring our clients reliable analysis helping them with their business critical decisions. The reports we prepare include skill/ location based salary grids or a breakdown of the competition’s services in a given field.
Outsourcing / Body-leasing
We have been very successful helping our international and local partners to establish their presence in Poland by using our body-leasing services. Eagle Eye offers various employee outsourcing models that create a fair win-win business cases for both – our clients and IT consultants. Ask one of our Business Managers for more details on how we can co-create your success.
We create efficient, thoughtful and enjoyable operating systems and applications that enhance the performance of any organization. Our neat and intelligible graphic design of the frontend will remain attractive for many years to come. Our designs comply with the highest standards of web design. We work with highest class implementation methodologies.
IT Company, Spain
Our company has been using services of Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions for over 3 years. They supported us extremely well with our complex recruiting needs which are very specific for our cross-industry projects. Eagle Eye team has shown very good understanding of our needs, provided suitably prequalified recommendations and supported us throughout all recruitment processes. Thanks to the support of Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions, we successfully closed numerous vacancies in software development and IT/ERP project management area. Working with Eagle Eye is always a pleasure. Their team has very good market knowledge and deliver fast results. I strongly recommend Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions to any potential client.
IT Company, Germany
Our company has been working together with Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions for over a year and has highly appreciated their efforts to find highly specialized developers for our growing teams. We are a globally operating company in the hosting industry that offers infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solutions based on cloud technology. We got to know Eagle Eye when our struggle to find highly skilled Kernel and KVM Developers was at its peak about a year ago. In 2014 alone we hired nine developers from all over the world with Eagle Eye’s help. We appreciate the fast communication, quality of CV’s and the pleasantness of working together with Eagle Eye. They are really fast and provide constant quality delivery. We would especially like to thank Mateusz Pawlak and Magdalena Przybysz-Zawada for all their support. I highly recommend Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions and I am looking forward to working with them in the future!
Gaming industry, Germany
Our firm has been using services of Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions for almost a year. Their team has shown a very good understanding of our needs, provided suitably prequalified recommendations and supported us throughout all recruitment processes. Working with Eagle Eye is always a pleasure and we are happy to recommend their services.
Consulting Director
SAP Consultancy, Germany
Our SAP consultancy has been using services of Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions for over 3 years. They supported us extremely well with our complex recruiting needs in many different SAP skill sets for projects in a wide variety of industries. The Eagle Eye team has a very good understanding of the SAP market and they always provide very well qualified recommendations. They are also helpful in their support throughout the whole recruitment process. Thanks to the support of Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions, we successfully closed numerous vacancies in functional and technical areas of expertise. Working with Eagle Eye is always a pleasure and we are happy to recommend their services.
ERP Software Producer, Poland
I would like to recommend Eagle Eye Staffing Solutions to other IT companies on the basis of my own positive experience. They are very professional in delivering high-class candidates closely matching even difficult job profiles, always on time, quickly and effectively. This is definitely a recruiting partner that an IT company can rely on – they understand the business, make all the possible and impossible efforts to understand business requirements and meet business expectations, not always obvious and straight-forward.
HR Director
Eagle Eye Staffing has effectively supported our growth in our Polish branch. Eagle Eye is easy to work with, good to adapt to business needs and delivers every time. We have been working with Eagle Eye Staffing for app. two years – and the cooperation continues. If you need value-added support for recruitment, I highly recommend you to work with Eagle Eye.
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It’s been five years since we lost Goodguys Rod & Custom Association founder Gary Meadors. Gary was inspired by his lifelong love of rods and customs to found an organization that grew to a worldwide membership of more than 70,000. It’s significant to note that one of his early hot rods that was the basis for his first organizational efforts was widely known as Gary Meadors Beer T.
In the late 1960s Gary Meadors helped create the Nor-Cal Early Iron Car Club in Fremont, California. Around that time he also started building a T-Bucket hot rod and Gary Meadors Beer T was featured in the second edition of Ray Brock’s Rod Action magazine in September, 1972.
It’s also notable that the photographer of that feature was a young Brian Brennan who noted that Gary Meadors Beer T “taps attention at rod runs throughout the southwest.”
While Gary Meadors built his first hot rod, a 1947 Plymouth, when he was 16, he started his T-Bucket with the purchase of a “roller” someone else had been working on for a year before deciding to move on. It was a natural for any Northern California hot rodder back then to start with an Andy’s Instant T chassis. And the natural accompaniment for that was a Steve Archer fiberglass body. In the photo above you’ll see the distinctive Andy Brizio combination headlight/shock mount. However, when you build a T-Bucket you have unlimited leeway in how you do it and you’ll note that Gary chose the more sleek look of friction shocks fabricated by Pete Weber over the typical hydraulic shocks used on most of Andy’s builds.
A truly distinctive element of the Gary Meadors Beer T, was his choice of a Chrysler polysphere headed V8. Most likely, this one came from a top of the line 1956 Dodge Custom Royal. The standard engine for that car carried the exalted name of the “Super-Powered Super Red Ram.” It was a high deck poly with 315 cubic inches, a 4 barrel WCFB carb and dual exhausts, rated 230 horsepower.
The only real modifications to what was then a pretty hot engine were the nicely flowing Pete Weber built white VHT coated headers and a 600 cfm Holley replacing the WCFB. Gary’s intent in building the Beer T was long distance cruising to rod runs all over. However, in the lightweight T-Bucket with an automatic transmission he was still able to turn a 13.90 e.t. in the quarter at 100 mph.
The interior of Gary Meadors Beer T featured a wood dash panel with a nice array of Stewart-Warner gauges and a wood-rimmed Grant steering wheel atop the 45 degree steering column leading to a Corvair steering box. What’s unique interior-wise is the pushbutton shift console actuating the ’56 Dodge PowerFlite automatic transmission. You’ll also note the hand-operated parking brake which did previous duty in an import and is a necessity with the PowerFlite tranny because they didn’t have a “Park” function.
Which brings us to the naming of Gary Meadors Beer T. But first, about beer keg fuel tanks.
Don Mabe’s bobtail T-Bucket with beer keg fuel tank
To my mind, one of the first relatively widely seen aluminum beer kegs reworked as a fuel tank was on the bobtail T-Bucket of Early Times car club charter member, Don Mabe. Back in the day, beer kegs could often be scrounged for nothing (i.e., laying on the lawn of a fraternity house), held about 15 gallons, and the aluminum could be polished up to look quite nice. It was a perfect accompaniment for a bobtail T-Bucket.
Gary Meadors Beer T used a Lowenbrau keg for a bit of prestige. This was in the early 1970s when it was actually imported from Germany. By 1975 Miller acquired the rights to Lowenbrau and began producing it in the U.S. with an Americanized recipe. Gary went all-in on the Beer T theme, sporting vanity plates with the Beer T name. Hey, he probably would have had a tapper shift arm, but those PowerFlite pushbuttons are just too cool.
And it’s probably not too surprising to learn that the rear axle is from a ’56 Dodge, with 3.10 gears. Somebody’s wrecked 1956 Dodge Custom Royal was quite a donor. The coil springs, Monroe tube shocks and panhard bar were standard Andy’s Instant T fare, based on the original Pete Ogden chassis design.
Gary Meadors Beer T was nicely finished in sophisticated Buick Riviera charcoal grey. With American mags and white letter Goodyears front and rear it was a terrific looking T and was also enjoyed by Gary’s young son Marc, who’s taken over everyday operations of Goodguys with Gary’s passing.
Gary’s Beer T was built to such a level of perfection that in 1971 it was one of a select group of cars to gain entry in the 23rd Oakland National Roadster Show.
In Gary’s book, Goodguys Hot Rod Chronicles, he tells about driving down to Ontario Motor Speedway with his pal Pete Choquette in 1970 for the inaugural running of Indy Cars there. “Somehow” they found their way onto the track and were able to pose for this photo with the Beer T at the base of the scoring pylon. Gary said, “Right after we took it, we set off around the track and nearly made it one time before we were diverted out the gate by security who told us to ‘just keep going.'”
In the hot rod world, however, things are always subject to change and it wasn’t long after its Rod Action feature that Gary Meadors Beer T did change.
When the L.A. Roadsters 1972 show at the Great Western Expo Center rolled around Gary Meadors Beer T had a new look, as captured by automotive photographer Sherm Porter. Most notably, it was now a striking yellow with a new shark style carb scoop somewhat similar to the injector scoop on the Greer, Black, Prudhomme dragster.
You’ll also note from the Bruce Olson photo above that Gary had added tri-bar knockoff spinners to the American mags. That was a popular item at that time.
The wooden looking Lowenbrau barrelheads that are visible in some photos of the Beer T, I believe are advertising signs. They do, in fact, make the keg much cooler looking than the plain aluminum barrelhead. The fact that they were for the more exotic Lowenbrau import made them all the more cool.
Bruce Olson also captured Andy’s now yellow and updated Beer T at the 1973 Grand National Roadster Show.
Bruce Olson’s rear shot at the GNRS shows that Gary also went with some much wider Goodyears on the back of his T.
The Beer T was also captured in another great Bruce Olson shot at a Northern California car show at the Fremont Hub Shopping Mall.
Of course, it was only natural for Gary to be a participant at the annual Andy’s Picnic’s organized by Andy Brizio, which also was a very convenient way of showing off the many fine Andy’s Instant T’s.
It was around this time that Gary Meadors, through the Nor-Cal Early Iron Car Club that he helped form earlier, organized the first “Street Rod Mini Nationals” at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds. He’d already participated in many rod runs and shows and had a good idea what appealed to street rodders. When more than 500 hot rods participated in that event it helped Gary see that there could be a future in promoting such events.
Ten years later, after a stint as a regional event director for the National Street Rod Association, Gary struck out on his own and started the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association. The first Goodguys event was staged in 1983 in Pleasanton, California at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and the rest, as they say, was history.
To me, the story of how Gary Meadors love of hot rodding was able to be leveraged to the benefit of tens of thousands of street rodding enthusiasts around the world is very inspiring. The fact that a modest T-Bucket hot rod he built played a significant role in that coming about makes the story even sweeter. Five years after Gary’s passing, it’s a story worth reflecting on and drawing your own personal inspiration.
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T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!
TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
Latest posts by John Morehead (see all)
Jim Unruh T-Bucket – Is it old, new or both? - September 8, 2022
Tribute to Tom Hintz and his T-Bucket Track Roadster - July 27, 2022
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Bill J
January 4, 2021 at 10:45 pm
I met Gary a few years back when he came to Victoria BC for the Deuces Northwest car show. Gary was driving his Chrysler woodie convertible.
As I have mentioned before I love T Buckets but being really tall there is no way I could comfortably sit in one. I have trouble driving my 49 Chevy pickup for any length of time.
However I know that one day a T will show up in my garage even if it is never driven
January 2, 2021 at 1:41 pm
In the late 1950’s, beer distributors were on the warpath when it came to T bucket owners using kegs for fuel tanks. Threats of confiscation were common in Southern California. Probably cited the same law that used to be stamped on milk crates,
December 27, 2020 at 4:12 pm
Opened and operated my own garage befor age 21. Now have a hobby garage with tons a memerbilia. All walls covered with photo’s and Shelves full a models , 1946 ford flat head driver, rat rod built buy us (3 generation ,father,son,and grandson 10 years ago) , several in-progress projects, 34 chevy with Lingenfelterbuilt corvette engine trans and rear end going in, plus a 40 Lincoln that I am really-building the V-12 flat head for and 1964 chevy wagon restoration in progress
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Marvin Cortes was the runner-up on cycle 20 of the modeling competition show, “America’s Next Top Model.” He was always caught flirting with the girls competing on the show and even ended up in a short relationship with Renee Bog-wah-deen at the end of the season. Which is part of the reason why Marvin’s family never suspected that he was anything but straight. But last month, Marvin posted a video telling everyone that he’s bisexual and proud. Today, we catch up with Marvin and talk reality TV, coming out, homophobia, and how modeling helped him find himself.
Be sure to follow Marvin on IG!Your host is Levi Chambers, co-founder of Gayety.Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @Pride.Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.Your producers are Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson and Edited by Silvana Alcala.Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at [email protected].*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Marvin Cortes was the runner-up on cycle 20 of the modeling competition show, “America’s Next Top Model.” He was always caught flirting with the girls competing on the show and even ended up in a short relationship with Renee Bog-wah-deen at the end of the season. Which is part of the reason why Marvin’s family never suspected that he was anything but straight. But last month, Marvin posted a video telling everyone that he’s bisexual and proud. Today, we catch up with Marvin and talk reality TV, coming out, homophobia, and how modeling helped him find himself.
Be sure to follow Marvin on IG!Your host is Levi Chambers, co-founder of Gayety.Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @Pride.Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.Your producers are Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson and Edited by Silvana Alcala.Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at [email protected].*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Straw media. Marvin Cortez was the runner up on cycle twenty of the modeling competition show America's next top model. He's also a published author of the Book Don't Waste Your looks on likes and started his own beauty brand that creates product specifically for influencers. If you saw him on America's next top model, you probably know him as a bit of a player. He was always caught flirting with the girls competing on the show and even ended up in a short relationship with Renee Baguadine at the end of the season, which is part of the reason why Marvin's family never suspected that he was anything but straight. But last month Marvin posted a video telling everyone that he's bisexual and proud. Today we catch up with Marvin and talk about reality TV, coming out, homophobia and how modeling helped him find himself. My name is Marvin Cortez, and this is pride. Marvin Cortez grew up in South Bronx in New York City with his parents and his six brothers. That's a lot of masculine energy. One day he was working as a cashier at Zara when a woman came in and mentioned that he had the looks to be a model. At first he didn't think anything of it. Modeling was not something that I wanted to do. is just something kind of like the cliche. You look like a model, so you should just model. That was until he found out she was a casting director for America's next top model. It was the first time they were doing guys on the show and she was returning up pair jeans, kept staring at me and insisted that I auditioned. Marvin decided to give it a try and showed up at the casting call, but it wasn't at all what he was expecting. The line was like, I don't know if you ever watched American nighto, it's like it was like so long, like the big a wrapped around the block and I had class that day. I was going to community college at the time and I just I was like I can't stay.
But when he went to tell the casting director that he had to take off, she had other plans for Marvin. She'd like escorts me to the front. Everyone's mean mugging me. Everyone's like who is this guy? Why is he skipping? We've been here since like five in the morning and when I went up front, like tyra banks was doing the next set, and the first question was why do you want to be America's next top model? That was like the that's what they asked everyone, like we're on the lineup, they asked you, and so I just was like I'm not going to take the serious. I'm just going to be like well, there's girls in this house. I'm single, I definitely want to like me to hot girl. We're going to be stuck there for months that it's not like they can like block me. I you know, this is if I have a shot to get a girlfriend, this would be it. And she laughed and thought it was funny. Everyone else get kind of gave like the world peace kind of like answer it. I just kind of was like, I'm not going to take this serious. This is like obviously I'm not going to get pick all these beautiful people, and I was like let me just at least like make a fool myself, which I feel like I did on the show too. I didn't take myself serious. They must have liked his honesty because, out of all the people lining the block that day, Marvin was selected to compete on the show, but his attitude towards the competition never changed. I felt like, if you're going to be on TV, you got to really not take yourself serious on a show like that, like like everyone was trying to be too serious and I was just like don't take yourself too serious, like it's not the end of the world, which I regretted later because I was like, Oh, I got no I have to watch this. It's one thing to live being kind of like bunny, but then to like see how people react to it. Some of the jokes landed, some of it was in like didn't land. So, on top of having a care free attitude, Marvin also had no experience, which didn't go unnoticed by the judges. The whole time, the judges were saying I had one face at one pose, and that's exactly what happened. I had only one face one pose. I had no background. Marvin hadn't done any professional work before, so he turned to google to figure out how to pose in front of a camera. I just read online like you have to clench your jaw, you lower your...
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...face a little and so and look very mean, like that's a model face for sure, right, like just like and then Clinton, the clenching of the jaws key and just looking like angry, like someone's taking forever for your start. Books were like just like we don't have time for this. But even with one model face, Marvin managed to make it pretty far in the competition and he learned a lot from the experience. Really became more confident and my modeling and realize why I came in second and why I didn't win, because I just didn't have the experience, I didn't have the portfolio that a top model would have needed to win the show. But this was just the beginning of Marvin's modeling career. After the show, he landed a contract with a modeling agency in Los Angeles and started traveling around the world to promote America's next top model. Fast forward, I guess, because that show is eight years ago, and still modeling, still working with great photographers, some of the biggest names I've worked with. You'd sigh, Steven Gomelli on. A lot of these people that are in the industry and work with the big names and I get to work with them before competing on America's next top model. Marvin avoided the modeling industry all together. I was was just afraid that it was going to obviously like out me, because you know, makeup and all these things that it was just like for me. What I've been taught growing up was that that was gay, and so I tried to avoid that as much as possible. Even when he decided to compete, he was worried about what his friends and family would think back home, so he did everything he could to make it look like he was only interested in dating competitors who identified as female. It was a little bit more of like trying to get with the girl more because of I felt like it was needed as a producer. I always kind of looked at the show as if I'm a producer. How...
00:06:00 - 00:08:01
...what would get the most ratings and what would be the most obvious day? So you have guys and girls for the first time, beautiful people in a house. People probably watching want to see a romance or a show man's and that's kind of where I was and I feel like a lot of the girls didn't really like that or they just was maybe they had boyfriends, but I was the only person with a girlfriend on that show. But that's that was just like a long, funny store because we actually were able to bond towards the end. She was like the one girl who I didn't like try to get with and because I was like she would never be into me, and she ended up like telling one of the girls she was into me, which I was like what, and so I just went for it. Marvin's family is originally from Honduras, a country that has made little progress towards lgbtq plus rights and equality. To help you understand Marvin's apprehension about coming out to his family, here's a little insight into the current culture and state of lgbtq plus acceptance in Honduras. According to Human Rights Watch, the governments of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, collectively known as the northern triangle, failed to adequately protect lgbtq plus people against violence and discrimination. The organization released a hundred and fifty two page report on lgbtq plus rights in the three countries. It stated that Honduras had been unable to effectively address violence and entrenched discrimination against lgbtq plus people, leading many to seek asylum in the United States. Human Rights Watch interviewed a hundred and sixteen people from the three countries. Some described violence by family members, leading many to flee home as young as eight years old. So with that information, you can understand why Marvin, despite his family's assimilation into the United States, felt anxious about coming out. Even now, it's like if you're gay, they basically would beat you up, or they, like my own family, now that I'm out, would be like they're like, don't come to Honduras, like it's not safe for you here. Marvin's...
00:08:01 - 00:10:01
...family also voice their feelings on the queer community and made their stance know. All my brothers day joke around about, like you being gay. My Dad, because he only really knows Spanish. You know, if you do something too flamboyant, he'd be like are you, like, are you Gaya? Like? This is like a Spanish like the Tar Jay's like, are you Gaya? Like even after the show, like we had corey, who's an amazing guy and openly gay at the time. He always liked makes, you know, we he kind of would be like, oh, cory, like a Lakota, like cause him, like you know the very are you caused, Ricky Martin, Rikia Martin, like you know, he just if you're gay, he's going to make fun of you, and that is kind of like the culture and my family. Before Marvin came out, his family always bragged about their son's profession. They were so proud of him and the career he had built, and they also made sure to tell their friends and family that, although Marvin is a model, he was most definitely not gay. They introduced me as the model, but not the like gay, like he's not a mighty comb, which is like in Spanish of like equivalent to the f word, and that's how they introduce me, like they that's how they introduce me to New People, like he's a model, but he's not one of those, you know, and it's that's like constant, constant, constant, and so you're always trying to overcome that by being like strong, being like, you know, even fighting, if you can, just always trying to like let that scent go, which helps because you know you'd learned to defend yourself. You learn to be strong, which is kind of what I'm about. Is like for people that can't be strong, I'm like you can, you can go hit the gym, you can at least show physically that you are you're not to be messed with. But it's challenging to maintain a facade and keep up appearances before coming out. Marvin wished he could live a different life, one where he could be himself. I always thought when I...
00:10:01 - 00:12:01
...saw people and non binary types of people out in public, because I'm from New York, so that they're all over the place, I always was like jealous of them because they were so brave and so themselves, and I always was jealous the fact that they had the courage to to just be out and about and not be hiding it, whereas I, you know, have to be masculine, have a girl on my arm and has to be a pretty girl so that no one's not even thinking anything. The first time he tasted freedom was when he booked a photo shoot that required him to model more feminine clothing. I would myself inside be like, Oh, this is so great that I get to like explore this, you know, in front of everyone, like kind of like in your like hiding in plain sight with this, with the like, oh well, it's, you know, Givan Chi. That's how their brand is. Like, I'm getting paid to do this, so it's a job and but like inside I'm like loving it. I'm like, Oh, this is so cool, like I actually wouldn't hate being able to explore this side of me, because it I'm very masculine guy, but I also every I feel like every well, it take like a certain guy will bring out that feminine inside of me, which I love to be. The opportunity to dabble in gender fluid fashion happened on America's next top model, when one of the challenges required the guys to model Feminine Attire while the girls sported masculine garments, and you know, a lot of the guys had fun with it. One of the guys didn't, but he felt like, you know, he had to put up the ODE and want to do this, and I was just loving life because it was like the best thing to do on national TV again, like I'm having this cloak of like, f course, who's not going to do as top model? If they asked you to wear girl with clothes, you're going to do it. And where I was like I'm so excited that I get to just like show a part of myself, like to the people watching, my family watching, with that cloak of they're not going to be like, oh, he's gay, they're going to think, you know, a hundred thousand dollars. That's life changing money for us and for me that's what I'm always like happy and smiling because I'm like this is awesome, like this is the best gift for a closeted guy from...
...the south proms to be able to explore something that, like you, can only dream of exploring as such. I was twenty years old at the time and there was just I didn't have an outlet. I was like there was no place to I could go. There was no like fire island for me where I can go and be myself, and so this was like the biggest opportunity for me to really explore my sexuality within myself. It did help in the sense of like doing it and being like this is not a big deal. I don't get why my family has a problem with this. Even if I showed up to dinner wearing fishnets heels. You know why? What's the big deal? Like I just did it, you know, because it's as certain because I was for a project. It's her like a magazine. Then it's not a big deal. I mean they still kind of had a problem with it. Like I remember my mom was like what are you doing? Like people at the church or seeing this. They're saying like be careful with your son, and I was like mom, like this how much I made, and I would always give my mom money because she would owe it. Like that. Would like kind of quiet her down. She'd be like, Oh my God, my son. Then she'd drag up to her friends about that. He just gave me a thousand dollars, he just gave me two thousand dollars. You know, what is your son doing? And that's and that's to this day. I still kind of do that. I feel like I have to show her that I'm going to be successful and I am successful and there's no disability here. And it kind of also shows into my brothers, who are straight a hundred percent and aren't really contributing, whereas you know, because they think like being gay means that you know, you're going to get picked on and you're not going to get opportunities and it's act. I'm proving to them that that is just a hundred percent not the case. In fact, it's actually the complete opposite in my situation. When we come back, Marvin explains why he decided to come out to the world and to his family at the same time. Welcome back. Today we're talking to Marvin Cortez,...
...a twenty eight year old model who placed second in season twenty of America's next top model. Before the break, Marvin spoke about his recurring fear that is modeling career would end up outing him to the world and, more importantly, to his family. After nearly a decade working in the fashion industry and keeping his sexuality hidden in the back of his closet, Marvin came out as bisexual. He credits part of his coming out to David Archilletta, the American idol singer who came out as part of the LGBTQ plus community earlier this year. There was this big thing in high school where my friends were and we're from the same country, hunders. We're both from the same country, and so I feel like he understands like, even to this day, he was saying like he's a sexual. I understand that guilt of like not, yes, you can admit to yourself that you're gay or or, I'm sorry, Pan Sexual, or just buy and and just not wanting to act on it because you still feel a shame. Are you still feel like you're letting your parents down? Or you're like embarrassing them, and so your you punish yourself. It's a form of punishment. It's like even now I'm like, well, I'm never when I talk to my mom, I'm like I don't even I don't. After I like hang up, I'm like, I don't. How can I like even touch a man because of like how she's crying and how hysterical she is? I'm like I'm causing my mom pain and I can imagine for him is similar. Coming from religious family, you know, they think you're possessed your you know, even like it was a big thing and I actually didn't even come out to my parents in person. Everyone was saying you should just do that, which I'm glad I didn't, because when I just put it out on video and blast it out to social media, because I knew that my family would see it, I knew that the people in Honduras would see it. I mean, I didn't want to get talked out of it. Ultimately, Marvin shared an eleven minute video on social media and then came out to the world. Hey, guys, so I want to...
...let you guys know that I'm coming out as openly bisexual. I've been in love with both men and women and I've been proud to be a part of the gay community in my personal life and just want to share it now publicly. I look forward to living more of an authentic life and sharing that with you. In the video, Marvin said this is the first time his family had heard about his bisexuality. I've always felt like it's not my business to change people's minds, especially in my family. They think one way and it's it's a h und percent understandable and I want them to know that I've delayed this as much as possible because I respect them very much. But even after watching his video, Marvin's mom was still in denial about her son's identity. Literally, my mom, and I love her so much, was just like, you know, maybe it's just a phase and you don't, you know, understand that. You know, people compliment me all the time. Sometimes that doesn't mean you have to. She thinks like because gay get like gay guys hit on me, that I'm confused, that maybe, like that means I should act on that, and she doesn't understand. Like I've had two boyfriends, long term relationships, and I've been very happy in them and satisfied and I haven't been able to go down that far with my mom to tell her that, just because of how she takes it. I mean part of me was just like mom, come on, like how can you? I'm twenty eight years old, don't have a girlfriend, like what, how many more signs can I give you? And she just was like, I never saw this coming and it's part of it. It's my fault because I've been with girls who are kind of close to the family, you know, sexually, you know, and they always tell my mom like Oh, why, you know, with me and Marvin dated, we be so happy and he's so great and he treats me so nice and you know, he satisfied me so much, and what's wrong with your son? Like have him like married me already, like and so my mom's thinking, Oh, you know, she's so great for you. Why are you not? And I always tell her while I'm focused on work right him. So it's kind of complicated.
Since coming out, Marvin has been able to speak with his mom on the phone, although her reaction still wasn't what he wanted. At the time of this interview, Marvin still had not been able to connect with his dad so like even when he heard the news and my brother, who lives with my parents, had to translate the video for them, which again, probably subconsciously, was like, well, if it's in English, they really don't understand what I'm saying, and so my brother was like translating were like line for Lune to them. My Dad just like gets up and leaves the house, goes on a walk, doesn't come back from what my brother says for the end of the night. He's the type to just you can tell him something and he just won't give you a reaction at all and then he'll go and tell someone else how he really feels. And that's just like how we're brought up. We're not supposed to talk about our feelings. So that's why, when I was on the show, was crying a bunch because I was like, finally I'm in an environment where it's okay, like I can finally cry if I want to. I don't have to like muscle up and be all the stuff, which it like I'm fine with. Like you you don't want to cry, you you're good to go, like you don't have to cry if you don't want to. But I'm like, well, I feelings. I have all these emotions, like I'm very much like my mom that way, and here is like my dad, who's like this stone rock to this day. I mean he's I think now he's softened up in his older age, but he he won't give you the emotional reaction that you would want as a son, and that's what is probably the most unfortunate thing. But again I have to have understanding for him because of what he his upbringing is. You know, his dad didn't show emotion. It was just anger, and so that's really where I have to show understanding as much as you know, we all want to be like, well, what about me? I feel like I'm fine now, like I really got this weight off my shoulders coming...
...out with this video, and I wouldn't have changed how I did it. Marvin shared his coming out video on August, one of two thousand and twenty one. So it's very new and he's still learning to navigate a relationship with this family on the east coast. Yeah, I have might some uncles who have called my mom basically saying that I'm I have a demonic spirit on me and we have to pray for Marvin and I basically have been avoiding going to my mom's apartment because I know like she had she made me pray over the phone with her when we face time. And I mean I love being preyed on, I love you know, that's fine. It makes me feel better, it makes her feel better, but I don't I don't want to be subjected to May to be felt like I have some kind of problem or disease or, you know, the devil's using me. It's just at this point in my life as just just want to be accepted, but it's not as important to me that my parents accept me. So and I and I'm I feel like they if they don't come around, which my dad seems like he's doubling down on his like religion, which is fine, you know, if he doesn't want to speak to me ever again. That, I mean I got so many memories of him and so many memories. I'm glad that, like we got to travel together, I got to I got to do the things that I wanted to do with them. That, if it I never get to do it again, I still can hold on to those memories. But I'm past kind of like him accepting me and needing his approval which again it's like once you don't need your parents approval anymore, and I don't like I'm so free. I feel so free and liberated. Like if my dad hates me, I know he loves me. It's just coming from some part of him that, you know, does it. I don't know if wants the best for me or something, or he believes is right or wrong. I just want to be happy, I just want to, you know, love the people I love. Despite the challenges, Marvin is excited to be out and live freely. Oh my God, it feels like there's no word...
...really to describe it because it's so im I'm I'm realizing so many things. I used to have a problem. I used to smoke every day, like I used to smoke weed every day because, no matter how great my day was, I would go to sleep knowing like I would even hate going to see my family because I'm like I have to be this person that they want me to be. I have to like my dad talks about girls all the time, I have to like feed into this and and then or he makes a gay joke, I have to like finish the punch line and and it's just such a like weird dynamic energe it. For me, it's so much pain, pain, pain, pain, and I would like bury it with just like smoking or even drinking, because I'm just like, why can't I just be myself? Why does my fan why do I have to have the best family which loves me, but they won't love the version of me that's actually me? And why, like I'm just going to keep smoking and punish myself and just like abuse myself in any way I can, because, like I can't be myself. I have to like live for them. And you know, I feel like as soon as I came out, that video came out, I got all that support from, you know, from my fans, not not necessarily all my family, but I don't I haven't smoked since like I'm like thirty one days not smoking, and I'm and I love weed. I'm not saying good is bad, it's just I was abusing this thing that feels so good and would for make me forget and bury that, like I don't have to come out now and I would always make excuses. In response to his video, Marvin received countless messages from fans and people around the world expressing how much history means to them. The outcore of support has been great. Obviously, you want it to be from your family, but I have a new family now and I love this community and they've always been accepting of me and, like I want to show my support for them, and...
...that's why I want to be more at vocal about being gay and being bisexual. I know some people are like, why is he keep saying bisexual gays? Because people don't have a problem with me being straight in the bisexual spectrum. It's the gay part that they have a problem with. When they start to say, well, you know, is he get? Is he doing this for like attention? And it's for me. No one had a problem with me once I was when I was dating girls. It's me being with men that they have problem with, at least in my family, and that's what I'm trying to show because at least and just to show respect to like my boyfriend right like just I don't want to be hiding any my love for someone that's I mean I'm I'm at his parents house for for Christmas, I'm at his parents for New Year's and I love them and it's a shame that I like I feel like I can't introduce this great guy to my family, and I did under the context of, you know, he this is my friend, and at least I got to see how kind they are. He got to see how kind they are and how like sweet they are, even though they if they, if he ever probably comes around again, they probably, they'll probably a treat him differently. I just want to show people if I can help one person. I was saying, like if my I was telling my mom, like, if my video help one person, then it was worth it and I don't want to take it back. She was like you should just take it down, like you know, let's discuss this more, and I was just like, I can't, I can't. After reading some of the messages, I think it's important to have visit ability and to have people that it's not just like you won't you want people kind of like out in the open and and still being themselves in authentic, like I don't feel any different. If you're struggling with your sexuality or with coming out to your family and friends. Marvin wants you or now, please trust yourself and trust your instincts and don't let someone rush you. Everyone has to go at their own pace. In your own journey and you will know when it's right. I would say don't let anyone else force you. I had agents when...
...and modeling tell me just come out already and are do out magazine. They want to do a story just because. I would tell some of my close agents and stuff like a I'm seeing a guy, and they'd be like, Oh, well, you know, we can, we can do this as a fashion thing, and I was like, well, I'm not ready. I'm twenty five years old, I'm finally on my own. I don't want to like just for like a story, like for a magazine like issue. I don't want to do that, like that's not I didn't have love in my life. I didn't like there was no point, you know, just for price. Not Worth it. Yeah, exactly. On top of modeling, Marvin is also a content creator and utilizes the platform only fans, which, if you've been living under a rock, is a subscription social network known for offering exclusive and adult content. I do have an only fans that's just more only fans at Marvin Cortez, where again I'm showing myself in a different way because I want I feel like when people come out and they don't actually see you being who you say you are. I want to actually show people like Oh, it's not just repressed, like I'm going to show you my real life, and that's kind of what I feel like. Only fans is showing your personal life to in a like your private life, in a very personal way, and I'm get getting so much great feedback from people just because they can see it for themselves. It's not just something they've read about. It's like, okay, he's just like me or we're very similar, and I want to be able to show that side of me because I feel like visually, if they see it, like just like the video they see it, it's something that becomes real to them. It's not just like some rumor like, Oh, I heard this person might be gay, or I you know, I heard I saw them hook up with a guy to party, which is la thing like Oh, he might be gay, even though it's like I want to show and be myself and slowly, you know, transition into showing my partner and and things like that as time goes on. At the time of this interview, only fans had announced they were banning all explicit...
...content from their site. The announcement panick too many creators on the platform as they tried to figure out how to make a living without that income. I think to turn off your two hundred and fifty million revenue stream per month is is not a smart move. I hope those invest like where who's going to invest in a company that's turning off their biggest cash cat like I hope, like anyone who's trying to give money to only fans, if they do completely, just stop bit. I hope they realize like that's a dumb investment, like why would you invest in chick fil a and then the second you invest in it they're done selling chicken? It makes no sense to me as a business person and I feel like it's not really clear. They're saying it's just users because they don't have age verification. I guess if you sign up you just need a credit card. There's no verification process. You can still post stuff, whereas we go through as a creator, we go through a age verification. We have to show our idea, we have to take a picture of the ID we had. We have to do this hope background check. Also put our like irs. Stuff are ten ninety nines and w nines and things like that. So, you know, we have accountability and things like that. I've been seeing so many of my favorite creators just also worried and things like that. For me, I'm like, this is not really a smart move. I know a lot of people kind of were like happy about it. I see like a lot of people making fun of it, like all they have to now go to work at McDonald's and things like that. That's what I don't really understand, like why whack people are so like happy getting on someone else's pain or someone else's like yeah, again, they're it's not really clear what they're doing. They're putting out a statement in a couple days and I'm hoping after October first day don't change it. It's just for the users and they're changing a couple things about like obviously not showing rape or incest or these kind of like forceful things, which is kind of like a no brainer, I do would think. But I'm hoping that after October you see people, you can kind of be like you, good for you,...
...like in terms of like seeing the people who should like we're trying to make fun of you, like well, here you go, we're still here. You know, we're still queer and we're still like doing what we love. Since this interview, the founders of only fans have suspended the band on explicit content. So what's next for Marvin? Right now I'm working with creative staying productions, which we just shot the dixie music video. It's called psycho. She's like one of the biggest tick talkers. We're working on different projects. Right now I'm shooting a magazine cover and story with these two photographers. They prefer not be named yet, but it's coming out in October and we're shooting and say what magazine it is. I don't think they even want me to say, but it will be some a magazine that you can buy in stores and I'm just excited to kind of be back into shooting fashion, because during the pandemic everything just shut down. So it's good to kind of be back and doing projects. And also the stories are around bisexuality, so we're shooting with a guy and a girl and we're kind of like showcaseeeing just with fashion, which is what I love, the story of people being bisexual and it being like something that does exist. So we're just excited about that and I'm just excited about being able to use my platform to again connect with people that at are struggling with coming out or if they come out and still don't have the family support that you know we're not alone and you know, hopefully it does get better in time. Besides his only fans account, you can follow Marvin on Instagram, Tick Tock and facebook. Well, they can follow me on Instagram Marvin Cortez one, and on twitter Marvin Cortez one. I just got on Tick Tock, which is that is Marve Cortez Twenty one. I believe it's my birthdays twenty one. Pride is a production of Straw hut media.
If you like the show, leave us a rating and a review on Apple, podcast, spotify or wherever you listen to podcast. Then follow us on Instagram, facebook and twitter at pride and make sure to tune in weekly for new episodes. Be sure to shared this episode with your friends and family and subscribe for more stories from Amazing Queer people. If you'd like to connect with me, you can follow me everywhere. At Lea by chambers. This episode of pride was produced by me, LEA by chambers, Maggie Bowls, Ryan Tillotson Kaitlyn mcdaniel and Brandon Marlowe, edited by Savana, I'll Calla, and Daniel Ferera, sound mixing by Silvana, I'll calla. I've been getting a bunch of publication now, like like this, yes, like pride, which is a great which I was so excited to get.
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In Memory of Those Killed at Club Q
We decided to cancel this week’s episode of The Pride Podcast in light of the hateful and violent acts that took place in Colorado Springs at Club Q on Saturday night.
LGBTQ+ people are used to swallowing the indignities, big and small. We accept them as a reality of being LGBTQ+ in this world. If this is you, know that your anger, your fear, and your grief are valid. Do not suffer in silence. Let the people in your life in. Lean on your allies. We need one another now more than ever.
We want to extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
Episode 150 · 1 week ago
Maybe it’s the movies, maybe it’s the cold weather, or maybe it’s just in our heads... Either way, the holiday season often brings pressure to find romance, and dating as a queer person can sometimes feel like a minefield. Add in a lack of inclusive language on dating apps and the whole prospect can seem overwhelming. Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, HER, Tinder… Though some are more inclusive than others, they often fall short. But one app is trying really hard to improve the dating experience for the LGBTQ+ community.
Almost 20 years ago, OK Cupid introduced online dating to young people. On this week's episode, we’ll hear about OK Cupid’s history of inclusivity and what sets it apart from other dating apps and more from Michael Kaye, the Associate Director of Global Communications at OkCupid.
Send us your stories about online dating as a queer person! We love to hear from you: [email protected].
Your host is Levi Chambers, founder of Rainbo Media Co. You can follow Levi @levichambers across socials.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @PRIDE across socials.
PRIDE is produced by Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Brandon Marlo. This episode was also produced by Frank Driscoll. It was written and edited by Maggie Boles and Daniel Ferrera.
Do you have a queer story to share? Email us at [email protected]
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.
When Beyoncé released her newest album, Renaissance, a few months ago, she paid homage to a culture that shaped who she became as a performer. In her liner notes she said: “Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you.”
Today, we talk to one of those pioneers, Kevin Aviance. We learn how a young boy in Richmond, Virginia went from singing Aretha Franklin in his sister's dress to being inducted into the famed House of Aviance in Washington DC, and later sampled on the biggest album of 2022. We talk about the different schools of drag and how the scene has changed over the last 30 years. Does the mainstreaming of drag make the world a safer place?
Plus, hear the song that Beyoncé lifted up and celebrated on her track Pure/Honey.
Your host is Levi Chambers, founder of Rainbo Media Co. You can follow Levi @levichambers across socials.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @PRIDE across socials.
PRIDE is produced by Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Brandon Marlo. Edited by Maggie Boles and Daniel Ferrera.
Do you have a queer story to share? Email us at [email protected]
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.
To help us explore the very queer origins of Halloween, we’ll spend some time with two experts in the realm of queer history: Michael Bronski and Marc Stein. We’ll look at what exactly it is about Halloween that makes it feel like Gay Christmas and what some of those Halloween celebrations looked like in the middle of the 20th century, specifically in Philadelphia. We’ll also hear from the one and only Tammie Brown, whose Halloween Spectacular is out now on Out TV, about her own experiences with Halloween as a drag queen. And finally, we’ll look at how Halloween can remind us of our power and serve as a tool for activism.
Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular is out now on OUTtv.com and on AppleTV+ via the OUTtv Channel until October 31st. Watch it here and follow Tammie on Instagram.
Read Michael Bronski's book, A Queer History of the United States.
Read more from Marc Stein on his faculty page .
Your host is Levi Chambers, founder of Rainbo Media Co. You can follow Levi @levichambers across socials.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @PRIDE across socials.
PRIDE is produced by Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Brandon Marlo. It's written by Maggie Boles and edited by Daniel Ferrera.
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Here is a very interesting article by Alan Patrick. It compares the Google and the Twitter windows on a current news story and proposes that the view through the Twitter window is actually more nuanced and investigative than the rather one-dimensional, or populist, view provided by Google.
This certainly chimes with my own experience. Some while back I compared the Twitter versus tabloid media view, in relation to the Ryan Giggs / super injunction fiasco in the UK in 2011. The conclusion I reached here was that the Twitter view was, again, much more nuanced and far less sensationalist than the view the tabloid press traditionally put out in these sort of cases. Most people were really not that interested in Ryan Giggs love life, certainly not to the extent which might justify front page spreads. Which is probably why many tabloid journalists are so scornful of ‘the people on Twitter’, because Twitter deflates the tabloids’ ability to titilate.
There is a further, more recent example. Last year the BBC and its Newsnight programme got into a huge amount of hot water over the ‘naming’ of a former Tory politician, Lord McAlpine, as a paedophile at the centre of a child abuse ring. Lord McAlpine is not a paedophile and while the BBC did not actually name him, it was inferred that his name was the one that was heading a list names that were ‘circulating on the internet’ – primarily Twitter. McAlpine himself then went on to instigate legal proceeding against some of those people on Twitter deemed responsible. This just goes to show how fundamentally untrustworthy and downright evil this whole Twitter-website-internet thing is – one might have thought.
Except – as this story was brewing I went and had a look ‘at Twitter’ to see exactly what was going on. Now whilst Lord McAlpine’s name certainly came up, along with a whole list of other, frequently ludicrous, suggestions – there was another name which was much more firmly linked to much more specific allegations. If one had looked at Twitter in the whole, you would not have reached the conclusion that Lord McAlpine was the prime suspect in this case. I was thus astonished to see the BBC allowing McAlpine’s name to enter the frame on the basis that this was already out there on Twitter, because while some individual tweets may have been suggesting this, a consideration of the collective view of Twitter would have led one to a very different conclusion. (I shall not name who Twitter saw as the prime suspect for obvious reasons).
Thus – the BBC effectively inferred that Lord McAlpine was the suspect – and got it wrong. And the evil untrustworthy Twitter may not have got it right (we shall never know the truth because the powers that be have dropped this subject like a hot potato), but it didn’t get it as wrong as the BBC did.
The main point, from all of this, is that news in the social digital space, cannot be defined in an institutional way any more. News is becoming a raw material, not a finished product and the distillation of what is truth is shifting from institutions into processes. You can’t understand Twitter as an institution, you can only understand it as a process. Twitter (unlike Newsnight) was not purporting to tell me that something was true or not true – it simply provided me with a process that allowed me to make my own conclusions. And key to this process working effectively is transparency and the ability to put information in context. It is what I call the ability to see the whole probability curve of news and where upon it, any individual bit of information sits.
And going back to Alan Patrick’s article, Twitter is much better placed to deliver against this than Google – certainly when it comes to news – because it doesn’t attempt to attach a score to a particular piece of information in order to rank it (or define its truthfulness). Instead it allows you to see the spread of opinion and apply a probability approach. Google’s strength is in other areas, where seeing the curve is less important. Thus Google is good at answering question such as ‘when to prune raspberries?’ whereas Twitter is better at answering questions such as ‘is this news story really true?’
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Stepping stones for learning. There has been a fantastic influx of new non-fiction books aimed at preschoolers and toddlers. Somethin...
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Tuesday, August 15, 2017 BookBairn 14 Comments
Stepping stones for learning.
There has been a fantastic influx of new non-fiction books aimed at preschoolers and toddlers. Something that goes beyond word-primers. Goes beyond simple photographs and words beside. So I asked on our social media if you were interested in a blog post collating them all and you said yes! So here are some of our favourites, though not all of them because that would be one long blog post. If you would like to see some others that we enjoy I'm tagging them all under the label 'fantastic non-fiction'. Without further ado here are our newest fact-tastic non-fiction for tots!
10 Reasons to Love A ... series by Catherine Barr and Hanako Clulow
These two books are part of a brand new series published in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, giving children 10 reasons why each animal is amazing and five ways they can show they love it! The are perfect for any little animal enthusiast! Each page is beautifully illustrated making the animals absolutely charming. I love that these are illustrated rather than photographs which are more traditional for non-fiction as it really captures BookBairn's fascination far more than photographs do at the moment. The facts are written in toddler-friendly language, without being patronising, and including some words which will extend their vocabulary (something that I am looking to do with BookBairn as she is a real wee linguist). The facts are also really interesting, for example, did you know that turtles are as ancient as the dinosaurs? Or that they live for up to 150 years? Or that elephant heards are headed by their grandmothers? Or that they walk on their tiptoes? And scattered throughout the book are little rosettes of information on ways to protect these brilliant beasts. For example, buy paper made from recycled elephant poo; or don't leave litter on the beach that turtles might gobble by mistake. In short these books are informative, beautiful and brilliant!
Life on Earth series by Heather Alexander and Andres Lozano
Can we first just talk about how cute these illustrations are? From the two children who explore and investigate throughout the book to the style of boxes of information arranged in a geometric grid that is a visual delight. And if you want to know more and more facts about the perennially popular topics of dinosaurs and jungle (or human body and farm which are also part of the series) these books answer over 100 questions about the subjects. But what makes these books so wonderful? They are lift-the-flap. Over 70 flaps. Want to know the answer to the questions you have to lift the flap. Such a fun and interactive way to engage little ones in non-fiction. I would say the information and style of these books are still a little complex for BookBairn, though she does like to lift the flaps anyway. Probably better for 4+ but they are absolutely superb!
When I was teaching one of the things that always amazed by was how children learned so much more when they could engage their senses. And these books are great for that! Children can explore the facts in these books whilst feeling the smooth skin of the manta ray or the leathery shell of the turtle or the feather-y wings of a flying dinosaur (microraptor). Also the facts in these are laid out in a more traditional style with text boxes of information (some are under flaps though) and labels around the illustrations. I love these and so does BookBairn! She requests them over and over again and no wonder: they are a treat for the senses! And a great way to learn!
Early Learning at the British Museum by Nosy Crow books
Firstly, I have gathered these books together as they are all part of collaboration between Nosy Crow and the British Museum but they are really two separate styles of non-fiction. 'Mummy', illustrated by Lerryn Korda is a lift-the-flap board book where a little Egyptian girl can't find her mummy and she needs the help of your little reader. You work your way through a whole host of ancient Egyptian animals and artefacts until you come across her mummy (after finding a real Egyptian mummy first of course!). This is an ingenious piece of narrative non-fiction that will appeal to little readers who can appreciate the little girls search for her mummy. I know that BookBairn says "mummy always comes back" at the end, which is something I said to her in the run up and after her brother was born as I knew she would wonder where I had gone. It is a great way to introduce this fascinating world to little ones and I hope there will be more books like this for other ancient worlds.
ABC and 123 'Early Learning in the Museum' are two in a new series (with Colours and Opposites out later this year) that feature some of the fascinating objects from the British Museum collection. These are a great way for inquisitive little readers to learn about familiar concepts of numbers and letters but through fascinating objects that represent a multitude of cultures from around the world and objects that span a timescale from thousand-year old relics to 20th century toys and Egyptian jewellery to African instruments. And these books are primarily photographs (or photographs of artwork) making them more like traditional non-fiction which makes a good balance for your library.
The world at her feet!
One of the clever parts about this book is that grown-ups can scan the QR codes in each book to find out more about the featured objects and the final page feature an index (of photographs) of the objects and you can learn more. I would love to take BookBairn to spot these objects in the museum once I can brave taking her on a flight or train to London.
I hope you feel a little more informed about non-fiction for your little readers and have spotted a few books you would like to add to your library.
Happy learning through reading!
Mummy and BookBairn xx
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14 comments:
BookBairn's Papa C 15 August 2017 at 17:04
Lovely books and I really like the idea of BookBairn reading factual books. I'm sure she'll enjoy them.
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BookBairn 20 August 2017 at 21:00
She loves to learn!
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GmaBookBairn 19 August 2017 at 17:08
I love all these - brilliant way to get little ones to absorb facts about the world around them and develop their understanding
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BookBairn 20 August 2017 at 21:01
You are so right!
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Claire @ the ladybird's adventures 22 August 2017 at 08:54
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BookBairn 28 August 2017 at 12:45
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Along Came Poppy 27 August 2017 at 13:28
Fabulous Books! I'm working on a non fiction post now lol! Like the look of the touch and feel ones and love the photo of Bookbairn with the world at her feet #KLTR
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BookBairn 28 August 2017 at 12:46
I saw your post this morning but haven't got to reading it yet! I love that it looked like you had different books too so even more great recommendations. Thanks - I love that photo too!
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Acorn books 13 September 2017 at 06:46
There is so much wonderful non fiction for little ones at the moment, it's great. Nosy Crow really stand out to me as they are producing some fantastic books. #kltr
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BookBairn 21 September 2017 at 10:13
Absolutely fantastic books for toddlers! I'm also a huge fan of Campbell books and Quarto at the moment for great non-fiction!
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Laura - Laura's Lovely Blog 13 September 2017 at 14:34
These are great, right from a young age my son has been all about the facts so he will love a lot of these. Thanks for linking up to #KLTR
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BookBairn 21 September 2017 at 10:13
It's great that there are more accessible books for toddlers appearing every day!
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Angela Milnes 15 September 2017 at 10:11
These are really cool. I love books on facts and life on earth series look fantastic. As a child these were always my favourite type of books, the ones full of facts and information.
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BookBairn 21 September 2017 at 10:14
I love a good story too but fact books for little ones have always seemed rather dull up until now. So glad publishers are filling this gap in the market!
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I have always loved reading, ever since I can remember. So our house is packed full of picture books for my two children: BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner. We love reading fabulous books and we enjoy sharing our favourites on our blog. BookBairn is a huge fan of creative and inspiring picture books and is beginning to enjoy early readers and short chapter books, and The Wee Page Turner enjoys a rhyming or funny picture book as well as search-and-find books. We also share some of our lifestyle favourites as well as play and craft ideas and tips for raising readers. Reading is our joy. It's something that we share. So we share our reading on our blog and social media.
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Archaeologists from various universities have revealed that the leg of someone who lived in Borneo 31,000 years ago was amputated.
It reveals one of the oldest methods of amputation identified so far. The result was also published in Nature on September 7.
Researchers said that the cause of this amputation was probably health issues. In addition, the researchers attribute the man's survival to advanced medical knowledge in the community.
A group of archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia discovered it in 2020. They discovered the skeleton in the isolated mountainous regions of the Liang Tebo limestone cave in East Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo.
The team was shocked to discover bony growths, indicating that the leg had long since recovered from whatever caused the amputation, even though the lower third of the left leg was missing.
The jaw of the amputated man
Was it a wild animal attack or a punishment?
Archaeologists thought the missing leg may have first been severed in a wild animal attack. In addition, archaeologists, who evaluated the possibility of being cut off as a punishment, gave up their idea after they determined that the tomb belonged to a well-respected individual.
Then only one thing remained - an amputation.
“It rewrites our understanding of the development of this medical knowledge,” said Tim Maloney, an archaeologist and research fellow at Australia’s Griffith University, who led the research.
The discovery reveals a wealth of information on man's hunter-gatherer society, according to the authors.
He avoided problems like fatal blood loss that could have occurred as a result of the operation, indicating that the leg had been carefully amputated during his boyhood.
The team also claims that in order to expose and navigate the veins, vessels, and nerves and prevent deadly blood loss and infection, the surgeon or surgeons who carried out the operation 31,000 years ago must have had an in-depth understanding of limb anatomy and the muscular and circulatory systems.
The prevailing view regarding the evolution of medicine is that the emergence of settled agricultural societies around 10,000 years ago (the Neolithic Revolution) gave rise to a host of health problems that had previously been unknown among non-sedentary foraging populations, stimulating the first major innovations in prehistoric medical practices. Such changes included the development of more advanced surgical procedures, with the oldest known indication of an ‘operation’ formerly thought to have consisted of the skeletal remains of a European Neolithic farmer (found in Buthiers-Boulancourt, France) whose left forearm had been surgically removed and then partially healed. Dating to around 7,000 years ago, this accepted case of amputation would have required comprehensive knowledge of human anatomy and considerable technical skill, and has thus been viewed as the earliest evidence of a complex medical act. Here, however, we report the discovery of skeletal remains of a young individual from Borneo who had the distal third of their left lower leg surgically amputated, probably as a child, at least 31,000 years ago. The individual survived the procedure and lived for another 6–9 years, before their remains were intentionally buried in Liang Tebo cave, which is located in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, in a limestone karst area that contains some of the world’s earliest dated rock art. This unexpectedly early evidence of a successful limb amputation suggests that at least some modern human foraging groups in tropical Asia had developed sophisticated medical knowledge and skills long before the Neolithic farming transition.
An exclusive interview with KenGen's, Frank D. Ochieng, reveals all there is to know about the African giant leading geothermal energy globally.
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London - Britain's economy is forecast to shrink by 0.4% in 2023, more than any other in the Group of Seven richest nations, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Britain is the only G-7 member whose economy has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
In the Group of 20, or G-20, largest economies, only Russia's is expected to fare worse than Britain's in the coming two years.
The OECD said Tuesday that global growth would slow down significantly, including in the United States and Europe. Only the British and German economies are forecast to contract in 2023.
The forecast comes days after Paris overtook London as Europe's biggest stock market. Analysts say global economic pressures have been compounded in Britain by recent political chaos.
The British government's Office for Budget Responsibility, which gives an independent analysis of the nation's economy, warned that living standards over the next two years are set to fall by the biggest amount on record, as disposable income is squeezed by stagnating wages and rising prices.
Inflation is at a 41-year high of 11.1%, driven by soaring energy bills. Food costs have increased by 15% since this time a year ago.
Britons are cutting back on spending. Hayley Gray, who lives in Bradford, northern England with her seven children, says Christmas this year will be very different.
"Each week I'd normally buy a couple of things, but I'm not able to, because I'm having to make sure I've got money for gas and electric ... [The children] are going to have hardly anything come Christmas," Gray told ITN News. Like many families, Gray is taking on debt to pay for the festive period. She said she fears she may not be able to pay it off in the new year.
Charity food banks are seeing unprecedented demand.
"It used to be that those people on the margins of the society who couldn't access a kitchen were homeless people, who needed that support. Now it's people in work, it's people who can't afford to turn on their cookers, who are needing support," said Charlotte Hill, CEO of the Felix Project charity in London.
Tax rises
Britain's economic pain is likely to worsen. The country's new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced new tax increases and spending cuts last week to try to reduce the deficit and reassure financial markets. He blamed the coronavirus - and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Global factors are the primary cause of current inflation," Hunt told lawmakers November 17. "Most countries are still dealing with the fallout from a once in a century pandemic. The furlough scheme, the vaccine rollout and the response of the NHS [National Health Service] did our country proud. But they all have to be paid for."
The furlough scheme refers to the government subsidizing millions of workers' wages during the pandemic lockdown.
"The lasting impact on supply chains has made goods more expensive and fueled inflation. And this has been worsened by a made-in-Russia energy crisis," Hunt said.
Those crises are global but Britain has unique problems, said analyst John Kampfner of the London-based policy institute Chatham House.
"Britain's politics and Britain's economy are both in a state of somewhere between disarray and mayhem. Of course, all countries are facing considerable difficulties from inflation to energy insecurity shortages, price rises and other associated difficulties. But they are compounded in Britain by a series of ideologically driven governments whose competence was very much open to question, culminating in the disastrous 45 days of Liz Truss," Kampfner told VOA.
Former Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss's plans to slash taxes and boost spending - the reverse of her successor, Rishi Sunak - sent government borrowing costs soaring and the British pound plummeting, ultimately forcing her to resign
last month. The effects are still being felt.
For the first time since record-keeping began, Paris last week overtook London as Europe's biggest stock market, according to figures from Bloomberg News, based on the combined market value of listings on the Paris bourse compared to the London Stock Exchange in U.S. dollars.
French luxury goods makers have seen significant share price increases in recent weeks, while the British pound has fallen more sharply than the euro, reducing the relative value of British shares.
Analysts say Britain is suffering from another homemade problem: Brexit. Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union meant new economic barriers with its biggest trading partner.
Simon Spurrell founded the Cheshire Cheese Company in 2010 and built a prosperous export business. When new Brexit trading rules took effect in 2021, the company lost $285,000 worth of European business. Last month, Spurrell decided to sell to a bigger local rival, Joseph Heler Cheese, which has a presence in the EU and so is able to trade freely.
"We no longer have access to the EU, (which) meant that we needed to try and find a solution," Spurrell told Agence France-Presse. "We now have a majority shareholder owner in Joseph Heler, which means we not only have access to the EU again, due to their Netherlands hub, we also have the ability to grow again."
It's clear that Brexit is holding back growth, Kampfner said.
"It was camouflaged by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, so the direct consequences of many of the Brexit decisions couldn't be discerned,' he said. 'They are now eventually, belatedly being seen. But the Conservatives are not going to touch a decision to go anywhere close to rejoining the (EU) customs union or the single market. And (the opposition) Labor is not going to do that either."
The prime minister made that policy clear in a speech Monday at the Confederation of British Industry.
"I voted for Brexit, I believe in Brexit, and I know that Brexit can deliver, and is already delivering enormous benefits and opportunities for the country, migration being an immediate one, where we have proper control of our borders," Sunak said.
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Welcome to Fantasy Role-Playing Games. We are here to talk about your favorite role-playing games, review games, and report on up coming games.
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September. The hum of lawn mowers and bees will soon be replaced by the crunching of leaves. The scent of honeysuckle swapped for pumpkin spice and the holidays are right around the corner. I usually await the start of fall with open arms. I’m just not sure if I’m ready yet this year. Sure I […]
September Goals
Sep 3
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Just a little recap from earlier in this story, I was feeling a nudge to leave my comfortable job and to spend more time with my family, while focusing more on what matters in life. I acted on that, but perhaps I stepped in the wrong direction… (for more, read part 1 here.) It seemed […]
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That's right! I'm not only posting three posts in one week (click here and here to read them :)) but I'm also doing two posts in one day! Let me explain why...
For the last few posts, I've been scheduling them to go up ahead of time, just in case I can't make it to WiFi...this is not one such post :) Yesterday, I got a phone call from my local printer and they told me...
"The Rivers of Sorrow is ready for pick up! Here is your total..."
That's right! As of right now, The Rivers of Sorrow is available for purchase! For $14.00+ $3.00 s/h, the 3rd installment of The Battle for Heritage Series could be yours! I can hardly believe it! I've literally been working on this book for five years! Five! And to finally be able to hold it in my hands...unless you've published a book, you've know idea what that feels like :)
To celebrate the release, I've got a few goodies for you! An excerpt from the story, and some of my favorite quotes from the book! Enjoy!
From Chapter 1
January 4th, 1863
“Now, march right over to that tree, Yank. Keep them hands where I can see them!”
Confederate Lieutenant Richard Mason rubbed his eyes. “What now?” he mumbled as the shouting continued. He glanced at his pocket watch: 3:46 A.M. January 4th, 1863, was already upon them.
Groaning, Richard kicked off his blanket and stepped out into the cold Virginia night. “What’s going on out here?” he demanded, not at all happy to be losing sleep because of a troublesome federal prisoner.
Sgt. Tyler Nace turned and saluted his lieutenant and friend. “Sorry to disturb you, Lt. Mason. This yank tried to escape. Cpl. Calling sounded the alarm and we cornered him here. Calling had to shoot before he would surrender, sir.”
Richard frowned as blood dripped from the federal soldier’s left arm. “Sgt. Mason is on duty. Have him see to the fed’s arm. I want the prisoner secured for the night. Double the guard.”
“Yes, sir,” Tyler and Cpl. Jeremiah Calling said in unison, saluting. They led the prisoner to the infirmary. Sgt. Seth Mason moved from tent to tent, treating the wounded as needed. He too was aggravated with the escapee.
Richard’s younger brother checked over the wound. “Clean through. Jeremy, you saved his arm.”
The prisoner remained silent. Tyler studied him, noting the flash in the middle-aged man’s eyes. He’s probably pretty upset about being held prisoner by boys, Tyler thought. He’s old enough to be our father!
Seth finished tying off the bandage. “There, that’ll do it.” Seth winced and held his head. “Do I ever have a headache!”
“You need to get some sleep,” Jeremy stated in his to-the-point way. “You work too hard and too late. Go get some sleep.”
“Later. I’ve still got two tents to check. And after that I need to get these shoes to Eddie,” he said, jerking his thumb towards a pair of used brogans sitting on the desk.
“He could sure use them,” Tyler remarked. “He hasn’t complained, but I know his feet are about froze. He’s been walking around in his socks the last few days.”
Jeremy shook his head and pushed the prisoner toward the tent opening. Tyler joined them outside and the trio made their way back to the prisoners’ hold. Tyler nodded to the guards as they climbed the steps and opened the door.
“I tried,” the prisoner told his groaning comrades. Tyler pushed him past the group and led him to a separate room. They couldn’t risk the prisoner causing an uprising.
Titus Mallory, a Confederate sergeant, arrived to help guard. He walked among the soldiers keeping a sharp eye on them. There wouldn’t be trouble on his watch.
Morning light found the soldiers no warmer than the night before. Winter camp had been made around Moss Neck at Camp Winder following bloody fighting at Fredericksburg on December 13th, 1862.
Richard put on his hat and mounted his horse, Champion. He urged the handsome stallion into a run as they headed for his commander’s headquarters.
Major Alexander “Sandie” Pendleton looked up as Richard entered. “Morning, Lt. Mason. Gen. Jackson’s been waiting for you.”
Richard doffed his hat and nodded as Pendleton checked to see if the General was ready for him. “You may go on in, Lieutenant,” Pendleton said.
Richard saluted Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson as he entered the room. Jackson returned his salute. “Do have a seat, Lieutenant.” Richard fought the desire to rake his fingers through his dark auburn hair. When Stonewall stared at him like he was now, Richard imagined the general could see right through him.
Stonewall sifted through his papers. “I hear you and your command had a bit of excitement during the late fighting.”
Richard took a deep breath and replied, “Yes, sir. Two brigades were divided, but God pieced us all back together.”
Something of a smile hinted at the older man’s lips. “Indeed, He did. Our ever-kind Heavenly Father smiled on us during this campaign.” He shuffled through the papers and laid them aside. “Your Capt. Baines is up for a promotion to Major, Lt. Mason.”
He watched Richard’s expression. Noticing a slight change of his countenance, he asked, “Are you disappointed? Perhaps you believe your captain unworthy of the honor to be bestowed upon him.”
“Oh, no, sir!” Richard assured him. “I only feel sorry for our company. Capt. Baines is an inspiring leader, and I wish he could remain in its command. But I do not begrudge him the honor. I suppose to wish him back is selfishness on my part.”
Jackson nodded slowly. “It is. But hardly to be unexpected.” Silence stole over them. Jackson leaned forward and clasped his hands. “Have you a suggestion for company commander?”
Richard thought a moment. “Lt. Tucker would do well, sir…the campaigns of last year were unkind to our officers, sir. There were many wounded or killed, and others had to take spots in other companies.”
“Is Tucker a trustworthy man?” the general inquired.
“To the utmost, sir. By seniority it belongs to him.”
The general nodded again. “The men have elected you.”
Curious yet? Hop on over to my contacts page to place your order today!
Well, that's all for now! Hope you have a fantastic weekend and please, tell your friends about The Rivers of Sorrow!
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Celebrating the start of our fellowship's liturgical year! Bring a small vial of water symbolic of a place or experience you had this summer. We'll pour these waters into a common bowl to symbolize our coming together for another year. We'll also formally recognize the start of Rev. Joe's interim ministry with us.
~ Rev. Joe Cleveland
August 24: Question Box
The worship theme is “Question Box”, with the Rev. Joe Cleveland responding to congregants' questions.
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I am, as Charlie said yesterday in his introduction, a historian. More precisely, I'm a historian specialising in the history of the Celtic-speaking peoples - the Welsh, the Irish, the Scots, the Bretons, the Cornish - in the early middle ages (roughly speaking between around 400 C.E. and 1200 C.E., give or take a century or so at both ends, depending on the country). But I have sub-specialisms in Anglo-Saxon England, early medieval Scandinavia (vikings!) and, out of pure awkwardness, 17th century France. My particular expertise in all that is Wales, 500-1300. All very neat and academic, all very remote, or so it often looks.
There are, as a result of this, three questions that I get asked a lot. The first is, most obviously, 'What's the point of studying that?' The early middle ages are remote from us now, and I specialise in areas that have changed almost beyond recognition in the succeeding centuries, through conquest and annexation and foreign influence. There are a number of answers I give to that question. One, which to me is the most obvious is: well, it's interesting. I belong to that set of people who were born curious, who want to know, who love to learn and study and explore, and the more abstruse or challenging the subject, the more I enjoy it. It is, I suppose, the thrill of the chase. The answer I give to parents of students, to journalists and to critics, however, is this one: we need to know our past in order to understand the structures and forms of our present. And, in many cases, the origins of those structures and forms lie hundreds or even thousands of years back. Why am I writing this in English and not Welsh or French even some modern reflection of classical Latin? The answer to that has its roots in the migrations and invasions of both the British Isles and a great part of Western Europe in the 3rd through 6th centuries by peoples from the north and the east, in the form and shape of the Norman conquest of England in the last part of the eleventh century, in the effects of the feudal structures imposed by that latter and their expansionist nature. Had some part of this gone another way, taken another turn, met a different barrier or reverse, I might well be writing this in a language much closer to German (and you might be speaking that latter, too, and all without any influence from twentieth century events). Our history helps to explain us as we now are, and that is always useful
The second question is more of a comment. 'I didn't know they had any history.' This is usually in response to me saying, 'Well, I'm a historian of Wales, sort of.' This remark is meant most often as a joke - Wales deliberately misheard as whales - but it has a serious undertone. Wales is not a major player in the eyes of the world, or, indeed, in the eyes of most of the British. It most commonly crops up in the media as a BBC measurement cliché, ('an area the size of Wales!') or in reference to a singer or actor (Charlotte Church, Ioan Gruffudd). But it's a joke with a sting. The truism is that history is written by the victors and we often leave out the separate histories of those we have conquered or who we hold unimportant. Removing histories is a means of colonialism, of Empire, of dominance. Remembering and teaching those histories is a means of resistance and celebration. When people make that joke, what they are saying under the humour is that only some peoples, only some cultures are worthy of serious attention. They don't say because they're mean, by and large, or even because they really think that. They say it because their background and education makes it an easy shot. The history of Britain, as taught in schools here in the UK (and most people don't study history after school) is, by and large, the history of the English, of England, which is the culturally dominant group. The other cultures are silenced - not just the Celts, but the Indian diaspora, the African and African-Carribbean population, the Chinese, the Italians and Jews and Poles, and all the other peoples who make up the modern British. When we study outside our cultural mainstream, it's a little act of subversion, a small rebellion, an act of reclamation. I believe in those. We need to know ourselves fully, in all our variety, not just the single story of the dominant.
The third question is; but what is history anyway? That's a big one, and usually asked by those who are genuinely interested. And there are many, many answers to it. My answers to the first to questions are part of it, as are every single other question I've asked myself, of the sources and materials I study. History is us, it is, to paraphrase T. S. Eliot, now and this blog, it's the world as it is as it wakes today, and as it was yesterday. It's that rat in the arras and the flag over Capitol Hill, the wars that still damage the world, and the struggle against them, the people whose names and deeds we memorialise - Qin Shi Huang Di, Napoleon, Minamoto no Yoritomo, Gandhi, Kenneth Kenyatta, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Samia Nkrumah, George Washington, Isabella of Angouleme, Trahaearn ap Caradog, Brian Boru, Harold Bluetooth, King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, Tecumseh, Catherine the Great, Lenin, Isaac Newton, Sappho.... I could go on and on. History is the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and where we came from, and the stories we rewrite to suit ourselves. It's the stories we try to forget and the stories we suppress. It's how we explain ourselves to ourselves, a source of comfort and a source of shame, a tool of war and a means of peace. History is us, history is why the modern world is at it is, and that is why it matters.
Posted by Kari Sperring at 11:15 on August 22, 2012 | Comments (105)
Conan E. Moorcock | August 22, 2012 18:51
Thanks for that. It's interesting and I hope to submit a sensible question in due course.
In the meantime while CE 400 is presumably a bit late, is there any evidence as regards the Druids, whether they existed, what they believed and so forth. As far as I know what we know of them largely comes for Julius Caesar who (and while I know you might find this difficult to believe) may not have been an unbiased commentator.
Thanks a lot, Conan (yes, I've not been well recently) E. Moorcock.
Hi, Conan! Good Breton name, that. As you say, most of what we know about druids comes via Caesar: there are late references in some Irish texts, but these are all post-Christian, and the druids are largely presented as antagonists to saints, claiming powers which the saint then proves false. There is, however, an interesting argument that the way that some saints are presented and described, again in Irish texts, is a reflection of the cultural space once occupied by druids: powerful individuals given to curses, as much feared as respected. We possess two items which were written by St Patrick (his Confession and his Letter to Coroticus -- an Irish leader in Scotland somewhere, probably): his personality as revealed by those seems quite self-effacing and community-centred. By contrast, Patrick as presented in later Lives of him written in Irish monasteries (and notably the Tripartite Life, late 9th century) depict him as a dominant, strong-minded, rather frightening figure. It's been suggested that this may have been the public persona expected of druids. Of course, there is no way of proving this. Other than that, we know from references in law codes that they were high status individuals who had considerable freedom in relation to kings, say. (But this may be back projection from the status desired by senior clerics.) And Bede tells us that the island of Anglesey was a druid sanctuary, but gives no details. All of this material dates from the 6th century and later -- after the establishment of Christianity. In terms of sources contemporary with active druids, apart from Caesar, there are a few other references in Greek and Roman sources. There are suggestions of human sacrifices, the collection of the heads of enemies (the skulls then used as cups by the druids), some form of reverence for ancestors, of respect for birds and their use in divination, the study of the natural world and druids acting as negotiators in war. You can find all of these collected in Philip Freeman, War, Women and Druids (University of Texas Press, 2002). The problem is that all these items are written by outsiders, often people who had only heard of these practices, not seen them, and who may well have conflated together the practices of various different peoples who were in reality dissimilar, under that label 'Celt'. It's a fascinating subject, though!
heteromeles | August 22, 2012 19:20
I guess my questions are: --so how good is your Welsh then? Do you read the languages of the areas you specialize in?
--if you're talking to a 20th century audience, what's the strangest thing about the people you study, from our modern perspective? Sometimes we forget how much people change over time.
As context, I've been reading the history of the Korean Peninsula, and back in the 19th century, no one would have believed that the Hermit Kingdom, the most backward and isolationist nation in East Asia, would either be bifurcated now, nor that South Korea (the rebellious rural backwater of a agrarian backwater) would be one of the most wired countries in the world today. That's in 120 years, and mostly in the last 40. Change can be sudden and thorough, and it takes some work to see back through it.
Kari said:
The second question is more of a comment. 'I didn't know they had any history.'
Hummm... When I was about 13 (which was a very long time ago) I had an argument about this... the general line of my argument was that anything that happens in the past is de-facto "history". Maybe not very perceived important history like Kings, battles, revolutions and so on, but history none-the-less.
But don't you think history is constantly reinterpreted in terms of what's going on now and some even well established histories become less important to the general metier of society and other histories become more important to them depending on current societal needs or trends?
Thanks
Conan E. Moorcock replied to this comment from Kari Sperring | August 22, 2012 19:35
Thanks for that reply. It will take me a while to go through that and do any justice to your reply.
Thanks.
Mark | August 22, 2012 20:06
6:
Hi Keri Given your speciality what led you to it? Did an interest in fantasy come first or develop from your studies?
Tucker | August 22, 2012 20:06
7:
Do you have any recommendations for a good history of Wales? I've read Gwynfor Evans's "Land of my Fathers" (years ago) and it seemed pretty good and reliable... but I don't have the background to say how reliable it actually is.
8:
The maddening bit about history for me is that it can be written by the victors so much of what we know may have already gone through revisionism. Of course, there's also the truth that academics don't make names for confirming known truths but for upending them so there's always the risk of being contrarian for its own sake.
If our modern era a thousand years from now is known as the digital dark age, then perhaps the only written records that remain will be political newsletters from fringe groups that refused to electrify. Future generations will know of the great leader Reagan who won the Cold War against the communists which lead to a Global Warming and the inundation of the coastal settlements. The people did not blame Reagan for this but instead accused the dirty hippies, a despised minority sect who practiced a religion called Socialism. They were also alleged to poison wells, steal babies and ingest mind-altering drugs. And who can argue with that if the few primary sources are in agreement?
I can't find the specific historian's name from a cursory googling but I remember reading about a westerner who had a romantic notion of how wonderful the Mesoamerican cultures were and assumed all talk of human sacrifice was just bad-mouthing by the Spanish. As he unearthed evidence that it did occur he remained in full denial. He'd painted a lovely picture of a civilization that did not really exist.
How do you handle the doubts you must surely have of getting anywhere near the actual truth of what really happened?
Unholyguy | August 22, 2012 20:27
9:
I love history, entirely an amateur, don't really consider there to be a strong divider between history and historical fiction (other the HF is generally better written)
The question i always struggle with is how to apply a study of history to the modern era given the way technology changes things?
My suspicion is that 80% is still relevant, but how to tell which 80%? Especially given the answer is changing daily.
Goodness, I'm going to have to be on my toes to keep up here! Heteromeles: my modern Welsh is rusty -- I used to have basic fluency, but I haven't used it a lot in recent years, so I'm back to having to reach for dictionaries a lot. In terms of languages for sources materials, I can work with texts in Old English, Old Norse, Middle Welsh, Old French, Early Modern Irish, and mediaeval Latin. I can struggle through Old Irish with a dictionary, a grammar and a lot of swearing. The strangest thing. Hmm, that's difficult, because I'm used to the period I work on -- it doesn't feel that strange to me, if that makes sense. In a lot of ways the thing that I find weirdest is the gap between popular belief about the Celts and their historical reality. I would love some bibliography on Korea: that's a country I know less about than I should and I always want to learn more.
Conan: yes, definitely. History is mutable in a lot of ways. There are things that stay the same -- X event happened -- but how we code that, what meanings we ascribe to it, change over time in response to new circumstances.
Mark: oh, the fantasy came first. I was reading it from my earliest memories (my first favourite book was Alice in Wonderland, when I was three). I read Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Tolkien when I was 12 or 13, and somehow convinced myself that in order to be a fantasy writer (my ambition) I needed to become a philologist. So I applied to study Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, which was the closest course I could find, at university. I then discovered that I don't actually enjoy philology and turned into a historian. However, I'd always enjoyed history and my mother had studied and taught it, so it was no hardship.
Tucker: the 'standard' work is J. E. Lloyd, A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest. You want the 4th edition, (1949, I think). However, the first 4 or so chapters are now completely outdated and not worth reading. But the rest is still a very good introduction. For more of the social and economic history, Wendy Davies, Wales in the Early Middle Ages. And there's my The Welsh Kings (written with under my other name, Kari Maund), which is a popular introduction (though I feel odd, mentioning my own books).
JollyReaper: I have huge doubts a lot of the time and I am always aware of how much I don't know. I tell myself that the best I can do is to be as careful as I can and to try and do the best job I can. But there are areas where we have such thin material -- 10th century Scotland, for instance -- that all we can do is speculate in very, very careful terms.
Unholyguy: that's a really huge question, and one that, as a mediaevalist, I'm pretty sure I don't have anything like a decent answer for. I guess for me, I look at how and why we use that technology, who gets to use it, who gets to control it, and what attitudes and ideas we accept and deny about it. That gets us some way to seeing how it is affecting our society and culture.
Wow. Some great questions here! Thank you, all.
ABVR | August 22, 2012 20:58
11:
@9:
Speaking from the "pro" side of the spectrum, I've always figured that the difference between history and historical fiction comes down to two things:
1) HF writers get to play with the "Well it could have happened that way!" wild card in their narrative deck.
2) HF has to make sense.* :-)
I mean, try writing a historical novel in which the (fictional) evil warlord, at the moment when everything's going his way, double-crosses his most powerful ally and (six months later) gratuitously declares war on the most powerful country he's not yet at war with. "Wow," your editor will say as she skims your proposal into the recycling bin, "how implausible can you get?" And yet, between June and December 1941 . . .
Jay | August 22, 2012 21:11
Is there anything about the history you study that really resonates for you, and that you think would resonate for the broader public?
Phil Knight | August 22, 2012 21:29
I've loved Wales since watching the tv drama Hawkmoor about Twm Siôn Cati in the late 70's, Susan Cooper's spooky mythological tales, and long family holidays in Caernarfon (*) and Beddgelert. Though I can't get there as often as I'd like, to me the people are fellow countrymen (and women) rather than foreigners. I long campaigned in my school to learn Welsh rather than French on the grounds that I can walk to Wales but can't walk to France. Plus, when I get there, although the French people I've met are great, the Welsh are wonderful. "And before you let the sun in, mind it wipes its shoes"..
I know a bit about the myths and legends of Wales, but less about the actual history apart from kings, dates and battles. Is there something for the lay reader, along the lines of Asa Brigg's Social History of England that you could recommend, please?
And how do you ever get any work done when it's so tempting to take the day off and go into the hills?
(*)It's possible to rent one of the towers of Caernarfon's walls as a holiday cottage, which is spectacular.
George William Herbert | August 22, 2012 21:47
14:
I have not particularly studied the history, but one side of my family built Pembroke Castle (not the first bailey, but the main castle) out on the Welsh border, and the other side was down in the city looking up and throwing things.
Carlos | August 22, 2012 22:03
I have this romantic notion of the Welsh being the refuge of the Romano-British as the western empire collapsed. I always wonder what it must have been like to be one of the secular educated citizens of a society that had disappeared. Is this an accurate picture in any way? Did education continue? Factories stay open? At least to some degree? I suppose with all the trade links gone, a subsistance life was forced upon everyone, leaving less and less time for the "softer" aspects of civilisation...
d brown | August 22, 2012 22:25
16:
History matters. Whats going on matters more. I loved history till I found how its rewritten for whoever is in power. Look at how the causes of WW-2 a still in a flux. Hardly anything everyone knows seems to be right. Like what the old English public schools pounded into young heads. If that happened? Over here we moved to the Prussian model to pull the country together long after the Civil War. So what we have are our students being tested on bunk. But its the right kind of bunk. A kid wins awards for his writing on American history and goes to collage. Then finds most a what he was told was wrong. So there is much worry over the educated who are too smart for their own good. This is a cause with our right wing complete with volunteer monitors reporting teachers. Some collage teachers have lost their jobs for unpatriotic teaching no mater if they are true. DNA is great I love it. But jails have many who would not be there if there had been DNA around. DNA maybe great, on very, very long ago things that are far, far away.
Kari Sperring | August 22, 2012 22:33
ABVR: oh yes! Plus historical fiction can make things tidy, which the reality so often isn't.
Jay: what resonates for me most is the way that some stories are written out early, and that silencing is carried on into modern versions. To take an example, Wales down to 1283 wasn't a single political entity: it was made up of a variable number of separate kingdoms, each with their own leaders and legends. One of the longest lasting of these was Powys (North East Wales, more or less). However, the most successful kingdom was Gwynedd, North West Wales, whose ruling line was a consistent enemy to Powys. In the ninth century, the then rulers of Wales, known as the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd, overran several of their neighbours and drove out their native dynasties. In the case of the South Western kingdom, Dyfed, the 2nd Dynasty set up a branch of themselves as the new rulers, who became independent of them (known as the Southern Branch of the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd. We aren't good at catchy names!). In Powys, it's less clear: the last king of the original dynasty died in exile in 856, but after that there are very few references to it until the mid-eleventh century. However, under the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd, the earliest surviving written records we possess from Wales were created -- the Historia Brittonum, written in Gwynedd in c. 830, and the Annales Cambriae (A-text) along with a set of genealogies, written in Dyfed in around 950. Both set out history according to the views and needs of the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd, both the original Northern Branch and the Southern Branch. This includes claiming descent from several the other ruling Welsh dynasties, including those they'd displaced and, in the case of HB, stories that present very negative images of the ancestral figures of the old ruling house of Powys. Our once surviving piece of history written down from the point-of-view of the Powysian dynasty is an inscription (now eroded away, but recorded by earlier scholars) from a monument known as the Pillar of Eliseg. It was commissioned by that same king of Powys who died in 856 (his name was Cyngen) in honour of his father and ancestors and recorded his version of his genealogy (which makes no mention of a connexion with the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd) and the victories of the Powysians against their eastern neighbours (the Anglo-Saxons of the kingdom of Mercia). One of his ancestors, according to the Pillar, is Vortigern, who appears to have been thought of in Powys as a hero. This is the same Vortigern who turns up as a bad guy in some Arthurian stories and who we know from another earlier source to have been a genuine 6th century leader (who may not have been too popular with some churchmen). HB presents Vortigern as a coward who was duped by the Saxons, and then slaughtered them by treachery, as a sinner, committing incest and consorting with magicians, who eventually died through as a result of divine punishment. The same text goes on to describe one of the other early leaders of Powys as a descendant of serfs -- decent kind serfs, but still inferior. This is the version of the victor: if Vortigern had had such a reputation widely in the ninth century, it's unlikely that Cyngen would have honoured him. What we have here is a winning dynasty rewriting the legends of those they have conquered. They continued to claim to be the only real legitimate rulers of almost anywhere in Wales right down to the end of the 13th century, and this version -- the legitimacy of the 2nd Dynasty to control everything -- has largely been accepted by later historians, including the great J E Lloyd, who was in many ways the founder of Welsh history as an academic subject and whose book is still very good and widely read. It's quite clear, if you look at the sources, that throughout the period 800-1300, there were a number of other royal lines in the various parts of Wales, who were not part of the 2nd Dynasty and who at the time were considered perfectly legitimate and acceptable by their fellow Welsh, notably the 2nd Dynasty of Powys (the line of Bleddyn, who enter the record in 1064, but probably originated earlier). But Lloyd and many historians since describe them as 'intrusive' because this story that started in the 9th century -- only the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd are the real rulers in Wales -- was accepted, and still is in many places. It's led, amongst other things, to the persistent labelling of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as the 'Last Native Prince of Wales' -- he was the ruler of Gwynedd in 1282 when Edward I invaded and conquered it. He wasn't, however, the last prince. For a start, he was briefly succeeded by his younger brother Dafydd (d.1283). More to the point, Powys still possessed its own prince, Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn, who had been a consistent enemy to Llywelyn (who had spent much of his reign trying to conquer Powys and force Gruffudd into submission to him). Gruffudd died in 1286. He gets to be ignored, because the doctrine of the legitimacy of the 2nd dynasty gets in the way -- he 'ought' to have submitted, because, well, they had a right to be top. He 'ought not' to have sought alliances with his other neighbours, the Anglo-Normans, because they were Llywelyn's enemies... He's usually written off a a weak traitor who should have accepted his inferiority and done what his aggressive neighbour told him. The story, in other words, that represents the interests of the dominant group, the 2nd Dynasty of Gwynedd. Historians are still telling that version today (it gets tangled up with nationalist politics, too, in unhelpful ways). Drives me nuts. But it resonates, because it's all about how we make some people not matter, rework their stories to suit us, justify the strong at the expense of the weak, justify imperialism, conquest and oppression. It's a hateful human habit, now I think about it, and you can see it at work in every form of history. It's why governments and pressure groups are so keen to gain control of history teaching, too, because that lets them impose their version on their subjects. That resonates big time -- it's the same process that's trying to force creationism and climate change denial onto school curricula, too.
Phi: do you want modern history or mediaeval? For the early mediaeval period, the best one is Wendy Davies, Wales in the Early Middle Ages, which I mentioned above. For later on, you might try Jon Gower, The Story of Wales (a tie-in to a recent BBC series), Russell Davies, Hope and Heartbreak: a social history of Wales 1776-1871, and Gwyn A Williams, When Was Wales (old, but very good and very readable). As to getting work done... When I worked in Bangor, it could be hard, as I could see Snowdonia from the library. Later on, though, I was in the middle of cities and, well, somehow the work kept piling up.
Kari Sperring | August 22, 2012 22:58
George: ah, you're one of those Herberts! That's rather cool. And Pembroke is a magnificent castle and has the distinction that it was never taken by force, due to its excellent position.
Carlos: it's true up to a point, that Wales remained a late bastion of the Romano-British. We know that the church survived there (the Anglo-Saxons were pagan) and that some form of villa life survived in the south east of Wales into the 4th century. Magnus Maximus, who had been a commander towards the end of Roman Britain and was emperor of Rome 383-388, was remembered in Wales as Macsen Wledig, claimed as an ancestor by some royal lines there and became the subject of stories. Same with the emperor Constantine the Great (Custennin, to the Welsh), who was the person who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman emperor. A tradition arose in Wales that his mother Helena (Elen to the Welsh) was Briton, too. And there are inscribed stones using Latin and showing Roman influence that date to the sub-and post-Roman period. In the 9th century, Historia Brittonum (written in north west Wales) depicts the Welsh ('the Brittones' as the heirs of the Romans). And there are lots of Latin loanwords in Welsh. So the influence lasted and was valued and remembered. We know that some of the more powerful Romano-Britons fled to what is now Brittany in France, too and they seem to have kept up links to Wales into the early mediaeval period. (Same in Cornwall.) However, only South East Wales was every fully Romanised: that's the only area with villas and so forth. I know of no factories down there by the sub-Roman period -- the Welsh hill-forts are aceramic, which native Welsh culture seems to have been at this point, and there are few Roman coins and artefacts surviving from most of Wales. Caerwent (Venta Silurum) was inhabited down into the 7th century, though seems to have declined in size and importance. (It may have been the stronghold of the rulers of Gwent, but it's not certain, and it lay in an area that was fairly vulnerable to incursions by the new Anglo-Saxon neighbours). You might want to look for K R Dark, Civitas to Kingdom, on post-Roman Britain, for this sort of material.
D Brown: as I said above (in comment 17, to Jay) one of the reasons history matters is that those in power now try to manipulate it, as you say, and make sure only the stories they like and which support them are taught and remembered. Teaching and thinking about the histories which don't suit the powerful matters because it's one of the ways we can undermine their power and their control. Telling unorthodox history can be one of the tools of rebellion -- it's why feminists uncover and teach and promote the stories of women, why conquered peoples value and pass on their histories, and so on. Of course what is happening now matters hugely and must be addressed -- I would never argue that history should come before that. But understanding it gives you more ways of understanding and dealing with the present.
nick james | August 22, 2012 22:59
never mind "what is history?", what is historiography? I keep on bumping into the word and have never been able to understand what it means.
Kevin who is Kevin | August 22, 2012 23:00
20:
I think I would have to take issue with you on one comment though. You wrote:
"The history of Britain, as taught in schools here in the UK (and most people don't study history after school) is, by and large, the history of the English, of England, which is the culturally dominant group."
I grew up in Scotland in the 70's and even then, Scottish schools and universities taught history with a distinctly Scottish inflection. We had the Picts and Scots, Vikings, MacBeth, the Declaration of Arbroath, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, the Rough Wooing, Bannockburn, Flodden, Culloden and more history than you could shake a stick at and it was not neglected. I would not imagine that inflection has been diluted recently! It may be true for Wales and England, but certainly not for Scotland.
heteromeles replied to this comment from Kari Sperring | August 22, 2012 23:07
Thanks for taking on my awkward questions.
My personal favorite history of Korea is Bruce Cumings' Korea's Place in the Sun. Admittedly Cumings is white and the book is written for an American audience. Still, he speaks Korean, married into a Korean family, has both a clear eye and a great affection for the Korean people, and has traveled in both North and South Korea. He spends less time on the deep history of the Korean peninsula, and more on its history since 1860. Others do a better job of covering the entire history of the peninsula, but this is the book I'd recommend for an introduction.
Kari Sperring | August 22, 2012 23:24
22:
Nick: historiography is the study of how history has developed and been written as a subject over time -- in a way, it's the history of how we do history. It also gets used to mean the bibliography of a particular historical field ('the historiography of Wales' could be used to mean the total of all the books, articles and so forth about Wales).
Kevin: that's good to hear. Welsh and Scottish history have been increasingly taught in schools since the 60s, but for a long period before they were downplayed or even forbidden, and in Wales Welsh history is still alongside more general history which has, until relatively recently, been mainly English. And we don't get much Welsh, Scottish or Irish history in English school as part of 'British' history. But history has got a lot wider in schools, and that can only be good. (I hope it lasts. Being a dyed-in-the-wool Old Labour type, I suspect the Tories of trying to reintroduce their version of history, which tends to be very Anglo-centric.)
Heteromeles: thank you! I will look for that.
James Youngman | August 22, 2012 23:41
23:
As a child, I read with pleasure Lloyd Alexander's "The Chronicles of Pyrdain". It's (very loosely) based on the Mabinogion. What adult fiction would you recommend in this kind of area? By this area I mean Welsh mythology, so I would exclude things like T. H. White and most Arthurian stuff.
Kari Sperring | August 22, 2012 23:48
24:
James: to be honest, I don't read much Celtic fantasy of any kind as it tends to wind me up. I do like Evangeline Walton's series of 4 books based on the Mabinogion -- The Island of the Mighty, The Children of Llyr, The Song of Rhiannon and Prince of Annwn -- which are beautifully written and very evocative. And there's Alan Garner, The Owl Service, if you haven't read it. It's technically young adult, but very dark and very very good. I love The Chronicles of Prydain. Huge fun.
William H Stoddard | August 23, 2012 00:02
Actually, I've been looking at material tangentially related to your specialty over the past few months: I've just started a campaign set in a university in 1300 with a large Faculty of Magic, which I decided to situate in Shropshire. In the course of my research I read a fascinating book called Barons of the Welsh Frontier, which was a detailed study of the politics of the Marches and the ambivalent relationship between English and Welsh lords. Then a friend started lending me his copies of the Brother Cadfael novels, which take place a century or two earlier but just a few miles down the road.
And much more recently, I came on Jo Walton's first two novels, The King's Peace and The King's Name. I'd be curious to know how they read to a historian; I liked the sense of technology and military arts, which felt like something that could have evolved out of the late Roman Empire, but I'm not really competent to judge the level of historical authenticity.
Unholyguy | August 23, 2012 00:19
"Conan: yes, definitely. History is mutable in a lot of ways. There are things that stay the same -- X event happened"
I don't think there is anything immutable in history. There is no way to objectively prove X happened, at least not before we started recording things.
I became much happier with history once I realized that I'm essentially reading stories written by novelists no matter how it is billed. Still things to learn, loosely based in probably-fact...
Kari Sperring | August 23, 2012 00:26
27:
William: that's a good book, and an interesting time and place. I'm rather envious of your players! Jo is a talented, careful and thoughtful writer, who researched her books thoroughly. They're a good read. There are things that hit my historian button -- I tend to avoid Celtic fantasy for that reason -- but they were very minor, nit-picky things (mostly to do with names and such like) that aren't serious problems. I like them a lot more than I like most Celtic fantasies that I have read. My favourite 2ndary world Celtic fantasy is Katherine Kerr's Deverry series, though, as she has done some really interesting stuff with late Roman and early Roman Breton material.
SM | August 23, 2012 01:10
How do you feel about studying a field (anything related to the C-word) which has so many people passionately interested but deeply misguided? The promoters of the new Celtic identity which emerged in the 18th century, and archaeologist too quick to equate archaeological cultures, language groups, identity, and outsiders' ethnic categories, dug a historiographic hole which subsequent scholars have had trouble leading people out of.
Geoerge Acton | August 23, 2012 01:42
29:
I've been reading about British history the last few years after having my Y chromosome markers tested. My interest is in the circumstances under which my ancestors emigrated (economic and political events of 17th and 18th centuries) and the early population genetics of how they came to the British Isles. Historians may be getting more questions along these lines as DNA testing becomes more common. It shouldn't matter, but the history is more engaging for me if I can imagine a specific person going through it.
I'm in a genetic group (haplotype) denoted R1a. The bearers started off somewhere south of the Urals and spread across northern Europe, intermarrying with German and Scandinavians. They entered Great Britain as Angles, Saxons, Vikings and Danes. I plotted 20-40 individuals with my markers on a map and there's an even, moderate density over the south of England that plays out going north and is sparse south of the Border. That could be Anglo-Saxon, with some Scandinavian on the coast. There's a high concentration in the Orkneys and a sprinkling over Scotland, heavier in the north. Looks like Vikings.
My surname Acton, is a Saxon locative found in several places. Te highest density of the surname is in Shropshire. There's a poorly sourced indication that my immigrant ancestor was born in London. There's a place name in London that could have been the basis for adoption, but London was a sink for population until the 19th Cent, so I' guessing that some of the family from NW England. Sooner or later someone in England will turn up to provide better information.
One question this rings up is the conditions of the Anglo-Saxon conquest. Since the markers play out moving north, was it the case that Celts adopted the language and customs of the conquerors, so by the time they got to the Border the population had considerable Celt ancestry? Looking at place names in western Shropshire, there's a sharp dividing line between Celtic and Saxon place names, suggesting a political conquest. Was there much population movement?
I wonder about the same process regarding the Celts. Apparently the Isles were inhabited when they arrived. I've seen a statement that they spoke a language related to Basque, based on place names. Any survivors would be thoroughly mixed into the gene pool by this time, but there may be some markers in western Celts.
Daniel Klein | August 23, 2012 02:25
So I hear Cú Chulainn was Roman?
George William Herbert | August 23, 2012 02:53
Geoerge Acton writes: I wonder about the same process regarding the Celts. Apparently the Isles were inhabited when they arrived. I've seen a statement that they spoke a language related to Basque, based on place names. Any survivors would be thoroughly mixed into the gene pool by this time, but there may be some markers in western Celts. There's archaeology of pre-homo-sapiens hominids back a half-million years or more. Homo Sapiens rose while there was ice over most of what's now the British Isles. When the ice left, hunter-gatherers moved in, with poor archaeological records left (that are starting to see more light as the surprising fact that offshore oil exploration seismology seems to have found good settlement sites to explore on the Doggrel Bank dating back to 8,000 years ago or longer...).
When the sea rose, and eventually (maybe) came in with a Bang and isolated the Isles ( Storegga Slide ), there were some peoples there. The history is very murky from about 6,500 BC to the Celts in the hundreds BC. We know that someone around 3200 BC built Newgrange and had a fairly advanced culture; some other archaeology of those peoples exists, but it's archaeology not history. After then, things slid somewhat, the Beaker People were inhabitants in the 2000s BC, then the Celts after them.
The Celts, we have from language and Roman records.
As far as I know, there isn't any writing associated with the Beaker People or their immediate predecessors in the British Isles, and poor written language examples associated with them on the continent if anything. Their cultures are probably lost to time. The Celts lucked out that they overlapped far enough into the Roman and Christian eras that they got documented, even if it was poorly.
Jonathan Vos Post | August 23, 2012 05:41
Without such expert Historians, I'd never be able to write historical fiction that would pass scrutiny. Still, I felt that I could take liberties with inventing the culture of the lost subcontinent of Doggerland, back when glaciation lowered the ocean level to expose this land between Britain and the Continent. One can use trickery, such as suggesting that the 'obby 'oss rtitual goes back to the Ice Ages, and is related to the reason that, in the year 1458, Pope Calixtus III, a Borgia from Valencia, decreed that no more pagan religious ceremonies should be held by nominally Catholic people, referring to the pagan worship of horses still prevalent at the time in northern Spain, in "the cave with the horse pictures."
d brown replied to this comment from jollyreaper | August 23, 2012 06:10
Mark replied to this comment from James Youngman | August 23, 2012 06:31
Not sure if it is Welsh but check out (if you can find a copy) John James 'Men went to Cattraeth' based on the Gododdin of Aneirin
Dave Bell | August 23, 2012 07:48
Isn't the Celtic question one of those things that is having to be re-thought in light of the genetic markers?
There is evidence consistent with the celt-saxon split going back to the repopulation of Britain after the Ice Age. It tells you even less than archaeology, in the end, but the sort of mass-migration image of history that I recall from school is looking rather wrong now.
I've been reading Oppenheimer's The Origins of Britain, and he gets into the historiography over things such as what Julius Caesar wrote about the Celts, and how SE England is a place he didn't describe as Celtic. And I can see how he's assembling a pattern that might not seem so certain to a "professional" audience.
On the other hand, there's Kipling, and his poem The Land, and you can't read that as by somebody who was taught about mass-migrations in school.
Chris O'Neill | August 23, 2012 08:26
36:
Hi Kari, I'm an Australian with Celtic heritage (Scots. Irish, English and my son has additional Welsh and Cornish). I'm interested in the cultural overlay/elite theory (my take on it) which replaces the previous invasions theory (prehistoric, followed by pre-celtic Halstatt, by La Tene Celts, followed by germanic etc.). The mitochondrial DNA work done at Cheddar Gorge showed that the majority of the British population were related to Cheddar Man, in fact a direct descendant lived close to Cheddar Gorge. So in the main, an elite cultural group came in, knocked off the previous elites and took over. Culture/language changed but the people largely remained the same. There was also the change from ancient Brythonic to Welsh, which took place over a very short period? To the point where grandchildren could barely understand their grandparents? What actually happened - was it cultural/economic associated with the Romano-British collapse trauma or just adapting to a new environment in Wales?
Chrisj | August 23, 2012 09:20
Welcome aboard, Kari. Since no-one else has yet dared to broach the subject, I'll ask for your opinion on the historicity of Arthur.
Greg Tingey | August 23, 2012 09:27
And where did my post of yesterday go?
Admittedly, something wierd is happening to my browser right now .....
Right, there is a load of total (& usually very petty, spiteful & bad-nationalistic) rubbish talked about the "Celts" ... they came from mainland Europe, but both Britannia & Hibernia were already populated by then. I think it was Agricola who said that the SE Britons looked like Gauls & Belgae, & the Hibernians, Scotia and Cambrians looked like Lusitanians (?) Speaking as a Huguenot-&-Viking descendant (my last name means "someone who speaks at the Thing" {Tynwald/Allthing}) I'm also interested in your French connections. After all, it was Louis XIV's religious bigotry that handed the planet on a plate to the Anglic-speakers, by his edict of Fontainbleau, October 1685.
Even without genetic testing, one can find very interesting things about ancestry from family names ... others of mine include: "Paramour" - ooh-err missus!, "Gascoine", & therefore Cecil, & also W-cost French ... "Pydd" - which is about as muddy-webbed-feet Saxon/Jute as one can get - it's from fenland ..... All interesting stuff "Barton" - which I THINK is Saxon(?)
RE: Certainty in History. No we can be cartain some things happened, even without written records - it's called "Archeology", remember? Does the Storegga slide count as Archaeology, or recent geology? But, it happened. There was a Thames crossing, very close to where Vauxhall Bridge is now - evidence? A palstave axe, found embedded in a piece of very ancient piling, uncovered at an extreme low spring-tide .....
Monte Davis | August 23, 2012 09:41
Kari@24: "Alan Garner['s] The Owl Service... technically young adult, but very dark and very very good."
Thank you, and keep beating the drum. I've never understood why TOS isn't more widely recognized as the spare, terrifying masterpiece it is, worthy of comparison to The Turn of the Screw. I like high fantasy too, but TOS shows much more of how real magic, real fate, and (obThisThread) real inheritance from history and culture work in our lives.
SM: I have very mixed feelings about it. It's good the so many people are interested, but the amount of disinformation, popular myth and plain wrongheadedness out there is... Well, the polite word would probably be frustrating. I have a whole rant about the fake-Celtic thing and the persistent idiocies about women, native cultures, pan-Celticism and all their fellow travellers (my shorthand for this is 'the myths of Avalon).
Geoerge: plus, of course, it's now questioned to what extent the peoples who the Greeks and Romans referred to as 'Celts' were part of a single culture. It's more probable they were disparate groups who may have spoken related languages and who had some similar cultural practices but who were mainly different and varied and who would not have considered themselves as part of a Celtic overgroup. On the Celt/Saxon thing, the straight answer is that we don't know. There are good arguments put forwards for both possibilities -- a mass Anglo-Saxon invasion with associated mass pushing west of the Celts, and for the idea of the Celts assimilating and taking on Angl-Saxon culture and language. I tend to the latter, because we know this happened under the Romans and there are other indications that the British Celts were imitative and open to new ways; because there is evidence for assimilation and inter-marriage in several areas, not just the West (the most interesting one is Kent, where the Saxon presence was early, but where a line using Celtic names rapidly established itself as rulers and seem to have been of part-Celtic descent); because there is, to date, no evidence of mass slaughter or mass destruction; and because Germanic peoples had, in fact, been in Britain since at least the 2nd century C.E., brought in by the Romans, who had settled and intermarried, especially in the South East, which was the focus of the early invasions, so cultural assimilation was already under way. My birth surname (Maund) probably descends from Magonsaete. They were a population group in what is now the Wales-Shropshire-Herefordshire border, who were mixed Celt and Saxon as far back as we know (which is to about the 7th century). Acton is a good name -- the Cambridge University Library is the home of the Acton collection, which was the personal library of Lord Acton, who was the professor of history here in the late nineteenth century.
Jonathan: that sounds like a really interesting subject for fiction. And, y'know, glad to be of use, though I work on a period that's waaay to late for you, I suspect.
Mark: the Gododdin is indeed Welsh. Down to the late 8th-early 9th centuries, Celtic kingdoms also existed in parts of what is now Northern England and Southern Scotland, though under pressure both from the Anglo-Saxons and the Irish (who were in the process of colonising Scotland). Yr Gododdin is about one of those kingdoms (they're usually referred to as the North Britons). I read the James books years ago and remember it as fun.
Dave: yes. The whole mass migration thing and the ideas about monocultures is being reviewed thoroughly in the light of new techniques in archaeology. Which is a very good thing!
Chris O: yes, I tend to that side of the debate, too. I'm afraid I don't know about the Brythonic/Celtic shift -- you need a philologist or a specialist in proto-Celtic for that. Sorry!
Chris J: I knew someone would ask! I don't believe in him as one big thing, if that makes sense. He's probably a folk memory of several different early leaders and rulers, all mixed up with hero tales. The corpus of Arthurian material is fascinating, though, and full of all sorts of obscure and interesting things, mostly 12th - 14th century.
Kari Sperring replied to this comment from Daniel Klein | August 23, 2012 09:55
Daniel: that's a new one to me!
Kari Sperring replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 23, 2012 10:07
Greg: yes, the Greeks and Romans tended to assume that the peoples they met were connected based on things that they thought were similar (but which the peoples themselves probably thought were very different). Archaeology is a wonderful subject and one which brings forward so much material. I am perpetually grateful to my colleagues who are archaeologists. In a field like mine, where the written sources are so scanty, they are invaluable and lead the way. I'm not quite sure what you mean about the edict of Fontainebleau. Protestantism was widely practised in Europe by then, and the heartland was the Germanic-speaking countries, not Britain. Do you mean that this was one of the factors that led the Puritans to been to migrate to what became the USA? The US also has had many many German speakers in its history, and German was widely spoken until relatively (by mediaeval historian standards) recently. It was by no means certain in 1685 that English would end up being the language spoken there. Could have been German or French or Spanish or one or more of the native American languages, if various events had gone differently.
guthrie | August 23, 2012 10:58
43:
If you'll excuse me pontificating a bit, I feel a little disambiguation of 'Celt' is necessary because I don't see that it has been done already in this thread. I also reserve the right to be completely wrong upon production of other evidence against what I wrote whereupon I shall change my mind.
The term 'Celtic' is often used to refer to a number of different things. Firstly, the material culture of a sort which appears to have originated in central Europe about 7 or 800BC or so, and spread across the north, wwest and north west over the next few centuries.
There's 'Celtic' to denominate the people who originated such a material culture.
THen there's 'Celtic' languages. The old theory was that successiv waves of invaders spread the languages across Europe and into Britain, but in fact it looks more like the different types were already in place in the bronze age, which rather kills the whole 'Celtic languages spread by conquest and trade in the iron age' thing. This sort of thing is confirmed by DNA analysis, some of which shows that people in the NW highlands have some interesting mutations for red hair which are at least 3,000BC in origin. These and others indicate that there was not a great change or replacement of the British and Irish population in the pre-Roman times. If anything it was more a matter of elites intermarrying and long distance trade. See for instance the Avebury archer, who was born in Switzerland over 3,000 or was it 4,000 years ago, but ended up in a posh grave at Avebury in England.
One of the interesting things I've come across in reading up on archaeology stuff is that some of the Irish bronze age items are copies of 'Celtic' stuff which are more home made, i.e. they wanted to fancy foreign look yet didn't/ couldn't import it themselves. Meanwhile the languages are older than people thought, yet overlay more languages as evidenced by place names, probably stretching back into the neolithic 5 or 6 thousand years ago.
For a more modern example of language change, see Scots, which was effectively a sibling of English, derived from similar roots with somewhat similar inputs, but has evolved separately. Scots is dying out under the cultural pressure of south of England English. A similar sort of thing happened to Gaelic in the medieval period; widely spoken over much of Scotland, especially ouside the borders and Lothians, it stopped being the language of state and then began dying out.
guthrie | August 23, 2012 10:59
If you'll excuse me pontificating a bit, I feel a little disambiguation of 'Celt' is necessary because I don't see that it has been done already in this thread. I also reserve the right to be completely wrong upon production of other evidence against what I wrote whereupon I shall change my mind.
The term 'Celtic' is often used to refer to a number of different things. Firstly, the material culture of a sort which appears to have originated in central Europe about 7 or 800BC or so, and spread across the north, wwest and north west over the next few centuries.
There's 'Celtic' to denominate the people who originated such a material culture.
THen there's 'Celtic' languages. The old theory was that successiv waves of invaders spread the languages across Europe and into Britain, but in fact it looks more like the different types were already in place in the bronze age, which rather kills the whole 'Celtic languages spread by conquest and trade in the iron age' thing. This sort of thing is confirmed by DNA analysis, some of which shows that people in the NW highlands have some interesting mutations for red hair which are at least 3,000BC in origin. These and others indicate that there was not a great change or replacement of the British and Irish population in the pre-Roman times. If anything it was more a matter of elites intermarrying and long distance trade. See for instance the Avebury archer, who was born in Switzerland over 3,000 or was it 4,000 years ago, but ended up in a posh grave at Avebury in England.
One of the interesting things I've come across in reading up on archaeology stuff is that some of the Irish bronze age items are copies of 'Celtic' stuff which are more home made, i.e. they wanted to fancy foreign look yet didn't/ couldn't import it themselves. Meanwhile the languages are older than people thought, yet overlay more languages as evidenced by place names, probably stretching back into the neolithic 5 or 6 thousand years ago.
For a more modern example of language change, see Scots, which was effectively a sibling of English, derived from similar roots with somewhat similar inputs, but has evolved separately. Scots is dying out under the cultural pressure of south of England English. A similar sort of thing happened to Gaelic in the medieval period; widely spoken over much of Scotland, especially ouside the borders and Lothians, it stopped being the language of state and then began dying out.
guthrie | August 23, 2012 11:04
And thanks to KAri for the interesting information on Welsh kingdoms.
Danieldwilliam | August 23, 2012 11:10
46:
When I was an undergraduate I took a course in Scots Legal History which included the study of many medevil Scottish legal documents, written in Scots. With the added excitement of generally being written with phonetic spelling. Some of the documents were easily comprehensible. Other’s required some close work with a dictionary and grammer. I found you had to be very careful because occassionaly you’d get a word that looked very much like a Modern Scots or English word but was in fact different.
For example, at some point in the past beggars were licensed in Scotland. There were given a Token to show they were properly deserving poor. Token was spelt Taken. For about a week my entire class was deeply confused about where these licensed beggars were being taken and by the time the tutorial we’d convinced ourselves that the government was exiling the poor, again.
ajay | August 23, 2012 11:22
And there's my The Welsh Kings (written with under my other name, Kari Maund), which is a popular introduction (though I feel odd, mentioning my own books).
Just as long as you don't ask us to proofread them for you...
Justin Boden replied to this comment from heteromeles | August 23, 2012 12:07
"back in the 19th century, no one would have believed that [Korea] would either be bifurcated now, nor that South Korea ... would be one of the most wired countries in the world today. "
19th Century? No one would have known that in mid-1945. The division was the long-term result of a hasty, arbitrary agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the economic success of both Koreas (the DPRK had a stronger economy into the 1970s) was largely due to Cold War subsidies. These circumstances were strange at the time, and they're still strange now: we've just normalized the resulting situation, as Korea was once normalized as rural and backwards.
Justin Boden | August 23, 2012 12:08
"back in the 19th century, no one would have believed that [Korea] would either be bifurcated now, nor that South Korea ... would be one of the most wired countries in the world today. "
19th Century? No one would have known that in mid-1945. The division was the long-term result of a hasty, arbitrary agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the economic success of both Koreas (the DPRK had a stronger economy into the 1970s) was largely due to Cold War subsidies. These circumstances were strange at the time, and they're still strange now: we've just normalized the resulting situation, as Korea was once normalized as rural and backwards.
Justin Boden replied to this comment from Justin Boden | August 23, 2012 12:09
in response to heteromeles, #3
Greg Tingey | August 23, 2012 13:19
Karen @ 42 After the French "Wars of Religion/War of the 3 Henris'" where HIII had to give way to the Guise (ultra-catholic faction and the determined (intermittent) persecution of the Prods [think Bartholemew's eve] Henri finsihed the business by having Guise killed at or about 26th Dec 1588. Henri was himself murdered by a catholic fanatic the following year. His sucessor was the Protestant/Huguenot prince Henri of Navarre - Henri IV - who famously publicly converted to catholicism ("Paris is worth a mass") but ennacted strict toleration for the protestants in the edict of Nantes. Hw was himself murdered by another catholic fanatic .... Louis XIV was his grandson, who revoked said edit by that of Fontainbleu. Which resulted in mass-emigration of Huguenots to the Nethelands & Britain. Huge numbers came over, in a very short space of time (the equivalent of over 2 million people intoday's population) most with a large portion of negotiable wealth [The first governer of the Bank of England, Jaques d'houblon, was one such] my ancestors were among the exception - I get the impression they left fleeing until very late, and basically had the clothes they stood up in..... Now, consider the number of peolpe since then, especially in the Army, Navy & finance in this country who have Huguenot names. Yeah.
NOTHING AT ALL to do with Germany, as the war of catholic reaction & bloody repression had already been fought out to its' bitter end in den Dreizigjahrenkreig, 1618-48. The catholics got to keep the religiously-cleansed South & Bohemia, but the prods retained & regained most of the North (excepting Münster itself)
Puritan emigration to the USA (Mayflower 1620 - James I & VI was still king, but the anglo-catholic leanings of his incompetent & untrustworthy son, Charles II were already apparent by then) was largely so that the extreme prod-bigots could exercise their own special forms of intolerance, rather than submit to other, usually state-promoted intolerance, which wan't, actually as bad as their own. And later, again, often in the period 1660 onwards. Exception - the taking of Jamaica, 1655 under Cromwell's Protectorship, though taking land for SPanish catholics was regarded as "god's work".
Isn't religion wonderful?
Alain | August 23, 2012 13:47
I would have expected the first question to be "were the Welsh druids a bit like Panoramix / Getafix?"
paws4thot | August 23, 2012 13:55
Going back to great-grandparents, my ancestry is already an 'orrible mixture, including (Northern) Irish, Scots Ayrshire and Western Isles and Cornish.
Anyway, as a supplimentary to #2 about sources regarding the Druids, and noting your comments about sources being Roman and Christian (like Bede {I'll ignore the bit where Bede relies heavily on hearsay since he rarely left the monistary}), do we have Christian sources other than the "Church of Rome"? For example, I'd consider the Celtic Church to be a separate source.
On Arthur, my own view is that the "Chivalric knight" (See Mallory, most Hollywood films) definitely did not exist (he's several centuries too late for one thing), but the Cornish and/or Scots and/or Welsh warlord of circa 400 to 700AD is at least based on actual historical personae.
Finally, for now, don't feel wierd about mentioning your own books. There's exactly one of Charlie's guest bloggers that I've not bought at least one book by and it's not you!
Tom Porter | August 23, 2012 14:14
My Mother was Breton and I have many, many fond memories of time spent there in my childhood.
This is just a fanboy post, no significant questions, but do you have any historical fantasy favorites for the Celtic areas?
Mabinogion Tetrology by Evangeline Walton. (I'm SO glad it is back in print again)
"Bran Ruz" a French GN by Deschamps and Auclair about Ker Ys, seems to take place right around 400-500 CE involving the invasion of Brittany from England.
"The King of Ys" by the Andersons.
Can you recommend any good references on the history of Brittany?
Thanks!
tom | August 23, 2012 14:46
It's important to know the history of the conquered. Their influences are not always acknowledged.
I've been reading 1491 which is about the Americas before /after Columbus. One of the points brought up was that the colonialists in the northeast in the 1690s-1780s live near the natives. The natives had a more democratic society and was likely a source for the thinking in the Declartion of Independance.
George and Kari: Thanks for the helpful answers. It looks like the Celtic invasion was so long ago that it will be difficult to decide between cultural and genetic replacement. DNA may help with the Saxon/Celt issue. My tiny sample of Y-chromosome markers suggests that the genes didn't move as fast as the culture. If this is a general pattern, it suggests that the Celts assimilated Saxon ways.
To what extent were the Anglo-Saxons displaced or culturally influenced in East Anglia by by later immigrants? Their culture was more egalitarian, communal and orderly compared with the feudal social stratification of SW England (think Thomas Hardy novels). I have a crank theory that this difference in attitude led to the religious and political conflicts of the English Civil War, replayed in the US Civil War. (Of course, crank theories are rarely original and I may have read it somewhere.) I don't understand why the Saxon advance played out at the Border, as the Norman takeover did later. And how did the eastern Scots come to adopt English?
In the US, Lord Acton is a minor hero to conservatives, with an Acton Institute think-tank. And everyone with pretensions to a liberal education knows the "power corrupts" quote. It turns out that I'm not related. I've been in email contact with a descendant of Lord Acton, who has been very generous with his information and patient in explaining history and customs to this backwards colonial. Our DNA markers are totally different. His family, the Actons of Aldenham, started out as "de Leye", then "de Acton" from a place in Shropshire. Odds are my surname is a locative adopted by some farmers in the 11th or 12th Cent., probably around Shropshire.
Many files on the internet say my immigrant James was born in England in 1746. This sounds like a family Bible entry, but I can't find the source. There's a record for a James Acton born in London in 1746 to a soldier in the Third Regiment of Foot ("the Buffs"). Playing the odds on known demographic flows, he could have served an apprenticeship which involved an indenture, finished the indenture in southern Virginia, and at age 18 was free to marry, which he promptly did. But there's no way to make the connection on the records currently available. Nothing on this side of the Atlantic mentions London or a skill requiring apprenticeship.
I'd have a sense of closure if my markers turn up in Shropshire. Any research into genealogy or history comes to a blank wall, but some findings fit into a narrative to give a sense of completion. The underlying drive is the need to tell stories about ourselves.
George and Kari: Thanks for the helpful answers. It looks like the Celtic invasion was so long ago that it will be difficult to decide between cultural and genetic replacement. DNA may help with the Saxon/Celt issue. My tiny sample of Y-chromosome markers suggests that the genes didn't move as fast as the culture. If this is a general pattern, it suggests that the Celts assimilated Saxon ways.
To what extent were the Anglo-Saxons displaced or culturally influenced in East Anglia by by later immigrants? Their culture was more egalitarian, communal and orderly compared with the feudal social stratification of SW England (think Thomas Hardy novels). I have a crank theory that this difference in attitude led to the religious and political conflicts of the English Civil War, replayed in the US Civil War. (Of course, crank theories are rarely original and I may have read it somewhere.) I don't understand why the Saxon advance played out at the Border, as the Norman takeover did later. And how did the eastern Scots come to adopt English?
In the US, Lord Acton is a minor hero to conservatives, with an Acton Institute think-tank. And everyone with pretensions to a liberal education knows the "power corrupts" quote. It turns out that I'm not related. I've been in email contact with a descendant of Lord Acton, who has been very generous with his information and patient in explaining history and customs to this backwards colonial. Our DNA markers are totally different. His family, the Actons of Aldenham, started out as "de Leye", then "de Acton" from a place in Shropshire. Odds are my surname is a locative adopted by some farmers in the 11th or 12th Cent., probably around Shropshire.
Many files on the internet say my immigrant James was born in England in 1746. This sounds like a family Bible entry, but I can't find the source. There's a record for a James Acton born in London in 1746 to a soldier in the Third Regiment of Foot ("the Buffs"). Playing the odds on known demographic flows, he could have served an apprenticeship which involved an indenture, finished the indenture in southern Virginia, and at age 18 was free to marry, which he promptly did. But there's no way to make the connection on the records currently available. Nothing on this side of the Atlantic mentions London or a skill requiring apprenticeship.
I'd have a sense of closure if my markers turn up in Shropshire. Any research into genealogy or history comes to a blank wall, but some findings fit into a narrative to give a sense of completion. The underlying drive is the need to tell stories about ourselves.
Guthrie: yes, absolutely. I've been using Celt because I don't know what people know, if that makes sense, and it's the word most people are familiar with. In my academic mode I tend to say 'Celtic and Gaelic speaking peoples'.
Ajay: I promise faithfully not to make anyone proof-read any of my Welsh history books. Or Irish history, for that matter. (Toirdhealbhach ua Conchobhair, anyone?)
Daniel: that's interesting -- my Scottish history stops at around 1100, alas.
Greg: ah, right. I hadn't looked at it from that way. Interesting.
Paws4thot: most of the non Graeco-Roman material on druids comes from the churches in the Celtic and Gaelic speaking countries, rather than the church of Rome. All the material on Patrick, the references in law codes and saints' lives etc is mostly Irish. There is very little from what we might consider the Roman church -- Bede being one of the examples. But most of this latter derives either from accounts from others who had contact with the Irish and Welsh churches, or from the Graeco-Roman records, anyway.
Tom: diolch yn fawr! Neis cwrdd a chi. I've never had a chance to study Breton properly. I'm envious of those who have. I don't read a lot of Celtic fantasy at all, but I love the Evangeline Walton books, and remain very fond of Sword At Sunset, Rosemary Sutcliff, which I read as a child. Katherine Kerr's Deverry books are very well-researched and written, too. Otherwise, Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books; The Owl Service, which I mentioned earlier; Pauline Gedge, The Eagle and the Raven; Victor Canning, The Crimson Chalice; and Fay Sampson, Daughter of Tintagel. Oh, and for a later period, Sharon Penman, Here Be Dragons, which is a straight historical novel about Llywelyn Fawr, but really painstakingly researched -- it's the one novel I've been known to encourage undergraduates to read. I haven't come across Bran Ruz: I shall look for it. Thank you.
Kari Sperring replied to this comment from George Acton | August 23, 2012 15:35
George: East Anglia was one of the areas that suffered from viking attacks and immigration in the 9th, 10th and early 11th centuries, but was less heavily settled and influenced than the Danelaw and Northern England, and same under the rule of Anglo-Saxon dynasty of Wessex fairly early in the 10th century, so you're probably looking more at intermarriage and mixed settlements than full displacement. But yes, socially they were more egalitarian than many other contemporary cultures and women had far more rights under them than they did in the Celtic and Gaelic speaking countries and territories. I don't know much about the adoption of English in Eastern Scotland, but I suspect it's a mix of things - the border moved a lot, and modern Scotland includes areas that were in England in earlier centuries and territories that were controlled by ANglo-Saxon rulers. Also, in the first part of the 12th century, King David of Scotland invited a considerable number of Anglo-Norman nobles to settle in Southern Scotland, and they brought their tenants and clients with them, many of whom were English- speaking. On Shropshire and the Actons, have you tried R. W. Eyton, Antiquities of Shropshire, 12 vols (London 1854-60)? This is an astonishing book -- a lifework by a Shropshire minister, who collected and studied and wrote up every single piece of evidence about mediaeval Shropshire that he could find and recorded it. He was really careful about it, too: it's a fantastic resource. Also, the Shropshire Record Office is one of the best in Britain: they may well be able to help you (http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/archives.nsf)
paws4thot | August 23, 2012 16:23
Kari Sperring replied to this comment from paws4thot | August 23, 2012 16:49
Croeso! You are very welcome.
Greg Tingey | August 23, 2012 17:19
Oops ... @ 51 - I MEANT Charles I & NOT the second - a very different man....
JReynolds | August 23, 2012 17:47
I wouldn't trust Charles II any farther than I could throw him! Despite this, he was more trustworthy than Charles I. The difference between the bad and the worse....
Allen Thomson replied to this comment from George William Herbert | August 23, 2012 18:42
64:
but one side of my family built Pembroke Castle
So are you in the line of succession for the Earldom?
That would be cool. I've known Earls, but they tended to be of the bubba sort, not of the Peerage.
guthrie replied to this comment from George Acton | August 23, 2012 19:10
The whole 'Celtic invasion' thing is irrelevant nowadays, at least as applied to Britain and Ireland. Yes, some Belgian tribes did move from the continent to England in the centuries before the Romans got here. The appelation 'Celtic' nowadays, in more scholarly circles, applies to the languages and the groups of people who use them, which does not in any way imply actual genetic relationships.
I can't really summarise it all here, but a perfectly good explanation can be found in "Celtic Scotland" by Ian Armit, a Historic Scotland publication for the general public, first published in 1997, which tells you how long ago the whole invasions theory was destroyed.
And yes, it is most likely that the locals assimilated Saxon ways, similar to the number of teenagers in the UK who ape dress styles of people in the USA, or the waves of French fashion which swept through the country at various times in the last 700 years.
George Acton | August 23, 2012 19:20
Kari: Thanks for all the information. Several volumes of Eyton's Antiquities are on the internet, and my correspondent has contributed to some discussions. My impression is that that it mentions only members of the upper tier of feudal society who took the name from places they held property. There's no reason to expect my ancestors were in either family. Many church records are on the internet, but they aren't complete. The most helpful record I can reasonably expect is matching DNA from someone whose family has resided there for a few generations. That would suggest that the name was adopted there.
I suspect the cultural distinction of East Anglia came from Danish or Dutch immigrants. There was little effect on the language. I've read that there are a few local words in the Danelaw, but I don't know how far south they extend.
There's some confusion about the meaning of "Anglo-Saxon" as well as "Celt". In the US, the term "WASP" (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) was invented by some social commentators in the 1950's as a humorous term for the Northeastern Establishment. But those people were the heirs of the Puritans, who mostly came from East Anglia. The armigerous, stratified society of SE England may have better reflected the Anglo-Saxons of the invasion, whose heirs were the Virginia Dynasty of the early Republic.
My ancestry is roughly half common folk from southern England and half Borderlands (rednecks), some via Ireland for a century or so. One German and a couple of Scots. My imprinting experience occurred when my grandmother showed me two huge scrolls with the genealogy of the Randolph and Keith families of colonial Virginia. It was awesome finding my name among the hundreds cascading down the pages. When I was a little older and could do serial division by 2, I realized that the amount of genetic material I'd inherited from them was effectively zero. But at the time it appealed to my obsessive instincts and gave me a sense of connection with history. (Someday it will be clear whether that was a good thing.)
Greg Tingey | August 23, 2012 19:25
J Reynolds @ 63 Charles II was greatly underestimated. It was VERY DIFFICULT to get an actual promise out of him. But, if you did, he kept his word - unlike his father. He presided over the cultural & technical renaissance of Britain, which primed the ground for Britains great leap to world power, which began under his two neices (Mary - married to William of Ornage, & Anne). PErsonal freind and associate with many founding members of the Royal Society ... Hooke / Newton / Wren etc ... NOT an idiot. Kept his throne, too, unlike his stupid brother.
Kevin who is Kevin replied to this comment from Kari Sperring | August 23, 2012 19:36
In spite of a short period in the mid-19th Century when it was fashionable to refer to Scotland as "North Britain", the Scottish system has always been very different, including education. I don't see an anglo-centric view of British history gaining much traction in Alec Salmond's Scotland. The history of Wales and its peoples relations to England is in many ways a lot more "colonial" than that of Scotland.
guthrie replied to this comment from Kevin who is Kevin | August 23, 2012 19:56
I like to joke that the Union between Scotland and England is a score draw - Our King went south, they bribed our parliament to dissolve itself.
Wales by comparison was conquered and unlike Ireland, never escaped.
George William Herbert replied to this comment from Allen Thomson | August 23, 2012 21:56
Allen Thomson wrote: So are you in the line of succession for the Earldom?
Not in any practical sense. Our branch has been in the United States since before the Civil war; as I recall, someone emigrated right after their father was killed in the Crimean War. Last I checked there were a lot of people in closer line ( a couple of dozen at least) currently alive before you start looking that far back for second and third sons' descendants.
Theoretically yes, but really no.
Mark replied to this comment from Kari Sperring | August 23, 2012 21:58
Thanks Keri. I wasn't certain as I got it as Welsh from the Skene books but came across some reference to the events taking place elsewhere.
guthrie | August 23, 2012 22:21
I have another comment in moderation, if someone would be so kind. Or does it mean I am getting more controversial these days?
heteromeles replied to this comment from Justin Boden | August 23, 2012 22:22
Agreed, except that the 19th Century characterizations were ever so much more patronizing, although that might be due to the selective quotes from the history writers.
As for the Korean economic miracle, that wasn't just Cold War spending. For example, the US wanted Korea to remain in the raw materials and light manufacturing sector up through the 1960s and 1970s, while letting Japan have the heavy manufacturing. The South Korean leaders at the time refused this. They had noted that countries with a heavy manufacturing sector (i.e. one that was able to make the manufacturing machines for factories, along with having things like a steel industry, were the countries that suffered less under neo-colonial economic relationships. The Korean proceeded to build these companies, even though US economists told them they were being monumentally foolish in doing so, that there was no market capacity for such industry. You may have heard of some of the results: Daewoo, Hyundai, and Samsung (although Samsung already existed at that point). Turns out the economists were wrong.
As for North Korea, even under Japanese colonial rule, the north was the industrial area, due to nearby deposits of metals and such. Before division north Korea was the industrial heartland while the south was the agricultural sector. That has now switched more than a bit. The North has always been a bit short of farmland, but they still have no excuse for starving their people the way they do now.
Mark replied to this comment from Mark | August 23, 2012 22:32
d brown | August 23, 2012 22:34
I'm glad to see you write about dis or is it miss information. The older I get the crabber I git. And more of what everyone knows seems wrong. (me too) Especially about history. Even over here where there is not that much. The saying the facts are a agreed on fable seems to be true, Of course much of that is driven by people who wanted their own view to be believed for their own good. Look at what a few people still believe about good old Joe Stalin. Or the long love of the King over the Ocean. To my eyes he looks like one more murdering, power hungry royal SOB. Heck, look the BS about tartans and kilts, That's not even old.
I love DNA. Look at the history we now know was wrong. That can’t be a bad thing and I like like it. But in the real modern world I don't know how much difference it makes. Outside of the value of knowledge that is. I guess that's no small thing. But???
You know after the Nazi like invasion and occupation of England you were a Earl, the winning side, or a Curr, the losing one. It was important to keep whose boot was on whose neck clear. Remember in WW-2 there were lots of the occupied who were more Nazi than the Nazis. Well, they lived longer. And would have bred and I think would have kept some of the believes.
Greg Tingey | August 23, 2012 23:45
guthrie @ 69 And look at what Hibernia "escaped" to. POverty, rule by the most evil body of guvmint on the planet (the RC church) for 80 years, navel-gazing and reaction. So nice. In the same way that Welsh nationalism was, for many years expressed as "crap on the people who provide the money" - the local licensing laws and restrictions being the obvious example! Or removing English-only temporary road-signs that warned people of real danger (about two years back) Stupid.
Oh, and what is this "Alex Salmond's Scotland" of which you speak? That of the Wee Free & other narrowminded bigots, I presume?
Alain replied to this comment from heteromeles | August 24, 2012 03:01
The US economists were chained to their theories, pretty much like the French economists at the transition phase between the 17th and 18th centuries.
In contrast the Korean economists were eminently practical, like the British economists at the same transition phase between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Of course the Korean economists had the advantage of hindsight, having seen what it takes to create a true industrial take-off, in a flurry of examples from the UK to Japan. They also had the example of late 17th century, early 18th century French society to see how you can fail at doing an industrial take of even if you have all the ingredients in your own back yard.
guthrie replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 24, 2012 10:02
No, that's some chap called Kevin you are ranting about re. Alex Salmonds scotland. Regardless of that error of yours, the fact is that independence has a much more broadly based support than Siol na Gael folk, contra to your bigoted opinions. I've met quite a few nationalists who would dump Salmond ASAP, and many more who don't fit your stereotype of small minded bigots.
Your hatred of Eire is also noted, and we well know your opinions of the RC church. Do you put self determination ahead of economic development, or, as appears likely from your comments, your personal prefered form of economic and cultural development ahead of any form of democracy and self determination?
D. J. P. O'Kane replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 24, 2012 11:26
Once again I am forced to type with one hand, palming my face with the other.
Why is this such a "hot button" issue with you, Greg? Why does it excite such venomous bile on your part? Do you feel that the existence of an independent Irish state violates your sense of manhood in some way?
You're an intelligent person. Why do you feel the need to perpetrate this sort of travesty?
"POverty, rule by the most evil body of guvmint on the planet (the RC church) for 80 years, navel-gazing and reaction. So nice."
It was a great deal more complicated than that, as I've tried (and obviously failed) to show you on numerous previous threads.
Ralph | August 24, 2012 11:27
If you're using English, you're really just speaking appalling German, as opposed to the Dutch, who are speaking bad German (though I've no doubt they rather die than admit it). Vis words in Scots English which are German words that didn't make it any further south, like 'loch' or the use of the verb 'ken', to know; that's pure German.
Kari Sperring | August 24, 2012 11:31
Many of the Germanic words in use in Scotland are descended from Old Norse, in fact -- which is also a Germanic language.
All this debate about religion and Scottish Independence is giving a wonderful demonstration of why and how knowing our histories matters. :-) But let's keep it calm and polite, please, everyone.
guthrie | August 24, 2012 11:42
Also in Scots are words such as Kirk and kist, which come more from the Dutch in the last 6 or 700 years, or so I understand.
karrde replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 24, 2012 12:33
Puritan emigration to the USA (Mayflower 1620 - James I & VI was still king, but the anglo-catholic leanings of his incompetent & untrustworthy son, Charles II were already apparent by then) was largely so that the extreme prod-bigots could exercise their own special forms of intolerance, rather than submit to other, usually state-promoted intolerance, which wan't, actually as bad as their own.
The people who voyaged in the Mayflower were split between religious Separatists of some stripe and a group of adventurers looking to make a name for themselves on the new continent. The Separatists first attempted to settle in Holland in 1608. Sometime between then and 1620, a different group of English-speakers settled in Jamestown, Virginia. These Separatists decided that Holland wasn't conducive to their idea of the proper religious life, and attempted to travel to Virginia. A combination of weather and other travel-problems forced them to set up shop in Massachusetts and hope to survive the winter. Half of them did survive.
(What did Kari say above about German-speakers in the United States? This group included many who had spent a decade and a half in Holland...)
The next wave of settlers in Massachusetts were Puritan, but they tended to land in Boston. And popular history of American settlement doesn't remember the names of their ships. (It's highly probable that one of my ancestors arrived in Boston Harbor on a ship named Mary and John in 1636. This was one of many ships to land Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. But I mention that at a party, and people look at me funny. What ship was the Mary and John?)
Anyways, the pilgrims-and-friends are remembered in popular history as the image of the First Settlers. And most people don't care to distinguish between them and the Puritans. Even though they weren't Puritan, and were preceded in settlement by Jamestown.
Of course, the fact that Will Bradford wrote a book about the experience probably helped cement it in American consciousness as the First Settlers...is that another instance of the victors writing history? Or the more literate first-adopter writing history?
A couple centuries later, the victors of the American Civil War may have decided that the first settlers in New England got primacy over the first settlers in Virginia in history-books. But I doubt anyone asks the question of how that victory (or later victories in other political struggles) have caused history to be re-written.
paws4thot replied to this comment from Ralph | August 24, 2012 13:06
84:
An argument which rapidly ounders, holed below the waterline by the fact that there is no such thing as "Scots English". The Scots Leid that I imagine you're referencing is a separate language in its own right (albeit in the Germanic family). So is Doric.
Glesca is a dialect of English sure, but it's not sufficiently widespread to be a national dialect.
Justin Boden replied to this comment from heteromeles | August 24, 2012 13:47
Characterizations of Korea are still pretty patronizing, which is more or less the point I was trying to make. We often don't appreciate circumstances that led to one or another situation, and instead judge it by whatever narrative suits our worldview. (At best, the Japanese treat South Koreans with a begrudging respect. And North Korea? Americans have a more considered opinion.)
Regarding economies, you’re not wrong, but I still maintain that Cold War rivalries drove much of the success: yes, the DPRK inherited Japanese factories, but most of that and all other infrastructure was bombed all to hell during the War. Soviet engineers largely drove their economic miracle. And I don’t think South Korea would be the “most-wired” country if not for very particular and peculiar circumstances circa 1945 which shaped the post-War Pacific region.
I’m going to attempt to furnish this broad point I’m making. You stated that North Korea starves its population. Cummings makes a point, one I agree with, that the DPRK’s worst sin is that it has a government that is more integrated into its population than any other country in the world, such that it could deliver significant material and social benefits to all its citizens at once with a stroke of the pen, and that it doesn’t (or it does, but far, far too hesitantly). But the calorie-per-capita thing isn’t the issue. The famine was highly atypical - it was due to a severe drought, which was compounded by the collapse of the USSR which would have come through with the grain otherwise. For a country deprived of industrial fertilizers and pasture land, with an isolationist economy which isn’t entirely self-imposed, their people are fed okay. I think East Germany is a fair comparison: eggs were hard to come by, but getting your RDI wasn’t a struggle. “North Korea starves its population” is a characterization. There’s some truth to it, but also quite a lot of inaccuracy. Where I ultimately think history is the study of the human condition through a series of case studies, I also feel history has a role to demonstrate how convenient narratives ride roughshod over ambiguities and contradictions.
86:
@77: The US economists were chained to their theories ... In contrast the Korean economists were eminently practical
It's an example of the "expert problem." You train experts similarly, and their status is partially determined by how well they perform to the expectations of other experts. You get a nice closed loop going there. When such experts are put in charge of things, things can go awry in particularly nasty ways.
"Expertise" is one indicator of proficiency, but success is a better one.
Like Mack Reynolds said long ago, if those economists can predict the market better than random chance even 1% of the time, they ought to be wealthy on their own.
ajay | August 24, 2012 14:27
85: The famine was highly atypical - it was due to a severe drought, which was compounded by the collapse of the USSR which would have come through with the grain otherwise.
Droughts alone don't cause famine: see, for example, Amartya Sen.
You're wrong anyway. The natural cause was floods, not droughts, which destroyed not only harvests but also grain reserves (kept underground). Doesn't explain, though, why the North Koreans are still living in semi-famine conditions 15 years after the floods... that's a governmental failure and nothing else. Cumings is really not reliable.
Justin Boden replied to this comment from TRX | August 24, 2012 14:39
You grossly simplify expertise: economics is not even remotely about personal wealth accumulation. Nurses and doctors can both acquire expertise in medicine, even if their expertise is of a different nature. Specialized doctors aren't experts in tapping veins, so why hinge their credibility on their ability to draw blood? Likewise, financial transactions aren't the domain of economists.
Cliches become popular because they seem sensible but that's no excuse for reproducing them.
Justin Boden replied to this comment from ajay | August 24, 2012 15:12
there's a lot of Cummings haters, but he's a formidable historian and there are plenty of other academics who conform to his views. and even where he's contentious, most of his points are widely acknowledged.
I live in a country where a dry spell and a flood are equivocal as a drought. forgive the local usage. but you say "semi-famine". you accept North Koreans aren't currently starving, I guess, or else you would have just said "famine"? What could the DPRK do right now to alleviate the state of "semi-famine"? Considering there's always one or another who will throw the six-party talks.
D. J. P. O'Kane replied to this comment from ajay | August 24, 2012 15:48
90:
Sen's work on famine is good, but if you like him I would urge you to seek out Alex de Waal's 1997 work Famine Crimes.
de Waal proposes a concept of the "political contract" between rulers and ruled, a contract against famine which can only be fulfilled if ruling groups take measures to ensure that natural disasters (drought, potato blight) do not metamorphosise into the political disaster of famine.
de Waal is highly critical of what he calls the "humanitarian international", the vast network of humanitarian NGOs who regularly flock to this or that natural disaster site. These, he avers (I'm quoting from memory here, btw) risk eroding the political contracts which might allow famine to be averted, not merely alleviated. In Sudan 1970s, he states (again, this is from memory), there was a national state-run famine early warning and prevention system. By the 1980s this had been run down, with foreign NGOs filling the gap, allowing government resources previously devoted to famine prevention to be diverted to the war in the south.
Greg Tingey | August 24, 2012 17:00
What "hatred" of Eire? It's a lovely country, only recently emerged from 80- years (1922-2002 approx) of slavery to the RC church. I despise people like De Valera, who was complicit in the murder of Collins - the worst thing to happen in that country since 1900 was not even the only time the brits made the classic mistake of using a militia (The "Black-&-Tans" were NOT nice to know) but the post 1922 Civil War, which really polarised opinion, splitting the country bitterly between Fine Gael and Fianna Foyle (sp) .... Yes, it may suprise you - I do actually know quite a bit of Irish history, and the desperate way in which at every turn a solution is screwed by some idiot splinter group or other (1916 being the classic example, given that Home Rule was already on the books, with a stopped clock, beacuse of a little difficulty in Belgium). What annoys me is the constant repitition of missed opportunities, usually done to Irish people by Irish people.... REPEAT. My own preferred solution, opposed by Salmond, and many in the Tory party & Labour is for a "Federated Union of the Isles" With each section having something approaching Salmond's "Devo-Max". But vested interests and spite and religon will ensure that it is very unlikely to occur.
TRX @ 86 Like J M Keynes, you mean, whio DID make himself wealthy.
heteromeles replied to this comment from Justin Boden | August 24, 2012 17:31
92:
I agree. The short-hand of "North Korea is starving its population" was an oversimplification for a much more complex situation, because I was writing a minor point in a short blog entry. As I understand Cummings' point, North Korea has the ecological/environmental basis to feed its people (it's not too short of arable land, for example, even with the current weather problems), but rather that the famine is due to a failure of its political infrastructure.
One of the points I tend to reiterate on this blog is that political feasibility can often be a bigger problem than technical feasibility, and that many of the more grinding problems we face today are based on a failure of politics, not a failure of technology. Since this blog tends to draw techies rather than politicos, it's a point that does need to get made.
Sadly, North Korea's famine appears to be another case in point.
guthrie | August 24, 2012 18:45
Greg - As O'Kane has already said, your view appears too shallow and one sided. The language you use in post 76 makes it appear that you are implicitly deriding everyone there, as if they were at fault for the Catholic church and by implication Eire was wrong about lots of things. Especially 'look what they escaped to', as if staying in the empire was the best thing possible.
As for the Collins thing, it sounds exactly like you have been reading too many conspiracy theories. And opinion was already split, with the drift towards civil war apparent long before it broke out.
Your comment about Scotland has the same flaws - based on an opinion which appears to ignore most of the last few decades and the realities of Scotland in favour of your own bad mouthing of people you hate.
Indeed, Ireland "saying in the Empire" wouild have been much better than what actually happened. Even allowing for the fact that said Empire was regretfully preparing itself to use military force against a splinter group in the North (The Curragh mutiny) just before Archduke Ferdinand's assaination. I've said before, that each "side" or grouping seemed to take turns in completely wrecking a peaceful &/or sensible solution to the problems there. One of my (very distant) relations put his own tuppenyworth into it by ensuring that Gladstone's Home Rule bill failed, purely for temporary English political advantage. [Salisbury, in case you were wondering]
You are correct in detecting that I will cheerfully blame the RC church for almost anything - but then that is usually a correct stance to take. Not that the ultra-prods in the North have done anything other than construct a fun-house mirror-image of the RC set-up with their own institutions. Are either of you familiar with the story of the only (IIRC) N Irishman to win a VC in WWII? And how, because he was a catholic, he gave up, and moved his family to Liverpool, because no-one, in either bigoted grouping, would give him the time of day? Says it all, about both sides, doen't it?
D. J. P. O'Kane replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 24, 2012 19:29
"Even allowing for the fact that said Empire was regretfully preparing itself to use military force against a splinter group in the North (The Curragh mutiny) just before Archduke Ferdinand's assaination."
What Greg is referring to, folks, when he refers to the Curragh mutiny, is an incident in which British officers stationed in Ireland threatened to resign their commissions if ordered to suppress the anti-Home Rule militias in the north of Ireland.
"The event contributed both to unionist confidence and to the growing Irish separatist movement, convincing nationalists that they could not expect support from the British army in Ireland. In turn, this naturally increased nationalist support for its paramilitary force, the Irish Volunteers."
guthrie | August 24, 2012 21:57
We can't tell you what you think about things but we can tell you when you are coming across as arrogant, angry, and just plain wrong and this is one of those times.
George Acton | August 25, 2012 02:49
The New England settlement makes a much better founding myth. The Jamestown colony was purely a commercial enterprise and wasn't well managed. Only 10% survived the hard year 1622, and the greed-heads in London still wouldn't shut it down. It was mostly men and there are no stories of family life. The only romantic story is Pocahontas.
The Pilgrims and Puritans did have some religious motivations, and they traveled as families, which is a nicer image than a bunch of horny guys getting drunk and making moves on the locals. The First Thanksgiving probably didn't happen, but scenes of domestic life were commoner than in VA.
My earliest arrival was a woman named Katherine Banks who showed up in VA in the early 1640's. She may have had a recessive literary gene, because two of her descendants are William Faulkner and Ray Bradbury.
Greg Tingey | August 25, 2012 09:16
guthrie @ 96 NO DJPo'K is correct and you are both wrong & out of order. I suggest you re-read my comments on the Curragh & the VC submariner (I think) who had to flee to Liverpool.
Following my theme of taking turns to screw it, the Prods tried the Curragh - which would have failed ... to be follwed by the idiot ultra-catholics who took Imperial German assistance in the middle of WWI in the Dublin so-called "easter rising". Which, lets face it, fucked the whole thing completely. It is very doubtful indeed if any solution could have been found after that. Note how, in both these cases, various extreme splinter groups of IRISH people completely wrecked the whole thing for everyone. Neither group was representative of anything or anyone except their own selfish, bigoted little inflated egoes ( & their own version of "true religion", of course ).
Kari Sperring replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 25, 2012 10:57
Okay, people, let's cool this, please. It's a highly emotive subject, and never easy to discuss. But this is Charlie's space, and probably not the best arena for the topic. Thanks.
Greg Tingey | August 25, 2012 12:51
Kari Agreed I was given a step-function introduction to the subject, visiting Belfast for the first time in 1965 - where the first thing I saw was was graffiti on a grotty set of steps leading to the river: "Kick the Pope" - ( You WHAT? WTF? ) I went there for the railway (STEAM) interest at the time .....
D. J. P. O'Kane replied to this comment from Greg Tingey | August 25, 2012 13:42
Actually, Greg, I wasn't agreeing with you.
The incident at the Curragh in 1914 demonstrated that the national question in Ireland could not be resolved within the horizons of Home Rule. The only way the historical cycle of conflict could have been broken was by breaking the circuits in which that cycle was carried on. And that meant independence for John Bull's Other Island, not only home rule.
Even if a Home Rule administration had been formed, it would have involved partition of the island, conservative hegemony in both of the jurisdictions formed by that partition, with the attendant sectarianism that we saw in our own timeline.
Such an order might have been stable for five decades, as (in our timeline) the Stormont regime was in the north of Ireland: but in the end it would have collapsed, as the Stormont regime did, under its own contradictions.
Greg Tingey | August 25, 2012 16:39
DJPo'K Unfortunately, you may be correct, but let's not argue about that now. However, after my sudden introduction to Irish internecine divisions (see above) another example startled all of us railway enthusiasts. Most unusally, NIR appointed an Englishman to run the show, about that time ... Very shortly after, the corrupt establishment in the North (as opposed to the similar one in the South) decided they were going to close ALL their railways, and concentrate on buses [ Needless to say, there was a lot of graft involved.] but it was presented as being different from the horrible South, where CIE were doing quite a good job. In the end, the Englishman was sacked for standing up in public, & telling everyone that this was a load of shit. Still, with the exception of the disgraceful closure of the GNR(I) route Portadown-Armagh-Omagh-Londonderry, the rest was saved.
An example of really effective N-S co-operation is the RPSI, who have some fine locomotives in working or semi-working order.
James Caplan | August 25, 2012 21:47
I recently visited the British Museum and was disappointed to find almost nothing on the early history of the British Isles. Small room, a mummy of a woman and some strands of wire. Plenty of Roman coins, etc. but almost nothing of the indigenous populations. Were those artifacts destroyed or did I go to the wrong place?
ARCHAEOPTERYX replied to this comment from Kari Sperring | August 25, 2012 22:12
Agreed on that. Its very much more complicated than, say, our US of American Cousins might suppose as they push a chunk of their current income in the direction of American Politicians who they fondly suppose best support their own given - by History as they understand it - Ancestry so that they feel that to support their Ain Folk and Parade down the Streets of New York clad in Green Stuff is not just desirable but also utterly necessary ...the ever so Evil English must needs must PAY for their iniquities.
There's no lack of Disinformation on the History of The Island of Ireland ..that bit of the I land that holds your own Tradition that is. My Fathers family came from Over There and, I gather, were UN-desirable immigrants by the standards of my Mother's Highland Scottish Ancestry family ..she married beneath her by traditional British Working Class standards.
Civil Wars are the Worst of all Wars and most of British History past What Have The Romans Done For Us is the History of Civil Wars.
A good deal of the source of the Scottish Problem springs from the War Between The Highland Scots and the Low land Scots who had the sense to employ vicious English Mercenaries against those Wicked Papist Highland Scots and CLEAR them from the Land in favour of Sheep ..who were ever so much more biddable by duly authorised Authority as that Authority was Royally Mandated by the correct model of Christian God.
The Stuart Clan really Believed in the Divine Right of Kings ..all of 'em did including Charles the Second ..The Merry Monarch ..and his brother and Heir, and their Heirs and Successors did too and still DO. Its just that they do have the sense not to advertise this. Which is why people of the UK do get ever so sentimental about our present Monarch Good Queen Bess who is an astonishingly good 'Spin Doctor ' who rarely puts a foot wrong in the political dance.
So.. my own ancestry? Well I have typically Scandinavian skin colouration ..I don't just get sun burn I get light triggered dermatitis. And then I do have the typically male pattern baldness - alas for my .. well...
I recently encountered a woman who recognised me from school-days of nearly half a century ago, but who was not a girl friend as such of way back then, and she said " How we did love your pretty Golden Hair " SOB ! So, " Pretty Golden Hair " - SOB !! - tending towards male pattern baldness. And then theres that Hamlet -ish tendency to BROOD more than is good for us?. Hamlet Prince of Denmark? Typical case of Stress triggered Clinical Depression with extremely dangerous levels of Anger. Though that RAGE, er, that is to say, Moderate ill temper can be controlled before we reach the level of chewing on the rims of our Shields.
We make very good soldiers, which is why the British army did tend to recruit us from way UP there in Scotland to way down towards Jorvik ...
Though we were - and remain! - ever so Cute and Lovable really ... I SAID CUTE AND LOVABLE!!! All right?!!!!
Oh, and Note to Mods ? I did make an entry awhile ago on this thread on my current reading with a reference to Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan and how I did once ,when Young, Run someone Through with a Sword.
I suppose that I could reconstruct it if the post has vanished into Hyphen Space ..much better than Hyper Space ..but if it hasn't been confused with spam and zapped could it be retrieved ? In the Interests of all Cute and Lovable persons of Scandinavian Ancestry? Pretty Please?
ARCHAEOPTERYX replied to this comment from James Caplan | August 25, 2012 22:18
" Were those artifacts destroyed or did I go to the wrong place? "
Well, not entirely the Wrong place but near enough to it as makes no difference.
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The world used to be a place of mystery, bound only by the limits of the imagination. Some civilisations envisioned our planet as a disc standing on a cosmic turtle, while others thought Earth was flat. Yet the mystery lifted throughout the centuries as explorers and merchants travelled the globe, pushing geographical boundaries all the way. The world’s remotest corners are now known to us all, if only virtually. But have you ever stopped and wondered where the names you hear on the news might come from? Let’s dig into geographical etymology and find out!
Like many geographical labels, the name Asia goes back to the ancient Greeks. The word was first penned by Herodotus in the 5th century BC as a reference to the Persian Empire and later a common term encompassing all of Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Yet historians remain conflicted as to its origins. One theory suggests the word might stem from the Aegean root Asis, meaning “muddy and silty.” Asia could also derive from the Akkadian word Asu, as in “to rise.”
While originally a Greek concept, though, the idea of Asia as a whole continent is a Roman one that can be traced back to philosopher and author Pliny. Still, the name stuck and spread to the very people inhabiting one of the largest and most diverse continents of all.
We’ve all heard the story of Christopher Columbus landing in the Americas. But as the Genovese explorer searched for a shortcut to Asia, he disembarked in the Bahamas instead. For years to come, Columbus would look desperately for a route to Japan and China without ever realising he had set foot on a yet undiscovered continent. And in his place, this continent would be given the name of another Italian navigator.
Amerigo Vespucci took part in two expeditions during the Age of Discovery. As early as 1501, he claimed to have figured out that the Europeans had discovered a so-called “New World.” This bold assertion inspired the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, who coined the Latinised word America in Vespucci’s honour. Fair to say, however, that this name was essentially arbitrary. Before the Europeans arrived, the natives of Panama and Colombia referred to their homeland as “the continent of life” Abya Yala.
Stretching from the Americas to Europe and Africa, the Atlantic Ocean is second only to the Pacific Ocean in terms of sheer size. But one of the world’s biggest oceans was long a dangerous place to venture into. Strong currents and waters full of creatures of monstrous proportions prevented navigators from sailing high seas for centuries.
Still, the first documented use of the Atlantic moniker dates back millennia. A Greek poet coined the name Atlantikôi pelágei in the 6th century BC, which translates into “Sea of Atlas.” In Greek mythology, Atlas is a Titan condemned to hold up the heavens for all eternity. The name could also point to the legend of Atlantis. According to Plato, this mythical civilisation would have been submerged somewhere in the Atlantic.
The smallest of the world’s oceans, the Arctic was named after its location in the Arctic Circle, whose name stems from the Greek word Arktikos, which means “near the Bear.” In all likelihood, the bear in question is a direct reference to the Ursa Major constellation, also known as the “Great Bear.” Indeed, two of the stars in this constellation have been helping sailors navigate toward the northern star. The first explorer to discover the Arctic is believed to be Pytheas, a Greek geographer and astronomer. But finding the Northwest passage would take many more centuries.
To this day, the Arctic still evokes pristine wilderness and polar perils. The unforgiving Arctic has even played centre stage in many survival games, such as Arctic Awakening. The world’s last frontier also inspired the iGaming industry. New online casinos offer a direct ticket to the Northernmost territories, thus gamers in the Canadian Arctic and beyond may find several Arctic-themed slots among thousands of free machine slots. The newest platforms boast interactive live dealer games and video slots, too. Meanwhile, virtual reality is quickly taking immersion to the next level.
We could go on and on about geographical names, as each place on this planet holds some fascinating origin stories. But hopefully, this snippet has made you curious to delve deeper into the world’s names we find so familiar yet know so little about.
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As a Jiu Jitsu practitioner I can tell you, as can so many others instructors, that grip strength is of HUGE importance when it comes to success on the mats. With grappling arts becoming so popular in recent years, there are now more competitors hitting the mats than ever before, and that means that all of us need to work hard to make sure we have every advantage possible. Since I’m always looking for ways to develop the proverbial “vice-like” grip that every grappler needs, I am always on the lookout for new training methods and equipment to help me develop serious hand and finger strength.
Now we all know that you can improve grip strength by hitting the mats doing some grip training whilst rolling. No one disputes that. And you also can hit the gym where there are various exercises that will assist. But how about outside of those activities and how about for practitioners that can’t hit the mats and gym every day? And, many of you may not be ware but the key to developing not only great strength in your hands, but also improve overall endurance and dexterity in your grips, is to constantly train your hand and fingers. And that’s where being able to exercise your hand and fingers at home, in the office, on the bus and even in the toilet is important. To get gorilla grips, you need to work on your grips constantly.
But how can that be achieved? Well, now it’s finally possible.
I recently heard about the Finger Master Grip Strengthener since the whole Jiu Jitsu community has been abuzz about it. It’s the only gripper device that I have heard of that is designed specifically for grapplers and I had to check it out for myself. And now that I have both received this gripper and have had a chance to train with it for a while, I wanted to share my experience with the Jiu Jitsu community in this no-holds-barred review.
Finally: A Customized Grip Strength Training Experience
The first thing I noticed when I got my Finger Master was that it is quite a bit different from other grippers that I have tried in the past. Perhaps the biggest difference, besides it’s quality construction is the fact that this gripper has 5 pistons on it. Since you can only really train 4 fingers at a time (as your thumb is always on the bottom, applying counter pressure) one might wonder why the heck there are 5 pistons at all. As it turns out, the additional piston is what really separates this device from other run-of-the-mill grippers.
With the 5 pistons available, you can actually spread out your grip a bit, for example by training with pistons 1, 2, 3 & 5 or you can mix and match to use any combination of the pistons. You see, in addition to the 5 pistons, the Finger Master also gives you two channel locks. What these locks allow you to do is to lock down a piston (or two if you prefer) so they don’t get in your way. One of the things I do is I use the locks to block off pistons #3 & #4 and then really focus in on just blasting away reps with my pinkie finger. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so taking time to really focus on strengthening the weakest part of my grip (the pinkie finger) allows me to take my grip strength to a whole new level.
In case you are wondering what I mean, here is an awesome video about the Finger Master from “Fix Your Jiu Jitsu”, one of the great YouTube channels for improving your Jiu Jitsu. The video also shares some awesome insights when it comes to using the device too.
The Right Approach to Grip Strength Training
So, back to my experience using the Finger Master… This little trainer is pretty cool. I was just telling you about how I like to use different combinations of the pistons to bring the weakest parts of my overall grip up to par. I almost forgot to mention that the Finger Master does allow me to customize the tension on each piston. There’s a little dial on each one, for easy customization. My pinkie and ring fingers aren’t as strong as my index and middle fingers, so I use the tension controls to help make sure that those smaller fingers get worked hard during my grip strength training.
I did want to mention that the Finger Master Grip Strengthener is no replacement for mat time or other strength and conditioning exercises. It is only intended to be supplemental training. I still do plenty of pulls, use towels to do pull ups and train like a madman in order to improve my game. I even climb ropes these days to develop the kind of grip strength that is crucial to grapplers. What I’m trying to get across to you is that even though the Finger Master is the first grip strengthener that is designed with serious grapplers in mind, it is still no replacement for the other training that you do. It is a nice, additional piece of equipment to help with individual finger training (key to improving grips, like the hook grip, pistol grip and two-on-one) but it should not replace any existing part of your Jiu Jitsu training regimen.
Win More Matches with Better Grip Endurance
What really matters to most of us is becoming better and for those that compete, winning more matches when possible. I can’t tell you how many times I have had my fingers give out before the rest of my body was ready to. If you like to roll, you have probably been there before: Hands locked into your opponents Gi, holding on for dear life and trying to sink in that lapel choke that you’ve been working so hard on. But after a few minutes your hands start to scream in pain, and you lose your grip! It happens all the time because too may grapplers fail to really focus on improving the grip endurance.
In my opinion, training with the Finger Master is the way to go to ensure that each finger is strong and equipped with enough endurance to avoid crapping out on you when you need that extra bit of grip strength to win those important matches or to come out victorious during hardcore sparring sessions. Listen to BJJ strength and conditioning coach James Wilson talk through how the Finger Master helps build the grip endurance you need to start dominating the grip fighting for extended periods of time.
To close out my personal review of the Finger Master, I have to mention that this thing only costs like under $20 bucks delivered. I don’t know about you, but any time I can find a nice piece of equipment, especially one that really does help me to improve my Jiu Jitsu, I can’t resist picking it up. And with this thing only costing under $20, it’s really a no brainer. For the small investment, you’re going to get way more out of it than a t-shirt or any other Jiu Jitsu gear which would cost way more.
I’m really glad I tried the Finger Master because I use this gripper just about every day now. It comes with a lifetime guarantee too, so even if I do wear it out by using it on a daily basis, then the manufacturer will replace it free of charge. Now that’s cool and great commitment from them.
I hope this review helps you decide whether or not to give this cool gripper a try. If you want to read more reviews from other Jiu Jitsu practitioners that have taken advantage of the Finger Master to improve their grip strength and endurance on the mat, just head over to the Amazon page below and read the customer reviews. And I hope that you see the same results that I have seen from using it and start to dominate on the mat as your grip becomes stronger every day!
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My story actually begins a few decades ago with me questioning my gender and sexuality. Over time it became increasingly difficult to cope with my internal conflict until in September 2020, I came out to my family as a transgender woman. Continue reading “Philippa’s story – My personal journey to helping others in the LGBTQ+ community” →
November 30, 2022 0
Tashan’s story: We’re like the bigger brothers we never had
Empower C.I.C. all started with me feeling a calling to help prevent the youngers and my peers from pursuing a path down the wrong lane. To do that I had to try to lead by example, Continue reading “Tashan’s story: We’re like the bigger brothers we never had” →
October 23, 2022 0
Jemima’s story – Growing confidence as a young leader
On my summer break from university, I got an assistant team leader role working for the National Citizen Service, to provide young people with new experiences and for them to gain confidence within themselves. Continue reading “Jemima’s story – Growing confidence as a young leader” →
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The younger generation is drawn to this form of expression. To James, his tattoos were a form of honor.
James was a very proud Mattatall and to honor his family name, he had this tattoo created.
He also had a tattoo across his chest that said “Live Until Tomorrow Ends”. No one quite knew the real meaning of this tattoo for James but it seems he knew something that the rest of us did not.
Since James’ death, a few of his friends have decided to get tattoos as a tribute to him. This is their expression of love, honor and respect for the man that will be forever in their hearts.
More than a Tattoo
This was always my favorite picture of Jim and I tried imitating it so many times and rhubarbed er every time lol… This ones for you my brother, I’ve known you for 19 years of my life the only people I’ve known longer are my own blood. This is my way of saying goodbye as well as a means to still have you around and for one week a year this shirt doesn’t come off unless I shower.. Its my way of never forgetting you JPM I love you bro forever and always. ~ Brendan
Quote of the Day
People who are always making allowances for themselves soon go bankrupt.
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Saint Augustine of Hippo (; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430 AD) was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius in north Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Period. Among his most important works are The City of God, De doctrina Christiana and Confessions.
According to his contemporary Jerome, Augustine "established anew the ancient Faith". In his youth he was drawn to Manichaeism and later to neoplatonism. After his baptism and conversion to Christianity in 386, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and perspectives. Believing that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, he helped formulate the doctrine of original sin and made seminal contributions to the development of just war theory. When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine imagined the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. The segment of the Church that adhered to the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople closely identified with Augustine's On the Trinity.
Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Christian Church, and the Anglican Communion and as a preeminent Doctor of the Church. He is also the patron of the Augustinians. His memorial is celebrated on 28 August, the day of his death. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, the alleviation of sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists and Lutherans, consider him to be one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation due to his teachings on salvation and divine grace. Protestant Reformers generally, and Martin Luther in particular, held Augustine in preeminence among early Church Fathers. Luther himself was, from 1505 to 1521, a member of the Order of the Augustinian Eremites.
In the East, his teachings are more disputed, and were notably attacked by John Romanides. But other theologians and figures of the Eastern Orthodox Church have shown significant appropriation of his writings, chiefly Georges Florovsky. The most controversial doctrine associated with him, the filioque, was rejected by the Orthodox Church. Other disputed teachings include his views on original sin, the doctrine of grace, and predestination. Nevertheless, though considered to be mistaken on some points, he is still considered a saint, and has even had influence on some Eastern Church Fathers, most notably Saint Gregory Palamas. In the Orthodox Church his feast day is celebrated on 15 June. Historian Diarmaid MacCulloch has written: "[Augustine's] impact on Western Christian thought can hardly be overstated; only his beloved example Paul of Tarsus, has been more influential, and Westerners have generally seen Paul through Augustine's eyes."
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The best books of all time by Augustine
3 . Confessions by Augustine
Confessions is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and AD 398. Modern English translations of it are sometimes published ...
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Please notice that these ministries reflect a "non-COVID" situation and that many of the ministries have had to make adjustments during this time. Please contact the church if you have any questions regarding a specific ministry.
Church Council
Sunday School
Adult Education
Junior Church
Camp Squanto and Pilgrim Pines Conference Center
Stephen's Ministries
Inquirer's Class
Church Council
Our leadership council is comprised of up to 10 members plus the pastor. This dynamic and committed group meets monthly to provide vision, plan, and make decisions regarding the life and work of the church. Our Church Council also serves as the problem solving and communication hub of the church. (back to top)
Each ministry meets regularly to provide direction, implement and coordinate programs in specific areas of church life. Our Ministries include: Adult Spiritual Formation Ministry, Children and Youth Spiritual Formation, Evangelism and Outreach Ministry, Fellowship and Service Care Ministry, Finance Ministry, Missions and Outreach Service Ministry, Properties Ministry, Whole Life Stewardship Ministry, and Worship and Music Ministry. (back to top)
Music is an important part of our church. This ministry is led by our Director of Music Ministries and consists of our Senior Choir, two Handbell Choirs and groups and individuals of all ages who participate in musical activities and in worship. These groups include pre-school music class, seasonal choirs, Choir Chimes for youth, and instrumentalists and soloists who play and sing during worship. Additional church-wide and community activities are also coordinated by this ministry. (back to top)
Sunday School
Takes place prior to worship, and is offered from preschoolers through highschoolers. (Currently this ministry is delayed due to Covid) (back to top)
Adult Education
Also takes place prior to worship during the Sunday School hour, starting at 9:30am. Classes are taught by the pastor or lay leaders on a variety of topics or studies on Bible books. (back to top)
Junior Church & Tween Worship
A time for children during the second half of worship most Sundays, PreK through 4th grade goes to Junior Church and 5th to 8th grade goes to Tween worship, both learn a lesson and do a faith related activity or craft. (Second Sunday of the month children stay in worship). (back to top)
A one year program for youth grades 8 and 9 where we take an in depth look at the Old and New Testaments using ECC resources. Weekly classes are led by the pastor and lay leaders. (back to top)
We have two different youth groups for students in Junior High and Senior High. Youth groups meet 2-4 times a month. Youth groups take advantage of East Coast Conference retreats and activities. Some years, our Senior High students have gone on week long missions trips. It is our desire to reactivate our younger groups, Pathfinders (1st through 3rd graders) and Trailblazers (4th through 6th graders). During this time, we try to connect via zoom for sharing, games and devotions. (back to top)
Camp Squanto and Pilgrim Pines Conference Center
A significant number of children, adults and families take advantage of the family camp, retreats and youth camps offered by the East Coast Conference. These are often profound and meaningful experiences and energize our ministries at all levels. (back to top)
We presently have three active Bible studies and a prayer group that typically meet weekly at the church. (back to top)
An active group of trained volunteers working one on one with those needing a brother or sister in Christ to walk with them through a difficult time in their life. (back to top)
Missions activities are overseen by our Mission and Outreach Service Ministry. There are various ministry opportunities throughout the year. We presently support two Mission families and sponsor a child through World Vision with budgeted funds. In addition, we support a variety of local and regional ministries through donations of funds and material goods. (back to top)
Inquirer's Class
If you are curious about our beliefs or if you are considering becoming a member, this class is for you. It is taught by the pastor and we explore the character and faith of the Covenant Congregational Church and the Covenant denomination. It is offered on an as-needed basis. (back to top)
ABOUT US
We are part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a growing multi-ethnic denomination of 850+ churches in the United States and Canada with ministries in 5 continents of the world.
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Provost Steven Dew shares an update on the U of A's current planning status and approach for the 2021-22 academic year.
February 23, 2021 By Steven Dew
Dear members of the U of A community,
Over the past weeks we’ve heard from our public health experts and policy makers about the next steps we need to take towards COVID-19 recovery. I’ve heard from many of you, too, encouraged by recent progress and keen to hear about the university’s plans for the Fall 2021 semester as you consider options in the months ahead. Today, I’d like to bring you an update on our current planning status and the approach we will be taking for the U of A’s 2021-22 academic year.
Welcoming back the next phase of our on-campus community
While a complete return to normal from the COVID-19 crisis is unlikely by September, we plan to welcome a significantly increased number of our university community members back to our campuses this autumn. We are optimistic that Alberta’s expanded vaccine rollout and anticipated steps forward will provide the atmosphere we need to safely offer face-to-face undergraduate and graduate courses, research, and related support services across all of our campuses. These, plus some public health controls, such as masking policies, physical distancing limits, travel restrictions, are likely to make this possible.
We expect to continue with a combination of in-person and remote course delivery, with increased in-person and blended learning that take full advantage of classroom spaces across our campuses. Academic planners, faculty organizers, and instructors are currently working with campus health and safety experts to assess all classroom, lab, studio, research, work-integrated learning opportunities, and student service possibilities for the fall. This planning may determine that larger classes will be offered online or through simultaneous remote and in-person teaching, while smaller classes will have the opportunity to attend in-person. Our class size limits will be determined by Alberta’s indoor gathering limits, related public health restrictions, and the university’s risk assessment.
Guided by safety, sustainability, and student support and success
Over the next two months, as we look at possibilities for the 2021-22 year, university planners will be guided by the following principles:
Protecting the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.
Supporting continuity in the delivery method of classes throughout the term.
Supporting student program completion and program progression.
Supporting equity of access for students, regardless of where they are located or the resources they possess.
Focusing on the student experience by maximizing in-person learning and continuing to improve online learning experience; where possible, in-person learning will be prioritised for first and second-year undergraduate students, smaller graduate classes, students completing their programs, and courses that cannot be taught remotely.
Fall 2021 registration begins mid-May; course delivery format available by April 26
To help students make the best decisions for their courses, we’ve taken the exceptional step this year of delaying our Fall 2021/Winter 2022 registration to start mid-May. By that time, students will know their anticipated course schedules and locations as the delivery formats of courses will be available in Bear Tracks by April 26. May registration dates will be sent directly to students in April.
Flexibility is key—for you and for the university community
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Posted on February 23, 2017 by Yves Smith
Yves here. I hate to be a nay-sayer about a well-intentioned post, and I expect some readers will disagree with my point of view vehemently. However, this article about the nature of work clearly implies that work is valuable only if it is perceived by the person doing it to be “creative”. But this is fallacious because “creative” is the new cool. It professes to be about finding meaningfulness in work in a quasi-Maslowean hierarchy of needs, that people should find some form of self actualization in work.
In fact, what has happened in America is that people have been trained to see manual work, unless it can somehow be seen as being “creative” like making artisanal pickles or restoring fancy furniture, as well as most service work, as demeaning drudgery. If you make something be perceived to be socially undesirable or not very worthy (as an excuse for giving lousy pay), you’ll breed unhappy workers merely by virtue of social contempt (see expectancy theory for more detail).
The fact is most people are not creative. And this is not just my personal opinion, this is Carl Jung. Even though Myers Briggs is over-used, it has its place (IMHO it’s more useful for looking at how certain types behave in organizational settings than in one-on-one or personal relationships). The Jung-derived Myer-Briggs framework differentiates between “intuitives” who are somewhat to very impatient with convention and rules and admire imaginative people, versus “sensing” types, who like following procedures and get very annoyed with what they perceive to be undisciplined “intuitives”. And even though this categorization needs to be taken with a fistful of salt, the population seems to skew heavily to sensing types (an estimated 70%) versus intuitives (30%).
If you believe this paradigm, this says that most people would be perfectly happy doing a routine job, with no doubt some important provisos: that it was treated with respect, that the boss wasn’t a jerk, that the workpace demands were realistic, and that the worker had a way to complete his task and feel he could see he had done a good job. In other words, I suspect widespread workplace anomie has far more to do with the widening gap in status between bosses and the underlings, ever-intrusive supervision, unstable hours and in higher-status but not senior positions, on-call demands, a lack of employer loyalty to employees, which means employees have to put up or shut up, and not work content.
For instance, being a secretary ought to be vastly better now than in the days before word processing. No white-out or having to re-type a page with errors, or where your boss had changed his mind and asked for a complete redo because he’d added a paragraph to the first page of a multi-page document. No hanging out at the copier to make copies, or schlepping to the fax machine and standing over it to feed in pages. Vastly less making and keeping of files. Yet all the technology advances seem to have reduced the status of secretaries, save for executive secretaries, who are screeners/minders/secret-keepers/excuse-makers for their bosses. I thus would bet that if secretaries had been surveyed for happiness circa 1980 v. now, they’d score lower now.
Similarly, I held drudge jobs when I was a kid and enjoyed them. One could say that was because I didn’t have to do them for the rest of my life, but I actually liked having a paper route, selling newspaper subscriptions door to door, telemarketing (yes!). I tried to do a good job and felt that even though it was a little job, the people for whom I was working valued it. By contrast, anyone who has read Frank Partnoy’s book FIASCO, about the wild world of derivative sales and trading in the 1990s, probably remembers one of its last chapters. Let us not forget that a large swathe of the public would have considered derivates to be a creative job. Big pay! Glamorous travel and fancy meals with clients! Lots of intellectually challenging deal structuring and complicated lawyering! And everyone around you is super smart and very credentialed!
The people with whom Partnoy worked made clear to a person that they despised what they were doing. They’d rather do anything else, including digging ditches, rather than be in their current jobs…save of course for the money. They knew they were in the business of ripping off clients and deep down loathed doing it, despite all the “creativity” and other perks.
Or to put it another way, I see in this article too much of the sort of longing I see induced in a consumerist society: “Surely things are better somewhere else. If I only looked better/younger, had a bigger house, worked in a different job…”
As the an old Buddhist saying goes, “Before I was enlightened, I hauled water and chopped wood. After I was enlightened, I hauled water and chopped wood.”
Another problem that this article overlooks is that societies of any more complexity than a single family wind up creating conflicting obligations between the different groups of which one is a part. This is likely one of the big reasons that highly complex societies often wind up failing, that the higher command-control layers start taking too much in resources from the rest of society as well as making other demands that a significant portion find violate their other obligations. As Jamie Lannister pointed out in the Game of Thrones:
So many vows…they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws. It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one vow or the other.
By John Boik, who has a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas, Health Sciences Center, Houston and has completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University, in the Department of Statistics. He is the author of the book Economic Direct Democracy as well as other books and papers. Originally published at the Principled Societies Project website
It’s not often that a scientist gets to use the words love, creativity, and wisdom in a paper, especially when writing about economics. Perhaps that’s because economics, the dismal science, is obsessed with dismal systems – make that abysmal systems, relative to need.
To be clear, I’m not speaking of the specific policies of the US, the EU, China, the World Bank or others. I’m speaking of dominant economic systems as wholes – especially their underlying conceptual models (macro and micro) and the worldviews upon which they are based.
A human has only so many minutes in life. Time is the bedrock scarcity. If a person isn’t doing something meaningful in a given moment, he’s doing something less than meaningful. He’s wasting at least some of his potential. By meaningful, I don’t mean productive, in an economic sense. I mean important to the person, to her own wellbeing. The Chilean economist Manfred Max-Neef identifies nine categories of human need: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, and freedom. Others might make a slightly different list, but the important concept is that meaning stems from addressing real human needs.
It’s not that we should be doing something meaningful with our time, it’s that we want to. We want to express and receive affection, for example, and to fulfill the other eight needs. We want to, that is, unless external pressures so exhaust, distract, distort, or confuse us that we lose touch with who we are.
Current economic systems are dismal-abysmal because they waste our precious time. As a case in point, only 13 percent of workers worldwide are engaged in their jobs. This means, in effect, that 87 percent of workers feel more or less forced to go to work. Short of force, why would someone spend half their waking hours (or more), day after day, doing something that didn’t engage them?
Except for receiving a paycheck, it appears that most workers don’t really care about their jobs. That’s not surprising. Work doesn’t count as a real human need. It’s only a vehicle by which some needs can be (but for most people aren’t) met. Work doesn’t meet our needs because economic systems, as they exist, didn’t evolve to fulfill the real needs of ordinary people. They evolved largely under pressures exerted by powerful people and groups who wanted to maintain and expand their own privileges.
Suppose that we pause to reevaluate. Using insights from psychology, environmental sciences, public health, complex systems science, sociology, and other fields – that is, using as clear and scientifically sound a picture as we can muster of what humans and natural environments actually need in order to thrive – we can ask ourselves the following question: What economic system designs, out of all conceivable ones, might be among the best at helping us meet real needs?
Strange as it might sound, this question is rarely asked in academia, the science and technology sector, or elsewhere. Or if it is asked, the investigation usually lacks imagination. Surely we can move beyond a discussion of capitalism vs. socialism, as if these were the only two possibilities. A wide-open, largely unexplored space of interesting, potentially viable systems exists.
In my recent paper, “Optimality of Social Choice Systems: Complexity, Wisdom, and Wellbeing Centrality,” I call on the academic community, as well as the science and technology sector, to begin a broad exploration in partnership with other segments of society into what optimality means with respect to economic and political system design. I term this nascent program wellbeing centrality, due to the central role that the elevation of wellbeing would play in systems that help us to fulfill real needs.
Viewed abstractly, economic and political systems are problem-solving systems. One could call them technologies of a sort. As such, they are subject to scientific inquiry and engineering innovation aimed at discovering new designs that improve problem-solving capacity. Further, if we seek ideas for new designs, we don’t have to look far. Nature provides a blueprint.
From a complex systems science perspective, the environment is replete with successful problem-solving systems (cells, organisms, immune systems, ecosystems, and so on). Although all look different physically, successful systems tend to exhibit similar underlying mathematical properties. That is, nature has hit upon a good problem-solving approach, and repeats it widely. If we wish our problem-solving systems to be successful, to be as good as they can be, we might want to pay close attention to what nature does.
Moreover, we can view the nine needs Max-Neef identifies as gifts of nature, stemming from eons of evolution over countless ancestral species, to help us focus on and solve problems that matter. Our need to express and receive affection, for example, is also responsible, in part, for our tendency to seek cooperation in solving difficult problems.
In short, “good” economic systems would produce economies of meaning that help us to help one another live meaningful lives—to meet real needs and solve problems that matter.
We don’t have much time to make a transition from current systems to better ones. Mass extinction and other global catastrophes loom on the horizon. We face the unthinkable, not so much because a few CEOs, companies, or politicians have acted greedily (some have), but rather because today’s problem-solving systems didn’t evolve to help us meet real needs. They waste our precious time, as mentioned, rather than focusing our talents and natural drives on things that do matter, such as caring for others and the planet.
But how do we get from here to there? No matter how promising the design of a new system might be, it would be unreasonable to expect that a nation would abruptly drop an existing system in favor of a new one. Nevertheless, a viable, even attractive strategy exists by which new systems could be successfully researched, developed, tested, and implemented. I call it engage global, test local, spread viral.
Engage global means to engage the global academic community and technical sector, in partnership with other segments of society, in a well-defined R&D program aimed at computer simulation and scientific field testing of new systems and benchmarking of results. In this way, the most profound insights of science can be brought into play.
Test local means to scientifically test new designs at the local (e.g., city or community) level, using volunteers (individuals, businesses, non-profits, etc.) organized as civic clubs. This approach allows testing by relatively small teams, at relatively low cost and risk, in coexistence with existing systems, and without legislative action.
Spread viral means that if a system shows clear benefits in one location (elimination of poverty, for example, more meaningful jobs, or less crime) it would likely spread horizontally, even virally, to other local areas. This approach would create a global network of communities and cities that cooperate in trade, education, the setup of new systems, and other matters. Over time, its impact on all segments of society would grow.
Cities, big and small, are the legs upon which all national systems rest. Already cities and their communities are hubs for innovation. With some further encouragement and support, and the right tools and programs, they could become more resilient and robust, and bigger heroes in the coming great transition.
This entry was posted in Economic fundamentals, Environment, Guest Post, Social values on February 23, 2017 by Yves Smith.
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117 comments
Massinissa February 23, 2017 at 4:18 am
Bravo Yves, bravo! The post is ok but your post at the front makes much more sense to me. Thank you so much for being frank.
Sound of the Suburbs February 23, 2017 at 4:30 am
It is important for those at the bottom to have a strong work ethic so those at the top can live in luxury and leisure, it is the basis of human society.
For most of the 5,000 years of human civilisation, those at the bottom were incentivised to work hard as
the alternative was starvation. The work ethic takes its place today.
Extracting the surplus from day one (almost).
Mankind first started to produce a surplus with early agriculture.
It wasn’t long before the elites learnt how to read the skies, the sun and the stars, to predict the coming seasons to the amazed masses and collect tribute.
They soon made the most of the opportunity and removed themselves from any hard work to concentrate on “spiritual matters”, i.e. any hocus-pocus they could come up with to elevate them from the masses, e.g. rituals, fertility rights, offering to the gods …. etc and to turn the initially small tributes, into extracting all the surplus created by the hard work of the rest.
The elites became the representatives of the gods and they were responsible for the bounty of the earth and the harvests. As long as all the surplus was handed over, all would be well.
Later elites came up with money.
We pay you to do the work and you give it back to us when you buy things, you live a bare subsistence existence and we take the rest. There would be just enough there to keep everyone on board and those at the top could skim off nearly all the surplus to live in luxury and leisure.
The money scam for extracting the surplus forms the basis of capitalism and quite a few early companies had a company shop where wages had to be spent to ensure there was no leakage into the pockets of others.
The UK’s aristocracy has seen feudalism, early capitalism and modern capitalism; they all fulfil the primary function of human society, keeping them in luxury and ease while others do all the work.
Until the early 19th Century the poor lived in squalor and the rich lived in luxury, the 5,000 years of human civilisation.
Then this awful chap Marx came along with ideas of organised labour movements and those at the bottom start to get a larger slice of the pie.
Sound of the Suburbs February 23, 2017 at 4:33 am
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations:
“All for ourselves, and nothing for other people seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind.”
“The Labour and time of the poor is in civilised countries sacrificed to the maintaining of the rich in ease and luxury. The Landlord is maintained in idleness and luxury by the labour of his tenants. The moneyed man is supported by his extractions from the industrious merchant and the needy who are obliged to support him in ease by a return for the use of his money”
Vatch February 23, 2017 at 10:36 am
Adam Smith said a lot of things that are in opposition to the beliefs of many of his supposed followers.
Your first quoted paragraph (with a comma between “people” and “seems”) is from Book III, Chapter IV, of The Wealth of Nations.
I can’t find the second quoted paragraph. Could you please tell us where to find this by book number and chapter number?
justanotherprogressive February 23, 2017 at 12:26 pm
Yes, he did. But never forget that Adam Smith wrote to provide a “moral justification” for the behavior of his financial backers……
Katharine February 23, 2017 at 1:33 pm
Source, please.
justanotherprogressive February 23, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Read his works for yourself……
You might also want to think about all those statements that he made which (ostensibly) were supposedly to benefit the poor and workers when he knew absolutely nothing about the lives of the poor and the workers…..
Ex: He claimed workers liked the divisions of labor where they did one thing all day long instead of making a whole product. REALLY?
Vatch February 23, 2017 at 9:35 pm
Smith discusses the division of labor (labour) in the first three chapters of Book I. I reread this rather quickly, and I might have missed something, but I could not find a place where he says that workers like such divisions of labor. He goes to great length to say that it is more efficient and increases productivity, which is true. That’s not the same as saying that the work is more pleasant when it is divided like that.
I’ll repeat Katharine’s request: please provide a source. Thank you.
justanotherprogressive February 24, 2017 at 1:00 am
Actually, Adam Smith discusses labor through out his book, “The Wealth of Nations”. And he often compares the “advantages” workers have in wealthier nations v. what he calls poorer countries or “savages”….
If you have actually read “The Wealth of Nations”, particularly the first three chapters, then you will of course, recognize this quote: “He supplies them abundantly with what they have occasion for, and they accommodate him amply with what he has occasion for and a general plenty diffuses itself throughout all the different ranks of society.”
And I will repeat what I said. Read Adam Smith, get a few biographies on his life, and decide for yourself. You CAN do that, can’t you? Or do you need a source to tell you what to think?
Vatch February 24, 2017 at 10:09 am
Your quote does not say that the workers liked or enjoyed what he is describing. He is saying that they got what they needed. It may not be true that they got what they needed (the probably didn’t), but Smith is definitely not saying that the workers liked the process.
I have read significant portions of The Wealth of Nations, although not the whole book — it’s rather dreary. I definitely do not remember everything that I read. You’re under no obligation to provide evidence when you claim that someone said something, but if you want people to believe what you claim, specific evidence will help. In this case, the evidence shows that your claim is wrong.
justanotherprogressive February 24, 2017 at 11:22 am
You know, if you actually HAD read the book, if you knew any of Adam Smith’s history, if you knew anything about the condition of labor during the time Adam Smith was writing, we might be able to have a nice discussion about how our views about Adam Smith and his contributions differ……
I don’t know what “this” is, but it is hard to discuss something with someone who really has very little knowledge on a subject is only interested in doing some kind of one-upmanship based on……?????? But I guess that is the sign of the times these day. Finis.
Vatch February 24, 2017 at 11:27 am
The condition of labor in Smith’s time was quite grim. I’m just saying that Smith did not say what you said that he said. That’s not one-upsmanship — it’s reading. I don’t understand why this has made you so angry.
Sound of the Suburbs February 25, 2017 at 11:31 am
I got both quotes second hand and checked the first one.
The second one came from Michael Hudson’s book “Killing the Host” and it looks as though I have attributed it to the “Wealth of Nations” when I shouldn’t have done, I did a PDF search and couldn’t find it.
You can do a Google search on the first line of the second quote and from what I can make out it comes from lecture notes.
Google it, to check it.
Lambert Strether February 23, 2017 at 4:31 am
So many vows…they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws. It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one vow or the other.
However (cf. Michael Hudson earlier today) the unofficial Lannister motto — “A Lannister always pays his debts” — seems not to be on Jamie’s list…
Adding, I thoroughly enjoyed my eight years in the mills…
Carolinian February 23, 2017 at 9:29 am
The piece you once wrote about working in the mills was one of your best.
I believe we take job satisfaction in doing things we are good at, so perhaps it’s a matter of finding one’s niche. Therefore people who struggle to be innovative but aren’t inclined in that direction are likely to be highly dissatisfied. The intro is quite correct that current arrangements are skewed by bad incentives–not just the all American worship of the dollar but also the current snobbery about intellectual accomplishment. A well executed bit of craftsmanship can be a beautiful thing while not necessarily creative or original.
Katharine February 23, 2017 at 11:38 am
I agree, and would go a little further. Any honest job well done is admirable and makes things better than they would be if it were ill done. I saw this early and often, especially when temping, when my opportunities for observation were greatly expanded. The conscientious office cleaner, UPS driver, postal clerk, person on the phone who takes the trouble to understand what the caller needs and try to ensure that he or she gets it efficiently are all highly valuable workers who make other people’s days go better.
For my money, anyone who is snobbish about intellectual accomplishment isn’t really all that intellectual, because they plainly haven’t grasped the necessity of all that unglamorous work to the overall function of the society they are in: they’re still stuck in a sort of childish expectation that the world will automatically produce what they need when they need it, without any appreciation for the process.
Arizona Slim February 24, 2017 at 11:35 am
Job satisfaction can crop up in the strangest places.
My favorite job of all time? It was in a bike shop that, to put it mildly, had lousy cooling during Tucson’s beastly summers and no heat in the winter. Oh, did I mention that it was sweaty and greasy work back in the mechanics’ area?
The reasons why I enjoyed this job were simple: Pride of workmanship and camaraderie with my boss and coworkers. When we see each other now, it’s like an old-time family reunion.
Sound of the Suburbs February 23, 2017 at 4:39 am
Let’s get capitalism working again while we think of a new system
The signs are this version of capitalism has failed and not acknowledging it is causing a lot of problems.
The people expect elites to deliver the goods for the majority. This is their job and if they don’t do it they will be replaced.
Keynesian capitalism had ended in the stagflation of the 1970s and new market led capitalism came online to get things going again. Capitalism had reached another dead end in the Great Depression of the 1930s, this isn’t a new phenomenon.
Looking back with two assumptions:
1) Money at the top is mainly investment capital as those at the top can already meet every need, want or whim. It is supply side capital.
2) Money at bottom is mainly consumption capital and it will be spent on goods and services. It is demand side capital.
Pre-1930s – Supply side economics leading to:
Too much investment capital leading to rampant speculation and a Wall Street crash
Too little consumption capital and demand is maintained with debt.
Leads to the Great Depression and the debt deflation of an economy mired in debt
Post-1930s – Demand side economics:
Too little investment capital compared to demand, supply constrained.
Too much consumption capital, leading to very high inflation.
Post-1980s – Supply side economics leads to:
Too much investment capital leading to rampant speculation and a Wall Street crash, asset bubbles all over the place.
Too little consumption capital and demand is maintained with debt. Global aggregate demand is suffering and with such subdued demand there are few places for real investment leading to more speculation.
Leads to the secular stagnation of the new normal, the assert bubbles have yet to burst.
Maybe capitalism just a balance between supply and demand necessary to achieve that happy medium.
It is a balance between investment capital at the top and consumption capital at the bottom.
When the rich are too greedy (like now) they tip the balance and external forces (the Government) need to correct the system.
J February 23, 2017 at 10:50 am
I have just listened to an interesting program on the radio called “Surviving Post-Capitalism: Hoping, coping, doping & shopping” which is an analysis of where capitalism has been and where it is going.
It is interesting to hear the author say that capitalism naturally goes awry then is somehow revitalized by its opposing forces; then the solution becomes the new problem and another attempt at revitalization takes place, and so on and so on.
J February 23, 2017 at 10:50 am
Left in Wisconsin February 23, 2017 at 2:41 pm
Streeck is a smart guy with a lot of interesting things to say. In this case, the title is less interesting than the content.
Grebo February 23, 2017 at 11:46 am
Every time you say “capital” you mean “money”. I wish people wouldn’t do that.
skippy February 23, 2017 at 2:36 pm
“stagflation of the 1970s” – see advent of corporations increasingly excessive personal profit taking and financialization, along with ideological mouth organs spreading the good word…
disheveled…. Hudson and Black cover this terrain quite well… the tax is theft loon pond then throws a spanner in it….
Jesper February 23, 2017 at 4:59 am
Work to live, live to work? For workaholics the choice is easy, they live to work. For many others I suspect that work is something to be done to live and for them it is about work/life-balance.
For the workaholics I’d recommend to start their own business. Few (no?) laws relating to how much they can work apply to them. And if the workaholics learned that they could have the bliss of unlimited hours of work just by running their own business then maybe the rest of us can use collective bargaining to reduce the hours each individual in employment works.
Workaholics, the ones who will fight for their rights to be worked to death. Completely uncaring and lacking in empathy for the ones who find ‘meaning’ in things outside of the workplace.
Alex Morfesis February 23, 2017 at 8:50 am
The workaholic might have a miserable home life and prefers to stay away as much as possible…much as the wife who is always cleaning to avoid interaction with a spouse she longer wants to be with…
Yves nails most of the problem…bankers in the last 20 years have tended to lend resources and capital to idiots and arses who run a business less to earn a living and more to keep being the bully they were growing up…
Life is boredom and hugging boredom is one of the keys to pleasentness and peace…
Visual triggers of photography and now videoness has created an unmitigated flow of adrenalin that eats at our souls and confuses millions of years of cranial activities and cerebral processes…
It’s ok to have been a stablehand in a previous life…but selling that notion wont remove the pieces of paper from the wallett of the mark…
And when one writes that one should heed the great german economist, manfred max-neef who belives in the “triumph of the cuban revolution”…
A triumph helped by the loving “little brother” training of the german stasi for the formation of the cuban “commitez”…
Well…if lifes 9 wonders is to worry about the opinion of some black magic voodoo priestess poking out the window from the house on the corner…
Maybe manfred might have taken a better look and classified it a bit more honestly as 9 ways to keep the masses “bobo”…and keep those in power in power…
Not exactly my idea of “a wonderful life”…
vlade February 23, 2017 at 5:18 am
Agree that your preface is better than the story :).
IMO, there are two parts to it. Firstly, whether one can (reasonably, which is a relative word and can differ a lot between people) take care of her/himself and their dependants. But that has a link to the other – one has to see that what they do “makes sense”. That “sense” may be both in the work – doing a good job – whether as judged by you or someone else, or something else – like being able to take care of your family.
If the work one does has no sense, then there’s a massive problem. And that’s what I see. People doing work where they don’t see it as a good work, but it can’t even feed their family or give them reasonable life.
“Surely things are better somewhere else. If I only looked better/younger, had a bigger house, worked in a different job…” – this may be a problem or a blessing..
tempestteacup February 23, 2017 at 5:33 am
Surprised your P.O.V. would be controversial, though perhaps not where you state that most people are not creative. That, it seems to me, would depend on how you define creativity.
With regard to work, though, I’ve always been suspicious of the oft-repeated preference for “creative” jobs or, as you say, the actualising of one’s identity through labour. You don’t get to negate the facts of alienation and exploitation simply by propagating the fantasy that work is some free zone of creative exploration or identity-fashioning – not least of all because you don’t own the value produced.
In my own life, I’ve worked in areas that would be considered “creative” – as a critic and journalist, for example. I did them to fund my studies, but found it far more conflicting than more “menial” employment where the division between my passions and creative interests were absolutely clear. I needed money so I sold some of my labour-time to supply me with whatever I considered enough to do what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Working in the media meant swallowing the line that I was joyously and autonomously doing something – and that was simply not true.
Creative is of course often used today as a cipher for freelance or unsecured employment, too. You’ve often posted unintentionally amusing links to puff-pieces about Uber drivers, for example, pitching their creative ideas to passengers or using their job to launch that most modern of “careers” – YouTube vlogger. It also has a secondary function, which is, as you say, to pour scorn on those who work in “uncreative” jobs, othering them as a battalion of drudges. This plants the seed of expectation that they should be paid less or receive fewer benefits because the work they do is at the bottom of the work-hierarchy. The fact that many of these “drudge” jobs – factory work, for example – have been outsourced to other countries means that this intersects with other forms of otherness, too.
One last thought. I am, at the moment, connected to an art university and this has given me an opportunity to see how young artists of the future view their place in society. On the one hand, they are aspiring to be creative in an entirely conventional sense. On the other, they have internalised many of the assumptions inherent to neoliberal competition, to the “marketplace of ideas”, and the increasingly commodified art market. Their creativity, in other words, has become commercialised just as commercial interest have become increasingly “creative” – it cuts both ways.
Pickles February 23, 2017 at 11:27 am
I completely identify with what you’re saying about creative jobs.
I work in technical writing. It’s about the least creative job a person could hold. People tend to look at me like I’m simple when I explain how much I enjoy it. I’m good at it, though. I’ve done it for years, still find it challenging and satisfying. What’s not to like? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not clothing the poor or saving lives, but at the end of the day I’ve created a product and I’m usually pretty pleased with it.
Outside of work, I write fiction. I’d love to write fiction for a living, but if that never happens, I’ll be okay.
If given the opportunity to work in a creative industry (journalism, for example) I think I’d have to turn it down. I’m much more interested in pursuing creativity on my own terms, rather than forcing my creative drive into an oddly-shaped hole.
Even the caveman that was really into painting antelopes on the cave walls had to get up in the morning and go spear raccoons for food, I’ll bet. Then, once he was full, he could go back to mashing up berries for paint and perfecting his antelope-drawing techniques. If someone offers him a few rabbit skins to paint the walls of their cave–sure, why not? I’ve gone on long enough with this caveman comparison, you say? Stop it, you say? Okay. I’ll stop.
As to your last point — I think a certain amount of that kind of thinking (creativity as commercialized) can be a good thing. Obviously it’s a spectrum, with one side being pure product and the other side being pure, lofty creativity. As a fiction writer, I like to sit somewhere in the middle of that and recognize that, while I am telling a story, which is a weird kind of magic, I’m also doing something that’s very concrete. Words, sentences, paragraphs, all forming a structure, and so on. To be clear, I’m not saying that I think a person should make art with only business in mind, but taking a practical view of the work can be helpful. (I don’t wait for inspiration to get words down, for example). I’m not sure how that would translate to other forms of art, though.
I enjoyed your post. Thanks!
JTFaraday February 25, 2017 at 11:01 am
I’ve honestly never seen journalism as creative work. Possibly everything that is wrong with journalism today arises from some felt need to force “creativity” into it.
I suppose it is true that we as readers did not necessarily read “the news.” But perhaps that is our fault, for there certainly existed a market for news, while journalism decided to pander to the masses instead.
This doesn’t seem to have helped profitability.
jrs February 23, 2017 at 12:10 pm
most people are never going to be paid to be creative, but everyone already knows that, noone says: become an artist and get rich!
But then I also wonder if the lack of unpaid creativity in hobbies etc. isn’t a driver of a lot of unhappiness. That people actually do need to be creative in some (if unpaid) sense and not just mindless drones and not just receivers of others output but active in some creative way.
timotheus February 23, 2017 at 5:55 am
I’m struck by the lack of attention, or even reference, to unions in this article and the framing. Growing up in a highly industrialized Midwest town in the pre-Reagan era, one source of “meaning” (I would say status) for the average worker was belonging to a union that not only bargained with the owners but also provided many ways to engage with one’s fellows and to feel part of a larger entity whose function was to protect and defend the collectivity, i.e., operating from an explicitly benign raison d’être (unlike the company that offered the employment). I think the de-unionization of America has severely damaged workers’ status in their own and others’ eyes, one of the many elements creating the Trump phenomenon.
CitizenSissy February 23, 2017 at 7:29 am
Couldn’t agree more. The uniquely American myth of an individual bargaining on equal footing with a corporate system willing to recognize and pay for his/her contributions has greatly damaged the US workforce.
hemeantwell February 23, 2017 at 8:37 am
Agreed. And I’d like to push the point farther.
that it was treated with respect, that the boss wasn’t a jerk, that the workpace demands were realistic, and that the worker had a way to complete his task and feel he could see he had done a good job.
The article author’s tech jargon is indeed terribly blurry about the social relations of the workplace, so much so that I’m inclined to accuse him of suppressing the issue because he doesn’t want to directly challenge technocracy. There’s an abundant lit on worker’s control and it’s baffling that the author writes as though it needs to be done all over again.
Talking about the social relations of the workplace needs to take into account the jobholder’s relationship to organizational decision-making, not just whether the boss is nice or not. There is a world of difference in the experience of someone carrying out tasks defined by the current formulation of the division of labor and someone carrying out those tasks after they have participated in decisions that both define those tasks in light of technological constraints and then link those tasks to a collective goal they can freely valorize.
I know this is getting into very tricky waters, but I’ve always been dismayed by the tremendous gap, under capitalism between work as the self-interested pursuit of a wage and work as a contribution to a collective good, the sort of framing that was so derided in critical caricatures of socialism. Under capitalism, it is remarkable how the currently available thematics of work tend to valorize work, if at all, as sheer effort that merits personal reward, without any connection to a social good. If one tries to look for a value beyond legitimizing wage acquisition, market fetishism insists that one is to be congratulated for “meeting consumer preferences,” preferences that, in an empty democratic spirit, cannot be considered critically. True, there are “public service-oriented” occupations, most notably the health professions, that are granted license to claim some benefit to collective welfare. But for most people “working for the benefit of others” is something that occurs outside of work. We all suffer as a result.
Jamie February 23, 2017 at 10:24 am
+1
Toni Gilpin February 23, 2017 at 10:36 am
Abundant literature indeed, starting with my dissertation adviser’s Workers’ Control in America, which itself was inspired by E.P. Thompson’s seminal The Making of the English Working Class, both of which document how capitalism removes human agency and meaningful engagement from the work process. And that of course the labor movement developed in response to that, in an effort to preserve some semblance of control over how work is done and by whom. And one of the books that influenced me the most is Mike Cooley’s Architect or Bee? The Human Technology Relationship, which draws its title from Marx:
A spider conducts operations that resemble those of a weaver, and a bee puts to shame many an architect in the construction of her cells. But what distinguishes the worst architect from the best of bees is this, that the architect raises his structure in imagination before he erects it in reality. At the end of every labour-process, we get a result that already existed in the imagination of the labourer at its commencement. He not only effects a change of form in the material on which he works, but he also realises a purpose of his own that gives the law to his modus operandi, and to which he must subordinate his will. And this subordination is no mere momentary act. Besides the exertion of the bodily organs, the process demands that, during the whole operation, the workman’s will be steadily in consonance with his purpose. This means close attention. The less he is attracted by the nature of the work, and the mode in which it is carried on, and the less, therefore, he enjoys it as something which gives play to his bodily and mental powers, the more close his attention is forced to be.
So yeah, I would say this topic has been pretty well covered and Mr. Boik should do some more reading.
hemeantwell February 23, 2017 at 3:06 pm
David Montgomery was your dissertation adviser? Wow, and good to have you around here.
Re workers’ control, I should have thrown in this link from Stumbling and Mumbling. Good essay, and he’s got a useful bibliography link.
One bit of the dialectic that appeals to me is that the acknowledgement of the various benefits of workers’ control gives heart to a critique of capitalists as incompetent. We know this, but it helps to know that there is an alternative to their profit-driven, instrumentalizing domination of subordinates. So much better than being limited to objecting to distributive inequality.
Toni Gilpin February 23, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Thanks for that link — full of good stuff. And yes, I was privileged to work with David. Since he was (as I’m sure you know) a machinist before he became an academic, he understood the nuts and bolts (literally) of the history he so adeptly taught. And he was a fiery speaker too, which came in handy when the clerical workers at Yale went on strike.
And yes to your final paragraph too. Also when we know the history we know that the soul-crushing is not some inherent and inevitable by-product of technological innovation. The desire to extract control from workers came first; the tools were designed to accomplish that, and often to implement them cost far more than retaining the skilled workers that were displaced would have. So I gnash my teeth every time I read (which is often) that technology=progress=cost-saving.
JTFaraday February 25, 2017 at 11:06 am
Maybe, but I would be even broader. I think people have a need for community, not work that is deliberately abstracted out of and alienated from community as a means of control. Which unionized labor may still well be.
Foppe February 23, 2017 at 6:03 am
Yves, thanks for bringing this up. :) Tl;dr: yes, life/work satisfaction is about much more than (Victor) Frankian ‘meaning’.
Rather than how we currently think of it, economics might also be framed as being the science of need satisfaction. Graeber’s Debt made it very obvious to me that this would make much more sense than our current mode of thinking, and how bizarre it is that we organize society to create material stuff, rather than to organizing our productive systems in order to meet our social/societal needs. Note that needs and ‘wants’ (the strategies we develop and are taught to meet those needs) are very much distinct.
For those who are interested, I would point you in the direction of Manfred Max-Neef’s attempt to reconceive economics in this way (and to measure societal success in terms of need satisfaction, rather than GDP, or any other one-dimensional scale like “happiness”).
Human needs and human-scale development,[1] developed by Manfred Max-Neef and others (Antonio Elizalde and Martin Hopenhayn), are seen as ontological (stemming from the condition of being human), are few, finite and classifiable (as distinct from the conventional notion of conventional economic “wants” that are infinite and insatiable).[2]
They are also constant through all human cultures and across historical time periods. What changes over time and between cultures is the strategies by which these needs (and created desires) are satisfied. Human needs can be understood as a system—i.e., they are interrelated and interactive. In this system, there is no hierarchy of needs (apart from the basic need for subsistence or survival) as postulated by Western psychologists such as Maslow, rather, simultaneity, complementarity and trade-offs are features of the process of needs satisfaction.
Manfred Max-Neef and his colleagues developed a taxonomy of human needs and a process by which communities can identify their “wealths” and “poverties” according to how their fundamental human needs are satisfied.
creation
Obviously, the theory is pretty much wholly unknown and ignored, but anyway.
To riff a little on what Yves wrote (and forgive my lack of eloquence), creativity is part ‘creation/leisure/understanding’ (trying to find solutions, or learning new stuff, and building stuff, can be fun), part participation (the obvious, plus ‘pro-social’ considerations — wanting to add something that you think is missing), partly about autonomy/choosing your own way of meeting your other needs and others desires. Doing ‘dumb’ / repetitive work (newspapers/mail delivery) can be fun so long as you are meeting needs to contribute, and more fundamentally, so long as you can explain to yourself why you think this is a worthwhile use of your time, which depends on your expectations, ideas of how this fits into your longer-term plans, skills you’re developing, etc.
Foppe February 23, 2017 at 12:02 pm
(Apologies for my not reading the part below the line before posting — I’ve been doing a few things too many, and I allowed myself to get distracted. Anyway, I hope it nevertheless is of some use, if only to clarify how one might employ this framework.
Josh Stern February 23, 2017 at 6:08 am
Good points. It might be useful to further distinguish between respect from within the work environment vs. respect from the larger social context and creative tasks vs. an ability to keep learning and improving at some task. The more creative an activity is, the greater the likelihood that it is going to be inefficient to product the next unit of it – next innovative, masterpiece please…? In contrast, the amount of new learning, output improvement that’s seen as relevant to performance, and task variation over time, are all things that are easier to quantify and incorporate in a work environment.
Phil Bayliss February 23, 2017 at 6:28 am
Thanks for an interesting preface – William Davies (2016) in his book ‘The Happiness Industry’ makes the point that Benthamite utilitarianism, underpinning neoliberalism uses money as the measure of societal wellbeing. Inequality (as measured by money), leading to unevenly distributed ‘wellbeing’, is focused on the individual’s response to that inequality, not on the material or social context of where the inequality comes from, i.e poor people lack human capital (Becker) and if they get ill, the way forward is to gain human capital or increase ‘wellbeing’ through other means. Hence, the ‘ happiness industry’, using ‘resilience’, ‘mindfulness’, or pharmacological interventions to make people ‘happy’. Work is meaningful, if it socially rewarded. Hauling water and chopping wood is socially validated. Go for the anti-psychiatry movement, rather than Jung or Freud.
GlassHammer February 23, 2017 at 7:20 am
“people have been trained to see manual work, unless it can somehow be seen as being “creative”, as well as most service work, as demeaning drudgery.”-Yves
Its being reinforced at a very early age in most U.S. schools. Children are almost exclusively taught through games/visuals and as a result find it difficult to perform tasks that are less engaging/stimulating. By late middle school most children have a deep disdain for doing work in a manner that is manual/repetitive.
Atalanta69 February 23, 2017 at 8:43 am
Great point, GlassHammer. I’m constantly kicking against this ‘cult of compulsory engagement’, to coin a phrase, which is currently doing its bit to destroy any semblance of difficulty involved in taking a UK university degree. There is huge psychological value in learning to tolerate boredom with good grace; those who never acquire this skill never develop inner resources and are therefore inadequate human beings. I feel truly sorry for young people today – I’m very fond of my students, who are generally delightful people, but I can see how they are being handicapped by ‘kindness’.
Apart from that, thanks Yves for your prologue. Apart from the essential truth of your words, you also forego from employing the chirrupy pseudo-scientific babble beloved of social scientists who will never make a jot of difference to the toiling millions.
jrs February 23, 2017 at 12:44 pm
I would suspect a larger driver of people not wanting to do manual work or even more so service work (because it pays even less – manual work ranges in pay but most of what we mean by service work pays very poorly) is because they see the paychecks aren’t enough to pay even pretty basic bills (rent, food etc.). And who wants that if they have a choice? Social prestige and all that is nice, but avoiding poverty is a little more pressing!
Well some bohemians will live a life with nearly no money but most people want enough to buy the basics and maybe a little disposal income etc.. So even if one would be happier at a service job than at white collar job if it doesn’t pan out economically it’s not going to be what people choose if they have a choice.
ChrisAtRU February 23, 2017 at 7:39 am
I do not vehemently disagree.
This gave me a chuckle: “a well-defined R&D program aimed at computer simulation and scientific field testing of new systems and benchmarking of results”.
I recalled an article about a computer vision system that as yet couldn’t tell the difference between Chewbacca and a horse. But yes, we should let machine simulation decide – ignore the GIGO (Garbage-In-Garbage-Out).
Aaron February 23, 2017 at 8:20 am
Great post Yves. Appreciate your framing. I think his post inadvertently explains why Trump won the election. The elites and many clueless academics think they have a solution that will somehow placate everyone. There models tell them so, so it must be true. If the price is right you can buy a paper from one of these PhD’s that will twist the facts to fit the narrative you are seeking.
I have a feeling we’d be much better off as a country if many of these PhD’s spent a few years as tradesmen in a useful, productive job (i.e that manual labor they deem not so creative) prior to receiving their credentials.
Left in Wisconsin February 23, 2017 at 9:49 am
This guy is clueless and, though he is academically trained, I wouldn’t call him an academic. If he was an academic, as opposed to the (apparently) self-supporting “thinker” he is, he would have a much more sanguine view of “creative” work. And he would quickly abandon the hilarious notion that academics and smart people could simply get together and devise a technical “fix” to the problem of unsatisfying work.
Many, many problems with this piece. I am impressed with the commentariats’ responses though. Much more insightful.
Uahsenaa February 23, 2017 at 8:22 am
Viewed abstractly, economic and political systems are problem-solving systems. One could call them technologies of a sort. As such, they are subject to scientific inquiry and engineering innovation aimed at discovering new designs that improve problem-solving capacity. Further, if we seek ideas for new designs, we don’t have to look far. Nature provides a blueprint.
Viewed concretely, economic and political systems are structures of power that determine who gets what and who gets left out in the cold.
I’ll be even less kind than Yves. I found this piece to be stupidily naive from the get go. The abandonment of any consideration whatsoever of power relations and the role they play in limiting and constraining one’s self-determination, which lie at the heart of Marx’s theory of alienation that the author would seem to dispose of so easily, seems wholly in the service of yet another “we can engineer our way out of this” technocractic response to what are fundamentally issues of control, who has it, and why. It would propose palliatives in the place of actually addressing what makes people miserable in the first place.
This unwillingness to undo what has been wrought isn’t even hidden very well:
We face the unthinkable, not so much because a few CEOs, companies, or politicians have acted greedily (some have) [!!!], but rather because today’s problem-solving systems didn’t evolve to help us meet real needs.
Read: “let’s not look back at the sins of the past [or how they continually manifest themselves in the present], but rather let’s look forward to a [highly unlikely] bright, shiny future in which the powers that be suddenly give up on all the practices that put them where they are and pray they save us.”
Thanks, but no thanks.
Foppe February 23, 2017 at 12:04 pm
I don’t disagree that the author’s world view is blinkered, but I do think that he is, in his own, naive way, trying to get his fellow economists to go do something more useful with their time than to come up with justifications for the status quo. :)
jrs February 23, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Yea, I didn’t think the article was that bad either. Ok clearly the author means well. Ideally societies ARE INDEED problem solving systems. If societies were what they should be experimenting to find the best ways to solve problems of human needs (biological and psychological and ecological) within the social system WOULD matter. It would be the purpose of societies.
The problem is either the innate or induced human need for hierarchy as manifested in the economic system has made the whole question pretty meaningless. When the .1% own as much wealth as the bottom 50% or whatever the stats are then the question of running a society to meet human needs just makes no sense at all. It has NOTHING to do with how society is run. Capitalism is inherently a slave system where some get power and money for having money and others work with no say over their work, and it isn’t messed up because we haven’t run enough A-B testing on how to maximize it or something. But he’s on a really interesting line of thought, it’s just the type of thought that doesn’t seem of much practical use until after the revolution as it were. But being we’re not likely to have a revolution either the question is what to do.
lyman alpha blob February 23, 2017 at 8:25 am
Uh oh – another social scientist with physics envy –
Viewed abstractly, economic and political systems are problem-solving systems. One could call them technologies of a sort. As such, they are subject to scientific inquiry…
Sounds like the author feels some research followed by a some undefined new viral work satisfaction app will solve the problem.
I much preferred Yves take. Too many jobs are simply useless and serve no purpose other than making an owner wealthy and the owners treat those jobs as such by treating employees as disposable and interchangeable. I’ve heard the argument that one should stop complaining and just be glad to have a jawb, no matter how crappy it is, way too many times.
fresno dan February 23, 2017 at 8:28 am
Yves here. I hate to be a nay-sayer about a well-intentioned post, and I expect some readers will disagree with my point of view vehemently. However, this article about the nature of work clearly implies that work is valuable only if it is perceived by the person doing it to be “creative”
I couldn’t agree MORE with you – and I find it hard to believe many would disagree with you. When I started my Federal bureaucratic career, one of the things I did was review sterility tests submitted by firms. As the test HAD to pass for the product to be released to the market, it meant that every single test submitted was “pass.” So it was the archetypal mindlessly stamping a piece of paper***. Yet it was the daily respite from all the even more laborious and tedious tasks I had to do. And I’ve cleaned bathrooms for money – not as bad as many would think. Its a clear, simple task and doing it is something that one can feel one has completed and go home without worrying about it, or getting emails asking about the “status.”
As I advanced, and my career became more intellectually stimulating, the truth of the matter is that the most creative aspect of the job was essentially lying, or meticulously avoiding acknowledging reality. I’ll put it this way – there is a post today about Ken Arrow – how many articles, papers, and over all yammering is there in economics about the “market” being so, so beneficial when anyone firmly planted in reality sees that there is no “free” commerce what so ever, and that there would be chaos without regulating it (e.g., never mind Obama care, all insurance is heavily regulated, and society has rightly acknowledged the reality that insurance companies would be on the market that could not pay valid claims because it was a scam or the proprietors were too stupid to adequately fund it). How many accountants only creativity is coming up with scams that trouble their conscience?
How much of Andy Warhols’ day was purely creative? How much did he enjoy lithographing those soup cans (well, he only did one I imagine and had flunkies slaving away running the lithographs….)
How much was frustration, and self doubt??? How much was artistic compromise, and compromise due to the demands of the “market”? ‘Damn, these Chef Boyardee spaghettios can lithographs just won’t sell, but they express my very soul!!! These Americans are all philistines’ !
***Yes, that regulation on submitting sterility tests was changed. I helped write the new regulation, it entailed much more “creativity” but actually was more tedious and difficult “work”, and actually resulted in far more paperwork and bureaucracy than if we had stuck with what we had.
Moneta February 23, 2017 at 10:09 am
Flunkies slaving away? Maybe some would like doing this work and the problem is considering them flunkies.
rps February 23, 2017 at 12:09 pm
“And that,” put in the Director sententiously, “that is the secret of happiness and virtue-liking what you’ve got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny.”
Moneta February 23, 2017 at 1:54 pm
The pay scales and perceived status force most into the wrong line of work.
JTFaraday February 25, 2017 at 12:07 pm
Accounting isn’t supposed to be creative. “Creative accounting” is (rightly) an insult.
I also really don’t get the fascination with Andy Warhol. This is supposed to be an inspiration for something?
funemployed February 23, 2017 at 8:41 am
First I’ve heard of the Max Neef list of needs. Looked it up. On it’s face, it looks pretty flakey, and certainly not very “scientific” (leaving aside, for now, the odd philosophical notion that a meaningful society is something identifiable through scientific analysis). Among Max Neef’s needs are “identity,” “leisure,” “protection,” among other not-so-scientific (i.e. defined clearly by observable behaviors) constructs.
It’s odd that the author chose such a fringe theory when Self-determination theory is readily available and backed by mountains of already existing research. SDT posits three fundamental psychological needs (it should go without saying that a social system must provide for the physical ones, which are obvious).
1. Competence (aka mastery)
Perhaps the omission because it is fairly easy to imagine a social/economic system wherein a janitor or delivery driver achieves all three plus physical needs to boot; it only requires abandoning the myth that people who write essays about economics are of greater social value and moral worth than those who clean toilets or harvest crops.
diptherio February 23, 2017 at 10:17 am
Agree. Having moved out of manual labor into “knowledge work” (I cut and paste things on the interwebs!), I’m now wishing I was back in janitorial. I really miss being able to use my brain for philosophical inquiry while I’m making a floor all shiny. The only things I ever disliked about those jobs was what Yves mentions: no social respect, treated like an idiot by the boss and customers, crap pay and bad hours. The actual work though, was actually not bad.
knowbuddhau February 23, 2017 at 7:07 pm
Being there, doing that. :) Had to shove myself into shallow waters before I got too deep just the other day, while cleaning a bathroom counter. And last week, someone saw right through my “just a simple janitor” schtick, saying, watching me mop is like watching someone rake sand in a Zen garden. Guess I was being too obvious.
If you ever want to take a working vacation, come to Anacortes and I’ll let you spell me for a week (he said in his best Tom Sawyer accent). There might even be free beer and food involved.
This post really spoke to me. There’s so much more to “job satisfaction” than the pay.
I’d say the single biggest reason I enjoy cleaning a brew pub and a nightclub (jointly operated) is the respect. In a restaurant, everyone cleans, so they know a good job when they see one.
Bartenders work really hard. Really, really hard. All day, and into the night, they’re giving the best hospitality they can. I want them to show up for work and see some beauty behind the bar, like a polished stainless steel slop sink and shining brass bar bling, so they know that someone cares about their experience, too.
So that’s a measure of autonomy. And so is the fact that no one told me to show up at 5am, I just do it so I can be done and out of the way of the front of the house staff. (That, and I can listen to an audiobook version of The Way of Zen (Alan Watts) and totally get my Zen cleaning groove on for 2 hours of working class bliss. One of these days, I’m going to just wade right into those deep, deep waters, and never come back. But not just yet. I’ve got work to do. ;)
So I get respect, autonomy, and a sense of belonging, But it’s “just” cleaning. No matter how well I do it, it’s somehow not deemed worthy of providing a decent living. I can survive on $12.5/h X 28h/week, but to live takes another 3 nights a week and then every other weekend, and I’m still not making a housing wage.
It’s an obvious class thing, IMNSHO. Everyone wants to be rich, and to be rich means never getting your hands dirty. So people learn to class signal by their aversion to cleaning.
I’m reminded of De Tocqueville’s observation: every American he met seemed to consider themselves a temporarily embarrassed millionaire. To do work done by the undocumented, to get one’s hands dirty, is to emphatically demonstrate one’s lower class status. Maybe that has something to do with the reluctance of the documented to “stoop” to cleaning.
For me, not only as a Zen practitioner but also having spent time with people with degenerative brain disorders, just being able to do the simplest things is “marvelous power and miraculous activity.” Sure would be nice to support myself and participate more in my community, all the same.
About that Zen quote by Yves. Not familiar with that particular version. The Way of Zen of course refers to the same work by Watts referred to above. So cool when domains seemingly so vastly different as this blog and my solitary work come together.
P’ang Yün ( Hõ Un, 740-808), a lay disciple of the eighth century, also known as P’ang Chü-shih ( Hõ Koji) (Chü-shih/koji is a title of respect for a lay student of Ch’an)
Foppe February 23, 2017 at 12:16 pm
One reason to pick Max-Neefs framework might be that a lot of human needs don’t easily reduce to those 3 SDT has at its center.
A second, fuzzier one, is that any theory that became popular/big since the 1970s is pretty much guaranteed to efface or paper over or depoliticize/psychologize the problems with the societal status quo, and to be overly respectful of disciplinary boundaries — hence the blindness to / denial of the political aspects / ramifications of scientific theories that you find in most places in academia.
funemployed February 23, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Agree with the second point emphatically. The zeitgeist of the elites very much likes to define social/political problems as personal/psychological.
JohnL February 23, 2017 at 9:02 am
Suggest this from links http://dissidentvoice.org/2017/02/for-a-society-without-jobs/ as well as, or better yet instead of, this article.
PhilM February 23, 2017 at 9:35 am
Yves did a noble thing by posting the article that motivated her to write an interesting, humane pensée on this matter. Or, she wanted us to read it because misery loves company.
Her remarks reflect common-sense, empathetic observation of broad human experience in the workplace. She is absolutely correct that many, even most, people shrink from having to deal with the constant challenge that is creativity and change.
One of the great trials of parenthood is to teach a child to play the same musical sequence, say, a baseline, for five or ten minutes; then vary it; then vary it; and each time, practice until it is perfect. Tedium? Well that is what musicians do until it becomes instinctual, and suddenly the tedium is gone, and a create world of creativity in fact opens before them. Yet fewer and fewer children, or parents, have that discipline today? Repetition is the task of machines, right? Argh. It is not only musicians who benefit from repetition.
As soon as Maslow comes up, I know I’m in for it. And when I got here — “engage global, test local, spread viral” — I had to reach for the Zofran.
Patricia February 23, 2017 at 12:26 pm
Yep, developing skill and technique require repetition. But repetition towards excellence is different than the dreary repetition demanded by my daughter in gradeschool homework, which was so dull that it turned her off learning for a number of years. And that repetition is different than the repetition of a menial job, which can be very satisfying if properly respected. I enjoyed my early years of painting (schools, apt buildings, nursing homes). I would have been glad to do it half-time for decades. Such repetition was like rhythm.
There is a kind of creativity which is in craft, inherent in making a form, say, a cabinet, rug, pot. Then there is innovation, which is making a different version of something that is already there. Innovation is not an intrinsic good—if the different version is worse than the first, it is not worth keeping. It can be worth doing, though, because it is learning.
Originality is rare. It’s an occasional by-product. There are greater and lesser versions.
When I was in art school in the 70s, I was told that a fine artist had to break the rules. Highly problematic. The ‘rules’ stopped being taught, which erased skill/technique development. For a while, being ignorant took on a halo. (It took some time to get over my undergrad education, heh.)
But the biggest problem, I think, is how this idea slid into broader society. In the financial world, for eg, it gave scamming a patina of originality. “That creative rascal. How can one be jailed merely for being a creative? We need more of that, not less.” Oy
My two cents…
Watt4Bob February 23, 2017 at 1:17 pm
“That creative rascal. How can one be jailed merely for being a creative? We need more of that, not less.”
I distinctly remember being lectured in that exact manner when I mentioned Michael Milken’s indictment for what I called fraud and my friend called ‘financial innovation‘.
In fact, my friend was of the opinion that without that sort of innovation the markets would stagnate.
Jeremy Grimm February 24, 2017 at 1:07 pm
My two children were both schooled in the public schools where they learned to hate reading, study and learning. In my view the schools used a combination of the dreary repetition you mention combined with a trivialization of knowledge through its reduction to a rag-bag of isolated factoids. The application of literary deconstruction to musty English literature — like Great Expectations [sorry for any Dickens lovers] — and the compulsion to write essays using that technique helped my son absolutely hate reading and hate writing even more.
Separate line of thought — Your recall of the 70’s admonition that a fine artist had to break rules made me think of a different meaning to give that admonition. I’m taking some art classes at the local Junior college doing work with glass. My impression of many of the rules applied to various aspects of the art is that they serve to capture details of solutions found for technical problems encountered in the execution of a work — rules-of-thumb. I believe some fine art results not from breaking these rules but from learning their meaning — that is learning the nature of the problems they solve and learning how they arrive at a solution. Knowing this “meaning” a fine artist can re-think the problem and discover a different solution. Often such different solutions are necessary to create a new kind of work. In glass art — many of the problems were solved differently in the past — for example the Roman solution to separating mold blown glass from the blowpipe — and many of the problems have new solutions in the inventions and discoveries of the commercial glass industry.
craazyman February 23, 2017 at 9:36 am
this could be a Calpersville Moment . . . when you put the Philosopher Kings in charge. I was thinking about this possibility if Calpers took it’s 300 trillion portfolio and bought a country and remade it into a retirement utopia. Something similar may happen if academics and technical wizards are put in charge
When you retire to get into a twin engine prop plane and fly to Calpersville, landing on a gravel runway bouncing up and down as the plane comes to a halt somewhere in a valley surrounded by breathtaking mountain vistas.
Then you notice somebody wearing a cream suit, dark tie and pocket square who looks like Ricardo Montalban approaching the parked plane with his arm waving in welcome. “Welcome my friends, to Calpersville, where your new meaningful and creative life is about to begin.” Then he hands you a contract with the Calpersville code of conduct, that you must obey, or you get “disciplined”. Whoa! You didn’t bargain for that!!! What? No public drunkenness?? No smoking pot?? Everybody has to be employed in either a sport, art, craft or hobby??? What??? This was supposed to be retirement??? You just wanted to lay around. WTF???
Then you see “the guards”. They dont look very nice do they. Are those tatoos? Yes! Whoa those dudes are ripped and they look mean. Holy smokes. Its only been 5 minutes and you wanna leave. Then you hear the dogs barking. And snarling. Then. You see them! Fkkkn AA. WTF is this? They’re German Sheppards!
On the drive into town you notice nobody is on the streets — exceept for guards and dogs. That’s weird. Then you see somebody on a corner, crying, and being handcuffed. They must have had a glass of wine and gone for a walk. Drunk in public probably. Whoa!
You’d have to be careful making Calpersville. Sometimes even the best laid plans go off the rails, like the Russian Revolution. Every time they try for utopia, something bad happens. It’s amazing to me Plato wrote the Republic. Was he crazy or what? All the other dialogues aren’t bad. Some are pretty fantastic. But that one is like: WTF was he thinking???? Hahaha.
OK, not to be too much of a joker. Any kind of thinking toward making things better is good, but you’re dealing with humans here. They definitely have a way of wanting diffrernt things and things you think they shouldn’t want
juliania February 23, 2017 at 10:17 am
“Random Boolean Networks (RBNs) are discrete dynamical systems which have been used to model Gene Regulatory Networks. We investigate the well-known phase transition between ordered and chaotic behavior in RBNs from the perspective of the distributed computation conducted by their nodes. We use a recently published framework to characterize the distributed computation in terms of its underlying information dynamics: information storage, information transfer and information modification. We find maximizations in information storage and coherent information transfer on either side of the critical point, allowing us to explain the phase transition in RBNs in terms of the intrinsic distributed computations they are undertaking.”
Everything, (and I do mean everything) is explainable by mathematics. Those German Shepherds are just a figment of your Boolean imagination. Which, by the way, is awesome. ;)
juliania February 23, 2017 at 10:24 am
Oh, and by the way, the above abstract was published in 2008. Something else happened in 2008. Let me think…
flora February 23, 2017 at 2:46 pm
..wait…wait… The color brochure for the trip to Neoliberal Land (aka Fantasy Island) promised that things would. be. fantastic! in a good way! Based on the great promises in that brochure I bought a ticket. Now you’re saying things that make me think I shouldn’t get on that airplane, even though I already bought a ticket. If I don’t get on the airplane I could call it ‘cutting my losses’, I guess. Wonder if Neoliberal Land has Rover guard spheres as well as the dogs. I’m so confused.
jrs February 23, 2017 at 2:57 pm
I have a wall to sell you …
Tigerlily February 23, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Thanks for that.
I admit my first reaction to the article was “scientific materialism meets utopianism: what could go wrong?”
I think you have the answer…
PKMKII February 23, 2017 at 10:37 am
There is a difference between doing “creative” work, and feeling that one’s work has helped create a useful product or service, one with social utility. An accountant may be the polar opposite of “creative,” but if they feel that the entity they work for produces useful products/services for society, they get the satisfaction of accomplishment. Conversely, a “creative” can lack that feeling if their end product is useless or destructive (e.g., a copywriter writing copy for cigarette ads). It’s not about the role, it’s about the end purpose of the role.
jrs February 23, 2017 at 1:12 pm
Of course people would prefer to work for organizations that are doing good over doing harm all other things being constant. But I don’t think whether work is meaningful can be reduced to this at all. Because it’s not about this, it’s about the actual lived experience, the process, the subjective, the phenomenological, the actual experience of working day after day including the human interaction aspects as well, not just some abstract end goal.
rocky February 23, 2017 at 11:03 am
Test local means to scientifically test new designs at the local (e.g., city or community) level, using volunteers (individuals, businesses, non-profits, etc.) organized as civic clubs. This approach allows testing by relatively small teams, at relatively low cost and risk, in coexistence with existing systems, and without legislative action.
This seems to me to be the weakest part of an extremely strong argument, which I otherwise agree with completely. I worked for a number of years doing economic development in marginalized communities. I might just not have been creative enough (a real possibility), but the biggest barrier I encountered, over and over, was lack of resources.
RickM February 23, 2017 at 11:07 am
Great discussion, especially the introduction from Yves.
I have done “manual labor” in a heavy chemical plant and so-called “creative work.” Both are rewarding when recognized as important, each requiring real skills. And it does take intelligence and skill to operate heavy equipment safely and effectively, or even dig a work hole with a shovel (aka “idiot stick”). Harry Braverman explained it all, or most of it, in Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. In 1974.
In my career in the “creative class” (sic) my one observation that seems to gain a stronger foundation the longer I live is this: Too many of my colleagues have never had to actually work for a living. But under the neoliberal dispensation, that is coming for their children if not for them. That is, if their children are fortunate.
Ivy February 23, 2017 at 11:34 am
Do NC readers skew toward one or another Myers-Briggs type, compared to the general population?
INTJ here.
Katharine February 23, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Could we ever really know? The iconoclastic types may be more outspoken, while more conformist people might read some of NC (with gritted teeth) but not comment.
Grebo February 23, 2017 at 12:58 pm
Heh, likewise.
Reminds me of the Do The Math blog. He was hoping to reach the world but then he found out all his readers were INTJs and he just lost the will to go on.
jrs February 23, 2017 at 1:16 pm
Dead Dog February 23, 2017 at 2:15 pm
In the late 90s, I was a newly minted Director in a State Treasury and we’d travelled a couple of hundred kilometres to a resort for a three day love-in.
I knew I was less like my colleagues, sensitive, empathy…
But to the point, a person came in and gave us all a MB test to do and then the results were put up in a 4 x 4 matrix (iirc) and the results interpreted.
I’m there in the corner all by self (INTJ) and I remember my boss looking at me surprised. All the other senior people were clumped in a group, can’t remember which, but the whole process made me feel like an outlier, a person with the wrong sort of processes and feelings to be a successful senior manager
Oh, yes another great post which has made me think, thanks all
Lee Robertson February 23, 2017 at 11:37 am
I have survived as an artist all of my adult life……it is tedious and difficult work. Anything when done well is intrinsically satisfying. It seems to me that the problem of the ages has been the machinations of intelligent sociopaths. Until they are formally recognized and called out, their predations will continue to cause the cyclical collapse of civilizations.
susan the other February 23, 2017 at 11:52 am
Nobody liked this essay? I did. I thought John Boik was deceptively simple even. What’s wrong with “engage globally, test local, spread viral”? It’s a reasonably good recipe for solving social and environmental insecurity. We should all question the apotheosis of creativity more often. All it is is curiosity. Everybody and their dog is creative. I’m not sure Boik was really talking about creativity as much as he was talking about stg. like curiosity paralysis. We’re so down and hopeless we don’t know where to start. We can’t even ask the question. He’s right that we don’t have much time to mess around but he’s also right that we have the means to come up with things quickly and good ideas can spread like wildfire. It’s a good recipe for decentralization of the economy into ideas that fit the environment in any given place… etc. With well-being as the bedrock. What’s not to like?
John Boik February 23, 2017 at 2:28 pm
Thanks Susan. Deceptively simple is what I was going for. Why not question what we want from an economic system, whether current designs are giving us what we want, and whether there might be other designs that would give us more of what we want? As a scientist, why not question if there is a defensible set of metrics that could be used to help compare the relative goodness of different system designs?
These are simple, straightforward questions, but are rarely asked in academia, technology, or other sectors.
TheCatSaid February 24, 2017 at 1:14 pm
Yes! Humans are inherently creative. We are being massively programmed on an ongoing basis not to recognize this–through our many social structures (“work”, “money”, approved social structures, “education”, religion, socially approved thought patterns, etc.). Creativity gets systematically dumbed down or nearly eradicated by social norms and messaging–not because people themselves are “not creative”.
I take issue with Yves’ opening comment, “The fact is most people are not creative. And this is not just my personal opinion, this is Carl Jung.” Unless she’s commenting on the post-brainwashing effect of many in our so-called “advanced” Western society.
The good news is that even if we’ve had our creativity turned down to a low level by modern society, life can switch it on in a big hurry. This is why I still carry seeds of hope for situations for a potential Grexit, for example–where there’s compelling evidence that “things can’t work with a new currency because it takes at least 3 years preparation”–that doesn’t include the unpredictability of human creativity to find new ways to deal with “impossible” situations.
Eric Patton February 23, 2017 at 12:18 pm
The fact is most people are not creative.
I respect the hell out of your honesty.
Noam Chomsky says that the fact people use language at all is a sign of their remarkable creativity. However, the issue is not who is right, or who is wrong. The issue is just saying what you think, and being honest about it.
Thinking that most people are not creative is a sign of deep-seated classism. No, I can’t prove it, and I learned a long time ago the pointlessness of arguing about it, since classism is as poorly understood today as racism and sexism were 200 years ago. I know, you don’t take assignments.
I’m not sure classism will ever be understood, though. Once society collapses, we’ll be returning to rule by strongmen, at which point people will forget everything they ever understood about racism and sexism, too.
Foppe February 23, 2017 at 12:25 pm
It rather depends on how you define creativity — it’s not a one-dimensional trait, and some types involve far larger doses of autonomy, and having to interface with / inspire / manage others, than other forms. Whether you are comfortable with that, and can deal with that, and are aware of the various factors, also affects whether someone will self-identify as ‘creative’.
Moneta February 23, 2017 at 5:53 pm
IMO, it just goes to show how creativity is subjective.
JTFaraday February 25, 2017 at 12:47 pm
Not necessarily. Creative intelligence is not the only form of intelligence humans possess, and it’s not the only quality that is well remunerated.
Indeed, usually it isn’t well remunerated. I’m inclined to agree with those who suggest that we’re seeing the elevation of the term “creativity” as a means of separating people from their paychecks.
Historically, the prototypically creative arts were the province of the independently wealthy who were possessed of sufficient leisure to engage in them and who didn’t need a paycheck, as well those very few truly talented “geniuses” whom they chose to patronize.
In other words, it’s mostly dilletantism, punctuated by a few bright moments.
Today, by contrast, the term is being applied to all kinds of crap that, as some point out above, is mostly just computerized drudgery they’ve compared to mopping floors, which still pays something, most of the time.
This intersects with my feeling that the Trumpertantrums have given us a very distorted view of what and who The Dispossessed Working Class is, where it lives and what it does, whether or not it has a d**k (of course it does), etc.
JTFaraday February 25, 2017 at 12:56 pm
Above, I myself pronounced journalism and accounting, both of which require considerable intelligence, as Not Creative. It doesn’t bother me at all to do so. No one should be offended.
Tim February 23, 2017 at 12:49 pm
This article is spot on. I realize that the USA’s economic moat is ingenuity and creativity, but culturally it is out of hand.
Being clever is way more valued than being wise which is how we got into the whole financial crisis.
I’m an engineer and even many of my peers agree with the statement that the most satisfying thing they ever do is mowing the lawn because they can visibly see that they actually got something got done.
Creativity job’s downside is that so much work results in so little tangible benefit, that people question if they are even doing anything worthwhile.
Pay people well to replace our infrastructure and they will have a lot of pride in getting those jobs done, and will contribute back to our society. No creativity required.
Jesper February 23, 2017 at 12:57 pm
Maybe this part is the one where disagreement was expected:
In fact, what has happened in America is that people have been trained to see manual work, unless it can somehow be seen as being “creative” like making artisanal pickles or restoring fancy furniture, as well as most service work, as demeaning drudgery.
Do people do that? Or is it the ‘elite’ who does that? Or is it the time-honoured complaint about the young being lazy?
jrs February 23, 2017 at 1:31 pm
A more relevant question is how many places in America is the pay for that a living wage? In places with low cost of living I think it can be, but I think it gets difficult in any larger urban area with a higher cost of living. So you wonder why the janitors are all illegals …
So is it really about prestige and thought training or more about what it’s always about: the doe ray me, the benjamins etc.. I have often thought I would be happier doing low paid service work, I’ve often looked with envy actually, but not when I think about the pay! That ends the daydream real fast. “I’ve got bills to pay, I’ve got mouths to feed, and ain’t nothing in this world for free” Of course that’s service work, some manual labor is absolutely backbreaking and nothing much to envy.
jerry February 23, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Agree with Yves, this is all much simpler than the author makes it out to be.
People do not mind working as long as they can have reasonable freedom, benefits, dignity and a feeling of community (dare I say love?) at work.
This isn’t revolutionary, it isn’t communist or capitalist its just basic common sense that first graders learn – treat people how you want to be treated.
I personally have no interest in trying to express my creativity through business and the pursuit of money, but I have no problem spending my time working for a good company if they will pay what’s right, and what will allow me to live a decent life.
In the post-war period, your average high school education, low specialty job still paid enough (relative to cost of living) to get by, own a house, car, have a family, take vacations, etc. Now our minimum wage is poverty, and our median income is enough to enjoy a life of paycheck to paycheck squalor as a member of the precariat, ever at the mercy of automation, financial crises, a broken and corrupt political system, and share-price maximizing corporations.
Geof February 23, 2017 at 1:49 pm
I too found the intro more interesting than the article. I agree with the point you make there, but not in your jumping-off point: “this article about the nature of work clearly implies that work is valuable only if it is perceived by the person doing it to be “creative”.” I don’t see that at all.
Meaning has little to do with creativity (indeed, originality inherently undermines meaning). You describe a good job: “that it was treated with respect, that the boss wasn’t a jerk, that the workplace demands were realistic, and that the worker had a way to complete his task and feel he could see he had done a good job.” Respect, satisfaction in a job well done: this is a description of a meaningful job.
John Boik February 23, 2017 at 2:03 pm
Thank you Yves for posting my article, and thanks to all who offered comments.
Many if not most of the comments are related to Yves statement that this article “clearly implies that work is valuable only if it is perceived by the person doing it to be creative.” I address this point first.
I hope that this implication is not clear, because it is not what I was trying to say. If my article gave this impression, then I am at fault for choosing the wrong wording. I have several other articles on Medium that I hope are more clear on this point.
Rather, my intention is to suggest that work should be meaningful to the person who is doing it. For some people, this might involve doing something that would be labeled as “creative,” and for others it might involve helping people in some way, developing skills, building friendships, or something else entirely. It seems reasonable to wish for ourselves that we spend our time doing something that we experience as meaningful.
Another set of comments was on the topic of a technological fix. Note that we already have an economic system of a specific design, and that economists already spend time modeling it in various ways. I am suggesting that the modeling process could be expanded to also include measures of collective wellbeing, both social and environmental. It seems reasonable that if people desire a high degree of collective wellbeing, then perhaps we should include these concepts in our models. Indeed, leaving them out of economic models and economic research might very well lead to other serious problems.
It also seems reasonable to ask, out of all conceivable designs for economic systems, which ones might be best at elevating collective wellbeing. Why would we not want to ask this question? Modeling is one of many ways to help develop answers. Certainly, no model is prefect. But that does not mean that all models are worthless; good models provide useful insights, or can help to raise new important questions. Many scientists across fields use models to help expand understanding.
I would not suggest that a community blindly apply an economic model or blindly adopt a new system that has been modeled. But perhaps some communities might be interested in learning about the results of modeling experiments, and about possible alternative designs—their pros and cons—so that the community might make informed decisions about the options available.
Finally, I would argue that the designs of current economic systems could be improved upon. I am suggesting that a focused R&D effort to investigate new designs would be helpful. Such an effort might lead to designs that look very different from current ones. Besides formal modeling, a good R&D effort would include public outreach and comment. It would also involve small field trials in willing communities, to see how new designs might function in practice. It would generate many ideas for design, each of which could be tested in some way. It would also help us focus our attention on the question, what do we want of an economic system?
Grebo February 23, 2017 at 3:08 pm
My reaction was “more easily said than done”, not least because such things take money and those with money don’t want such things done.
But maybe some can be found at a place like INET.
There is some interesting work along these lines at thwink.org, though their focus is on sustainablility rather than on making work meaningful.
And you’ll need some physicists: W. Brian Arthur, Jason Smith, because to model alternatives you first need to figure out how the current system actually works and what changes are possible.
Foppe February 23, 2017 at 4:08 pm
Hi John, thanks for coming here & responding. :)
Might I suggest that, instead of talking of people needing to be able to derive meaning from something, talking about people’s ability to meet needs (play, meaning, creativity, helping others, learning, etc.) in/by doing something? I realize this may come across as pedantry, but given that there’s also a ‘need’ for meaning (-> Victor Frankl), you may be able to avoid some confusion that way. (That said, talk of needs often gets messy because of how people confuse/conflate needs and strategies, because people have memories of being called “needy” as though that’s intrinsically bad, etc.)
With respect to your remark about models: I’m afraid I don’t really understand what you’re proposing. As I understand Max-Neef’s framework (and I mostly know about it second-hand, as I haven’t yet found the time to read more about it), this might involve something like polling people to find out how well they feel they are able to meet their various needs, and what they feel would help. But I’m not really sure how one could operationalize that, if only because it’s so novel, and dependent on local expectations / familiarity with possible strategies to go about meeting needs or creating / improving societal (pre)conditions so as to allow people to better meet their needs. But you seem to be proposing an aggregate measure ‘wellbeing’?
Anyway. I think it would be helpful if you could become more concrete on these issues, because as is it’s very hard to see how this might work, also because of people’s unfamiliarity with Max-Neef’s framework.
craazyman February 23, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Don’t worry about it John. When I proposed a plan to use a parallel local currency to help Greece get off skid row, so people siitting around doing nothing but drinking and smoking and drugging themselves can get up and do stuff like carpentry or paying for glasses of wine in a bar, they called me a “QuacK” and said the currency would break all the computers over there. That’s what they said, right here at NC! Even though my idea was for a paper currency and the computers are metal and plastic. I mean really.
You gotta keep the creativity flowing even when people make fun of you. Because they themselves either 1) aren’t creatiive and can;t see shlit or 2( they have reading comprehension problems. Or maybe 3) they’re right (but it’s just luck if they are, probably).
Im not kidding, they called me a Quack. But I know absolutely that I’m right and I’m thinking something like that might work for low wage workers. If theyre doingg something people are willinig to pay for as a full time job — like shoveliing shit — for $10 per hour. Then givve them some special local currency other people can user for taxes, 4 times per year to top them off at say $20 per hour. Even rich people will be better off! It’s true. Try it in a few places and see if it works, and if the computers don’t break! Hahahahah. Sorry Clive — just ribbn ya. John it’s in iinside the peanut gallery joke. Clive is a very wealthy Brit with “exposures” as he puts it to global asset classes. Occasionally he comes in here and calls me a Quack. He knows a little bit about computers but he thinks they’re fragile.
The problem would be if somebody wanted to spend their day conducting hot babe surveys at the beach and expected to get paid since they were working otherrwise for free. You’d have to find a way of gently saying no to somebody like that, as nice of a job as that would be, to be sure.
knowbuddhau February 23, 2017 at 7:31 pm
Sign me up! There’s a chance I might get “creative” if I didn’t have to work all the damn time, though. But I’m willing to take that risk for The Cause.
This scrip wouldn’t only be good on Magonia’s campus, would it? Got a brew pub that needs cleaning?
knowbuddhau February 23, 2017 at 8:30 pm
Thanks for the post, and for coming by.
>> “It seems reasonable to wish for ourselves that we spend our time doing something that we experience as meaningful.”
I hear that. My all-time least favorite of all things to find myself doing, is just going through the motions. I grew up expecting to be a credentialed professional. Now that I clean for a living, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to justify it.
If I saw my work as having been forced on me from the outside, I’d hate it. But, as I wrote at length above, I don’t.
OTOH, I have the jobs I do simply because they were available in my area when I needed work. OTOH, I *chose them. I chose to respond to an ad, I chose to accept an offer. I choose to get up and go to work every day (literally, just finished 54 days straight).
I clean because it’s work I can do that others will pay me for that I can do in-line with the rest of my life. I don’t have to become someone I’m not, and do things I abhor, every single day for the rest of my working life.
The problem of meaning, as I see it, however, is of much larger scope. If our society is fundamentally flawed in its relationship with nature; if our way of life, as depicted so evocatively in the Koyaanisqatsi trilogy, is, in fact, a way of death, is actually unsustainable (eg, if all the externalities of fossil fuels were priced in, we couldn’t afford it), what meaning is there to be found in being well adapted to a sick society? (Drawing a blank on who said that first. A little help?)
I agree wholeheartedly that these are reasonable suggestions. But I think the problem runs much deeper than economics. I think economics is an expression of a way of being human. It doesn’t arise out of nowhere.
Along with a more meaningful economics, we need to R&D a more meaningful mythos. And we need to do it before runaway anthropogenic climate change moots it all.
If climate change says anything, it says our relationship with Mother Nature is so badly broken She’s rejecting us. We may already be in Gaia’s waste stream. We haven’t got long.
rps February 23, 2017 at 8:37 pm
“I am suggesting that the modeling process could be expanded to also include measures of collective wellbeing, both social and environmental.”
I say be very careful about your idealistic social science modeling of the collectives’ wellbeing. The benevolent iron hand in the velvet glove will be controlled by the ambitious capitalists; hence, they will define the measure of the collectives’ wellbeing. As an example: George Pullman.
Industrialist George Pullman dabbled in the modeling process and believed he had engineered a capitalist utopia in 1888. Pullman was established 10 miles south of Chicago as a model community including measures of environmental and social engineering—a place that theoretically would create a visionary community where the employees could be happy with whatever they were doing, and thus, a profitable company in return.
To quote economist Richard T. Ely (Harper’s Magazine 1885), “It is not the American ideal. It is benevolent, well wishing feudalism, which desires the happiness of the people, but in such way as shall please the authorities.”
Less than a decade later, Pullman’s utopian community failed. 1893 would be the worst economic Depression the United States had ever seen to that point. The market crashed, banks failed, workers laid off, businesses destroyed, slashed wages, exposing the American economic system was a house built upon sand. Eventually, Pullman the capitalist utopian visionary of a workers paradise was eventually toppled by his ultimate greed. Human nature should never be ruled out. Onto the next social engineering of a workers paradise.
Google headquarters is modeling their future eco sci-fi capitalist utopian campus. The benevolent capitalist Google, “is going for something like a futuristic city for its thousands of employees and local residents. The company is already known for its on-campus perks encouraging employees to maximize their time on campus, but the new plans elevate that concept” (www.pcworld.com). Apple, Zappos and Facebook to name a few, have engineered their capitalist utopian workplace/community/environment.
Does the overarching corporate campus enhance our freedom or impinge upon it? “Over the main entrance the words, CENTRAL LONDON HATCHERY AND CONDITIONING CENTRE, and, in a shield, the World State’s motto, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY[…] “O brave new world that has such people in it. Let’s start at once.” ~ Aldous Huxley, “Brave New World”
TheCatSaid February 24, 2017 at 1:29 pm
“Rather, my intention is to suggest that work should be meaningful to the person who is doing it. ” This was clear to me from what you wrote.
Re: developing models, I urge to you look into David E. Martin’s development called Integral Accounting. (You might find it in the M-CAM.com website, or just phone them and ask them to point you in the direction of more information.) They have not only been talking about it as something theoretical, they’ve been putting it to use in projects and companies all over the world for decades. Since I learned about it I apply it in many kinds of situations. (It scales, and is a radical departure from how things like “economics” and “money” are usually considered.)
Oregoncharles February 24, 2017 at 1:39 pm
” work should be meaningful to the person who is doing it.”
My own comment wound up in the same place (with slightly different words), just on personal experience. And no, that doesn’t mean it has to be creative – the words I used were “productive” and “useful.” I think we have a need to feel useful; at the minimum, it secures our place in society.
“I would not suggest that a community blindly apply an economic model or blindly adopt a new system that has been modeled. ” This is the ideology problem. Of course, any such model is likely to prove a Procrustean bed. I think it’s essential that any such system be responsive to and under the control of the people in it. I believe this is called “democracy,” but we don’t expect to see it applied to economic systems.
Our economic model is still essentially feudal, even though our political model supposedly isn’t. That isn’t accidental: capitalism developed out of the tail end of feudalism, so developed within an inherited social model. Factories looked a lot like feudal estates, only more compressed. This was the real issue of the Luddite rebellion: production (weaving) was being moved out of people’s homes into the “dark Satanic mills” of the Industrial Revolution, so workers were losing control of both the means and the conditions of production.
djrichard February 23, 2017 at 3:07 pm
When God kicked us out of the Garden of Eden and gave us work, the idea wasn’t to put work on a pedestal.
knowbuddhau February 23, 2017 at 7:43 pm
Assumes facts not in evidence. What if we weren’t? What if heven/hell are right here and now? What if the so-called exile from Eden is just a trick of the mind?
Even if it isn’t pedestalized, seeing work as the righteous wrath of god against his wayward creatures may not be the way to increase its intrinsic value. We work because we were sentenced to hard labor for being curious? Not helpful, IMNSHO.
TheCatSaid February 24, 2017 at 1:32 pm
Mauro Biglini discovered very interesting things when, as an expert in translating old languages, he was asked by the Vatican to do a precise, non-interpretive translation of the Bible. Once the Vatican found out the results, Biglini was fired. Fortunately Biglini has some great video talks (and a book) about what he found out. Fascinating stuff.
JTFaraday February 25, 2017 at 6:00 pm
No, we’re sentenced to hard labor for believing talking snakes.
Jeremy Grimm February 23, 2017 at 8:22 pm
This post starts off discussing each person’s “time … the bedrock scarcity” and the importance to each person that they should — no! want to spend their time doing something “meaningful.” Somehow this leads to the problem that the work of most fails to engage them and fails to enhance their well-being. Work is not fun for all and something should be done to fix this — and where better to look than economic and political systems which of course can be abstractly viewed as problem-solving systems. [Economic and political systems? — is that a new formula for the Market? — Isn’t that notion something central to Hayek’s neoliberalism?]
From this notion of problem solving systems we are brought to the idea of a scientific process for generating — evolving? — a more perfect political and economic system. We’ll engage academia and the technical core with other segments of society and build small local models we can test at least cost. Once we evolve/design/generate … the optimal system we can spread just like a viral meme via a sorta-kinda Internet thing. Did I miss anything?
I really really dislike the idea that economic and political systems are problem-solving systems we might apply to solving a problem we can select. Economic and political systems may solve problems and often create problems but I can’t stretch their abstraction far enough to regard their properties as equivalent in any way with a problem solving system like a computer running an optimization program — which is how I read this notion in the post.
Is it wrong to ask why we should be so concerned with work — making work more “meaningful” and producing an economic and political system to optimize its output of “happy workers.” Life — not work — is supposed to be “meaningful”. One source of the cult of work — “the necessity of keeping the poor contented, which has led the rich, for thousands of years, to preach the dignity of labor, while taking care themselves to remain undignified in this respect.” [Bertrand Russell, “In Praise of Idleness” http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html%5D
The comments here make clear most if not all the reasons workers are “not engaged.” Much and more and more work is badly paid. Workers are badly treated. Work is created solely for the sake of making work. Workers as a class are increasingly controlled in the most minute aspects of how they execute their work. Work increasingly encroaches on the limited leisure time workers managed to claw away in past conflicts with the leisure class. Workers are fungible and expendable. If somehow we had the power to optimize our Social Choice Systems — how about if we cut a few corners up front and use that power to get better pay checks for working fewer hours with less management and more autonomy?
flora February 23, 2017 at 9:32 pm
You quote Russell’s “In Praise of Idleness”. This reminds me of the online magazine The Idler, in which I found this recent entry:
“When Facebook was in its infancy, [Thiel] and Mark Zuckerberg were captivated by the philosophy of the late academic René Girard, who signature idea was what he called “mimetic desire”. This is essentially the rather depressing notion that the things we desire are copied from other people, and that we do not really think for ourselves. “
There seems to be something trendy about the idea that our paid work should be meaningful as well as remunerative. More people are making the claim. Do they make the claim because they believe this, because they would like it to be true for them and for others, or because they hear so many other people making the claim? That’s a rhetorical question, of course.
jrs February 24, 2017 at 12:45 am
Because they would like it to be true, but how one finds meaning has to do with how one is raised etc.. If one is raised that one’s primary goal in life is parenting then they will try to find meaning in that (many do obviously, but bad parents also abound). If they are raised to find it in work they will try to do that but it’s difficult in this capitalist system. If they are raised to find it in love (only females ever are) then they may try for that but talk about having one’s work cut out for them! And so on. We are simply in many ways the values we were raised. Or perhaps Jung few things have as much effect on a child as the parents unlived life.
Jeremy Grimm February 24, 2017 at 12:47 pm
Thank you for your link to the Idler — an interesting site — though the prices make me very much desire more remuneration for my work.
Although the behavior of some people may fit Rene Girard’s notion of “mimetic desire” — my own back-of-the-envelope, penny-thick assessment is that people tend to argue within the frame posed without questioning the frame. This is one idea I picked up from watching Mirowski’s presentations on youtube. I also believe many people fail in following the warning — attributed to Socrates — that the unexamined life is not worth living.
TheCatSaid February 24, 2017 at 1:38 pm
A more basic problem with this post (with the introduction in particular) is that the concept of “work” is not challenged. This is a social construct. It is not inherent in human existence, but we’ve been well brainwashed to accept it as a given, as in TINA.
There are cultures that do not have a word for work, they just have words that describes different activities.
There are people who find their way outside conventional models of “jobs” and “works”, or who find ways to be gainfully employed in ways that have little or no resemblance to the conventional assumptions of “jobs” and “work”. Ricardo Semler (Semco Brazil) has thinking and actions that are in this direction. So does M-CAM, and this is clear from the relationships and activities of the business itself.
Oregoncharles February 24, 2017 at 2:59 am
I’ve always tried to be creative – first poetry, then photography – but I also take special satisfaction in highly routinized work, if it’s productive. Dishwashing is OK, processing fruit for the drier is better. This is good, because I spend much of my day (when I’m not doing this) mowing lawns or weeding. I also plant stuff, the fun part, and effectively redesign landscapes in the process of maintaining them. Weeding is more of a creative enterprise than it looks, especially when you have flowers reseeding/volunteering.
I guess I’m arguing that it’s something of a false distinction. I think it probably is important to people that they not be wasting their time, that they’re accomplishing something, even if it’s only giving other people what they want. We need to be contributing.
TheCatSaid February 24, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Repetitive work can be extremely creative, and highly stimulating. This depends on the mindframe of the person doing it, and their perspective and understanding that this is possible. Anything can provide a way to go deeper into one’s understanding of life and of oneself–if one chooses to do so.
madmamie February 24, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Seems to be, as usual, a lack of comments from women of my generation who have been the unpaid drudge (she who from time immemorial has permitted the male of our species to create empires), the mother, the revolutionary, the paid drudge,philospher and militant and now the backbone (we’re retired!) of the latest revolution(s).
It’s sad to see that in the US we are still not really talking about women and women’s work which is fundamentally creative and has ALWAYS had meaning for women because it is the glue that holds our families and our society together. There are philosophers and economists who know that and who talk about it…just not in popular media.
If we stopped ignoring the basic girding of the capitalist infrastructure (instead of talking about the salient problems i.e.: neurosis, psychosis and crime leading to drug addiction and early death, all leading to the disintegration of this civilization) and started repairing that girding we might be able to turn things around.
As it is, the inertia is just too strong and fixing the cracks in the cement is not going to slow it enough to avoid a crash.
Comments are closed.
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Do you struggle with keeping toddlers busy while homeschooling?
Today Heather will help you! By the way, I know many of you are saying prayers for our family today that we have a good first day of homeschooling, I'm so thankful for you. I'll be praying for all of you, too, for a peaceful back-to-school season, no matter what type of schooling your family does. Today Heather was sweet enough to offer to write a guest post on this topic that is a perfect fit for her. While we're past the toddler stage around here, she's still right in the middle of it, and I know many of you are, too. I'll bet you could use these helpful tips, and hopefully you'll also have a lot of tips to share, thanks, Heather!
Are you a homeschooling mom? Did you do tons of research before making the decision to home school? Did you talk to people both for and against, research curriculum options until your eyes crossed, and deck out Pinterest boards with every conceivable craft idea known to man?
Well then, I tip my hat to you. I'm a homeschooling mom, too, but I made my decision based on armpits. Mine, to be exact.
You see, when I was little a family friend told me a “secret” – leaving a film of Ivory soap under my arms would result in a fever by morning. For YEARS my sister and I tried to get it to work using a variety of “film thicknesses” and “soaping procedures.” We hoped and prayed and (most of all) scrubbed in hopes of a sick day at home with mom, but all we got for our efforts were very clean armpits!
So, What Does This Have To Do With Keeping Toddlers Busy while Homeschooling?
Well, let's just say that while the rest of my class was whizzing through multiplication tables I struggled to understand basic principles, and by the time we got to fractions I was a goner! The one-size-fits-all approach of my school district didn't work for me, and I had Very Clean Armpits (VCA) to prove it. Plus, I missed my mom!
Now don't worry, I did eventually get that fraction thing worked out. But years later when I became a mama, the VCA experience served as a jumping off point for exploring educational models that fit for our family. Though there are exceptional schools out there (and even more exceptional children in them!), it didn't take long for us to settle on homeschooling.
The Very Clean Armpit decision making method does not adequately prepare a mama for actual homeschooling. If you need someone to show you how to peel and declaw a chicken foot I'm your girl, but I do not own a label maker, make flash cards for fun, or have any idea how to occupy my toddler long enough to teach my daughter to read.
Are you in the same boat? Well then, I think I can help you with that last one. Here are some tips I've gathered from friends and articles to kick off our school year:
1. Give them your full attention FIRST
Before trying to interest them in something, first give them your full attention. This may go a long way to diffusing a sense of rivalry or being left out, and your older child just might learn something via a free online educational game in the meantime! (I've heard Starfall, ABCYA, The Old Farmer's Almanac, NASA, National Geographic Kids and Sheppard Software are all fantastic for younger kiddos.)
2. Include them whenever possible
For example, make sensory tubs about whatever you're going over in school for your little ones to explore together, then nonchalantly draw aside your older child for more formal instruction. I love this one about weather, this one about snow, this one about the human body, and this one in which kids excavate treasure from a frozen block of ice. I also thought this article about the benefits of sensory play was very helpful.
3. Splash buckets never get old
No time to put together a sensory tub? “A dish tub or large pot or bucket half-filled with water and set on the floor on a folded bath towel provides hours of fun. Throw in some measuring cups, a big wooden spoon and some dish soap for added fun,” says Melissa from HopeSprouts. A stool and the kitchen sink work, too!
4. Play dough and cookie cutters
Play dough and some kitchen tools/sticks/seashells to cut out shapes with – Nearly every article I read recommended this one! Make your own and and color it with blueberries, rose petals, beetroot, turmeric and oak tree bark using this recipe, or use this recipe if your littles cannot come in contact with gluten. You can also find natural dyes at many health food stores if you don't want to make your own. Quick tip: Add a layer of sensory experience by making scented playdough! Just add a smidge of vanilla, lemon extract or any other food grade scent you have on hand.
5. Hole punchers are amazing.
Hand them one and let them go to town.
For toddlers on the older side this tip from Krissy (in the comment section) is fantastic: “Hide puzzle pieces in a tupperware bowl with dry beans. He fishes them out and puts the puzzle together.” For younger kids you could just hide fun items – figurines, cotton balls, maybe even a box of raisins at the bottom.
Krissy also mentioned that her son loves playing with an electric toothbrush. I say if the toddler is old enough to handle it safely, that's two birds with one stone!
This post from Paula's Archives has TONS of ideas for activity totes, and indoor kiddie pool filled with play dough or rice, and tips for letting them “wash” the windows. Definitely worth reading through!
9. Special school-time-only crafts
Bring out a special box of stickers, stamps and paper that are only available during class time (or in the case of my tattoo happy toddler, just stickers and paper).
They may not work for you, but my littles don't get baths everyday so they pretty much think it's like going to Disney Land. For a day when you REALLY need some quiet time this ocean themed bath with blue water and spaghetti for seaweed looks awesome! I'd use natural food coloring.
This tutorial calls for vinegar instead of the more commonly used rubbing alcohol. I am going to make mine with natural food coloring.
Use some of your leftover rice to make an I Spy Bottle! Feel free to duct tape the lid on if your toddler is the type to pour it all over your freshly vacuumed carpet.
Many mamas hold classes during their toddlers nap time. My kindergartner still takes a nap, but this might work for some of you!
Do You Have A Tip?
Lovely mamas, I've seen the comments you've left on Kelly's previous posts and you obviously know your stuff – how do you keep your little ones occupied during school time?
Not everything works on everyday, but with variety, most days SOMETHING works!
~ Melissa from HopeSprouts
About Mommypotamus: Heather Dessinger, aka The Mommypotamus, is a wife, blogger, and mom to two amazing kiddos, both waterborn at home. She loves all things fermenty, talks to sock puppets, and dreams of owning a backyard flock of chickens.
Her e-cookbook, Nourished Baby, is a simple guide to first foods that explains why the birth experience affects cravings for life, how to decode nursing cravings, what the latest research says about introducing peanuts, eggs and other “allergenic” foods, and more.
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Comments
Robert Goodman says
November 16, 2022 at 8:14 AM
Unrinsed soap? Very. Sore. Armpits.
Jennifer says
February 2, 2018 at 2:29 PM
Gosh even though these ideas are fun (some I took note of) it was completely frightening to think of my little one doing some of these…she is wayyyy too destructive and I wouldn’t be able to keep a good enough eye while homeschooling my other.
Rachel says
November 4, 2014 at 6:40 PM
Sad to say, after two months of homeschooling my first grader, I feel like giving up at times because of my INSANE two year old. It kills me too, because he is flourishing at home with me. I came here looking for distractions for her, because all other ideas have failed at this point. I think the splash bucket is a winner though, and will continue to try other things until we find something that works, or she grows out of it. lol. Thanks so much for this post. I really needed it, since today ended with me yelling and in tears…
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
November 5, 2014 at 2:33 PM
I’ve had a day like that, too, today mine was due to 7th grade math – I just can’t seem to help it click for her!!! The boys teasing and distracting didn’t help, ahhhhhh!
So just know that you’re not alone, but what we’re doing is worth it.
April says
October 1, 2014 at 11:47 AM
Thank you!!! This is exactly what I needed today!!! I will give you both a shout out on my blog tonight. Thank you!!!
Julie says
September 16, 2013 at 11:14 PM
Good ideas but my baby is like Tiffany’s – I can’t find ANYTHING for baby girl to play with that she won’t EAT! I have 5- four left at home. My oldest moved out at the beginning of June so that’s one less to watch the baby. My next is 15 and she takes *all day* to do her school work after her chores. Then there’s the 9 year old. He has language delays of about 2-3 years and needs a lot of repetition on certain things. Other things, like math and science he’s really good at. Next is the 5 year old. She’s about to turn 6 and we’ll be starting her kindergarten curriculum as soon as we can afford the updated teacher’s manual for her. May not be till next year though. The baby is going to turn one in two weeks and like I said, she eats *everything* I don’t have anything that’s safe to give her to play with other than her teething toys and she won’t play with those for long.
My five year old hurts baby every time I have them play together so it’s really hard to do school with my 9 year old. My 9 year old wanders off when it’s his turn to watch the baby so… yeah. I’m really at a loss here.
I will be checking out the Slow and Steady… book and I was thinking of picking up some things out of the Timberdoodle catalog to keep put away until school time after doing some activities with baby girl. Hopefully she’ll get through this eating everything stage soon because it would be really nice to give her something to play with on her own for 15-20 minutes.
Tiffany says
September 16, 2012 at 1:25 AM
I am going to try the splash bucket. I am homeschooling my oldest for pre-k this year and also have a 3 year old and 17 month old. Rainbow rice works great for the 3 yr old and she does most our school with us I just don’t expect her to learn it all. The baby is the challenge! Finding something that she won’t eat…Well window markers are very distracting but I have to make sure she doesn’t eat them. Best thing I have found so far is large decorative rocks from the dollar store. They are too big to swallow and you get a whole bag of them for a dollar. I put them in a container and she spent 30 minutes taking them out, putting them in, setting them on the table where we were working. The big girls were actually jealous and couldn’t wait to play with the rocks after our school time was over…go figure!
[email protected] says
September 15, 2012 at 3:19 PM
Great tip, Scarlet! I have wanted one of those for quite awhile now
[email protected] says
September 15, 2012 at 3:19 PM
So glad you think so, Victoria! I’m still pretty new to this (did pre-k last year) so I’m hoping they will prove helpful in my house, too!
Victoria says
September 13, 2012 at 1:28 PM
Heather, those are really fantastic tips! I have a 4 year old and am doing online school with my 10 year old daughter and these tips will really be helpful.
Scarlet says
September 10, 2012 at 1:56 AM
Thanks so much for these tips. They’re wonderful! I’m going to be using many of them at home and at work with my kids.
One thing I wanted to add is that a safety stool like the Learning Tower or Kitchen Helper is indispensable. It lets your toddler be up at counter height in full safety, and they love it! My nephew comes over just to use ours, and he also converts it into a puppet theatre and castle. Worth every cent.
I like this article which explains the pros and cons of different brands.
September 6, 2012 at 8:16 PM
This was super helpful – thank you! I have two kids – kinder and pre-k3. My 3-year-old is completely ready to jump in with her big brother, but her brain isn’t quite ready for that. Love the ideas for both older and younger and plan to use the bath one tomorrow (and the youngster is gonna LOVE it!)
September 6, 2012 at 4:16 PM
BONUS: After the children are finished with the splash bucket, use the wet towel to “mop” the floor!
Britt @ Honest to Goodness Living says
September 5, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Had to share this with my friend who’s currently in this same situation! Love all these ideas… Is it bad that a “splash bucket” sounds fun to me as an adult?? LOL
Kaylyn says
September 5, 2012 at 11:09 AM
I am looking into homeschooling our kiddos as well and can use all the advice I can get! This looks awesome!
Meg Logan says
September 4, 2012 at 10:12 PM
That was a REALLY interesting rabbit hole, thanks “Alice”!
I just spent about three hours following links through your post, and I got the most wonderful ideas for fun things to do with my kids this year! I have 6 kids, 9, 6,5,3,1,new in November….They are going to LOVE some of the cool stuff I just found. Thanks!
Erin says
September 4, 2012 at 3:20 PM
I can’t agree more with Melina:) Though I do not have 11. I do have 4, my oldest in highschool and my youngest being a people oriented 2 yr old boy who is throwing my homeschool for a Big loop this year:) With, what feels like, hundreds of things to be motivated and accomplished…every day, the most effective tactic I have found is to have the older children take 30min rotations playing with him. And they love to do it, so its a no brainer:) This doesn’t help with a young family, but then, when your students are young, school is not so time consuming either.
Melina says
September 4, 2012 at 1:47 PM
With 11 children, I’ve learned a few tricks. The one that works best is to assign the older children on a rotational basis to watch the younger ones and keep them busy, freeing Mom up to work one on one with those needing the help. Call it home economics or early childhood education (or just family). It is also helpful getting the kids as independent with their schoolwork as possible as soon as possible. Get them to read their own lesson, do their own lesson, correct their own lesson with the teacher’s book. This teaches them valuable lessons is learning, something my kids have been able to use at university. They should be able to do this by grade 4. Then you can include ALL of the kids in unit studies for history or science or french or art or music…. Learning doesn’t start or end with school. That’s only a tool to keep Moms on track and give us a gauge to know what’s working.
Shawna says
September 4, 2012 at 11:51 AM
For those of you who need a more creative and fun way to teach those higher multiplication tables look into Times Tales. Our boys are dyslexic and it made a world of difference in less than an hour!!!
Brandis says
September 4, 2012 at 9:57 AM
I can totally relate to how you felt about math. I actually loved school in general, but I distinctly remember crying during math starting in the 3rd grade because I just. didn’t. get it. Coincidentally (actually probably not coincidentally…), 3rd grade is when I started having anxiety related stomach problems.
But honestly, the idea of homeschooling, just in our particular case, makes me want to scream. I have never been able to successfully do any structured teaching with my daughter (lots of casual and incidental teaching) without one of us ending in tears, and I am not ashamed to admit I enjoy the hours they spend at school (granted I only have one in full time school, the other only goes to preschool a few hours a week- I may be bored beyond belief when they are both gone all day… but I doubt it!). HOWEVER, if there is ever a time when either of my kids don’t enjoy and get the most out of school, I won’t hesitate to seriously consider homeschooling. Luckily, so far Izzy has had amazing teachers and LOVES going to school, and Oliver asks every single day if he can go to preschool. Here’s hoping that lasts!
[email protected] says
September 4, 2012 at 7:46 PM
There are days when having hours to myself sounds really nice, lol!
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
September 4, 2012 at 9:43 AM
As much as possible, we include the two oldest together and gear activities towards their levels. While my 4.5 YO is mastering sounding out words, my 3-year-old is still working on the last of the letter names and learning their sounds. We can sit together and they’ll take turns telling me an answer.
Of course, the trick is the 1-year-old. Hands-on or independent activities for the older ones work best. They like to do some worksheets or workbooks of their choice to practice naming shapes, colors, or writing letters. The baby plays alongside, sometimes scribbling with crayons, or playing with a separate toy. Sometimes I’ll bring them all in the kitchen, and they can do this while I’m cooking and the baby is entertained by pots and pans and wooden spoons, just happy to be in the middle of it all.
Going on outings is good too. The 1-year-old can look at things, touch things, help us “find” things, etc.
Snacks always work. Sit the toddler down with a small snack and they will be entertained for a good 20 minutes. That’s about as long as a typical 3 – 5 year old can focus on something anyway, especially if you’re really working hard. If you have older kids who can and do work longer, either set them up for independent lessons, or ask one of your older children to play with the toddler for awhile so you can work with the other one.
[email protected] says
September 4, 2012 at 7:44 PM
Great tips, Kate! I hadn’t really thought about it but breaking things up into 20-30 minute segments makes complete sense. Thank you!
Peggy says
September 4, 2012 at 7:11 AM
We did the school-only crafts tub, but we had three of them on a weekly rotation so there was something new to do all the time. I also switched things out in the tub with Goodwill finds often.
We also employed the “each one teach one” method, so when an older sibling had a break or was waiting for me, they’d go sing and dance or play a game with the younger one.
There was a book we used, “Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready” that had an age-appropriate weekly activity from birth to age five. Now that my kids are teens, they will often borrow that book to take on babysitting jobs!
[email protected] says
September 4, 2012 at 7:37 PM
THANK YOU, Peggy! I will definitely check out that book!
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This past year has been trying for everyone, with the economically vulnerable particularly hard hit. In a heartening turn, there has been an uptick in both volunteering and philanthropy throughout the country: charitable giving increased approximately 25% in 2020, and volunteerism also rose in response to increasing unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with the CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Nicole Taylor about this key California philanthropic organization. We learn how community foundations receive money from donors and distribute these funds to non-profits, discuss ways that the pandemic has changed philanthropy, and talk about how the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing trial of Derek Chauvin ignited a wave of giving to support racial justice.
Nicole Taylor – I just really encourage you just literally put in a search in the internet about the community foundation near me and get to know them, get to understand what they’re doing for your community and how you can use them as a vehicle. To give back community foundations were in touch with the folks who are doing great work, and we are here to ensure that that great work continues this past year has been trying for everyone with the economically vulnerable, particularly hard hit.
Narrator – In a heartening turn, there has been an uptick in both volunteering and philanthropy throughout the country. Charitable giving increased approximately 25% in 2020, and volunteerism also rose in response to increasing unemployment, poverty and food insecurity. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with the CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Nicole Taylor, about this key California philanthropic organization. We learn how community foundations receive money from donors and distribute these funds to nonprofits, discuss ways that the pandemic has changed philanthropy. And talk about how the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing trial of Derek Chauvin ignited a wave of giving to support racial justice.
Alex Wise (AW) – I’m joined now on Sea Change Radio by Nicole Taylor. Nicole is the CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Nicole, welcome radio. Thanks for having me. Why don’t you explain the mission of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, if you will. A Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a regional, what I like to call a catalyst connector and collaborator. What does that mean?
Nicole Taylor (NT) – We bring resources and skills together of donors, business, government, community, to really look at and try to solve. A region’s toughest challenges. And for us, it’s the region of Silicon valley. There are community foundations all over the country. There’s over 800 of us and each are having kind of a geographic territory. If you will, that they really support, uh, they promote philanthropy in their region, just like we do here in Silicon valley. They support philanthropists to invest with impact. And what we also do, which many of our colleagues do as well is we commit ourselves to advocacy. We use research and public policy and grant making to really seek solutions. That our community means in terms of the issues that it’s facing as a community foundation, we’re also really positioned to meet ongoing needs of our local communities. And especially during our next spectate emergencies or challenges, like we will, we’re still living through. But in particularly all of the challenges that we saw in 2020 here in the, in the bay area, yes, we had COVID we also had wildfires. We had the most contentious election season, I think, in, in any of our, our lives and renewed calls for racial justice. So as a community foundation, we found ourselves right in the middle of all of that, both working with donors to help harness their funds and working with community leaders and to identify the best places to deploy those resources and to do it quickly. So that, you know, the money could get to where it was needed. So in essence, what we do, we’re a bridge, we’re a bridge often between those with resources and the community. And what I like to say is we try to marry the two.
AW – And is a community foundation a segment of the philanthropic world. Is it a separate thing or is that more of your own brand name?
NT – There’s over 800 community foundations and community foundations or community fund is in every one of our names. And it’ll be, you know, a city and then foundation after it, that kind of thing. It is a segment of philanthropy. Very different than a private foundation, a private foundation, like Rockefeller or Ford or Carnegie, or, you know, any, any of the, kind of the household name gates, , private foundations are that’s usually one donor or a family, usually one endowment. And they don’t raise money. They don’t work with other donors really to bring their dollars in and give them out. And with community foundations, you know, we have hundreds of donors and the way that Silicon Valley Community Foundation has managed these funds, I imagine has changed especially this year.
AW – Maybe you can kind of speak to how your donor base and how your management team has kind of pivoted over the last year?
NT – It became clear that we, you know, as soon as we all went into the shutdown, right. And the shelter in place back over, you know, 14 months ago, I guess it is now we knew that we had to lean into being the resource that the region needed and what we have done and continue to do is we literally what I call aggregating capital. Which is a, not just a term, but a concept that here in Silicon valley, people understand, right. We have venture capital here. We have private equity here. We have these companies here and we aggregate capital and we do the due diligence on the non-profits. And we deploy that capital quickly and effectively, uh, with the aim of, especially in this past year, a lot of people in need, how do we get the money to the ground? How do we get it to the hands of the people who, you know, were facing eviction? Literally couldn’t put food on their table and stories of people who, you know, the families that couldn’t buy diapers for their babies. Right. So how do we get these resources, these dollars to help the families and help the individuals in need. And that we did that through community organizations. Right. And we had specifically, we created a regional response fund that was set up to help individuals and families at, you know, at first started February, 2020 when we first started hearing about COVID, we said, well, let’s set up a fund so that people could support the CDC, because that usually is what happens when there’s some sort of. Viral crisis happening, right. Ebola, or it was something like that. And so when we said, and then we can pivot if this gets serious here in this region, and we can work with the public health officials or nonprofits. Well, as we know what happened in pretty short order. Yeah. It effected as deeply. So that fund. We worked with our colleague community foundations. There’s eight community foundations in the San Francisco bay area. And we worked with them to, to, you know, we housed the fund and the dollars came in, were literally portioned out to the 10 counties and each county there was a lead. Nonprofit agency that received the money and got resources out to families and individuals. That’s just one example. We did similar with childcare, K-12 education. At the time, we had a small business fund that we also had up and running. So this concept of aggregating capital was something that the donors really, really, uh, Responded to and responded to well, when the wildfires hit, , Northern California, we set up a wildfire fund for our part of the bay area that was hit really hard. Again, donors really, really responded well to it and gave, gave to it when George Floyd was murdered and everybody was, yeah. Trying to figure out what could they do? Where could they fund? We worked with some other foundations, private foundations and community foundations, and we launched a hundred million dollar fund called the California black freedom fund. We’ve it’s going to be a five-year initiative. We’ve raised $40 million to date, which is fantastic. Considering it’s been, you know, we started this concept. It was, you know, came to be last smer. And you know, we’re going to do as a fund, similarly for the Latin X community here in the two counties that we, that are primarily that we serve here in the Bay Area. What I’m talking about and how I’m talking about, you know, bringing capital gathered, get working with community leaders, working with fellow funders. That is an essence what a community foundation does. Right? We have our ears to the ground. We work with community leaders. We work with public sector leaders, elected officials, you know, the county level, the city level, the state level to identify what research they can bear. How do we leverage their resources, where the gaps are? You know, where can we really focus the dollars to where they’re most needed? So that is an essence, what a community foundation does. Vis-a-vis, you know, the example of what we’ve been doing over the last year.
AW – This is Alex Wise on Sea Change Radio. And I’m speaking to the CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Nicole Taylor. So Nicole, you were talking about aggregating donors, logistically, what does that mean? I’m imagining a wealthy individual who set up a DAF, a donor advised fund, through your foundation. And it’s kind of this ongoing dialogue where they talk about their passions and their issues that are most important to them. Is this, then, you decide as a group saying, “Hey, if we all pooled these 1800 donors together to fight X, Y, or Z, this year, we can really make even more of an impact,” or is it something different?
NT – Yeah, it’s sort of because not everybody is excited about the same issues, so, right. So it may not be all 1800 of our donors. Although I did put out a call vis-a-vis a video twice last year. To tell our donors that in addition to what they were already doing, we really need him. The first time was up to 5% more of what they’re already doing to help those who were facing this crisis as a result of COVID. And then we saw it again in the fall saying we’re still not out of the woods. We still have a lot of folks in need and we have, you know, calls for racial justice and people, you know, we’re battling wildfires. We need you to give an additional up to an additional 10% on top of what you were already doing and, you know, for our donors, this wasn’t new, these weren’t new dollars that we were asking for. We were asking for them to, you know, look at their donor advised funds and give more out of their donor advised funds because of what our communities and what our nation was facing. So when it comes to, when I talk about aggregating. You know, funds are aggregating capital. We actually create a separate fund based on a particular issue. And we ask our donors to contribute from their death to that fund so that we can work specifically on that issue. We also do – many community foundations as well – do what we call donor circles or giving circles. So we will have, there’ll be a particular issue – say the arts or the environment – and we have a number of donors that are interested in that and we literally bring them, we would physically bring them together when we could. Now it’s virtually, right. And as a group of donors, they work with our staff to decide what are the priorities for the year that they want to fund, or do they want to do multi-year funding? And then, you know, do they want to solicit, , You know, proposals or do they just want to distribute the dollars? You know, no hassle, no, no fuss, no muss. If you will, for the organizations does another way that, that we bring donors together.
AW – You mentioned the murder of George Floyd. I wanted to touch on the ensuing trial that we just witnessed last month of Derek Chauvin. I’m a white man and my reaction was probably different than people of color like yourself. Could you share some of your thoughts as you saw this unfold slowly and slowly and build up until that that final verdict was called?
NT – You know, it’s, I’m trying to figure out where do I even begin to talk about, you know, my reactions, , one of my first initial reactions was how brave it, that you know, now we know that the person who took the videos was 16 at the time. Right? How brave would that 16 year old girl to video what was happening in front of her eyes? And because of that, finally, I, that was one of my reactions. Finally, this country actually gets to see what many in the black community know, you know, I’m a black woman, I’m actually a daughter of Jamaican immigrant. So if you know, first-generation, uh, us citizen, so born here, but my family, my entire family is Jamaican. So. , but as a black woman who has a 21 year old black son, , you know, I don’t know if you have children, but as black parents, we have conversations with our children that white parents almost never, ever have, or even think of needing to have when it comes to issues around police and how a traffic stop could literally. Result in the end of their lives and how to, how to respond. So when we saw that video, it was like, finally, people will see what’s been happening in this country since slavery. You know, modern day policing was an outgrowth of the slave patrols, runaway slaves. So that was a reaction that it was, was the immediate. And then as we were going through the trial and listening, I couldn’t actually listen to a lot of it because it just stirred up so much in me, that, but as we were waiting for the verdict, you know, it was will this finally be a sense of justice because we have seen time and time again, that these verdicts usually end in. Light sentence, if any, you know, if there’s a sentence, a light sentence for the police officer, but mostly nothing, no repercussions on the officer. So there was that fee, that fear and what that would mean and the anger and. That would ensue and quite frankly, the righteous, righteous anger that would ensue after that kind of verdict or would we, would we really see some justice finally being served and we saw the ladder and I’m very grateful that we saw the ladder. Now it’s bittersweet justice because George Floyd, his family will never happen again. And, , within, you know, out the week, right after the verdict, we had six other. People, primarily people of color slain by police after the verdict. After, you know, what we all thought was finally things have changed. It was a leap in the right direction. We have so much more work to do in this country around this issue.
AW – Yes. Vice president Kamala Harris said a measure of justice. Isn’t the same as equal justice.
NT – Exactly.
AW – I mean, watching the trial, I couldn’t watch much of it. To be honest, it felt like, I think we all kind of were looking at it with impending doom a little bit. And it, it brought us back a lot to these other types of trials where justice was not served, but it just went on and on. And I, and people were probably obsessing over this trial in a, in a present way that kind of, I found distasteful. I mean, I know it’s an important landmark decision in terms of justice for this person, but I couldn’t help, but think of all the other. Injustices that don’t get two weeks of non-stop cable coverage.
NT – Exactly. And I I’m like you, I couldn’t watch it. I really couldn’t. I would, you know, hear a little bit about the news on the news and that’s as much as I could take, I couldn’t listen to the testimonies. Cause it was just, it was heart wrenching and it was, and then there was the fear that. You know, the right thing wouldn’t be done. Right. So I’m with you on that. It was really, really difficult yeah.
(music break)
AW – This is Alex Wise on Sea Change Radio. And I’m speaking to Nicole Taylor. She’s the CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. So Nicole, kind of synthesizing our discussion here with racial equity and how philanthropy works in your sphere. How have some of the wealthiest of Silicon Valley worked together to try to right some of these wrongs under your stewardship?
NT – Fortunately they’ve been responding really well and, and wanting to know where to invest and what to do. So there are a few things that we did. The first, one of the first things is we created a giving guide of black led organizations and around in our region, but also at the state level and, uh, the national level. , and, and, you know, those organizations that were black led, but also we’re dealing with social and racial justice and donors gave. And they gave to the organizations that we listened out for them. One of the other things that I mentioned earlier in, in, in our conversation was we launched the California black freedom fund and first statewide effort. Because the black experience in California is different than it is. In the south, in the Midwest, up in Chicago, in the mid Atlantic and the Northeast is it’s different here. And, we wanted to launch this fund with fellow funders and to have raised $40 million. And that’s from foundations and individuals so far. That’s pretty incredible. People are responding. We’ve also launched a fund, uh, around, capacity building and leadership investment. And specifically for BiPOC leaders, black indigenous people of color leaders and their organizations to help give them the support that they need. That many organizations led by people of color don’t have. What, what folks. Many folks don’t realize that organizations that are on the front lines of fighting for justice are doing so on. Shoestring budgets. Right. They’re out there. The emotional toll of being on the front lines and running an organization and trying to fit into the parameters that funders or donors have in terms of giving. And it’s a lot. And so we’ve just, we’ve created a fund to invest in these folks because we know they need the support and they know they need to, you know, equip their, their folks in their organizations so that they can, they can fulfill their missions and keep moving forward. And so donors here are responding. And I have to talk about that’s the other horrible thing that’s happening in our country right now is the anti-Asian racism and what’s happening in the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities and the rise in hate crimes that we’ve seen. And then there, again, we put out to our donors list of organizations that were serving our region, Silicon Valley’s Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities. And after the murders, the horrific murders in Atlanta, I wrote a statement and also brought to light the intersection of racism, misogyny, and white supremacy, and what that, how that all came together and those murders in Atlanta, and again, directed donors to local state and national organizations working on anti-Asian racism and donors are responding. We’re seeing the folks here in Silicon valley wanting to know where they can invest and how they can invest. We’re seeing companies that are trying to figure out how to support these issues and how to support these communities. And we’ve created avenues for them to do that.
AW – Right. And I guess the pitch then to people who might criticize the donor advised funds that say, “sure, there are people in our sphere who have given lots of money who have made some. Decisions that we don’t agree with, but the money that they’re giving us is then being used for good.” You are taking away some of their decision-making that people don’t necessarily trust and giving it, hopefully to people like yourself who have values that align more with theirs.
NT – Right. And, and that most folks with donor advised funds are aren’t the super wealthy. The other thing is. The warehousing, you know, people often say that the donor advised funds are their warehouses, that their people are just putting the money there. They get the tax deduction and they’re not moving. And then dollars out.
AW – I wanted to kind of understand that better. I, and I remember in the New York times article from a few years ago about Nick Woodman, the founder of GoPro, he got like a windfall from his IPO and he has this subsequent capital gains tax staring at him in the face. And then he can steer that money into a donor advised fund. And I guess the article was saying that he avoids, let’s say, $500 million in capital gains tax and he might give, eventually, some or all of that away to the charities of his choice or, or with your advice. But then those charities may not receive it for many, many years while the government isn’t getting that tax revenue right away. Is that an unfair characterization?
NT – Well, that’s the argument and I do think it’s unfair because most donors. Get the money out and it may get out. So let’s say there’s a donor who sets up a very large, you know, a hundred million just use that as, as in a donor advice fund, getting that out effectively and quickly, isn’t going to happen overnight. So yeah, it may take a couple of years to, to get the dollars out, but they’re not sitting on the dollars. They are moving a lot of dollars out. Our donors gave out $1.9 billion last year. And that was a result of what was happening in responding to the crisis. That’s the most they’d been given out, you know, well, in the history of the organization. So there, so yeah, a little bit of an unfair characterization, because it just assumes that it’s, you know, happening over a very long period of time when in fact. Then our donors are moving the dollars.
AW – I think that where people are more suspicious as not the Silicon Valley Community Foundation per se, but when the instrument is being used by let’s say the Mercer foundation or these Trump super PACS that are taking, you know, they, they say give $500 and then it ends up being like a recurring thing where some little old lady in Oklahoma ends up giving away $5,000 where she just meant to give away $500, right?
NT – Right. Well, you know, the, one of the things that has, has been clear to me and others is the people who are fighting for tighter regulations. And, but we’re like way downstream. Right. By the time the dollars get to us, it would get out the door that’s way downstream. How, how are we really thinking about who, you know, who gets five oh one C3 designation as a non-profit? How are we ensuring that, that, you know, that they’re, that they’re legitimate. And how do you do that? That’s been tough because the IRS has been underfunded for a while. Right? And in the last administration, you know, lost even more funding. So, you know, the whole system was actually needs to be examined in terms of how we hold folks accountable and, you know, across the board from the organizations to the donors and just ensuring that we don’t have things like you said, where somebody thinks that we’re just giving $500 and then over time it turns out no, she gave away 5,000. Yeah, that’s scandalous that, that shouldn’t be allowed to happen. So how do we, how do we prevent that and what are the, what needs to happen to prevent things like that? So, absolutely
AW – So Nicole, you’re talking about how you don’t have to be super wealthy to have an impact through a community foundation. How can people reach out in their community around the country?
NT – So one, I encourage everyone to find and locate the community foundation that serves their community and if you’re in a small state, there’s usually statewide fan community foundations. And if you’re in a big metropolitan area, you might be like the bay area. There may be several that serve, serve the region. I just really encourage you just. Literally put in a search in the internet about, you know, the community foundation near me and get to know them, get to understand what they’re doing for your community and how you can use them as a vehicle to give back. Community foundations were in touch with the folks who are doing great work, and we are here to ensure that that great work continues.
AW – Nicole Taylor, thanks so much for being my guest on Sea Change Radio.
NT – Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.
Narrator – You’ve been listening to Sea Change Radio. Our intro music is by Sanford Lewis and our outro music is by Alex Wise, additional music by Curtis Mayfield, Etta James and Dr. John check out our website at SeaChangeRadio.com to stream or download the show or subscribe to our podcast. Visit our archives there. To hear from Bill McKibben, Van Jones, Paul Hawken, and many others and tune in to Sea Change Radio next week as we continue making connections for sustainability for Sea Change Radio, I’m Alex Wise.
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here looking at ways to apply the principles of open source software development to the field of disaster risk management.
The brainstorming effort is being supported by the World Bank, which would like to see the students come up with some innovative, cost-effective ways for integrating satellite imagery and other Earth remote sensing data with risk assessment software the international financial institution uses to determine where best to invest in disaster prone areas in order to save lives and reduce property losses.
The World Bank, which provides development loans to the world’s poorer nations, launched an effort in 2007 known as CAPRA – short for Comprehensive Approach to Probabilistic Risk Assessment – that is seeking to identify how best to integrate Earth observing technologies and the information technology revolution with disaster risk management.
“The timing today is very good in a number of respects,” Edward Anderson, a disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank in Washington, told Space News in a July 8 interview. “There is a convergence of policies, a maturity of technology and, I think, the will to begin to ‘operationalize‘ a lot of Earth observation.”
In the disaster risk management arena, understanding the infrastructure at risk from any particular disaster is the most difficult unknown in the equation, said Richard Davies, a facilitator for the ISU team project and executive director of the
, a nonprofit applied research center based on the
campus. Davies said that great strides have been made in disaster modeling. But without a firm understanding of variables, such as the number of people, buildings and roads at risk, models are only notional.
“Earth observing systems are beginning to address this gap,” Davies told Space News. “Imagery from the high-resolution commercial remote sensing satellites is beginning to be used to populate infrastructure databases. These data are especially useful in developing countries, he said, when combined with local ground truth.
The World Bank’s CAPRA program is developing a geospatial information systems-based risk management tool that incorporates readily available remote sensing data on winds, floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes to help disaster risk mitigation specialists make decisions aimed at reducing the loss of life and property from disasters.
“We’ve seen that all the different components exist. It’s just bringing it together,” Anderson said, adding that The World Bank is putting the analytical tools together that will allow countries to access a variety of available remote sensing data and use it to inform public investments aimed at mitigating the impact of natural disasters or the creeping effects of global climate change.
So far, the World Bank’s CAPRA program is focusing its efforts on
, and has produced a detailed infrastructure model of
it can use to run a variety of disaster scenarios and calculate the resulting life and property losses. This risk analysis is then used by city planners, for example, to improve building codes. Or strengthen public infrastructure.
said the World Bank is looking at expanding CAPRA to address all of
, and eventually other regions around the world, “growing organically and learning as it goes.”
Davies said CAPRA’s expansion is held in check by the time and expense involved in developing the detailed infrastructure models required for high-fidelity risk analysis.
One objective of the ISU study team is to extend the capabilities of CAPRA to include hazard risk modeling for the rest of the world, said team member SyedShere, a program manager at Com Dev International in
Ontario
The study team, Shere told Space News, is taking on a number of tasks, including evaluating existing space- and ground-based techniques for hazard monitoring; gauging the operational characteristics of available Earth observing systems and assessing how to apply probability risk assessment to countries where detailed data is not available.
Shere
also said that ISU team members are appraising use of the NASA Ames-developed World Wind viewer – an open-source 3D interactive tool that leverages Landsat satellite imagery and digital elevation models obtained from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission that NASA flew in 2000.
The participating ISU students have been tasked by the World Bank to define how remote sensing satellite systems can be used to collect infrastructure data.
“This is still not as easy as it sounds and most folks still think that when we say disaster we are involved in using remote sensing for disaster response,” Davies said. “That is not the case. We are focusing on risk assessment, a function that occurs before the disaster happens to try to mitigate and plan ahead of time for the actual disaster when it does take place. In doing so, this is when you can save the most lives and reduce property loss.”
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Sounds silly, right? Rams head coach punked the Chargers in hiring Brandon Staley? Come on, top coaches help other coaches move to a higher level all the time. Bill Belichick has done it with coaches that are not head coach ready. But, with the Staley hire, this is the tsunami of head coaches out of their league in the position. So, did McVay create the greatest 'punked' of them all? It kind of looks that way.
Tim Daniel NFL Game Scout, Football Writer
This might be one of the most embarrassing events in the history of the NFL.
I had a phone call the other day with a professional player that I train during the off-season. I chat sparingly throughout the season and securely record the calls with some of my player clients because we watch film, and we talk about what’s going on out there. It is part of my training system of creating and keeping records of all of my player clients all year long that build amazing off-season training programs.
I record most of the phone calls with my players which are deeply private, and it helps in how we will move forward in the off-season training. Of course, I will never mention his name or anyone player I talk on the phone with. He knows I am paid to write about the Los Angeles Chargers, and I don’t share any team information with any of the player clients of my scouting and talent reports of them.
I have never done this and more than likely never will again, but he allowed me to use some of our call for this story. Because now I am part of the media, and it is a unique story that we in the pro football world are seeing.
I am a coach, I’m pro-coach, and I don’t ‘out’ coaches.
But this is unique and something the league has never seen. Ever. And the media bug side of me must tell it.
Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers is a NFL head coach that is grossly unqualified for this position, gravely unprepared in how to coach at that level from a head coaching standpoint, and completely lost in the game out there.
It is so bad, I talk with coaches all the time at all levels in high school, NCAA, and professional assistants, and we watch in amazement at what they are doing schematically out there. Personal movement at the wrong times and most importantly, controlling the game with decision-making. It is so bad, every coach, and I mean EVERY coach, I talk to that has watched film on the Chargers all agree, and one respected coach said, “one of the greatest hack jobs of all time the in the NFL.”
My off-season client is part of a team that has recently played the Los Angeles Chargers with a highly successful outcome. During our call, I asked him when preparing for the Chargers, what were the team and position meeting rooms like for that week.
“Wow, talent everywhere on the field, man. But we are watching film and our coaches have a little bit of an under-their-breath laugh because he is pointing out where we are going to dominate, all we have to do is our thing and just go. It just seemed that all of this talent was not lined up right, out of position, or something. Like, they were told the wrong s**t out there or something. We’re watching film and it’s like, they don’t adjust that well or like hardly at all. Like, they can’t stop us, and we can definitely stop them given what’s in front of us. If we do our job against a more talented team, we should f**k them up. It usually doesn’t happen like that. But it did.”
Interesting.
“It’s crazy. These are great players out there for the Chargers and it’s like they are forgetting some of the game or something. Like, when different personnel comes in, it’s like wait, what? This is a different type of player for this situation and that dude should not be in there for that situation. We should own it. And we did. But hey man, I’m not their coach but, whatever. It’s like they’re being told wild s**t by someone, their coaches or something. It’s crazy, man.”
Not surprising because the rest of the world is seeing the same thing. Staley is an NFL head football coach that has no idea what he's doing. And nor is he the caliber of this level of football. What staggers me is how did he get to this position. It's evident that he is a complete deer in headlights.
But seriously, how did Staley get the chief position for the Super Chargers?
Sean McVay punked the Los Angeles Chargers and he knew what he was doing. Funny, right? But follow the facts.
For the first time in organization history, the Chargers put serious money behind Super Bowl talent. The goal? Do what everybody else is doing. Hire the younger wunderkind coach, overpay him, and then use an amazing salary cap situation that was created by Tom Telesco. Sign some of the world’s best football players in the 2022 season to win the world championship.
Ok, maybe a fun conspiracy but it all makes sense. I’ve been in this game long enough to know crazier things have happened.
Brandon Staley is a good football coach and a respected player’s coach, but he is an embarrassment as a head coach to the city, its fans, and the organization. However, here is the kicker. The league office doesn’t care. The worse the Chargers look, maybe the better. The Chargers have been a giant thorn in the league ever since Alex Spanos’ children started calling the shots in San Diego. They are the worst ownership in the history of professional sports. They were a giant problem in San Diego and ultimately, the Spanos family played the ‘best city in America.’
But what comes come around goes around. Spanos and General Manager Tom Telesco ended up getting played. For millions.
Well done, Sean McVay. He punked the Chargers. I believe he knew that Staley was not ready for that level or better, Staley played everyone. Great salesmanship of football. If that is the case, amazing job by Staley. Too bad his head coaching or the opposite of amazing.
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Many startups end up spending more money than necessary. However, a company can be launched for much less than expected. The key is to use a marketing strategy that is innovative, ROI focused and customer-centric rather than one that relies on branding and traditional mass media. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through digital marketing.
Digital marketing is a great alternative to traditional media. Traditional media often requires spending hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars on radio, TV and billboards. In comparison, the Internet allows advertisers to test on a small scale, easily control costs and market to targeted prospects. That’s not to say that traditional media outlets are not effective. It’s just not viable for startups with small budgets.
There are many different ways to market online. The list includes social media, paid advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, and more. Entrepreneurs can use these platforms in innovative ways in order to acquire customers even will small budgets. For example, using integrated marketing can maximize the results of more than one advertising/marketing platform. Another example is identifying cost effective ways to get the word out about your company
Building an Audience for Social Media Platforms and Blogs
One way that new companies can establish themselves is through social media engagement and blogging. Using social media and blogs is a great way to build an audience, create relationships and interact with the target market. Many companies are using content marketing and leveraging relationships to build followers and readers for their social media platforms and blogs.
Creating high quality content and marketing it works really well because people respond really well to information that is relevant to them. In many cases, readers follow up with the content creator in order to subscribe and get additional content. This is a long term strategy that can take as long as one year until a business starts to see significant growth. But after the year mark, many businesses go on to establish brand awareness and immense market presence.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is another way to acquire new leads and customers. It is a strategy that requires you to optimize various factors on and off your website to get your website to rank in the search results. People use the search engines to do everything from learning new information, comparing different products/services to researching businesses. Getting your website to rank in the top results for search terms related to your company will help you reach targeted prospects while also branding your business.
The perfect example of integrating different marketing strategies is using both content marketing and SEO together. A content marketing campaign will help build an audience for your blog and social media platforms while also helping you acquire backlinks. Additionally, backlinks are one of the biggest contribution factors to ranking well in the search engines. The visitors that result from the search engine rankings can be directed to impactful content which is likely to be shared.
If you have modest budget to work with, it might be a good idea to use pay per click (PPC) advertising. This is an advertising platform that is similar to offline display advertising. It will display small ads in the search engines and you only incur costs when somebody clicks on your ad. The best feature about this advertising method is that your ad only shows up when somebody searches for search terms you’ve bid for.
Retargeting can be used in addition to pay per click advertising. This is a type of display advertising where your ad is shown to visitors across a network of websites. When a visitor comes to your website, they are tagged with a browser cookie. Usually, once a visitor leaves, you lose the chance to market to them. But with retargeting, your message will be displayed across a network of sites, allowing you to follow up with them.
An innovative strategy that can be used to make this advertising more effective is to combine it with email marketing. By leveraging your existing email list, you can refer readers to one of your pages that will tag them with the cookie. This will ensure that your readers come across your ad while they are surfing other websites.
The lesson here is that there are many different ways for a startup entrepreneur to grow. Online channels can often enhance or replace a function of a business. For instance, a social media account can be used as a public relations tool. The result is that there are no big expenses used to hire a public relations department or company. It’s really all about exploring different marketing channels and being innovative with them.
If you like this post, please share it along:
John Maddox is passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs be successful. He is an investor in mobile and web application startups, while also a consultant in digital marketing, web design and development, mobile and web application development and business logic. You can learn more on Google+ or follow him on Twitter
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Millions of women and children walk more than three miles to collect water each day for their families. Often, the water collected is unsafe to drink. But there is hope. This year, I will be walking to raise funds and awareness to help fight the global water crisis. Together, we will walk to bring clean, safe water to 10,000 people in need around the world.
We walk, so others don't have to.
OCT
Excited to jump-start my campaign with this new site! I will be sending more information about people around the world who are walking for water every day. Keep posted to hear more!
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raised of $200 goal
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Captain
$10,000
Charity Navigator has awarded Water Mission its top four-star rating 15 years in a row, a distinction shared by only 1% of the charities rated by the organization.
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Disclosure: I’m participating in the 2014 Believe in Heroes® blogger campaign and received compensation as part of the program. ALL compensation is being donated to the Wounded Warrior Project®.
I am honored to write that I have become part of the Wounded Warrior Project® Believe in Heroes® Campaign. As a military brat and military wife, this program is very near and dear to me. I asked my father and husband if it would be okay to share their stories here and they gave me permission. Neither wants accolades or attention, but I would write they deserve both.
My father served three tours in the Vietnam War. He was Pararescue and jumped from helicopters while being shot at to rescue men, his brothers, of all branches. My mom has a box of his things from Vietnam and in it contains a newspaper article with a photo of my father. It was a call for a hit on his life by the Viet Cong. It seems like the stuff you see in movies, but he lived it. And now he still lives with physical and emotional scars. Maybe someday he’ll talk to me about the things that happened there, but every time I ask he just replies, “Why do you want to know about that? I left those horrible memories there.”
My husband spent eight months on a ship and slept in a rack no larger than the size of a dining room table. While there are those who will say that is the job he signed up for, and he’d never complain about it, these are the conditions in which we make some of the most important people in this country live. We have the money and technology to make living conditions better, but we don’t. I find it a travesty for those of us living in the US we seem to value the men who protect a ball more than the men and women who protect this country. We wear jerseys in support of sports teams, yet what do we “sport” in support of our troops?
As veterans transition into civilian life, they face many challenges and our wounded warriors are overcoming what can sometimes seem insurmountable obstacles. There are physical injuries sustained while serving this country and there are the ones that lie beyond the surface such as post traumatic stress disorder, a very real yet very ignored condition. I believe it is our responsibility to give back to these heroes, and I am asking imploring every American to do just that. But how?
So often I hear that people want to contribute, but they feel they cannot necessarily afford to do enough to make a real impact. What if you could join thousands of others to become part of a program that gives back and saves you money at the same time? No strings. No catch. Nothing to sign up for. All you do is print coupons for the grocery shopping you’re already doing. That’s it. No email address required. No sign-ups. Nada! And yes, it is really that easy.
For the fifth year, Acosta Sales & Marketing has collaborated with Believe in Heroes® in calling on all Americans to show their support to our warriors. From now until the end of November by using coupons each time you shop you can give back. (Coupons will be available until November 30th, or until supplies last). Veterans Day is November 11th. Even if you make it a point to shop on just that day, you will make a difference!
Visit the Believe in Heroes® website by clicking here and downloading over $25 worth of coupons for your grocery shopping. Again, you don’t have to sign up for anything. All you do is print and go to the store! You can also purchase great products on the site that will help you show your support for our warriors and give back at the same time.
All retailers who are participants in the program will raise funds and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project®. Please spread the word with the hashtag #BelieveinHeroes and by sharing a link to this post on your Facebook pages, Twitter posts, Pinterest, Instagram and anywhere else you can think of!
For more information and to see where you can shop and save more, click here. Thank you in advance for giving back. I can’t wait to see what a difference WE will make!
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Hi there
When my husband finished his military career we made the move from San Diego to his native rural Northwest Arkansas to be near his daughters. Now I'm sharing my adventures of going from concrete to countryside. Stepmom, fur mom, lizard mom, Event Professional and wife, I'm just a city girl living in a country world and learning something new each day. This is my crazy beautiful life with Alpha-gal Syndrome. Hair color subject to change.
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The team roping industry is one of the few in the equine world that relies so heavily on geldings. But over the years, a few exceptional mares have stood out from the pack to win world titles, major jackpots and millions upon millions in cash. We searched the records and mined the memories of ropings’ legends to come up with 13 iconic horses who happen to have the XX chromosome.
By Chelsea Shaffer | October 17, 2022 | 13 minutes read
Ridden and owned by Dustin Bird
PEDIGREE: By Skid Frost out of Sissy Truck by Texas Truck
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Carried Erich Rogers to 2017 PRCA heading world title; Bird rode her at three NFRs and won three go-rounds, while Rogers rode her at three NFRs, as well. On Dolly, Bird won the Spicer Gripp, placed third at the BFI and third at the George Strait. Estimated $750,000 in earnings.
HER STORY: Bird bought Dolly in 2007 from Dennis and Teri Dahle after seeing her at some Indian rodeos. The young Montana header really needed a fast horse to crack out to the ProRodeos, and fast Dolly was.
“She was good from the start,” Bird said. “She had so much potential, but it happened slow. She started off a little bouncy and high up front. She just got better and better and more and more calm. She still gets wound up and gets to going fast, but it’s a little more controllable now. She can get to grinding her teeth on the bit because she just wants to go 110 percent all the time.”
Bird, who has $953,269 in PRCA earnings, credits Dolly with the majority of his winnings. Dolly injured her right hind digital deep flexor tendon at the Finals in both 2015 and 2017, but she was cleared for competition in the summer of 2018. Bird’s first rodeo back on the mare was the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, Colorado, in January 2019, where they placed in the first round with a 4.7-second run.
Ridden and owned by Mike Bacon, Colby Lovell and now Kory Koontz
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Multiple-time CPRA/UPRA Horse of the Year for Bacon; took Koontz to the 2015 NFR, while Lovell rode her as a back-up horse most of that year, too. On her, Koontz won the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, the Wildfire Open to the World, various other rodeos throughout the year and a go-round at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.
HER STORY: In 2015, Colby Lovell had bought the mare before the rodeo season as a backup head horse from Mike Bacon in Oklahoma. Lovell and Koontz were getting ready to rope at Reno, and Koontz couldn’t catch on his dun horse, Remix. Away from home and any of his backup horses, Koontz hopped on Abby to try to change his luck.
“She kicked the crap out of Colby’s trailer all the way out to Reno,” Koontz said. “I heeled a few on her and decided I was going to ride her in the rodeo, he said good just keep her. I had shoes shaped so you could put them on between the hock and the ankle, and it fixed her. That’s all I did. She’s never kicked my trailer.”
From there, Lovell and Koontz went on a heater over the Fourth of July and would go on to qualify for the NFR with a legitimate shot at a world title. At around 22 years old, Koontz still owns Abby and will likely save her to ride in smaller setups.
Ridden by J.D. Yates, owned by Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch’s Dr. Kurt and Merle Fulton Harris
PEDIGREE: By Grays Starlight out of Play Zana Express by Zan Parr Express
HER STORY: Dr. Kurt Harris raised Lilly and owned her dam and grand dam, too. Throughout her legendary career, Lilly was under the direction of AQHA Professional Horseman and NFR cowboy J.D. Yates.
“She’s just a once-in-a-lifetime kind of mare,” Harris said. “First, she was a show mare, and we showed her in the reining and working cow horse. And then, J.D. showed her in the heading, heeling and calf roping and halter. She had a really good show career and has been producing one after the other.”
Harris has only bred Lilly to the same stud twice in her producing career (“Only because I got a filly and I wanted a stud colt on that cross,” he explained.) And still, she has continued to produce winners no matter the sire.
Lilly’s colts have performed at every level across disciplines. One of Lilly’s offspring is Lil Joe Cash, a 2011 NRHA Futurity Champion with legendary trainer Andrea Fappani. Trey Yates rode a son of Lilly, Romancing the Chics, to the 2018 NFR average title.
Ridden and owned by Justin Davis, Patrick Smith and now Clint Summers
PEDIGREE: By As Smart As The Fox by Smart Little Lena, out of Playboys Pet by Freckles Playboy
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: HorkDog Champion (with Davis); RNCFR winner (with Brady Minor); NFR go-round wins with Smith.
HER STORY: Lil Kim came to Davis’ string through famed cutter Ted Robinson. Davis’ mom was trying to run barrels on the mare, but she told him he needed to be heeling on the pint-sized pony.
“She is naturally good at it,” Davis said. “I didn’t have to teach her anything—guys are always teaching heel horses to bend and keep their nose tipped to the inside and keep their spacing. She was the fastest-made heel horse in my entire life. It took me three weeks to make her. She did it all on her own.”
Davis needed money and was stepping away from rodeo, so he sold her to Chase Tryan, who sold her to Smith. Smith rode her for years as a backup to his PRCA/AQHA Horse of the Year, Amigo, and sold her to Summers when the up-and-coming heeler was needing a backup.
“I looked at so many horses,” Summers said. “But from the first steer, I knew she fit. She just does everything so right and makes it so easy to be fast.”
Now based in Texas, Summers hauls her regularly and had her at the 2018 NFR.
Ridden and owned by Kollin VonAhn, now Junior Nogueira
PEDIGREE: By Apache Blue Boy by Blue Boy Doc, out of RA Soft Smoken by JD Playin Gin
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Wildfire Open to the World champion; five NFR qualifications; USTRC NFTR #15 Champion.
HER STORY: When Hali was just 6, VonAhn called on her over the Fourth of July after his good horse got hurt. Not only had Hali never been to a rodeo, but she’d only been to one jackpot—Kaleb Driggers heeled on her in a #15 roping in Fernley, Nevada, a few days before she was thrown into the July-Fourth fray.
VonAhn rode Hali to multiple NFR qualifications and as part of his world-title-winning team in 2015 before selling her in 2016 to Nogueira, who was in dire need of another good one.
“She’s so forgiving, and so strong,” Nogueira said. “She lets me win everywhere. She was great at the US Finals, and she was great at the Wildfire, and everywhere else I rode her. I love her. If you need to get on a horse and go catch, you get on her.”
All told, VonAhn and Nogueira collected more than $500,000 in winnings on the mare, whose career is far from over.
Papoose
Ridden and owned by Allen Bach
HER STORY: Bach bought Papoose in early 1979 from Angel Crosthwaite, who was known for being a great horseman. She was a short-necked, high-energy mare, and she clashed with Bach’s also-on-the-muscle personality back then.
“She was hard to warm up,” Bach remembered. “I’d get so aggravated that my wife would get on her and warm her up. I was just so high energy and quick tempered myself that she’d make me so mad. But she was so short necked and could really, really run. You could ride her too wide or too high, and she’d end up right in her spot. My first partner, Reg Camarillo, told me if I didn’t learn to rope faster, then we wouldn’t make the NFR. So I immediately tried to learn to rope fast, and she made that so easy. I never lost vision of the feet.”
Bach rode the mare for years until she was diagnosed with navicular—which back then, Bach said, was much less manageable than it is today.
“Had I just known what I know now,” Bach said. “Later on I met a friend, Cody Snow’s father Van, he’d have helped me get five or six more years out of her. She was so tough anyway. She lasted and lasted.”
Cate
Ridden and owned by Clay Tryan
PEDIGREE: By Hard Cash Dash out of Bears Signature by The Signature
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Ellensburg Rodeo; first and second at the Wildfire; carried Tryan (along with his other great horse, Dew) to multiple NFRs.
HER STORY: M.G. Olson gave “Syndicate” to Rose Hansen and Shirley Meyer as a filly, and Rose’s husband Bob broke and trained the mare. Their daughter Tess hauled her to rodeos for Dickinson State University and ran barrels and heeled on the mare.
Tryan unexpectedly had to jump on her the first time at the 2010 Wildfire Open to the World—where he won first and second. That fall, she helped him set the record for most money ever won at the Justin Boots Championships—$35,000—in Omaha. The next year, he won $28,000 at the same rodeo aboard the mare.
“Like any good horse, she could run hard, she scored good, she faced good, and she was a really good rodeo horse,” Tryan said. “She was better at the rodeos than jackpots. I had Dew the same time, and I was fortunate to have them both. She never did anything to mess you up.”
Cate shattered a bone in her foot late in 2015 at a jackpot, and finally succumbed to the injury in 2018. But not before she had a colt, via recip mare, to Repete Offender (by Firewater Flit and out of a Dash Ta Fame mare who ran barrels at the NFR).
Ridden and owned by Matt Sherwood
PEDIGREE: By Its Murphys Law out of Rockets Breezy Lady by Suleo’s Rocket
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Rodeo Houston title, including Rodeo Houston arena record, and arena records at Bozeman, Montana, and Pecos, Texas.
HER STORY: After Sherwood bought his great horse, Nick, he sought out the horse’s dam. When he found the mare, the owner also had an 18-month-old filly out of her, a three-quarter-sister to Nick, in a pen nearby. So Sherwood bought both the broodmare and the filly and brought them home.
Sherwood made the mare while he was winning on Nick, and then rode her from 2011 to 2013 before selling her to Riley Minor because Sherwood was slowing down his rodeo schedule and needed the cash. But as soon as he could, he bought her back.
“She scores good and runs hard,” Sherwood said. “A lot of horses that run so hard, they’re hot blooded and don’t score good, but not her. My run at Houston when we broke the arena record, and I took one more swing than both of the other guys that were 4.1. She gets the steer legal fast.”
Ridden and owned by Cesar de la Cruz
PEDIGREE: By Tuffs Little Lena out of Cataract Forty Six by Hanks Chargin Bar
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Cheyenne Frontier Days, with over $500,000 in earnings between jackpots and rodeos.
HER STORY: A young Annie Oakley had made it onto a trailer-load of sale-bound horses accidentally, and the man who owned her didn’t want to sell her. But it was too late, and she was in the sale pen. de la Cruz’s Uncle George Aros and friend Rick Dojaquez found Annie Oakley at a sale and partnered on the tiny yearling filly for $2,500.
“My Uncle George and Rick started her and made her, and turned her over to me when she was just 3,” de la Cruz remembered. “I won three USTRC jackpots on her in a row, when they were really big in Arizona, when she was just 3 coming 4. Her speed and her ability to get down on her hind end; the way she’s built… she’s naturally a butt dragger and naturally on her hind end. She could be scary running off down the arena and as soon as the head loop would go on, she’d start to slide around the corner. The way she is built, the saddle horn was always there.”
Annie Oakley retired to the Myers Ranch in Spearfish, South Dakota, where she is in the business of making babies. She has one A Smooth Guy colt on the ground, and one due via surrogate this spring. The Myers family and de la Cruz are also expecting a This Guyz A Keeper colt via recip mare this spring.
Ridden and owned by Tee Woolman and George Strait
PEDIGREE: By Sugs Navy Bars out of Cee Chick Six by Six Chick
HER STORY: Woolman already had two world titles when he saw Big Bertha at some amateur rodeos under his friend Ricky Mellman, and he really thought he could win on her.
“I don’t know if she was a super star, but she dang sure gave you a chance to win every time,” Woolman remembered. “That’s what I look for in one. She gives you a chance no matter what. She was just a big old, raw-boned bay mare. Nothing fancy about her, really. She scored pretty dang good and ran as fast as she could run. She wasn’t a race horse by no means. She’d give you all she had and she could really face. Back then she was good.”
The mare wouldn’t catch your eye, Woolman said, but she looked and acted like a big ranch gelding going up and down the road, making her easy to haul. Woolman raised and sold a few of her babies before selling her to George Strait, who also bred her and raised a few babies out of the world champion mare.
Ridden and owned by Russell Cardoza
PEDIGREE: By Zans Play out of Spratts Six Six by Lowry Star
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Carried Cardoza to four Wrangler NFRs; won World’s Greatest Roper aboard the mare in both the heading and heeling; major rodeo wins including the Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson.
HER STORY: Mo was raised by Wyoming’s Bill Spratt and his wife Pat. She found her way to Cardoza to sell through Matt Dugo, and Cardoza liked the young mare so much he decided to buy her himself.
“She was a little, solid bay with warts on her nose and a scrawny, little thing,” Cardoza said. “The next time I saw her, she was so pretty. They cowboyed on her and ran barrels on her before I got her. They made her really broke from the start. I’ve bulldogged on her, headed and heeled and roped calves on her. She’s so good to haze on, too.”
Cardoza rode the mare at four NFRs, and now he rides a stud she produced by leading barrel racing sire Frenchmans Fabulous.
“Her colts are so good,” Cardoza said. “I don’t want to cripple her, so I might as well get some good horses out of her and let her be a broodmare.”
Ridden and owned by Brian Burrows
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Two-time Salinas champion; carried Burrows to two NFR qualifications; BFI Champion (with Allen Bach and his mare, Papoose, on the back side).
HER STORY: A 15-year-old Burrows began his career in California, working the stripping chute for Gene O’Brien—Clay O’Brien Cooper’s step-father—as the rest of his family worked in the stunt and movie business. Burrows got to run four steers each Saturday, and he did so on a 4-year-old mare his dad raised out of a mare in his string of stunt horses.
“At 17, I went to Arizona to rope with JB Getzwiller,” Burrows said. “We dove in. She could score and just pound out of the box. When I got to see somebody else ride her, it would feel like the ground was trembling, how hard she ran. She would break low, break hard, give you her heart, and she could face fast. In those days, we roped big steers, and you had to have one with some grit and who could move one. I would never ride her unless it paid $500 a man. She was one in a million. She was about 25 the last year I rode her at the good rodeos.”
Burrows credits his then-wife, Tootie Bland, with Myrtle’s care, treating her like a super-star. She never did have a colt and died at the ripe old age of 32.
Ridden and owned by Brandon Beers and now Nick Sartain
PEDIGREE: By Dox King Gilligan out of Lucys Lil Hickory by Brinks Leo Hickory
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 2013 PRCA/AQHA Head Horse of the Year, the first and only mare to win the award; Head Horse of the BFI; won the second round of Cheyenne for two ropers when Beers and Riley Minor both rode her and tied; earning more than $100,000 in just three months.
HER STORY: Jewel’s abilities were hard to overstate—the mare turned heads when she cracked out at the BFI in 2013, helping Beers and Jim Ross Cooper to third place that year.
“She rates so hard sometimes you can’t get to your horn, and she leaves the box so fast I almost fell off her once at Oakdale,” Beers said. “What’s different is that the harder a steer tries, the harder she tries. You’d think she’d blast past one, but she’s always going the right speed.”
Beers and Jewel battled soundness issues after that one, awe-inspiring year, though, and World Champ Nick Sartain picked her up in 2017. Sartain, who lost his thumb the same year, has been rehabbing her and has heeled on her as part of his own recovery. So come summer 2019, he hopes to have Jewel rodeo ready.
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Hi, I'm Brittany!
I taught for 17 years – 17 years!!! – all of them in 6th grade. I think I know 12 year old students pretty well.
During my time in the classroom, I loved history, geography, and math most of all, but I’ve taught every subject under the sun. I love to make things hands-on and thus I often incorporate interactive notebook techniques to a lot of what I do.
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Trish Shwart, an active Victoria painter, sits down in conversation with Lynden Miller at the University of Victoria to discuss her life and works as a woman artist living and working on Canada’s west coast.
Trish Shwart is a visual artist focused on landscape paintings and drawings. She is based in Victoria, BC, Canada. She has worked with multi-media, incorporating a range of influences from politics to poetry. Her creative practice is continually evolving along with her colourful, expressive technique. Recent paintings of urban landscapes explore her personal response to physical surroundings, leaving their interpretation largely open to the audience.
Trish has always been highly creative. She was born to a Ukrainian family in Ontario. She later moved to Winnipeg as a child, eventually living in Calgary after travelling and attending university for interior design. Her formal art training began at an early age, as she attended group lessons, frequented galleries, and filled sketchbooks.
She then moved to Vancouver to study visual art at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Shortly after graduating, she moved to the Gulf Islands with her young family, then beginning a career in government in Victoria. Working on small scale works and exhibits, she balanced her roles as an artist and a mother of three.
She now works full-time as an artist out of her in-home studio. She actively participates in solo and group shows in the Victoria and Vancouver area. She is looking forward to exhibiting more in the coming years and working on collaborative projects with other local women artists in the BC arts community.
Selected Excerpts
Trish describes her sources of inspiration, both visual and otherwise.
by Trish Shwart
“I’ll start with either a feeling or words.”
Trish, on creating the impression of a space through brushwork.
by Trish Shwart
“I want people … to feel like they’re in a real space that they can be in.”
Trish comments on the value of audience feedback.
by Trish Shwart
“I’ve had twice now where people have looked at my paintings and started to cry.”
Trish, on knowing her audience.
by Trish Shwart
“People look at art where they see it.”
In Conversation with Trish Shwart
Edited and transcribed by Lynden Miller in consultation with Trish Shwart.
Text in square brackets indicates additions or subtractions from original interview as recorded in the audio file above.
Lynden Miller (hereafter LM): So, hi, my name is Lynden Miller and I’m here today interviewing Trish Shwart. Hopefully I’m pronouncing that correctly. It’s October 26, 2018 and we are at the University of Victoria. I’m researching on behalf of the Art History and Visual Studies department, under Dr. Carolyn Butler-Palmer. We are part of the Pacific Northwest Women’s Artists Oral History Initiative, with the help of the Victoria Arts Council, and their [Arts Coordinator], Brin O’Hare. I would also like to start off with a territorial acknowledgement, just to respectfully acknowledge that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Lekwungen speaking peoples, and we are able to work and learn on their land. So, that’s about it for my intro. I was hoping you could start me off by telling me a bit about yourself, and your early life. We can start there.
Trish Shwart (hereafter TS): Yeah, I know tell me about your life is such a daunting question. Where do you even start? I was born in Ontario [and] my family moved to Winnipeg when I was six. I got my first degree in interior design at the University of Manitoba. I had wanted to go to art school, but I came from a family that didn’t have very much money and there was a “what are you crazy?” kind of question going on. So, I graduated and started working and I traveled for a couple of years around the world, which was great. I came back [and was working in Calgary.] After about a year and a half, I thought I really need[ed] to go to art school, and so I did.
I went to Emily Carr [University of Art and Design]. I moved to Vancouver and I felt that even if financially it was a dumb decision [it was important to do.] I felt like my life really started once I went to art school, in a kind of odd way.
Then, like many women, I had kids, and although I continued to paint I realize now … that all I was really doing was keeping my hand in. It wasn’t like my work was really developing much. I was looking at a lot of artists and I did some work that I feel good about, but on the whole, I wasn’t able to make art or to be creative in the way that I can be, now that I’ve got a lot of time. But I think that’s a pretty typical women artist’s career especially if you’ve had kids. You think about people like Phyllida Barlow, or Rose Wylie, who are considered late bloomers, but are actually just women living their lives.
Unless you’re prepared to not have kids. [Most women have to decide whether to have children or focus solely on their career. I had three children very close together and that was time consuming and took a lot of mental energy.] We ended up both work[ing] here, and then the kids grew up here, and it worked out.
TS: Is that too long?
LM: No, that’s perfect. That’s great. We’ll just backtrack a tiny bit just so I can clear up a few things.
LM: What made you move to Vancouver for Emily Carr? What made you choose that school?
TS: I guess I had been researching schools and [Emily Carr] had a [good] reputation. I didn’t want to learn art in a university environment. I wanted more of a hands-on experience. Emily Carr is now certified as a university, and it was actually certified two years after I left. But… I had this idea that it would be more practical, more pragmatic to learn about art in that kind of environment. It wasn’t actually that environment, because it was the eighties, and craft was sort of on the way out, and conceptual art was on the way in. And so, you had to find your own little small group of people who would consider painting something that was recognizable as valuable.
LM: Sure. That’s great. So, you were doing painting mostly at Emily Carr?
TS: You had to pick a major at that time. So, I did painting and I did print making. I would have done ceramics except I wasn’t allowed to do three.
LM: Okay, great. So, lots of variety. That’s always good. Did you do much painting before you went to Emily Carr?
TS: I did some terrible watercolours that I can’t believe they let me into the program honestly, but I was keen. Also, I was considered a mature student, because I was 28 when I went. So, I had a different experience of art school than someone who’s just come out of high school. I remember thinking, because I’d been working for a while that this is so awesome, here’s all this time and I can go for coffee break whenever I want and I can leave whenever I want. More than half the class were 17, 18, 19, and they were always complaining about the assignments, and why do we have to do this? I felt like it was hard for them to find meaning in the work, because they had such a limited life experience.
LM: Great. What kind of work were you doing in between?
TS: Like, after Emily Carr into now, or…?
LM: Before; Emily Carr, university, and before that.
TS: Oh, you know, the usual schlock I think most people do: fill tons of sketchbooks with drawings, and I did a lot of work out of my memories of things. I burnt everything [when I left Winnipeg as I didn’t want to be moving it around.]
LM: That’s very fair. Definitely. Alright, did any of your family have any past art experience? You mentioned they were a little skeptical of that.
TS: I was the first person in my extended family to graduate from high school, go to university. I came from…[an] immigrant working subsistence farmer background. My grandparents moved to [Winnpeg from the farm and] my mother had only grade eight education. She was really big on “you are going to university.” I sometimes joked, but I wonder if it was true, that I was in second year before I realized [attending university] wasn’t compulsory.
My mother could draw, and she sewed a lot, and she was very creative in terms of how she approached those kinds of tasks. But, she would never call herself an artist. I don’t think I would call her an artist either, but she had a [creative] leaning.
LM: Did you have any formative experience, I guess would be the word, that made you want to start drawing or creating?
TS: I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing. So, by time I was six, I was [filling] sketchbooks with these bad drawings of people that look a little Picasso-like in my memory. When I was about eight or nine, my sister and brother went to swimming lessons on Saturdays and I went to art classes. [They were taught by] Пані [Mrs.] Antonovich [who] was a well-known [portrait] artist in [the] Ukraine. There must have been five or six [students there every Saturday.]
[Because] it was really a small group, [I got a lot of] hands-on attention. [Two students from the University of Manitoba fine arts department came regularly], and they would make comments on my work, and that was really useful. [Mrs. Antonovich required accuracy in the drawings we were making whereas the university students] were looking for more [creativity]. I remember a particular watercolour [- the back view of me looking at] myself in the mirror [which] we talked about for [several] Saturdays in a row, and that was really positive for me.
I was really keen. I went to the art galleries to [attend other art] classes [and a program called] painting in the park [over] the summer. So, I had a lot of experience [learning about art as a youngster]. When I think about it [no one should have been surprised that] I wanted to take fine arts.
LM: Makes sense in retrospect. What artists were you inspired by, maybe not so early as those early classes, but into your formal education?
TS: Well, I loved people like Giorgio Morandi [and] David Hockney. I had a huge phase of being in love with Vuillard. This [was] when some early feminist [ideas were] starting to happen [in] the art world [such as] Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party. … [At Emily Carr] all our instructors were male, so they had a particular aesthetic. [Judy Chicago talks in] a book I read about the Phallic symbol [being] seen as [aesthetically pleasing to the male eye], and so I did a few little jokey things where I would show the professor something [that] had a more phallic-like symbol versus something else and they always responded positive[ly]. So, I realized there’s some merit to this.
There was a woman who came to the art school from New York who was brilliant. So, we have a huge petition to get her to come back, but they hired a guy.
LM: Yes, that is the way it goes.
TS: That’s the way it goes, that is the way it went.
LM: Definitely.
TS: I have always been influenced, not just by the visuals, but I would say by the world around me [and] what’s happening as well.
LM: Definitely. You were certainly aware of-
TS: And it finds its way into my work.
LM: Certainly. Do you still find that you’re working with those bigger concepts now?
TS: I did a series maybe two years ago where I was looking at politics. I don’t know how familiar you are with my work, because it’s not that well known. I did an installation called “Sleep Factory,” where I was making comments about personalized medicine. Who’s going to be able to afford this at a certain point? Who’s going to pay for it? Also, the marketing of medicines and the marketing of disease. [The project presupposed there was] a factory [that] could [make] sleep, and you could buy it. If you’re a student, there was a student price you could get an hour. If you were wealthy you could get eight or nine hours.
The whole thing was kind of funny, I hope. At the opening I wore a silk pajama top over my regular clothes that said “Sleep Factory.” And so, I was selling also the products theoretically, and if anybody wanted a franchise…
Although, now I’m starting to do something less [blatantly] political . I’m hoping to be more subtle around this stuff that I’m commenting on.
LM: Is there any reason…?
TS: That was a little in your face.
LM: Oh no, that’s totally fine.
TS: I had done another installation piece with dioramas around stories we tell ourselves, then I did those small political paintings. I had a show in July called “Down the Road From Where We Stayed,” and it’s about how we see the world, and how by seeing the world we influence ourselves, and then the world back again. It’s a little bit about climate change. You know, those yellow [smokey] skies we had [this summer, I think they] change[d] our perception of what [is around us]. There’s [a] dichotomy that goes on [between] us as human beings and the nature around us. I think that is political in a very sort of minimalist sense.
LM: That’s great stuff. Yeah, so much to work with. So, you’ve talked a little bit about the dioramas, but you’ve moved more towards painting, is that right?
TS: I realized that this is where my passion if you will- I mean I had a great time. That was about four years doing the dioramas and the Sleep Factory. Then I thought about how old I am, and that time is going to catch up with me at some point. What do I want to think about what I did on my death bed? This sounds a little morbid, but it isn’t, it’s reality. I wanted to have at least devoted as much time as possible right now, I’m thinking, to painting to see if I can get the work to say what I want it to say. Also, to learn more about what makes a good painting because I feel like I’m always learning, not always succeeding.
LM: That’s totally alright. How do you start a painting would be my question, or what is your process for creating?
TS: I’m fooling around with my process right now, so when I saw that question I was like “eeks.” Often, I’ll start with either a feeling or words sometimes words that I overheard. I want to try and translate that into something that someone else will get something from. Not necessarily the same thing that the input was, so it’s not like I’m transcribing, if you will. I sometimes think it’s a little like poetry, where someone tells you a story, but you’ve got twenty-five other images that have come through while you read these six lines. Although, I’m not very good at poetry. I like reading it, but it’s that kind of process.
It’s hard for me to talk about because I used to start with an image, if you will. I don’t want to paint what I see, or what’s there directly, because that seems like, why not just take a photograph? I know there’s a lot of articles written on why you would or wouldn’t, but I wanted to do more than that.
[I want the paintings to reflect the experience of being in this precarious world.]
LM: Great. Would you say your works are really personal then, or is it a little more broad? Like what you were talking about with climate change, and that kind of subtlety.
TS: Well, they’re personal when I’m making them, but my hope is that it’ll translate into something that is a bit more universal. I mean, I think that’s what all artists want.
LM: Sure, yeah. I was looking at your series, the most recent one, the “Down the Road.”
LM: That was it seemed from your little description that it was really based on your personal experience? I found that really interesting.
TS: Yeah, but I also think that, what I’ve been hearing from people, that people are seeing something in the work that they resonate with too, I’m hoping. I had a deadline for this show, and I just had a year to get ready, which might seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. [I had an experience of being in Vancouver in January when it seemed to rain day and night.] So, I took a million pictures because it felt like such an interesting environment. I’d be pushing this baby and taking pictures. I ended up getting a lot out of the environment I was in. [Somehow the environment translated into a really paintable connection with the kind of nature we find in an urban environment.]
LM: Could you describe for me a little about your personal style? I found that really striking with your website and all your recent works, I would say.
TS: The style of painting you mean?
LM: Sure, or whatever you want to?
TS: Was there something in your head that triggered that question, because that would be helpful.
LM: I suppose so, yes, kind of the imagery, and the way that you handle the landscapes that’s not so photographically accurate, like you were saying.
TS: The thing I’ve look for is the quality of the space that you [experience] from looking at the [painting]. I’m interested in the shapes that are formed through the brushstrokes. I’m also really interested in how the paint is applied because that changes how you read a shape. You know, you could go like this, “dot, dot, dot,” with a big brush, and get a different kind of a tree or grass or hair than you would if you were painstakingly painting every leaf or every hair. So, I’m trying to go to the edge of it being abstract, but still I want people- and this could be my own problem- to feel like they’re in a real space even though it doesn’t look like any [existing] space.
LM: Great. You talked a little about people’s responses to your works, is that mostly from the exhibitions that you’ve done?
TS: Yeah. I mean, sometimes I let people into my studio, but really I don’t want anyone’s feedback when I’m working, because it just messes [my thinking] up. My husband used to think it was so great when people came over, and he would say “you should go and see Trish’s studio.” Then we had to have a conversation about how that would set me back three or four days, because I could hear what people were saying about an unformed, incomplete thing. Of course you can’t see what I’m seeing, so they’re going to say something that isn’t valuable to me or even distracting.
So, I’m interested in the feedback once it’s up on the wall, because I feel like I can then stand back from the work. I’m no longer as personally invested in it, because [then it is as close as I could get and] here it is. … Twice [I have seen] people [look] at my paintings and start to cry in front of them, which has been profoundly disturbing and pleasant at the same time. … In both of those cases I [wondered if] people were responding more to the subject matter or maybe the title than the brush marks, but [I don’t really know].
LM: Yeah, I wanted to touch on the titles a little bit. You arrive at them after the fact?
TS: Sometimes they come at me. I know what [the] title is before I even start [on occasion]. Mostly they come during. I feel like the title is another opportunity to say something to the viewer. I have had titles sometimes that are like a sentence long. Some of my early work I used to take words from poetry and have that as my title. I remember one was “you cannot get there without being there first”, or something like that. I did a whole series of, when I was working, about politics at work. I don’t know if you saw that. [They are a series] of black and white drawings-
LM: Yes.
TS: They were a biting commentary on working in a corporate environment. So, those titles in retrospect maybe were a little too hard-hitting because they [used corporate speak where] people [are referred to as] resources instead of people [which] I found so disturbing. Now I’m trying to use titles in a more neutral way, so I’ve come to a point where I might say “beach view.”. Now I’m trying to see if the painting itself can say [more] rather than leaning [too] heavily on the title.
LM: Yeah, that’s great. Maybe just to touch on that, I noticed on your website that you don’t include a biography of yourself, and more focus on the images and your exhibitions. Would that follow along those lines of…?
TS: I have a little standard bio, you always have to send a bio out when you apply for shows. To be honest, I don’t know what people will find interesting. I’m trying over here.
LM: No, not a criticism by any means.
TS: No, I know. Do you think it needs a bio? Do you think that would be a good thing?
LM: I found it quite refreshing honestly.
TS: Oh, did you?
LM: Just as my personal opinion.
TS: Lots of the bios are like a stamp. You just say these things. I tried to put something on that website above every body of work to explain a little about what I was doing, because does anybody really care if I went to Emily Carr? I don’t think so.
LM: Certainly for my project, perhaps.
LM: Another ball game, I would suppose, than a website for more of a marketing purpose; I think that would be the right word.
TS: I think it would be great, yeah. It’s worth thinking about, if I could come up with something that I felt was genuine.
LM: You’ve talked a little about the conventional woman artist trope of motherhood versus painting, which maybe is a little too much for….
TS: I always feel like it’s so old, that it doesn’t mean anything. Unless you are a woman in the middle of it, then it’s a different thing altogether. Such a big topic.
LM: Certainly, it is. Are there any projects you’re working on now, or in the future that you want to talk about?
TS: This weird thing has happened over the last month. We just came back from this amazing trans-Mongolian train trip. Just before I left, while I was away, and then within a few days of coming back, three different artists have asked me to collaborate with them on [different projects or pieces] that isn’t necessarily a collaborative piece. So, I sometimes think [that] the universe is telling me to do this.
The one I’m the most excited about, but that’s just because we’ve started, I think, is a friend of mine who I went to art school with. We’ve decided to have a dialogue with landscape as the broad theme, but I think that even perhaps [that theme is] falling away. We’ve put some parameters around the scale of the work. I think [it is] fourteen to twenty-four [inches], so it can’t be bigger than that in any size, and we’re just sending each other digital images of the work, and then the other person responds to the first person’s digital image. It’s really fun.
TS: There’s two other projects that haven’t started yet, but one is with another artist in town. She does mostly abstract work, and I do non-abstract. We’re going to do deliberately try to incorporate abstract elements quite purposefully into my work to see what happens, and she’s going to try to do more representational elements. So, I think it’ll be kind of fun to have it all happen at once. …
LM: Certainly, you never know. You’ve obviously got a lot of artist contacts and friends, all that stuff. How does that come about for you? How do you interact with the local artist community?
TS: I think that, for me I find that I tend to gravitate towards artists. People that I don’t even know [that] are artists, I end up being friends with, and then I realize they’re also doing these [interesting] things. There’s a certain mindset, or approach. I wouldn’t say everybody, but lots of artists, I think, hang out together. I think [it’s] because there’s a way of seeing the world that seems in common. When I first retired, because I had a long career working for the B.C. government, I deliberately set out to inculcate myself within the art community.
The first thing I did was form a crit[ique] group. I asked three other women whose work I really admired if they’d be in a crit group with me.. We met once a month, and two people would present their work, and all four of us would provide comment on it, and those things ended up being those crit groups. This group lasted about a year and a half, or maybe two years. [That group made a positive difference to my work.] So, then there was only two of us left, and we still talk. But, it’s not really the same. So, it’s a deliberate action. I’ve tried to connect with our community on a certain level. You could spend all your time being connected with people and not working.
LM: You’ve talked a little bit about kind of your solo studio and, certainly, it’s part of your process, and it’s very important.
TS: Yeah, and I try to go down there every single day. When I’m really working, I’m down there somewhere between eight and ten hours.
LM: Wow.
TS: Yes. But, it’s great. If I wake up and think, today is a studio day with nothing else, it’s like “whoa,” which doesn’t always mean I accomplish anything. But, I’m down there staring.
LM: Yes. No, that’s certainly work in and of itself.
LM: And you work a little bit with the Victoria Arts Council then, or you’re connected with them in some way?
TS: I’ve been in some of their shows, and recently, maybe a year ago, I registered to be a member. There’s some really great work going on. I actually don’t know Brin [O’Hare] that well. I’ve talked to her twice on the phone. I was organizing an art show, and I asked if she knew where I could get some [walls which we could rent for] the [space], but I like the energy that she’s bringing to it. So, that was part of the attraction, actually, was that the membership seemed interesting and committed, not just showing up. They were actually doing things. I thought that was great.
LM: Yeah. So, what kind of exhibitions have you done with them, then, more group shows, or…?
TS: Yeah. They have a call, and then I just respond to that.
LM: So, it’s a little different than maybe your most recent show, where it’s kind of a parameter of a set of works?
TS: Yeah. Because I don’t know if you know how this works in the art world, but there’s proposal calls. Lots of the Vancouver Arts Council ones have a theme, [and] either you have something or you want [do] something that can fall under the rubric of [the theme. Then you submit the piece for review.]
But, when you’re submitting to a gallery, then you usually submit a proposal with what you would call a concept, and [some or all of the work]. Most of them want to see up to 10 images. I would say that for every 10 proposals, 20 proposals, you might get one yes back. So, you just kind of have to hang in there.
LM: Yeah. A lot of work, certainly.
TS: It’s a lot of work. Although, it’s gotten a lot easier, because it used to be by paper, and now you can submit online, digitally. So, I can put a proposal together in about an hour and a half now, where it used to be like a day at least.
LM: Yeah. So, you mostly exhibit here in Victoria? Or, you’ve done a little bit on the mainland? That kind of thing?
TS: Yeah. Well, [last summer I showed at the Plaskett] Gallery in New West[minster] and [a few years ago] I had a show in Edmonton. I feel like I’m just starting to show now because when I first retired, which is when I feel like my career started again, I had several shows at Martin Batchelor when it was around. For whatever reason, he would ask me to have shows there. Those were always really great.
LM: Yeah. So you’re looking forward to showing more of your works then?
LM: Okay. Yeah. That’s most of my questions. Maybe we can talk a little bit more about kind of the big picture and of women artist stuff. You’ve certainly mentioned works that you’re working on right now with other women artists and past influences and stuff like that. So, maybe my question would be then, how do you feel your career as a woman artist has evolved? I know that’s daunting.
TS: I don’t know what would’ve happened. When I graduated from Emily Carr, I had just been accepted to have some work in a show at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver. I won [the] Helen Pitt Graduate Award. … I felt like I had a possible career, but I graduated in May and had twins in September.
I remember this moment when I had negotiated with my husband. He was going to watch the kids for a couple of hours, and I’m going to paint. I remember hearing them crying in the other room while I’m trying to paint. I was trying to paint about the joy of motherhood, and I ended up [yelling], “can you keep them quiet!” And at that moment, I thought “I don’t know how this is going to work.”
But, I did always have a studio in my life and I think that’s a really an important thing to do. I had decided that I really wanted to have my first solo show by the time I was 40. I ended it up having it five days before my birthday. I graduated from Emily Carr at the age of 30 and the boys were born three months later. So, there [were at least] 10 years when [a male artist might be] really productive, creative, networking with people. All of that wasn’t happening.I just didn’t have the bandwidth to do everything. … Priorities shift. But, [an art] career for many women ends up being put on hold.
I think I feel lucky, because I’m still, (a) alive, (b) healthy, (c) have the resources to buy materials. I remember being in art school, and [material costs were a real issue].I have the opportunity, I have technology. I can send a CV out. So, I feel like I still have some chances to build a career that would be meaningful, but I don’t know what will happen.
I’ve obviously, without even consciously knowing it, made a choice. … I somehow foolishly imagined that once I had kids I would still be able to paint. I don’t know what I was thinking, not the reality.
LM: Yeah. So, you’ve kind of negotiated that balance, maybe not compartmentalizing, but …
TS: No. No, it is a balance, and I would say that the balance will change from month to month, or year to year. I did have, I think maybe three or four solo shows while the kids were at home and it was good for them [to see me working in the studio and] they really like looking at art [just in a different way]. None of them have gone into the arts.
LM: Yeah. That’s great. Alright, is there any other kind of, pieces that you wanted to talk about specifically?
TS: Like, art pieces you mean?
LM: Yeah. Some of your work. You’re certainly not obligated to, but I was hoping to include a couple of photographs of your work.
TS: Is there anything in particular that kind of caught your eye on the website? Because I can talk, unfortunately, at length about all of them.
LM: Sure. Yes, of course. Yeah, so we’ve talked a little bit about the “Down the Road” series.
TS: Right.
LM: So, maybe your favourite one of those or one that you’ve shown, or sold perhaps?
TS: Well, one of my favourites, but it is sold, is The Cricket Field. I really felt like that was closer to where I want to be than some of the others. And, there’s another one that I don’t even know if I put in on that website or on the small paintings one. So, these [paintings] are all in the last year, because I think that’s how we tend to be as artists: the last one or, actually, it’s the next one is going to be the best one. So, yeah, I thought The Cricket Field was something that I felt pretty good about.
There was one I just finished of a pool that I haven’t titled, although I have this idea of part of a title in my head, and I haven’t got it to make sense yet. But, something to do with soles. Like s-o-l-e-s, but also the other kind of souls. I think that’s a pretty good painting for me.
LM: Yeah. Totally. And, you mentioned that one of them had sold. Is that kind of a focus for you?
TS: No. I mean, it’s great when they sell. I’m always happy to sell a painting. I’m always surprised to sell a painting. It can’t be my measure of success, what someone else wants to spend money on. For me this is more about digging inside of myself and seeing what I can put out there so that I end up feeling good about it..
I would say this is something that has been important in my development. I used to always worry about making work … that people who I grew up with would understand. Would my mother [understand] this? Would my aunt like this? I feel like that [notion] held me back for a while, although I do want the work to have an appeal [to individuals who aren’t in the arts].
I don’t mind not showing in galleries. Because I don’t about you, but how many people do you know who actually go to art galleries as something to do for the day? Not that many, right? People look at art where they see it. So, I liked the idea of having it- I mean, I’ve only shown in a few restaurants- somewhere that you [see it as you’re] passing by rather than [only because you have made] a deliberate act of going there. So, when I decided to follow where the work was taking me rather than always worrying about if my aunt would like it, I realized that there’s a different audience, and that’s okay too.
LM: Yeah. That was one of my questions that I had down, kind of the audience of your art. So, that’s maybe changed over time?
TS: It’s changing now, as it were. Yeah, and it’s kind of neat.
LM: And, that would then dictate what you choose to show or exhibit.
TS: Yes. How you choose to make the work, because rather than second guessing if that is a tree, that someone recognizes a tree. Like, is my aunt going to think that pink blob is a tree? I just put it down, because I know that it’s right for the image.
LM: Certainly. Yeah.
TS: My aunt is dead. I mean, it’s crazy.
LM: No. But, it certainly carries with you.
TS: Yeah. It does. It sticks with you.
LM: All that stuff. Right?
TS: Yeah. I heard an author on the radio one time talking about he was going to do his Ph.D. in something, and then he suddenly realized that no one whose opinion he valued would ever be able to [understand his dissertation] and he started to write really [compelling] mystery novels…[instead. He said about his mystery novels], “well, they don’t love them, but at least they can read them.” And that stuck with me for way too long.
LM: The oddest thing is it stuck with you, isn’t it always?
So, it’s your personal kind of exploration, and then you’re showing it to people who may get something out of it.
TS: Exactly.
LM: I’m glad I understood that.
TS: Yeah. You totally did.
Fuller-Evans, Janaya. “Explore Nature with Artist Trish Shwart.” New Westminster Record, July 10, 2018. https://www.newwestrecord.ca/entertainment/explore-nature-with-artist-trish-shwart-1.23363737.
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Sometimes it takes a test of guts to find out why it’s worth pushing yourself to extremes for the sake of a good story.
Author:
Publish date:
Before his first novel, Incendiary, became a star-studded film, and before his follow-up, Little Bee, became a runaway bestseller, and before his highly anticipated new release, Gold, launched him on a huge international book tour, British author Chris Cleave was just an ordinary guy who really, really wanted to tell stories for a living—and whose writing career very nearly stopped before it began.
Even if you’ve heard the story before, it’s hard not to cringe when the author matter-of-factly recounts his literary debut. “Incendiary was published on the 7th of July, 2005, the day of the London bombings—and it was a story about a terrorist attack on London. What happened is it got taken off sale. It went onto the shelves at 9 in the morning, and it was taken off the shelves at 10:30—it was that quick.”
It was almost enough to stop Cleave from ever writing again—almost. But what happened next was a different kind of jaw-dropping: Against all odds, the book found an audience anyway. And when Cleave returned to the blank page and emerged with Little Bee—the unsettling story of a life-changing encounter between a vacationing couple and a refugee—he found himself at the opposite end of the spectrum: topping the charts in the U.K., U.S. and beyond.
If pressed, most writers would admit to looking at those who’ve enjoyed enviable success as—well, enviable. But when it comes to Cleave—a 38-year-old father of three who spoke to WD with humor and charm about his path from an every-writer’s-nightmare debut to an every-writer’s-dream career—you can’t help but be just plain happy for the bloke.
Cleave went to great lengths for Gold, a story of two rival Olympic cyclists—one a single-minded athlete to the core, the other an emotionally torn parent to a daughter with leukemia. In an exclusive interview in the September 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine, Cleave shares what he learned about publishing, readers and writing from all the ups and downs he has experienced on his way to success. (To read the full interview, click here.) In these bonus online-exclusive outtakes from the print interview, he talks more about the importance of timing, real-life research, complex characters and perseverance in publishing.
The release of Gold seems perfectly timed to the 2012 Olympics in London—a marked contrast to Incendiary’s unfortunate timing. How important is timing to the career of a fiction writer, and what role did that play in conceiving the story behind Gold?
Timing is critically important in the kind of storytelling I do, because my work and habits have a sort of five-year gap in between the point at which newspapers stop covering a story and the point at which historians start to analyze it. That’s my artistic space that I’ve chosen to be in—writing about a world that hasn’t really cooled yet, because I think that’s a really exciting place to be. So timing is really important. I’m always thinking two or three years ahead: What’s going to be the story that’s on people’s minds, and how can I approach that from an angle people won’t have thought of yet?
When they come to the book, I want [readers] to think, Wow, this is a story about now—it could be happening right now. And I want it to go to a level of analysis that’s more than they’re going to get on TV and in the newspapers. Something quite beautiful that you can do in a novel is really take the space and take the time to explore complicated characters, people who are flawed and have complicated reactions. That’s why I think it’s valuable to write novels about current events—you can go to a different level of emotion, a different level of excitement, and so timing is really important. I have to pick the right story, and I have to pick the right angle, and I have to do that two years ahead of real time. And sometimes I get it right, and sometimes I get it really badly wrong, as you mentioned. [Laughs.] It’s a dangerous space to work in, but as an artist it’s a really exciting one, I think.
You immersed yourself in hands-on research for Gold, even training as a cyclist. Why do you feel that kind of firsthand experience was important for this book?
I always do very intensive research—for example, for Little Bee I interviewed dozens of refugees—but for Gold it was even more important, because I was never any good at sport. [Laughs.] In fact, just the opposite: I was terrible. I became a kid in the corner reading a book, which I was happy with—I just accepted that I was no good. And because of that, sport has always fascinated me—all these worlds where we can’t go are the most fascinating ones of all. I think that athletes are amazing people. They’re incredibly dedicated, and brave, and inspiring, and what they do is unimaginably hard. So I thought, OK, whenever I use that world unimaginably, I think, Well, actually, it’s my job to imagine it—so come on, please, try harder! [Laughs.]
I’d interviewed lots of athletes, and they were telling me stuff I just didn’t believe. They were saying that actually training doesn’t make you feel good and strong, training makes you feel terrible and you want to cry a lot of the time. And I was like, You’ve got to be kidding. So I thought, Well, I’m going to have to do this. I put myself through this program of training on a bicycle. For about two months I was doing 20 hours a week of really intense training, and by the end of it, I was absolutely broken. I didn’t feel good, I didn’t feel strong, I felt ill. I would often find myself in the rain—because it always seems to be raining in Britain—I’d find myself 70 miles from home in the rain trying not to cry [laughs], like, Shit, this is terrible! You go through these waves of euphoria where you think, Oh, look how much stronger I’m getting, this is great—you’re getting thinner, and you’re getting stronger—I remember one day just standing in the shower, looking down at my legs and thinking, These don’t look like my legs anymore! This is amazing! They have muscles and everything! And then the next week you’ll have overdone it, and you’ll find yourself in the rain, miles from home and too tired to get back, just feeling really sorry for yourself.
It just got worse and worse, and two months in to this program, I really did begin to understand the level of dedication that’s required to be an athlete. And to understand that, yeah, it’s true, I really am not one! [Laughs.]
The people who do it are just fabulous and interesting people, because they’re able to suffer in the pursuit of a very specific goal. That got me really interested in, OK, who are these people? What is it that means they can do this thing that’s so extreme? It’s so hard, what they do. What is it that’s given them that steel in their character? If they’re strong enough to train like that, what are the things they’re bad at? What are the things they’ve had to sacrifice in order to be that single-minded?
That got me thinking about how much you have to give up in order to be that focused, and how many other people’s dreams you have to trample on in order to climb towards your own. Because sport is about beating people as well as about winning—those are two completely different things. Winning sounds great, doesn’t it? Everyone likes a winner. But actually, in order to win, you have to smash someone else’s hopes on the anvil of your own ambition. It’s a brutal thing to do to someone. I got fascinated by their characters.
And I’d become so ill in training—I’d managed to really destroy my immune system by overtraining. I was ill for a couple of months, really quite ill, couldn’t-get-out-of-bed ill. And that was when I got a real insight into how I wanted to write the book. I felt that the best way to write a story about sport would be to interweave it with a story about illness, which is the antithesis really of the strength of sports people. And that’s when I decided I’d have this character, Sophie, whose parents are athletes, but her struggle is a completely different one—her struggle is with death itself.
And that’s when I started the second strand of my research, which is where I spent a lot of time in a hospital in London shadowing a doctor who works with children with leukemia, and just observed the daily life of the hospital. I was in the room when this doctor was giving the diagnosis to the parents, and then following the treatments these kids go through. It was a very traumatic environment, but full of these amazing stories of survival and hope. Ninety percent of the kids with leukemia survive, and 40 years ago it was the other way around. It’s been a huge turnaround, and the results get better every year. It’s actually a very hopeful environment, as well as being emotionally difficult, and the more I learned about that, the more I thought, Yeah, there’s going to be this kid, she’s going to struggle, and through this process we’re all going to learn a little bit more about what the real values are that underpin the lives of these really extreme sportspeople. And that was the bones of the story that I decided I wanted to tell.
You really have achieved an amazing level of success, and I know you can relate to writers dreaming of one day getting to where you are, and feeling that frustration of trying to launch their careers. What’s your best advice?
I think the frustration is a really positive sign, for a start. If it didn’t bother you, then you wouldn’t be a very good writer. I remember it being incredibly frustrating trying to get people to read my stuff. And now, I still get incredibly frustrated with myself, because there’s always such a difference between the book that I try to write and the book that I end up with. I just wish that I was technically good enough to achieve the vision in my head at the start of a book.
I’d say the first thing is that the frustration and the heartache is a really good sign, because it means you care. The second thing I’d say is that it doesn’t go away. You were saying, “How does it feel to be successful, and to have all of these things that you wanted to achieve, and you’re achieving them?” Well, it feels terrifying. It feels really scary, because there’s a different set of pressures that kick in that want to take you away from this honest relationship you have with your readers. I used to have my email address on my website until very recently—you could just email me, and people did, and I would end up in these long correspondences with people. And so many people were using it that I just couldn’t keep up. It scares me now that I don’t have that super direct relationship with my readers that I used to. Let’s not forget these are the people who saved me. I got saved by readers, not by publishers. So the second thing I’d say is the fear and frustration don’t go away, they just repeatedly change their form. I think being a writer is about being frustrated and fearful and freaked out by things. That’s sort of why we write, to try and make sense of that, and try and transform it into something beautiful.
But I think there’s a lot of super practical advice I could give as well. Thing one is trust your readers, and that applies at every single level of writing, from the sentence level—you don’t need to hammer a point home, you can hint at things because readers are super smart—all the way through to the level of the whole novel. You can trust readers to let you write about difficult and dangerous and complicated subjects. You don’t have to dumb it down for them. You don’t have to write the bestseller the publishing industry thinks is bestseller shape. If you look at all of the greatest novels that have ever been published, they’ve all broken every rule of publishing. Those writers had an amazing trust in their readers. They said, “Look, if I’m honestly excited about this story, then other people will be, too. I’m going to trust my readers and believe in them and be honest with them.” I’ve learned that you can give the reader a lot of respect because they do half the creative work with the novel.
Second is: When I was starting out writing, I put writers up on a pedestal, and thought that they must feel transcendent and different all the time and their life must be one of wisdom and insight. And I was thinking, When am I going to start feeling like that? And I’m still waiting. I feel very, very ordinary and uninspired most of the time. My novels come as the result of working for a long time and going through a lot of failure. The only thing that’s changed is as I’ve slowly had more success, I’ve gotten to work with better and better people who are psychologically more supportive of me and who trust in me more, and therefore I can trust in them more, and it’s been a very slow process of people helping me to develop as a writer to a point where now I think I can write a novel that’s not too bad. Given three and a half years and a bunch of chances, I can eventually get there! [Laughs.] But I couldn’t get there straight away on my own. It took a long time, and I don’t feel inspired or different now.
I can’t stand that school of thought that says that writers are an elite, and a great writer should be above the fray, and shouldn’t get involved with ordinary life, and be media shy, and just make a pronouncement in the media every six months.. I don’t think that’s a healthy thing. I think that being a writer is a trade, like any other, and you learn it and you slowly get good at it.
And third: Make sure you’re excited about your work. When you go out and research a story, it should feel like life and death. And when you come to writing it, it should feel like, It will be devastating for me if I don’t make this story as exciting as I know it can be. You should get up every day and just think, If I’m not super excited about the 2,000 words I’m going to do today, how can I make it so I am super excited? It should never feel like a chore. It should never get to that stage where you’re just saying, OK, I have to crank out 2,000 words today, and you’re basically looking at the clock and trying to get to the end of it. If it ever gets boring, the reader can tell straight away, and if you’re bored of it, then you’re not being honest with the reader. And so you need to put the pen down, step away from the desk, and change something, and not come back to the desk until you’re excited about the paragraph or the line or the chapter that you’re about to write.
To read the complete Writer’s Digest magazine interview with this talented bestselling author, don’t miss the September 2012 issue.
By
Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large for Writer's Digest and former editor-in-chief. She's also the author of several novels, including Not That I Could Tell and Almost Missed You.
The Writer's Digest team has witnessed many writing mistakes over the years, so we started this series to help identify them for other writers (along with correction strategies). This week's writing mistake is dismissing stories that aren’t from books.
Mistaking a word for a similar one is not an uncommon mistake, but an important one to catch when editing your work. Here, Audrey Wick shares why you should beware homophones and shares a homophone-catching test to practice with.
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Every good story needs a nice (or not so nice) turn or two to keep it interesting. This week, one character blackmails another.
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November PAD Chapbook Challenge
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Get all 30 poetry prompts from the 15th annual November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge here. Actually, 35 prompts if you're counting Two-for-Tuesday prompts!
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How to Stalk Publishing Professionals on Social Media in an Appropriate Way
Many people are self-professed "stalkers" on social media, whether they're following life events of friends or celebrities. But writers can learn quite a bit on social media by stalking publishing professionals too, and this post covers the appropriate way to do so.
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Author Samantha Vérant discusses how her writing process changed while writing her new contemporary romance novel, The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique.
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Every Wednesday, Robert Lee Brewer shares a prompt and an example poem to get things started on the Poetic Asides blog. This week, write a warm up poem.
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Write My Query
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Every so often writers ask if they should pitch different to agents vs. editors. This post answers that question and provides some extra help on how to successfully pitch both.
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Every writer needs a little inspiration once in a while. For today's prompt, feature an urban legend in your story.
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Step back in time: a steam locomotive leaves the station in Sault Ste. Marie 100 years ago. The mission: to deliver artists to a destination in Agawa Canyon Park, where a box car had been furbished to be used as living quarters. Here, a group of men would paint the area for a month; Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Frank Johnston, A.Y. Jackson and Arthur Lismer, the Group of Seven members who painted in the Algoma region.
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The Ultimate Group of Seven Road Trip
The Group of Seven first painted in Algoma in May and September of 1918, at times traveling by train along the Algoma Central Rail (ACR), at others along the coast of Lake Superior. For all of them this encounter with the North, in all its natural glory, was a profound and spiritual experience that had an overwhelming impact on their development as world-class artists.
Thanks to these five men and the Algoma Region, Canadian art would be recognized by many as a patriotic emblem of our land. With the essence of Canada as a natural backdrop, and rugged beauty defined by each artist, they showed the world the treasures that were and remain prominent in the Northern landscape.
Today, the ACR still moves on the same track through the area 100 years later. As the big red engine rolls into the train station in Sault Ste. Marie, you can hear the loud whistle of the Agawa Canyon Tour Train as it click and clacks down the tracks. ACR personnel usher people, who will soon be boarding the train, back behind a yellow line as a safety precaution. Some have been planning this trip for many months, and the excitement is contagious as they look for the number on their boarding pass to match to the number on the train car assigned to them.
Having been here many times before, this is a unmistakeable sight: awaiting the Agawa Canyon Tour Train to make its way down the tracks. As a commissioned local artist onboard on the train, my mission today is to assist this group of avid painters as they find their own moment in Algoma on one of the most popular train excursions in Canada. Seeking out locations once captured by the famous Group of Seven, accessible and visible only by rail.
After everyone settles into a comfortable seat by the large picture windows for their journey to the Agawa Canyon, the train starts moving in the opposite direction from which it came. Along the side of the railroad tracks, gardening enthusiasts try to identify familiar species of flowers and vegetation that are native to the area. A red fox can be seen crossing the train tracks ahead and mounting the hillside. As we head west, to the left of the train a replica of a red boxcar can be seen, used by the Group of Seven artists as a home on wheels while painting the views around the ACR line.
At each intersection, the train warns traffic of its approach with a blast of a mighty whistle. The passengers are continuously being informed of traditional landmarks, historical references, and scenic views by a camera attached to the front of the train which is feeding information to mounted monitors displayed throughout each car. The trees seen from the train window are 100 feet high, old growth forest samples. Here, the boreal forest and the St. Laurence deciduous forest meet, making the scenery of Northern Ontario far from pastoral; it is large and wild, bold and unyielding, its beauty more than can be imagined.
The first visual of a Group of Seven painting site is nearing at mile 92. From the right side of the train, Solemn Land appears as the trees part and the river opens up in front. This location is one of the most sought-after views from the tour train, and one of the most popular Algoma paintings by J.E.H. MacDonald.
As the train descends into Agawa Canyon Park, one of the most prominent waterfalls painted by the Group of Seven presents itself. Blissfully flowing down a jagged rock face of the Canadian Shield, it is easy to see why more than one member of the group painted the famous Bridal Veil Falls. Once off the train, a peaceful walk following the Agawa River leads towards the roaring of this magnificent natural site. Watching as the water race down, struck by wonder at the sight of the falls, artists will have a chance to stop and sketch before making their way back to the train.
“An hour in the park is never long enough”—this common comment while boarding the train for the return trip is just another reason to visit again. The impact of being surrounded by such natural beauty unequivocally leaves its mark on the memory. As the group settles back in their seats, paint kits are handed out to each artist. During the trip back to Sault Ste. Marie, the group is busy as they paint with watercolours their very own moment in Algoma.
The impact of the Group of Seven artists in Algoma was and continues to be monumental. By encompassing Canada’s natural wilderness, it's lakes and forests, depth and structure, they captured the essence of the land in their paintings. Even the solitude of trees left standing after a forest fire has its own beauty. They captured it, bringing to light the promise of regeneration and hope.
You can find their work at the Art Gallery of Algoma, where several originals are housed in their permanent collection, as well as prints available in their gift shop.
Seven men captured their moment in Algoma, now it's time to capture yours.
Interested in visiting other Group of Seven painting sites?
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Eileen Halfpenny is a local Sault Ste. Marie watercolour artist. She has artwork collected around the world by patrons in Europe, U.S. and Canada. Each piece is a one-of-a-kind original. Inspired by Canada's Group of Seven, Eileen paints beautiful natural scenery and is specifically drawn to the changing seasons around Lake Superior and Algoma.
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looks like the problems i was having with 1.3 have been fixed with the 1.3.1 update, cheers randy. i love this synth :)
Hi, brand new Aalto fan here...I originally posted questions about MIDI CC record and playback, but then read more of the site and realized even Randy is grappling with this. I intend to devote a lot of time this weekend to using Aalto in Reaper, if I come up with anything I'll be sure to post it.
Well, I feel silly now, there are probably numerous ways to manage this in Reaper, but as far as a quick way to get going, setting the envelope recording status to "Latch" means it will track whatever you grab in the VST. I just got Aalto, and I don't have a scheme yet about how I intend to set up my controller, but I had immediate success tracking and playing back my CC to the VST. This will render an audio file immediately after recording, which lines up with the MIDI perfectly, no muss no fuss, as many times as you like with little or no pressure on the CPU, which is a consideration on my tiny laptop.
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The purpose of this community is to educate, share experiences, post some saucy memes, and provide a resource for channels that are looking for quality moderators for their events and/or communities on Twitch.
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I know that getting my kids involved in doing chores is important. And this was reinforced recently by reading a blog post by friend, educator, blogger and mother extraordinaire Nadia about the importance of getting kids involved in doing chores. Just actually getting them to do it has been a bit, well, of a chore.
Up until a year ago, my kids were in Taiwan. Taiwanese (and Chinese) families tend to hover over their kids more than they do in Australia. Although Big A went to a progressive Montessori childcare center that emphasized independence, in practice most families did things for their kids. It was not I think that they didn’t want their children to do things themselves, just that they often thought it was safer or quicker to do things for their children, especially in a dense urban environment. And that is the way that you show love, by being a hardworking parent who cares constantly for their kids – I have been chided by Taiwanese mother-in-law for being a ‘lazy’ mother for letting the kids do stuff themselves.
Oh, and in Taiwan we also had a full-time nanny/maid/housekeeper, an angel who spoiled us all despite us protesting that she was doing too much. Consequently – and I hate to admit this – up until six months ago Big A at nearly five years of age could not dress himself, put his shoes on, and horrors or horrors, insisted I wipe his bum for him.
There have been big changes in our household in recent months. The kids are growing in confidence and independence. Not having been used to doing chores, I have been gradually incorporating things in rather than turning into dragon dictator mum overnight. Sometimes I am met with “I don’t like that, it is boring!” but still I persevere.
Last week I was listening to an audible recording of Christian evangelist/motivator Joel Osteen. He talked about the importance of keeping yourself, your home and your appearance neat and clean. He especially singled out unwashed cars. “It’s fine for you, Joel,” I thought to myself. “I bet you don’t have to deal with a full-time career and two demanding boys plus everything else.”
But this weekend I decided that I WOULD wash my car. It might be fifteen years old, but I love this car. It takes us to work/childcare/school safety every day. It brings us home. It has taken us on holidays. It is always reliable. It deserves respect and care.
How to find time on a busy weekend looking after my boys? Originally I thought I would encourage them to play in the front yard, ride their bikes out the front, or draw pictures in chalk on the front steps. But Little A ran to the sponge in the water, and so I decided to let him help. Soon Big A decided to give up his iPad for a while and come and get in the action, too. He even went and got a step chair so that he could reach up to get to the windscreen. They had so much fun!
Then I went and got the hose. Well, that was (to use a pun) a blast! It was a hot afternoon, which is just as well because Big A thought it would be lots of fun to squirt mummy and his younger brother. Little A thankfully was a good sport about it. Big A was much less so when it was his turn to get wet; he didn’t think it was fun AT ALL.
So proud of my boys, and so proud that we did something together that didn’t involve a TV or iPad.
What do you think? Is it good for children to do chores? And if so, which ones? Is washing the car going too far? Or a good family friendly activity.
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Author of The Joyful Frugalista, host of The Joyful Frugalista podcast, founder of The Joyful Business Club and living large yet frugally.
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The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the city government to release due salaries of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) employees by June 15. A division bench of Justice S. Murlidhar and Justice I.S. Mehta also directed Delhi Police, Delhi government and the EDMC to take “immediate action to remove garbage” from the streets.
It also issued notice to Centre, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, and the EDMC while hearing a plea seeking directions for payment of salaries to the employees and removal of garbage from roads.
The court sought response on the plea by June 19. Fuming over delayed payment of wages, the EDMC sanitation workers went on a strike and piled up garbage on the streets of east Delhi. They struck work after not being paid salaries for April and May.
The EDMC has failed to pay salaries to its around 11,000 sanitation workers due to what it calls a financial crunch. The employees have been on a strike since June 2, which made Delhi a garbage city and created trouble for the residents.
Meanwhile, L-G Najeeb Jung has confirmed that he has released the salary fund of Rs 493 crore after meeting three Mayors of Delhi. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) employees have decided to call off their strike.
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The last post left us with smooth sailing along with Jonah. He was on his way to Tarshish. That was the west, the wrong way. Let’s pick up the story.
When we make choices that displease God, I think His heart gets heavy. Yes, we can make the Almighty Creator feel sad. He loves us and has the best life in mind for us. So why don’t we trust Him? Now we find Jonah in a boat heading west. He paid the fee and is feeling sleepy, so he goes below deck and naps. (1:4) But then the wind kicks up. A storm starts blowing and howling. It is described as “a violent storm.”(1:5) Even the sailors were afraid, and Jonah is found sleeping! It was bad enough that the captain had to find Jonah and ask him to pray, but he didn’t know that Jonah was in no spiritual condition to pray! (1:6)
Let me just ask one question. But before you finish reading this article, take a moment to answer this question in your own mind and heart; “Is it ever worth it to run from the Lord?”
So let’s skip to verse 17 of the first chapter. I know I jumped over some important ideas in the chapter, so when you have time, it makes a great read. This is an important verse so I will include it here. “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
I think God got Jonah’s attention.
At the beginning of the story, God chose Jonah to go to Nineveh. Nineveh was a physical place with a spiritual purpose. I think that any place can be significant in God’s eyes. May I suggest that God has a reason for the fish even though Jonah was supposed to go to Nineveh? It comes to this: God chose Jonah and then sent a fish to get Jonah’s attention. Here are my thoughts on why God used the fish.
1. It was to save Jonah’s life. He would have drowned if God did not intervene.
2. It was to serve Jonah a lesson. The intensity of our disobedience is directly related to the intensity of God’s discipline.
3. It was to show Jonah love. He could have let Jonah drown, but he didn’t. He could have called another prophet to Nineveh, but he didn’t. He could have sent fire and brimstone to destroy the wicked city, but he didn’t. Instead, God demonstrated His love for Jonah.
So here is where the “rubber meets the road.” God has chosen you and me for His purposes. If you find yourself in the fish, turn your heart back to God. Here are the first few words of Jonah’s prayer: “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.”
God will answer. So stop going west (away) from God and head east (toward) Him.
Posted in Haiti Experience Tagged bible, called, disobedience, following, God, grace, Jonah, missionary, obeying, prayer, praying, redemption, wrong direction
Posted on June 5, 2014 by Tim Sorbo
Hopefully you have read my first post about Haiti; My Haiti Experience; Created. If not, please do so. It should help with context and flow.
Have you ever received a phone call? Of course, everyone has, right? With cell phones in abundance, people are getting called all the time. For the week I was in Haiti, I did not receive any calls. It was odd and a little frustrating to not speak with my wife for the week. I even had my cell phone with me. The problem was that I did not get any signal. My phone was in working order, but it could not get the signal while I was in Haiti. Getting any calls is impossible when one does not have the right signal.
Back in 1990, God called me. And it was not on my cell phone! In fact, the only phone that we owned that did not have a cord attached to it was the huge, 5-pound bag phone that my mom had in her car! I still remember when she would call from the Tom Thumb. The Tom Thumb was a gas station that was a mile away. She would call home so I could have the garage door open for her. Yep, it was a manual door. So, let me get back to the Call; but before I can describe the call, I need to set the stage. Knowing a little bit about how I grew up will help you understand my thinking and mindset about how God calls people.
I grew up going to an Assemblies of God church. Now that I think about it, I have been part of an A/G church for almost all of my 41 years of living. For me, going to church multiple times a week was normal. It never bothered me to have to get up early on Sundays to get to church. When I was 9 or 10, I was helping in the toddler rooms. I was part of the music ministry at the churches we attended. Having my parents involved was also part of my normal pattern. We were always at church. It was central to our family. But more than just our standard, I enjoyed it. I would rather be in church than anywhere else. It must run in my blood. On both sides of my family, I have pastors, missionaries, and many others who are involved in Kingdom work. So it stands to reason that when I talk about church and serving God, it was normal and enjoyable.
Now I can bring you to the call. Often on Sunday nights, our church service was dedicated to a visiting missionary. The person would come and preach a sermon and there would often be slides that they would show. These depicted life in whatever country the missionary was working. This was always neat because I loved hearing about other places. I still read maps, just for fun, to this day. There was one particular Sunday night when we had a missionary lady in our service. To this day, I could not tell you her name, what country she was from, or anything she preached about that night. But I do remember how she concluded her service. She had everyone stand. Then she proceeded to start at one end of the room and pray for people. She might be laying her hands on people as she prayed or she would just point to them. What was I doing at this moment? As an eighth grader, I was not really into the service. In fact, I was thinking that this lady was kind of crazy and she should go back to the desert from which she came! I had a buddy standing next to me and we were joking and being mildly disrespectful. But that didn’t stop God. All of the sudden I find myself standing in front of this lady and she is pointing at me. This moment is indelibly etched into my mind. She didn’t recite a long prayer. She didn’t rebuke me for misbehaving. She simply spoke these words, “You are going into the ministry.” That was it. No fireworks or audible voice. No angels floating around. My response was not even godly. I laughed. Yea, right lady. I am in eighth grade. Ministry? Whatever. Maybe you should go back to Africa. This was my thinking. And for the next three years, I would not think about this night again.
You still with me?
Now let’s move ahead to March of 1990. I was a junior in high school. Life was good. High school was a fun time with athletics, acting, and academics. Up until this point, I had not given my future much thought. I marvel at people who know what they want to do with their lives when they are in high school. I didn’t. (If you are in high school, don’t worry, God will find you.) Also at this time, my dad was a faculty member at North Central University. It was an idea that I could go there and live at home until I found some direction for my life. It was an inexpensive option that was appealing to me. The other part of my life was church, but more specifically, the youth group. I was always doing stuff with other students from church. And this particular March was no exception. There was a youth retreat at Lake Geneva, which was the A/G campground in Minnesota. I was a regular at summer camps, so I signed up to go on this trip that was entitled “The Great Thawing Out.”
The weekend was a blend of snow sports, food, and church services. The speaker for the weekend was another missionary. Mike Shields was to preach to us in each service. My attitude going into the weekend was not very spiritual but not worldly either. I was expecting to enjoy the services, play some games, go skiing, and maybe talk to some cute girls (not necessarily in that order). As with the missionary lady a few years prior, I do not remember anything that was preached or any of the services. But on the last night of the retreat, God would find me and set my life on a different path. Pastor Mike finished his message that Sunday night and gave an altar call. He explained that if there are any juniors or seniors that do not have specific plans after high school, they could come forward and receive prayer. That fit me. Again, it was not something I was worried about. I just had not given much thought to it. So I went forward. It was warm in the room. Standing shoulder to shoulder with other teens waiting to get prayer was interesting. You try to pray but you really want to listen to everything going on. Sometimes you close your eyes, but you don’t want to miss anything. Finally, the missionary got to me. He placed his hand on my head and said the following sentence, “Evidently, you’ve known this for some time, but you are going into the ministry.” What!?!? He was already praying for the next kid. Still no fireworks or audible voices. Didn’t see any angels this time either. In fact, I went over to a quiet corner and sat down. How long I sat there, I don’t recall. But in a very real way, I knew that God had called me. Wow. God, the Master Designer of the Universe specifically called me into His work. And friends, as I write this, that call is as real as ever. The cell phone of my soul has a very strong signal and this call is coming in loud and clear.
I decided to go to Bible College, specifically North Central University, after that experience. But it was different. I was not going because it would be cheap or that my dad worked there. I was going because I wanted to go. God called me and I would take steps to start living that call.
I think that I need to clarify something for you. When God calls somebody, it means that He wants to involve that person in the process of reconciliation; that is, the world being reconciled back to God. I have a part in that whole deal. The kicker is that God never retracts His call. I am in it for life. Whether or not I am living for God, He still has that call for me. So for me, my call will look differently than another person’s call. Right now, I am a waiter. I don’t cook, host, manage, or bus tables. I serve. I do my job and everyone does his or her job. If that happens, the guest leaves happy and full. God has a plan and he has called me to be a part of something great.
By the way, is that your phone ringing?
Posted in Haiti Experience Tagged Assemblies of God church, bible, called, calling, cell phone, cell phones, christian life, following, God, Haiti, missionary, time, travel
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| 11,863 |
Does a colleague push your buttons but you don’t know why? Is there a coworker or boss that really annoys you, but you don’t have a clue where it is coming from? Have you ever had an instant dislike to someone who reminded you of someone from the past?
We’ve all had it happen. We interact with someone and have a strong negative feeling toward that individual. Maybe this person irritates you; maybe this person is difficult to get along with; or maybe you just don’t like this person at all. You think about something they have said or done and can’t stop thinking about it. You might have specific reasons for your dislike and you list them all in your head. For example, you might be telling yourself: he or she is selfish, is not a team player, takes credit for your ideas, always talks about him or herself, goes behind your back, is a bully, is sneaky, has a tendency to one-up you, or is a know-it-all. The list could go on and on.
Think of someone you dislike. How do you feel when you think about this person? What emotions come up for you? For example, are you reacting to what someone is saying or doing? Or are you reacting to what you think they are thinking about you? What you think they are thinking about you may be not even be true. The false assumptions you make could be affecting your relationship with him or her.
This is what happened for my client Grace. (Her name has been changed and she gave me permission to share her story.) Grace came to me because she couldn’t understand why she was not able to stick consistently with an exercise program. She would go to the gym for two days then not go for two weeks. She said she just couldn’t motivate herself to want to do it. She thought working with a fitness trainer would help, but she fired the last three trainers she hired and doesn’t know why.
I asked Grace if this current situation reminded her of something or if there was a time in the past when she hated to exercise. When Grace was 18 years old, she enlisted for officer training in the Vietnam War. At boot camp she despised taking orders from the sergeant to exercise. She hated being told to get in the mud; she hated having to get sweaty, smelly, and dirty. Yet she had to do it, for it was part of her military training.
We started to tap on this memory. We hit some raw emotions and the tears began to flow. These painful memories had been repressed for over 45 years. The emotions a young female solider was never given permission to feel now came to the surface.
We tapped on all the nasty verbal comments or obscenities the sergeant had shouted at the young cadets. Some of the verbal attacks included: Hurry up you worthless piece of shit, if you don’t do this I will go to your house and hurt your mother, your mother can do this better than you or go faster, there is a bullet coming at your head.
EFT tapping was a powerful tool to use in this situation. The tapping did not change the sergeant’s behavior, of course, but changed Grace’s response to his behavior. At the end of the session we were able to reduce the emotional intensity Grace was feeling. She said she felt much lighter. She made the comment, “I can see now why I fired three trainers. I don’t want someone telling me how to do squats or how long to train. No one is going to make me get stinky, sweaty, and dirty. This helps me understand why I don’t want to exercise now.” This was an amazing cognitive shift for Grace.
A few weeks later, Grace told me that she found a new way to exercise that is enjoyable for her. She does it regularly and is even considering hiring another fitness trainer.
This story illustrates how the people we tend to dislike remind us of someone from our past. There is an unresolved issue from the past that is being triggered by the person’s words, actions, or behaviors. Obviously, Grace’s trainers did not call her names, scream out obscenities, or demean her in any way. Yet Grace’s brain reacted as if they had.
The next time you deal with a difficult person, ask yourself: Who does he or she remind me of? You might be surprised by the answer you get.
Juanita Ecker is an international EFT tapping coach. She specializes in test anxiety, pet loss grief, dealing with an aging parent, and coping with a spouse or family member who has an addiction.
Emotional Freedom Techniques or “EFT Tapping” is a powerful self-help method based on research showing that emotional trauma compromises both physical and emotional health.
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| 4,964 |
Pupil debt could make it tougher for individuals to start out a enterprise or buy a house — and one motive for that’s that lenders take into consideration your current monetary obligations.
Now that President Joe Biden has introduced he plans to cancel as much as $20,000 for thousands and thousands of scholar mortgage debtors, many individuals will discover themselves with a extra favorable stability sheet and probably, a boosted credit score rating.
Biden stated in late August that almost all federal scholar mortgage debtors will be eligible for some forgiveness: as much as $10,000 in the event that they did not receive a Pell Grant, which is a kind of assist obtainable to low-income undergraduate college students, and as much as $20,000 in the event that they did. In the meantime, different latest adjustments coming for scholar mortgage debtors, together with a second likelihood for many who had defaulted on their loans, could go away them in an excellent higher monetary state of affairs.
Extra from Private Finance:
What Biden’s student loan forgiveness means for your taxes
Do you make too much for student loan forgiveness?
Student loan forgiveness applications could open within weeks
Here is what all of it may imply to your credit score.
Do not anticipate a ‘large’ impact in your credit score rating
Pupil mortgage forgiveness will most likely have a modest impression in your credit score rating, stated Ted Rossman, a senior trade analyst at CreditCards.com.
“I do not assume it is going to be large,” Rossman stated.
That is as a result of scholar loans are thought-about “installment loans,” that means a mortgage you repay over a set time frame with often scheduled funds. These aren’t weighted to closely into your credit utilization rate, which is how a lot you are utilizing of the credit score obtainable to you, he defined. Your utilization charge can account for as much as 30% of your rating.
Nonetheless, any rating increase could make it easier to get extra favorable phrases with different lenders.
Much less debt could make it easier to qualify to borrow extra
Owing much less in your scholar loans will enhance your “debt-to-income ratio,” which is the share of your month-to-month earnings used to pay your current money owed.
Lenders have a look at this ratio when deciding how much to let you borrow. Some use one thing referred to as the 28/36 rule, which specifies that not more than 28% of your month-to-month gross earnings go towards housing prices, and not more than 36% go towards whole money owed. (A couple of mortgage lenders have even greater caps.)
Forgiveness that reduces and even eliminates your month-to-month scholar mortgage funds may decrease that ratio, “probably serving to you qualify for a bigger mortgage, automobile mortgage or bank card restrict,” Rossman stated.
Credit score report adjustments may take months after making use of
Presently, the U.S. Division of Schooling is saying the applying for mortgage cancellation can be obtainable by early October, and that debtors may see the reduction inside six weeks.
Debtors can then anticipate to see their lowered or erased debt on their credit score experiences inside roughly three months, Rossman stated.
Owing much less will make it easier to make extra headway with paying down bank card debt, boosting your financial savings and investments.
senior trade analyst at CreditCards.com
He recommends you examine your report often without spending a dime at AnnualCreditReport.com to ensure all three credit standing firms — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — are displaying your right stability. You possibly can examine your credit score report weekly for free via the tip of 2022.
Ensure you save a file of your decreased debt out of your scholar mortgage servicer in case you want it as proof.
Debtors in default have an opportunity to clear their file
The Schooling Division has additionally recently announced that it is going to be serving to some 7 million scholar mortgage debtors out of their defaulted standing.
As soon as the so-called “Fresh Start” program launches, debtors will begin by selecting a compensation plan at MyEdDebt.Ed.Gov or by calling the Schooling Division’s Default Decision Group at 800-621-3115, stated greater training knowledgeable Mark Kantrowitz.
Your loans ought to then be transferred from the servicer that handles defaulted federal scholar loans, Maximus, to a brand new servicer. After you have a brand new servicer and are enrolled in a cost plan, the default ought to be routinely cleared out of your file, Kantrowitz stated.
The chance is non permanent. Debtors may have a one-year window to change into a brand new compensation plan, beginning when the Covid-19 suspension of funds concludes. That is at the moment set to occur Dec. 31.
New cost plans may assist debtors’ credit score, too
Together with President Joe Biden’s announcement final week on scholar mortgage forgiveness, he stated the Schooling Division was shifting to supply debtors with undergraduate loans a brand new income-driven repayment plan that would slash their month-to-month payments in half. The plan may cut back the common annual scholar mortgage cost by greater than $1,000, according to the White Home.
Kantrowitz stated this might have “a big effect on mortgage underwriting,” for the reason that different month-to-month monetary obligations you have got are a excessive consideration for lenders.
The plan is not obtainable to debtors but however they need to maintain checking for updates.
You may also make the most of a decrease or eradicated month-to-month scholar mortgage cost to advance in your different monetary targets, Rossman stated.
“Owing much less will make it easier to make extra headway with paying down bank card debt, boosting your financial savings and investments,” he stated.
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Displacement and a legacy of violence conspire against a young man attempting to escape the trauma of war in the second in Ann Hui’s “Vietnam trilogy”, The Story of Woo Viet (, AKA God of Killers). Starring a young Chow Yun-fat as Chinese-Vietnamese refugee headed to Hong Kong with a hope of making it to the US, Woo Viet’s story suggests that violence may be impossible to escape in a world increasingly corrupted by human indifference while only crushing disappointment awaits for those who live on dreams alone.
After years fighting for the South Vietnamese army, Woo Viet (Chow Yun-fat) is one of many young Chinese-Vietnamese men attempting to escape through claiming asylum in Hong Kong so that he can eventually apply for a visa to the US. The reasons he needed to leave are readily apparent. Even on the overcrowded, primitive boat on which he arrives in Hong Kong, Woo Viet has already witnessed several atrocities in which fellow passengers were dumped overboard, killed, or marooned on isolated islands. He has become the surrogate father to a little boy who is now alone on the boat because his dad was killed by the guards, and subsequently becomes a target for Viet Cong “special agents” after they strangle his friend in his sleep for having seen something he shouldn’t have.
Luckily, Woo Viet has a friend in Hong Kong, a female “penpal” Lap Quan (Cora Miao Chien-Jen) who sent him letters he rarely answered all through the war. After Woo Viet is forced to kill a special agent in the refugee camp in order to ensure his own survival, he finds himself relying on Lap Quan to help him organise a fake passport. He no longer has the luxury of waiting to do things properly, he needs to leave the country as soon as possible. The fake passports available are, for some reason, Japanese meaning he has to learn to at least sound plausible by picking up a few handy phrases to fool the border guards. It’s in the language classes that he meets fellow refugee Shum Ching (Cherie Chung Chor-hung) who is travelling to the US because a former customer who has already emigrated told her that he wanted her to come no matter what the cost. The problem is the HK trafficker has not been honest with either of them. Woo Viet may have a decent shot at actually making it to the US, but the girls are to be sold on at the first available Chinatown, which in this case is Manila where they’re waiting for a connecting flight. Having bonded with Shum Ching, Woo Viet surprises the traffickers by giving up his chance to go to America to stay in the Philippines to try and rescue her.
“Whichever Chinatown it is, I think my situation will be the same” Woo Viet writes back to Lap Quan, keeping up a correspondence which becomes increasingly dishonest as he struggles come to terms the shattering of all his dreams. Trapped in a Philippine Chinatown, he discovers the only way he can save Shum Ching is by serving the gangsters that “bought” her from the HK trafficker. Yet, also in his letter to Lap Quan he claims that “it is much simpler to kill people here compared to Vietnam”, while suggesting that the reason his situation is “the same” in Chinatowns the world over is that he has no real identity and can therefore “solve people’s problems with no problem” which is why he’s ended up working as a hired gun for HK gangster Chung.
Even so, he still harbours hopes of making it to the US when he’s made enough money to “redeem” Shum Ching who is already dreaming of finding a tiny house for them both where she can cook him proper Vietnamese food. While in Manila, he’s partnered with a slightly older man, Sarm (Lo Lieh), who came from Hong Kong a decade earlier. Woo Viet thinks he should have earned plenty of money after a decade making kills for Chung, so he doesn’t understand why he’s still here rather than off somewhere else enjoying a better life. He still doesn’t quite see that Sarm is a vision of his possible future, a man so beaten down by life that his only goal is to drink himself into an early grave. Sarm no longer believes in a future for himself, but he wants to believe in one for Woo Viet, and so he tries to help him but brotherhood, like love, is no match for the casual cruelty of the world in which they live.
Woo Viet’s floating rootlessness is perhaps an echo of a potential anxiety in a Hong Kong facing its own sense of displacement with the handover less than 20 years away, as perhaps are his feelings of hopelessness as he attempts to write himself into a better future in his now constant letters to Lap Quan in which he somewhat insensitively talks of his love for Shum Ching born precisely out of that same sense of rootless desperation. Soon after they meet, the pair attempt to visit a flower market at night but their romantic moment is disrupted by another refugee couple being caught and dragged away by police, instantly throwing a fatalistic shadow over their innocent connection. All Woo Viet wanted was an ordinary settled life, perhaps adopting that orphaned little boy from the refugee camp and bringing him with them as he and Shum Ching claim a better life in the US, but even small dreams are seemingly impossible in a world in which the predominating force is not love or compassion but violence.
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Posted in Hong Kong
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The first-ever VASSAL campaign game is about to get underway!! Two of the greatest admirals in history, A7XfanBen and Xerecs, meet in an epic clash on the high seas!
After a number of smaller adventures, both admirals have agreed to take part in the ultimate challenge – a giant cumulative game where gold is spent along the way to build bigger and better fleets. The game has no time limit, and it will go until only one fleet remains or until both admirals agree to stop the game, at which point the fleet with the most combined points afloat and gold on their home island will be declared the winner.
The game is being played with a unique style – each admiral gets to control 3 different fleets, with all of the major factions being present (the minor factions can be hired as privateers). However, each admiral MUST control these fleets independently – they can still form alliances with their own fleets, but each fleet is a separate entity.
2019 Edit: You can use the Master Spreadsheet to see the game pieces now that Miniature Trading doesn’t work.
Without further ado, here are the starting fleets in the order of gameplay, under a 30 point limit:
French:
Native Canoes
Spanish:
Native Canoes
English:
Here’s the northwest corner, where the English have settled. I purposely made the corner islands harder to get to, since the fleet nearby could otherwise take extra advantage of them. The French have generally the most central fleet location, though they’re not really in the actual middle. Here you can see them to the far right.
This is the northeast corner, where the Cursed lie. There’s some overlap with the pictures, as you can now see the French at the far left. To the right lies a barrier reef and some fog dangerously close to the shallows.
The southeast corner, with the Americans on the right and the Spanish on the left. I placed those wild islands close together on purpose, so the setup didn’t look too artificial with the same distance between all neighboring islands. How fitting that 10 canoes are already docked at those islands!
Finally, the southwest corner, where the Pirates are waiting to sail out. You can also see the French in the upper right corner, while the English HI is almost due north of the Pirates’ HI.
Right now there are 18 wild islands in addition to the 6 home islands (HI’s). Each wild island starts with 7 coins on it. All wild islands will refill to their maximum of 7 coins when at least 4 of the wild islands are completely empty. UT’s will probably make appearances eventually. Flat earth rules are being used.
The current house rules state that when a ship wins a boarding party, the winner chooses which coins to take, and that turtle ships are immune to ram damage. Other house rules will be instituted if needed.
The game will start tomorrow! The other campaign game will start sometime early next week, but I’m planning to create a separate thread for that one to avoid confusion and because this one starts first.
The first VASSAL campaign game has gotten underway!
The Geographe took the first action of the game, and all of the fleets raced for the gold!
In the southeast, both the American and Spanish native canoes have explored their islands, while in the northeast, Davy Jones on the Divine Dragon is powering the Cursed to a fast start.
Of all the factions, the Cursed make the first launchings of the game! The Loa’s Justice and Nightmare join the ranks, both crewed with helmsmen.
The Americans and French have some gold, while the Pirates, Spanish, and English are all about to unload some.
Here you can see some of the islands that have been explored. In the order of play, here are the explored marker colors: French (green), Pirates (gray), Americans (blue), Spanish (yellow), Cursed (black), English (red).
The English spent some gold and bought HMS Lady Provost and a helmsman and explorer for her.
Spanish:
The Sea Tiger is returning with gold from the remote northwestern island, while the Wasp looks to do the same in the far southeast.
The game has continued!
The Spanish have built El Castillo del Infanta on the island in the southern middle area! Just like in xerecs’ Economy Edition game, forts can be rebuilt as many times as a player wants.
Notice the Spanish flocking to their island to the east.
Responding to the Spanish, the Americans quickly build Thompson’s Island, but the Spanish counter with Fortaleza Dorada just to the south! Xerecs has been using navigators, which are now a part of all three of his fleets. The Spanish launched the first true gunship of the game with La Tartessos + captain, helmsman, and fire shot.
The Cursed and English got busy spending as well:
English:
HMS Durham + captain
The Pirates navigated some reefs in the southwest to reach a corner island with the help of some trade currents.
Davy Jones on the Divine Dragon finally rolled a 6, and seeing that the Americans were the biggest threat to the Cursed, forced the Wasp off the map! Xerecs had forgotten about her way over in the southeast corner, and now she’s been moved off the flat earth and removed from the game.
Here’s an overview of the situation in the southeast:
The Swift had the honor of being the first ship to lose a mast, while crossing over a reef! However, the Pirates did launch the Cassandra with a helmsman.
The Cursed have been doing surprisingly well for themselves; their newest additions are the Maman Brigitte and Fallen Angel. The Executioner seems to be headed straight for that whirlpool; I wonder why?
Admiral A7Xfanben’s favorite faction is the English, so it should come as no surprise that they are launching ships all the time. In addition to building Ramsgate south of their HI, they’ve purchased numerous ships:
The fleets have rapidly expanded, with no less than 39 ships already in play! The close of the first day’s action saw the French nervously eyeing the expanding English fleet. An interesting part of the game so far has been the differing philosophies of the admirals. Xerecs saves gold more often, belying the potential strength of his fleets, while a7xfanben knows the value of getting lots of gold runners out on the sea as fast as possible to increase the gold flow.
Another interesting aspect is even just writing the battle reports; I have to watch what I say because I don’t want to tip off xerecs or make any odd mistakes!
Here’s the game after another turn. The main developments are that the Pirates launched the Black Heart with Cursed Captain Jack, and the Executioner has gone through a whirlpool to arrive in the west.
A TON of progress has been made on Campaign Game 1!
The French finally spent some more gold:
The Spanish purchased another gunship with La Habana + captain and helmsman.
The Spanish have instigated the first combat of the game! The Tartessos had been lurking off Thompson’s Island, and she finally got the perfect positioning and fired a full broadside at the American fort! Only one hit landed, but it sent a clear message. However, the Spanish assured the Americans that they were NOT declaring war.
On the Cursed turn, Davy Jones rolled a 6! All eyes turned to his wrath, as he could now move any ship in the game however he wanted.
Suddenly HMS Oxford surged forward and fired a broadside into the Aberdeen Baron, taking her down to 2 masts! Davy Jones was wreaking havoc in the English home waters!
Then, the Executioner, who had sailed through a whirlpool the last time the game was played, sailed up and dismasted the Aberdeen Baron!
This shows the first real “battle” of the game, though it was a strange one. The English used the Antelope (who went 2/2!) and Oxford to sink the Executioner, but Fantasma’s Eternal sent her back to the Cursed HI!
The Spanish launched two ships: Concepcion (with a helmsman) to further their gold system and the Colector del Dia (with a captain and helmsman) to further their eastern expansion. The Colector del Dia is a 3 masted junk from RtSS very similar to the Cazador del Pirata.
The English began towing the Aberdeen Baron with the Hound and launched HMS Galway.
The next turn was a rare one, with no launchings by any fleet. Thompson’s Island was fighting hard against the Tartessos, hitting 2/3 before the Spaniard knocked the fort down to 2 guns. The Executioner used Fantasma’s SAT to repair two masts in short order.
With the English in the west and the Cursed in the east, the French have been getting the majority of their gold from the center area south of their HI, where you can see a bunch of trade currents. Each fleet has their own area right now, but fleets are quickly expanding. As more and more ships come into play, treasure replenishments happen more and more often.
Despite the Tartessos losing two more masts to Thompson’s Island, the Spanish finally silenced the fort’s cannons!
In a huge move, Davy Jones rolled another 6 and forced the Oxford to sink the Aberdeen Baron!! She went down with plenty of gold aboard right near her home island, and one of England’s best gold runners is gone for the rest of the game. The Aberdeen Baron also is the first ship to officially sink, though the Wasp was eliminated via round earth and the Executioner was “sunk” before Eternal kicked in.
On the following turn, the Americans made some interesting purchases:
The Spanish immediately responded, launching another set of canoes at the island that Thompson’s Island was recently destroyed on (the Spanish weren’t declaring war but rather claiming the island), as well as El Garante with a chieftain, captain, helmsman, firepot specialist, oarsman, and fire shot.
The English got busy spending as well:
The Apollo took over for the Dover as the official English flagship. The English saw the two Pirate fleet admirals and decided to use their own as well.
The new American canoes loaded gold from the island in the far southeast, while the new Spanish canoes loaded gold from the island Thompson’s Island was on. The Spanish ended their turn by building their third and final fort, El Puerto Blanco, on the island! This ended their short-term objective of controlling those two nearby islands. Also, forts can be rebuilt as many times as a faction wants if they are destroyed. An agreement has been reached where up to 2 of the same fort can be present at the same time, but flotillas follow the same rules for ships in that they can only be purchased once and can’t be brought back if sunk.
The Tartessos repaired at the southern Fortaleza Dorada, while something interesting was brewing up north. The USS James Madison “shot” at the French ship Royal Louis, who parleyed a coin to the American HI. Xerecs (the controller of both fleets) then announced that the French and Americans were agreeing to some kind of alliance, as both factions felt pressure from the fleets around them. Taking it even further, the French then went so far as to make it clear that they considered the English and Cursed to be “enemies”, which puzzled and frustrated Beckett and Davy Jones respectively, as no fleet has done anything hostile against the French so far. The French might want to be a little more careful with their choice of words in the future, given the short fuse the Cursed have in addition to their dangerous named crew.
Speaking of dangerous named crew, the Cursed recruited Tabitha McWarren to crew the Lizard’s Sting. a7xfanben doesn’t dislike trade currents and navigators nearly as much as cargo masters, and so the Cursed also got the Celestine with Master Scribe.
The English then bought 5 new ships, including one named crew: Commodore Rhys Gryffin Owen (CRGO), the other English fleet admiral. The English also received the first home island expansion! As the game gets bigger and bigger I’ll probably do more and more pictures of the deckplates since it’s faster than typing everything in.
The gold running pace intensified, and treasure replenishments were happening every turn or two. The Pirates had been saving for a while, and suddenly spent 91 gold on three new ships, including the first use of privateers!
All three ships were ready to capture crew and turn them into gold, while the Grand River is actually a custom of mine (Xerecs is the Pirate controller).
Grand River
Rarity: SR
Type: Ship
Number of Masts: 6
Junk. This ship’s base move becomes S when she reaches her cargo limit.
The Spanish then cashed in some gold of their own to get the Isabela, another set of native canoes (their third), and the Afortunado with a navigator. This left the English as the only fleet not to utilize trade currents.
During the actual turn (which happened before the launchings), some interesting stuff went down (literally). The Cursed, annoyed with the English but also the Americans (remember them moving the Wasp off the flat earth as the first ship eliminated), moved a native canoe off the map and sunk another with the Executioner!
The Americans’ woes continued. The Spanish decided they needed to make a statement. Despite the destruction of Thompson’s Island and the building of El Puerto Blanco on the same island, the Americans didn’t seem to be getting the message, with the James Madison sailing into now-Spanish waters. The Colector del Dia shot 3/3 to dismast the JM, though she managed to lose the boarding party 5-4 after rolling a 1. The Spanish still have not declared war on the Americans, but the message is clear: the waters around Spanish forts belong to Spain, and nobody else.
Ominously, the Cursed got the first submarine of the game with the Locker and Edward Low.
The English launched two more treasure runners, HMS Goodfellow (from RtSS) and HMS Lord Kenyon.
At the end of their next turn the Americans finally spent a bunch of gold to get both of their hoists (Frontier and Strongarm, the latter from RtSS), as well as a custom by Xerecs.
Type: Ship
Number of Masts: 4
Steamboat. (+L to base move, no helmsman allowed) One of this ship’s treasures is worth +2 gold when unloaded at your home island.
The Frontier and Mississippi carried the American Eternal crew, while the Strongarm carried a cargo master.
For this game, hoists are represented by 4 masted square rigged ships with no jib sail, where an S range tool can be proxied as the hoist arm.
The Spanish followed by capturing the James Madison with the Habana! This was the game’s first capture.
In a brutal display, the Cursed continued to be hostile to the English, using McWarren and Mimi to move the Sea Tiger and Discovery off the map and eliminate them from the game.
The day’s action was almost at an end! The French got things started by launching three of the finest ships: the Libellule (with Maurice Aristide), Belle Etoile, and Favori. The Pirates built Dead Man’s Point on an island south of their HI.
The Spanish went overboard and bought two more sets of native canoes, bringing their overall total to 5 sets (25 canoes) and breaking my Economy Edition record of most sets of canoes in a single game by one fleet!
The Spanish have already dealt with some moderate traffic jams, but things are about to get a LOT more interesting!
With great drama the Cursed rolled successfully for both Tabitha and Mimi, and threw the Jarvis off the map and out of the game! This took out their last chieftain, and the Americans had to eliminate 3 more canoes! The Cursed were proving to be a major annoyance to the English and Americans, but they’re far enough away that going to war against the Cursed would take a major effort. The Cursed are taking huge advantage of the flat earth rules and Davy Jones’ 6’s. The English have learned not to sail their ships too close to the edge on their trips to and from that northwestern island, which is why the Jarvis got flung next.
Speaking of the English, they launched a set of their native canoes from RtSS!
Here is the overall situation, with the Pirates, English, and Spanish having the biggest treasure fleets. You can see a lot of French trade currents, with the Pirates and Americans (Xerecs’ other fleets) laying some down as well. The Spanish and Cursed have gotten started with their navigators.
With all that was accomplished on this great day of Pirating, I thought it would be a great time for the first ship and point counts! For the ship count, each set of native canoes is counted as one ship, while forts are not counted. Forts were not included in the point counts either.
In the order of gameplay:
French: 10 ships, 120 points
Spanish: 16 ships, 208 points
English: 21 ships, 266 points
Total: 77 ships, 1,051 points
That means that after just a few days of playing, this game has already reached the status of being a “huge” game! (at least 1,000 total points) Who knows how big it could get?
More turns have been played!
The Spanish had to pay for their mistake of launching two additional sets of canoes without having their associated chieftains on ships. The Spanish immediately purchased the Morning Star and San Jose, and a turn later paid a penalty of 6 gold. However, once that was figured out they had a new-record 5 sets of native canoes for 25 total in play! As impressive as it sounds it’s rather obnoxious to move them all each turn!
The Cursed continued to have great luck with Mimi and Tabby, throwing the Grand River onto a reef, where she lost 5 out of her 6 masts! This marked the 3rd fleet that the Cursed had annoyed with their antics. Nobody has declared war on them, partly because they’re in their northeast corner and haven’t been a huge detriment.
Soon afterwards, the French launched La Charlemange with Capitaine Arathiel (with oarsmen) and La Richelieu with Jean Desailly, captain, and oarsman. This gave the French their second major gunship along with the Possession, as well as one of those annoying crew with the same ability as the Cursed Mimi and Tabby.
The Americans launched the Louisiana with a captain and other crew.
Mimi and Tabby were successful in their rolls yet again! The Grand Path was chucked onto a reef but didn’t lose any masts. The American turtle ship Gator was yanked backwards away from the American HI. Davy Jones gave the submerged Locker (with Edward Low aboard) an extra action and rammed the mast off the Gator, and on the next turn she would have had a chance to possess GWL, the American Mycron! Alas, it was not to be, as the Gator rowed home with the help of a trade current and unloaded GWL. Still, it was a narrow escape for such an important crew, and another example of the gimmicky but powerful Cursed named crew.
Check out the Gator and Locker on the far right near the American HI. Also note the considerable gold piles on the Spanish, Cursed, and English HI’s.
Over the past two days of action, Cursed Captain Jack has rolled 6’s twice. This has greatly annoyed the fleets, as it severely hampers their efforts and essentially just makes the game more boring, as no abilities of any kind can be used. Much grumbling follows his antics….
The fleets continued to run gold, and the Spanish and English were eager to spend. The Spanish had already received a HI expansion and now proceeded to buy El Príncipe de Asturias and the Buscador, both with chieftains for two additional sets of native canoes! This brought them to a grand total of 7 sets of canoes for 35 canoes in play!
With little outward fanfare but much internal excitement, the English launched HMS Dreadnought! She was a long-term investment, and a great example of a naval deterrent. Her crew was picked from the best English sailors of old.
Rarity: R
Captain. Canceller. This ship’s crew cannot be eliminated unless she sinks.
Eternal. This ship gets +1 to her cannon rolls against any non-English ship. If this crew would be eliminated OR removed from the game, place it on your home island instead.
The Cursed were the next fleet to make a major launching, and they bought a fog-hopping squadron! This consisted of the Sea Hag, Hangman’s Joke, Needle, Howl, and Alligator, all with captains and helmsmen.
Then the English spent some more gold. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of SCS, the English launched the Virtuous Wind, Sea Wind, Tiger’s Breath, and Sea Crane. They also got HMS Interceptor.
At the far right, notice the Locker lurking near the Gator and Destiny. Just south of the French home island, the Isabela and San Jose have docked at a wild island. The Dreadnought begins making cannons from 1 coins. The Cursed have made their displeasure with Cursed Captain Jack obvious, using Mimi or Tabby to hinder the Black Heart’s movement.
The last few turns of play were quite interesting. The French used Jean Desailly in combination with Deleflote to move both the Divine Dragon and the Locker! The French appeared to be helping their American allies. The Dragon wound up on a reef, losing almost all of her masts just like the Grand River. The Locker was moved away from the American home island temporarily. The Americans launched the Carolina with Commodore David Porter (captain + Broadsides Attack). Speaking of the Grand River, she was almost done repairing in the southwest at Dead Man’s Point.
The Spanish joined in on the SCS anniversary festivities, launching some turtle ships (Glorious Treasure, Noble Swan, Proud Tortoise). They also launched some other ships, among them the Espada de Dios (with Bianco’s Haulers, just like my latest fleet challenge entry), Bahama, Santa Lucia, and Villalobos. This and their giant native canoe traffic jam required them to get their 3rd and 4th home island expansions.
The Cursed purchased the Tenfold, one of El Cazador’s most famous custom ships! Her linked crew, Zedekiah, is Hostile: Cursed, so she’s only crewed with a helmsman for now.
Link: Zedekiah
Mercenary, Hostile: Caesar, Hoist, Turbine. Two hits from the same shoot action are required to eliminate one of this ship’s masts. This ship ignores the first hit she takes each turn if she has all of her masts.
This was the first Mercenary ship in the game, but not nearly the first hoist. Speaking of hoists, the English finished their turn by launching the Maui’s Fishhook.
As the day’s action came to a close, the English and Spanish suddenly saw new French forts on the wild islands they were (respectively) sailing towards and docked at. This puzzled both nations, as neither had done anything hostile to the French whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the French remain the only faction not to be bothered by anyone, and they’re one of only two factions (along with the Spanish) not to be bothered at all by the Cursed. The English and Spanish are somewhat perturbed by this development, though it’s far from an act of open hostility.
The game has seen a lot of progress thus far. No factions have declared won on one another. There haven’t been many skirmishes. The Spanish established dominance over the pair of islands east of their HI, unseating the Americans in the process. The Spanish are feeling a bit chaotic and disorganized, and their admiral is a bit unsatisfied with their gold system. The Cursed managed to anger the English by sinking the Aberdeen Baron through Davy Jones commanding the Oxford, but the English got some revenge by sinking the Executioner (who came back via Eternal). The English have mostly gotten over the emotional loss of having the Sea Tiger and Discovery moved off the round earth. The Cursed have also caused a lot of tension with the Americans, moving numerous canoes and more importantly, the Wasp and Jarvis, off the ocean. With the still-recent Franco-American alliance, the Cursed appear to have a new enemy they didn’t intend to have, though the French haven’t actually engaged any fleets yet. The Cursed have also been at odds with the Pirates from afar (Cursed in the NE, Pirates in the SW). However, Cursed Captain Jack has caused rising tension in more than just one fleet.
The fleets are still feeling each other out and are mostly content to build up their navies, and it remains to be seen what long-term strategies they might have in mind.
I’ve played my latest turn with the Spanish, Cursed, and English.
The Spanish had a mass departure of ships from their HI, and at the end of their turn they launched La Joya del Sol with Dominic Freda, just about completing their “gold factory” system of +1 and +2 gold bonus abilities.
The Cursed took their turn, with the Divine Dragon repairing and the Master Scribe placing another trade current. The submerged Locker was within S of the Carolina, and Edward Low tried to take possession of David Porter! With much drama a 5 was rolled, almost enough to succeed!
The Cursed made their intentions clear: the fog hopping squadron is coming to kill Cursed Captain Jack.
The English launched HMS Bath and the Growler with helmsmen.
Link: None
Schooner. This ship gets +L to her base move if she starts her move action within S of an island.
With much anticipation, play has resumed!
The Cursed had taken the Pirates by surprise with the fog hopping squadron! The Black Heart docked at the southwestern island and unloaded Cursed Captain Jack, to much shock in the Cursed fleet. Blackheart, the Pirate admiral, didn’t realize that enemy ships could pick up crew from islands, even if their abilities couldn’t be used. The Sea Hag used an extra action from Davy Jones to dock at the island and load up Cursed Captain Jack! With him on the island, he couldn’t use his Parley ability, but he also couldn’t be killed in a boarding party against the Black Heart. The Cursed couldn’t kill him immediately, so they settled for the next-best thing: torture, Cursed-style.
This whole saga ironically parallels the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in multiple ways. The Cursed are extremely annoyed with Jack, similar to Barbossa and company in Curse of the Black Pearl. They manage to essentially capture him, and in this case Jack has been taken to the brig, much like how he was a captive during the BP’s battle with the Interceptor. However, now it’s Davy Jones who’s after him, similar to the events of Dead Man’s Chest. Another parallel would soon emerge…
Here you can see the Sea Hag docked. The Alligator and Needle have stayed in the area to make sure the Sea Hag can get home safely, while the Hangman’s Joke and Howl have gone back into the fog, trusting the trio of Cursed ships to finish the mission successfully. At the right, the Fleur de la Mort and Grand River are a turn or two away from interfering, which would prove key.
On the Pirates’ next turn, there was a long series of exchanges between the admirals of the two fleets. The Black Heart’s crew loaded the guns and ran them out, but Davy Jones warned the Pirates not to shoot, and reiterated that the Cursed had not declared war on the Pirates. Blackheart (the Pirate admiral) didn’t want to listen, but consulted with Elizabeth Swann. Blackheart asked the Cursed if they would return Cursed Captain Jack to the Pirates in return for holding their fire, at which point the muttering started… part of the crew, part of the ship… part of the crew, part of the ship… part of the crew, part of the ship….
Swann told Blackheart there was no reasoning with the Cursed. There was clearly no getting Jack back. part of the crew, part of the ship
And with that, the Black Heart opened fire! She hit twice, but the deed was done (or not done… undone!).
The Pirates were not happy with the Cursed. They pulled a surprise of their own, launching three sets of their RtSS native canoes at the three wild islands the Cursed had been going to!
Masts: X (Canoes)
Native Canoe. This ship can dock at an enemy home island and load one treasure. If able, she must leave on your next turn.
The Pirates apparently intended to rob gold from the Cursed by appearing on their doorstep! The ships housing the chieftains were no small threat either: Harbinger, Fool’s Hope, and the Black Pearl!
On the Cursed’s turn, the Alligator sacrificed herself to the cause of destroying Jack. She used her smokepot shot to create a smokebank that the Sea Hag and Needle ducked into. This left her vulnerable, and she was quickly sunk by the Fleur de la Mort and Grand River. The rare sinking further angered the Cursed, but it was necessary to complete the mission of killing Jack.
Here’s a closeup of the Cursed HI situation. At the bottom, the Executioner has gotten busy eliminating Pirate canoes, while the Divine Dragon finishes repairing at the home island. The hired Tenfold is immune to the canoes with her immense defenses, while reinforcements arrive in the northeast with the Hangman’s Joke and Howl returning from the short expedition.
The next turn saw a few intimidating launches.
French:
The Spanish also purchased the first fort upgrade! Xerecs and I have agreed to fort upgrades, where a faction can pay 50 gold to upgrade their fort, which means that ships and crew can be launched there. The cost is so high because we want to mitigate the rich-get-richer/poor-get-poorer nature of campaign games, and because we want it to be risky, since the fort is still relatively fragile. Getting a fort upgrade can be a big deal. The Spanish chose Fortaleza Dorada, the southern island of the pair east of their HI. I don’t recall if I said it yet, but factions can also build up to two of the same fort, which the French have already done with Paradis de la Mer.
In the northeast, the Sea Hag and Needle return home from the expedition, with Jack aboard the Sea Hag. In the southwest, Mimi has moved the Harbinger onto a reef, but the new Pirate flagship wasn’t damaged.
In the southeast, the Buscador uses her hoist to take gold from that island, the first time the Spanish have done so! The Spanish also have a group of ships nearing the American HI; however all appears well between the factions as they haven’t had any issues for quite some time now.
The English are finally satisfied with their gold system and appear to have begun saving gold.
Another closeup of the northeast. The Sea Hag has docked home to repair and unload Cursed Captain Jack, who can now be tortured on the Cursed HI. The Nightmare lost a mast to a canoe, but they’ve been mostly neutralized by the Executioner, Divine Dragon, and Loki’s Revenge. Only the northernmost set remains, and that’s been knocked down to 4 canoes after Mimi moved one off the map.
A treasure replenishment was done after that turn.
Another ship count!
French: 14 ships
Spanish: 31 ships
English: 29 ships
Total: 114 ships!
After another turn, there are some launchings to report on.
The Spanish spent every penny in their possession (177 gold!) and launched a fire squadron!
(This ship was launched at Fortaleza Dorada with the new fort upgrade while the rest were launched at the Spanish HI.)
El Picador
Nation: Spain
Points: 3
Link: None
Firepot Specialist. This ship gets +1 to her d6 rolls when attempting to extinguish a fire mast.
The Cursed got busy as well:
Cannons: 2L,2S
Link: None
Longship. Secret Hold.
Points: 8
Link: None
Longship.
Movement L
If this ship ends her turn in a fog bank, on her next turn she may use her move action to move out of any other fog bank in play.
This ship may take a shoot action after moving out from a fog bank.
The Dire Miralis had a captain and helmsman aboard, while the Ghast’s Bell had a captain, helmsman, and smokepot shot, to replace the sunken Alligator.
The game is absolutely exploding!!
After gathering a squadron of warships near the American home island, the Spanish have finally revealed its purpose! A tribute demand! The Americans had little choice but to capitulate, as the Spanish have a much larger fleet and the Americans were powerless to resist. However, the Americans were able to tensely negotiate that the tribute payment would happen on the American turn, rather than the Spanish turn.
The Spanish appear to be the fleet to beat! At the right you can see their canoes going home after receiving the tribute from the Americans. The fire squadron has sailed out.
The French launched La Corse with Amiral Stephan Dupuy, who became their first in command.
The Pirates were the next fleet to launch, with the Flying Dutchman and the Carnage.
Link: One-Handed John
Rarity: CLE
Movement: S+S
Hidden Gold (This ship has 2 extra cargo Spaces that may only be taken by TREASURE. This ship is considered to have the Limit keyword ). If this ship has a captain crew, she gets +1 to her cannon and boarding rolls, and is considered Eternal.
The Spanish weren’t done just yet! They purchased a second fort upgrade for 50 gold and used it to launch four new gunships at El Castillo del Infanta, northwest of their HI! These gunships included two new ones from Pirates of the Great Sea (Estrella de la Manana and Hurucan), as well as the Granada and Reconquistador.
The Cursed were showing their truly evil side. They docked the Loki’s Revenge at their HI, unloaded Wraith and Keith Atkinson, loading up their prisoner Cursed Captain Jack, who had been tortured repeatedly. The Cursed were ready to complete their mission. With no fanfare whatsoever they executed Jack to give the Loki’s Revenge an extra action, which she simply used to redock at the HI. The Cursed made a final insult to his legacy by not even using him as well as they could have. Cursed Captain Jack is gone, and Davy Jones is happy.
However, that’s not all the Cursed were doing. They proceeded to launch one of the nastiest combinations from the brand-new Pirates of the Great Sea set:
Link: Vaati
Rarity: R
Movement: S+S
Ganonite. During your shoot actions, each time this ship hits an enemy ship, you may move that enemy ship S in a direction you choose.
The linked crew has already undergone some revisions:
Link: Farore’s Cataclysm
Ganonite. Helmsman. Once per turn instead of giving this ship an action, roll a die. On a 1-2, move any ship S. On a 3-4, move any ship L. On a 5, move any ship S and place a Fog Bank within S of that ship (it remains until your next turn). On a 6, move an enemy ship L and eliminate a mast or a crew from that ship. Enemy Turbines may be moved S by their controller after being hit by these effects, but this is not considered an action.
Reroll. When this ship hits an enemy ship, you may eliminate one cargo from that ship.
The Knights were brought aboard specifically to reroll Vaati’s powerful ability, which was the perfect complement to the L-movers Mimi and Tabby. This gave the Cursed a crazy arsenal of weapons that seems to expand with each passing day.
This shows the developments; notice the Spanish forming a short line of battle with the first ships of their fire squadron.
The Pirates launched the Deliverance with Captain Nemo!
The Spanish then noticed something suspicious. They were aware of the French-American alliance, but what they saw puzzled them. The Spanish Admiral hailed Amiral Stephen Dupuy and asked him what was going on. The French were honest and told the Spanish that Le Favori was taking gold to the Americans. Apparently the Americans were going to use the gold to finance an operation against the Cursed, as the Cursed had dogged the Americans in the early game and seriously hampered the potential growth of the US fleet. The Spanish admiral aboard El Garante told the French that as soon as the gold was in American hands, the Spanish would seize it as another tribute payment. The French replied that this would not be happening, and Le Superbe and L’Hercule were sailing close behind the Favori to provide support. The Spanish seemed adamant that the gold would belong to them.
Spain was extremely confident in her young navy, with a more veteran squadron to the east and the newer ships gradually coming up from their HI in the south. Some of the eastern squadron was sent west to meet up with the fire squadron, and in the following picture you can see the crossing of their lines. To top it all off, the Spanish even launched more gunships, with El San Salvador, La Cordoba, and El Montenez being berthed at El Castillo del Infanta.
The Cursed launched as well. They continued their demonic rise, purchasing two horrible new gunships, one custom (the Phantom) from El Cazador and one from Xerecs (Hell Hound).
Rarity: U
Movement: S+L
Movement: S+S
If this ship wins a boarding party she may eliminate all of the other ships crew.
Both ships had captains and helmsmen, but the Hell Hound carried a new horror, also courtesy of Xerecs:
Admiral of the Skelds
6pts.
Link: Skelds
Ability: Eternal, as part of a move action this ship may initiate a boarding party from S away without having to ram, the boarded ship may not use any boarding bonuses.
flavor-This foul creature appeared with the hordes of Skelds, and is the only one who can command them.
5pts.
Link: Admiral of the Skelds
Ability: This ship gets +1 to her boarding rolls for every crew on her.
flavor- A new breed of foulness, the Skelds are decaying sailors animated by dark fire, with a craving for destruction.
This was part of the Cursed strategy, which was unsurprisingly a gimmick. The Hell Hound would go out and murder entire crews on enemy ships, after which Wraith (on the Loki’s Revenge) would try to reanimate them with the help of Keith Atkinson. It was a brutal and evil plan, concocted by none other than Davy Jones himself.
In the meantime, the Executioner and Locker headed west…
The Louisiana and Carolina, the only captained American ships on the seas, had been heading west through French waters for quite some time now. This wasn’t altogether surprising, given the French-American alliance. However, the English were surprised when they continued even further west, as the Carolina reached English waters. Lord Cutler Beckett, aboard the English flagship HMS Apollo, hailed Commodore David Porter on the Carolina. Porter responded that he sought an audience with the Lords, Beckett and Mycron. The English were curious as to what had brought the Americans so far west! It was especially interesting given their precarious situation back home with the greedy Spanish. Almost immediately, Mycron said that the English were at peace, and desired to remain so. However, Porter responded that the problem laid not with Spain, but with the Cursed.
This got Mycron’s attention. The Cursed had messed with the English quite a bit, almost since the very beginning. Davy Jones had used his power to turn the English on themselves, and with the help of the Executioner’s arrival, sink the Aberdeen Baron, one of England’s finest merchant ships. They had also used Mimi and Tabby to move the Sea Tiger and Discovery (two of England’s fastest ships) off the map and into oblivion. Recently, they had moved English gold runners into fog banks, delaying their progress. Porter said that the Americans had already formed an alliance with the French, with the primary purpose of stopping the Cursed madness. He asked Mycron and Beckett if they would be willing to participate. The English responded with a yes, but that their participation would be on their terms; they would send what ships they could, when they wanted to send them. Still, it was a huge moment in the game, as the ice had been broken between factions. Porter announced that the Americans had a gift for the English, which he would bring to Ramsgate. As the conversation ended, it was clear that the First Coalition had been formed!
Things were in motion, but there was more than one aggressive nation on the seas…
THE SPANISH DEMAND PAYMENT! To much eye-rolling in the French and American fleets, the Spanish abruptly demanded another tribute! Another lengthy discussion followed, with the French being the voice of reason. Dupuy assured the Spanish that they would receive their tribute payment, but that it would come from the wild island northwest of the American HI (where the Frontier was sailing), not from the Favori’s cargo hold. The Strongarm used her hoist to load the Favori’s gold, and the French had officially provided monetary assistance to the Americans. However, the Spanish weren’t quite satisfied. Once again they warned the French and Americans that the gold would be paid as tribute to the Spanish. The Spanish also claimed that the gold was now in Spanish waters. Dupuy retorted that the area was marked by American trade currents, to which the Spanish replied that they didn’t matter because Spain had the dominant naval force in the area.
The tension was obviously escalating. The Spanish had a point, but they had also sent a good amount of their eastern squadron west to join the fire squadron. They now only had 3 captained ships stationed off the American HI: the Tartessos, Principe de Asturias, and Glorious Treasure. However, they had also blatantly sailed three HI raiders (Espada de Dios, Bahama, and Santa Lucia) near the American HI for some time now, making it obvious that they would get gold whether the Americans cooperated or not. To the west, the still-growing Spanish battle fleet was impressive, with a line of ships stretching almost from El Castillo in the west to El Puerto Blanco in the east.
The Spanish, probably taking in an average of at least 25 gold per turn, launched yet another gunship at the Castillo, the Santa Catalina.
The Cursed continued to make purchases, buying another ship for their fog hopping squadron. However, this time that ship was a submarine:
This underwater demon carried very interesting new named crew:
Ganonite, Captain, Eternal. When this ship sinks an enemy ship (or causes it to scuttle by fire masts), place all of its treasure on your home island.
Marine. This crew’s gun has the Extended Range keyword.
The English finally spent some of their saved gold! On the previous turn, Davy Jones had forced the Durham to fire upon the Sea Wind, dismasting her! Seeing the Executioner and Locker approach from the east, the English decided it was time to take action. They launched HMS Westminster, HMS Granville, and HMS Ajax, all with captains and helmsmen. In addition, the Apollo weighed anchor and sailed east. After 10 turns, Carbon Charlie’s job was temporarily complete, having given HMS Dreadnought a whopping 10 extra cannons, so she now carried 15!
Notice the new launchings, as well as the Spanish battle fleet north of their HI. The Strongarm has loaded gold from the Favori at the right.
With the new First Coalition between the Americans, French, and English, the French continued to prepare themselves for the Cursed! They commissioned RHS Farore, introducing Hyrule to the game! To keep it somewhat more historical and because Hyrule isn’t an official faction, each fleet can only have 3-4 Hylian ships in their navy at any one time. The Farore is a 6 masted junk similar to the Grand Temple, and she was joined by the new Le Gaule, a 5 master.
The Pirates continued running gold, and seemed to be the only faction not really at odds with anyone.
The Americans took their turn, and then all eyes turned towards the Spanish.
With yet another tribute demand, there was only so much the Americans could offer and promise. They reiterated that the Spanish would be getting all the gold from the island NW of the American HI, but the Spanish weren’t satisfied. Knowing of the French-American alliance, the Spanish felt they were being deceived. The Spanish admiral said once again that the Americans would fork over the gold the French had given to them. Once again the French said it wouldn’t happen.
Tense negotiations continued, and the Spanish grew angrier and angrier. France and America were getting in the way of Spain’s ultimate goal.
The Spanish admiral aboard El Garante considered his options, but in the end he knew what to do. He had waited long enough for this moment, ever since the French had built a fort on a wild island the Spanish explored.
To the west, the Granada suddenly surged forward! Her guns were run out! With a defiant battle cry heard by the thousands, she opened fire on Paradis de la Mer!!
With a huge roar the Spanish fleet sailed north! The fort’s defenses were tough, but Spain had an overwhelming numbers majority in the area. The Granada and LE San Cristobal weakened the fort, and the Sirviente and Estrella teamed up to destroy it! The San Cristobal used the same action twice to continue sailing northwest, where she fired upon the Bon Marin, sinking her easily! Her final shots set the Libellule aflame, and the fire squadron was in full sail! They finished their turn by launching 4 new ships at the Castillo, and finally their imperial desires were made clear!
The Battle of Paradis de la Mer has begun! The Franco-Spanish war has commenced, and it’s the first declaration of war in this game.
Here is the entire ocean again, with chaos erupting in the center. The English got both of their Admirals’ actions, and used them in conjunction with Lord Mycron to give double actions to all three of their new gunships, whose crews are eager to protect English trade from the Cursed. The Executioner and English are both out for revenge, in a way, since the English couldn’t sink the Executioner for good but Fantasma is angry his ship was defeated in the first place.
What on earth could happen next? Only time will tell, though another report will be coming soon with a ship and point count.
After another epic ship and point count, here is the game size:
French: 16 ships, 294 points
Spanish: 51 ships, 752 points
English: 32 ships, 489 points
This game is already close to becoming the biggest game of all-time (Economy Edition at 2,846 points), and we’ve nearly just started! Also, Economy Edition had a max of 181 ships in play, which when multiplied by the average points/ship (2,846/163=17.46) gives an approximate size of 3,160 total points. As a result, I wouldn’t feel confident claiming a game as the biggest in history until it reaches around 3,400 total points. The massive totals made me want to do a bit of analysis.
First off, the Spanish have almost 30% of the overall points in play, while the Americans have just over 5%. Even if you take out all 7 sets of native canoes, the Spanish would still have a dozen more ships than the English, the next-largest fleet. In addition, the Spanish now become the second-largest recorded fleet that I’ve ever played in a game, being surpassed only by the giant Pirate fleet of Economy Edition, which had 778 points in play at the end of turn 33 of that game. However, Spain’s 51 ships surpasses that fleet’s total of 45, though the Pirate fleet would grow MUCH larger soon afterwards, with 62 ships after turn 38. Then the Pirates continued launching even more, until their fleet was almost unmanageably big, with an astronomical, mammoth size of 104 ships after turn 43. I’m putting this in perspective because although the Spanish fleet is huge, one mustn’t forget past epics (and if you multiply those 104 ships by the average points/ship number based on turn 33 (2,846/163=17.46), the Pirate fleet could have theoretically reached over 1,800 points!!).
Here are the numbers on points per ship, rounded to the nearest whole number:
French: 18 points/ship
Spanish: 15 points/ship
English: 15 points/ship
It comes as no surprise that the Cursed have the highest average points per ship (before rounding), though I’m a little surprised by how high the French number is and how low the Spanish number is (partly due to the canoes). The Pirate number is so high because it feels like the only gunships they’ve bought have been 5 and 6 masters with tons of crew on them. The French were the most peaceful nation, but with the first war of the game directly involving them, the Pirates become the current “most-passive” faction if you will.
Also, after the recent weekend of action, I felt the urge to reveal my strategies for the three fleets under my control. Little did I know how much they would change over the course of these eventful days! Now they are different, so I’m not really disclosing any information that could be useful to Xerecs, whose past strategies I’d love to see if they were recorded.
Spanish: Try to cut off American access to the island in the southeast. Demand payment from the Americans, and threaten with display of force.
(Mission mostly accomplished; cutting off American access to that island was quickly changed based on other things that I won’t reveal.)
Cursed: Kill Cursed Captain Jack. Be extremely aggressive and likely lash out against the Americans and/or the French. Continue the gold system, but buy for war.
(Again, mostly accomplished, but the Cursed still aren’t aware of the First Coalition against them (consisting of the Americans, French, and English).)
English: Be cautious and controlled. Continue launching gold ships until the system is massive and the fleet can begin saving gold. Do not engage enemy fleets unless they become hostile. Give the Dreadnought at least 10 extra cannons.
(Mission accomplished, though the Cursed have forced their hand.)
The action has continued!
The French are the first fleet to go each turn, and their counterattack crippled the San Cristobal, Granada, and Hurucan. However, the fire on the Libellule spread and she was doomed.
The Americans used GWL to give an extra action to the Strongarm, who docked home the French gold gift, denying it from the Spanish! True to their word, they launched the Enterprise with Jonas Richman and other crew, with the likely intent of going after the Cursed.
However, another fight has broken out in the northwest! The Executioner reached English trade and started disrupting it! A canoe was eliminated, but the Executioner was just a distraction! Suddenly, the Ghast’s Bell popped out of a nearby fog bank! Using her unique ability, she shot a smokebank out right next to some English ships! Then the hordes came forth! The Sea Hag, Ganon’s Phantom, and Needle all appeared through the new fog bank! This was disturbing to the English, since they had spent the game peacefully running treasure. Now the Cursed were at their home island!
However, the fog hoppers hopped out too close to the English. On their turn, the English were able to dismast 3 of the 4 ships and cripple the Needle! The threat was a dangerous one, but the English had the gunships and crews available to put it down before it did any serious damage. In addition, the Granville and Westminster teamed up to hit the Executioner twice.
As the battle in the center raged, the Spanish gunners weren’t as accurate as their French counterparts. Numerous ships had their fire shot backfire, causing chaos. The San Cristobal, Sirviente, and Hurucan were all sunk in short order. The Spanish, with their great gold system, were eager to replace their losses, hiring the Tasmanian Devil, Forward, Revolution, and El Algeciras towing Diablo.
A broad shot of the entire French/Spanish situation. At the left Spanish gunships are unable to touch the western Paradis. The battle rages in the middle, but more Spanish ships are on the way. To the right, the Superbe, Hercule, and Tartessos are three major ships yet to enter the battle.
The Farore gets involved, but fires are burning on her decks and throughout other French ships.
The Pirates continued their trend of launching 6 masted junks, hiring the Grand Temple and Katsura-chan, Kian Ng, helmsman, oarsman.
This picture only shows a few developments; the Spanish have launched a super-sniper and a medical barge:
In addition, the English captured the fog hoppers the Cursed had sent to attack them.
The French soon lost the Charlemagne, but replaced her with Le Bonaparte and El Cazador’s custom French native canoes, which have S+L speed and 3L guns, in addition to the Captain keyword built-in. The canoes were launched at the western Paradis.
This picture shows the chaotic melee. The Spanish have built their second El Puerto Blanco on the island that used to have Paradis de la Mer, as the Spanish try to establish themselves in French waters. The Noble Swan has already docked there to repair a mast she lost to her own fire shot. Using an extra action from Deleflote, Le Gaule has hit the Spanish hard, but on the Spanish turn she came under extremely heavy fire. The Augusta, a ship purchased to expand the new Spanish Empire, was fortunate to have a captain aboard. Roberto Santana (aboard the Soberano del Mar docked at her HI) gave the Augusta +1 to her cannon rolls, and most of them hit! The Villalobos did more damage, while the Cazadora finished off La Corse. Slightly north of the Corse, the Possession has the upper hand against the Argonauta, but El Garante, the Spanish flagship, has sailed up on her starboard quarter. Astern of the Garante, the Proud Tortoise and Colector del Dia have taken out 3 of L’Hercule’s masts and set her alight. However, one mast standing meant that she could fire all of her cannons next turn. To the east of her, the Cursed have joined the fray on the outskirts! The Hell Hound used an extra action from Davy Jones to surprise the Superbe, crippling her and eliminating all of her crew! This was rather exciting, as it was the first instance of crew being eliminated specifically for the purpose of feeding Wraith (aboard the nearby Loki’s Revenge). Both Wraith and Captain Davy Jones (in the Pirate fleet aboard the Black Heart) were able to possess a French oarsman.
The Pirates built the Devil’s Maw on the wild island east of their home island, while the Americans launched the Algiers.
The English continued to bring back their Cursed prizes, and the Executioner was captured!
On the following turn, the French managed to sink the Argonauta! However, their new canoes were relatively ineffective. Much to the dismay of the Spanish, the Hercule and Possession dismasted El Garante! This was a morale blow for the Spanish, seeing their flagship in such dire circumstances. In the end, however, it spurred them on with an even greater hatred of the French than they already felt. The Spanish quickly launched the Trinity at the end of their turn, stationing her at the Castillo west of their HI.
The Cursed purchased some cheap firepower in the form of the Baba Yaga, Last Hope, Whydah, and Mourning Star.
The French were being absolutely worn out, with the Spanish enjoying a significant numerical advantage. The Spanish had a great turn, knocking out 4 of the 5 French canoes, dismasting the Possession and Superbe, and crippling both Le Bonaparte (through a team effort involving the Santa Catalina, Canela, Cordoba, and Tasmanian Devil) and La Richelieu. The Hercule was sunk by the Augusta, which was quickly turning into a Spanish hero ship. To the southeast, the Cervantes has removed the American and French explored markers from that wild island and put a Spanish one there instead, further signalling the expansion of the Spanish Empire. Four Spanish gunships repair at the new Puerto Blanco, and it appears the flagship, El Garante, is safe for now.
The Spanish flagship, El Garante, was soon dismasted by the Possession. This was a blow to Spanish morale, but it also served to make the Spanish hate the French even more, spurring them on. The English have towed most of their Cursed prizes back home to repair.
The Spanish continued to press their attack, sinking the Superbe and Richelieu. The Villalobos rammed the Enfant Terrible, dismasting her and eliminating Deleflote, one of the most important French crew! The French launched the eternal Tepant, but they had already lost the battle. To make matters worse, the western Paradis de la Mer was destroyed by a combination of Spanish ships and the Diablo flotilla. The Rosario quickly used Alejandro Malaspina to plant the Spanish flag upon the island. In a morale victory, the Noble Swan started towing El Garante, and it appeared that the Spanish had saved their flagship! Another handful of Spanish ships dismasted the Favori, one of the only remaining French gold runners.
In a huge move, the Cursed Hell Hound used the help of a trade current to catch the Enterprise, board from S, and eliminate all of the American ship’s crew! The new Cursed gunships have set a southerly course. In another big move, the remainder of the Cursed’s fog hoppers have hopped out of a fog bank near the Pirate HI! The Interloper is looking to use Agnahim’s new ability to aid the Cursed gold effort, while hurting their old enemy the Pirates (though actually one of their newer enemies haha).
Seeing an intimidating Pirate fleet assemble off the western side of their HI, the Spanish realized that they were stretched too thin. They decided to have a considerably better Home Fleet for home island defense. They started this new plan by launching 5 ships at the end of their turn. One of them was my custom Nautilus (basically faster with better cannons for more points) with canceller Christian Fiore, a captain, helmsman, shipwright, and oarsman. They also got La Academia and stationed her at the Castillo northwest of their HI, where she couldn’t be shot at as long as she stayed docked at the fort. This gave the Spanish some extra defense for their vulnerable gold runners, in addition to the fort itself and the Trinity. They also launched a few other ships at their HI: the 2 masted El Toro, and the treasure-seekers Ventura and Halcon. Knowing UT’s had just been put into the mix for the first time, the Spanish were eager to launch the ships with such a valuable spying ability, which they would use to look for enemy ships with UT’s. These launchings beefed up the Spanish Home Fleet, but they knew they would need more. Fortunately for them, they had done well to put the gold system in place early on so they could afford to launch multiple ships each turn.
The Cursed launched the Pyre with Papa Doc, who would look to join the Locker and Edward Low in the quest to possess crew. The Jikininki also made an appearance, with the Cursed looking to use her to feed eliminated crew to Wraith. They also built the Dark Knights’ Tower, a custom fort from El Cazador.
This picture simply shows the new stuff.
The French weren’t nearly done yet! The Bonaparte was busy repairing, while the Farore made it out of the fog but couldn’t quite make it home. This actually meant she was completely doomed, since the strong Spanish presence in the area threatened to take out any ship not docked at the French HI. However, there were signs of hope for France. The Tepant ventured out and damaged the Forward and Cazadora. Two French gold runners were almost home with treasure. However, the Spanish had captured Le Favori, and some of their biggest ships were repairing at the nearby El Puerto Blanco just to the south.
This shows the whole ocean from the same point in time. At the left, the Interloper has sunk the Bloody Jewel (and Jean Laffite), giving the Cursed all of her gold! However, they were about to pay for it dearly, especially after the captains of the squadron forgot to move their ships back into the fog and to safety! Two devastating new customs have been launched: the Pirate ship Smoke’s Hand (one of my customs which lets you use certain keywords of your choice) and La Muerta (a custom of El Cazador similar to HMS Endeavour).
The Enterprise was pulled away from her HI by Vaati! This allowed the Hell Hound to sink her! The Americans were really struggling, as they had launched the Enterprise for the express purpose of getting revenge on the Cursed. However, in an ironic twist, the Enterprise had been quickly sunk by the Cursed without doing any damage in return! In the meantime, the Spanish had taken another tribute payment.
The Spanish continued to build up their relatively new Home Fleet. Most of their energies had gone north to win the Battle of the Two Paradises, but now that the main battle was over, some ships were able to return to traditionally Spanish waters. Four gunships sailed off the northwest coast of the Castillo, while the submerged Nautilus and La Muerta stood guard closer to home. The Spanish Empire was in full swing.
Up north, the situation was a bit of a mess, but the Spanish had more than enough ships in the area to have things mostly in their control. Some ships were still in the early stages of towing derelicts and repairing from the battle, while north of El Puerto Blanco, healthier ships continued the fight against the French. At the left, the Revolution and Cordoba frantically try to establish a close blockade, while the north and east sides of the French HI see cannonballs flying everywhere. The Colector desperately tries to cripple the Courageux before she can dock home with gold, but the Frenchman’s defensive ability thwarts her plan. In the east, the Tepant is surrounded by Spanish gunships. This would seems to spell the end for her, but Lenoir cancelled the Resolucion’s captain, giving the Spanish only 4 shots on the Tepant. 3 of them hit, including the Proud Tortoise’s fire shot. However, the Tepant’s one mast meant she could return home on her turn to repair. At the upper left, note the escaping Royal Louis and the American ships Louisiana and Carolina, who are making the long journey home after their trip to see the English. That trip to form the First Coalition against the Cursed has mostly been for nought, as the English would have defended their gold runners from the Cursed fog hoppers regardless of any coalition agreement. The Americans, French, and English are allied against the Cursed, but the Spanish onslaught and tribute demands (as well as the Cursed themselves, who have had no contact with the Spanish whatsoever, whether friendly or not) have led to almost nothing being done against the Cursed. In short, the Cursed hate everybody, while the powerful Spanish seek only to expand their empire and conquer the entire sea. Those two factions have really made things difficult for the French, Americans, and to a lesser degree the English.
After another handful of turns, a few interesting events have unfolded.
The French had some of their ships flee north of their home island! However, the Spanish were relentless! They pressed their advantage, dismasting the Royal Louis and Courageux! The Lyon and Bonaparte also took damage, but quickly returned home to repair. Despite the nearby French HI, the Spanish are still winning the War on France. The American ship Louisiana hit the Revolution with chainshot, so the Spanish decided to punish the Americans (still not declaring war on them of course, as they are essentially a vassal (pun intended) or tributary state to the Spanish) by dismasting the schooner with the Revolution and Villalobos, who was still plaguing the French. At the upper left, note how close the battle has come to English waters. The first UT’s have been discovered! The English had a horrible run of UT’s, finding Wolves on their southern and eastern wild islands. They also found Rats and Monkey’s Paw. They hired Lt. Nigel Hardwicke and Major Peter Sharpe to hunt the Wolves. Hardwicke was successful at Ramsgate, but in this picture you can see that Sharpe has missed his first shot aboard the Galapagos. This delayed the treasure replenishment for an extra turn or two, since the English have the most efficient gold system in the game and by FAR the most gold saved up. At the upper right, it looked like the Royal Louis was headed northeast towards Cursed waters in search of gold (she was originally headed towards that island at the left before the Wolves were found on it). The French are really in trouble, since the Spanish have total control of their southern front; they’re running out of places to run.
In the southwest, the Pirates turned their gunships west and/or towards their home island. Whether or not they were planning to attack the Spanish gold system, the new Home Fleet seems to have provided some deterrence. In other news, the fog hopping squadron was nearly lost! The Cursed are discovering how ineffective fog hoppers generally are, losing the Hangman’s Joke to Pirate gunships. As stated earlier, the Cursed forgot to move the three ships for a turn, which cost them the Joke and some masts. The Howl was nearly sunk, saved only by Vaati and her fog hopping ability. The Interloper was sunk, but Agnahim’s Eternal keyword brought her back to the Cursed HI, where she is now fully repaired. This means that the Cursed have only 2 fog hoppers left, with the rest either sunk or captured by the English.
Speaking of the English, Lord Cutler Beckett and Commodore David Porter had another meeting, which could possibly be their last. Both men agreed that it would be best to send the captured fog hoppers back against the Cursed, to give them some of their own medicine. It was up to the English how they want to do this; they talked about having them pop out near the Cursed HI, or assisting the Americans at their HI. Either way, the English aren’t worried about losing the prizes, since they’re not English ships and the English crews aren’t comfortable on the strange ships in the first place.
On their turn, the Spanish announced that they had made a decision. The Americans were essentially like a colony to them, with tribute payments hindering the growth of the tiny American fleet. However, the Spanish could not afford to fight the approaching Cursed. Interestingly, the Spanish are the only fleet the Cursed have had no contact with, and therefore the only enemy they haven’t made. Neither faction is interested in fighting the other right now, though that could change. In addition, the Spanish had just received yet another tribute payment, which actually filled up the cargo holds of both the Principe de Asturias and Espada de Dios, the two principal Spanish enforcers still in the area. Wanting to get the gold home, the Spanish decided to pull out their eastern squadron, not wanting to fight/defend on three fronts at once. The Cursed know they’ve made too many enemies, but the chaos in the center and the general complacency of the English and Pirates have let the Cursed run free to do whatever they want. It appears they want to eliminate the Americans… the Cursed are coming! The combination of Mimi/Tabby/Vaati yanked the Ghost Walker away from her HI repeatedly, and the Hell Hound capitalized, killing GWL (American Mycron) and eventually sinking the Ghost Walker! The Cursed took it even further, using the Last Hope to ram the Destiny at her HI and eliminate the single American navigator. Other Cursed gunships head south.
Here you can see all of the aforementioned developments, with the Spanish leaving and the Cursed overrunning the area. I’m not a huge fan of trade currents, so I put Celestine’s Charts into the mix! The Americans were the first to find it, and it really cleaned up their area, knocking out all of their trade currents! This made the American situation even more deplorable, with no American trade currents, only one ship docked at their HI, and Cursed gunships sailing freely around the waters.
With the War on France mostly under control, the Spanish are for the first time seeing a relatively major influx of ships coming home. This is a welcoming sight to them, as they save gold and plan for the future. The French and Americans have become desperate, but both factions have plenty of fight left in them. The Pirates continue to amass an impressive fleet, while the Cursed have invaded American waters and seem to have no enemies intent on destroying them. The English have been saving for what seems like ages, and are still the most peaceful faction. The next few turns will no doubt see very interesting developments!
Here, the French have been soundly beaten north of their HI. The Royal Louis was captured, and some Spanish ships have turned for home. Some more UT’s have been found, and the English have fully repaired their fog hopper prizes and can use them as a squadron against the hated Cursed. The Spanish found Celestine’s Charts, eliminating all of their trade currents! However, they responded with a long-term plan coming to fruition: The Spanish Inquisition!
El Rafael + captain, helmsman, musketeer, shipwright, fire shot (24)
This picture shows the Cursed and English turns. The Cursed have continued to send their battle squadron south, further and further into American waters. The Poor Adams has stolen the only coin on the American home island. After it was placed on a different wild island, the Cursed also found Celestine’s Charts! Not only does the UT level the playing field, but it also makes the ocean look much better and less convoluted.
This gives an idea of the giant size of the Spanish fleet, with not all of their ships shown here. (Ship and point count coming in the next few days!) Even with 5 home island expansions, there is almost no space to dock at the home island, especially with the launch of the Inquisition.
The French continue to fight, but the odds are against them. The Tepant and Enfant sail out, but both are quickly dismasted. Most Spanish ships not running gold are generally headed west. However, the real excitement here lays to the southeast! The English loosed the captured fog hoppers on their former owners, helping the Americans as promised! Mycron gave the Ganon’s Phantom an extra action, but she only hit once on the Baba Yaga. In addition, Vaati pulled the Destiny away from her HI, and the Last Hope sunk her! This left no American presence at their own home island.
MUCH more to come!
The French sailed the Tepant and Enfant Terrible back home to repair, while the Lyon sailed out in search of gold. She wouldn’t find any however, because the Colector del Dia quickly shot off two of her masts. It was obvious that despite the considerably diminished Spanish presence in the area, Spain was not willing to let France go easily.
The Cursed caught up to their captured fog hoppers, and the Baba Yaga blasted them to pieces while the Jikininki rammed the Algiers.
The Spanish had been amassing their home fleet and heading west for a while now, and finally they continued their imperial conquest!
Similar to the Battle of the Two Paradises, the Spanish got things started by attacking the nearby Pirate fort. As a result, this battle will probably be known as the Battle of the Devil’s Maw. The San Salvador was the first ship in action, quickly followed by other Spanish gunships. However, most Spanish ships couldn’t reach the battle area right away, but the Spanish had already decided that it was the best time to strike. Xerecs would later reveal that the Pirates had been planning to attack the Spanish (which prompted the Home Fleet’s construction), but different things got in the way.
The Carnage and Fleur de la Mort were quickly dismasted, but both fleets had a lot of ships on the way. This has all the makings to be one of the all-time great battles!
Here you can see the battle’s start at the Devil’s Maw, with tons of Spanish ships trying to flood the battle area from the east.
Here you can see how crowded the battle area in the southwest is going to get. The English have docked home their flagship, HMS Apollo, in order to give her extra cannons just like they did with the Dreadnought.
The French continue to fight, taking a mast off the Colector and Tartessos. Spain is sending a lot of the veteran ships of the French war and the blockade southwest towards their new enemy.
The Spanish/Pirate war is just beginning! Here, both factions have taken another turn. The Pirates sunk the Habana, while also doing major damage to the Canela, San Salvador, Neptuno, Augusta, and Reconquistador. The Grand Path, Smoke’s Hand, and Black Pearl used double actions to get right in the thick of it. The Spanish counterattack was successful, eliminating all of the Devil’s Maw’s cannons. Christian Fiore (on the submerged Nautilus) cancelled the Carnage’s ability (which provides her with Eternal when a captain is aboard), allowing the Spanish to sink her. The Augusta missed against the Fool’s Hope, but the Neptuno helped her out with an improbable 2/2 with both exploding and fire shot, setting the big ship ablaze!
In the far north, the Carolina has been joined by HMS Granville and HMS Westminster to finally take action against the Cursed as part of the First Coalition. The captured Executioner is on her way to join them, and she would make very fast progress in the next few turns due to Fantasma’s SAT.
The Spanish have sunk Le Lyon, knocking the French fleet down to just 4 ships. The Americans only have 3 ships left after the Mourning Star sunk the Algiers. The Mississippi and Frontier are hiding in fog banks from the Cursed, who were finishing off the captured fog goons sent there by the English. The Ganon’s Phantom sank, and the Cursed had sailed almost to the southeastern-most part of the sea in their assault on the Americans! The Cursed have sent the Locker and Pyre west, where some of the faster and more durable Spanish gold runners have gone north to explore formerly French islands. Ominously, the Interloper and Howl have moved into a fog bank near the Cursed HI, as the remains of the fog squadron are ready to hunt again. The Spanish rolled successfully to scuttle the Royal Louis; although they wanted more ships, she was holding the Tartessos back from more important matters. The Spanish continued to clear out of “French” waters while the Apollo and Carbon Charlie looked to eliminate bad UT’s the English have found to give the Apollo extra cannons (turning a negative into a positive).
The second war of the game continues! The Spanish have sunk the Smoke’s Hand and dismasted the Fool’s Hope. The Grand Path and Black Pearl were both burning fiercely. The Canela and Reconquistador were towed a bit out of harm’s way; the Spanish know that to achieve the size of the Spanish Empire they foresee, they will have to save as many ships as possible to keep up their huge fleet.
Xerecs and I are actually playing another turn as I post this; another post coming soon!
The Pirates began to retreat! Most of the remaining Pirate gunships headed west, back towards their home island. The Spanish, however, pressed their attack, sinking the Fool’s Hope and setting fire to the Golden Medusa. Tia Dalma was cancelled by Christian Fiore on the submerged Nautilus. Through the gun smoke of battle, the Spanish didn’t realize that they were still shooting at the Flying Dutchman, and she returned to the home island via Eternal. Spanish derelicts are towed to clear room for the advancing gunships. However, the Cursed would soon throw a wrench into their plans…
The Cursed have attacked! In a potentially very bad decision, the Cursed sailed the Mourning Star up to Fortaleza Dorada and opened fire! THE SPANISH DECLARE WAR ON THE CURSED! (Even though the Cursed initiated the conflict, they didn’t declare war; it was supposed to be just a raid.) The Spanish are now at war with the French, Pirates, and Cursed! The Cursed also revealed their intentions with the Interloper and Howl, their two remaining fog hoppers. Both hopped out near the Santa Isabel and Saragoza, with the intention of striking the Spanish gold system, the heart of their empire!
In addition, the Cursed used Mimi to yank the Carolina toward the Gerudo Fortress, where two of the schooner’s masts were shot off.
North of the French home island, the Bonaparte and Tartessos were locked in battle. Each ship was hurting, and the Tasmanian Devil missed twice on the Bonaparte, keeping the annoying ship alive. Between the Cursed attack on their now-undefended eastern front and the defiance of the French fleet, the Spanish realized that they had sent too many ships to attack the formidable Pirates. Especially with the Pirates losing the Battle of the Devil’s Maw and appearing to be in retreat, the Spanish have sent some ships back east and a few to the north.
The Revenant did some damage to the Galeon de Gibraltar, but was quickly dismasted by the horde of Spanish gunships.
The Spanish hired some Jade Rebellion privateers to help their eastern defenses, with the East Wind and Black Lotus joining the fight. However, the Cursed sunk the recently launched Santa Ana (SCS version), while the Interloper sunk the Picador, giving the Cursed two valuable coins via Agnahim’s ability! The Cursed recaptured a few of their fog hoppers, while the Whydah looked to join the Mourning Star in bombarding Fortaleza Dorada. In addition, the English had some plans up their sleeve regarding the First Coalition, though they didn’t tell Commodore David Porter exactly what they were.
At this point, I was able to do another epic point and ship count! As usual, here are the numbers in the order of play:
Ship and point counts at the beginning of play on 3/18/2016:
French: 4 ships, 54 points
Spanish: 76 ships, 1,212 points
(164 ships!)
WOW! At the beginning of another day’s action we were literally 68 points away from breaking the all-time record of 2,846 total points, held by my Economy Edition game from summer 2015. How incredible! However, as I said in an earlier post, that EE game likely peaked at around 3,200 or 3,300 total points a handful of turns after the final point count. Still, the game is at a massive size. However, it’s also obvious that the fleets are radically different in size. The Pirates have the highest points per ship number, at 21 (rounded).
Here is each fleet’s point total as a percentage of all points in play, rounded to the nearest whole number:
French: 2%
Spanish: 44%
English: 21%
Spanish Empire indeed! The Spanish have a higher percentage share of the points in play than any other two fleets combined, not to mention having almost half (76/164=46%) of the total ships afloat. At 76 ships, they’ve cemented their place as the second-largest fleet I’ve ever managed, behind only the massive Pirate fleet from Economy Edition. Imagine a twelve hundred point fleet! The French and Americans are hanging on by a thread, while the middle three fleets continue to have some success in general. In addition, it’s worth noting that my turns take so much more time than Xerecs’ because I literally control about 84% of the points in play! As of this point count I have to move 140 ships each turn.
The Bonaparte returned home once again to repair, while the Enfant Terrible set out. The Tasmanian Devil shielded the Tartessos and Colector from the French as no less than seven Spanish gunships sailed north to contain the French and bring Spanish dominance back to the area. While fighting on three different fronts, the Spanish would have to manage each fleet appropriately. They had learned from their mistake of sending too many ships to attack the Pirates, and they were determined not to make the same mistake again.
The Pirates launched the Mobilis with a helmsman, and Calypso aboard the Black Heart created two new whirlpools! The Pirates still appeared to be running from the Spanish, though one of their strategies would soon be revealed. Here, the Spanish have captured the Revenant (who lost all of her crew to the Inquisitor), and they intend to use her as a guard ship. Other Spanish ships continue to advance west through Pirate waters. In this picture alone over 15 Spanish ships have captains, with a few HI raiders and flotillas among the others.
At the end of their turn at Fortaleza Dorada in the east, the Spanish launched their best gunship: El Acorazado! They were going to wait longer to launch her, but the sudden Cursed attack on their undefended eastern front forced them to take desperate measures. They crewed her with my favorite crew setup for her: Luis Zuan (MI version), Nemesio Diaz, Joaquin Vega, Duque Marcus Vaccaro, helmsman, oarsman. If the Cristal del Obispo can make it over to the Acorazado, they’ll swap the oarsman for Castro, making the setup complete. However, in the meantime, the Acorazado serves as an extremely intimidating presence; her power and history as arguably the best gunship in the entire game sent all of the nearby Cursed ships sailing in the other direction immediately. In a huge game like this one, her presence diminishes simply because of the sheer size of the game, but the Acorazado still commands the utmost respect from every ship on the sea. The Acorazado becomes THE Spanish flagship of their entire fleet, with the Garante moving to second-in-command. In addition to the Acorazado, the Spanish also launched the Corazon Dorado with a captain, helmsman, and exploding shot.
Two other interesting developments in this picture: the Black Lotus had set the Loki’s Revenge aflame with fire shot, making the ship a floating time bomb. However, Keith Atkinson’s reroll (a custom Cursed crew from Xerecs) saved the ship by putting out the fire! The Loki’s Revenge then sacced one of her possessed oarsmen to move 4S while dismasted! She moved towards Cursed waters and a friendly fort. Also, notice the Cursed fog hoppers going right back into the fog: La Muerta approaches. Similar to the legendary HMS Endeavour, La Muerta is the most dangerous Spanish ship afloat, capable of eliminating two masts with every hit. She’s also crewed extremely well and carries Metal Hull. The Santa Isabel was soon going to leave the Spanish home island with the Martyr’s Amulet aboard, which decreases Cursed cannon rolls against the ship carrying it. If the Muerta can get both the Amulet and Metal Hull aboard, she will be completely immune to Cursed cannon fire!!
The English have launched HMS Swallow with plenty of good crew aboard; she was launched to become the next ship Carbon Charlie added cannons to. However, this time the negative UT’s Xerecs added to the mix sort of backfired, since Charlie can eliminate UT’s for cannons. This led to a strange situation where Charlie was making cannons out of odd materials rather than precious metals, including wood, Rats, and a Monkey’s Paw!
The French continued to repair and regroup, but it’s not as if things are looking up for them. In addition to the veteran Spanish gunships returning from Pirate waters and the northern Puerto Blanco, the newly repaired Neptuno and Granada returned as well! The Granada’s crew has a special venom reserved for the French; she was the ship that fired the first shots of the war at the original Paradis. Definitely not a good sign for France.
After seeming timid against the Spanish, the Pirates have revealed their plan! Calypso made two more whirlpools, but to the surprise of the Spanish, one of them appeared next to the eastern Puerto Blanco, just north of the recent Cursed attack on Fortaleza Dorada! Not only that, but the Grand River and Harbinger both moved through the whirlpool and got extra actions to smash the Spanish in their own waters! The Grand River eliminated two canoes (including one carrying Elizabeth’s Piece of Eight), while the Harbinger bombarded El Puerto Blanco and destroyed the fort’s gun armament. The Spanish are much more concerned with the southern Fortaleza Dorada, since it was given a fort upgrade relatively early in the game and thus they have 50 gold invested in it. Speaking of Fortaleza Dorada, the Mourning Star’s second broadside knocked that fort down to one cannon before the Acorazado showed up and scared all of the Cursed ships away. And speaking of the Acorazado, she connected twice on the Harbinger as the Battle of El Puerto Blanco began! The Corazon also landed a couple hits, including a devastating exploding shot. The Spanish weren’t nearly done in the area; the Black Lotus captured the Mourning Star while the East Wind sank the Jikininki. At the end of their turn, the Spanish spent almost all of their remaining gold out of necessity and bought three ships. The first two were El Alma and El Paso, two ships the Spanish had planned to launch with the Acorazado (with Nemesio Diaz) to form a very small sort of “canceller squadron”. Last but not least, they launched the first Viking ship of the game. The Naegling comes into play with Shayna Deux and Sigurd Andersen in addition to a helmsman. The Naegling is the most accurate and devastating Viking longship, and Andersen gives the Spanish a fleet admiral crew, something they’ve been jealous to have between all of the similar crew in the Pirate and English fleets. Also notice the Frontier finally venturing out of the fog.
The Howl and Interloper returned home, giving the nervous Saragoza a chance to do the same. The Muerta and other Spanish gunships are making their way east to combat not only the Pirate threat but also the fleeing Cursed. Spain’s extremely ambitious imperial goals forces them to fight on three fronts at once, which they’re still getting used to. However, they’ve grown as a nation and continue to get better at managing their Empire.
The Spanish built a new Castillo del Infanta just west of their first one, on the island where the Devil’s Maw had been destroyed. The new fort was built for three purposes, all of which flowed into one another: expand the Empire, provide a base of operations from which to attack the Pirates, and serve as a repair station for damaged ships. Four Spanish gunships are already docked at the busy new fort, with their crews eager to repair. The captured Revenant has also been towed there, while the Canela has deposited a shipwright inside. Xerecs and I have agreed to have shipwrights give forts repair actions while stationed there. At this point, the Battle of the Devil’s Maw had ended in a conclusive Spanish victory, though the Pirates kept their numbers up by not turning the battle into a major fleet action.
El Garante (and her guard ship the Noble Swan) turned east away from the Pirate war. The Cristal del Obispo, lead ship of the Inquisition, took over as flagship of the western fleet. The dynamics of world power were shifting, and the threat of Calypso was troublesome, even for an Empire as great as the current Spanish one.
As much as the Pirates and Spanish were sharing the spotlight, the English were executing on plans of their own! Their plans came together faster than expected, and the English were happy to finally strike directly at the heart of the Cursed! That’s right, it’s time for the Cursed to pay for what they’ve done! With France and America badly hurting at the hands of the Spanish and Cursed, England had no choice but to lead the so-far-inactive First Coalition into battle!
It began in the north. The English wanted to give the Cursed a taste of their own medicine, similar to using their own fog hoppers against them. The captured Executioner received an SAT from El Fantasma, and she sped into Cursed waters, sinking the Dire Miralis and damaging the Lamprey! The Westminster and Granville (the ships that teamed up to capture the Executioner) sailed up to Gerudo Fortress and poured in some broadsides, taking out more than half the fort’s armament.
The next segment occurred in the southeastern reaches of Cursed waters. The Oxford and Durham, with recently hired oarsmen aboard to help with whirlpool troubles, sped through a whirlpool near the English home island. They emerged from the northeastern whirlpool, near the other Cursed fort! The Durham got an AA (Admiral’s Action) from Beckett and she proceeded to STUN the Cursed by sinking the Loki’s Revenge!! The LR had a ton of possessed crew from Wraith aboard, not to mention being one of the most dangerous gunships in the game, capable of ripping off 12 shots at 2L in a single turn! This was a big blow to Cursed morale; just a few turns previously they had been in control of the entire far eastern chunk of the sea. Then they attacked the Spanish, and once scared away by the Acorazado and company, turned for home. However, they didn’t expect an English sneak attack! If this proves anything, it’s that you shouldn’t attack the Spanish Empire. They WILL declare war and get payback. If the Cursed hadn’t attacked and gotten the Loki’s Revenge in trouble, she wouldn’t be sailing home so fast and in danger from the English.
To finish the English three-pronged assault, the Dreadnought revealed the secret weapon, found by the Lord Kenyon: Necklace of the Sky! Suddenly the Dreadnought was transported all the way across the northern ocean into Cursed waters, where she docked at the middle Cursed gold island! This stunned the Cursed as well, as they were the ones expected to use teleportation tactics. The Dreadnought carries with her one of the most formidable combination of crew and cannon in the history of naval warfare, as the Cursed are about to find out…
Since this picture, Xerecs has played another turn. The Grand River sailed right back into Calypso’s whirlpool near the eastern Puerto Blanco, and used the SAT to sink the Cervantes! This was actually a relief for the Spanish, for they were afraid she would go on a suicide run and take out a bunch of canoes and hurt the Spanish gold system directly. The Frontier is making a break for the American home island, but the Hell Hound is hot on her tail. The Harbinger couldn’t make it back into the whirlpool, but at least her fire didn’t spread.
What more is going to happen here?!
(Here are some of the recent strategies for my fleets)
Spanish: Demand payment from the Americans, and threaten with display of force. Drive the French back towards their HI and establish dominance over their waters. (Save for the Inquisition) Demand payment from the French. Establish a HI defense fleet.
Mission accomplished, though the French have no gold to make tribute payments with.
Cursed: Be extremely aggressive and lash out against the Americans and/or the French. Consider attacking the English through various means. Let the Hell Hound kill to feed Wraith. Save for fort upgrades, and then use them to launch attacks against nearby ships. Continue the gold system, but buy for war.
Partially successful, though they attacked the Spanish instead of the French. The English appeared too powerful after the failed fog hopper expedition, and Wraith is gone. They aren’t saving for fort upgrades, but for something else entirely…
English: Be cautious and controlled. Save gold. Do not engage enemy fleets unless they become hostile. Use Carbon Charlie to give gunships extra cannons.
Simple but effective. Bad UT’s have delayed them a bit, but between turning a negative into a positive by giving those UT’s to Charlie and also leading the First Coalition, things are looking good for England right now.
A few more developments after another turn: the Cazadora used Sigurd Andersen’s Admiral Action to dismast the Queen of Sheba; the Spanish gold spyers had seen some nice coins aboard the galley.
The English smashed the Cursed! Both forts were destroyed, including the eastern one that had been upgraded! The Cursed know they need to launch in order to repel the English attack. In addition, the Poor Adams was crippled by the Durham, while the Oxford stole Metal Hull from the Maman Brigitte. The Executioner sent the Lamprey to the bottom.
Before play started, the Cursed spent every penny in their possession (261 gold) and launched the majority of their planned FEAR squadron!
+ captain and helmsman on the HI
The Cursed needed better home defense, and this was the way to do it!
The French still fought the Spanish around their home island. The Tepant took three masts off the Revolution, while the Enfant Terrible had almost reached a wild island in the east; it has been a long while since a French ship carried gold.
The Spanish were growing more and more weary of the French resistance, and decided to become even more serious in their efforts. The Proud Tortoise moved off the Bonaparte’s stern and hit with fire shot, while the Ebro’s captain was cancelled by Lenoir aboard the Tepant. However, the Tasmanian Devil maneuvered to get 3 guns in range of the Tepant, and 2 connected. Then, the Neptuno got involved in the action! Using her sniping ability to great effect against the Bonaparte (the perfect ship to snipe at), 1 of her 2 shots landed, with the exploding shot taking out the old French chieftain and spreading fires throughout the Bonaparte’s decks! To finish the aggressive assault, the Cordoba rammed the Coeur du Lion derelict and eliminated her navigator, allowing the Granada to capture her and leave no ships docked at the French HI!
In the southwest, the Spanish/Pirate war continued to have small and slow developments; the Pirates appear to be stalling for time. Each side had a relatively major victory however: the Flying Dutchman dismasted the Estrella de la Manana (one of Spain’s most accurate gunships), but the Cazadora sunk the Queen of Sheba, who went down with admiral crew Kheir and 16 gold aboard. The Spanish also used teamwork to dismast the Flying Dutchman. The Espada de Dios has now taken 2 of the Pirates’ 3 remaining gold coins, though the Cassandra is almost home with more. Spanish ships continued to repair at the new Castillo, while the Garante and Noble Swan turned back to the west after hearing of the successes against the French and Cursed in the north and east respectively. All is well in the Spanish Empire.
In the far north, the Carolina received an abandoned shipwright from the Edinburgh Trader, allowing her to repair without having to sail back to the American HI. The English continue to collaborate with the Americans as part of the First Coalition, though it’s essentially a two-nation agreement right now due to the Spanish pushing France to the brink of elimination. The Frontier and Mississippi have ventured out of the fog, and after a rather unsuccessful attack by the Hell Hound, the Frontier is almost home!
Between the vastly improved Spanish fleet in the east and the English attack back home, all Cursed forces are being withdrawn from the southeast. The Hell Hound and Last Hope have the best chance of making it back; El Corazon Dorada set the Whydah alight before she sped off with the help of a trade current. The southeastern expedition was mostly a failure for the Cursed, and could even be deemed a fiasco. They sailed south with the intent of eliminating the Americans, which they couldn’t do. As a result, they took out their anger on the (seemingly) vulnerable Spanish, who showed their colossal power in this game by quickly re-asserting dominance in the far east, sinking the Baba Yaga and recently capturing the Mourning Star and Sea Hag. That same counterattack was what also led to the English sinking the Loki’s Revenge, Davy Jones’ second-in-command.
At the end of their turn the Spanish launched 4 new ships. La Monarca was launched at Fortaleza Dorada to give them yet another gold runner, while three 4 masters were launched at the Castillo to the west. With the newly launched Santa Ana (CC version), Matthias Vospero, and Salte el Tiburon in play, Spain has now used every single 4 and 5 masted ship at their disposal except for the OE Resolucion, which can’t be launched until the SM version is sunk.
In addition to the above developments, note how quickly the Spanish Empire can react to threats. Just a few turns ago, the eastern Puerto Blanco and Fortaleza Dorada were in serious trouble from the Pirates and Cursed. Now, the area is swarming with Spanish power: probably the two best ships of all 150+ ships afloat, El Acorazado and La Muerta, have been joined by another 5 master, El Cristal del Obispo. The Alma and Paso bump the canceller count to 3, while support sails around them in the form of the Corazon, Principe, Naegling, East Wind, and Black Lotus.
Unfortunately for the English, the Cursed Fear squadron got right to work. The Dragmirius got the SAT from Sargasso Calhoun, sinking HMS Durham and greatly angering the English. The other English ships were lucky to escape, with the Oxford being given an Admiral’s Action (AA) to take the whirlpool back home. The Dreadnought’s Eye of Insanity was used to copy Davy Jones’ All-Powerful, allowing the lumbering battleship to move 4S and accompany the Granville and Westminster back to the west. The Cursed dismasted the Executioner and plan to recapture their first true gunship of this game.
Here’s the entire ocean. If you haven’t noticed it already, check out the deckplate disparity around the edges. The Pirate fleet is at the lower left, but it very quickly turns to Spanish… and more Spanish… and more Spanish, all the way up to the three remaining American deckplates at the far right. South of their HI, the Spanish have needed to go 4 deep with deckplates, running into the ocean itself! The English and Cursed fleets are quite large; the eight new gunships of the Fear squadron are obvious from all the crew chips just to the upper left of the Cursed HI.
Soon after play for the weekend ended, an urgent letter from Lord Mycron arrived upon the deck of the Carolina, where it would be read by Commodore David Porter.
Our worst fears have been realized… the Cursed have suddenly launched a considerable battle fleet and all hope has abandoned our small eastern squadron… we hope to strengthen our alliance soon, but the Cursed are far stronger than we anticipated… we lost one of our finest ships, the Durham, to these fiends. This angers us immensely, and we’ve already called upon the Barbary Corsairs, Vikings, and our old friends in the Jade Rebellion to help us. They’ll be arriving shortly to reinforce our position, but we hoped that our American allies could help in some way as well… if a main force is sent due east along the northern coast of this troubled ocean we think the possibility of an American force coming up from the south could either provide a distraction or vice versa with your force hitting their trade.
Rampant rumours have reached us regarding a Cursed attack on the Spanish Fortaleza Dorada… we’ve been told the Spanish are even more angry at the Cursed than they are at the Pirates, who they’re also at war with… we know you’ve had trouble with Spain, but if they can be reasoned with, I can’t imagine the Cursed being able to repel a 3 pronged attack, especially when they’re all cooped up in that demonic corner of theirs…
Good day to you; we hope your ships are luckier than ours!
Porter would respond quickly:
It troubles me to hear this, as it is one of my worst fears as well. Indeed, the Cursed fiends have attacked the Spanish Fortaleza, and they are beside themselves in a rage, however I fear their lust for gold my inhibit our ability to call forth a battle fleet. Nonetheless I shall try to reason with them, and I shall contact what remains of our allies the French. I suspect the Cursed would be hard pressed indeed to repel a three pronged, or even four pronged attack, however it may take time to raise the necessary funds to launch such an attack, however we will try to reason with the Spanish admiralty and see what can be done.
Good day to you,
“Dear Porter,
Just since my last letter was sent out, from our spies we’ve heard that the new Spanish admiral is Luis Zuan, as he is the commander of El Acorazado, the new Spanish flagship. We may have more spies than your fleet possesses simply because of the size of our respective fleets. In addition, we’ve heard that Zuan is more reasonable than the former Spanish admiral (who may be on the Garante; perhaps your past experience with the Spanish gives you such knowledge). However, ever since we heard wrongly that the Spanish had given you Americans gold, we realize we must be cautious with such findings. That said, our hope is that Zuan is at least willing to listen, unlike the first Spanish admiral that gave you such trouble. If any ills befall you on accord of our devious spies where Zuan turns out to be just as harsh as the last admiral, we are truly sorry.
“Dear Lord Mycron,
Thank you for understanding. Once my ship has been repaired, I will set a course toward American waters. I am hoping the Spanish, and Zuan, are willing to listen as well.
The latest point count revealed that the game has exceeded 3,000 total points!!
French: 3 ships, 50 points
Spanish: 88 ships, 1,423 points
CG1 has continued! Despite only one more turn being played, major developments unfolded!
The French continued to fight back, but they are extremely close to being eliminated by the Spanish! The Tepant was dismasted by the Ebro and Tasmanian Devil. However, the Bonaparte was docked at her home island. The Spanish had sent reinforcements for just this purpose. The Neptuno and Augusta rammed the Bonaparte derelict and killed her captain. Then, in a very fitting end for the obnoxious ship, she was captured by none other than the Granada, the Spanish ship that started this long war!
France holds on for dear life, with 2 ships remaining:
The Spanish see the Pirates as cowards, as they’ve done almost nothing but run away. Spain punished them, sinking the Flying Dutchman (Fiore on the submerged Nautilus cancelled Eternal), dismasting the Mermaid and Banshee’s Cry, and setting fire to the Lady’s Scorn. To add insult to injury, the Espada de Dios and Bahama stole the only 2 coins on the Pirate home island.
Things were also happening in the east. The Americans managed to get the Frontier home while the Cursed were still running away! They used her gold to buy the USS Morning Star. The Corazon Dorado has sunk the Whydah, but Davy Jones gave the Hell Hound an extra action, so she’s safe for now. The Last Hope has made it to the fort, but the Spanish appear to be serious about their declaration of war – note their small but extremely impressive line of battle. Those three 5 masters are La Muerta, El Cristal del Obispo, and El Acorazado, three of the most powerful ships on the sea! The Spanish are looking to have other ships join them as they sail north. The Spanish launched two ships at the end of their turn: the Cazador del Pirata and Magdalena.
In a morale blow to the Pirates, the Cursed moved the Black Heart off the map! She was eliminated with Calypso, Captain Davy Jones, and tons of possessed crew aboard. The Cursed were tired of their crew being used by another nation, and they were wary of Calypso’s power to easily strike the Cursed gold system. In addition, they were already at war with the First Coalition and Spain – the last thing they can afford is a powerful Pirate fleet to make it 4 on 1!
The Cursed spent all of their 21 gold to launch the Spilled Salt with a captain, helmsman, and firepot specialist. From now on they’re planning to launch the remainder of their planned Fear squadron in chunks. They also recaptured the Executioner, which I believe is the only ship to change hands twice in this game so far.
The English took their turn, getting gold and starting to give the Shetland extra cannons. All seemed well in the northwest as the English appeared content to remain the richest nation.
Suddenly, the English stunned the Cursed by turning their ships around and attacking! After seeing the numbers disadvantage, the Westminster, Granville, and Dreadnought had turned to flee, but now they turned around once more, this time to face the Cursed head on! Both admiral crew had rolled 6’s, which meant that all 3 ships could move and shoot twice, as the Dreadnought used the Eye of Insanity to copy Davy Jones’ All-Powerful.
The Westminster was the first ship in action, blasting a mast off the Monkey’s Paw and another off the Sautez le Requin. The Sautez also lost her helmsman. The Granville shot two masts off the Sea Monkey and rammed another off the Tenfold, damaging Cursed trade. Then it was the Dreadnought’s turn.
As I may have mentioned a while back, the Dreadnought had been given no less than 10 extra cannons from Carbon Charlie’s ability, over the course of 10 turns. She also had two of my custom crew aboard, which when combined with her oarsman and ship ability, makes her one of those “Eternal god ships”. Just to make it even more over-the-top, Peter Sharpe added a Marine crew to the onslaught. The Dreadnought totaled 16 cannons, with all of them shooting at rank-2. However, her speed was still slow, so her first action simply sunk the already damaged Sea Monkey. However, her second action put her in position to rake both the Monkey’s Paw and Nayru’s Ire by the bows. The cancellers cancelled each other out, and the Dreadnought unleashed a full broadside! The immense firepower sank the Nayru’s Ire outright and nearly dismasted the Monkey’s Paw!
The English had dealt the Cursed a major blow. In addition, they’ve become the default leader of the First Coalition. The English won’t run from a fight!
However, the English weren’t even done! Mycron gave an extra action to the Swallow, who appears to be heading east towards Cursed waters. She carries 5 extra cannons from Charlie for 10 total, in addition to the Power Cannons UT. Between the UT, her speed (S+L+S with a helmsman), and Blake’s SAT, she has the greatest overall striking range of any ship in the game right now.
As they had talked about with Commodore David Porter, the English then spent a bunch of gold (209 to be exact) to hire minor faction help in the war against the Cursed! The new ships were launched at Fort Brompton, the closest English island to Cursed waters.
Nubian Prince + captain (18 )
Meshud + captain (14)
Muninn + Count Gustov, captain, helmsman (29)
Hrunting + captain, helmsman (22)
In addition, the English launched HMS King George III at their home island and also built Fort Royal on the other wild island they control. (Both of those pieces are customs of El Cazador.) This brought total English expenditures of this turn to 232 gold.
England was showing her might, but not nearly her full might. As of 2 weeks ago, they had accumulated more gold than any other fleet that I’ve ever controlled in Pirates. For those of you that remember, that means they had more than the 549 gold that the Pirates used in last summer’s Economy Edition to launch the HI raiding squadron! Though they just spent over 200 of it, they probably have even more than anyone realizes…
Play finally resumed, and the French have been eliminated!!
The French fought gallantly at the Battle of the Two Paradises, but eventually fell to the superior Spanish fleet, being driven back to their home island. The French continued to dog the Spanish with quick and effective raids, fighting to the last ship. The Spanish suffered a setback and almost lost control of the area when they sent too many gunships southwest to wage war against the Pirates. However, Spain quickly realized their mistake and sent reinforcements to take out the French once and for all. The Bonaparte and Tepant made the war last much longer than Spain expected, but both ships have finally been captured, with the Enfant Terrible being sunk. Spain has won the War on France!
Here’s the now-desolate center area, deprived of French trade currents via Celestine’s Charts. The French HI converts to a regular wild island.
Spain was also continuing her aggressive westward expansion. Spanish gunships have reached the western reaches of the sea, where the Pirate Grand Temple ran into trouble. Looking to the east, notice Spain’s impressive supply chain of fresh ships ready for action.
However, the biggest excitement of the day concerned the mounting tension in the northeast. England was leading the “First Coalition” (now essentially devoid of the French and Americans) into battle from the west, while an extremely impressive Spanish squadron sailed up from the south. The Westminster was affected by Fear to the point where she could only fire in place, but further damaged the Sautez le Requin. The Granville failed to ram another mast off the Tenfold, but the Dreadnought easily sunk the Sea Monkey and Fallen Angel. In the meantime, the Cursed were gathering their best ships to the south at their fort, ready to take on the Spanish. However, La Muerta had both Metal Hull and the Martyr’s Amulet aboard, making her almost immune to Cursed cannon fire! The Acorazado required 3 hits just to eliminate her first mast, and the Spanish had 3 cancellers in the area to the Cursed 1. Things were not looking good at all for the Cursed.
The Spanish continue to press their attack! The Pirate Grand Temple effectively used reverse captain to derelict three Spanish ships in two turns, but has finally been dismasted by the Spanish force. Three Spanish gunships have sailed around the north side of the Pirate HI while others go to the south, creating a pincer movement in the next few turns. The Babieca used a trade current to dismast and burn the Swift, but the galley was able to dock home her gold on the next turn with help from admiral crew Swann. The Asesino and Villalobos have taken damage, but the Lady’s Scorn suffered worse. Pirate waters continue to be overrun by the Spanish fleet.
The Spanish finally launched the rare version of the San Cristobal after the LE version was sunk in the Battle of the Two Paradises. They also launched the San Estaban, the luckiest ship of my Economy Edition game. However, the Americans made strides as well, launching the Chesapeake and Lynx. However, Admiral Zuan has issued a chilling command from the Acorazado, seeing how weak the Cursed are: “wipe out the Americans before they become stronger.” Zuan said this after the Spanish soundly crushed the Cursed squadron south of the Cursed fort.
The Cursed had known to attack first, but the Dragmirius and Hell Hound could only respectively sink the Extremadura and dismast the Corazon Dorado, not nearly enough to win the battle. The Acorazado dismasted the Last Hope (who was later sunk by the Paso) while Diaz cancelled out the Demise’s cancelling ability. This gave the Muerta free reign, with no Cursed canceller to cancel her captain or ship ability. She sunk the Dragmirius and dismasted the Demise! The Boneyard was crippled by the Cristal del Obispo and Principe de Asturias. The Alma and Naegling teamed up to dismast the Hell Hound. The Cursed have lost the Battle of Dread Isle almost as soon as it began. It’s not over yet, for the Divine Dragon and Flying Dutchman are about to get into action, but the Cursed are finished.
In terms of the English, the Granville and Westminster were inevitably sunk, but the Dreadnought obliterated the Twinrova and Spilled Salt, while the English minor faction squadron continued sailing towards the Cursed.
War continued in the southwest, with the Spanish advancing. The Deliverance was sunk, while the Lady’s Scorn and Swift were captured.
The Spanish continued to crush the Cursed, sinking their derelicts and nearly sinking both the Divine Dragon and Flying Dutchman. Between Nemesio Diaz, El Alma, and El Paso, the Cursed are being cancelled into oblivion. The Cursed could hardly muster anything in their counterattack, with two failed rams in addition to moving the Naegling onto a reef, where she took no damage.
The Cursed had more success against the English than the Spanish, eliminating four masts from the Dreadnought by tossing her onto a reef! The Interloper and Howl teamed up for a final fog hopping ambush, taking masts off the Swallow and Muninn. Both the Interloper and Howl were sunk on the next turn, and the English furthered their cause by rolling a 6 with the Eye of Insanity (copying Davy Jones). The Tenfold (carrying 4 coins) couldn’t be sailed off the map, so instead the Executioner was used to bring the Tenfold down to one mast (ironically the English actually had control of the Executioner earlier in the game – El Fantasma must be really confused!). The Cursed aren’t quite finished, with some ships repairing at their home island in addition to the newly launched Specter.
In addition to the Specter, the Spanish and English also launched new ships. The Spanish purchased 9 new support gunships, with some stationed in the east to aid in the elimination of the Americans, and some in the west to possibly help the war against the Pirates.
The English decided to count their gold for the first time in a month.
With a grand total of 864 gold, the English have by far the most gold saved up in any fleet I’ve ever controlled!
The inevitability is coming…
…
With no other options, England began preparing for war with Spain. The two great superpowers of the game have started eyeing each other across the ocean, with tension slowly mounting.
The English built another five master, this time the Dauntless. The Shetland had been given 5 extra cannons by Carbon Charlie, and was thus ready to sail out. Charlie boarded the Dauntless, England’s newest capital ship. If it hasn’t been obvious, England has avoided becoming an intimidating faction in this game. They haven’t looked like a threat, but their “nice” nature has given them the relative peace (with the exception of the Cursed) with which to save gold for almost the entire game, with only occasional launches dipping into their savings. However, with the inevitable war against Spain on the horizon, they will finally abandon their cautious strategy. Notice the lack of famous ships such as HMS Titan, Grand Temple, Endeavour, etc. The Dauntless and her fantastic crew (Admiral James Norrington and Admiral Morgan) signal the end of this phase of the game for the English.
The English decided to keep it simple and spend 64 of their 864 gold, using 32 on the Dauntless and 32 on two support gunships, the Success and Dunlap. Then, to avoid having to recount their gold, they consolidated their remaining treasure in a UT labeled “800 gold”.
The northwest corner of the sea, purely English.
Now for a glimpse at the past strategies of my fleets:
Spanish: Eliminate the French. Continue to have a strong presence in Pirate waters. Keep the HI defenses strong and provide good defenses on the eastern front. Launch gunships where appropriate, with eliminating the Pirates as the intermediate-term goal.
Mission accomplished; the Pirates, Americans, and Cursed all face simultaneous elimination at the hands of the huge Spanish Empire.
Cursed: Launch part of the Fear squadron to combat the invading English. Once the threat is over, buy back more gold runners than were previously in use, and once the system is better than ever start buying gunships constantly.
The “threat” became much larger than anticipated, and the Cursed are doomed. The two most powerful fleets have crushed them in a non-allied two-pronged attack.
English: Be cautious and controlled. Save gold. Do not engage enemy fleets unless they become hostile. Use Carbon Charlie to give gunships extra cannons. Put forts on the other two nearby island, and likely purchase at least one fort upgrade. Give bad UT’s to Carbon Charlie for more cannons. Lead the First Coalition into battle against the Cursed, but be wary of losing important long-term assets.
Mission accomplished; the biggest questions are those regarding the future.
Another ship and point count (4/16/2016):
French: 0/0 (eliminated)
Spanish: 98 ships, 1,566 points
English: 47 ships, 794 points
Wow! The game size is slightly smaller than the last point count, a testament to the bloodshed that has occurred since. By far the most interesting thing about this point count is the English number. They have about 800 points in play, in addition to 800 gold saved up. This means that if England launched a giant battle fleet, the Spanish and English would have fleets of almost exactly equal size!! How incredible!
England and Spain now face decisions; England is aware of Spain’s somewhat thin but extremely far-reaching and powerful empire. England has to decide whether to initiate the war and try to strike Spain while she is trying to eliminate 3 other factions (Pirates, Americans, and Cursed). Spain is not eager for war with England, as the Spanish have some idea of the vast gold reserves that could be spent in an instant to produce a giant battle fleet. The Spanish favor eliminating the other factions first, which would allow them to repair and regroup before the final climactic struggle to determine the ruler of the sea. England has considered a whirlpool squadron in an attempt to strike the Spanish gold system and hurt their morale, as well as a surprise attack on the Spanish forces that are now fighting the Cursed, since both factions will be near the Cursed HI very soon.
The other three factions can’t help but root for the English, between Spain’s oppression and the slight possibility that if England attacks soon, it may distract the Spanish and give the other factions a chance to recover. However, the Pirates, Americans, and Cursed won’t survive either way, for they would likely be eliminated in the epic crossfire when Spain and England meet in pitched battle!
The Spanish have almost finished eliminating the Pirates from the game! The Cassandra, Victoire, and Sea Nymph sank while the Dragon was captured.
The majority of the Spanish gold system, the fuel of their empire. The Spanish are beginning a major regrouping, with some of their gunships sailing closer to home to protect against a possible attack through the whirlpool (at the bottom left) by the English.
In the southeastern reaches of the sea, the Americans face elimination at the hands of the Spanish, much like the Pirates. However, the USS Morning Star has successfully used her ability to get Commodore Peregrine Stern aboard (from the Mississippi back home), giving the Americans a gunship in the area. Spain is ready for them, with 9 captained ships chasing the Americans.
The mess in the northeast was the hottest action of the day. The Spanish had already sunk the Flying Dutchman and Divine Dragon, meaning that Davy Jones was gone. The Acorazado moved away from the Cursed HI to repair, giving the Muerta a chance to dismast the Poor Adams. The Paso and Alma teamed up to cancel the Demise’s canceller and Eternal abilities, sinking the Cursed ship at last. However, the Locker and Pyre pounced on the Cursed turn, emerging from a whirlpool to ram the Paso derelict. The Cursed also moved the Terror (Mercenary submarine of the English) onto a reef, but she took no damage. The Tasmanian Devil (hired by the Spanish) was not so lucky, losing two masts. The Tasmanian Devil signaled the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements, 5 ships sailing in from the west following the elimination of the French. They make the Spanish position in the northeast even stronger.
The Specter set the Tiger’s Eye aflame, and after a bad roll she will burn to the waterline. The Terror surfaced to bring the Specter down to 2 masts. Most of the minor faction squadron controlled by the English still hasn’t reached the Cursed home island, but the Divine Dragon (Mercenary turtle ship) and Hephaestus teamed up to dismast the Executioner, but not before the Cursed ship sank the Muninn.
It has finally happened! The English spent 628 gold to purchase no less than 26 new ships, most of them very capable gunships! This broke the Pirates’ record (549 gold) from my Economy Edition game of the biggest single-turn launching in history! This made their home island extremely crowded, even with three additional home island expansions. They also launched a few ships from Fort Brompton to the east.
And with that, the most important point count yet was done!
4/17/2016 point/ship count
French: 0/0 (eliminated)
Spanish: 101 ships, 1,631 points
English: 73 ships, 1,422 points
Since my Economy Edition game peaked at approximately 3,200 points, I can comfortably say that VASSAL Campaign Game 1 is officially the BIGGEST GAME IN THE HISTORY OF PIRATES CSG!!!!!
The biggest game of all time, with the biggest war of all time as the inevitable finale… notice how crowded the corners are, with the Cursed, Pirates, and Americans all on the brink of elimination at the hands of the Spanish Empire.
Before play started I took the time to launch some ships for the Spanish, Cursed, and English. The Cursed were only able to launch the Sea Duck, a desperate play which may be their last purchase.
The Spanish spent almost 100 gold to grab 6 new support gunships, while England spent almost 200 gold to buy a bunch of ships at their upgraded Ramsgate fort and a few at their home island.
The next picture shows a big overview of the entire southwest area. At the bottom left, the Pirates only control two ships, the submerged Mobilis and the fleeing Grand River. The captured Dragon and Rover will sink at the beginning of the next Spanish turn, having been scuttled. However, the English are coming. The main battle fleet of English ships is surging forward, and the Escudo del Mar fortress could be the first casualty of the inevitable war. The English squadron launched at Ramsgate has moved west towards the whirlpool, which the Spanish anticipated. At the bottom right is the whirlpool the English would likely emerge from, trying to blast their way into Spanish trade and hurt the Spanish badly at the outset of the war. The Spanish are reasonably prepared, but they’re worried that their imperial adventures have stretched their fleet too thin and weakened their empire to the point where the suddenly strong English could defeat them in a numbers game. The English have a lot of 4 and 5 masted ships ready to go, while the Spanish are starting to rely on their smaller ships when launching, since all of their larger ships are at sea or sunk.
In the southeast, the East Wind caught the USS Morning Star and knocked off her back masts. The Americans also face elimination, but their widespread fleet makes them a better candidate to survive longer than the Pirates and Cursed.
Speaking of the Cursed, they’ve finally set sail with the four ships they previously had permanently docked at their home island! These are the ships carrying the L-mover crew and Master Scribe. The Spanish cleaned up on their turn, sinking the Specter and capturing the Poor Adams (which has Eternal). The English weren’t effective at all, with the Terror unable to take out the last mast on the Tenfold. The English did recapture the Executioner, which means that she has changed hands 3 times this game! The Cursed launched her, the English captured her early on, then the Cursed recaptured her, and the English just re-recaptured her! It remains to be seen if the English intend to ignite a battle against the Spanish in the northeast. The Spanish aren’t exactly reeling, but they were shocked and troubled when they lost the Naegling. The Sea Duck dismasted the longship by herself, allowing the Sautez to sink her. The Naegling was a powerful asset, and carried Sigurd Andersen, Spain’s only admiral crew. England still has both admiral crew, Beckett and CRGO.
Here’s the whole ocean; note the mass of English gunships heading southeast, while the Americans are mostly trapped in the southeast corner. Right now the Spanish are concerned with the English advance; Spain doesn’t have enough ships to throw at England to delay them for long. Some ships are moving to intercept the huge battle fleet, with some coming from the battle around the Pirate HI. Six new gunships have been launched at the Castillo, and the newly launched Trinidad will join them. The Augusta and Granada have turned around near the former French HI, and the captured Bonaparte is fully repaired. Despite these forces, the Spanish are the least confident they’ve been the whole game. To make matters worse for them, England has launched 3 new gunships at their HI for 50 gold. More are undoubtedly on the way, but the English have finally run out of gold!
In a stunning move, Spain, now the underdog, sent the San Cristobal through the whirlpool near their home island to emerge from the whirlpool the English appeared to be after. She used an extra action to move S+S+L+S and sink HMS Goodfellow, one of England’s best treasure ships! This sudden, unexpected attack on English trade left the English stunned and angry.
The Spanish also managed to crush the American fleet, sinking the Lynx and Chesapeake while dismasting the Morning Star and Mississippi. The Carolina is the last American ship left, a fitting end for the doomed faction.
Speaking of doomed, the Cursed are also about to be eliminated. The Sea Duck and Tenfold are their final ships, with the others either captured or derelict. The Pirates are faring a bit better, between the submerged cancelling sub Mobilis and the quick Grand River. The Spanish squadron in the southwest is heavily damaged from the Pirate war, yet faces an extremely intimidating English fleet bearing down upon them from the north. The Spanish have gathered their forces and will continue to launch in an effort to delay the English as long as possible.
In the first English hostility of the war, HMS Grand Temple almost destroyed the Escudo del Mar, the Spanish fort closest to English waters. The Ajax, Success, and Dunlap are immediately astern of the GT, but dozens more English gunships are sailing full speed at the Spanish. All-out war is about to ensue!!
In the southwest, the Pirates have almost been eliminated, but the Spanish are reeling and need to repair some of their ships before they take on the English. In the southeast, the Americans have been destroyed by the Spanish Empire, but the Carolina is still relatively safe in the far north after her (very) long expedition. The northeast has seen the Spanish mostly eliminate the Cursed, with the English unable to get into action effectively and unable to inflict much damage when they did (though, it’s the minor faction squadron, not a Royal Navy squadron!). In the far northwest, the San Cristobal is doomed against the Endeavour, but she did her part to ignite the War for CG1.
4/25/2016 ship count (this was done before my latest turn)
Spanish: 111 ships (new record! Previous record: Pirate fleet of 104 ships in my Economy Edition game)
English: 91 ships
Total: 208 ships (new record! Breaks the previous record of 198 ships set a few turns ago)
Also, the game may be at a new peak level of points, though I’m not planning on doing another point count (I may do one when the fleets are smaller). Based on the last point count from 4/17, the average number of points per ship was 17.76. Multiplying this by the 208 ships in play gives an estimated points total of 3,694!
And now, for the “final” past strategies of my fleets, which are now almost irrelevant:
Spanish: Eliminate the Cursed. Eliminate the Pirates. Eliminate the Americans. Prepare for war on England.
English: Get Lord Thomas Gunn out there. Use Carbon Charlie to give gunships extra cannons. Eliminate the Cursed. Consider declaring war on Spain; possible attacks include the whirlpool southwest of the Spanish HI, or loosing the minor faction squadron and other ships in a surprise strike. Make the 5 masters the true capital ships and go to war!
The center and western areas are being overrun by English warships! Tension is at an all-time high! The next turn will see the War for CG1 erupt!
The San Cristobal, having recently sunk the Lady Provost, was able to sink the Tiger’s Breath. This hurt the English gold system further, but the Endeavour got revenge by sinking the SC. At the English home island, the Dauntless has been given a fifth and final extra cannon, and it’s possible that Carbon Charlie’s job is finally done, having created around 25 extra cannons for almost as many turns in a row!
The Cursed have been eliminated!
On the Spanish turn, the Spanish battle squadron in the northeast cleaned up, sinking all Cursed ships south of the Cursed HI. On the English turn, the Terror submerged and rammed the last mast off the Tenfold! With that, the Cursed become the second fleet eliminated from the game.
The northeast corner of the sea. I included the deckplate area to give an idea of just how dominant England has been lately – English deckplates have spilled into the ocean and almost completely over the areas formerly occupied by Cursed deckplates! The Tenfold lies derelict in the far north, but something interesting is occurring just to the south. Despite Spain’s declaration of war, neither the Spanish squadron nor the minor faction squadron (controlled by England of course) want to engage in battle just yet. The Spanish are looking to join their comrades in the south, while the English squadron is relatively slow and know the importance of the first strike. In a further irony, both sides are trying to scuttle a captured Cursed ship since they have Eternal, which means the ship would automatically return to their HI, saving a ship a lot of time rather than towing it to the nearest fort. (The once-again-English Executioner is Eternal via Fantasma while the Poor Adams has been captured by the Spanish.)
Speaking of captures, the Spanish have been capturing ships in the hopes of using them to bolster their fleet to take on the English. The USS Morning Star and Mississippi are the latest additions, and both carry some formidable crew that could make them good gunships if repaired in time to help the war effort.
In the meantime, a command has been issued by Admiral Luis Zuan (aboard the Acorazado, the Spanish flagship) to have all able Spanish gunships sail to intercept the English ships before they can reach the Spanish gold runners. Many ships are answering the call, and although the Spanish fleet is still significantly damaged and spread out, they do have a great empire to call on. The Spanish western squadron (which almost managed to eliminate the Pirates) is the closest major squadron available to help, though it’s also the squadron most in need of repairs. Around a dozen ships have been launched from the Puerto Blanco fort over the last 3 or so turns, and they’re headed towards the massive English battle fleet as well. Joining them are a few ships from the center, though the famous Granada has already been sunk by a devastating combo of SAT and Power Cannons utilized by HMS Swallow. The Granada sunk in just the second ship action of this war (the first being the San Cristobal’s whirlpool attack), but she served with distinction throughout the entire game for Spain. She was the ship that fired the first shots of any war during this game, the War on France. After surviving the Battle of the Two Paradises, she accompanied Spanish ships to Pirate waters before returning to the French home island to see them finally eliminated. The Granada fittingly captured the Bonaparte, a ship now serving the Spanish. It’s safe to say the Granada is an MVS (Most Valuable Ship) of CG1.
In terms of maneuvering, both the Spanish and English have been sizing up each other’s cancellers. Both fleets possess 4 total, and it’s well known how much of an asset they can be in battles of any size. 3 of Spain’s 4 cancellers are returning from fighting the Cursed, and the Acorazado and Paso need to repair. The submerged Nautilus carries Christian Fiore, who is returning to Spanish waters from the end of the Pirate war. The English have learned from a past campaign game victory, and appear to be throwing a huge bulk of gunships against the Spanish, while keeping their absolute best 3-5 ships in reserve, at least for the time being. That is a luxury the Spanish cannot afford, for they’ve needed to send every available ship into action to slow the inevitable English onslaught. From the picture it appears that England has the advantage, but Spain’s impressive battle fleet and their ability to launch ships each turn from the nearby fort (El Puerto Blanco) should make this an epic fight. Indeed, it will be the largest war in the history of this great game of Pirates CSG!
The War for CG1 has erupted!!
The Spanish showed no fear, sailing straight towards the enemy and intending to create a huge traffic jam of ships in battle so that the English would have trouble reaching the Spanish gold runners further to the south. The Lepanto got things started, blasting three masts off HMS Grand Temple. She was quickly followed by other brave Spanish ships, eager to earn glory in the name of the Spanish Empire. The Pescados de Plata and Pamplona were a major help, and the Pamplona almost dismasted the powerful Leicester in one action! The captured Revenant served as a temporary shield and firepower magnet, while more valuable ships such as the Garante and Nautilus formed up behind. Just to the west, the Babieca set the Virtuous Wind ablaze, while the Rosario won a boarding party to kill her helmsman. El Algeciras teamed up with her Diablo flotilla to eliminate three masts, while the Augusta managed to sink the Ajax with help from Roberto Santana’s cannon bonus! The Spanish attack was effective, but they knew the counterattack would be devastating. Indeed, the battle very quickly turned into a chaotic, extremely close-quarters pell mell engagement.
Here’s the wider view of the above picture, showing the far-flung Spanish Empire in full desperation mode. They’re frantically sailing to meet the English, but at the same time, their immense combat experience gained from building their empire in the first place gives them a well-earned confidence.
The last two pictures showed only the Spanish turn; these next two pictures show just the English turn. The counterattack was indeed effective, but not as effective as the English were expecting.
The Algeciras, Diablo, Babieca, Rosario, Revenant, Lepanto, Pamplona, Augusta and Bonaparte (among others I believe) were all either dismasted or sunk, but the derelict Lepanto and Revenant blocked English ships from getting through to more Spanish gunships, which meant the Spanish plan was succeeding on some level here in the early stages of the battle. The Spanish have sent most of their ships northwest to meet the English, but some English ships are even coming from directly north of the Spanish HI. The Kirkwall and King George III teamed up to damage the northern Puerto Blanco and nearly dismast the Trinity. With the Alquimista only another turn away, this is as close any faction has come to hurting Spanish trade since the Pirates’ whirlpool attack using Calypso.
Though the main battle is obviously concentrated in the middle western area, other conflicts threaten to erupt to the east.
The last three pictures show a full round of the most recent Spanish and English turns.
Here’s the absolute hottest part of the fight. The Dunlap and Cygnet have fought through the hordes, but that will expose them to deadly Spanish fire on the next turn. The Dover has been sunk by a combination of 4 smaller Spanish ships, while the Bolingbroke has just dismasted the Cazador del Pirata after the latter sunk HMS London. The Nautilus and Garante will finally enter the fight, and their presence is helping Spanish morale. However, there seems to be no stopping this English flood of ships, though Spain has done a great job slowing it down thus far.
This shows the entire battle area. The English have adapted to their problems by establishing a sort of pincer movement: lots of English ships are sailing almost due east from the area north of the Pirate home island, while plenty of English ships from the north are almost upon the weaker area of the Spanish defences. This puts pressure on the Spanish while also taking attention away from the jam where the battle started, the only place where the Spanish almost have the advantage. Both sides have had some major combat successes, but ironically HMS Success hasn’t been able to hit much of anything with her cannons. At the bottom right, the Spanish pulled off a near-miracle: the Colector del Dia (now with a new captain to fight once again!) and Trinity went 4/4 to dismast the King George III, who was then captured and towed by the Alquimista (a gold runner) and La Cordoba. The Kirkwall has sunk the captured ship to deny the Spanish of using her, but the Trinity also docked at the northern Puerto Blanco to put out her fire mast before it was destroyed by the Greyhound, while some Spanish reinforcements are arriving from the northeast. The Tartessos is finally ready for action again, with Spain showing her might in the form of veteran gunships returning to duty. The Tartessos has been joined in the fog bank by El Profeta, just one of many seldom-heralded Spanish ships that the empire has to call on in this time of great need.
More Spanish ships are coming up from the south, and Spain continues to launch ships every turn from the western Puerto Blanco. The Leon, Corazon del Mar, Duque, and Mercenary submarines Fathom and Devil Ray are the latest launchings. The Estrella de la Manana, a veteran of both the French and Pirate wars, is sailing east to pick up some generic crew after she was almost sunk by the Flying Dutchman in the southwest.
A few interesting things have happened outside of the immense chaos in the center; the English won the scuttle battle by scuttling the Executioner before the Spanish could scuttle the Poor Adams! Far from the main battles lines, each nation’s most impressive ship repairs at their respective forts: El Acorazado and HMS Dreadnought. Each nation also has an extremely dangerous ship unlikely to see action for a while: La Muerta and HMS Endeavour. The greatest ships in action so far have been the Leicester and Grand Temple, with Spain mostly having smaller support gunships available so far. Speaking of the Leicester, she was saved from sinking by a somewhat unsurprising (by this point at least, if you’ve read some other BR’s of campaign games) chain-towing effort involving no less than 6 other English ships.
As the War for CG1 continues, only one nation can claim victory as the ruler of the ocean!
The battle continued, with two more turns being played. The Spanish counterattack was somewhat successful, but their hope lied in the reinforcements coming from the south and east. Before play resumed Lord Thomas Gunn was able to recruit Commodore David Porter aboard the Carolina (the last remaining American ship and crew) to join the fight against Spain, based on Spain’s past transgressions.
Here’s the whole ocean after the English took their turn. The valuable HMS Titan has temporarily fled northward to repair, as well as to meet up with the other English ships that have the canceller ability (Dreadnought, Endeavour, and Rye). They will be joined by the Gallows and Dauntless to form a sort of “super squadron”, relatively small but extremely powerful. The Spanish have their own makings of that in the east as the Paso and Acorazado finish repairing. In a stunning move, the Swallow used Mycron’s extra action to sink the Santa Isabel with 5 coins aboard! This angered the Spanish, but showed that the English were slowly getting closer and closer to putting a big-time hurt on the Spanish gold system.
After another Spanish turn, English ships such as the St. George, Clear Wind, Burma and Success lie derelict. However, this turn saw very poor shooting on both sides, especially the Spanish. However, they did manage to capture the Swallow, which they need to tow back to their home island. The Garante and others are fighting hard in the west, where a handful of English ships have been sunk, but the English still have a numbers advantage.
This is where the battle stands now, after another English turn. In the west, the Santa Catalina has been sunk, while the Voz de Dios and Manila have one mast left. After dismasting the St. George, the Armada flotilla has been sunk. The Santo Columba has finished repairing, giving the Spanish a capable gunship in the area for the next turn. However, the Villalobos and Asesino are just about out of time for repairs. The Ebro, Antamasia, and Colera are all in the area too, but the flood of English ships is starting to overwhelm the Spanish defences. The Galeon de Gibraltar and Santa Lucia are some of their latest losses, while the Rosal and Garante were very lucky not to have been sunk on the latest turn. Those two ships are the latest in a Spanish effort to block the invading English near where the battle originated. However, this led the English to send a lot of ships southwest around the reefs as well as ships sailing almost due east (and then south) in order to counter. The English have adapted reasonably well, as they seem to have the advantage in the western and center areas of the wide swath of battlefield. The Spanish have held up amazingly well in between those areas, holding off the English (and Grand Temple specifically) for many turns now. In addition, the Spanish have a reasonable advantage in the eastern reaches of the battle, which is more evident from the final picture.
Two and a half months into a giant campaign game. The Spanish and English continue to launch ships from their upgraded forts every single turn, which will keep the battle going for a while. However, Spain needs to focus more of her efforts to the west, because the Castillo (the main launching point right now) will fall once the English break free of the remaining Spanish ships. The Spanish now control almost all of the Mercenary submarines, while the English have launched almost all of their 3 masted ships. As expected, Spain has a repairing problem right now, as many ships repair at their two forts in the far east. Along with those ships, a handful of other gunships are joining part of the northeastern squadron after returning from the far east. Three gunships make their way around the south side of their HI. Between all of these forces, Spain still has a reasonable chance of victory, especially if they can capitalize on their launch point at the fort upgrade. For the existing ships, it’s mostly a question of whether they’ll get there in time or not (which depends on how effective the newer ships are at holding the lines of defence). I’m somewhat surprised by how the battle has gone so far, especially with Spain holding out extremely well where the action is still the hottest (near the Garante and Grand Temple). Spain has adopted a new strategy of leaving most derelict ships where they are, whether friend or foe. This forces England to tow some of their ships (though plenty have been sunk) and sink all Spanish derelicts, slowing their advance. However, the English gunships are really starting to break through to the west and north. It’s been reasonably complex thus far, especially with the maneuvering!
After another Spanish turn, many more English ships lay derelict or at the bottom of the sea. HMS Richards was one of the latest sinkings, while the English approach from the west suffered heavy damage.
This next picture shows the next English and then Spanish turns. The English counterattack saw them sink the Rosal and Garante, slowly opening the gate for English ships to finally cross through past the area where the battle started. The English finally made the decision to try and scuttle some of their derelicts, simply to get them out of the way of their healthier ships. The Matthias Vospero and La Furia desperately try to re-close the gap at the upper left. To the far left, you can see the English struggling despite having a numbers advantage, but that numbers advantage is about to be almost negated by the new Spanish ships in the area. Three new Mercenary gunships, the (finally-ready-for-battle-once-again) Estrella de la Manana, Asgard, Sahara, and fully repaired Asesino are coming. This gives the Spanish a much-needed presence in the west. Once again, the momentum of each small area of the battle shifts. The English looked to have the advantage in the west and not so much near the Garante, but now it’s the opposite. The strong Spanish counterattack and the influx of new ships has solidified the Spanish western position, but now the English have broke free slightly to the northeast, allowing 4-6 gunships that are fresh to sail through. It’s very exciting! In addition, the Minnow is giving the English problems, while the Tasmanian Devil is fully repaired at the Castillo.
Towards the right-center, the Neptuno suffered a disastrous shoot action on the Lord Kettering, going 0/5 and setting herself alight with her own fire shot! Luckily for her the San Gabriel, Reconquistador, and Proud Tortoise bailed her out. Before that happened, the Gibraltar flotilla was destroyed by the Algeciras, while the Santa Ana dismasted the Nautilus (English schooner, not Spanish/Mercenary sub) after the Nautilus dismasted the Cordoba. The Grand Dynasty barely hit anything on the English turn, and was then pulverized by three small Spanish gunships. The Bazana has managed to dismast the Ivory Star by herself and ram a mast off the Nubian Prince. At the upper right, the Black Lotus surprised the minor faction squadron’s Vikings by turning to starboard and firing a full broadside! Two shots landed, setting the Hrunting on fire. The Sea Hag appears to be safe towing the Swallow home, while Spanish ships are almost done repairing at El Puerto Blanco (lower right).
And finally, the latest English turn. Inevitably, the Santo Columba, Villalobos, Matthias Vospero and Manila all sunk. Somehow the Ebro and Antamasia survived the English onslaught – though the English did have poor luck this turn. In addition, the aggressive English have put themselves in a position to be devastated in the western reaches of the battle on the next Spanish turn. The Cuervo and Corazon del Mar also sunk at the hands of the English, who are eagerly sailing south between that fog bank and the island the Spanish fort was on. Only a few subs and potentially the Tasmanian Devil and the newly launched Gallows stand in the way of England’s warships reaching Spain’s gold runners. The Pacificum received an extra action from Lord Mycron to sail further south and damage the Santa Ana. The English didn’t get either of their admiral crew this turn, but those two and Lord Mycron have definitely provided a somewhat significant advantage during the battle. England usually gets one of the admiral crew each turn because of the rerolls for them, which combined with Mycron allows them to get two extra actions to any gunships anywhere in the fleet.
The Lord Kettering, Nubian Prince, and Divine Dragon all did minimal damage to the Spanish, although the Hephaestus surfaced to cripple the Black Lotus. The hired Vikings didn’t do too well for the English, with the Hrunting’s fire spreading and the Huginn’s captain being cancelled by Nemesio Diaz aboard El Acorazado.
The entire ocean, which shows 79 ships in the Spanish fleet and 90 for the English. This means the numbers have shifted a bit, but the English have many derelicts among those 90 still afloat. Notice the relatively full English deckplate area compared to the once-grand Spanish area in the southeast, which now has many holes and chunks missing. The numbers haven’t gone down a significant amount, mostly because each faction launches at least one gunship per turn, and usually they can launch 2, 3, or 4. However, this will only last so long, because the current gold pile is running out. At less than 100 total coins, once the gold runs out, there will be no more replenishments! The end of the game is still a long way off, but it is approaching.
Somehow I managed to play three turns today.
As expected, the Spanish hit the English hard in the westernmost part of the battle, with the Asesino de la Nave leading the charge. Slightly to the north, the Estrella de la Manana got back into action with a vengeance, dismasting one ship and setting fire to the Alexandria. She’s now participated in each of the major Spanish wars – against the French, Pirates and English. The submerged Mercenary submarines lied in wait for the English, while the Spanish launched three new Corsair privateer ships from the Castillo. The Tasmanian Devil and Neptuno engaged the Pacificum (middle of the picture), while the Santa Ana towed the Cordoba home. To the east, the Lord Kettering and Grand Dynasty were sunk, which boosted Spanish morale. The growing Spanish eastern squadron sank the Huginn and Hrunting, while the Hephaestus would soon meet a similar fate.
The following English turn saw them sink the Asesino and other Spaniards such as the Trinidad and Ebro. In addition, the English had a morale boost of their own, when the Pacificum managed to sail south towards the Spanish gold system (bottom right). Her attack on the Concepcion failed, but the point was made, similar to when the Swallow sank the Santa Isabel. However, the English were still struggling mightily in the west and northwest areas of the battle to fight through the horde of derelicts, belonging to both them and Spain. After the Minnow was sunk, HMS Morning Star surged through and used Professor Clive Defoe and Mycron’s extra action to sink both the Brave Selkirk and Barracuda! This took out two of Spain’s valuable submarines, and the Spanish were foolish to let them get so close to the Morning Star. The Victoria set the Tasmanian Devil aflame, while the Lord Lineton damaged the Neptuno. The Lord Algernon re-established an English presence in the eastern reaches of the battle, taking out La Reconquistador.
The rest of the ocean lies relatively dormant, save for the Spanish and English gold runners hurrying to fund their respective war efforts. It’s worth noting that England sent some of their larger gold runners (Interceptor, Metal Dragon, King Edward, Galapagos, and others) off to war, making the Spanish gold system seem more superior of late. However, with the gold replenishment pile running out, it may not matter, which could give England an advantage.
Another Spanish turn, and more devastation. The Estrella dismasted the Halcyon, while HMS Morning Star, Victoria, and Lord Algernon all took major damage. The Spanish have done surprisingly well using a lot of smaller but still effective gunships. The battle has turned into a stalemate, with both sides losing many ships and crew each turn. At the upper right, notice the powerful Spanish eastern squadron slowly assembling; El Acorazado cancelled the Terror to the surface and teamed with the Black Lotus to dismast the submarine. At the bottom, the Concepcion has dismasted the Pacificum to end that threat, while the Hrothgar and Slipstream are the latest Spanish launchings.
The English strike back, sinking the Antamasia, Bashaw Folly, Fathom, Reconquistador, and Toro. In addition, they rolled well for scuttling their own ships, which meant more ships would sink on the next turn. The Goliath slammed into the Estrella and set her on fire, pitting the two 5 masters against one another. At the top of the picture the English super squadron is assembling, with the intent to strike its Spanish counterpart. At the very top right, the Carolina has captured the Poor Adams (a ship the Spanish failed to scuttle), giving the Americans two ships overall.
The Spanish once again prove themselves! In a huge blow to the English attack, the Shetland and Goliath both sank! The Shetland carried 5 extra cannons from Carbon Charlie, while the Goliath was carrying shot equipment and was one of the main English ships in the northwest area of the battle. The Victoria and HMS Nautilus were sunk, while HMS Morning Star was knocked down to one mast. The Spanish continued to push the envelope, and miraculously they’ve taken control of the central/northern area of the battle! Things are also going better than expected in the west, and the east is predictably Spanish-dominated. The Lord Algernon is derelict, but the King Edward threatens to invade Spanish waters. However, the Spanish seem as prepared to take on any challenge as they have been since the battle began. The momentum naturally shifts each turn with the fast and furious broadsides, but the overall momentum shifted in Spain’s favor today. The experience many of their ships gained building the empire is serving them well against English crews with less experience. The Clear Wind and Silent Death are the latest launchings at the Castillo, while ships like the Castigue, Tepant, USS Morning Star (the latter two captured of course), and San Estaban look to finally enter the fray.
No less than 6 English derelicts were scuttled at the beginning of their turn, and that was followed by the English sinking numerous Spanish ships, which meant a large clearing-out in the western area of the battle. The Guy Fawkes finished off the Estrella, while the Belle of Exeter bombarded the western Castillo at the bottom left of the frame. The battle in the west is much more clear now, with 7 or 8 English gunships now free to sail towards the Spanish and not be bogged down by a dozen derelicts in the way. Spain only has about 4 privateer ships to match England’s strength in the western area, but more ships are on the way. The middle area has indeed been retaken by the Spanish, but HMS Gargantuan may cause some havoc before the Spanish can send some of those central ships to the west and northeast. At the upper right, the English made a wise decision not to send the King Edward south into more Spanish waters, instead turning around to dismast the Napolitana and temporarily save the Lord Algernon. Since the beginning of the battle, England has put a priority on hurting Spanish trade, but this has led to them being overly aggressive and not taking full advantage of their numerical superiority (which is dwindling or non-existent in the main areas of the battle).
This shows the entire ocean; once again notice the numerous holes appearing in the deckplate areas at the top and bottom of the frame. The Pirates are trying to get some gold with the Mobilis and Grand River, while the Carolina has let the Poor Adams repair with the abandoned shipwright given to her by the English.
There are around 65 Spanish ships afloat, compared to about 74 in the English fleet. This is without a doubt the biggest battle I’ve ever seen in a campaign game, and also one of the closest. At the middle left of the picture, 8-10 new English gunships (mostly 2 masters) are making their way to the battle from their launch point at Ramsgate. The Spanish have enjoyed their closer launch point at the Castillo del Infanta, which the English have not been able to reach, let alone destroy. Also, notice the massing of the two super squadrons, with the English near the former French HI and the Spanish assembling just to the southeast, where the Terror and Nubian Prince were recently sunk. With a giant (but diminishing in size) stalemate occupying the main battle fleets in the center of the ocean, it’s entirely possible that the battle between these powerful squadrons could decide the victor of the war, and by extension, CG1 itself! However, it’s also a possibility that the squadrons nearly cancel each other out (literally in some cases!) and the war of attrition leads to a very narrow victory for one of the two factions. Now that I think about it, it’s also possible that the gold runners of each faction would meet in a desperate struggle, with most actual gunships already sunk!
With the game size diminishing as the end approaches, I was able to play 4 turns today! More will follow in the next few days as the pace of play increases due to faster turns.
This first picture shows the first full turn of the day in the battle area. The Spanish inflicted good damage, but England crushed both of her 3 masted longships and used the Gargantuan to devastate some of the smaller ships east of that fog bank in the middle. At this point in the battle, so many ships are being sunk or dismasted on every turn that it’s hard to keep track of. However, perhaps the most unique development on this turn concerned the “super squadrons”; Spain turned hers north in an attempt to lure the English squadron away from the Spanish home island and the battle they were continuing to very slowly lose, but the English were too smart for that. They still wanted to get to the Spanish gold system, which they knew would quickly end the war with an English victory. Turning their gunships south, England gave Spain no choice but to do the same, or risk losing everything while the Spanish squadron was unable to defend her home waters.
The next Spanish turn, where they barely have enough ships in the area to fight back. The dismasted Meropis and two 4 masted galleys have taken up the blocking duty in the now-infamous area northwest of the Castillo, but the Spanish are being exhausted by the war effort. On the bright side, they managed to finally dismast the Grand Temple, while the Nautilus rammed a mast off the Lord Cauldwell while submerged. They also took in 72 gold this turn, which was one of their highest totals in quite some time. They used it to launch 4 new gunships at the Castillo, while the super squadron turned around to take care of the King Edward and Executioner.
The next English turn saw the Prince of Chichester use her regular action to destroy the final armaments on the western Castillo, and then use an admiral’s action (AA) to dismast the Castigue. The English weren’t lucky this turn, but they were inching closer and closer to the Spanish home island.
With all the empty swaths of sea and many deckplates noticeably missing from the English and Spanish fleets, it’s obvious that the end of the game isn’t far off. Some Spanish gold runners have transferred to the eastern side of their home island, partly due to fear of English invasion from the northwest and partly because the gold system to and from the Castillo island has been more than adequate. At the middle left, notice the steady supply of English support gunships sailing southeast from Ramsgate, which will continue to put pressure on the Spanish defenders.
A turn later, and the western Castillo has been destroyed! However, the Prince of Chichester was captured. The gaps are about to be plugged by the Spanish once again, but notice the wide open lanes available to the English, on either side of the fog bank the Nautilus has ducked into. The Nautilus is desperately trying to reach the Spanish super squadron to give them 4 cancellers in the area, which would match the 4 cancellers in the English super squadron. Also note how densely packed each super squadron is, in anticipation of the epic face-off. At the lower left, the Castigue sees a rarity: using a sac action to repair twice! (before the fort was destroyed)
Xerecs was able to catch up on his turns, and the Americans (Carolina and captured Poor Adams) now sail with England against Spain! The Grand River gave the Pirates a coin, while the Mobilis will soon transfer another.
The next picture shows the following Spanish turn and part of the next English turn. The Spanish fought well once again, doing damage and creating annoying blocks for the English to deal with. With the average English gunship decreasing in size now that most of the bigger ships have been sunk, the battle in the western area is mostly even, though the English continue to gain ground very slowly. At the far left, the Castigue sailed out to battle the Nova Scotia, but her gunners failed her and the English have won that battle. In a scene usually only reserved for games this large, the English have two of their rowing ships towing two derelicts, while a fifth dismasted ship (the Iron Prince) follows (upper left areas).
The Nautilus managed to escape from the fog bank at the perfect location, joining up with the Spanish super squadron at last. At the top of the frame, the Matador used a suicide run to ram and dismast the Rye, one of the four English cancellers. This greatly angered the English, who decided to go all out and not hesitate any longer. The Spanish were still playing a bit smarter, with their experience in previous wars proving to be a key reason they’ve done so well against a mostly superior force. The Spanish had 3 of their lesser ships form a line to protect the Spanish super squadron, while the captured Swallow got an SAT to join the area as well. The Titan has started this important engagement, and she’s about to dismast all three of those ships with an extra action!
The Titan was followed by the rest of the English super squadron, who took part of the Spanish bait. The Spanish had the English where they wanted them, but the English were too smart to sink the line of defense, since it would open the English up to a more devastating Spanish attack on the next turn. Now, Spain will either linger behind her own derelicts or have to tow them out of the way to get a good line of fire. The repaired Leicester has gotten Myngs’ SAT almost every turn since leaving the English HI, allowing her to quickly return to action and join the English super squadron to reinforce it. The Spanish have reinforced their own squadron, with some support gunships joining the main force of the Acorazado, Muerta, Nautilus, Alma, Paso, Cristal del Obispo, and captured USS Morning Star. The additions make for a potentially even fight, especially considering that the Swallow now fights for Spain. She and the Dreadnought have extra cannons from Carbon Charlie, though the Dreadnought is far more dangerous. Both sides carry a ship with the Metal Hull UT (the Dreadnought and Muerta) as well, not to mention how similar the Endeavour and Muerta are. This combined with 4 cancellers and multiple extra action crew on each side make for a truly memorable and historic fight. Though I control both sides, the assembling of each super squadron and now their final battle has been a very natural progression. The arms race of cancellers and capital ships will finally explode, with the victor possibly having enough left in the tank to go on to win the game.
Spanish: 58 ships
English: 61 ships
The current state of CG1; note that in the upper left corner, there is no gold pile. With the latest replenishment, the gold has finally run out. There will be no more replenishments, which means that all the gold in the game is the only gold left. This may seem like trying to trigger an endgame, but between the relative stalemate with the War for CG1 and the final climax about to occur, it feels very natural for this to be the final replenishment. Spain and England have been on mostly equal terms for a long while now, so denying them both gold will reveal which nation is truly the ruler of the sea!
Two turns have been played so far today, and more will be played very soon! The Spanish grouped a lot of ships behind their line and called upon gold runners to help block the English.
The English are fed up with the Spanish hiding behind their own derelicts, so the Titan sinks some of them! The Rye captured the Tasmanian Devil, while HMS Gallows managed to avoid Christian Fiore on the submerged Nautilus and dismast the San Pedro and captured USS Morning Star. Knowing the logjam would prevent them from entering the battle in the east so early on, the Dauntless and Leicester sailed west to help out the English ships in that area. The attack was devastating, and now only a few brand-new launches stand in England’s way of finally bombarding the Castillo del Infanta.
And with that, the chaos began to erupt! The extremely dense area just north of the Castillo became convoluted, with many ships engaging. The Cristal del Obispo sank the Gallows, while the Titan was swarmed. The Morning Star was towed out of harm’s way, with the Cristal taking her place to block the English from the Spanish cancellers. The Spanish were finally satisfied with their positioning.
The English strike back! The Titan and Dauntless teamed up to sink at least three Spanish ships, and the Dauntless managed to hit the Muerta (with some help from Carbon Charlie’s extra cannons) to eliminate her Metal Hull and damage one of Spain’s biggest assets! The Leicester and Diamond teamed up to sink the Grand Wind and Terror of Gibraltar, while at the top of the frame the Apollo has sunk the Black Lotus. In a huge move, the Dreadnought entered the fray! The Spanish immediately cancelled her canceller, captain, world hater and Marine abilities, but with an admiral’s action she was able to dismast the Cristal. The Spanish focused their attention too much on the Dreadnought, for they should have saved Fiore’s cancelling for the Dauntless. However, Spain will now have the opportunity to attack, which they’ll do with a vengeance.
Notice how the battle has very slowly shifted towards the Castillo, and by extension, the Spanish home island. The most recent turn saw Spain launch 2 new gunships, with England launching 5.
A rather complex turn was played just now. Going into the turn, both the English and Spanish had 4 cancellers each, all in the same area. The Spanish were looking to establish a cancelling advantage in order to gain some momentum in the battle. The San Estaban only had one cannon in range of the Rye, but it hit! This sunk the Rye and decreased the English canceller count to 3. Then, the damaged Muerta dismasted the Dauntless by going 4/4 with her powerful ability. Diego Cesar Olano, aboard the submerged Slipstream, delivered a successful shot against the Dauntless, sinking the powerful Englishman. The Slipstream then went underneath the Endeavour and with the help of a trade current rammed the Endeavour, doing no damage. The submerged Nautilus rammed the Titan, also doing no damage. Fiore and Bratley cancelled each other out. Aboard the Dreadnought and Acorazado, Anson and Diaz cancelled each other out. The Paso and Lawrence (aboard the Endeavour) cancelled each other out. The Acorazado had towed the derelict Cristal out of the way, while the USS Morning Star rolled successfully to scuttle herself home with Gus Schultz’s Eternal. The Spanish were finally ready to put their biggest prize, HMS Swallow, into action. With no English canceller available to cancel the Swallow’s captain, she surged forward into the gap created by the sinking of the Dauntless. With the cannons the English themselves created via Carbon Charlie, the Swallow got one 6 in 5 tries to eliminate the Dreadnought’s Metal Hull UT, which meant that she could now be hit normally on non-6’s. The Swallow then landed a few more hits on the Dreadnought (bringing her down to 2 masts) before also landing a hit on the Titan. The Principe de Asturias now moved into the gap the Cristal used to occupy, hitting 2/4 to dismast the Dreadnought. Then, in a stunning move, the Alma (Spain’s fourth canceller) moved in unopposed on the Dreadnought’s larboard quarter and cancelled Job Hartop’s Eternal ability, and then sank the Dreadnought with a hit!! The English were not expecting the Dreadnought to be sunk so soon, and it was a huge blow to English morale while boosting the spirits of the Spanish. The Spanish had taken advantage of their new 4-3 upper hand in the cancelling game, which they leveraged to sink the Dreadnought and further their advantage to 4-2. Also, the Sea Hag has hopped out of a fog bank to unsuccessfully ram the Endeavour.
At the top right of the frame, the Americans have gotten too close to the Spanish, so the Corazon Dorado set the Poor Adams alight with exploding shot and scored an additional hit just for good measure. The East Wind moved into a position to intercept the Carolina, while also making sure the captured USS Morning Star wasn’t captured before she could be scuttled. At the lower left, the Tepant has hit 1/2 against the Nova Scotia. The newly launched Typhoon and Duncan got into action, with the Typhoon ramming a mast off the Leicester and the Duncan dismasting the Diamond. The Castillo del Infanta’s guns boomed, and the Diamond was sunk.
As expected, the English turn saw more craziness. They started with the Nova Scotia dismasting the Tepant and the Apollo (schooner) dismasting the Duncan. Then Lord Thomas Gunn (aboard the flagship HMS Endeavour) had some major decisions to make. The Titan got an extra action, which she used to sink HMS Swallow (!) and damage the Sea Hag. Then it was the Endeavour’s turn. With the Dreadnought gone, only two English cancellers remained in play, and Bratley (aboard the Titan) and Fiore had once again cancelled each other out. However, due to the Acorazado towing the Cristal on the previous Spanish turn, the Endeavour would be able to maneuver to hit the Paso and Alma while staying out of Diaz’s range. This is exactly what she did. As a result, the Spanish essentially had a 3-2 canceller advantage on this specific English turn since Diaz wasn’t able to help out. Knowing the Endeavour could sink almost anything in range even without moving (between her ability and an extra action from Lord Mycron), the Alma cancelled the Endeavour’s ability rather than Lord Gunn’s captain ability (after Lawrence and El Paso cancelled each other out, of course). This gave the Endeavour room to move (but not too far east, which would put her in range of Diaz on the Acorazado), but with less overall firepower. The English did give her an extra action via Mycron, and the Endeavour rammed the Paso. Her first shoot action sank the Alma! However, the ram failed, meaning that all three of her guns that were in range of the Paso had to hit in order to sink the Spanish canceller. Unsurprisingly, the great leader Lord Gunn rallied his crew, and with his help they sank the Paso!! This meant that each fleet now had two cancellers at their disposal, with all 4 of them being crew (Diaz and Fiore for the Spanish and Lawrence and Bratley for the English). In other news, the Leicester dismasted the Typhoon, while HMS Apollo sank the Corazon Dorado to the north and damaged the East Wind. The English are still trying to be careful with Lord Cutler Beckett aboard the Apollo, since losing him means the loss of an important admiral crew. As much as England would love to win this battle of capital ships and cancellers, the overall war effort is still more important than this phase of the battle, though they were tempted to have the Apollo come to the Endeavour’s immediate aid.
Though this turn saw the Spanish mostly victorious, England managed to correct a brief canceller deficit, while many English support gunships continue to arrive from Ramsgate. More are also on their way from the English home island, with former gold runners like the Growler, Lord Kenyon, and Empress of India having picked up captains to help the war effort now that the gold has run out. In addition, ships like the Zephyr, Forge, Grand Temple, and Burma will be ready for action once more rather soon. These ships, as well as a few others that haven’t reached the English forts, were salvaged by the English with their flood of ships that began the battle. It seems to be a smart move, as the Spanish had no way to sink the derelicts at the time, and now the war of attrition has lasted longer than the English anticipated. The Spanish home island is looking strangely empty, with a state of emergency forcing the gold runners to sail to more distant islands to get any gold. Some gold runners have sailed to join the Spanish battle fleet, but it’s unlikely they’ll make much of a difference.
Two turns so far today, with hopefully at least two more coming soon!
With each pair of cancellers cancelling each other out, the Spanish had a great opportunity to damage the English. They did just that, dismasting the Titan and sinking the Endeavour!! The Endeavour had been the English flagship since they launched her, and she went down with Lord Thomas Gunn aboard (the English admiral). Obviously a huge blow to English morale, the elimination of these two ships from the battle essentially meant that the Spanish had won the battle of the capital ships! Spain’s maneuvering and support ships played important roles, but they were also helped by the fragility of HMS Rye, the first English canceller eliminated. La Muerta also managed to sink the Leicester with an extra action, while some native canoes moved to form a screen against the incoming English gunships from the northwest. The captured USS Morning Star successfully returned home via Eternal. The Poor Adams damaged the East Wind before the privateer engaged the Carolina, who had sunk the captured Metal Dragon. At the right of the frame, the Espada de Dios is the first Spanish ship to reach an island outside of their 4-island comfort zone, all of which are now empty. Native canoes assist her, while others are looking to sail farther north towards former Cursed waters in the northeast.
The English turn saw them try to rescue the Titan, as her oarsman ability had been cancelled (thus not allowing her to move away at 4S with an extra action and helmsman). The canoe screen was eliminated, and the Muerta and Typhoon were predictably sunk. As the Acorazado was still healthy and Spain appeared to be winning the battle for once, the loss of the Muerta didn’t affect Spanish morale. At the bottom of the picture, the Academia was finally damaged, while the English captured the Tepant and recaptured the Prince of Chichester. At the top, notice HMS Apollo fleeing the area, for she is no match for the Acorazado and Beckett knows the importance of his admiral ability.
The next Spanish turn was similar to the last: a huge success and an absolute shock to the English! The Gibraltar and Titan were sunk, while no less than 5 other English gunships were dismasted! The Spanish navigators placed trade currents to the north, which the Slipstream and San Estaban quickly took advantage of. The Slipstream surfaced and teamed with the Estaban to dismast the Apollo, while Beckett thought he could escape in time! For the final clincher, the Acorazado got Castro’s SAT to move 5S and sink the Apollo, the last true English flagship!! This and the attack on the western front left the English in complete disarray. William Dampier, the new English admiral aboard the repairing Grand Temple, ordered a partial ceasefire for English gunships – the English gunships already upon the battle would continue to fight, but the ones still headed towards the battle would wait and regroup. The Spanish have won the “first” battle of the War for CG1, though they were losing for quite a while and it took them ages to get to this point of having a slight advantage. The English are now looking to regroup their new support gunships and have them join the older and larger gunships that are currently repairing. If England can combine these forces successfully, they will still have a formidable (and superior) battle fleet. However, Spain’s 2-0 canceller advantage and the sheer defenses of El Acorazado (essentially immune to anything smaller than 3 masts except for ramming) gives Spain two superweapons they’ll need to be careful with. At the upper right, the Poor Adams destroyed a canoe before being dismasted by the Santa Ana, who also hit the Carolina after the Carolina dismasted the East Wind. At this point, the privateer nations have been almost completely drained – the Scorpion and Pasha’s Delight are the best launchings Spain could muster near the end of this long game.
The dejected English managed some small offense on their turn, dismasting the Cordoba, Principe, and San Leandro. The Templar sank the derelict Ventura, but these English ships were doomed as a result of the recent order for fresh gunships to stop their approach to the battle area.
At the center left, notice the grouping of small English support gunships assembling between the wild island and reefs, the exact location where the battle began. They will wait for the larger ships to repair and join them, as England wants to mount one final assault with her entire battle fleet to crush the Spanish once and for all. The most important question might be what Spain can do in the meantime. At the top and right sides of the frame, the remaining gold runners for the two fleets race towards the northeast area, which is still rich with gold from past replenishments. A few gold runners head towards the southwest, where the Pirates are still lurking. How amusing it would be if the deserted areas of the sea now held the keys to victory!
5/9/2016
4 more turns have been played, for a whopping 6 in just a day’s action. The game size is diminishing, which dramatically speeds up turns.
The Spanish continued to pound the remaining English ships. By far the most interesting development of their turn was a sort of collaboration between them and the English. The English didn’t have any cancellers left, while the Pirates still possessed the Mobilis, a submarine that has cancelling built in, therefore needing two cancellers to take out. The English agreed to hold off their newest battle squadron until the Acorazado and Nautilus (with Spain’s two cancellers aboard) were able to eliminate the Mobilis from the game.
The English barely managed any offense with their remaining gunships, while the Acorazado continued sailing southwest toward Pirate waters. At the top right, the Americans are about to be eliminated. Commodore David Porter died a hero, leading a losing boarding party to the Santa Ana. He instructed his crew not to give up the ship, and they scuttled the Carolina rather than seeing her captured by the enemy. And so goes one of the most noble ships of CG1, a journey which will be reflected upon in a post once the game ends.
The English have scuttled a few more ships, while in the northwest, her most formidable gunships finish repairing and prepare to go to war against Spain once more.
Sensing that the English would betray them and attack regardless, the Acorazado and Slipstream turned around and headed northeast! This ended the extremely brief and tense collaboration between the Spanish and English. The Spanish were thinking that as long as the English feared the Pirates’ long-term game, Spain should keep them alive if the Acorazado and Nautilus could also be kept around. The latter isn’t all that difficult, for the Acorazado and Nautilus are almost untouchable at this late stage of the game, with plenty of open ocean and very few capital ships. The Spanish split up the impromptu Acorazado squadron, with the San Estaban sailing south to sink the Templar and the Nautilus following her to dismast the Nova Scotia. The Spanish gold runners were nearing wild islands, while other Spanish ships began efforts to return some derelicts to action. These included the Tepant, Poor Adams, Cristal del Obispo, Munchhausen, and San Leandro. With the capturing of the Poor Adams, the Americans have been eliminated!
With the Spanish breaking their word regarding the sinking of the Mobilis, the English charged in a rage. The squadron of small support gunships sailed directly at the Spanish, who weren’t prepared for another fleet engagement just yet. The Growler received an extra action from Mycron to shoot at the closest Spaniards, but missed. In the northeast, the San Jose is the first ship to reach a former Cursed wild island, but more ships will soon join her. All three remaining home islands are as desolate as they’ve been in months.
The flagship of the Spanish fleet, El Acorazado, now appears to have a new mission: sinking English ships that don’t have support around them. The Acorazado and Slipstream sped north, with the Acorazado easily sinking the newly-repaired Zephyr with a double action. The Nautilus has abruptly left the scene of battle in the south to join them. The Pasha’s Delight sacrificed herself to delay the English onslaught, while the San Estaban went 3/3 to dismast the Growler. Notice the Sea Hag ducking into a fog bank near the middle of the picture. The Spanish have a secret plan to eliminate Lord Mycron – he sits aboard the Patagonia, a ship that has been docked for almost the entire game on the northwestern side of the English home island. Due to the circumstances where gold runners have sailed far from home in search of elusive treasure, the home islands have been left nearly vacant. The Sea Hag intends to pop out of the fog northwest of the English home island and catch the slow Patagonia, winning a boarding party to eliminate the powerful Lord Mycron (if Robinson died instead, Mycron would have to get tossed because of the ship’s point limit). However, Commodore Owen (aboard the 3 masted HMS Durham and the only remaining admiral crew left in the entire game after Beckett drowned in the sinking of the Apollo) is smart, and remembers how vulnerable Mycron could be to an attempt on his life. The Spanish ended their turn by launching two of my custom Mercenary ships and one from Cadet Captain Mike, the Pelayo.
After the only true lull in the War for CG1 subsides, the second and much smaller battle is just beginning.
Conflicts between gold runners may break out in the northeast, while the Acorazado looks to prey upon weaker English ships.
2 more turns have been played! The San Estaban attacked first, and another melee began! The English line abreast formation broke up, and chaos ensued once more. The Saragoza, one of Spain’s original ships from the start of the game, re-explored that island to allow the native canoes to load gold.
At the upper left, the Sea Hag has emerged from the fog for an assassination attempt on Lord Mycron! However, the Durham is there to save him. Once again, the Spanish have been hit with Celestine’s Charts, eliminating all of their trade currents. At the lower left, the Grand River has dismasted the Sea Crane, who sailed too close to the Pirates. I believe this is the first act of hostility between the English and Pirates. At the upper right, the Bahama and Edinburgh Trader have reached a contested island in the northeast, but the Bahama will explore first.
More fighting in the battle area, and once again the Spanish are more effective than the English, who once again couldn’t take advantage of their numerical superiority. The long-awaited Resolucion has finally been launched, and she sinks the Moor Hound.
The English score some hits on their turn, most importantly the Empress of India going 3/3 with an extra action from Mycron to nearly dismast the Resolucion.
This last picture shows a rarity: a new Pirate ship! The Grand River returned home enough gold for the Pirates to launch the DJC Harbinger, and Blackbeard finally had a ship! (Blackbeard was hired long ago but the Spanish obliterated most of the Pirate fleet before he could participate.) However, the Pirate fort built by the Grand River south of their home island is under siege by Le Favori, a former French and Spanish gold runner now looking to destroy the fort. She can’t be hit by L range guns, so she can bombard the fort at her leisure. At the upper right, the Trepassey and Joya del Sol are racing to the former Cursed home island, which now holds untouched gold. In the upper center, the Acorazado hunts. The Antelope is her latest prey, though the little ship isn’t carrying any gold. In fact, the Antelope decided to go down fighting rather than run, nearly winning a boarding party if not for Vaccaro’s reroll! The English are wary of the Battleship’s power, and have launched the Bilge to add to their gunships in the area. The Bilge is looking to team up with the Merlin, Saint James, and Ivory Star (what a random group of ships!) to form a sort of “anti-Acorazado squadron”, to give English gold runners in the far east a chance of making it home safely. Their task is complicated by the Slipstream and Nautilus, dangerous subs who act as the Acorazado’s bodyguards.
Ship count:
Spanish: 39 ships
English: 37 ships
I have to admit, I’m really enjoying the final phase of this game. Deciding on a final replenishment was a great idea, because not only does it speed up the endgame, it also makes for exciting and unique gameplay. Both fleets are sending gold runners far outside their home waters, with ships sailing all over the map in a frantic race to claim the last coins in existence. The main battle in the War for CG1 rages in its usual south-central location, but the potential star of the show (El Acorazado) has left on a mission of her own. After the English have mostly finished repairing, it’s now Spain’s turn to repair some of her damaged gunships, among them the Cristal, Poor Adams, and Tepant. All the while the Pirates continue to make progress, quietly eager to slip under the radar into a finish better than 3rd place….
Three turns have been played so far today, with more coming a bit later. Xerecs’ Pirates are two turns behind now, which is why they look dormant here.
At the top left, the Sea Hag has turned her attention away from Lord Mycron (now protected by the Durham) to the Goodfellow, a ship carrying 4 now-rare gold coins. In the far north, the Acorazado has been unsuccessfully rammed by both the Pandora’s Box and Maui’s Fishhook, and for that the fates of those two ships are sealed. Olano (a marine aboard the Slipstream slightly to the south) missed the Antelope, but her days (or turns!) were numbered as well. The Spanish were really struggling in the southern battle, where the Mourning Star has been dismasted. HMS Forge has eliminated a canoe and will soon eliminate the others carrying gold. An even greater threat, HMS Grand Temple, has finally arrived after being dismasted in the heat of the first battle.
Developments in the north: the anti-Acorazado squadron is poised to strike, the Joya del Sol beats HMS Trepassey to the former Cursed HI, and the Goodfellow slips past the slow Sea Hag.
The Acorazado gets her SAT, and strikes first! The first action sank the Maui’s Fishhook, while the second crippled the small squadron. Luis Zuan actually spread out his firepower here, because with the Acorazado’s defenses, he only needed to knock each ship down to 2 masts or less to prevent any shots from damaging the flagship. The Nautilus and Slipstream helped out, and the English squadron was already doomed. At the bottom, the Edinburgh Trader is carrying gold to the English home island, while some Spanish canoes are looking for gold at the right.
At long last, English victory in the south! The Burma sank the Saragoza, while the Grand Temple sank other Spaniards and captured the USS Morning Star, hoping to gain her help by scuttling her with Eternal Gus Schultz aboard, much like the Spanish did earlier. The Forge used a double action to take out all of the Castillo’s guns, and now La Academia is the only thing preventing the English from getting to the Spanish home island! Unsurprisingly, England’s larger ships (GT, Forge, and Burma) tipped the battle in their favor, though both sides were very inaccurate in their gunnery today from sheer exhaustion.
Clockwise from the upper left: The Durham brings the Sea Hag down to one mast while the Goodfellow docks. The anti-Acorazado squadron surrounds the Spanish flagship, but all three rams (and boarding parties) fail and two captains are cancelled. The Trepassey sets off in hot pursuit of the Joya del Sol and her “stolen” loot, but it’s unlikely she can win a boarding party against the big galleon. A canoe grabs the last coin from the island, while another successfully blocks HMS Hound, who misses a shot. At this point both fleets have enough gold saved up to launch one or two support gunships.
Spanish: 29 ships
English: 32 ships
A few more turns have been played. At the top left, the Edinburgh Trader sustained damage from the Nautilus before escaping through a whirlpool. In the northeast, the Trepassey managed a heroic act, ramming a mast off the much larger Joya del Sol, and winning the boarding party 6-5 to steal a coin worth 7 gold! The Grand Temple moved east to eliminate some canoes and eventually dismast the Poor Adams. Near the Spanish home island in the south, the Tepant blocks native canoes from the Forge, while the Cristal del Obispo finishes repairing.
In the far north, the Acorazado, Slipstream, and Nautilus took care of the anti-Acorazado squadron, sinking every ship except for the Merlin (who sank on the following turn). The Forge got as close as any ship has gotten to the Spanish home island, taking a mast off the Monarca and ramming the Tepant derelict and causing further headaches for the Spanish. In the northwest, the English have a new plan. Seeing their squadron fail miserably against the Acorazado, England is planning to bunch all of her ships into one or two main fleets, to prevent the chaos that has occurred lately since the final replenishment. The English need to take out the Acorazado to win the game, and to do that they may have to use swarm ramming, though the Grand Temple and others could provide some adequate firepower. Neither fleet is looking very strong at this point, and both need to be careful not to lose their best ships until they confront each other directly.
An interesting situation in the southwest. The Favori has abandoned her bombardment of Dead Man’s Point to assist the Morning Star and Isabela, who are in trouble from the Harbinger and Grand River. If the Pirates can capture the tribal chieftains, the Pirates could have some extra gold rather quickly. The 2 on the Pirate HI is from the Sea Crane’s helmsman – the Grand River was able to board, but not capture the junk before the English scuttled her.
The Spanish sank the Forge, with the Monarca taking the Tepant in tow. Both fleets have finally launched some ships (undoubtedly some of the last purchases of the game) – the Spanish with the Viking longship Kalmar and the English with the Ark Royal, Victor, and Lizard. Those English ships were launched at Ramsgate, and they look to rendezvous with the Durham and others to form a squadron. The other English squadron is what’s left over from the southern battle, though the Grand Temple (the English flagship) has gone north a bit to eliminate some Spanish canoes. About 60 ships remain afloat.
CG1 has continued! It took 5 ships, but the English managed to capture the Academia. The Spanish battle fleet is assembling, but a recent plan has been revived. The Spanish and English will once again team up to eliminate the Mobilis and likely the Pirates in general. The English need the Mobilis eliminated in order to win the game. The Spanish are worried that the Acorazado and/or Nautilus would be sunk in a fleet action against the English, hence the opportunity to eliminate the Mobilis now before the final battle.
At the lower left, the Harbinger has engaged the Spanish. In the northern center of the sea, the Acorazado, Nautilus, and Slipstream are making full speed towards the Pirates.
After another turn, the Harbinger dismasted the Favori before being rammed by the Isabela. The Isabela was trying to distract the Harbinger so the Morning Star would escape with her gold. In the center, it’s evident that the reinstatement of Spain and England’s agreement doesn’t provide a true armistice, as the Grand Temple and James Madison exchange shots. In the northeast, the Hound has let the Joya del Sol and captured Trepassey go after being frustrated by a canoe blocker.
After another turn, a few major developments. In the southwest, the Harbinger received an SAT from Le Requin and absolutely dominated. The Isabela was dismasted, while the Morning Star lost 3 masts. The Harbinger S-boarded both ships with the double action, capturing the tribal chieftains on both ships, which would be worth 18 gold if unloaded at the Pirate HI! However, that would be a difficult task, as the English and Spanish were both rushing to blockade the Pirate HI. The Spanish launched the Matuku at the end of their turn. The English sank the James Madison and scuttled the Poor Adams, while the Hound headed for the last available gold coins on an island to the north. (Dead Man’s Point also has some gold; the coins on the islands in the northwest and southeast corners are the Celestine’s Charts UT.) Xerecs and I are trying to finish the game by the end of this weekend!
The chase for the Pirates continues in earnest!
Using extra actions from CGRO and Mycron, the English arrive first! The Mobilis cancels the Ark Royal’s captain, but the Victor slips in and goes 3/3 to take the Harbinger down to 2 masts. The Pirate home island has been blockaded by the English, while the Cristal del Obispo nearly destroyed the Dead Man’s Point fort to the south. Outside of the southwestern corner, the ocean is mostly deserted. The Hound and Joya del Sol bring back each fleet’s final treasure haul.
With the English seemingly cutting off the Acorazado and Nautilus from the rest of the Spanish fleet, Luis Zuan issues an ultimatum: back off, or the Mobilis will survive. The English immediately obey, knowing the Challenger would need a canceller to even touch the Mobilis. The Spanish finish off the Pirate fort. A big move happened when the English managed to sink the Harbinger! The Ark Royal rammed a mast off, and then Mycron gave the Victor a double shoot action to sink the ship with Blackbeard and 21 points of captured crew aboard! The Acorazado and Nautilus are preparing for the final attack on the Mobilis and Grand River.
After a quick consultation among the members of the Acorazado’s crew, the Spanish decided to attack! The Grand River had sunk the Ark Royal, though she returned to the English HI via Eternal. Castro gave the Acorazado the SAT, but first the Nautilus moved forward to cancel the Mobilis and hit the Grand River twice. The Acorazado surged ahead, cancelling the Mobilis to the surface and sinking her!! Then the Acorazado used her second action to go 5/5 and sink the Grand River and eliminate the Pirates from the game!! (This picture also shows the resumption of the war between Spain and England, with the Santa Ana and some canoes already sunk.)
And with that, Xerecs is officially out of the game! I have technically “won” CG1, though two fleets remain for the final battle, which will take place in the next 24 hours. Thank you, Xerecs, for playing such a great game with me, and thank you for sticking it out with all three of your fleets even as they were slowly defeated. More to come in the reflection post!
May 14th will see the War for CG1 come to an end, with either Spain or England claiming victory in the biggest game in the history of Pirates CSG!!
With the final battle imminent, the final day of play started in CG1!
With the Pirates eliminated, the War for CG1 resumed in earnest. The Spanish managed to sink the Grand Temple, a ship that could have been useful against El Acorazado. Her and the Nautilus are waiting for the English to come to them.
The Iron Prince, with Mycron helping, took the Cristal del Obispo down to 2 masts. However, she and the Cheshire were sunk and dismasted on the next turn. The Spanish had won the battle on the eastern side of the former Pirate HI, but the battle on the western side was just beginning, with the Acorazado dismasting the Goodfellow and damaging the Edinburgh Trader.
The English swarm the Acorazado by ramming her with 5 ships, but none of them roll a 6! At the top of the frame are 3 of England’s most important ships: the Challenger (can shoot at submerged ships within S of her), the Durham (carrying the only admiral crew and the default flagship now that the Grand Temple has sunk), and the captured USS Morning Star, their best remaining offensive weapon.
Here, the Acorazado and Nautilus fight off the horde, though they are essentially immune since the ships are pinned to the Acorazado and cannot eliminate masts by shooting them off since the Acorazado must be hit 3 times in one shoot action to eliminate her first mast. The rest of the Spanish battle fleet hurry west to help the Acorazado. Things are not looking good for the English.
A partial turn later, and the Morning Star has sunk the Cristal del Obispo! Finally the Inquisitor is no more!
The Burma and Durham are cancelled by the Nautilus and Acorazado, while the Morning Star is nearly dismasted by the superior Spanish force. Up north a few more English ships are entering the fray, as the Spanish send ships to meet them.
The Spanish recapture the Morning Star, but HMS Burma and HMS Challenger manage to ram two masts off the Acorazado! This is the first time she’s taken damage in quite some time. The Acorazado did manage to sink the Durham, which meant that Mycron was the only crew left in the English fleet capable of giving them extra actions.
The whole map, showing how the battle has shifted to the north side of the former Pirate home island. The Hound is almost back to the English HI with 4 gold, while the Joya del Sol sails for gold (now that Dead Man’s Point is gone) in the deep south.
After another turn, the Spanish take complete control. The English are brought down to 4 ships, the same number that they started the game with. The Hound, Ark Royal, Patagonia, and Poor Adams are England’s last hope.
A few turns later, and the Spanish head north to finish off the English!
The main part of the final battle took place around the former Pirate HI, but the final shots will be fired in the northwest. The Spanish have captured the Ark Royal and bombarded Ramsgate. At the lower right, the Tepant and Poor Adams (both captured ships) are shooting at each other with their bow chasers, with neither ship possessing a captain. HMS Hound used her 4 gold to crew herself with a captain and oarsman, and a double action from Mycron let her dismast the Wodin. The English are fighting hard until the end, as evidenced by the damage on almost all Spanish ships left in play.
After the Nautilus dismasts the Hound, the English are essentially down to two ships, the Poor Adams and Patagonia.
The Slipstream dismasted the Poor Adams, who was quickly captured by the Wicked Kareen! The Hound is sunk, while the Acorazado (the Spanish flagship) fittingly heads north to meet the Patagonia and Lord Mycron, the last English presence in the game!
It started with 6 fleets, grew to a game with over 200 ships and over 3,500 total points in play, and now it all comes down to this.
The Patagonia put up a fight, but was ultimately no match for the legendary Acorazado!
The Spanish have won VASSAL Campaign Game 1!!!!
Upon hearing the news, immediately the cheer went up throughout the fleet: VIVA EL IMPERIO ESPANOL!
It’s finally over! After almost exactly 3 months of play (the first day of play was 2/12/2016), CG1 has finally come to a conclusive end! The Spanish Empire reigns supreme, for they not only rule the ocean, but I believe they also eliminated all 5 other factions. Tomorrow I will post a reflection upon the game, but for now, Spain is the ruler of the waves!
Looking back on the first-ever VASSAL campaign game, Xerecs and I have a lot to be proud of. Not only did CG1 become the biggest game in the history of Pirates CSG, it was also the first time that such a long, intense, and epic game was played remotely. With Xerecs in California and myself in New York, we dealt with a 3 hour time zone differential, which we navigated quite well. Any problems were handled quickly and easily, and rules implemented after the game’s start were agreed upon to avoid any delays. Through many email exchanges, we were able to coordinate a ton of times where we both could meet, and play this great game. Once again, thank you, Xerecs, for playing this game with me. Also, thanks to B.J. for creating the Pirates module in the first place – without it, this obviously wouldn’t have happened. (Also thanks to El Cazador for his occasional watching, and always humorous comments.)
And with that, an analysis of the game. I may be the biggest fan of campaign games this game has ever seen, so it should come as no surprise that I also love the flashbacks, numbers, analysis, nostalgia, and more.
Spain played one of the absolute best games of all time, by any faction and in any setting. Not only did they manage to win the game in the long run, but they did so at extreme odds. The Spanish were imperialists right from the start. They literally declared war on ALL FIVE of the other factions, and wound up eliminating all of them (England technically struck the fatal blow against the Cursed, but the Spanish did most of the work). Showing no mercy, they went on a run that was only slowed by a historically large English battle fleet towards the end of the game. Even with that, Spain still came out on top. It’s almost hard to describe just how dominant the Spanish were in this game. In terms of combat and war, this game WAS Spain. In the end, they accomplished their ultimate goal of having a Spanish Empire that dominated the entire ocean.
The Spanish appeared aggressive from the very early stages of the game. Of my three fleets (the Spanish, Cursed and English), I decided that the Spanish would be my “imperial faction”. The Cursed would do typical Cursed things and annoy just about everyone, and I had some fun with that for a while. The English would sort of be the “nice faction” this time around, as evidenced by their strategy not to engage enemy fleets unless they became hostile. The Cursed were never a likely candidate to win the game, and so Spain took the early lead. They were the first to instigate combat, with the Tartessos firing upon the American fort Thompson’s Island. The Spanish easily established control of the two wild islands east of their home island, while simultaneously denying the Americans and hurting their potential gold system. It was a strong statement, and set them up well for the future. It’s safe to say that America never recovered.
In addition to making Spain my most aggressive faction, I wanted to establish a strong gold system that took advantage of their many ships with the +1 and +2 gold abilities. Getting all of those ships into the game was a priority, to the point where the Spanish even started the game with La Saragoza (a ship with the +1 gold bonus ability but also S speed) rather than something like La Monarca. I was determined to launch all of the bonus ships, which included launching many more sets of their native canoes than the one set that started the game. Less than two weeks into the game the Spanish had a record 7 sets of canoes for 35 canoes in total, though they wouldn’t launch any more after that.
One of the more impressive things the Spanish accomplished was eliminating the Cursed despite not being a part of the First Coalition. Originally intended to be a major alliance between America, France, and England, the coalition fell apart when Spain declared war on the French and continued to receive tribute payments from the Americans. Later in the game, the English took the lead for the coalition against the Cursed, but by that point Spain had already declared war on the Cursed after the Cursed made a mistake in attacking Fortaleza Dorada. The First Coalition was formed to eliminate the Cursed and contained half of the game’s fleets, but it was ultimately unsuccessful, though the Spanish eliminated the Cursed rather easily.
It’s worth noting that this was essentially the first huge game I’ve ever played where I wasn’t rooting for my favorite faction, the English. I anticipated rooting for them as the game went on, but the opposite happened. Managing and expanding the Spanish Empire became so fun that I was actually rooting for Spain! (However, there was no bias in the War for CG1 – I desperately played each fleet equally in order to have a true winner.) I also became attached to a lot of Spanish ships through the various battles and wars, which furthered my affection towards the faction.
Spain also made the Americans a “vassal” state, which was truly ironic and amusing given the game was being played on the VASSAL module. However, this eventually illustrated one of Spain’s only “failures” – they intended to essentially make the Americans their colony, but maintaining significant resources in the far east began to hold the Spanish back. They let the Americans go, which extended the Americans’ stay in the game. The Spanish were also one of the only nations to launch purpose-built squadrons, which included the Fire Squadron and Inquisition Squadron. Lastly, the Battle of the Two Paradises (the main battle of the Franco-Spanish war) was not decisive from the start. Between the effective French gunships in the area and the backfiring Spanish equipment (rolling 1’s with fire shot), France had a chance to win the battle early on, but the Spanish had a numerical superiority that was hard to overcome.
Notable ships that were either heroic or had a large impact on the game: Acorazado, Garante, Augusta, Muerta, and many others
A quick analysis of the other fleets, in the order of gameplay (the Spanish went fourth after the Americans):
French
While setting up a huge network of trade currents, the French annoyed the English and Spanish by building two copies of Paradis de la Mer on wild islands the English and Spanish wanted to share. As the French hadn’t been bothered by any of the factions up to that point (not even the Cursed), it was a move that started their eventual demise. The French fought extremely well in the Franco-Spanish war and lasted a lot longer than the Spanish wanted them to. They came closest to handing the Spanish navy a defeat.
The Pirates had a relatively standard gold strategy, though they made some waves by spending 91 gold in a single turn (probably the most in one turn up to that point in the game) to purchase 3 gunships, all with the gold capture ability. I (and the Cursed specifically) was extremely annoyed to see Cursed Captain Jack make an entrance. From then on, the Pirates hesitated to attack the Spanish on their western front, and never did so. The Spanish declared war and eventually wiped them out.
Notable ships: Grand River, Harbinger, Swift, Black Heart
To be honest, the Americans were basically stomped on and bullied by the Spanish since the very early part of the game. After losing Thompson’s Island and paying tribute to the Spanish, they had no shot at winning the game. However, they fought hard and lasted longer than expected, at first because the Spanish wanted to keep them alive and later because of their own skill and tenacity. The Carolina completed one of the longest journeys of any ship in any game. She departed from the American home island with the Louisiana, sailing almost the entire width of the ocean to arrive in English waters. There, she successfully recruited the English into the First Coalition, which partially led to the elimination of the Cursed. She joined the Americans in fighting the Cursed, nearly being sunk by a Cursed fort. With English help she repaired and then eventually captured the Poor Adams, and made a final stand against the Spanish by helping the English.
The Cursed proved to be a major annoyance almost right from the beginning. They used Davy Jones to eliminate the Wasp from the game, and then turned their attention to the English, sinking the Aberdeen Baron and using their L-movers to force other English gold runners off the map (flat earth rules). Once the English got smart and didn’t sail their ships close enough to the edge for the Cursed to shove them off, the Cursed turned their attention back to the Americans, eliminating the Jarvis (and 3 canoes in the process). The Cursed then threw the Grand River onto a reef to eliminate 5 of her 6 masts, which greatly annoyed the Pirates. The Cursed launched the fog hopping squadron, which was moderately successful in carrying out different missions. It was gradually worn away, losing a ship or two per mission. They also launched a big Fear squadron, which fell to the combined might of Spain and England. The Cursed took great advantage of a lot of powerful gimmicks in this game, but didn’t come away with much to show for it. Their biggest mistake was attacking the Spanish, who proceeded to wipe them out.
English
The English established a very strong gold system and a decent array of gunships to defend them with. The Dreadnought was launched early on, and Carbon Charlie eventually gave her a new-record 10 extra cannons to increase her firepower to 15 shots per turn. The English began saving gold way back on 2/27, and didn’t spend nearly any of it until launching their minor faction squadron on 3/28. The minor faction squadron sailed against the Cursed, but the Spanish got there first, so the squadron was generally ineffective. On 3/9, the English had 504 gold. On 4/16, they peaked at 864 total gold, which they spent to launch the biggest battle fleet ever, intending to eliminate the Spanish. They had a numbers advantage and the first strike, but somewhat poor cannon accuracy and the loss of their super squadron (with 4 cancellers) gave them a close second place finish.
Notable ships: Dreadnought, Apollo, Grand Temple, Endeavour, others
The most important overall crew in the game included Amiral Stephan Dupuy, Emperor Blackheart, Elizabeth Swann, Commodore David Porter, the mysterious “first” Spanish admiral (aboard El Garante), later succeeded by the slightly more reasonable Admiral Luis Zuan, Davy Jones, and the English Lords Beckett, Mycron, and Gunn.
Here are some interesting things I found while looking back at the reports.
First faction to launch: Cursed
First ship eliminated: Wasp
First ship to lose a mast: Swift
First ship sunk: Executioner
First ship permanently sunk: Aberdeen Baron
First HI expansion: English
First faction to hire a privateer: Pirates
First ship captured: USS James Madison (by La Habana)
First fort upgrade: Spanish
First declaration of war: Spanish (ALL declarations of war: Spanish)
First faction eliminated: France
Strongest alliance: America/England (though Xerecs knows more about the Franco-American alliance than I do)
Spanish
English
French
Dates of elimination:
French: 4/15
English: 5/14
Major Battles:
Battle of the Two Paradises: Spanish soundly defeat the French
Battle of the Devil’s Maw: Spanish defeat the Pirates, though the Pirates suffer light losses after retreating quickly
Battle of the Pirates’ home island: Spanish soundly defeat the Pirates
Battle of the Cursed home island: Spanish and English (not in an alliance) soundly defeat the Cursed
War for CG1: Spanish outlast and outplay the English to win the game
Battle of El Puerto Blanco (eastern): Strategic Spanish victory
(Other minor battles took place as well; many had the Cursed as the aggressor.)
Official new records: (as of May 2016)
Total points: 3,516 (likely reached about 3,700 soon afterwards) (since broken by Command the Oceans)
Total ships: 208 (since broken by Command the Oceans)
Largest recorded single-fleet point total: Spanish at 1,631 points (since broken by multiple fleets)
Largest fleet of any faction: Spanish at 111 ships (since broken by multiple fleets)
Posted in Battle Reports and tagged 2016, Epic, Huge Games, Strategy, VASSAL.
November 9, 2019 at 11:38 AM Reply
11/9/2019: Here are some thoughts I had while rereading the entire CG1 BR for the first time:
Cancellers (especially in clusters like pic on 5/7) remind me of nuclear radiation, shutting down anything that gets close. English may have messed up by scuttling so many of their dismasted ships, some of which may have been illegal due to oarsmen. Possibly could have rowed more back to forts to repair, but wanted to clear path for fresh ships to attack Spanish. CG1 is the only VASSAL CG to have a close finish so far – CG2 and CG3 were both massive blowouts by the end, but CG1 was close until the end with Spanish vs. English.
At the end, it looks like the Spanish may have won by stalemate either way. Fiore on Nautilus would cancel HMS Challenger’s ability, so English would have to capture Nemesio Diaz on the Acorazado in order to bring the Nautilus to the surface or allow the Challenger to shoot at her. Though if it was Nautilus vs. a bunch of English ships, I think the “stalemate tiebreaker” would go to the English for having more points in play for that endgame scenario.
| 219,179 |
“Oral Recitation Round.” Do those words fill you with excitement and anticipation or a sense of impending doom? Whether you’re a veteran of the National Bible Bee Competition (NBBC) or a first time qualifier, the Oral Recitation Round of the competition can be intimidating. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare for it can make it seem much less daunting, so here’s what I wish I’d known before my first Oral Recitation Round.
What to expect during the Oral Recitation Round:
You (the contestant) will be dropped off at the designated meeting area, where NBBC staff and Division Guides will direct you to your assigned judging room and line you up in preparation for the Oral Recitation Round. After meeting your judges and reviewing the rules, you will be directed to the staging area directly outside your judging room. One at a time, you will be called in and your judge will confirm your name, age division, and Bible version, and then you will be asked to recite 12 of your Memory Passages in 8 minutes. The judges will give you a reference verbally along with holding up a card with the reference on it, and once you finish that passage you will be given the next reference. The timer will be visible throughout your recitation unless you request otherwise. You will be scored live by one of your judges, but your recitation will also be recorded and reviewed by review judges (note that your final score will not be released until after the NBBC). Once your recitation is finished, you will be asked to take a seat with your family (in the audience of the judging room) until the round is over. After the recitation round ends, you will be dismissed until the Semi Finalist announcement – during this time, please do not discuss your Oral Recitation Round with other contestants until after all the rounds have ended. Once the Oral Recitation Rounds are complete and the Semi-finalists are announced, you are free to discuss the round with other contestants and enjoy the rest of the competition.
For more details about the schedule and format of the Oral Recitation Round, please read pages 8-10 of the NBBC Family Handbook.
To review all the rules and scoring guidelines, please read pages 14-18 of the NBBC Rulebook.
How to prepare for the Oral Recitation Round:
The best way to prepare for the Oral Recitation Round is to memorize your memory passages.* This sounds extremely obvious, but it’s important to know what “memorized” means. Reading over your memory passages two or three times probably isn’t going to cement them in your memory. Being able to stumble through a passage with many prompts is a stage in the memorizing process, but it isn’t the final step. Even reciting it perfectly once isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be able to recite it perfectly from that point on. If you can consistently and confidently recite the entire passage with minimal or no mistakes or prompts, you will be much better prepared for the Oral Round (please see the NBBC Rulebook to clarify what counts as a mistake).
*You can find a checklist of all your memory passages on your dashboard to keep track of which passages you have memorized.
One of the more intimidating aspects of the Oral Recitation Round is that you’ll be reciting for a judge you probably haven’t recited to before, in front of a small audience of people. To help prepare for this, practice by reciting to people you don’t normally recite to, whether that’s a parent or grandparent, a sibling, a relative, a friend, another contestant, someone from your church, or anyone else who is willing to listen to you recite. No matter who you’re reciting to, it’s helpful if they have a way to check your recitation so that they can correct any mistakes you make. Another great way to practice is to recite in front of a small audience, whether that’s your family, a group of friends, or your Sunday school group at church. If you can become comfortable reciting to others, you will find the round at the NBBC less stressful.
Practice reciting with a timer
Another aspect of the Oral Recitation Round that can be unnerving but important to get used to is the timed format, especially with the visible timer. Learning how to pace yourself while reciting can be challenging, even without watching the timer tick away in front of you. To familiarize yourself with this, pick 12 of your shortest passages and recite them while timing yourself with a visible timer. Once you’re comfortable pacing yourself on the short passages, choose a few slightly longer ones. Practice with different passages until you get used to reciting while being timed. However, if you find a visual timer too distracting during the Oral Recitation Round, you can ask your judge to hide the timer.
If you always recite in the same place in the same way, it’s easy to recite on “autopilot” without thinking about what you’re saying; unfortunately, you’re much more likely to make mistakes on autopilot without realizing it. To counteract this, practice reciting in different situations and staying focused on what you’re reciting, even when there are distractions around you. Switch up what you normally do, whether that’s standing instead of sitting, being outside instead of inside, reciting while you do something else, reciting with background noise (like conversations), using accents, funny voices, dramatic emphasis, or whatever else is unfamiliar. An additional benefit of this is that it serves as review of your passages, helping you learn them better.
Whenever you recite, make sure you enunciate your words clearly and speak at a reasonable pace and volume so you’re easy to understand (this is why it’s helpful to recite to different people, because what one person finds easy to understand might be challenging for someone else to follow). This is important to practice beforehand because nerves often make people speak faster than normal, and you’ll want the judges to be able to hear and understand every word.
It’s easy to focus so much on being able to recite every passage perfectly that you lose sight of the reason you do this, so just remember that the outcome of the Oral Recitation Round cannot influence the one thing that matters more than how many verses you have memorized, or how many mistakes you make, or what your final score is: Christ. Whether you have a perfect score or a score of zero, the Lord is glorified by the proclaiming of His Word, and He has promised that it will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). Amid all the nerves of the competition and the desire to do well, take time to thank God for His Word, and the opportunity you have to glorify Him by proclaiming it to others, even if you never have the chance to recite on stage in front of thousands of people.
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Memorizing large portions of Scripture is frequently (and understandably) seen as a daunting task. More times than not, I’ve heard “That’s just a lot - I just like to stick to memorizing individual verses” given as a response to the idea. “That’s good for you,”...
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Lucia Martinez on October 20, 2022 at 4:31 pm
Will the contestant be able to choose the 12 verses they want to recite in the 8 minutes? What is meant when they say the judge will present reference verbally a references card
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Minutes of the Fort Smith Amateur Radio Club August 2020 Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Rory Bowers K5CKS Club President, there were 13 Members online for the Meeting. Minutes were on Website: W5GOL made a Motion to approve the minutes, seconded by KI7AY...
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by Steve Rutherford | Jul 20, 2020 | Meeting Minutes 2020
Minutes of the Fort Smith Amateur Radio Club June 2020 The June Meeting of the FSAARC was held on June 15, 2020 via ZOOM on the Computer. Rory Bowers Club President K5CKS called the Meeting to order @ 7:00 PM, there were 10 Members On Line. Minutes from Last Meeting...
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I've dated countless women and it has always amazed me how little they know about men. If nothing else, this blog is an outlet for voicing my astonishment at the typical female's ignorance of the male mindset. At most, it is a reliable source of advice for women who want to improve their chances with the opposite sex.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Don't Fuck on The First Date
You'd think that this one would be obvious, as hackneyed as the admonition is, but I’ve actually had some girls be genuinely surprised that we didn’t end up in a relationship after having sex with me on the first date. This "rule" is also a good springboard for addressing the general topic of female promiscuity, which has a huge impact on female attractiveness - whether or not it "should."
This is how it works: a lot of guys are looking for someone to have a serious relationship with, but most of us have also dated girls that have ultimately turned out to be less than what we were looking for. After weeks or months of effort, the relationship ends and although both parties may walk away having learned a few lessons, the time is largely wasted. It takes dozens of these attempts to meet someone that sparks a deep and genuine interest. Given those odds, and the amount of investment required to decide if any given female could be a girlfriend, fiancé or spouse, you can imagine the cynicism most men have going into a first date (I am continually surprised that I am not more cynical). If you couple this consideration with the intense pleasure of sexual intercourse, there is essentially zero chance that a man will refuse sex on a first date if he has the chance: sure, she could be “the one,” but statistically speaking, she probably won’t be, and it definitely isn’t worth turning down easy sex to find out.
Now, with that backdrop, when it comes to a potential spouse, guys don’t like the idea of a sexual relationship being “easy” any more than girls. We want to know that our date, or girlfriend, or spouse is a woman who is unobtainable to most if not all of the other men in her league. We don’t want to work for it per se, but we do want the kind of girl that guys of our caliber need to work for. We know that the best things in life never come easily, so if a girl let us fuck on the first date it shatters the perception that she is someone unobtainable to other men.
I completely understand and agree with the notion that women want sexual pleasure just as much as men, and I am aware that “giving it up” on the first date is not always giving it up so much as it is “getting it.” If that is your goal, then of course this is a different matter altogether and you are free to do that. But understand that it will not make you desirable to men. Men can do it and maintain (or sometimes increase) their attractiveness; women cannot. I acknowledge that this is holding women and men to a different standard, but in this case it is appropriate because men and women are different in this respect.
Men are built to be sexually promiscuous – or at least, we are built so that we can be sexually promiscuous. There is little risk for a man when it comes to sex: he doesn’t need to worry about pregnancy. Even if he is not using a condom, he can control when (and if not when, where) he ejaculates. As a last resort, he is able to walk away from the woman and leave her to deal with the pregnancy. This is a repulsive thing to do and no one denies this – probably not even the men who do it. But it can be done and it is done. Sexually transmitted diseases and infections have a significantly higher male-to-female transmission rate than they do from females to males, and the effects are worse for women than they are for men. There is also the factor of physical strength: if a woman goes to bed with a man she thinks she likes, she is far less able to then change her mind, for fear of rape. A man, on the other hand, has no such problems: sex for him is very low-risk. The result of this fact is that, historically, men have taken the offense in all matters sexual; we are the pursuers. Because we are more sexually liberated by nature, we seek sexual relationships more frequently. Historically the active role in relationships has fallen on our shoulders, while women have assumed the passive role. This is the case elsewhere in nature as well, for the same reasons.
It is only because Western culture in recent history has emphasized the equality of the sexes that some women see this dynamic in a negative light, and get upset about a double standard. The notion that a man should protect his wife and children, or that he should not abandon a woman he impregnates, or even that he should leave the toilet seat down when females are in the house; these notions are all rooted just as deeply in sexual differences, but because they don't place a burden on females, no objections are raised. Don’t get me wrong, if I were a woman I would be a little pissed off that sex was less socially acceptable for me than it is for a man. But there are balances to this phenomenon: women have far more opportunities to have sex than men, and thereby are able to have sex with higher quality partners. You won’t find many girls that have had sexual partners uglier than themselves, but you’ll find an endless list of guys that have – in fact, there is a contingent of men that usually only have sex with girls less attractive than themselves. This is a product of the same phenomenon: because men can have low-risk sex, women are far more in-demand for sexual relationships, and therefore have more and better options. Men may be able to get laid more often, or at least, with more partners; but women often get to sleep with men that are out of their league. It is a matter of quality versus quantity, and I think there is a lot to be said for both, to the point that I am not convinced that either one is an advantage – they are just corollaries of the same phenomenon.
A woman is judged negatively for having promiscuous sex because it takes no skill or effort on her part; all that is required is her assent. There will never be a deficit of sexually willing and attractive men from which she can select if she chooses. A man, on the other hand, has to work hard or be very lucky (or be rich, which is actually the product of the two) in order to get women of his own caliber into bed. This is because the women willing to have casual sex so are few(er) and far(ther) between. (Consider for a moment that no one respects a man who always sleeps with women that are way below his standards – everyone considers this repulsive.)
Some women will read all of this and think it is horrible and misogynist, while others will simply nod their heads in agreement. In fact, and perhaps unfortunately, which of those camps you fall into doesn't matter when it comes to the practical aspect of this phenomenon, because - opinions aside - the fact remains that men will judge you harshly for being too easy to sleep with. So the practical advice is simple: if you want a man to respect you, don't do it.
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Posted by Andrew at 8:03 PM
Labels: attraction, first date, player, promiscuity, sex, value, what men want, whore
Wow. Wow. Wow.
Validating one of the most pathetic double standards in history: Player vs Slut. Saying things like, "her value as a woman drops dramatically." Holy shit, dude. I know why you are single!
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ShunJ October 9, 2012 at 1:08 PM
Elle, you are right...it is a double standard. But this is a battle that women simply won't win. We can't continue to try and fight this battle. Men will think this way regardless. As a woman, I just set the same standards that men set. I will not give myself to a man that has been a hoe or would try to have sex with me on the first date. He would immediately be dropped.
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Cathryn October 20, 2012 at 5:58 AM
As a woman - think about what fucking on a first date it, essentially its a one night stand and you maybe got lucky and got fed first. He's actually worded this one quite right... its not in a guys biology to be monogamous, its actually the opposite to spread his seed. Don't forget that sex is the act of reproducing, its meant to bring babies, as humans we've worked out we quite like it and put the babies on hold! But biology plays a HUGE part in sex, courtship and its obvious that men and women feel differently about it and behave differently. I've fucked guys that I'd consider sluts (for being easy, for having a high bedpost notch count) and I was under no illusions that this type of male would make the worst boyfriend ever! As a woman you need to believe in the pussy power - we have something they want and if you wanna give it up on the first date then fine, get some, have fun, but the point of this post is DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE MORE THAN SEX. You have sex on the first date, well he's just won the jackpot. Don't you want to give him something to come back for, to work for a little bit?
I didn't jump into bed with my current boyfriend and he's a really nice respectful guy but he thinks the same on girls that you take home the first night: challenge accepted and won, next! Its not a double standard, why would you want to give it up on the first night before you know this guy unless you are easy (like him) or incredibly horny (like him) its actually double standards when it comes to men, they are very unlikely to say no (making them all a big bunch of sex happy sluts) and women hold much more control in this matter by being able to make him wait.
I don't understand why women take this so negatively when it can be used to our advantage in weeding out the kind of guys we want to date and those that are just good for the physical action. Simply put from the horses mouth (the bf) when asked on this subject : "I'd rather get to know a girl, I need to care about her first before we have sex, then sex helps solidify that need to care, otherwise its just sex" - why would a woman expect less than that? I've been a slut, I've been coy and I wind up making not too bad a girlfriend but you have to play it differently to get different results. And that's ultimately the woman's choice. Hardly a double standard against women... we say no and then the guy tries to impress us, and thats echoed in almost EVERY animal/bird species on this earth - I feel more sorry for the poor blokes!
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Anonymous December 12, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Just to add some perspective running counter to the trend (even though I do believe the "trend" is presented accurately):
My wife and I did screw each other's brains out on our first night; however, we got married two weeks later (another "opposite of trend" event), and now, after more than forty years are still totally devoted to each other. Ergo; no rule exists without contradiction.
We even allowed ourselves to be seduced by our talented and attractive next-door neighbors on one occasion (I would have loved to have one or more replays but my wife demurred; ergo, no repeat performance). And now, so many years later, the image of him between her legs and of his cock pleasuring her willing pussy spurs me on to masturbation. Also, the lovely neighbor wife was hot beyond description; a fuck for the ages!!!! Ah, fond memories!!!!
Now, if you will pardon me, I think I need to go masturbate.
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Anonymous December 25, 2012 at 4:34 PM
Yes, I agree. Each situation with each girl and guy is different. After 2 months of online chatting via emails and talking on the phone. I met up with a guy. We had sex on the first date. We did not predict this. I was 51 he was 60. We are both very young and fit and healthy. (I look about 35 -40 he - the same :) Now we are happily married, 5 years after that first date. Not sure if it is age or whatever. We are Australian. Maybe less prudish. Not religious. Not sure. But it all worked out for us. In fact after our first date. He called me constantly afterwards. So sex on the first date made no difference at all for our relationship. :)
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Anonymous June 16, 2013 at 9:02 AM
I don't know what to think about this blog... I started reading thinking that I was going to find something I didn't know, but after this post, I'm a little puzzled thinking that I may live in a different world.
I actually fuck guys on a first date very often, and it's rarely a single night. However, I am careful to let them know that sex is important to me, and that the only thing that trumps my sex drive is safety in whatever way you could imagine it. Fortunately, I'm in a STEM career that pays well, and it is obvious that I'm not looking for anyone to support me financially or to protect me physically. There are obviously plenty of men who make more money than me, but they don't interest me... They are busy and it is hard to get their attention, be sexual or emotional.
It's worth mentioning that even if I fuck guys on a first date, things turn into something ongoing more often than not. It's true that I am not expecting anyone to marry me. Done that and learned my lesson. In fact, I fucked the father of my children on the first date, and now that we're divorced, we have an amicable relationship. He thinks I'm a honorable person, who sticks to her word, as well as a good mother.
Many of the other guys end up being friends with me also, and after my attachment to them has ended, they talk to me about work, and even other relationships they have initiated. Yes, some of these flames disappear forever, maybe with lingering feelings that they fucked a whore, but most realize that I have needs exactly like they do; so rather than play games, I tell them what I need, and I feel many respect my position.
It's probably fair to say that I'm far from being a knockout beauty, but yes, I have some positive physical attributes, and more importantly... I have a very high IQ. Now, I don't know how this pans out with every single man, but I find that being honest and straight forward with the men I pick has served me well. I respect their choices, and I expect the same in return. I don't have to say what I want or don't want twice... It's understood, and there's no need to get into arguments or drama of any sort.
As to why I am not in a permanent relationship... It's not easy for me to say, but the main reason is sex. As much as men like to say that they can have sex anytime, I find that they wear out with time to the point where things start becoming increasingly difficult. I already went through this process twice, and I'm not willing to give it another try. I am capable of deep love, but I know sexual neglect can drive me mad, and I need my sanity to function properly.
As things stand now, I prefer not to hold expectations of any sort, but I need to be in egalitarian relationships for them to work. So, all these madonna-whore dichotomies need to be checked at the door before going forwards. Maybe that makes me end up with a certain type of individual, which think differently than Andrew... But who knows...
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Anonymous June 19, 2013 at 7:14 AM
It makes me laugh that men want to marry the woman that holds out and then later complain that they don't get any in their marriages. That's a genius policy, don't marry the woman that is sexual, absolute genius. I actually think that is evolution trying to help the woman out; who wants to marry an antiquated, un-evolved, jackass??
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Anonymous June 22, 2013 at 4:21 AM
Hi, just wanted to point out that you can end up marrying " the one " just because she knows how to play the game and make you wait for 10 dates before sleeping with you, but be in fact the biggest whore of all and have a very big number of men under her "Loyalty Belt "
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Anonymous June 24, 2013 at 3:56 PM
To the Woman who said she is honest/High IQ/High sex drive - it more just sounds like you have taken the male role of things. You are straight forward, honest, from the logic side (left hemisphere), process driven part of the brain. Not a bad thing at all. In fact, many of the men who have more emotive/right brain/female polarity brains are probably looking for a woman like you, and there seem to be quite a few of these men out there.
As to Elle's objection to the double-standard.
You have every right to be upset about the standard, but it won't change it. The opposite would be, think of a man that you dated for several months, that you had sex with in many ways, that you did everything you could to please him, and finally, he said "I love you". You had worked and earned his love. It would be satisfying.
But what if you found out that he had told many, many women that he loved them. In fact, some women, he told them that he loved them and how beautiful they were, and he had just met them and only gone on one date with them... and they didn't even have sex and she didn't do anything for him!!! Or maybe he was drunk. Or maybe she was an ex that still treats him like shit. Or maybe a stranger at the bar that he just met, and he even bought all her drinks that night.
That's what it feels like. That's what the idea is kind of like. It's a double standard for both sexes when you look at Love and Sex, but when you compare a woman being easy to have sex with to a man does the same with his love, then it's probably more comparable.
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Kurt August 24, 2011 at 10:56 AM
Elle, this is how men think - you should read what he writes. Men tend to think that women who have sex right away have also done so with countless men before them, which probably is the case. A woman who wants to get married someday needs to hold back because many men are turned off by female promiscuity.
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Anonymous October 30, 2012 at 4:07 PM
So why are women who are turned off by male promiscuity seen as insecure or psycho? I don't want a guy who's had his dick in every hole from here to Timbuktu, but if I so much as ask a guy about his past "to get some perspective" I'm some kind of emotional nutcase. All this blog has done is convince me that men are pigs, and I never used to think that way.
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Anonymous November 23, 2012 at 2:58 PM
Most men are threatened by female promiscuity, that is true. They want an innocent girl that's going to stay home and cook, clean, breed, open the the legs just for them and keep her mouth shut while they put their dick in every hole from here to Timbuktu! Ha ha ha. This blog is very useful because it shows men's true colors. Every girl contemplating marriage should explore this blog thoroughly. I can't understand why many young women are preoccupied with finding a husband. Wife and shit are both 4 letter words, the meaning, one and the same. All I got from marriage was dishes in the sink, tonnes of laundry, verbal abuse, having to neglect myself so that hubby would not feel insecure and depression. I deeply regret getting married, it was the biggest mistake I have ever made. I suppose many of you reading this are going to tell me that not all men are pigs, the trouble is nearly all of them are very capable of playing the nice guy role to perfection. It's a bit like diamonds and cubic zirconias, they look the same and even jewelers have trouble determining which is real and which is not.
Divorcing my ex was the BEST decision I ever made in my whole life.
Saving "it" for marriage will only get you dishes in the sink, hubby wearing out remote control and couch while asking what's for dinner and when is it gonna be ready, more laundry and low self esteem! In fact, after two decades of marriage a woman's self esteem will resemble an animal that has been runned over on a busy highway and all that's left are fragments of dried up skin with bits of fur on them!
A lot of you will think that I am being "bitter", aren't I allowed to feel anger at being treated like shit for 20 years?
Statistics show that two thirds of divorces are initiated by the woman!
I believe Andrew is doing young women a great service with this blog because the blog shows men as they really are. Keep up the good work Andrew!!
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guy November 24, 2012 at 10:47 AM
Hi, anonymous i am a guy but still i understand your feelings and i respect your emotions the real problem is that "guys are kind of aliens to the "women s world" and the one who try to become nice look cunning and the one who don t try look tyrants as said b4 men don't understand women's heart and women's expectations from a husband and men
But what can change a man is a self respected and loving women like you who can explain things to men's world what women really need "clearly
and assertively" may be through this blog or by even writing a book on what really women feel when they are treated in a wrong way and what way they want to be treated and i am sure many men would like to know and make women happy this will help men understand women
may be iam unable to express what i know but i assure you i understand and respect women s feelings and if you wanna share your feelings online please post your email id on this blog, i can explain the difference in thoughts what men have which look abusing to women s world
hope we humans could get knowledge about opposite gender b4 we face it practically.
Note: Everything written is to sort out the differences with opposite genders
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Anonymous December 12, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Hi Anonymous, wow, that was an enlightening comment. I have a girlfriend who is extremely happily married, so I guess that goes without saying that it's who you marry that's important. Note to self: Do not marry a guy who treats you like a maid...and don't put up with it.
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Ethan June 21, 2013 at 9:32 AM
"So why are women who are turned off by male promiscuity seen as insecure or psycho? I don't want a guy who's had his dick in every hole from here to Timbuktu, but if I so much as ask a guy about his past "to get some perspective" I'm some kind of emotional nutcase. All this blog has done is convince me that men are pigs, and I never used to think that way."
Oh my god. Women these days are so out of touch with biology.
A man needs a woman to not be a total slut because he doesn't want to be raising someone else's kid. On the other hand, a woman doesn't need a man to be monogamous quite as much because if she's pregnant, she knows for a FACT, 100%, that the child is hers. I hope I don't have to explain why.
Therefore, when a woman is too judgmental about a man's promiscuity, it is weirder than if a man is judgmental about a woman's promiscuity.
Men are not pigs. Men are human beings that follow their biology, just as women follow their biology. Believe me, there are PLENTY of female traits that men wish were different. But that's life.
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Valentina June 21, 2013 at 5:35 PM
No, men are not pigs. What you are offended by is different values? If you want a man that values sex more, then just seek out someone celibate. People are born with different levels of hormones and ideas of how their sexual life should be. Men are more promiscuous at this age because their sexual peak is earlier than ours as well. Testosterone waivers different desires than a woman can understand. It's like explaining what pregnancy is like to a man. Or men telling you not to be emotional that time of the month. There are certain things that you are deemed by nature. As for resisting these urges, everyone has different opinions of what they should do. It is not fair to call names based on your own values. Nor is it right to tell the other gender how your would act...after all, you are not a man.
Personally, I don't care about a man's promiscuity as long as it ends with me. I am not dating male prostitutes. But every woman has her limit on what type of promiscuity is appropriate in her man, same as men do in their woman. People go through phases in their life. I have dated a guy that didn't take girls seriously before me. He treated me differently. What do I care about his previous sexual escapades? He needed the experience...lol
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Anonymous June 21, 2013 at 5:46 PM
I don't think you're a psycho. In fact, I feel very much the same way. I want a guy who has a lot of discipline when it comes to his bodily urges. If he can't control himself prior to dating you, what makes you think he can control himself after you're married? My boyfriend is great like that. He has women hitting on him everywhere he goes, but he just gets disgusted by them as he has high standards.
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Anonymous August 25, 2011 at 5:04 AM
Don't respond intelligently or anything Elle, we wouldn't want you to actually have to form a coherent argument.
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Prometheus August 27, 2011 at 3:35 AM
I think, you forgot one very important fact about female promiscuity: Men don't want to invest in promiscuous women, because they can't be sure that they are really investing in their own offspring. So, promiscuous women are fine for short term fucking, but too risky for longterm relationships.
Like most aspects of mate selection, this is not a conscious decision, but the result of thousands of years of evolution.
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Anonymous September 7, 2011 at 7:41 PM
I'm glad you were able to write this down coherently because this is what I think.... or rather it's instinct?
i.e. look at this past season of The Bachelorette (usually I'll catch an episode or two in past seasons lol, but I actually watched this one through) many of the guys were ready to leave the show because they had this instinctually run through their heads... All the guys on the show are youthful, good looking, and most financially well off that I would expect they could be pretty promiscuous back in their home towns. However, these guys are looking for a long term relationship now, therefore not looking for promiscuous women per se. The bachelorette has all these guys fawning over her, making out, groping etc. from the start... it's competition now, not love. As the season goes on many of the guys realize they are not as favored as others and question why they are wasting valuable time on a girl that is considering 10 other guys (a promiscuous girl), a few even decide to kick themselves off the show. The guy realizes he has better odds going back to NYC or LA, where ever, and casually hooking up with women less attractive then him while continuing to look for 'The One'... the one who's not promiscuous.
Now, I'm not agreeing that all men deserve and expect their woman to be pure. A woman should be allowed to do what she wishes with her body, just like men. I think the author makes a good point though that women should consider all outcomes of having sex to readily with any man being considered for more then a hook up.
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Anonymous September 9, 2011 at 11:27 AM
I'm saddened by this, but no worries -- I don't mistake the messenger for the message. I know that there are feelings that men harbor, right or wrong. For all the talk of men being "logical", they are actually very emotional.
However, I would like to point out an error in your argument. You say "Men are built to be sexually promiscuous – or at least, we are built so that we can be sexually promiscuous." If we are talking "built" in terms of evolution, then actually it is WOMAN who are "built" (ie, evolved) to be more sexually promiscuous. See, we have the ability to have multiple orgasms. Men have to wait. Ever wonder why the "gangbang" is so erotic to BOTH men and women? Prob hitting some ancient reward center in men and women.
I think that what you are trying to say is that "recent" (ie, since agricultural revolution), the idea of women's sexuality being "owned" by men is the norm. This is a cultural norm. Our bodies, however, have a different agenda. To have sex.
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james June 19, 2013 at 1:03 PM
let's assume that your claim that "women are built to be promiscuous" is true.
but men are built to try to screen that out. after all, men don't want to raise a child that's not his. (dna testing is very new in human evolution, and even now, it's not like you can just pick up a dna test at k-mart.) so the way a man tries to lessen the possibility of raising someone else's kid is by trying to marry women who are less likely to be total sluts.
by contrast, a pregnant woman KNOWS 100% that her child is HERS. see how that works? sucks to be the guy.
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Rhael September 10, 2011 at 9:15 AM
There is no emotion in this kind of analysis. If a women had sex so easily with you there is no other logical conclusion then that she did the same in the past experiences.
And, no, you are totally wrong about the woman being the one "build to be promiscuous". None of your arguments take any place in the analysis. You're putting your own opinions as if they were biological defined facts, which they are not, only your own opinion. Don't let your "feelings" fool yourself. It doesn't matter to the world whatever you "feel it isn't right", only what they feel themselves. Take the feelings away and notice that your arguments about multiple orgasms and gangbangs do not suit everyone. No men other than devious people want to participate in sex with someone he's genuinely interested while other men are around. If he doesn't care about you, then it's a different thing, he will use you for sex the way the opportunity presents itself.
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Anonymous October 11, 2011 at 10:52 PM
This is suuuuch bullshit. It actually saddens me, because I know that most men are indeed this stupid, narcissistic and superficial. The only thing that having a girl sleep with you on the first date means without a doubt is that she is very attracted to you. It does not mean she is very attracted to every guy she goes out with. Nor that she goes out with every guy that asks. Your value as a man drops immensely from this kind of attitude. You wouldnt want to date that girl who slept with you on the first date? Guess what, if she knew how you really think, she wouldnt want to date you either. And you are losing someone who is in charge of her own sexuality, probably to go for a girl who lies to herself and to others and plays all the dishonest games that keep people from actually connecting.
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Anonymous October 8, 2012 at 9:15 PM
I like this. I had sex on a first date, and it was the very first time I had done so and I'm 32. I was very attraccted, yes there was alcohol, but it was exactly what I needed at the time and we had a great time laughingg all night and the next day. i think if he really did like me hell call, if not he won't. but next time I will insist we meet earlier and maybe make him work for it before I sex him again.
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Anonymous December 25, 2012 at 4:31 PM
This is all craziness. Each situation with each girl and guy is different. After 2 months of online chatting via emails and talking on the phone. I met up with a guy. We had sex on the first date. We did not predict this. I was 51 he was 60. We are both very young and fit and healthy. (I look about 35 -40 he - the same :) Now we are happily married, 5 years after that first date. Not sure if it is age or whatever. We are Australian. Maybe less prudish. Not religious. Not sure. But it all worked out for us. In fact after our first date. He called me constantly afterwards. So sex on the first date made no difference at all for our relationship. :)
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Anonymous June 19, 2013 at 7:08 AM
I agree. This is SUCH bullshit. To me, this is related to the old adage, "I don't want to be a member of any club that wants me to join". If a woman is so attracted to you that she decides the passion is there the first night then that should be a good sign. To determine that she is less than, somehow is ridiculous. Evolve already.
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james June 19, 2013 at 12:55 PM
to all the angry anon women, just deal. come on.
1.) men like to fuck women as soon as possible. agreed?
2.) men don't want to marry sluts. we can all agree on that as well, right?
3.) a woman who fucks a guy on the first date is sluttier than if she hadn't.
4.) therefore men want to marry her a little bit less.
it's not that hard to understand. kinda sucks, sure. but there's PLENTY of stuff men wish were different about women as well.
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Never simple October 13, 2011 at 7:29 AM
Came to this post expecting to hate it, but really, I agree with a lot of what you're saying. Thanks especially for acknowledging that the "don't fuck on the first date" advice is for girls who are looking for a relationship, not (obviously) girls who are after sexual pleasure.
I just want to point out that it's not quite as black and white as you make it. I think the advice you're giving is tied up in a very particular kind of dating: Girl and guy don't know each other, meet as strangers (in a bar or at a friend's house or at a wedding or online or...), experience some kind of mutual attraction, and - based on only this initial contact - go on a "first date." In that case - yeah. If I, girl in question, sleep with you, dude in question, on that first date, no, I shouldn't expect that it's going to lead to a relationship. Nor should you.
But a lot of times that's not the way things are. A lot of times the person you're having a "first date" with is more than a stranger. You don't yet have a romantic history, but you know each other well enough to have other reasons to stay interested beyond shallow physical attraction and first, shaky attempts at connection. In those cases, I'd say it shouldn't change a damn thing how quickly I sleep with you. And in my experience, it doesn't.
I'm a girl. I've done my fair share of sleeping with guys (who I don't know, or don't know well) on a "first date." In almost all of these situations, I've ended up sleeping with the guy precisely because I found the prospect of sexual pleasure more exciting than the prospect of trying to pursue a relationship with that person. Often, it gets left at that - I don't contact him, he doesn't contact me. Quite a number of times, however, the guy has continued to pursue me. I don't like to play with people's emotions so I've always made it clear at that point that I'm not interested, meaning I can't tell you for sure which of those guys were just into getting laid a few more times, and which were into, maybe, something more. But I will say that guys seem to be way more surprised than I am when instant, often drunken sex doesn't turn out to be the foundation for another date.
I don't sleep with guys to get them into a relationship. I sleep with them because I enjoy sex. I have just as hard a time saying no to easy sex as any guy I know. And you best believe there are plenty of girls out there like me. It doesn't make me promiscuous. It means that there are some guys I'm interested in only sexually, and some guys I'm interested in as a potential relationship, and some guys I'm not sure about.
It's helpful to know what goes on in (some) guys' heads. Sure. But a lot of you need to keep more open minds about what goes on in our heads. And realize we're not so crazy different from you. Seriously.
Final point: Guys need to stop letting themselves off the hook for being willing to fuck anything that moves (this point's been brought up, but needs to be hit home). Yeah, girls have a lot more to lose. But don't assume that a girl is going to be any less disturbed by the fact that you were willing to fuck on the first date. We'd much rather be with a guy who shows that he can control sexual urges because, unless we're kidding ourselves, we know that being in a relationship doesn't keep you from being attracted to other people. We want to know that you're not going to act on those attractions. So show us that you're able to wait for sex just as much as you expect us to.
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Anonymous August 17, 2012 at 4:34 PM
"I don't sleep with guys to get them into a relationship. I sleep with them because I enjoy sex. I have just as hard a time saying no to easy sex as any guy I know. And you best believe there are plenty of girls out there like me. It doesn't make me promiscuous. It means that there are some guys I'm interested in only sexually, and some guys I'm interested in as a potential relationship, and some guys I'm not sure about."
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Anonymous September 17, 2012 at 3:50 PM
That's nothing wrong with being interested in somebody just for sex. You're also right that wanting a purely sexual relationship with somebody is completely normal. As long as you don't expect a sexual relationship to evolve into 'something more' later.
If a meaningful relationship is what you're looking for, show some restraint. A little anticipation will only make the sex that much better when it happens.
The main problem arises when manipulative women use sex to get a guy's attention then gradually use it more and more as leverage to force a deeper emotional relationship. It's pathetic but some females don't have much to offer.
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Andrew September 17, 2012 at 8:01 PM
I just want to jump in to point out that there is a difference between "leveraging sex to force a deeper emotional relationship" (which is a bad idea) and "waiting to have sex in order to give a man a chance to get to know you first as a person" (which is a good idea).
I agree with everything you said though.
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OneBigMistake, andSome September 25, 2012 at 5:48 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
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OneBigMistake, andSome September 25, 2012 at 5:53 PM
Hey "Never Simple" I tend to agree with the initial post but also your comment: If I am interested in a guy on the long run, I will usually hold off a little longer 'cause I am more interested in getting to know him brainwise than sex wise. But if I don't see myself in any kind of relationship, why go through another dinner before getting to the making out session (or more) ....
But just a thought: don't you guys think that different cultures and people from different countries have a whole other set of so called "rules?"
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Anonymous April 5, 2013 at 4:05 PM
According to Male Gaming Theory, if a girl thinks that some men are great for sex but different men are great as Providers during Marriage, she will continue that attitude AFTER she marries the Provider. Why? Because in 2013, there are zero external Negative Incentives against a married woman doing whatever her momentary 'gina tingles shout at her to do. She STILL gets half the Provider's stuff and future income. The reality of having thrown away security doesn't hit until 10-15-20 years later, when her Sexual Market Value is close to zero. That's when she starts blogging about how wonderful Singlehood-ness is!
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Anonymous October 13, 2011 at 8:22 AM
"The only thing that having a girl sleep with you on the first date means without a doubt is that she is very attracted to you."
And it's a safe bet that she does that with every bloke she's "very attracted to".
Keep that hamster-wheel spinning, dudette.
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Anonymous November 4, 2012 at 8:26 AM
I like this post...if a man is so stupid and can't think outside the box let him.........as u said, if a sleep with a guy after couple of dates, it means I was spontaneous and i fancy him a lot and I am curious about him.......he should be flattered rather that think bad of me.....I cannot count times where I turned mens down even if they were attractive......beside my ex long term relationship started with a weekend sex....he oviusly saw more than just sex and saw more than a easy girl!.people should not make assumpition..its always worth it to give it a shot and see what u discover....
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Anonymous March 7, 2013 at 6:49 AM
No no no. It is not a safe bet that she does that with every bloke she's "very attracted to." I had not been dating much since my divorce because I'm not very attracted to any of the guys I meet. I finally met one who I was INTENSELY attracted to, respected, liked and would have married if he had been willing. We slept together fairly early for me (after about 7 dates). But that kind of attraction for me has only happened once or twice in my whole life. I am not sleeping around, and won't. The attraction I felt for him was truly exceptional.
We have since broken up, and I'm turning down all of the rest of the guys I'm meeting.
I think that making assumptions about about easily a woman would decide to sleep with someone else based on what happens with you or one particular guy is wildly off the mark.
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Anonymous March 7, 2013 at 8:21 AM
For women who knows other women and their sexual habits, I can say that a lot of women sleep with a guy on the first date once or twice, but not usually. A lot of women have also had an ONS at SOME point in their life. Which means that a girl going home with a guy on the first date does not indicate she has a high number. Nor does it mean she does it every time.
Men don't know what most women do. Most of my friends have a number of 2-4 and they have had sex on the first date.
I don't consider it weird for a man to judge a girl on it though. They have difficulties measuring how promiscuous a girl is. Perhaps they don't share social circles, she seems like a sweet girl, they don't know if she's honest about her number, so how the hell do you know? That's why they try to draw a conclusion from how early sex happens. It's a crap shoot, but it's all they've got.
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Anonymous April 17, 2013 at 6:05 AM
>> I can say that a lot of women sleep with a guy on the first date once or twice, but not usually. A lot of women have also had an ONS at SOME point in their life. Which means that a girl going home with a guy on the first date does not indicate she has a high number. Nor does it mean she does it every time. Men don't know what most women do.
Yes we do. Previous cock-carousel riding means that a wife will break her vows if she stumbles across some guy who's hot enough. And that if the husband starts to become boring and she's unhaaaaapy.... she will start searching for such a studmuffin. Please read the newspapers..
This is women's biology. In their reptile brain, they want an Alpha guy's semen inside their uterus. Even if they don't consciously know that.
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Anonymous April 17, 2013 at 10:59 AM
Yeah we do. But whether we will break marriage vows to go for it is completely another issue. Just like a man can choose whether to cheat on his wife or not. Whether he WANTS to sleep with other women is beside the point - we know that is the case anyway.
A high number might indicate promiscuity. But that was not what my post was about.
My advice: find a woman with as few options as yourself.
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Anonymous October 16, 2011 at 9:15 AM
I am a female. I actually would say that I turn down 90% of the men I date or even ask me out for sex. Sometimes there is something about a guy that fulfills the emotional attraction need and physical attraction need. I have slept with a guy on the first date. But, I didn't have a orgasm and knew that it wouldn't lead to anything. I will say that if I have a emotional investment in the man I am more likely to enjoy sex in a whole different way.
I want to point out that there are more single people in the world, sex is not only a human instinct but directly reflects our health. To have sex with someone on a first date because you haven't had sex for a year makes you no slut. If anything the female is satisfying a physical need.
Men should ask more questions about the reasoning vs. assume we are sluts. Maybe they were a happy accident. I agree with "Never Simple Said" Men, also need to stop thinking with thier dick all the time and start walking the walk that they want from a woman!!! Just saying that a leader always can do what they ask!
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Anonymous October 22, 2011 at 10:15 AM
The last time I fucked a guy on the first date was six years ago. And he's still right here next to me. The guy I fucked on a first date prior to this relationship? That one lasted nine years. This blog represents the mindset of ONE particular type of male, and though I concede that you might be the "average" male, there are other types who are more open-minded, have greater depth of character and are not misogynistic to the point of holding women to these kinds of double standards.
When you talk about fucking on the first date, you don't take into account what lead up to the fucking on the first date. Did they drink too many shots and end up plastered and in the sack? Or did they talk and laugh all night? That difference is crucial. In the former case, yeah, I can see where NEITHER person would feel like investing, but in the former case, it can be the culmination of a fast yet significant bonding.
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Anonymous August 18, 2012 at 8:43 PM
Your case is the exception that proves the rule.
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Anonymous September 17, 2012 at 3:54 PM
Maybe you just have an unbelievable pussy. Boy, it's tough to give that up.
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Anonymous September 27, 2012 at 11:26 PM
Maybe you have that snapper...meaning that pussy is fire and will have a dude coming back..Either that or you know how to toss that thing in bed....
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ShunJ October 9, 2012 at 1:21 PM
Thanks for this post!
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Anonymous October 28, 2012 at 2:08 PM
I agree with your post an dyou are surely not an exception like some one suggested. I fucked my husband(12 years) the first night we met and it did not stop him from treating me with respect! If its meant to be, you could fuck a man an hour after meeting him and will then go on to have a long loving relationshi or you could play hard to get for 2 months, finally give it to him, and have him disappear shortly there after. In my case i have to test drive the car before i invest in it! imagine waiting 2 months to have sex with a guy only to discover what a total bore he is in bed! horror!
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Anonymous October 29, 2012 at 3:40 PM
I agree... when I've had sex early, its because there was an extremely strong mutual attraction. I've only ever had sex on the first date once, and I dated that guy for two years before breaking up with him.
Another time I had sex on the second date, a few years later we were married.
I've only had 6 sexual partners in my life.. and I'm 28. It's not being easy... it's acting on the passion you're feeling with another person. I guess I have good intuition about guys...
There are plenty of guys I've been on dates with and didn't sleep with... but it can't be a coincidence that my two exceptions were the two major long term relationships of my life...
Sally.
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Anonymous October 29, 2012 at 3:42 PM
PS You can usually tell when a man adores you. If he does, he won't write you off for having sex too early. He will be thinking about making it happen again.
Sally.
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Anonymous December 3, 2012 at 6:43 PM
My last LTR also started with some sex on the first date & it last over 12 years before I ended things because we just grew apart over time. If there's a strong mutual attraction, both are adults & both agree to it, not a big problem. We had lots of stimulating conversation outside of sex on the first date & mentally connected first. We're still friends today & have respect for each other.
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Anonymous November 9, 2011 at 12:00 PM
Just wondering if the same situation applies with sleeping in bed with someone but not 'sleeping' with a man?
I've known this guy my whole life but haven't seen him for years. He came to my brother and my birthday (twin bro) because they are really good friends. I ended up going back to my brother's friends house (who I grew up with but lost touch until then-we all share the same small hometown but I recently moved back to another city in which they reside) and I slept in his bed. He 'fell asleep on the couch' and came got in bed that morning. Nothing happened. We (as in my group of friends and his group of friends) got up with each other the next weekend and the same situation happened. This time we kissed and he tried to have sex but I told him I wasn't that type of girl (which he's known from the beginning->small hometown) so he just cuddled with me that night. The next morning he opted out of riding with along with everyone to take me home..so it was just him taking me home. Heard nothing for 3 days later and he called at 12:30am to which i returned the next afternoon but nothing after that.
A week or so later some drama got started by my brother's ex (psycho!) and I got drug into it. She was trying to hurt my brother by saying she was going to my crush's house and told everyone she didn't know how I would feel about it. I called my brother pissed asking my brother why she was saying that and why was everyone asking me bout it...i meant it as "why is she acting childish bringing me into ya'lls shit. handle it because i don't want my personal life out for everyone just because she's trying to get to you" he ("drunkenly") mistook that to mean I was hurt over my crush (my brother and I are close and he knew I was into my crush) and immediately texted his ex and my crush (which I didn't even know he had done until a couple of days later) after I told him not to because that's just what his ex wanted and they both needed to grow up (but if they weren't going to grow up then to leave me out of it). About a week later I called and explained the situation to my crush and he thought my brother was mad and I hated him. He told me he was trying to get up with my brother (my brother changed his number after that) but he wasn't responding and my crush wanted him to know that he would never do that with his ex and his "rule" for dating his friends family is that he always talked to his friends first. He was talking and I spaced out (homeboy talked for like 30 min and I'm not much of a phone person) and on the end was...but i deff find you attractive, no doubt about that. I eventually ended the convo and he left it with saying he would talk to me soon. I sent him a text a couple of days later about the Heels (NC native) and he never replied. (but he still hadn't talke to my brother so I'm not sure if that was because he hadn't talked to bro yet or his doings)
He saw my brother this past weekend and told him that he would never do anything with his ex and he wouldn't do that with me either without talking to him first...my brother told him that he appreciated it but what we-me and my crush-do is our business (being twins in an extremely small town we've grown immune to the whole "don't date my brother/sister" deal more-so than other siblings). my crush responded by saying well we aren't anything "right now" and my brother responded to that by reiterating what he had told my crush earlier. I'm not sure exactly how the convo went down that's just what my brother said. I asked him what my crush meant by right now and he said he didn't know so I didn't press any further. Still no word from my crush.
Sorry this is so long but I wanted to give full detail because I can't tell if it's because I came home with him, because of my brother, or neither and he's just not really into me (which is okay I just want to know)?!!
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Andrew November 13, 2011 at 12:24 PM
"Did they drink too many shots and end up plastered and in the sack? Or did they talk and laugh all night?"
I know plenty of men that will laugh and talk their way through a whole night - convincingly - just to get pussy. And determining whether or not a given guy is deceiving you isn't just a matter of being a good judge of character or reading body language and facial expressions; there really just isn't enough "data" after one night to make a decision about whether or not he'll be there tomorrow.
I am not saying that there aren't exceptions, of which your case is clearly one. As you point out, this blog represents the average guy, not the outliers. And if a girl wants to take that risk in order to maintain the spontaneity of that first night, she can do that - no one is stopping her. She just shouldn't be surprised when he treats her like a piece of ass afterwards.
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Andrew November 13, 2011 at 12:46 PM
"Just wondering if the same situation applies with sleeping in bed with someone but not 'sleeping' with a man? ... I can't tell if it's because I came home with him, because of my brother, or neither and he's just not really into me (which is okay I just want to know)?!!"
It is almost definitely NOT about you sleeping with him. This post is only about having sex.
The brother thing definitely plays into the situation to one extent or another. It might just be a mild influence, it might be a strong one (i.e. one that would prevent him from being willing to date you at all). Your crush has to balance his attraction to you with his friendship with your brother. If you date him and it goes well, you will become more of a friend to your crush than your brother. If you date him and it goes poorly and you break up, your crush runs a high risk of making your brother choose sides in the break up. So your crush has a lot counteracting his attraction to you, which (it seems to me like) would be enough motivation to date you in a "normal" situation.
I suggest you be a little more liberal about taking the initiative than in other situations. (This is OK because his interest is more difficult to gage in this case since the situation with your brother may be masking it.) Give your crush a couple opportunities to hang out with you one on one. You invite him. Not dates, but casual stuff - grabbing food or hanging out together after some other group activity. If he doesn't respond to those opportunities, stop taking any initiative at all (read the post "Cut Him Off"), and start looking elsewhere.
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Anonymous December 2, 2011 at 1:47 PM
Posts like this brother actually make it harder for men and women to connect authentically.
Some quotes
"But understand that it will not make you desirable to men."
If I'm on a date and I can feel the attraction, it would be a huge turn off if the woman beside me shut down artificially just out of worry that it would make her "less desirable" in the long run. Sex isn't something that divides, but actually brings people together when done right.
"As you point out, this blog represents the average guy, not the outliers."
Well to be honest the average guy doesn't get much sex on the first date even if he actually wanted to(been there believe me) due to beliefs like this. Have you ever had sex on the first date?
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Andrew December 3, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Thanks for your comment, but I still need to disagree with you.
The average guy wants sex with a lot of women and nothing else from them. The average guy will either deceive women to get this, or else deceive himself about how interested in her he is for the same reason. A lot of guys are really good at both of these too.
Therefore, women interested in long term relationships need to play defense, part of which is not giving it up until they have some kind of commitment from the guy. I am not basing this post on theory, it is from experience: I have seen far too many good girls walk away from relationships with their heads down, hating men, because they did not play defense. While men are not immune from responsibility, ultimately I think it is the girl's job to protect herself.
Women can't expect men to curtail their sexual advances (not because men shouldn't do so, but because it is naive to think that they will), so someone needs to make sure they know what to be on the lookout for. This is what I am trying to do.
Yes, I have banged girls on first dates. But the title of this post is hyperbole. The underlying concept is: "don't give it up until you know what you are getting into - and don't be too sure that you know what you are getting into until you get some kind of commitment from him (i.e. repeated initiative, declaration of you as his girlfriend, etc.)"
I agree that there are instances where two sincere parties can really hit it off and have great sexual chemistry, and end up having awesome sex and even turn that initial spark into something long term. It happens. (See comment above "The last time I fucked a guy on the first date was six years ago. And he's still right here next to me....").
However, as a guy, I think it is actually unfair to a woman to be turned off by her inability to trust you after only a first date. She has to protect herself - not against you, but against all the other guys that are making it difficult for honest men. Sucks perhaps, but its true.
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Anonymous April 11, 2012 at 6:18 AM
"The average guy will either deceive women to get this, or else deceive himself about how interested in her he is for the same reason"
Can you elaborate a little on the second part of that sentence? What do you mean exactly by a guy deceiving himself about interest?
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Andrew April 13, 2012 at 7:56 AM
I mean he will not dissect his attraction to her and realize that it is purely (or mostly) sexual. He will proceed as if he is interested in her personally and sexually, when the truth is that he is only really interested in her sexually.
It would be like deceiving yourself about why you want to eat a big meal at Christmas time or some other holiday, when you are actually trying to diet. While you might tell yourself that you are gorging yourself full of food in order to celebrate the holiday and participate in tradition, the fact is that you are sick of small, unsatisfying meals and want to pig-out. Your body doesn't know it's a holiday though, and gets just as fat as it would otherwise - just like the girl: she doesn't know the guy's attraction is just sexual, and ends up getting fucked over because the guy deceived himself.
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Lucienne March 9, 2013 at 9:29 AM
@Andrew - if that's true, then how does a girl EVER know if a man is actually interested in her personally? What if he gets into a committed, exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with her, has sex with her, and then realizes that the only reason he was actually drawn to her enough to be her boyfriend was sex?
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PermanentGuest December 23, 2011 at 4:36 PM
Why the hate? He's being honest. This is how most men think.
Perhaps it's unfair, or it hurts you, but that's the nature of the game. Don't hate the player, or the messenger for that matter.
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Anonymous January 29, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Just a question:
You write in the post "a lot of guys are looking for someone to have a serious relationship with"
And in a reply "The average guy wants sex with a lot of women and nothing else from them"
Now I wonder how many high quality men are actually looking for relationships, and is this due to age, experience or what? Is it true that a lot of guys want to sleep around through their early/mid twenties, have some wild experiences and possibly check some stuff "off their list" before wanting a relationship? I have been of the impression that if a guy in his early twenties wants a girlfriend, it is often because he has no success with sleeping around and a girlfriend is his best bet for regular sex. He will also not be of the most desirable men. Is this correct?
I think maybe you said you were going to write a post about what determines whether a man wants a relationship or not. Do you think most men in relationships decides they will be due to a) the girl denying him sex otherwise and b) if he likes the girl, he doesn't want her sleeping with someone else. ?
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Andrew January 29, 2012 at 11:54 AM
You can find guys out there that only want to get married and have sex with no other woman. I know some guys like this, though they are very religious and I doubt they would feel the same way if you removed their moral convictions. I know other guys who are only interested in casual sex and will probably be that way for their whole life. There is a wide spectrum. Both of the statements I made are true. The average (American) guy does want a lot of sex with multiple women, though he also wants to eventually settle down.
You asked " Is it true that a lot of guys want to sleep around through their early/mid twenties, have some wild experiences and possibly check some stuff "off their list" before wanting a relationship?" The answer is yes.
"I have been of the impression that if a guy in his early twenties wants a girlfriend, it is often because he has no success with sleeping around and a girlfriend is his best bet for regular sex. He will also not be of the most desirable men. Is this correct?"
Yes, though as I said above, it can sometimes happen for religious or cultural reasons too. And the relationship isn't always just to secure regular sex.
"Do you think most men in relationships decides they will be due to a) the girl denying him sex otherwise and b) if he likes the girl, he doesn't want her sleeping with someone else.?"
No, I think it CAN be for both of those reasons, but it varies from guy to guy. Some men want relationships because they really enjoy the girl's company (and get sex). Some guys will think they sincerely like the girl, but the attraction is just repressed sexuality. Some (though very few) guys feel insecure without a girlfriend, and others do it because it is socially acceptable. It is true for girls too -- think about the reasons girls have for getting involved with guys. For some it is sexual, others it is for an ego boost, others it is for a sense of security, others it is because it is socially acceptable. For most men and women, it is actually some unique combination of these reasons.
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Anonymous April 11, 2012 at 6:22 AM
"Some guys will think they sincerely like the girl, but the attraction is just repressed sexuality"
Do you mean when they haven't had sex yet or also after? If his interest is just repressed sexuality, it might go away after they've slept together. But do you think a man can be so sexually interested in a woman it keeps him wanting to see her, and 'fool' him into thinking they are more compatible than they are?
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Andrew April 13, 2012 at 7:50 AM
I mean when they haven't had sex yet.
Maybe in extreme cases it is possible to have a guy so sexually interested that he keeps wanting to see the girl, but if that interest doesn't eventually wear off, then I would say it IS "compatibility" - sexual chemisty is often a good indicator of compatibility.
In any case, more common is the situation in which the initial sexual attraction wears off after one or two times hooking up.
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Anonymous January 29, 2012 at 12:27 PM
Ok, thanks for reply. I do have follow-ups though:
- I read in an article somewhere that most men "reserve" some time to sexual freedom. The explanation was that men needed a couple of years of independence, enjoying having a full time job, income and their own place to live, freedom to meet women and sleep around. If he has higher education, finished studying at 25, he will typically look for a girl for something serious around 28. If he has no education, he'll settle down around 23 or so. This was given as statistical results, not an opinion, and showed that men with law/medicine/business degrees will also dedicate their early twenties to their education and need time enjoy life a bit after. The only exception to the rule were those who met a girl during studies, remained a couple, and got married right after graduation, but according to the study, that group got smaller and smaller. So if a guy has higher education, he will be 'available' later in life.
I'm just afraid that if a guy has been studying, perhaps had medium success with women during school, but suddenly reaches the age of 27-28 and become much more successful with women, that he enjoys the action so much that it takes time for him to want something serious. I understand that random play and picking up girls has its thrill, do you think that men who "come of age" later than others will also prolong their single life?
And the factors listed which influenced a man's decision to settle down, were:
- His single friends have coupled up, and he remains one of the few. Several are either married, engaged or in LTR.
- He has "been there, done that", and had some random sexual encounters and made it a routine.
- He feels a bit too old for the single life. When he goes to clubs, he'll be one of the oldest ones.
A man described that he went to a bar to get a drink and the waitress gave him a table, automatically assuming he was waiting for his wife. He said at THAT moment he realized he was too old to go to a bar and pick up girls.
I know these are fairly general and that guys are individuals, but do you think there is something to it? I'm obviously here talking about non-religious guys whom have at some point enjoyed casual sex and who also have a decent shot with women, not necessarily players.
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Anonymous January 29, 2012 at 12:32 PM
And I can add the reason I'm asking for this is whether there are some external factors you can look for in men that might give an indication of where he stands on relationships etc. I know 27 year old guys with reasonable looks, money etc that have a past of casual sex but are hoping for a girlfriend. Yet I also know others whom have said "marriage - not until I'm 40 at LEAST". Sometimes you're so lucky that they say so - but a lot of the time, not. :-)
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A real man January 30, 2012 at 5:35 PM
"However, I would like to point out an error in your argument. You say "Men are built to be sexually promiscuous – or at least, we are built so that we can be sexually promiscuous." If we are talking "built" in terms of evolution, then actually it is WOMAN who are "built" (ie, evolved) to be more sexually promiscuous. See, we have the ability to have multiple orgasms. Men have to wait. Ever wonder why the "gangbang" is so erotic to BOTH men and women? Prob hitting some ancient reward center in men and women."
This is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever read. I feel dumber just for having attempted to comprehend the absurdity of it.
I love it when females are in denial.
Also, ladies, there is no such thing as a "double standard" when it comes to sex. You raging feminists pushing for sexual equality have gotten it all wrong. A penis can never equate to a vagina, and vice versa. Get the thought that men and women are sexually equal out of your head. The word you're looking for is complementary, not equality. A man creating millions of sperm cells a day (and thus must get rid of them) can not equate to you dropping one egg per month.
What's next? Are you going to call "not being able to pee standing up" a double standard?
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Anonymous March 6, 2012 at 8:29 AM
I was looking for your post where you say something like "don't go out with a friend who's more than 2 points hotter than you", but couldn't find it, so will put my comment here.
The question is not exactly about that, but related. I have a very close friend, friend of the family and all, 5 years older than me, whom I often go out with. She is very attractive, although I wouldn't necessarily say more attractive then me, we are similar-looking, yet different. We both have kind of a 'classic' appearance, so I suppose we would be placed in the upper end of the scale, although since men's preference vary, some would prefer her and some me.
If we go out together, there is a 'double blonde' effect which causes us to get much attention. I think we're more likely to be approached by two guys, as nobody run the risk of being "stuck with the uglier one", to be blunt. If I go out with anyone else, I always get all the attention, and it's the same for her. She's openly told me I am the only friend she has whom gives her 'competition' when meeting men (although she claims not to be competitive).
The main difference between us is personality-wise. I am more introverted, in daily life I'd say a bit shy, but after a glass of wine, I'm quite chatty. However my friend is not only extroverted, she's very flirtatious. I've even had this confirmed from others who say that she does this thing when she smiles which sends signals to guys that is interested, and perhaps also up for fun. She's had a number of serious boyfriends, but also a great deal of one night stands - her partner count would be around 50 or so. I am in my early twenties, my partner count is 11. It's really not a low number, although around her I feel like a prude. She is currently not looking for a boyfriend, only casual sex. I am not looking for casual sex (the casual I've had in the past have been mostly FWB), preferably a future boyfriend.
She does not dress provocatively, talk openly about sex or touch guys physically. But I think she somehow sends signals that she is 'available for fun' through her body language or the way she looks at guys. Do you think you (or men in general) usually can pick up these things?
So there are several problems related to this: firstly, her attitude can make her 'snag' the best guy. I personally think a lot of guys out there are potentially open to a relationship, but are not necessarily looking for it, and in bar/club situation (given that both girls are attractive), they'll put their effort in with the one who is most likely to go home with them. Do you agree?
Secondly, I feel like her ways affects us both. If I go out with another friend, who's a virgin, we're seen differently. If I go out with her, we're 'two blondes' out clubbing. The final issue: we met two guys at a bar a while ago, and she went home with one of them. I liked 'my' guy, but I felt like HER going home with him added pressure on us and that my guy probably felt like he was 'missing out' as his friend got laid that night, and not him. It's like she's injected casual sex into the evening and it can never really lead anywhere for anyone, if you know what I mean.
So, I really don't go out much with her anymore. She's complained about it, and thinks it's because I'm jealous and prefer friends who are less attractive than myself. I cannot cut her completely out of my life, she's part of it (in several ways). I hate this, because if I meet a cute guy I REALLY don't want him to be introduced to her. Not that I think she would seduce a boyfriend of mine, but I don't want there to be flirtation there. Do I completely cut her out? Try to be more flirtatious and 'selling myself' as well?
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Andrew March 6, 2012 at 1:22 PM
I think the post you were thinking about is "I Can't Believe I Forgot This One"
In any case, yes, I think men can and do pick up on the signals your friend gives off. These are mostly given by the eyes and body language (posture especially), and I think in many instances, men pick up on them subconsciously.
I disagree somewhat that men in bars focus their efforts more on women who look available for sex though. These women might get into more conversations because they are more open to those conversations, but men in many isntances might prefer a quiter girl that they have trouble figuring out how to approach (because she is reserved). None of my guy friends go for the easy girls.
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Anonymous March 18, 2012 at 10:35 AM
You're looking for a serious boyfriend in a bar? The kind of guy you're looking for is NOT there, the same applies for men looking for serious girlfriends.
After reading your post, it seems you are comparing yourself to your friend, who is a slut. You feel BAD about having a count of 11 to her 50? 11 is way too much already, you are unacceptable to many guys who are looking for marriage (these guys would be serious boyfriends before that, obviously). Go out and ask guys if they would prefer the girl with <=3, 11, or 50 partners for a serious relationship. You and your friend will lose more often than not. We don't like women with high partner counts for serious relationships, she's just more likely to not be satisfied with the relationship.
It is good that you don't hang with her so much anymore. It is not healthy to compare yourself to a slut when you are looking for a deeper relationship with men.
If you're still looking for a serious boyfriend, stop going to bars to pick up men. Men/women who go to bars are only looking to bang.
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Anonymous March 21, 2012 at 8:43 PM
I agree with sleeping with a guy on the first date is not a good idea just as I agree that waiting for marriage before sex is the best option. whenever a man decides to give helpful advice to women its always the same story of this is just the way men are and all men think the same, if this is true then men are aware of thier actions and they use and abuse any women they can just for the heck of it,and knowing that women cant handle sex without involving thier emotions or becoming attached men use that to thier advantage. I just refuse to believe that most men are this cruel and coniving, its almost like stealing from a blind person, I do believe that there are some low down men in the world but I hope women reading this realize that thier are a lot of men who may sleep with you because thats all they want to do and at the end of it they didnt think of you in a negative way thats just all they wanted at the time or in some cases they realize they like you for more. sex too soon can go in a lot of different directions. As women we do have to be a step ahead of men and let them continue to believe that we are still these vulnerable creatures they think we are but do know they break way harder than we do when the player card is in our favor.
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Kate May 30, 2012 at 5:13 PM
Yaaaaaawn. Another article about how it's okay for a guy to sleep around but not for a woman. Ever thought what you men look like when you jump from woman to woman trying to get laid for the night? Like desperate douchebags. Instant turn-off. STI's are indiscriminate, it's not okay for either gender to sleep around. And condoms can and do break.
In any case, you seem like one of those guys that has a whore complex: it's okay to have sex with the 'slut' but not to marry/have a relationship with her. It's almost sociopathic how you compartmentalise the two.
In any case, when you sleep with a slut, what does that make you? A slut-fucker. How does that make you any better than her?
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Andrew May 30, 2012 at 8:39 PM
I do compartmentalize, yes. And I do think it is OK to have sex with a girl who isn't willing to filter me out, yes. However, I don't fuck sluts. I don't like them because I assume they have STDs and I am rarely drunk enough to become indifferent to that consideration.
If I WERE a slut fucker, there would be a significant difference between me and her: by being "easy," she can have her choice of men, most of whom will be more attractive than her but I, as a man, would still need to work to attract her and get her into bed. In fact I would need to prove myself more attractive than the other men she would be willing to sleep with. Easy for her, hard for me.
This is why men who pull a lot of women are cheered on or even admired/respected. They have to work to get women.
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Anonymous November 24, 2012 at 7:03 PM
A good wife is just as likely to catch an STD as a slut even if she was a virgin when she married and faithful after marriage, if the husband fucks around without a condom. In Africa most married women who have HIV have been infected by their husbands.
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Anonymous March 7, 2013 at 11:09 AM
You have to be careful because you can get Herpes from someone with no visible sign of it (but virus is still in their body), and then it can be passed on through oral sex. If there's anything that puts me off sleeping around, it's that.
I had a friend whose ex boyfriend infected her with Chlamydia (they were on and off). Then while she was on antibiotics, he told her he didn't mind getting reinfected so they could have sex again. Euurgh. I don't get why some people are so casual about that stuff. I have never had an STI and would be pretty upset if I did get one.
Yeah I've made a few mistakes in my time but I don't like how women are still expected to be the condom police. In my experience men will do whatever they can get away with. I haven't come across many men who'll think about putting a condom on without being asked. That disturbs me as well. I hope that the blog author is a responsible guy around women, because two many men aren't. I'm not suggesting women don't have any responsibility as well, it's just something I'm acutely aware of.
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Karen March 29, 2013 at 10:08 PM
Wait..
You say men dont want relationships with women who give it up on the first date because they conclude such women are sluts. This lowers the woman's value.
Then you say you are not a "slut-fucker" because you won't sleep with slutty women for casual sex even. But if the definition YOU are using for being a slut is a woman who sleeps with a man quickly, then aren't ANY women who willingly slept with you on a first date sluts? What's the difference?
Perhaps you felt you put more effort in to seduce her, and her playing hard to get gave you the impression she is not easy. But what if she plays that game a lot?
And women work to get laid also. I'm not ugly, but very reserved & shy, so men rarely approach me (get written off as snobby/cold). Even if I wanted a casual lay, it would be hard because I have many of the same mental blocks that shy, "nice guys" have. I'd probably have to settle for someone sub-par, just as you say men do. So women DO make effort to adopt & display seductive personalities & appearances.
I think you're deceiving yourself if you think you're not a slut also. And while other men may cheer you on, women are judging you also.
When a man sleeps with a lot of women, it shows he mainly values women as trophies and/or objects for his pleasure. A woman does not want to be valued as such in a relationship. She wants to be valued as a whole human being and she wants signs a man is not all about his own pleasure & needs. Self-control is a good quality in a mate. He also shows a need to be validated by his sexual prowess, which signals an insecurity.
So a smart woman who values herself will also steer clear of slutty men for relationships. And how do we define slutty for men? In the same way - sleeping with lots of women casually, regardless of effort involved.
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Unknown May 31, 2012 at 3:44 PM
You have some good points, but you are wrong about STDs. I am a Nursing student and studied infectious diseases, men are equally susceptible to those infections as women are. In some diseases, women have a higher percentage of asymptomatic disease than men, whereas in others is on the contrary. Both men and women may be asymptomatic carriers. HPV can cause warts in both men and women. HIV can kill men and women equally. You are very misinformed here. For your own sake, get a check up and always use condoms!!!!!!!!!!
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Andrew June 1, 2012 at 11:37 AM
I thought that some STDs or STIs could lead to cervical cancer in women, but not in men...
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Kurt June 5, 2012 at 9:12 PM
HPV can cause cervical cancer in women, but obviously it cannot cause the same cancer in men. However, if a man eats out a woman who has certain strains of HPV, he can contract it in his mouth, which could cause oral cancer like the type that Roger Ebert has. Ebert had to have much of his jaw bone removed and can no longer talk as a result.
I heard rumors that he used to eat out hookers before he was married. Although that rumor sounds absurd if it is true, that could be how he ended up with oral cancer.
Also, regarding HIV, although it can kill men and women equally, studies show that women are much more likely than men to contract HIV through unprotected heterosexual sex.
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Anonymous June 6, 2013 at 2:29 PM
There is some wrong information here.
HPV, which is sexually contracted, is related to several types of cancer, as cervical, anal and throat cancer. The two latter occurs with men as well (in fact, more frequently than they do with women).
HIV naturally has a higher chance of being transmitted from men to women than the other way around, but once both a man and woman have HIV, the effects are worse for men. HIV will quicker develop into AIDS, and he will die faster.
In every other aspect than muscle strength, men are physically the feeble gender and doesn't respond as well to treatments.
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Unknown May 31, 2012 at 3:46 PM
You are wrong about STDs. They affect both women and men equally. I am a Nursing student and studied infectious diseases. Please always use a condom!!! I will always emphasize it to patients!! You can get HIV as any woman, just because you are a man does not mean you are not to be infected!
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Anonymous June 5, 2012 at 12:39 PM
I'm European (as Americans call it), and most guys I know are much more liberal than this, to the extent that they don't just 'tolerate' women being promiscuous, they genuinely argument for equality in this area as well (particularly Mediterranean and Scandinavian men). I've observed female friends whose promiscuity don't have any effect on their chances for relationships (provided they have other things to bring to the table). I'm known as 'conservative' among people I know. I agree with your post, and I think it is not worth the risk - you can only really gain from postponing the sex a little.
I agree with the title of the post and I think this is the main point - don't fuck on the first date. However I think this is far more important than delaying the sex further. Of course it benefits the woman to get commitment from the man before having sex, because we do get very attached after intercourse. But if you're from a society where a lot of people have sex as soon as they feel like it (which is the case in many European capitals), you can't really expect someone to make you official before even testing things in bed.
I wonder if you think it is this way for American men too - the longer you postpone sex, the better - but you lose far more by having sex on the 1st date rather than the 2nd, than you do from doing it the 2nd rather than the 3rd?
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Lucy March 7, 2013 at 11:18 AM
I think wait as long as you can trust them. Some people are never trustworthy. I'm European as well (British) and I know exactly what you're getting at. I know many men, maybe a lot, who want to test things out in bed before making it official. But I don't like to submit to that because it would make me feel vulnerable. The only reason I would, would be if I wasn't very interested in the guy, but that kind of situation isn't preferable to me either. At the same time, I think other people take sex too seriously and I don't like to build up to it as if it's some big event because I don't consider it a big deal.
But I think you are right to some extent. For me, sex would be in official territory. Kissing wouldn't. Still I meet plenty of men who think they have me snagged as their girlfriend because of a kiss.
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Anonymous June 25, 2012 at 5:52 AM
I'm from Poland and I bet that most "serious" guys, i.e. guys who want long-term relationship AND marriage, won't like the high partner count for woman. OTOH, the guys who like short-term relationships or serial LTR without ending them with marriage, may actually prefer "experienced" girl. It's a matter of decision of woman, what type of man they prefer.
In addition, there is this correlation between ratio of divorces and number of sexual partners for woman - I remember reading (at athol's blog?) the more partners woman had in her life, the more likely she is to be dissatisfied with her partner and getting a divorce.
As for woman being enraged by the thought we think like that, well, you can continue to live within your fantasy world. Your rage at the fact won't change the basic fact.
And yes, there are exceptions. I know a pair of people, who made it at the first date, in the parking lot outside of a club and they cohabitate for some 9 years now, with one daughter.
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Anonymous July 16, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Unfortunately, the greatest source of this double standard is other women. Most of the men I know will fuck on the first date, we'll even come back to the trough, and we'll tell our friends too. And all the guys in the clique will take turns taking her out, and fucking her, and as long as she's not a pain in the ass, we'll even let her hang with us and we'll enjoy her company too. But we won't usually have a relationship with her, and we'll try to rescue our friends when they do want to become serious. And they painful truth about why we do this is WOMEN.
Women hate "sluts" to the point in some cases of outright shunning them. And women don't even need any actual proof if this sluttiness, much of the time the shunning will happen because of mere hearsay. And men know that if they date one of these women, he won't be dating any of the other women, and his friends won't be allowed to hang with him anymore. Trust me ladies, we really do listen, and when you use slut or whore to describe a woman, we know that she's ok for a fuck buddy, but not to take out in public.
Personally, I like slutty girls, they're less uptight about stupid shit, more fun in general, and you have much improved chance of the evening ending in sex. Especially if you treat her with respect. Hell, my wife of 20 years picked me up in a bar, and gave it up on the first date. So this isn't the hard and fast rule, and lots of guys will deny it. but this is the way it is as I see it.
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Anonymous July 17, 2012 at 2:39 AM
That first paragraph is disgusting. I pity your wife, you're not marriage material.
Only good thing about posts like these is to once in a while remind women what kind of assholes are really walking around out there.
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Lucy March 7, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Ew. How disrespectful. I understand why this double-standard exists but I try not to use the words 'slut' or 'whore' because I'm not interested in shaming any of my own gender, nor do I like the term 'manwhore' because it's gender normative.
And it cuts both ways. I'm totally turned off by men who bed a lot of women or think they know all their is too know about that intimate stuff.
Kind of shocking to read this but I understand it to be fairly accurate because I've spent enough time listening in to what men talk about when they think you're out of earshot.
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Lucy March 7, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Ah tired. :/ Sorry for the grammar mistakes!
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Anonymous July 20, 2012 at 3:00 AM
What if the man begins pressuring you intensely for sex before you've had it for the first time and you've only known each other a week or two?
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Andrew July 22, 2012 at 9:57 AM
You increase your insistence that you won't sleep with him, and more importantly, you stay away from situations that could lead to that pressure (e.g. being alone with him in his room, on his bed).
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Unknown July 24, 2012 at 1:43 PM
This post was pretty black and white. I think there's alot more detail involved. But overall I thought it was accurate.
I especially like the 6th paragraph about double standards. I think both sexes complain about the ones that affect them negatively and take for granted the ones they benefit from. In the end the double standards even themselves out. The advantageous ones offset the negative ones, for both sexes.
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Anonymous July 24, 2012 at 10:33 PM
Don’t get me wrong, if I were a woman I would be a little pissed off that sex was less socially acceptable for me than it is for a man. But there are balances to this phenomenon: women have far more opportunities to have sex than men, and thereby are able to have sex with higher quality partners.
this right here is bs.... telling us that we arent allowed to have sex, and then saying we have more opportunity to.... why even make the statement? it completely cancels itself out and contradicts itself. as a woman, i feel even more reason to be pissed off, never mind the following statement meant to "reason" or "console" such totally bogus logic.
You won’t find many girls that have had sexual partners uglier than themselves, but you’ll find an endless list of guys that have – in fact, there is a contingent of men that usually only have sex with girls less attractive than themselves. This is a product of the same phenomenon: because men can have low-risk sex, women are far more in-demand for sexual relationships, and therefore have more and better options.
this is as well totally wrong. every couple i see together, the woman is almost ALWAYS hotter than the guy. thats bc women dont judge or choose their partners with as much emphasis on appearances. and what options are there for us ? oh you mean all the options we arent actually socially allowed to accept? right right.
A woman is judged negatively for having promiscuous sex because it takes no skill or effort on her part; all that is required is her assent. There will never be a deficit of sexually willing and attractive men from which she can select if she chooses.
what kind of philosophy is this? certainly not sound. no skill or effort? what kind of terrible sex would this bring about... and no doubt the terrible sex would result in a loss of respect. it takes skill and effort for everyone, man woman, young or old, to have a good sexual experience that is mutual and enjoyable for all. it takes a lot of skill and effort on a womans part to ensure that her needs are met, and hence, that at least within a sexual aspect she is respected by the man she is sleeping with. and again with the "selection" power women apparently have. havent you heard of all the women complaining about there being "no men to choose from?" the men are out there, but we dont want any of them. not to mention, its apparently not socially acceptable for most of us to choose them anyways.
A woman looking for a man should be taught these things, should consider them, and should understand that having sex too readily will automatically cause men to lose respect for her, and dismiss her as nothing more than a source of easy sex.
this is just another classic case of mankind wanting to pin the totally contradictory existence of themselves on women. men want sex, but they dont want it to be easy.... they say that women are crazy, that we dont know what we want... but apparently men are the same way. i understand that we want something to work for, both sexes. but this really to me sounds like mens attempt to control the sexual arena, an area that women obviously will always reign in. and they do this by hating the women that are sexually autonomous, that dont wait for invitation, that speak on their desires and expect them to be respected. men think that if women are afraid to be themselves, that they as men will be more readily accepted and in control of the game. and thats all it is.
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Anonymous August 1, 2012 at 5:09 PM
I need help with a dilemma...
I went out with this guy I've known for many years last week for the first time romantically and due to a number of factors ended up drunk and in bed with him. No sex happened but still enough happened for my liking. Although he seemed impressed I didn't put out and has expressed interest in seeing me again, I just sense that there is something different..perhaps just in the way he communicates with me compared to before. I'm just very embarrassed and not sure how to redeem myself in his eyes if there is a problem. Half of me thinks I should just forget it and move on but at the same time I do like him and don't want him fading out on me with a bad impression.
What should I do?
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Andrew August 5, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Next time you have the opportunity, mention (casually) that you think you went a little too far - even though it was fun - for the stage of the relationship you are at with him now. Then continue as if it didn't happen.
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Anonymous March 29, 2013 at 3:27 PM
Do guys think you're slutty if you give head on the first night? Does that count as sex to men too? Does it turn off men to wanting a relationship with you if you say you don't want to have regular sex but would be okay with giving oral that first night? ... I think this is the mistake I made with the last guy I met.
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Anonymous August 7, 2012 at 2:01 PM
Hi Andrew,
Appreciate your psote and agree with it. Some women may find it double standeard but experience has shown me that`s how things work out in real life.
Iam currently in a long distnace relationship. We have dated for 3 months he has done all of the visits to m. We are still not intimate only 2nd base. He has accepted and respected this, but there is a lot of attraction and it is hard for us to restraints ourselfs- He told me he is cool with my decision to wait but hopes it would happen one day. no preassure though.
He has invited to a 4 day trip to his best friend´s wedding in Florida. The wedding is saturday and we will be spending the next three days mostly on our own. I still want to get to know him slow befoer going to bed with him. In part because in ldr you get to know people slower. But not sure how to achive this, or if I should just not go to Fl. Should I ask to stay in separate rooms. Is it ok to go slowly before intercouse, like 3 rd base and sleep in the same bed or would that be considered a tease. Hoping you answer. thanks a bunch.
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Anonymous August 11, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Do men really feel 'rejected' when you turn them down for sex?
A guy made a serious (physical) move on me and I turned him down. He asked if I found him attractive (I told him yes but that I don't do that). He got silent for the night and a bit 'awkward'. I bumped into him again the next day, he came over and asked how I was, but really kept his distance and is weird around me. I think he's a player so I won't bother with him, but I'm curious if some men genuinely feel rejected when you turn them down for sex, even if it the first time you hang out with them? I'm thinking you surely don't expect first night-sex? Does it mean he's used to easy girls?
I don't approach/initiate with men and am actually a bit shy, I don't come off as promiscuous.
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Andrew August 13, 2012 at 8:12 PM
In many cases, yes, it will hurt. It hurts more in proportion to how little he cares about you, because this is proportional, in turn, to how much he thinks you should be into him. If you turn him down, it could be a big hit to his ego. Imagine if you talked to a guy in a bar all night, had what you thought was a great conversation, knew he was single, etc. etc. but you thought he was kind of below your league. At the end of the night he asks for your number but then never called. How would you feel? It is the same thing in a way. By turning him down for sex you are saying "I am not attracted to you enough." You say it was because you "don't do that kind of thing" and I am not challenging you on that, but a lot of girls who claim they don't do that kind of thing would do it in a heartbeat for George Cluny, Justin Beiber or Luke Bryan. Men know that your willingness to submit to them for sex is directly related to how attracted you are to them.
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Anonymous August 14, 2012 at 3:11 AM
I guess that makes sense.
But I personally thought men put women in two categories, those who sleep with guys on the first date and those who don't. That's why girls can be practically offended if a guy goes too far right away.
Even if I met my celebrity crush - Clive Owen - and he seemed to be into me, I like him enough that I would still hope for him to contact me sometime. I know girls who'd go home with a guy, but refuse sex and hope that a night of chatting will still have him call them.
Sure some guys will assume "if I was hotter, she'd do me", but it seems a bit strange when girls are usually judged for it? Even this blog seem to have that typical male view - if she sleeps with you on a first date, she does that with everybody. You'd label her "easy", you wouldn't think to yourself that "she made an exception for me because I'm hot". Guys even make fun of girls saying "this is the first time I do this". I've read comments saying so on blogs! Most of my friends have had an ONS once or twice in their life, but don't make it a lifestyle.
I guess I'm confused by this particular situation because there is no reason I should count myself lucky to be with this guy. I think I could have asked anyone and they'd objectively say I'm more attractive than him - I can usually have my pick in bars. Could be his taste meant that I was less attractive, but he was still attracted enough to go for it?
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Andrew August 14, 2012 at 1:38 PM
"Even this blog seem to have that typical male view - if she sleeps with you on a first date, she does that with everybody. You'd label her "easy", you wouldn't think to yourself that "she made an exception for me because I'm hot"."
I doubt this is ALWAYS the case - it depends on how much of an ego a guy has!
"Could be his taste meant that I was less attractive, but he was still attracted enough to go for it?"
Hard for me to say, not knowing you and him, but it's possible. I suggest that you try to initiate a little bit of intimacy to show him that you aren't opposed to it. If he responds well, then you can start to let him initiate again, but if you did hurt his ego, you'll need to make up for that by showing him that your refusal didn't mean you aren't attracted to him.
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Anonymous August 14, 2012 at 7:34 PM
So let me get this straight - if she doesn't sleep w/him on the first date, it's a horrible blow to his ego and he then backs off bc he thinks that means she's not so into him. If she does sleep w/him on the first date, she comes off as a slut and he backs off bc he's gotten what he wants and his view of her as a longer term prospect has dimmed. Fantastic.
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Andrew August 15, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Sort of... except that it is rare that a guy will ever feel so rejected that he stops pursuing you. And I never said it would make him less attracted to you if he feels rejected. The opposite is probably closer to the truth.
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Anonymous August 15, 2012 at 4:28 PM
I'm still quite young so I really appreciate this post. Like many girls today, I've been raised to believe that "if he likes you, it doesn't matter if you have sex right away", which is ridiculous. Or worse yet "you don't want a man who judges you for that". It's painful to see how many girls still believe this, even in their late twenties.
Do you know guys or have male friends that are complete players and you believe they cannot be changed? As in "that guys will never settle for ONE woman". There are guys, in either their 20s, 30s or 40s who have slept with a LOT of women - they may be businessmen, musicians, half-famous or whatever. Aside from postponing sex, how much should you let a man's reputation/image/first impression work against him? Should you steer clear if he's been around (and you know that for a fact) or be an optimist and think that he just hasn't met the right person yet?
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Andrew August 15, 2012 at 7:28 PM
That is a tough question, and one that I don't entirely have the answer to. Every guy is different, so it isn't always obvious that they CAN'T settle down, or change - but more often than not, your best assumption should be that a guy will stay the way he is.
That being said, "the way he is" isn't something you can judge just by seeing that he sleeps around or has a temper, etc. You need a much deeper knowledge of the person to determine whether or not they can settle down or calm down, or stop being abusive, etc.
I know that isn't the answer you were looking for, but unfortuantely I don't think there is a clear-cut answer to that one (like "if a guy has more than 20 partners avoid him because he will be a cheater.").
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Sex on first date is a red flag, not an automatic disqualifier. Yes, it suggests that you probably aren't the first guy she fell quickly for and probably won't be the last. The key word is "suggests." Personally I have slept with a woman on a first date, she said she didn't do this, and yes I believed her (and still do, to this day). If you're a woman, want to sleep with a guy on the first date, and still want him to invest and commit, you'll just have to overcome the "slut" handicap. It's not impossible to overcome, in fact for some it's probably quite easy, but pretending it isn't a handicap is willful ignorance.
Also just to be clear, not fucking on the first date doesn't mean being completely shy and closed-off is a good idea either. That just sends the impression you aren't interested.
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Anonymous August 17, 2012 at 5:27 PM
What about doing other things but not actual intercourse? Like oral sex for instance? Like if you said you only have sex (as in all the way) in committed relationships, but ended up doing other things on a first date, what might then be your chances of a serious relationship with the average guy?
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Andrew August 17, 2012 at 10:50 PM
Why would you want to have oral sex with a guy on a first date? Do you really feel like you know a guy after a few hours together - to the point that you'd be that intimate with him?
Nothing is impossible. You could still date the guy. I agree with the sentiment of Lad's comment above. BUT, oral will still be a red flag for a guy who is looking for something serious. That being said, if he engages in oral sex with you (i.e. receives it), he probably isn't that interested in dating you seriously to begin with anyway.
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Anonymous August 18, 2012 at 6:04 AM
"Why would you want to have oral sex with a guy on a first date?"
Lol, shit just happens Andrew. Not like it was planned. I had actually never done something like that before with a guy I just met but one thing led to another and :/....I felt really bad after and wish I knew how to redeem myself, but I guess I fucked up. What makes it worse is that it wasn't even an actual date. Shame cuz we had so much in common though. You think if I hold out from now on with him it might help the situation, or he already thinks I'm just a slut at this point? He's been messaging me, but I think that's just because he wants another round... -_-
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Anonymous August 19, 2012 at 11:14 AM
I'm a woman and use the following question to decide if I sleep with a guy on a first date or do a ONS:
Might I want this guy to be my boyfriend someday?
(A) If the answer is yes, then I try to get to know him better, develop rapport, etc., before I sleep with him. If he sees me as a "person" and not just a P.O.A., then at the very least a friendship is possible if a relationship never gets off the ground, after sleeping with him.
(B) If the answer is no, then I sleep with him with no expectations of a call back or any relationship.
(C) If the answer is "I'm not sure" -- I treat him like a guy I want to be my someday-boyfriend until I make a decision.
(B) really ensures that you only have ONS with or sleep with guys on a first dateS you don't care to have a relationship with and, therefore, won't be hurt if he disappears.
(A) and (C) ensure that you don't get "red flagged" for being too easy and thereby forfeiting the possibility of being seen as girl-friend material.
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Andrew August 19, 2012 at 9:51 PM
I guess what I meant was "why would you feel the need to have oral sex on a first date?" But anyway, I think you can redeem the situation by holding out, yes, but I would make sure you tell him this. If things escalate again, say something like "Hey look, I actually like you and don't want to turn this into something purely sexual, so I want to back off a little bit to see where things go before we keep hooking up."
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Anonymous August 27, 2012 at 5:59 AM
The "Anonmyous" woman publishing her selection criteria for ONS is disgusting. Just my take. I am a man, 49 years of age, and I would consider such a woman as "easy" in the worst sense. Indeed, I dumped an otherwise attractive woman (after having been with her for 18 months) after I learned (not from her, she had told me outright lies in this respect) her "history": more than three dozen different penises had been inside her - she had been cheating on her husband (at the break-up, she would confess: once or twice unprotected with a real "casanova", as she would say), had had more than a dozen ONS, and for a while entertained two or three "relationships" in parallel. In sum a NoGo for anything remotely serious.
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Holly October 31, 2012 at 6:07 AM
Are you kidding me? This woman you dumped has done much LESS than the vast majority of men out there, yourself included no doubt. Yet you think SHE'S disgusting? We're supposed to be totally cool with the fact that you've had your penis in 50+ vaginas or we're considered insecure psychos. Men like you make me sick.
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Anonymous November 24, 2012 at 7:17 PM
What the woman you dumped did was the same as what most men do. In fact you did her a favour by dumping her, I know I would not want to be married to someone like you.
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Meredith September 15, 2012 at 11:44 PM
I have an interesting perspective
I lost my virginity at 24, I am not a purity ring wearing girl, It was just my choice simply waited in till I felt ready. When topic would come up
I was surprised by the contrast in reactions I got from Men
verses women with my male friends I felt like I got more respect,at times more attractive even.
Women when they found this out, would often treat me like I was sixteen old girl who was naive. They would give me a hard time about and say cruel things.
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Anonymous September 28, 2012 at 3:42 AM
Meredith, ignore them, if they carry on being asses ditch them as friends, I didn't do it till i was 20. Even now 8 years on i'm still a bit on the line of get to know the person first. Because i had 3 experiences where i didn't really know the guy and it didn't bode well for me, i felt crappy about it. Personally, if my spirit disagrees i'm not for it. Saved myself a lot of hassle this way. As for your friends, tell them to get lost. It is your body and if you decided to wait till marriage so be it! I'm sure if you'd had double figures or more they'd be the first to call you all names not given.
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Anonymous October 5, 2012 at 8:16 PM
I met this guy 3 weeks ago through a friend. I wasn't really looking for anything as I've been single for the last 2 years. Hadn't had a date with anyone or even slept with any guys. I was in an abusive relationship for 12 years prior to that. Anyway, the first night, my friends and i were just dancing and celebrating a friend's bday. Nothing really happened until they all left and it was just the guy and myself. It was already late and he just came to this part of the world not knowing the language and I offered to drop him home. I was a bit drunk to be honest and then he started kissing me and touching me and in that case i was telling him to stop because I said the taxi driver is a bit embarrassed by us. Anyway nothing happened and i dropped him off his place and I went back home. After a few days, he added me on Facebook and said he wanted to see me. I said that's ok, let's meet up but I was also with my friends that night. He looked great and although I was attracted to him, i didn't feel I was good enough for him. He talked about him coming to this part of the world to find work and what his aspirations were and all the adventures he did. I thought, ok this guy is interesting and I feel a connection with him. i just wasn't sure what but yes I was attracted to him. Anyway, my friends left and it was just me and him. We went to the beach and one thing led to another, we just did it there and then. Honestly, it was a weird but nice feeling.
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Anonymous October 5, 2012 at 8:17 PM
Never had a ONS in my life as i've only ever been with one guy. anyway, after that, we just sat on the beach, looked at the stars until the sunrise. It was kinda romantic. I told him it's early or late depending how u see it and that I'd like to go home to sleep. While I was walking he said, I wonder where this is heading and i was like, well just get with the flow as i just want us to be happy.
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Anonymous October 5, 2012 at 8:17 PM
He insisted to take me home but I said it's ok, I can just take the bus as he leaves near the beach. Anyway, he texted me and said he had a great time and that he would text me again when he woke up. Anyway, for the next couple of days, he had txt me and filled me in with his interviews and what he has been doing and although I liked him, i never initiated calling but just responding when he contacts me. On friday, i went out with a friend and saw him with a male friend. i passed by him and really wanted to go and say hi but then he saw me and looked at me really awkwardly as if he was telling his friend, what the hell is she doing here? I felt a bit disappointed knowing that we were in the same restaurant and he didnt come to say hi to me. Anyway while i was eating, he texted me and said he was with some Portuguese friends and that he was enjoying his dinner and all i said was I know and he gave me a smiley face. We didnt say bye to each other and left it at that. In the morning, I texted him and told him what had happened and he said he did not not acknowledge me as he thought i was the one going to say hi to him instead but then i didnt and just pass him by. anyway he explained what he had done that night and I thought well he could have ignored me and just not bothered. so because he explained everything i felt like I owed him an apology and I said sorry.
Well the next day, we chat on facebook and he told me that i didnt have to apologise and stuff. I said maybe i just overreacted but i didnt like to not say hi to ppl i know. So we arranged to have dinner on Tuesday and I was really looking forward to it until he told me he had some problems and couldnt come and to arrange to see each other on Thursday. I reminded him about the dinner on thursday but didnt seem to have an answer. Then i went to the place to wait for him and I waited for an hour and he never showed up. the next day, he txt me and told me he was very very sorry. and again on facebook but i never replied. He said he had a migraine and took a sleeping pill and just slept the whole day and night. anyway on that same day, he rang me and explained everything again and i was like ok. he said we can have dinner on sat but then before saying goodbye he told me to just continue to live my life as normal as possible. i said, what makes u think that my life isn't normal?? He just laughed and said ok then. we said our goodbyes and then I never heard from him again. anyway after 3-4 days, not only did we not go for dinner, I just sent him a txt and tried to have a sense of humor and said i hope you are feeling better now and honestly i've never been stood up by anyone. lol.. speak soon. never heard an answer from him. 2 days ago, i went to a club cuz it was ladies night.. i didnt expect that I would see him there but well he was there. we were at arms length of each other but he didnt even come and say hi to me. Funny enough, the gay singer must have sense I was a bit down and dedicated the song 'you're simply the best' to me and i was led on stage and dance with him. anyway, after that I went back to my seat and that guy just went and dance with another girl and was kissing her and whatever then he moved on to another sexy girl and was saying hi and kissing her as well. I dont know but I felt really disgusted. i know I should never have slept with him on the first date but I guess at that moment, I forgotten what intimacy was. i have forgotten that feeling of being loved and hugged etc... If only I have known, I wouldnt have done that. I guess he thinks of me the same as the rest of the girls who just looks for a one night stand. Honestly, it's sad to know someone for 2 weeks and then disappears or totally ignores you. I dont have his fb account anymore as I have deleted him. In fact I have deactivated the whole account due to personal reasons. i guess I would never contact him anymore though I do have his number. anyway, that's my story.
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Anonymous October 5, 2012 at 8:18 PM
the above 3 comments are from one person... sorry but i typed to much and they wouldnt publish the whole thing
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Anonymous October 15, 2012 at 3:27 PM
Andrew: STDs
Certain strains of HPV which cause cervical cancer in women do not cause cervical cancer in men because men don't have a cervix. HOWEVER, certain strains of HPV DO CAUSE PROSTATE CANCER in men, but not in women, who do not have a prostate.
There is greater chance of M2F transmission of STDs than F2M. However, men are more likely to be symptomatic if infected.
By far the highest risk of transmission is M2M and lowest risk is F2F. Studies indicate that approximately 8% of 'straight' men engage in occasional M2M sexual encounters - this is in addition to the 1% who are openly Bi, and the 4% who are homosexual. 37% of men total report having at least 1 M2M sexual encounter in their lifetime.
In terms of STDs there is no real inherent advantage for either gender. And men are definitely the main STD disease vector in the human population.
Therefore I agree with your assertion that women shouldn't give it up to guys on the first date, maybe never at all actually. Men are the nastiest dirty sluts and will not only fuck just about any woman they can, but also might be plugging Pablo or blowing Billy on the side, even if they are 'straight'. Many women contract STDs from
M2M--->M2F because men are dirtier than whores.
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Holly October 31, 2012 at 6:16 AM
SOME men are dirtier than whores. The sad thing about this blog is that Andrew attempts to speak for all men because he claims to be your "average guy." Women don't have to settle for average. Thank God I didn't. There are PLENTY of above-average men out there who will treat you right and be a true partner, unlike the average Andrews of the world. The only reason there are as many Andrews out there now is because women don't hold out for the good guys, and as long as Andrew's piss-poor behavior continues to be rewarded by women who don't know any better, the more Andrews there will be. Please, ladies, don't believe this guy's bullshit. There really are decent men out there. Dump your Andrew in the dirt and go get one!
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Andrew October 31, 2012 at 9:48 AM
I actually completely agree with this, except I do not attempt to speak for all men; I claim to represent the average only.
I definitely agree that women shouldn't put up with the way average guys behave, and they should strive for the above-average guys. This blog gives dozens of ways of doing this - one of which is not giving in to his attempts to treat you like a cum receptacle on a first date.
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Lara October 20, 2012 at 8:14 AM
Girls, you know this goes both ways, this is a guy writing why not to sleep on the first date if you would like more than just a relationship. Why on earth would you accept and judge a guys promiscuity any different. Really, if you didn't get a chance to know him then you didn't find out if he was after more. So you cheated yourself if you feel that way. Personally a guy that jumps into bed at the first chance he gets isn't exactly my idea of boyfriend material and I'd be (and have been!) foolish to think otherwise. Its not double standards, I accept a guy may feel that way and I am just as right to hold the same opinion on him.
I don't want a relationship with a easy bloke, and I'd like to know that person before they stick their dick in me. So as far as I can see the women have the power here, the guys are out to impress us, but they find us being easy unattractive. Damn right, its gross if he's bedded triple figures too, I don't want him anywhere near me. Its not unfair - it goes both ways.
You choose whether you sleep or don't sleep with them first date, but this was written for females (who I know plenty of!) that seem to not grasp that fact and think sex = a relationship. WRONG. Of course relationships may blossom and flourish but personally, like this man also thinks, there is more to it than sex and the chase is part of the fun and excitement, build up the anticipation.
Courtship is a chemical process too, it doesn't just happen that you fall in love or care for someone over night so its clear that waiting weeds out the guys just in it for one thing.
Fuck, its good advice, use it to empower yourselves - don't just dismiss it because it doesn't fit in with your romantic idealogical. There is a book - its called "The Game" and it was written as a like a self help book for getting any girl, regardless of leauge.. read that too, learn how guys think if you wanna play them at their own game. we always as females moan and bitch because we never know what the other sex is thinking - but even when they flat out tell you, you disagree! You can have a different opinion from this, but its a worthwhile opinion to take into consideration - because guess what its commonly shared.
Sluts, girls or guys, tend to not make the best partners, regardless of the sex. It seems to me that men are actually just far wiser to this.
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maria welborn October 27, 2012 at 11:04 PM
Fairly accurate from a girls' perspective.
In my experience if you've /just/ met that night, unless you are only interested in him because he's hot you shouldn't sleep with him. If a guy tries to sleep with me on a first date I tend to assume he's only interested in me for a ONS. Sometimes I say what the hell, but I expect to never hear from him again and don't ask for his number in the morning. A guy tends to lose interest in you for biological reasons. It's not really within his control, he won't think of you any more.. the spark that attracts him to you will be gone. If you're interested in the possibility of a relationship making him wait even a short amount of time seems to negate this effect, though you should not have a set rule of x amount of time - he needs to have no definitive idea of when you'll sleep with him. This will not work if you have a reputation in his social circle for having sex on the first date because then they get all offended you are making him wait. Sucks, but that's the way it is.
That said, sometimes you can totally get away with it. Usually this is with guys who were long time friends before dating. These people usually actually know who my regular hook ups are and how few of them there actually are (called my "circle" who have much more defined expectations than the typical college hookup, the expectations are spelled out before I have sex rather than trying to do it afterwards when you have no say anymore like a stupid person) and they're usually Scorpios I've had a couple of long term friends hook up with me and then ask to be my exclusive bf after I nudged him with "why aren't we dating."
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SavvyD November 3, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Even I will admit that this is all individual. Some guys refuse to date a girl who won't give it up one the first date because they don't want to deal with games or prudes. And each of my cousins' husbands have said that they don't judge women that way and they would have continued being with or seeing them even if they had slept together on the first date. They continued being with them because they liked them and then fell in love with them. If you don't like someone after having sex on the first date, it's because you wouldn't have liked them anyhow.
I don't advocate having sex before there is a commitment, but there isn't a guarantee either way.
That being said, I would also agree with being only with someone you can trust as getting an STD from someone can be really, and truly devastating to your health and social life - not only for you but for any children you might have.
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Anonymous November 3, 2012 at 3:49 PM
I went out with a guy two days ago. I met him last year and we had been texting/Facebook chatting a bit then but it never led to anything and we never went out. Then just last week, I saw something he put on Facebook and it led to a huge conversation in regards to politics and how alienated we both feel at the uni we go to for various reasons. We talked for hours and he asked me out. When we went out it was just amazing, we went to 3 bars, were out from 8:30 to 2 AM just talking about politics and people and life and our families and everything, we just clicked. I ended up going home with him, I felt really bad about it but I was a bit drunk and hadn't had sex for nearly a year. We didn't have sex but we messed around a good bit. We talked a lot and he said he really liked me, that he found me really interesting, complementing me so much and all this stuff and said that he wanted to see me again. Then right before I left, out of nowhere he said something to the effect of "girls are trouble... I'm scared because I find you really interesting... I need to be anti-social and get my grades up" or something. He hasn't called me since. I feel dumb because it's only been 2 days and he said he had a bunch of papers to write this weekend, but I just feel weird and I feel dumb that I went home with him and that I shouldn't have and I don't know...
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Anonymous November 6, 2012 at 2:46 PM
I call BS on this - at least in my case; all the 1st date fucking I've ever done has turned straight away into LTR's - the men get sprung on me - ALL of me; I'm highly selective in chosing my men - so I'm not tossing pussy around like a frisbee - but if there's a man I dig him and he's diggin' me too, I don't waste energy following some script. If I want to give him my goods that first night I do. If not, then nope - I never, ever use sex as a bargaining chip - now that's stupid!
Stupid is dating a guy, holding out for sex, then feeling used and lame when he splits after he finally gets to the holy grail. Bleh - lame. 9 times out of ten, I find it's usually turned out that those I've played the waiting game with lead nowhere - so if he's a massive pushy pussy hound I have to dangle pussy-carrots out in front of him to keep him interested, then what's the point?
I can't speak for the men and how they think about women and promiscuity - but seriously - if a woman knows how to pick 'em in the first place and puts that ohh-la-la (the pussy power) on that dude - he's hers...period.
It has never failed me ;)
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Anonymous November 6, 2012 at 3:05 PM
Its never failed you?, then how come none of these LTRs materalised into a lifelong partnership.
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M November 6, 2012 at 5:05 PM
A lot of people are holding out for the right person. If we cannot trust people who haven't been married for 30 years, we shouldn't follow this blog either. Andrew is not in a lifelong partnership, and who knows, maybe he has dismissed girls which could have been perfect, for ridiculous reasons. Maybe he'll never marry, should we discredit the entire blog?
We take the advice which sounds sensible anyway, even if there is no 'proof' it works.
I agree with the post, but I don't think it's always that black and white. I think men try to link fucking on the first date up to promiscuity because they have very few ways of finding out how slutty a woman is. In reality, a lot of girls have sex on the first date if they like the guy enough - once or twice in their lives - and don't necessarily have high numbers. It is the case for most of my friends.
It's a good rule to try and follow, to not fuck on the first date. But if you have, it won't really matter with the right guy. A disturbing number of long-term couples I know had sex the first time they met.
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Anonymous November 27, 2012 at 6:07 PM
Girl has it going on ..
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Anonymous November 8, 2012 at 3:58 PM
I like this post, but I don't know why men never admit that a lot of this is related to jealousy. Men are more sexually jealous than women (territorial, rather than emotionally jealous), and a lot of these feelings are due to men being extremely uncomfortable with the idea of their girl with another man. Since jealousy is such a negative word and most people will do anything to avoid being seen as jealous, it is usually avoided.
Don't get me wrong - I agree with "don't fuck on the first date" and I agree that a woman who wants a quality husband should try to keep her number down.
But I wonder if you see - as a man - that the men who are most vocal about "whores" and "sluts" are those that are unsuccessful with women? You mentioned that men with high numbers are more likely to be lenient, but I'm not talking about promiscuity or sexual attitudes, but rather men whom are UNABLE to get laid. They develop anger towards women, and the fact that women (on the whole) not only don't want them, but are sleeping with other men, make things a lot worse.
I know a lot of guys are angry with feminism because they are still unable to get laid, whereas women can get both quality and quantity without getting judged for it (at least within reason), and the only way to make it 'fair' again, is to try and start the slut shaming. My impression is that to a lot of men, it's not about their personal opinion of a woman's value decreasing, as much as a fight for justice. Surely you have observed this as well?
This is perhaps more related to sexual history than sex on the first date. Most people know that 'good things don't come easy', so I am sure a man's interest will often decrease after sex on the first date. But in regards to number count - my observation is that most men care very little when they are very interested in a woman.
Again, I agree that promiscuity is an evil for women. Point is, I like the blog because it's not so 'politically correct', and I wish for it to be as honest as possible, because sometimes it seems to blame women a little too much.
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Anonymous November 10, 2012 at 11:37 PM
As a girl (I'm 22) that isn't promiscuous this article is understandable. Many females do not understand thar a man will not marry a slut. Although I'm not saying that it doesn't work both ways. If a guy tries to fuck me on a first date, I instantly become uninterested. Just like said above, if he's doing this this early with me how many others has he done this with and succeeded. That thought then leads me to wonder if his goods are clean or not. I want a man that's not a whore just like a man doesn't want a slut.
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Anonymous November 11, 2012 at 1:52 AM
I agree. A while ago I started dating a man that had quite a sexual history although he didn't tell me right away. I appreciated his honesty however the revelation changed the entire dynamic of the relationship.
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Anonymous November 17, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Do you have any suggestions on how to handle those situation where you want to ensure that he is dating you for the right reasons without discouraging him?
I have always practiced this rule that I don't pick up if a guy calls too late. If it's past midnight, especially on a Friday/Saturday, I usually ignore it.
But do you suggest waiting for a new initiative or texting back at an appropriate time the next day?
If you've been to dinner a few times and want to keep the dinners going, not just 'hang out'. Can I "hint" in that direction? Do guys actually pick up at hints at all? I still wait for his initiatives 2 months into dating, and am sensing it's discouraging him a bit.
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Anonymous November 18, 2012 at 10:31 PM
This topic is very relevant to me right now. I am a guy who has been only in a handful of serious long term relationship for the past 17 years. I had was affected by some sort of complex feeling that it was disrespectful on my part to try to approach women physically at early stages, not just the first date, but perhaps the first few. Only later I realized that most of them got offended or felt insecure and unwanted just because I was so disciplined to control my natural impulses.
Those experiences scarred me to the point that I learned the hard lesson and at the next dating opportunities I became very proceptive. One day I met a woman, who must have found me as sexually attractive as I found her. I did not have any long term interest in her and that made it easier for me to be assertive and thinking that it would be just fun.
It was a totally new and intense experience overall but not very much fun sexually. Indeed sexually was kind of a let down perhaps because I think great sex requires knowing eachother well physically and it may take a bit more time and interest. But to my surprise the whole sleeping together experience (I barely slept that night while she did soundly) made me emotionally incredibly vulnerable. I could not believe I could get so easily attached to a woman so quickly, basically in a matter of hours. The next day we kissed and she left. For a couple of days we exchanged some communications as if everything was going normally until she completely stopped responding and I never saw her again. I was crushed and it took me a few weeks to fully recover emotionally. This experience made me realize how vulnerable I was and how my perspective must have been very close to a woman perspective in the same situation. I realized also how lucky I was that she disappeared like that because I rationally knew she was not good news for me but I would not have easily escaped the emotional hijacking created that night.
It made me ponder on the fundamental reasons behind the conventional wisdom of all the traditional taboos surrounding sexuality. Is it possible that someone at some point realized how easy (and perhaps socially and ethically despicable) would be for a woman to use sex as a tool to get the partner she wants? If there was not such a taboo and stigmatizing of certain women on the men's part is it possible that women would have too much selective power over men tipping the balance required to have the best mating strategies for our species?
I am not trying to push any agenda or be judgemental here on one side or another, I am just trying to increase my understanding of what happened to me and the mechanisms at play behind the scenes of evolutionary biology and the criteria behind some rooted rules of social acceptance.
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Anonymous November 19, 2012 at 1:01 PM
I just met a guy about a week ago at my part-time job (retail) and he was very flirtatious at the time as I assisted him with picking out an outfit; we exchanged phone numbers; went out two days later; (1st Date) and invited him to my home for dinner; he THEN noticed my body when I took off my jacket and to his surprise I am built like a damn coke bottle; he claims he didn’t noticed prior (at work) because of the type of clothing that I had on; but he claims at that point he became extremely sexually attracted to me; Night 3- (2nd Date) we meet up again and he comes over and we spends the night- we DID NOT have sex; however, we got very close to it and stopped. Well a couple nights later we hang out again, Concert, club and back to my house (3rd Date)- He claims that he initiated the touching and feeling and once again I stopped him; so the next morning he wakes up with an attitude and leaves! So, he later states that his frustration is that we talk or exchange sexual innuendo, we do the touching and feeling but when it gets to that point I always (2 times) stop him. I asked him what were his intentions in my regard; do you desire to just have sex with me or do you desire something more? He said he didn’t know; and that couldn’t be determined in a week- and that we needed to stop talking dirty, flirting etc if I wasn’t prepared to have sex with him. Haha! Wow…
So my thoughts are I am not in the business of having sex on the first date; nor am I simply looking for a sex partner (I have plenty of those) I desire to have something more than that.. Am I wrong for making him wait? Or should I just move on?
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Andrew November 19, 2012 at 2:24 PM
Nope, I think you are right to make him wait. Otherwise he is liable to nail you then move on. If he moves on because you won't have sex with him, he isn't worth your time anyway, so it isn't really a loss.
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Anonymous November 26, 2012 at 5:57 PM
doesn't it also makes sense that if he moves on because you WILL have sex with him then he isn't worth her time also?
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Andrew November 26, 2012 at 7:02 PM
Not necessarily. If he moves on because he thinks she is a slut, I think he is justified in doing so. Men want women who will be faithful to them someday, and if she acts promiscuously now, it isn't unreasonable to assume that she will be less inclined to be faithful someday. And even if she isn't inclined to cheat once she commits, men don't want to know that dozens of other men have fucked their wife. That is humiliating. We want to know that we were - at least to SOME degree - an exception for her, someone she valued more than other men, and was willing to give herself sexually to.
Now, all this is to say that when a girl gives sex easily to a guy, he will suspect that she is giving sex easily to other guys too. In other words, they will assume she is a slut. We know that women who fuck on the first date don't know enough about us to REALLY know that we are something special. Anyway, this assumption (founded or not) that she is a slut undermines the above-described desire to have "won" her intimacy.
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Anonymous November 27, 2012 at 6:58 AM
Any man who is past the age of 16 and still sees women within the confining binary of madonna/whore. .eg "slutty". .is definitely not a guy I would want to waste time with. . how pedestrain to think in such terms!
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Anonymous November 20, 2012 at 12:57 PM
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Anonymous November 25, 2012 at 3:21 PM
I met my husband as a one night stand but it turned out that we actually lived across the road from each other and we were together for 16 years. My philisophy was then (and is now) that if I want to screw him on the first date - I will - and if he can't or won't deal - his loss. I don't need or want a guy who judges me badly against his own - same behaviour. In all my relationships I have had sex pretty quickly, I have never held back to be thought of as 'gf/wife' material. Who wants a 'good girl' anyhow? ppffttt.
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Unknown November 25, 2012 at 9:33 PM
Interesting. I turn down many more than I accept, and when I turn them down, I have no future interest in them. But once in a blue moon along comes a guy that I think is amazing and we have sex by our second meeting. In my case I have actually reserved myself for someone I feel is really great and I'm not crazy about playing the "rules" and making him wait. I've never been dumped after a sexual encounter, so maybe I've just got good taste. But what you are saying is in general men wouldn't assume I've been discerning. Food for thought.
i've heard the slut tag isn't as problematic if she's higher on the beauty scale, what are your thoughts on this?
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Andrew November 26, 2012 at 9:21 AM
This might be true but only in the sense that neither is the "idiot" or "boring" tag as problematic. It'd be like saying a man's "whimp" or "asshole" tag isn't as problematic if he makes a ton of money. It might be true, but it doesn't mean he is any less of a whimp or asshole, it just means those negatives are dwarfed by a bigger positive. Likewise, she might be just as much of a slut, but her attractiveness drawn attention away from that fact.
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Anonymous November 26, 2012 at 1:30 AM
Oh. . absolutely. . i'm not saying to jump into bed with any willing guy - far from it. I just think that if I want to then I will or rather that I won't say 'no' just to entice him to see me again.
Beauty is important to guys but as we all know, it's not everything (ever seen the film 'Too beautiful for you"?) - chemistry has to be there and I think guys actually like a woman who knows her own mind/body and isn't interested in playing games. There is always a 2-step to the building of a relationship, if he doesn't call for 2 days then you don't answer for another 2 - and yes, this is a game but that is about showing that you demand respect which is a slightly different thing (I think). My feeling is and has always been, if you can't handle my sexual desires, if they threaten or intimidate you in any way or, you are inclined to judge me on them then .. I am not interested in spending any long time with you - it doesn't always work but the guys that judge are narrow minded and tedious and looking for something I have no interest in being. :)
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Anonymous November 26, 2012 at 3:04 AM
Also, my ex .. the one I was with for 16 years - he left his 'nice' fiance of 2 years in less than 7 days to be with me. Destiny/fate/attraction don't play bt the rules I guess :)
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Anonymous November 27, 2012 at 2:48 AM
Beside religion, I think sex is also about different cultures in different countries. Especially for mostly Asian people who still stick with sex after marriage. This is the big problem when Asian people fall in love with non Asians or non Asians fall in love with Asians. So I think there must be deep understanding to wait until marriage or the relationship will never work. Any thought how to make it works ?
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The Hypergamous Mindset December 3, 2012 at 3:39 PM
This whole post is stupid! My fiance whom I'm been with for three years may not agree with you on this.You see, I meet him in a club when I was on vacation, and he went down on me that first night we met. If your idea of sex is the same as mine then yes I'd say we fucked on the first date although it wasn't actually a date. The guy I was with before that, well I waited months before I had sex with him and he still screwed me over in the end.
Also my girlfriend met her husband when she was a guess at his restaurant and they fucked in the bathroom stall the first time they met. Now they are happily married and they just recently had a baby. And this is a true story. So I really don't get the point you're trying to make here in this post. I'm confused, and if I didn't know any better, I would say it was the classic pot calling the kettle black. Because it's only a guy who sleeps around a lot or is probably insecure or has a huge ego would say that a woman losses value when she fucks on the first date.
To be honest, I really don't think you're fit to give women advice. So please don't quit your day job.
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Andrew December 3, 2012 at 4:19 PM
So because it didn't apply in two situations, it MUST be wrong.
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The Hypergamous Mindset December 4, 2012 at 9:52 AM
BINGO! And and that was just only 2 situations, I can think of at least half a dozen.
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Anonymous March 2, 2013 at 7:09 PM
Congrats for having a group of promiscuous friends that marry easy women! People have written books in agreement with Andrew's logic, not yours. But it is because most women want to have men with standards and vice versa. Not all of us are okay with fucking a guy in the bathroom stall to start a relationship. It is not a mature start to a relationship, even for those that it works out for. Maybe your friends are all superficial enough to be happy with a marriage based on sex alone?
Really? Your criticism is hilarious. Maybe you should start a blog. Tell women to go to clubs and spread their legs for oral sex with any guy...one of them will surely be their husband. Bingo!
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Anonymous December 4, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Oxytocin, the bonding hormone. It clouds women's objectivity when assessing a partner's worth. I blame that. It takes awhile to get to know a person. If you sleep with them and you liked it, you fall in love with them whether they have any character or not. That's when you get attached to players and a-holes and shitty situations. The fact we want sex, and then get attached to the sex object, is what leads women into settling for losers. Chemicals.
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Anonymous December 4, 2012 at 6:31 PM
I wonder now, If a girl lets a man to eat her out on a first date but doesn't fuck him is she still considered to be a slut in his eyes?
See I am one of those girls who genuinely love sex, however I am quite aware that I am an emotionally needy hypochondriac and therefore I don't give up to a man easily. Ive been called a tease so many times by so many men that I don't really know if I should stay this way. I never had a one night stand but I had plenty of players trying to get into my pants who just simply wouldn't take me seriously no matter for how long they stick around...
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Anonymous December 20, 2012 at 6:36 AM
What is your view on girls who make out with guys that are just friends. The guys know the girl won't sleep with them, but like to make out for fun anyway. Will the guys see her the like what you talk about in this post? Or do guys only feel this way when it comes to sex?
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Andrew December 20, 2012 at 9:56 AM
Good question. Kissing - at least in the US - is far more casual and not as much of a big deal. Maybe if you are very young (teens) kissing might be a little more serious; but in your twenties, it isn't going to earn you a label as "Easy" or earn his disrespect.
That being said, there is another good reason not to run around making out with tons of dudes: one of the two of you is bound to like the other more, and will want to turn "just kissing" into dating or a relationship, so someone will always end up hurt.
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Anonymous January 1, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Me and this guy (let's call him josh) have been messing around; making out, feeling each other up, just having fun, but never sex. The furthest we got was hand jobs. We arent "together" but he acts interested in me. When we aren't around each other, he messages me and stuff. I usually am pretty good at determining whether a guy likes me or not, and I was thinking that he did...until something weird happend. Me and josh went to his house, it was the first time I've bet been there. On the way there he said he hoped his brother wasn't there. Well he was. He left soon after me and josh got there. Well me and josh messed around for an hour or two and then we left. In the car, he asked me why I didn't have a bf...typically, in my experiences, this is a sign he likes me or wants to ask me out. Well that night he texted me saying that his brother "thought I was cute, and he wanted my number to talk to me or possibly date me." and then proceeded to ask me of I wanted to text him. I've known josh for about six years but we just recently started actually talking. While we were making out, he said If I were to have sex with him, he would probably ask me to be his gf. Well I didn't have sex cause we're just friends and I'm not that kind of girl, I want it to actually mean something. Also, after he asked me why I didn't have a bf, I asked why he didn't have a gf. He said he had trusting issues. He was cheated on before and now it's hard to trust. I can't say I have feelings for him, but im just confused about it all. Most guys, if they liked a girl, wouldn't tell them that and ask if they wanted to talk to their brother..
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Anonymous January 1, 2013 at 12:28 PM
This was the first time I met his brother.
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Anonymous January 1, 2013 at 11:39 PM
My opinion is u already tasted "josh" it would be so disturbing u dating the brother I think is a test
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Anonymous January 1, 2013 at 11:33 PM
I'm so frustrated so I really like this guy we had a blind date like 7 months ago I did not work months later on a party I saw hin we started talking and we agreed tl go out it didnt happened so later I found out he was my friends new roomate and on a get together we met again we talked all night I got really really waisted so I slept with him... then it happened a second time again I was drunk .... he hasn't call me or anything do u think I still have a chance of something serious
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Aspen January 10, 2013 at 10:59 AM
It is logically impossible for women on average, to have fewer partners than men...
It will always be a 50/50 split (on average). It's common for women to be promiscuous, realize that it's a wrong strategy and then smarten up before giving up the goods.
If female readers of this blog heed Andrew's advice, then there will be plenty of men who will commit to these "reformed women of virtue". I think lots of girls don't reveal their full sexual history, so it's not as easy as men think to distinguish between a slut and a non slut. And mathematically speaking, there is no demarcation between the two.
There's also difference between sleeping with 10 different men on a first date (slut) and having 10 different boyfriends over a period of 10 years (not a slut). But of course, this is often irrelevant to men.
That's why men don't need to know all the details. They are happier deluded in believing you are "pure(ish)". And women shouldn't feel bad that they aren't being honest because in reality, it is a harsh double standard that won't go away.
I'm one of the "reformed" ones, but hee, hee... you would never know....
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Anonymous January 13, 2013 at 5:04 PM
"There's also difference between sleeping with 10 different men on a first date (slut) and having 10 different boyfriends over a period of 10 years (not a slut). But of course, this is often irrelevant to men."
NOTE: "sleeping with 10 different men on a first date"
What kind of logic is that? Comparing the period that the slut takes to do 10 one night stands to ten non-slut years?
I guess that it will take the slut about 50 days to do 10 one night stands, probably less. Now, guess how many dudes that same slut will degrade herself with in ten years.
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Anonymous January 13, 2013 at 3:07 PM
So ideally speaking, a woman should wait until a man has declared exclusivity before sleeping with him. It is the safest thing for her to do, although I don't know anyone who has practiced it, and I am sure you know most young people don't do that today (otherwise I assume you wouldn't have created the post "Don't fuck on the first date" - urging women to wait at least beyond that).
I slept with this guy around the 5th date. I felt very sure of his interest and couldn't wait any longer. But we haven't discussed exclusivity (or I haven't brought it up).
What are the 'rules' along the way when you're, as in this situation, dating someone? Right now I haven't heard from him in 8 days. Another guy has asked me out for a drink tomorrow night. I will not kiss or get intimate with anyone as long as things are open with the other guy, but I do find it unfair if I am forced to sit and wait inside when a man doesn't get back to me in over a week.
Is it okay to go and get a drink with another guy in a situation like that?
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Anonymous January 13, 2013 at 3:22 PM
OF COURSE its okay to get a drink with the other guy. You should. Frankly, a week is kinda a long time to not be in touch, especially since you have just stared to get intimate. Frankly, I would not be surprised if the guy you slept with is seeing other people too. I don't mean to scare you, it just seems that if he is not contacting for a week he is not signalling to you that he is trying to be exclusive. You should look out for you. Go out with this new guy and try to genuinely have a good time.If you really like the other guy you might want to tell him (when he contacts you) that you like him and you would like to become exclusive. If he says no, then tell him that that's fine but you don't want to have sex with someone who does not want to commit in an exclusive relationship. So you can continue dating but not have sex again until he commits.
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Andrew January 14, 2013 at 7:40 PM
Yeah, go for the drink. A week is way too long. If he was serious about you, you'd have heard from him within a couple days, barring extreme circumstances.
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Anonymous January 14, 2013 at 8:50 PM
I should add that we've slept together many times, and have been actively going out for around 3 months. I always let him initiate contact, and he asks me out to dinner etc. He fulfills all of the 'green flags', i.e. the opposite of the red flags you posted.
I don't know what this is about - maybe he simply changed his mind or suddenly met someone also.
In a situation where a guy has been silent for too long and then gets back to you - what to you suggest the response should be? It has happened before and it may happen again and I feel like I sometimes come across as an angry bitch, but at the same time am in the right to express my discontent. Would you go as simple as "I'm really disappointed I haven't heard from you in a week and I don't want a half-assed relationship"?
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Anonymous January 14, 2013 at 8:51 PM
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Anonymous January 15, 2013 at 7:35 AM
Dear anonymous: If you have been actively going out together for three months and you never ever show some initiative, my guess is that he has gotten bored with you and don't think you are very interested after all, that is what my male friends tells me. They are fine initiating but when the woman never shows any initiative efter after they have been going out for quite a while, they assume that she is not all that into them. And they move on to someone else.
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Anonymous January 15, 2013 at 9:06 AM
This is why I'm torn on the subject/post "Don't initiate contact". I do think I have lost some good men following that rule.
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Anonymous January 14, 2013 at 10:59 AM
Chicks that give it up on the first date, slut is a harsh word but think about it, a chick opens her legs and anyone would jump in there ANYONE don't have to work at it, buy any drinks, take out for tea... don't have to do anything, anyone would jump in there... , a man could whip out his dick that doesn't guarantee him anything 9 times out of 10 probably get called a slut or pervert... but girls think its the same somehow. cant you see the difference?
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Anonymous January 14, 2013 at 5:59 PM
I have a problem. I'm REALLY REALLY slutty. How do I stop? I just love to fuck but I also want to find love.
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Andrew January 14, 2013 at 7:42 PM
No, I'm kidding, but I get the impression you are too. I suggest getting a boyfriend or a really good vibrator.
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Anonymous January 15, 2013 at 12:11 AM
I wasn't kidding at all but thanks anyway. I do have the jackrabbit and it hits all the spots but it's not the same as a real cock. There's no hope for me I guess. I like fucking around too much.
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Anonymous January 15, 2013 at 4:52 AM
You're watching way too much Sex and the City.
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Anonymous January 20, 2013 at 5:56 PM
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Andrew January 20, 2013 at 8:26 PM
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Anonymous January 26, 2013 at 1:03 PM
Glad I came across this posting. I've been single almost 2 years. Prior to that, I had been in an 8 year relationship. My child and job kept me busy and when I had sexual urges, I'd just whip out the old dildo and get to work. I'm approached a lot but haven't had that spark/chemistry until recently. I could "get-off" but I missed the touch of a man. This guy intrigued me so much mentally that I had an immediate sexual attraction to him so I prolonged our first encounter because I knew I would want to jump his bones (we met online). I met other guys online but it was always in a public place and we always left separately. But this guy.....I met him at his house (thank goodness I am alive)...he cooked for me and everything. When he hugged me and started kissin me, I didn't want to stop. It had been so long since being touched like that. He asked if it was ok and if I wanted to. Long story short, we screwed all night. He's called me everyday and we've seen each other at least 6 times in the last 2 weeks. However, I still have this thing in my head of what he thinks of me sleeping with him the first night because so many people say this is a big NO NO. Also, guys won't actually tell you what they really think about u. The sexual chemistry is great but I don't know if I've ruined my chances of being a potential mate. How do you KNOW what category you've fallen into with a guy? I could ask him...but then I don't want to appear as if I'm forcing a relationship on him and if it is just sex I don't feel he will actually tell me. Darn it! I hate all these rules and mind games.........
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Hills February 9, 2013 at 6:38 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
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Anonymous March 2, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Hey Andrew, I actually slept with a guy acquaintance on the first date. We had been talking more and more when we saw each other at university. He just texted me to take me out to a movie. I got a little flirty on drinks thereafter, and I guess I took up his offer because I didn't see a future.
He actually treated me like a boyfriend thereafter, cuddled the whole night and morning. I sort of pushed him away that night by telling him that he wasn't my type long-term (in a nice way), so he never called me next morning. But we continued to be friends. He came out to my birthday with my friends, whom he doesn't know. And then, I sort of asked if he wanted to hang out. So, we are going out next week, a month after this all happened.
What should I make of this? I know that I screwed up. I just didn't think that I would want to be in a relationship with him. Now, I am not sure. He seems to be excited about going out with me again. But now I don't know what his motives are? He was my first, and he knows it.
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Anonymous March 9, 2013 at 6:26 AM
I met a guy (who goes to my university) at a bar, had sex with him and he added me on facebook the next day, tried talking to me a bunch of times and even asked me to go for coffee that weekend. I said no and that I was just looking for fun. The tables can be turned...
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Anonymous March 9, 2013 at 9:41 AM
True. I also think that some women might go below their league if they're only looking for fun. I know I have. I wouldn't say there was anything wrong with those guys (I would never think such a thing) but the only reason I knew I could get away with sleeping with them without developing feelings was because I knew that I'd factored them out as relationship potential. I don't sleep around any more because I thought to myself, "Why am I doing something so intimate with people I don't respect as much?".
I too have come across men who act as if they can shag with no feelings but actually suppress that instinct just as much as some women do. Contrary to what some people say, not all men have the desire or are able to have no-strings-attached sex with a stranger. I don't believe the argument that men are necessarily more promiscuous than women. And they can be taken for fools as well. I have girlfriends who've slept with men who clearly wanted more but have just pulled out the right words to get them into bed.
Casual sex though is poor alternative to sex with someone who really loves you and I think it works that way for both men and women. Personally I'm turned off by men who are more promiscuous as relationship partners. I know I sound like a hypocrite but I had to sleep with enough of them to make sense of the type of men who want to sow their wild oats - and really they are the men who are, more often than not, the least emotionally available: serial cheaters, losers, and narcissists. At the same time, I was having casual sex because I wasn't emotionally available and wanted to get my rocks off without the hassle of a relationship. I don't blame the men around me for being turned off by that. Men aren't just turned off for the 'slutty' aspect but because they can sense insecurity issues in a woman who puts out that much. Men are more intuitive than we give them credit for.
So I've learnt a lot from my slightly messed-up past. To advise anyone else: not having sex on the first date is just about being strong in your convictions. The men who are players can sniff out women who aren't or can be easily persuaded otherwise. Have some integrity and make sure that your words match your actions. As Andrew said elsewhere on this blog, if self-control isn't something you have developed yet, it's best to avoid situations which enable something to happen.If you set general ground rules, then you're less likely to be swayed by specific circumstances. Most men truly interested in a woman would not move as quickly as the first date.
Another big warning to anyone who doesn't already know - definitely avoid the men who talks themselves up. They are always bad news, and that trait is pretty magnified by players. Not sure if there is a post on players but would love to read some more tips on how to filter men properly. A lot of the time I've fallen at the first hurdle by picking the wrong men - and then it doesn't really matter what I do in the relationship because it was never meant to be.
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Anonymous March 29, 2013 at 11:40 AM
To say all males are "players" looking for sex and all females are prudish and careful is like saying all Black people commit crimes or all White people are executives.
Sure, as a tendency, men TEND to be more pernicious. But I think a sizable minority of both populations display the opposite tendency.
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Anonymous March 29, 2013 at 11:42 AM
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Anonymous May 16, 2013 at 11:05 AM
Happily, less and less men possess this puritanical and outdated mindset. I had sex with my husband on our first date and we've been together ever since. (12 years) But then again my husband isn't a knuckle-dragging caveman with archaic beliefs and gender double standards.
When I was single and dating, I was always in control of when I had sex. First date, second date, third date, or maybe never. It was my call, along with the man's.
Someone else's judgment of my actions was *their* issue, not mine. If a man was fine with pulling down his pants and Fing me on a first date then he turned around and harshly JUDGED ME for reciprocating, then he was a hypocritical douche bag and I didn't want to date him long term anyway. I had no time for idealistic little boys.
That's why my husband won the prize and he's still getting the juicy stuff as much as he wants it and how ever he wants it. He's a cool guy and not some asshat who cart blanche judges women for being in control of their sexuality.
Grow up, men. Just because she has sex with you on the first date doesn't mean she does it with everyone. If you really like her and you can't handle first date sex, then grow a pair and YOU be the one to hold back.
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Sophie May 26, 2013 at 12:28 PM
"It is a matter of quality versus quantity, and I think there is a lot to be said for both, to the point that I am not convinced that either one is an advantage – they are just corollaries of the same phenomenon."
The idea that this is fair for both sexes is only true for the lower leagues. If a woman is of a higher league, say a 9 or a 10, there will be hardly any men above her league to enjoy, even for a fling. The men IN her league have options, they can also fuck around without consequences (or so it seems). It is very hard to make the men in her league settle down when they have options, and there are very few she'll find it worth it having casual sex with, and even if she did she will (according to you) be judged for it.
So no, these are not corollaries of the same phenomenon. A higher league man will, even according to your estimates, have huge advantages over a higher league woman. This is why women get upset over this double standard. Naturally this especially concerns top tier women, who feel like their only option to avoid men who won't commit or high status men who's going to cheat, is to settle for someone below their league, which means they are not advantaged at all.
I don't disagree with the logic behind the argument of a sexual double standard. I'm just saying it's false to claim that it isn't leaving a many women at disadvantage, and that they do in fact have a reason to be upset.
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Anonymous June 9, 2013 at 7:33 AM
I completely agree that you shouldn't have sex on the first date. However, in response to the rest of your post, this - "A woman is judged negatively for having promiscuous sex because it takes no skill or effort on her part; all that is required is her assent. There will never be a deficit of sexually willing and attractive men from which she can select if she chooses. A man, on the other hand, has to be highly gifted or skilled in order to get women of his own caliber into bed." - is COMPLETELY not true. It's not like all the men in the world are just waiting for a woman to give her little nod of approval and she can have whoever she wants. It's also not true that men have to set out on some treacherous and near-impossible quest just to have a shot at a fair maiden or something, either. Pop culture is quite fond of this myth, but I think it is important to realise that it is only a myth, and definitely NOT the truth!
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Helese TALKS! June 10, 2013 at 2:58 PM
I would like to invite everyone to read an article showcasing the research that has been done on human sexuality, monogamy (are humans really monogamous? the short answer, no, and based on sex drive women are less suited to be) and women's sex drive. I didn't need research to tell me that I love variety and I don't thin of my pussy as a prize, it can't be given away, and the way we think of sex has way more to do with CONDITIONING than anything else. I'd like to explore the notion of wether or not a man sees you as wife material (certainly based on this paradigm) isn't necessarily desirable, especially of one of the requirements is to pretend or come as you don't have sex as often or with as many ppl as the guy. Men need to grow up. There are men who think differently. Trust me, they're out there. www.helesetalks.wordpress.com
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Helese TALKS! June 10, 2013 at 2:59 PM
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Anonymous June 12, 2013 at 1:59 PM
Fine then I'll wait few more dates to fuck. And just lie about the number of my sex partners. Fuck it !
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blaker999 June 17, 2013 at 12:29 PM
Another asshole topic from your typical southern California guy. NOTHING special about you Andrew. nothing. You will never get to be with smart women. You had better be satisfied with the dumb ones cause that's the only ones that won't notice what a dick you are. You are SUCH a tool. It's totally fine for you to want to fuck on the first date, so when she gives you what you wanted, she doesn't get to be with you anymore??? WOW! The worst hypocritical bullshit I've ever read. Man, it's a damn good thing I don't know where you have coffee. I'd get hired there JUST to poison you. You are a disgrace to the male species.
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blaker999 June 17, 2013 at 12:39 PM
OH and then there's this: Writer said;
"There is little risk for a man when it comes to sex: he doesn’t need to worry about pregnancy. Even if he is not using a condom, he can control when (and if not when, where) he ejaculates."
HOLY SHIT!! hahahaha!!! HE doesn't have to worry? hahahahah! All a gal needs to know is where you work or take your licence plate number and she can have the state garnishing your paycheck for that there pregnancy you stupid shit for brains! hahahahah!! He doesn't have to worry about pregnancy! hahahahahah!!!
Also, condoms are not even CLOSE to being 100% foolproof and pulling out or not ejaculating prevents pregnancy?? Are you fucking serious? hahahah!!! You didn't even look that one up at all did ya genius??? Usually, semen, (you know, the pre-ejaculate goo), will have enough sperm cells in it to get her pregnant you idiot. It only takes ONE! You make me sick to my stomach. Men need to worry MORE than women about pregnancy and here's why.... SHE will have ALL the control of that life in her belly. YOU will have no say in the matter most of the time. If she wants to keep that child, YOU'RE a daddy. period. My God this is a crap shoot. I hope these women realize you are an idiot and don't end up following your stupid ass advise.
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Anonymous June 17, 2013 at 6:53 PM
I agree whole heartedly with this blog(ger)!
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Anonymous June 17, 2013 at 6:55 PM
I am a woman and I myself have no respect for 'easy' women!
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Anonymous June 17, 2013 at 7:14 PM
And like my cousin would say ... "Your body is like God's temple. Don't abuse it ... treat it like sacred!"
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Anonymous June 21, 2013 at 7:56 AM
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Anonymous June 21, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Andrew, as a guy who likes to have sex with as many hot girls as possible, with as little effort as possible, I request that you shut up! Stop telling girls not to bang on first dates. Slutty women are a good thing for us. The more sluts the better!
It's like the ice cream truck is handing out free ice cream and you're trying to stop it haha.
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Anonymous June 21, 2013 at 5:07 PM
There are two type of girls: 1) those that know this and still want to fulfill their needs without attachment AND 2) those that think giving men sex will take it to the next level. Andrew is helping number 2. And you would probably be better off not sleeping with those girls anyway. Why would you want to sleep with someone under false pretenses? I mean, even if you want easy sex with hot girls. You should just find the ones that want what you want. There is no need to trick someone into sleeping with you. If you are that much of a player, you should step it up!
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Michelle June 24, 2013 at 8:17 PM
This idea is simplistically dualistic, but better understood in practice than in theory. I'm a an outgoing, young-acting woman in my late 30s, and get approached by younger men quite a bit. I'm very sexually driven and find these approaches flattering so I sleep with quite a few of them - but in addition to the mutual sexual desire I also don't expect anything to develop romantically, and that's what influences my decision. This is the thing - sex is great, and as long as there's mutual respect and safe sex, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it and no one should judge. But in practice, I've found that even though I do my damnedest to convince these hot young things that I don't want a relationship with them (I've been trying unsuccessfully to get a booty call situation going) I find inevitably once they've hit it, they disappear. Whether it's the biological drive to spread the seed or the messages they grew up with that nice girls don't have sex, that's what happens, with the exception of guys who may be travelling through or about to move overseas and there's a definite end point (It's definitely not because the sex isn't good! And I live in a very isolated country popular with tourists and most people in their 20s want to live overseas at some point.) When it comes to dating, on a first date, all bets are off. Even if you have a great date, think you're really compatible, feel a spark,see a future, he may not have the same experience you're having. Sex or no sex, you may never hear from him again. I don't think my sexuality is some kind of prize I need to hold out from a guy, but if I've met someone I feel like I could date exclusively and get serious about, it just feels natural to hold off from sex right away. It feels more natural to spend some more time getting to know him and if and when the sex happens it will be on a deeper level. When I really like someone I also feel very shy about sex, and I honor that. If this same type of guy was really going for sex on the first date it would be a definite turnoff and an indication that he's not really interested in me, just the sex. I have guy friends who go on dating sites to get sex, which is so tacky considering those women are probably looking for relationships! That guy you're on the date with could be like that too! So if you want to have sex, nothing wrong with that, but it may serve you to pause and think about your motivations. Are you doing it because you think he will like you more? Is he pressuring you? Are you using sex to block your insecurities about dating? None of the above and willing to take the risk that you won't hear from him again? If you're going in with awareness and a clear mind and can handle yourself - and you're after a hot night of sex with a hot guy that you can tell your friends about with no expectations, go for it and don't worry about the labels a rather unevolved "average" person will give you. There's nothing innate about promiscuity or sluttyness, they're just constructs.
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Apple seems struggling with its 5G iPhone launching as the 5G modem is not going to be ready soon. Due to a legal dispute with Qualcomm over patent royalties, Apple has moved to Intel 5G modem, known as, XMM 8160 5G modem. However, the deadline for the supply of modem is set for 2020. There is also a risk that the deadline can further be pushed back as Intel may not be able to supply the chips on time.
There are rumours about the talks between Apple and MediaTek for the supply of 5G modem, though MediaTek may not be able to supply the modems before 2020. Huawei is ready to offer 5G modems to Apple. Given the ongoing security-related bans on Huawei in the US, it is unlikely that Apple would accept the offer from its rivals.
All major phone manufacturers including LG, ZTE, Alcatel, Motorola, Sony, Oppo and OnePlus all have their 5G mobile phones ready to launch. Samsung has already launched its 5G S10 in South Korea. All these smartphones producers are equipped with the 5G modems to build by Qualcomm. Only Huawei has its chip known as Balong 5000 multi-mode 5G modem in its (Mate X) 5G mobile phone, which is also ready for launch in a few months.
Given that most 5G mobile phones would be launched this year, Apple will face some issues due to its late entry. Consequently, Apple 5G iPhone may lose some of the market shares to its competitors due to their early launches. The delayed launching of 5G iPhone may also result in switching some of its users towards other manufacturers.
Commodity Inside understands that the more it delays the lunch of 5G iPhone, the more it will lose in revenue. However, there would not be any substantial impact if at least Apple able to launch the model by September 2020. In extreme cases, Apple can also come up with its own modem, though it would require massive investment and a longer wait.
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The crowdfunding industry has experienced drastic growth in the past couple of years. Businesses and startups have seen the benefits of crowdfunding and have hurriedly welcomed the idea.
In this article, we will be speaking to a crowdfunding expert who works with the biggest crowdfunding agency, Ideazon.
When did the first crowdfunding campaign happen?
A British rock band was able to fund an entire reunion tour in 1997 entirely through online contributions from their fans. The band used the same tactic to finance their subsequent studio albums after raising a total of US$60,000 via the initiative.
The band had no idea that they were pioneering a modern fundraising concept at the time. The first successful online crowdfunding effort inspired thousands of others, paving the way for millions of individuals to successfully finance their own campaigns, a process made possible by the Internet’s accessibility and eventual technical advances.
Presently, where does the crowdfunding industry stand?
The crowdfunding industry has reached its pinnacle and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s difficult to predict what fundraising will be like in a few years.
According to a report from Technavio, the crowdfunding industry would rise by USD 196.36 billion between 2021 and 2025, with a CAGR of over 15%. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry, as well as the new opportunities and threats that market players can foresee, are also discussed in the paper.
The influence will be major in the first quarter, but will eventually fade in subsequent periods, with only a minor effect on full-year economic development. The global crowdfunding industry was estimated at $13.9 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow tremendously by 2026.
As a crowdfunding expert in Ideazon, what will you say is the future of crowdfunding?
First of all, I predict that there will be a transfer of authority. Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, and LendingClub, among the most common sites, should be concerned about the latest wave of platforms.
They’re developing brand-new approaches and will quickly catch up to the industry’s leaders. Also, Crowdfunding is used to represent the interests of small businesses and individuals who wished to try their hand at entrepreneurship.
From now on we can expect more major businesses and startups to use “the crowd” to try innovative market concepts and solicit input on future new goods.
What do you think the biggest challenges will be facing crowdfunding moving forward?
As companies began collecting money from Initial Coin Offerings, crowdfunding took on a new look (ICOs). Since Mastercoin’s initial coin offering in 2013, a slew of other cryptocurrencies has followed suit. These cryptocurrencies include Ethereum, Telegram, Bancor, and a slew of others.
The potential of initial coin offerings (ICOs) has risen dramatically, especially in 2017, when projects raised massive amounts of money in a matter of seconds. I and the entire Ideazon team expect to see more of this in the future.
Do you see the number of people crowdfunding increasing?
If big organizations are looking into crowdfunding, then it is certain that the number of people, businesses, and startups that will start crowdfunding campaigns will be on the rise.
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My name is Josh and I'm the blogger behind 60 Degree. I discuss all kinds of topics, but my main focus is business and investing. Numbers are what I'm good at, so these kinds of topics come easily to me.
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My name is Josh and I'm the blogger behind 60 Degree. I discuss all kinds of topics, but my main focus is business and investing. Numbers are what I'm good at, so these kinds of topics come easily to me.
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The 1981 film adaptation of the myth of Perseus starred Harry Hamlin, also known for his role in TV Series, LA Law, and actor-greats like Laurence Olivier and Dame Maggie Smith. The 2010 version also has some major names to back it up, like Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. When looking backward, the 1981 flick seems hokey in comparison with the CGI effects of the twenty-first century, but when viewing the '81 version in proper context, it was a decent movie with a good storyline. Good storylines always mean good writers. The 1981 version was written by Beverley Cross...who also happened to pen the screenplay for the 2010 version. Cross wrote screenplays for Greek-mythology classics like the 1963 version of Jason and the Argonauts--which may explain why Argos was such a focus in the 2010 version, along with a cameo from Athena's mechanical owl....
But Beverley Cross wasn't the only writer on the 2010 project...and you can tell. SO, while the 1981 version did a crack job of showing the motivation of the gods, including more than the cameo-roles in the 2010 version of gods like Athena, Aphrodite and of course, Hera--the twenty-first century version left that, along with other important details, on the cutting room floor. Women, in general, had a more prominent role in the 1981 version as opposed to the 2010 flick--and having it in 3D this time around doesn't make up for it.
Sam Worthington, also the star of Avatar (and another hot Aussie--big love to my Aussie peeps!), does a fine job as the angst-ridden, stubborn demi-god son of Zeus--adopted by a simple fisherman and his wife. I like Worthington's toughness--his attitude--reminds me a bit of another hot Aussie, Russell Crowe. I think this screenplay was too small for the large character that Worthington brings to the movie. There must be reels and reels of film on the cutting room floor because you can see the gaps in Worthington's character, and if you know your movies, you also know it has nothing to do with the acting. It was the same for ALL the characters--even the buffetted princess, Andromeda, played by Alexa Davalos, whom you may recognize from her stint as a tough-girl opposite Vin Diesel in Chronicles of Riddick (2007) or if you're one of my vamparazzi, from Whedon's Angel (2002-2003).
The character of "lo" was played by Gemma Arterton, who you'll see again if you go to Jake Gyllenhall's Prince of Persia, due out this year. You might also recognize Gemma from the 2008 007-flick, Quantum of Solace. I liked the insertion of this character--in terms of her kick-ass abilities without breaking a sweat and correcting the men who called Medusa a monster--in fact, Medusa was turned into a monster after Poseidon raped her by, believe it or not, Athena. Oh those crazy Greek gods...jealousy be thy name.
This film had its moments--great character actors like Cassiopeia (Polly Walker from SyFy's Caprica) had fleeting moments in the blazing sun of this scorched remake. And without giving away the ending...it's a typical close for a would-be Hollywood blockbuster.
In my humble opinion, the film is a 6.5-7 out of 10. If you like to see your action on the BIG screen and don't own an 82-inch TV yet, this may be worth your while--but don't bother with paying extra for 3D. See it in 2D. Why be disappointed for $10 a ticket when you can save two bucks and be disappointed for $8??? The disappointmnent comes in with the clippings on the cutting room floor--plenty of action but movies aren't just about giant scorpions and bubbling lava--it's the story that matters. Even a Titan-sized hero like Sam Worthington (one of the main reasons I didn't give this film a 4.5-5...) can't save this mediocre production. Director Louis Leterrier treated this film like one of his Transporter flicks...sorry, Louis--your film was missing that je ne sais quoi...better luck next time!
Hey, Warner Bros.! Why don't you hire me to consult on the screenplay and direction of your next big "blockbuster"??? You can't do much worse--and you can DEFINITELY do better. Go to my Contact Info page and I'll be happy to help! ;)
Next on my movie hit-list: Kick Ass and Losers...stay tuned!
I see the practice of blaming the victim for the crime is not new....
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About the Author
Rebecca Housel, Ph.D., known as "The Pop Culture Professor" (TM), is an international best-selling author and editor in nine languages and 100 countries. Rebecca, listed in the Directory of American Poets & Writers for her work in nonfiction, was nominated by Prevention magazine essayist and best-selling author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, to the National Association of Science Writers for her work on cancer. Rebecca has published with best-selling author of The Accidental Buddhist, Dinty Moore's literary nonfiction journal, Brevity, and with commercial publications like Redbook magazine and online journals like In Media Res. Her recent interviews appear in publications such as the LA Times, Esquire, USA TODAY, The Huffington Post, Inside Higher Ed, Woman's World magazine, and Marie Claire as well as on FOX news, and NBC. Former President of the New York College English Association, Housel was a professor in both Atlanta and New York, teaching popular culture, film, creative writing, literature, and medical humanities. Dr. Housel currently works on the Editorial Advisory Boards for the Journal of Popular Culture and the Journal of American Culture; she has also worked as a reviewer for Syracuse University Press and Thomson Wadsworth. A writer of all genres, Housel has written and published both fiction and nonfiction in over ten books and 398 articles, essays, book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia entries.
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Per Watercolor Community guidelines the maximum number of wristbands this home is allotted is 12 bands to access Watercolor amenities and community pool.
- Tons of outdoor living space
- 4 adult bikes
- 2 large porch bed swings
- Steps from Camp WaterColor's pool and playground
Guests staying in WaterColor will have access to the newly expanded WaterColor Beach Club. It features a new main pool and lounge area, second pool deck with additional lounge seating, and third pool with zero-entry, as well an enhanced WaterColor Grill, and new sunset bar, Costa Chica. All have scenic views of the Gulf of Mexico.
DETAILS: The very best of Watercolor living is all here in this beautifully decorated Camp District home at 65 Spartina Circle. This spectacular beach cottage offers the highest quality design, detail, and finish. You will discover a bright and open floor plan, and stunning features throughout. With multiple outdoor porches, including one screened and another with a fireplace, this home carefully blends the indoors with the outside. The beauty, simplicity and ease of this residence is truly inviting and comfortable for all. It's direct location fronting the beautiful Wood Fern Park is only a short distance to the Camp Watercolor pool, making this an ideal location.
Walking up to the front entrance, you will be enchanted by the welcoming front porch. Step inside to a large entry that spills into the light-filled living areas, all with custom contemporary finishes which embrace a slightly modern decor. A distinctive kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances, offers an island with prep sink, butler's pantry, wine refrigerator and more. From here, there is access to the side screened porch and deck, which provides gorgeous tree views all wrapped in a tranquil and peaceful setting. The expansive Great Room is the centerpiece of the first floor, and perfect for small gatherings or large scale entertaining.
Upstairs, the primary suite reveals two walk in closets, luxurious bath with large walk in shower and private patio. Guest rooms, one with built in bunk beds that sleep up to four, all have their own full bathroom as well as access to additional outside balconies that guarantee every family member has their own private space for relaxation and solitude. The beauty of this residence, including the surrounding natural environment, makes this a truly inviting retreat, while being close to all the amenities that WaterColor and the surrounding areas offer.
FIRST FLOOR
- Guest Bedroom: King Bed (2), Shared Bathroom with Shower Only
- Primary Bedroom: King Bed (2), Private Bathroom with Shower Only
- Guest Bedroom: King Bed (2), Private Bathroom with Shower Only
Weddings are not allowed at this home. If this policy is violated, you may be asked to vacate the property and forfeit any rental payments as well as be subject to HOA, community and 360 Blue fines.
Please note: Effective March 15, 2014, golf cart rentals in WaterColor must be made through The Electric Cart Company and will be limited to 80 vehicles throughout the community at any given time.
Amenities
Bicycles
5.0 out of 5 (13) Reviews
Walter :
Property Manager Response: We appreciate you taking the time to provide a rating. Thank you for choosing 360 Blue, and we hope to see you at the beach again soon!
October 28, 2022
pam : We stayed at 65 Spartina Circle and our house was wonderful! The location is right next to Camp Watercolor and close to Publix. I would recommend this house for those who enjoy being close to the green space and Camp Watercolor pool.
Property Manager Response: We are thrilled you had an excellent Labor Day in WaterColor, and we appreciate your recommendation. We hope to see you on 30A again soon; thank you for choosing 360 Blue!
September 8, 2022
Glee : Wonderful house and very well stocked. We have been staying on 30A for many years and the entire family think this is our favorite one.
Property Manager Response: We appreciate you sharing your experience and are delighted you found your perfect spot on 30A. We enjoy having you stay with us and hope to welcome you back soon. Thank you for choosing 360 Blue!
July 13, 2022
Will : They were very accommodating! We had an issue with Internet immediately after checking in but it was after hours when we finally noticed. They sent someone out right away and had it fixed after dinner! All the little kits in bathrooms, kitchen and laundry were a huge bonus mix
Property Manager Response: We are delighted you enjoyed your stay on Spartina Circle and appreciate you sharing your experience. We know how important the internet is and always fix the problem when we're able. We hope to see you in WaterColor again soon; thank you for choosing 360 Blue!
May 18, 2022
Christopher S: With four grandkids in the family now, we haven't had much time to spend together. We're so glad we booked our stay with 360 Blue in Watercolor. The house and location were perfect. Will not rent with anyone else if we come to 30A again. The add-on rentals for baby gear were also so helpful. Thanks 360 for giving our family wonderful memories together.
Property Manager Response: Christopher, We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us in WaterColor. We appreciate and value your feedback and we hope you can visit us again soon. Thank you for choosing 360 Blue.
September 27, 2021
Don S: We had such a WONDERFUL time staying at 65 Spartina Circle!!! The house is BEAUTIFUL, immaculate, comfortable, and in a perfect location!!! We all enjoyed the back porch looking out at the park and had our morning coffee there each day. This house is perfect in every way!!!
Property Manager Response: Don, We love hearing that you had a wonderful time during your stay with us in WaterColor. We appreciate your valuable feedback and we look forward to hosting you again soon. Thank you for choosing 360 Blue.
June 20, 2021
Laura K: We loved our stay!! House was wonderful & such a perfect location for us. Loved the access to the beach club also!! A couple suggestions: I called 360 to inquire if there was a pack n play before I rented a full size crib and I was told no but there were 2 in the house at arrival. I would definitely include that in your listing. Also, pot holders, pizza pan and pizza cutter would be great additions to the kitchen. Lastly, more wash rags! There were only 2 in each room resulting in the need to do multiple loads of towels over the course of the stay. We loved our stay and will be back!
Property Manager Response: What an adorable photo, Laura! Thank you so much for sharing. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay in WaterColor. We absolutely agree that this beautiful house is in a perfect location. We appreciate your valuable feedback regarding the pack n play, and we apologize for the inconvenience. In regards to the housewares and towels issue, our team does routinely conduct an inventory of housewares prior to each arrival, with a supply of new items being placed in the home before each arrival. For this reason, we ask that you please, in the future, contact our team if you are unable to find the items or towels that you need so that we may supply these for you in an effort to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Thank you for staying with 360 Blue and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
October 19, 2019
Anne D: Your home was the perfect place for our families to make precious memories. Thank you for the great communication and the most amazing vacation!
Property Manager Response: Anne, we are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay in WaterColor. We absolutely agree that a beach vacation is a perfect way to make beautiful memories with the family. Thank you for staying with 360 Blue. We hope to see you all again soon!
October 1, 2019
Nicki N: Another wonderful vacation for us! This house and location did not disappoint! Hands down the best house for our two family beach vacation! Close to the camp pool and backs up to the lawn and a wonderful tree for climbing! With Publix making grocery deliveries - this was a true vacation for all of us! This house had everything we needed and felt like a cozy home and not a rental, we could have moved right in! 360 blue goes above and beyond to make visits easy - we are customers for life!!!
Property Manager Response: What a beautiful photo of the kids! We are so delighted that you all enjoyed your time with us in Watercolor! We agree that this home is in a great location being close to the new Camp Pool and is a great spot to come together to enjoy some wonderful moments together. Thank you for staying with 360 Blue and for your kind words, we hope to see you all again very soon!
June 22, 2019
Heather E: We can't say enough wonderful things about 360 Blue and watercolor. We love this place and always receive the very best service from 360. This house is in a perfect location. Kids played out on the field every day!! Super convenient to the brand new Camp Pool (which is amazing!)!! We loved the multiple screened porches with swinging beds, and the spacious well appointed rooms! Thank you for a fabulous week! We will be back!!!
Property Manager Response: Heather, we are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay in WaterColor! We completely agree that this house is in a perfect location. The picture you provided is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for staying with 360 Blue and we hope to see you all again soon!
June 8, 2019
Lori C: We had a great time! The house is beautiful and was perfect for our group. We ended up with some cold weather and rain, but the covered fireplace on the back deck was great for hanging out.
Property Manager Response: We are so glad that you found this wonderful house to be exactly what you needed to enjoy your vacation to Watercolor! Thank you for staying with 360 Blue, we hope to see you again soon!
April 8, 2019
Tracy H: We had 3 adults, two teens, two small children, and an infant staying in this lovely house. Everything we needed was available in the house or easily provided by 360 Blue. We had minor issues with the hot water heater and the upstairs air conditioner, but both were addressed almost immediately by 360 Blue. We would definitely recommend this house and would rent here again. The proximity to the green space and main pool was perfect.
Property Manager Response: We are so thrilled that you all enjoyed your vacation with us in Watercolor and despite a few bumps in the road, this house was everything you and your family needed for a relaxing beach getaway! Thank you for staying with 360 Blue, we look forward to seeing you all again very soon!
March 17, 2019
Anna S: We had a wonderful stay at this property. This beautiful home and furnishings are upscale, comfortable and clean. The only drawback is the little or no closet/drawer space in the bedroom downstairs. Otherwise, perfect accommodations and great location. We'll definitely return to this property.
Property Manager Response: What a beautiful family photo. We love seeing those smiling faces! We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us, and that you found the property so comfortable! We appreciate you taking a moment to provide valuable feedback, and will pass your suggestions along! Thank you for choosing 360 Blue for your beach vacation. Be sure to come visit again soon!
July 11, 2017
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| 12,101 |
It warning sign is completely the exact opposite from what has already started indexed. Yet ,, it is definitely a yes signal you to must not be skipped. Talking sick-mannered away from his former spouse you can expect to completely show their genuine thinking on her. Most females believe just like the a guy trashes a lady, it means which they dislike her. However, basic facts-be-informed, it might extremely signify he’s got but really to respond to people issues that they have together with her. He might dislike the lady so much which he just cannot comprehend the thought that they’re not any longer two.
Possibly their old boyfriend has already been relationships some body the latest in which he has been doing by far the most terrible disposition since then. Hello! They are naturally envious, and you can envy is the top manifestation of having thoughts. The following is a situation: he could be nonetheless close friends, but the guy closes the fresh relationship once the she is in the an alternate matchmaking. In the event that he or she is simply friends together with her upcoming so it newfound like must not get the lower his body. Furthermore, the guy openly criticizes the brand new guy in some way. In the event that he have been totally on both you and dedicated to the connection, he then perform careless on his old girlfriend’s the new lover. Anyway, he as well have a special mate.
The last thing a person could perform are evaluate his current girlfriend to their earlier in the day girlfriend. You will find chose to end which record with the most obvious red-colored flag there can be online. Suggesting you to definitely she is actually thinner than just you, cooked better than you, or is actually so much more considerate than you show that he misses men and women things about the woman. He basically wants you had comparable features, characteristics, otherwise customs since the his history partner. If the the guy enables you to feel like you will be constantly contending facing their old boyfriend, up coming why put your self through that much strife? It can forever become a great tug-of-battle race anywhere between your are on your own and you will emulating her. At the same time, women will try and then make themselves arrive better than the previous wife to prove so you can the woman boyfriend one to this woman is “usually the one.” If this sounds like your, just help you to child be with the one to the guy naturally longs to own. You might be really worth more you to.
8 He is Usually Reminded out-of The woman
When the what you he notices otherwise does renders your think of the woman or some thing the guy and her i did so, work on! It is a large red-flag throughout the ways that he could be nevertheless in love with her. Sure, when they got a permanent dating there is Maryland singles a cafe it went to all round the day, however if he explains moment things that should not very incorporate to help you an ex boyfriend, you really need to bail before you could get as well deep.
nine The guy Will bring The woman right up during the Intimate Minutes
And that means you one or two could be getting sensuous and you can hefty very early, things are getting intimate and you will sexual, and then he claims this lady title-it is perhaps the biggest and most noticeable sign he or she is nevertheless in love with this lady! Manage far and you may quick! Get-out even though you have self-respect! Slashed things regarding At the earliest opportunity! Whichever method you place they, he or she is crazy about their. If you are kissing in which he begins these are one thing she i did otherwise ways she accustomed hug your one to the guy enjoyed, he or she is most surely nevertheless completely crazy about the woman if or not he admits they or not.
10 He Goes to The woman First
Even though it is cool they’re able to be friendly, if the they are looking at this lady to own suggestions otherwise attending this lady for advice on a career provide or other life switching skills, you really need to see he’s probably however in love with the woman-particularly if he’s going to the girl before he comes to your. Sure, early you do not predict him to want your suggestions on the what exactly, but there may started a time where you manage, of course, if he or she is familiar with planning the woman, you may be always likely to be second-rate.
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Statement of Purpose: In 1976 the College of William & Mary began the archaeological survey of the James Monroe Birthplace and uncovered the ruins of the Monroe Family Home. Unlike George Washington, whose Westmoreland birthplace is a now a National Park, Monroe did not leave the family farm at three years old. James Monroe spent his entire youth working the farm until he left for his education at The College of William & Mary. The archaeological team uncovered a 20' x 58' house foundation which coincided with the known 1845 etchings of the birth home. The archaeological study clearly indicated that James Monroe's beginnings were humble. The family resided in a small four room, rough cut wooden farm house with few outbuildings on a 500 acre farm filled with wetlands.
In 2001 Susan Nelson- Warren Byrd Landscape Architects of Charlottesville were commissioned by the County of Westmoreland, Virginia to prepare a master plan for a multi-phase development of James Monroe's Birthplace site. The county's desire was to create a unique, economical, and attractive park that celebrates the birth and life of our nation's fifth president under the 2nd U.S. Constitution, James Monroe, while providing passive recreation for the local residents.
In order to meet these desires, the county wanted the master plan to provide general design strategies for the construction of a roadside parking area, installation of interpretive signs, archaeological interpretation, the development of bicycle and walking trails, and any other improvements deemed necessary and desirable. An outstanding Master Plan was developed by Susan Nelson- Warren Byrd Landscape Architects in October 2001, and much of the text and illustrations shown below are drawn from that 2001 Master Plan.
The site and the restoration of the birthplace, now part of a new master plan, was brought to the attention of the James Monroe Memorial Foundation's President G. William Thomas. Laurence Gouverneur Hoes and his wife, Ingrid Westesson Hoes, established the James Monroe Memorial Foundation (JMMF) in 1928. Laurence Hoes, the great-great-grandson of James Monroe, had always hoped for the JMMF to acquire the farm and reconstruct the Monroe Family Home, barn and outbuildings as an interpretive venue highlighting the modest beginnings of a great U.S. President.. On April 4th, 2005, the County of Westmoreland signed a 99 year lease with the James Monroe Memorial Foundation which will allow the Foundation to restore the Birthplace farmhouse, establish an educational visitor center, and remain the faithful steward of the Birthplace farm.
The reconstruction of the James Monroe Birthplace farmhouse and related buildings will cost in excess of $500,000. The James Monroe Memorial Foundation is currently raising the money and expects to break ground on July 5, 2006 (174th Anniversary of Monroe's death). The House is scheduled to be completed by April 2007. President George W. Bush will be invited to do the official commemoration on April 28th, 2008 the 250th anniversary of James Monroe's birth.
We invite you to participate in the Monroe Birthplace mission through your underwriting support. A contribution of $50 or more qualifies you to become a James Monroe Birthplace patron.
All donations made to the James Monroe Memorial Foundation qualify as charitable contributions for federal tax purposes to an IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) organization. There are many ways to make a gift. Some have added benefits for the donor depending on age, type of asset contributed and the form of gift selected. The James Monroe Memorial Foundation will work with you and your advisors to effectively accomplish your philanthropic objectives.
An outright gift of cash made via personal check, credit card, money order, wire transfer, bank draft, or currency is perhaps the easiest way to participate. Extending a gift in installments over time may be more convenient for many donors, possibly allowing them to make larger gifts. Also, some firms will match dollar for dollar or more, the charitable contributions of their employees. For more information on outright gifts or sponsorship, CLICK HERE.
Community Context: There are currently four primary land uses adjacent to the James Monroe Birthplace site. This means that there is potential for development pressure immediately surrounding the site. In order to preserve the historic and scenic aspect of the site, the master plan calls for the establishment of conservation easements and land use restrictions on adjacent properties. The park will fit into a network of bicycle routes, canoe routes, birding trails, and historic tours that are all economically pertinent to the county. The master plan calls for the protection and preservation of all archaeological resources while emphasizing community outreach through volunteer research and investigation. The site offers an excellent opportunity for school groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, and other interested parties to study and understand ecological habitats. Proper forest management is intended to provide long-term benefits for the park by producing yields of timber for profit, educating the public on sustainable forestry, and attracting wildlife. Managing the proposed meadow can be tied into forest management while providing an excellent opportunity to help restore the state's declining Bobwhite Quail population.
Role of the landscape architect/entrant vs. the role of other participants, including owner/client and collaborators: The landscape architect was the primary consultant with responsibility for all aspects of the master plan preparation and was influenced by a series of meetings and presentations where input was gathered from Westmoreland County's residents and public officials. The master planning process included comprehensive documentation and analysis of the site and its geographic and historical relationship to its context. Through investigating maps and narrative on James Monroe, his family, and Westmoreland County, the site's cultural and natural history was chronicled. Evaluation of opportunities and constraints were performed in conjunction with potential program and site issues. Composed within the body of a descriptive narrative, the produced document includes pertinent mappings, proposed plans and vignettes.
Special Factors: The site of James Monroe's birth affords a distinct opportunity for interpreting the overlapping conditions of both cultural and natural histories. This master planning process will serve as a catalyst for defining how the site is used in the future as part of the public domain. While the life of James Monroe will serve literally as the structural and symbolic spine of the site, the place will also be defined by the continuous transformation and evolution of the forest and meadows, the fluctuation s of light and weather, the cycles of seasons, and by the way people engage it: daily, seasonally, and across generations.
Significance: The site can be a model of how to build and maintain development respectful to its ecosystem. Low impact recreational activities proposed are in keeping with the ecological conservation efforts and program of the park. Reclaimed and recycled building materials are proposed for pavilions, boardwalks, signs, and edging. The James Monroe Memorial Foundation may seek to utilize 18th Century wood and material to reconstruct the Farm house, kitchen and Barn. Eventually the farmhouse and the visitor center will contain artifacts related to James Monroe or his era.
The emphasis of storm water management on site could play an important role in educating developers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed on the importance of water and habitat conservation. Creating demonstration plots for sustainable forestry provides a useful education tool while making the site visible to science -based researchers. Protecting and preserving all resources associated with James Monroe's birth is beneficial for the enjoyment and education of the public. These long-term plans would be an important tool for tying in the local community with state and nation wide education programs.
Westmoreland County Statement: The James Monroe Birthplace Park Master Plan provides a vision that creates a long-term strategy for the future development of a historical public park. The plan allocates space to meet all programmatic goals, circulation and parking, preservation of historic and natural areas, and interprets the life of James Monroe while giving the visitor the best possible experience. The landscape architect exceeded our objective by reaching out to the local community through incorporating a wide range of educational and research initiatives. The plan is a firm guide for the County to pursue a renewal of the site.
15th President of the United States
5th under the US Constitution
JAMES MONROE was born on April 28, 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was one of five children of Spence Monroe and Elizabeth Jones who were both natives of Virginia. The Monroe’s lived on a small farm and young James walked several miles each day to attend the school of Parson Campbell, who taught him the stern moral code that he followed throughout his life.
When he was 16, Monroe entered the College of William and Mary. During his first year there, his father died and the cost of his education and his guardianship was taken over by his uncle, Judge Joseph Jones, who became his trusted advisor. The year was 1774 and the colonies were moving ever closer to war with Great Britain. Young Monroe was finding it difficult to concentrate on his studies and in 1775, he left college to go to war. He became a lieutenant and during the Battle of Trenton, his captain was wounded and the command was given to him. However, he too was wounded at that battle and while recovering he was named aide-de-camp to Major General Lord Stirling. He fought with George Washington at Valley Forge and in 1779, and now a major, Monroe was commissioned to lead a militia of Virginia regiment as a lieutenant colonel. However, his unit was never formed and his military career was at its end. He became an aide to Thomas Jefferson, who was the Governor of Virginia at this time. He also became Jefferson’s student in the study of law and with Jefferson’s guidance, he began to see what course his life would take.
In 1782, at the age of 24, Monroe was elected to the Virginia State Legislature. He was the youngest member of the Executive Council and in 1783, was elected to the United States Congress that was meeting in New York City. He served in Congress for three years and during this time he became interested in the settlement of the “western” lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Mississippi River. He was chairman of two important expansion committees – one dealing with travel on the Mississippi River and the other involving the government of the western lands.
Congress was meeting at that time in New York City, and while there Monroe met Elizabeth Kortright, whom he married on February 16, 1786. The couple had three children: Eliza Kortright Monroe (1786-1835), James Spence Monroe (1799-1800), and Maria Hester Monroe (1803-1850).
In October, 1786, Monroe resigned from Congress and settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia with his new bride. He was elected to the town council and once again to the Virginia Legislature. He was a delegate to the Virginia convention to ratify the new Constitution and was strongly opposed, feeling that it was a threat to fee navigation of the Mississippi. He voted against the constitution, but once it was ratified he accepted the new government without any misgivings.
In 1789, the Monroe’s moved to Albemarle County, Virginia. Their estate, Ash Lawn, was very near Jefferson’s estate, Monticello. In 1790, he was elected to a recently vacated seat in the United States Senate and was named to a full six-year term the following year. In the spring of 1794, Monroe accepted the diplomatic position of Minister Plenipotentiary to France. His assignment was to help maintain friendly relations with France despite efforts to remain on peaceful terms with France’s enemy, Great Britain. Monroe was recalled in September 1796 and felt he had been betrayed by his opponents who used him to appease France while they made great concessions to Britain in Jay’s Treaty that the United States had signed in 1794. He remained bitter about it for the rest of his life.
Monroe returned home in June 1797 and after two years of retirement from public office, he was elected governor of Virginia, a position that he served from 1799 until 1803. His great friend and mentor, Thomas Jefferson had been elected President in 1800 and in 1803, Monroe was sent back to France to help Robert R. Livingston complete the negotiations for the acquisition of New Orleans and West Florida. The French Emperor, Napoleon I, offered to sell instead the entire Louisiana colony and although the Americans were not authorized to make such a large purchase, they began negotiations. In April 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was concluded, more than doubling the size of the nation. Monroe spent the next two years in useless negotiations with Britain and Spain and returned to the United States in late 1807.
Monroe returned to Virginia politics and once more served in the legislature and was elected Governor for a second time. In 1811, Monroe became President Madison’s Secretary of State and when the War of 1812 was declared, he loyally supported Madison. He served as Secretary of State throughout the war and simultaneously served as Secretary of War for the latter part. He was back in uniform at the time of the British attack on Washington and led the Maryland militia in an unsuccessful attempt to hold off the British at Bladensburg. On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed ending the war. In 1815, Monroe returned to the normal peacetime duties of Secretary of State.
Monroe was the logical presidential nominee at the end of Madison’s second term, and he won the election easily. On March 4, 1817 James Monroe took his oath of office. Some of the notable events of his term were: Congress fixed 13 as the number of stripes on the flag to honor the original colonies; the boundary between Canada and the United States was fixed at the 49th parallel.; Spain ceded Florida to the United States in exchange for the cancellation of $5 million in Spanish debt; The Missouri Compromise, admitted Missouri as a slave state, but forbade slavery in any states carved from the Louisiana Territory north of 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude. By the end of his first term, Monroe’s administration had been one of high idealism and integrity and his personal popularity was at an all time high. Monroe was virtually unopposed for reelection. He carried every state and received every electoral vote cast with the exception of one, cast by a New Hampshire elector for John Quincy Adams.
With the exception of the Monroe Doctrine, Monroe’s second term as president was relatively uneventful. The two principles of the Doctrine, noncolonization and nonintervention, were not new or original. However, it was Monroe who explicitly proclaimed them as policy and it was a keystone of foreign policy for many years.
Monroe had no thought of seeking a third term as the election of 1824 neared. He was 67 years old when he turned over the presidency to John Quincy Adams. He retired to Oak Hill, Virginia. He was plagued by financial worries and he was forced to sell his estate Ash Lawn to meet his debts. After his wife died, he sold Oak Hill and moved to New York City to live with his youngest daughter, Maria Hester Gouverneur and her husband. Monroe died there on July 4, 1831, the fifty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Message of President James Monroe nominating John Quincy Adams to be Secretary of State, William Crawford to be Secretary of the Treasury, and Isaac Shelby to be Secretary of War. (NWL-46-MCCOOK-1(15))
Click on an image to view full-sized
MONROE, James, fifth president of the United States, died in Westmoreland county, Virginia, 28 April, 1758" died in New York city, 4 July, 1831. Although the attempts to trace his pedigree have not been successful, it appears certain that the Monroe family came to Virginia as early as 1650, and that they were of Scottish origin. James Monroe's father was Spence Monroe, and his mother was Eliza, sister of Judge Joseph Jones, twice a delegate from Virginia to the Continental congress. The boyhood of the future president was passed in his native county, a neighborhood famous for early manifestations of patriotic fervor. His earliest recollections must have been associated with public remonstrance against the stamp-act (in 1766), and with the reception (in 1769)of a portrait of Lord Chatham, which was sent to the gentlemen of Westmoreland, from London, by one of their correspondents, Edmund Jennings, of Lincoln's Inn.
To the college of William and Mary, then rich and prosperous, James Monroe was sent but soon after his student life began it was interrupted by the Revolutionary war. Three members of the faculty and twenty-five or thirty students, Monroe among them, entered the military service. He joined the army in 1776 at the headquarters of Washington in New York, as a lieutenant in the 31 Virginia regiment under Colonel Hugh Mercer. He was with the troops at Harlem, at White Plains, and at Trenton, where, in leading the advance guard, he was wounded in the shoulder.
During 1777-'8 he served as a volunteer aide, with the rank of major, on the staff of the Earl of Stifling, and took part in the battles of the Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. After these services he was commended by Washington for a commission in the state troops of Virginia, but without success, he formed the acquaintance of Governor Jefferson, and was sent by him as a military commissioner to collect information in regard to the condition and prospects of the southern army. He thus attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel but his services in the field were completely interrupted, to his disappointment trod chagrin. His uncle, Judge Jones, at all times a trusted and intimate counselor, then wrote to him; " You do well to cultivate the friendship of Mr. Jefferson . . . and while you continue to deserve his esteem, he will not withdraw his countenance."
The future proved the sagacity of this advice, for Monroe's intimacy with Jefferson, which was then established, continued through life, and was the key to his early advancement, and perhaps his ultimate success. The civil life of Monroe began on his election in 1782 to a seat in the assembly of Virginia, and his appointment as a member of the executive counsel. He was next a delegate to the 4th, 5th, and 6th congresses of the confederation, where, notwithstanding his youth, he was active and influential. Bancroft says of him that when Jefferson embarked for France, Monroe remained "not the ablest but the most conspicuous representative of Virginia on the floor of congress, lie sought the friendship of nearly every leading statesman of his commonwealth, and every one seemed glad to call him a friend."
On 1 March, 1784, the Virginia delegates presented to congress a deed that ceded to the United States Virginia's claim to the northwest territory, and soon afterward Jefferson presented his memorable plan for the temporary government of all the western possessions of the United States from the southern boundary (lat. 31. N.) to the Lake of the Woods. From that time until its settlement by the ordinance of 13 July, 1787, this question was of paramount importance. Twice within a few months Monroe crossed the Alleghenies for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the actual condition of the country. One of the fruits of his western observations was a memoir, written in 1786, to prove the rights of the people of the west to the free navigation of the Mississippi.
Toward the close of 1784 Monroe was selected as one of nine judges to decide the boundary dispute between Massachusetts and New York. He resigned this place in May, 1786, in consequence of an acrimonious controversy in which he became involved. Both the states that were at difference with each other were at variance with Monroe in respect to the right to navigate the Mississippi, and lie thought himself thus debarred from being acceptable as an umpire to either of the contending parties, to whom he owed his appointment.
In the congress of 1785 Monroe was interested in the regulation of commerce by the confederation, and he certainly desired to secure that result: but he was also jealous of the rights of the southern states, and afraid that their interests would be overbalanced by those of the north. His policy was therefore timid and dilatory. A report upon the subject by the committee, of which he was chairman, was presented to congress, 28 March, 1785, and led to a long discussion, but nothing came of it. The weakness of the confederacy grew more and more obvious, and the country was drifting toward a stronger government. But the measures proposed by Monroe were not entirely abortive. Says John Q. Adams: "They led first to the partial convention of delegates from five states at Annapolis in September, 1786, and then to the general convention at Philadelphia in 1787, which prepared and proposed the constitution of the United States. Whoever contributed to that event is justly entitled to the gratitude of the present age as a public benefactor, and among them the name of Monroe should be conspicuously enrolled."
According to the principle of rotation then in force, Monroe's congressional service expired in 1786, at the end of a three years' term. He then intended to make his home in Fredericksburg, and to practice law, though he said he should be happy to keep clear of the bar if possible. But it was not long before he was again called into public life. He was chosen at once a delegate to the assembly, and soon afterward became a member of the Virginia convention to consider the ratification of the proposed constitution of the United States, which assembled at Richmond in 1788. In this convention the friends of the new constitution were led by James Madison, John Marshall, and Edmund Randolph.
Patrick Henry was their chief opponent, and James Monroe was by his side, in company with William Grayson and George Mason. In one of his speeches, Monroe made an elaborate historical argument, based on the experience of Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and New England, against too firm consolidation, and he predicted conflict between the state and national authorities, and the possibility that a president once elected might be elected for life. In another speech he endeavored to show that the rights of the western territory would be less secure under the new constitution than they were under the confederation. He finally assented to the ratification on condition that certain amendments should be adopted. As late as 1816 he recurred to the fears of a monarchy, which he had entertained in 1788, and endeavored to show that they were not unreasonable.
Under the new constitution the first choice of Virginia for senators fell upon Richard Henry Lee and William Grayson. Tim latter died soon afterward, and Monroe was selected by the legislature to fill the vacant place. He took his seat in the senate, 6 December, 1790, and held the office until May, 1794, when he was sent as envoy to France. Among the Anti-Federalists he took a prominent stand, and was one of the most determined opponents of the administration of Washington. To Hamilton he was especially hostile. The appointment of Gouverneur Morris to be minister to France, and of John Jay to be minister to England, seemed to him most objectionable. Indeed, he met all the Federalist attempts to organize a strong and efficient government with incredulity or with adverse criticism. It was therefore a great surprise to him, as well as to the public, that, while still a senator, he was designated the successor of Morris as minister to France.
For this difficult place he was not the first choice of the president, nor the second: but he was known to be favorably disposed toward the French government, and it was thought that he might lead to the establishment of friendly relations with that power, and, besides, there is no room to doubt that Washington desired, as , John Quincy Adams has said, to hold the balance between the parties at home by appointing Jay, the Federalist, to the English mission, and Monroe, the Republican, to the French mission. It was the intent of the United States to avoid a collision with any foreign power, but neutrality was in danger of being considered an offence by either France or England at any moment.
Monroe arrived in Paris just after the fall of Ropespierre, and in the excitement of the day he did not at once receive recognition from the committee of public safety. He therefore sent a letter to the president of the convention, and arrangements were made for his official reception, 15 August, 1794. At that time he addressed the convention in terms of great cordiality, but his enthusiasm led him beyond his discretion, he transcended the authority that had been given to him, and when his report reached the government at home Randolph sent him a dispatch, " in the frankness of friendship," criticizing severely the course that the plenipotentiary had pursued. A little latex the secretary took a more conciliatory tone and Monroe bellowed he never would have spoken so severely if all the dispatches from Paris had reached the United States in due order.
The residence of Monroe in France was a period of anxious responsibility, during which he did not succeed in recovering the confidence of the authorities at home. When Pickering succeeded Randolph in the department of state. Monroe was informed that he was superseded by the appointment of Charles C. Pinckney. The letter of recall was dated 22 August. 1796. On his return he published a pamphlet of 500 pages, entitled "A View of the conduct of the Executive" (Philadelphia, 1797) in which he printed his instructions, correspondence with the French and United States governments, speeches, and letters received from American residents in Paris. This publication made a great stir. Washington, who had then retired from public life. appears to have remained quiet under the provocation, but he wrote upon his copy of the "View" animadversions that have since been published.
Party feeling, already excited, became fiercer when Monroe's book appeared, and personalities that have now lost their force were freely uttered on both sides. Under these circumstances Monroe became the hero of the Anti-Federalists, and was at once elected governor of Virginia. He held the office from 1799 till 1802. The most noteworthy occurrence during his administration was the suppression of a servile insurrection by which the city of Richmond was threatened. Monroe's star continued in the ascendant. After Thomas Jefferson's election to the presidency in 1801, an opportunity occurred for returning Mr. Monroe to the French mission, from which he had been recalled a few years previously. There were many reasons for believing that the United States could secure possession of the territory beyond the Mississippi belonging to France. The American minister in Paris, Robert R Livingston, had already opened the negotiations, and Monroe was sent as an additional plenipotentiary to second, with his enthusiasm and energy, the effort that had been begun. By their joint efforts it came to pass that in the spring of 1803 a treaty was signed by which France gave up to the United States for a pecuniary consideration the vast region then known as Louisiana. Livingston remarked to the plenipotentiaries after the treaty was signed; " We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our lives."
The story of the negotiations that terminated in this sale is full of romance. Bonaparte, Talleyrand, and Marbois were the representatives of France. Jefferson. Livingston, and Monroe guided the interests of the United States. The French were in need of money and the Americans could afford to pay well for the control of the entrance to the Mississippi. England stood ready to seize the coveted prize. The moment was opportune; the negotiators on both sides were eager for the transfer. It did not take long to agree upon the consideration of 80,000,000 francs as the purchase-money, and the assent of Bonaparte was secured. "I have given to England," he said, exultingly, "a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride."
It is evident that the history of the United States has been largely influenced by this transaction, which virtually extended the national domain from the mouth of the Mississippi river to the mouth of the Columbia. Monroe went from Paris to London, where he was accredited to the court of St. James, and subsequently went to Spain in order to negotiate for the cession of Florida to the United States. But he was not successful in this and returned to London, where, with the aid of William Pinckney, who was sent to re-enforce his efforts, he concluded a treaty with Great Britain after long negotiations frequently interrupted. This treaty failed to meet the expectations of the United States in two important particulars--it made no provisions against the impressments of seamen, and it secured no indemnity for loss that Americans had incurred in the seizure of their goods and vessels. Jefferson was so dissatisfied that he would not send the treaty to the senate.
Monroe returned home in 1807 and at once drew up an elaborate defense of his political conduct. Matters were evidently drifting toward war between Great Britain and the United States. Again the disappointed and discredited diplomatist received a token of popular approbation. He was for the third time elected to the assembly, and in 1811 was chosen for the second time governor of Virginia. He remained in this office but a short time, for he was soon called by Madison to the office of secretary of state. He held the portfolio during the next six years, from 1811 to 1817. In 1814-'15 he also acted as secretary of war. While he was a member of the cabinet of Madison, hostilities were begun between the United States and England. The public buildings in Washington were burned, and it was only by the most strenuous measures that the progress of the British was interrupted.
Monroe gained much popularity by the measures that he took for the protection of the capital and for the enthusiasm with which he prosecuted the war measures of the government Monroe had now held almost every important station except that of president to which a politician could aspire. He had served in the legislature of Virginia, in the Continental congress, and in the senate of the United States. He had been a member of the convention that considered the ratification of the constitution, twice he had served as governor, twice he had been sent abroad as a minister, and he had been accredited to three great powers. He had held two places in the cabinet of Madison. With the traditions of those days, which regarded experience in political affairs a qualification for an exalted station, it was most natural that Monroe should become a candidate for the presidency. Eight years previously his fitness for the office had been often discussed.
Now, in 1816, at the age of fifty-nine years, almost exactly the age at which Jefferson and Madison attained the same position, he was elected president of the United States, receiving 183 votes in the electoral college against 34 that were given for RufusKing, the candidate of the Federalists. He continued in this office until 1825. His second election in 1821 was made with almost complete unanimity, but one electoral vote being given against him. Daniel D. Tompkins was vice-president during both presidential terms. John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun, William H. Crawford, and William Wirt, were members of the cabinet during his entire administration. The principal subjects that engaged the attention of the president were the defenses of the Atlantic seaboard, the promotion of internal improvements, the conduct of the Seminole war, the acquisition of Florida, the Missouri compromise, and the resistance to foreign interference in American affairs, formulated in a declaration that is called the "Monroe doctrine."
Two social events marked the beginning and the end of his administration: first, his ceremonious visit to the principal cities of the north and south; and second, the national reception of the Marquis de Lafayette who came to this country as the nation's guest The purchase of the Floridas was brought to a successful issue, 22 February, 1819 by a treaty with Spain, concluded at Washington, and thus the control of the entire Atlantic and Gulf seaboard, from the St. Croix to the Sabine, was secured to the United States. Monroe's influence in the controversies that preceded the Missouri compromise does not appear to have been very strong. He showed none of the boldness which Jefferson would have exhibited under similar circumstances. He took more interest in guiding the national policy with respect to internal improvements and the defense of the seaboard. He vetoed the Cumberland road bill, 4 May, 1822, on the ground that congress had no right to execute a system of internal improvement ; but he held that if such powers could be secured by constitutional amendment good results would follow. Even then he held that the general government should undertake only works of national significance, and should leave all minor improvements to the separate states.
There is no measure with which the name of Monroe is connected so important as his enunciation of "the Monroe doctrine." The words of this famous utterance constitute two paragraphs in the president's message of 2 December, 1823. In the first of these paragraphs he declares that the governments of Russia and Great Britain have been informed that the American continents henceforth are not to be considered subjects for future colonization by any European powers. In the second paragraph he says that the United States would consider any attempt on the part of the European powers to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety. He goes further, and says that if the governments established in North and South America who have declared their independence of European control should be interfered with by any European power, this interference would be regarded as the manifestation of unfriendly disposition to the United States. These utterances were addressed especially to Spain and Portugal. They undoubtedly expressed the dominant sentiments of the people of the United States at the time they were uttered, and, moreover, they embodied a doctrine which had been vaguely held in the days of Washington, and from that time to the administration of Monroe had been more and more clearly avowed.
It has received the approval of successive administrations and of the foremost publicists and statesmen. The peace and prosperity of America have been greatly promoted by the declaration, almost universally assented to, that European states are not to gain new dominion in America. For convenience of reference the two passages of the rues-sage are here quoted: "At the proposal of the Russian imperial government, made through the minister of the emperor residing here, full power and instructions have been transmitted to the minister of the United States at St. Petersburg, to arrange, by amicable negotiation, the respective rights and interests of the two nations on the northwest coast of this continent. A similar proposal had been made by his imperial majesty to the government of Great Britain, which has likewise been acceded to. The government of the United States has been desirous, by this friendly proceeding, of manifesting the great value which they have invariably attached to the friendship of the emperor, and their solicitude to cultivate the best understanding with his government. In the discussions to which this interest has given rise, and in the arrangements by which they may terminate, the occasion has been judged proper for asserting, as a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European power .... We owe it, therefore, to candor, and to the amicable relations existing between the United States and those powers, to declare that we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety. With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered, and shall not interfere. But with the governments who have declared their independence and maintained it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power, in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States."
At the close of Monroe's second term as president he retired to private life, and during the seven years that remained to him resided part of the time at Oak Hill, Loudon County, Virginia, and part of the time in the city of New York. The illustration above represents both the old and the new Oak Hill mansions. He accepted the office of regent in the University of Virginia in 1826 with Jefferson and Madison. He was asked to serve on the electoral ticket of Virginia in 1828, but declined on the ground that an ex-president should not be a party-leader. He consented to act as a local magistrate, however, and to become a member of the Virginia constitutional convention. The administration of Monroe has often been designated as the "era of good feeling."
Schouler, the historian, has found this heading on an article that appeared in the Boston Centinel of 12 July, 1817. it is, on the whole, a suitable phrase to indicate the state of political affairs that succeeded to the troublesome period of organization and preceded the fearful strains of threatened disruption and of civil war. One idea is consistently represented by Monroe from the beginning to the end of his public life--the idea that America is for Americans, that the territory of the United States is to be protected and enlarged, and that foreign intervention will never be permitted. In his early youth Monroe enlisted for the defense of American independence. He was one of the first to perceive the importance of free navigation upon the Mississippi: he negotiated with France and Spain for the acquisition of Louisiana and Florida; he gave a vigorous impulse to the second war with Great Britain in de-fence of our maritime rights when the rights of a neutral power were endangered; and he enunciated a dictum against foreign interference which has now the force of international law. Judged by the high stations he was called upon to fill, his career was brilliant; but the writings he has left in state papers and correspondence are inferior to those of Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and others of his contemporaries. He is rather to be honored as an upright and patriotic citizen who served his party with fidelity and never condescended to low and unworthy measures. He deserved well of the country, which he served faithfully during his career. After his retirement from the office of president he urged upon the government the judgment of unsettled claims which he presented for outlays made during his prolonged political services abroad and for which he had never received adequate remuneration.
During the advance of old age his time was largely occupied in correspondence, and he undertook to write a philosophical history of the origin of free governments, which was published long after his decease. While attending congress, Monroe married, in 1786, a daughter of Lawrence Kortright, of New York. One of his two daughters, Eliza., married George Hay, of Virginia, and the other, Maria, married Samuel L. Gouverneur of New York. A large number of manuscripts, including drafts of state papers, letters addressed to Monroe, and letters from him, have been preserved. Most of these have been purchased by congress and are preserved in the archives of the state department ; others are still held by his descendants. Schouler, in his "History of the United States," has made use of this material to advantage, particularly in his account of the administrations of Madison and Monroe, which he has treated in detail. Bancroft, in his "History of the Constitution," draws largely upon the Monroe papers, many of which he prints for the first time. The eulogy of John Quincy Adams his (Boston diary 1831) afford and the best contemporary view of Monroe's characteristics as a statesman.
Jefferson, Madison, Webster, Calhoun, and Benton have left their appreciative estimates of his character The remains of James Monroe were buried in Marble cemetery, Second street, between First and Second avenues, New York, but in 1858 were taken to Richmond, Virginia, and there re-interred on the 28th of April, in Hollywood. (See illustration above.) See Samuel P. Waldo's "Tour of James Monroe through the Northern and Eastern States, with a Sketch of his Life" (Hartford, 1819); " Life of James Monroe, with a Notice of his Administration," by John Quincy Adams (Buffalo, 1850) : "Concise History of the .Monroe Doctrine," by George F. Tucker (Boston, 1885): and Daniel C. Gilman's life of Monroe, in the "American Statesmen " series (Boston, 1883). In the volume last named is an appendix by J. F. Jameson, which gives a list of writings pertaining to Monroe's career and to the Monroe doctrine. Monroe's portrait by Stuart is in the possession of Thomas J. Coolidge, and that by Vanderlyn is in the city-hall, New York, both of which have been engraved.--
His wife, Elizabeth Kortright, born in New York city in 1768; died in Loudon county, Virginia, in 1830, was the daughter of Lawrence Kortright, a captain in the British army. She married James Monroe in 1786, accompanied him in his missions abroad in 1794 and 1803, and while he was United States minister to France she effected the release of Madame de Lafayette, who was confined in the prison of LaForce, hourly expecting to be executed. On the accession of her husband to the presidency, Mrs. Monroe became the mistress of the White House; but she mingled little in society on account of her delicate health. She is described by a contemporary writer as "an elegant and accomplished woman, with a dignity of manner that peculiarly fitted her for the station." The above vignette is copied from the only portrait that was ever made of Mrs. Monroe, which was executed in Paris in 1796
His nephew, James Monroe, soldier, in Albemarle county, Virginia, 10 September, 1799; died in Orange, New Jersey, 7 September, 1870, was a son of the president's elder brother, Andrew. He was graduated at the United States military academy in 1815, assigned to the artillery corps, and served in the war with Algiers, in which he was wounded while directing part of the quarter-deck guns of the "Guerridre" in an action with the "Mashouda" off Cape de Gata, Spain. He was aide to General Winfield Scott in 1817-'22, became 1st lieutenant of the 4th artillery on the reorganization of the army in 1821, and served on garrison and commissary duty till 1832, when he was again appointed Gem Scott's aide on the Black Hawk expedition, but did not reach the seat of war, owing to illness. He resigned his commission on 30 September, 1832, and entered politics, becoming an alderman of New York city in 1833, and president of the board in 1834. In 1836 he declined the appointment of aide to Governor William L. Marcy. He was in congress in 1839-'41, and was chosen again in 1846, but his seat was contested, and congress ordered a new election, at which he refused to be a candidate. During the Mexican war he was active in urging the retention in command of General Scott. In 1850-'2 he was in the New York legislature, and in 1852 was an earnest supporter of his old chief for the presidency. After the death of his wife in that year he retired from politics, and spent much of his time at the Union club, of which he was one of the earliest members. Just before the civil war he visited Richmond, and, by public speeches and private effort, tried to prevent the secession of Virginia, and in the struggle that followed he remained a firm supporter of the National government. He much resembled his uncle in personal appearance.
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January 5, 2019 Leave a Comment by JC Thoughts
I more-often-than-not shoot Black & White for both film and digital work. Recently, I’ve started to question whether or not shooting in Black & White actually does make your street photography any better?
For the longest time I’ve felt that, particularly for street work, Black & White feels more authentic perhaps even more legitimate. But is it really? Join me as I make fun of myself a little and try to delve a little deeper into the mystical world of Black & White versus Colour shooting.
Can you tell your story better?
In my opinion a Black & White Photograph can tell a timeless, ageless story. But, that doesn’t make it better, just different. In the same way a Drama is different from a Comedy (or lack there of, amirite).
Your narrative isn’t somehow better by converting your shot to Black & White, a terrible subjectless boring photo is still just that no matter how it’s coloured. What does happen is that the elements around your subject, the background, the other people, the subtle out of focus creamy bits become less distracting as they’re not bright blue or whatever. This can help immensely with separating your subject and with your narrative storytelling. But really, all wanky terms aside, B&W sometimes makes it easier for the viewer to concentrate on what you as the photographer want them to.
In the same way, a BW conversion can be used to highlight or extenuate certain elements of a shot. Shadows and bright street lights tend to pop more as a Black & White, so do beams of light and buildings in direct sun. However, that’s not to say these elements can’t look great in colour, they just seem to pop a touch more in BW (again, YMMV).
But, JC some street photography doesn’t make sense in Black & White
The classic red lady walking by a red wall, the balloon over someone’s face, the busy marketplace or neons shining on a puddle rarely look truly amazing as a Black & White frame. These sorts of shots are colour for a reason, the elements that they depict need to be in colour for the viewer to understand them. The colour helps tell the story within the picture and assists in deepening the impact. Judge each frame on it’s merit and what elements you want the viewer to consume, rather than arbitrarily selecting a preset.
Did I just make a poor photograph?
Probably. If you think it stinks then it probably stinks – no conversion or preset in the world will save it from its terribleness. I take comfort in the fact that even HCB had to suck at some point, it helps me weed through the horrid and blurry shots I’ve took for some reason while out on the street.
Don’t feel terrible, everyone fails. Frequent failure is all part of the street photography game, every time you step out there and walk the beat you’ll almost always fail more than you succeed. But, when you find that one banger of a location, wait for the right light and NAIL the perfect subject in the right place in the frame it’s pretty hard to beat.
Can converting a bad shot to B&W save it?
Chances are, if you’ve taken a poor photograph it’s just that and there’s not a preset on the planet that will save it. I would suggest rather than wasting time editing the bejesus (read: flogging a dead horse) out of a poor shot spend that time out on the street learning and shooting. More time shooting will increase your failure rate for sure, but at the same time increase the keepers. You’ll learn too. You’ll learn about the right locations, when the light is right, how the foot traffic flows, what it’s like when it’s busy, what it’s like when it’s not. These are all things that you need to know, not how to best manipulate a terrible shot.
Take my suggestions for what they’re worth – not much. But, if you’re after some first class advice on the editing topic: I’d suggest finding a couple of simple presets that work for you and stick to them, it’ll make defining your personal style easier and speed up that export/import/edit time dramatically.
That said though, I have on occasion “saved” a few borderline shots with the old Black & White conversion trick. In these cases you’ll know it when you see it – the shot usually lacks something. Once you’ve flipped it to BW the editing focus will become clear. Like with the above shot, it’s not particularly interesting or spectacular. To my mind it’s just LESS boring as a BW frame, the blacks are dark and the whites pop, forcing the viewer to focus on the lady on the left in white before moving across the frame. Not interesting but at least the viewer interacts with it a second longer than if it were a meaningless colour shot which was too “busy”. Just my two cents though, it is a boring shot after all.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day a bad photo is just a bad photo and converting it to Black & White won’t save it. Black & White is just another tool in your digital or analog tool chest, a stylistic decision made to highlight certain elements of a shot. It won’t make your photos better, if you want to be better get closer, get out there more and study up.
So, the answer to the original question of Is Black & White Street Photography better is maybe, sometimes and if the mood is right.
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Categories: ThoughtsTags: and, black, black & white, black & white photography, black and white, black and white better, black and white photography, black and white photography tips, black and white photos, black n white, bnw, bw, bw vs color, digital, film, learning, opinion, photographs, photography, photos, street, street photo, street photographer, street photography, street photos, street portraits, street shooter, streetphoto, streetshot, sun, white
JC
I've been taking terrible street shots on and off since around 2014. I started this site in a attempt to better understand the process of photography and write about it at the same time. While I’m obsessed with gear like pretty much all photography nerds, I’m also obsessed with good photographs that make us feel something. I hoping that through this site my photography will develop into something that makes you feel something (other than complete disappointment, of course).
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Carter Gaddis | Essays and social commentary on parenting, travel, politics, history, sports and more. | Page 2
Essays and social commentary on parenting, travel, politics, history, sports and more.
Sports
Satire
August 11, 2015 November 17, 2015 / Carter Gaddis / 4 Comments
Yeah, I’m happy. I admit it. The pursuit goes on.
A year ago today, I saw a rainbow in the sky on my way to work. At the office, I dropped my computer bag on my desk, walked to the corner office, and submitted my notice.
After four-and-a-half years of cubicle life, it was time to move on. Events conspired to make it possible for me to do that. I was fortunate, and I knew it.
I know it, still.
For a while, it seemed as if I had no choice. I felt trapped by circumstance. That was false. I always had a choice. I was not trapped. But I thought I was, and thinking it made it so.
You are not trapped, either. You have a choice.
You can — you should — pursue happiness.
The pursuit of happiness is not some quaint and dusty notion from the history books. It is not merely an optional addendum intended to improve the rhythm of a catchy line, a pithy means to complete the circle of life and liberty.
It is a right. It is your right. Unalienable, even.
Happiness? It’s not a state of being. It is a fleeting thing. There’s a reason we must pursue it.
When you catch it often enough, happiness becomes familiar. String enough of those fleeting, happy moments together and yes, you can make happy your default emotion.
A year ago today, I saw that rainbow and took it as a sign. I don’t believe in signs. I do believe in contradiction, though, and in the power of conflict and decision to shape our lives.
It hasn’t been perfect. But we have been happy. We are happy. And the pursuit goes on.
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July 29, 2015 March 24, 2016 / Carter Gaddis / 2 Comments
To a second grader, grownups are magicians. We can reach stuff in the high cabinets. We can make toast. We can drive a car. We can produce endless LEGO sets out of thin air. We can do things their developing minds consider mini-miracles.
I kind of like it. Makes me feel useful and smarter than I actually am.
Our younger son got frustrated at breakfast trying to open one of those applesauce pouches. You know the kind, and come on; it’s the easiest thing on Earth to do, right? Grab the cap in one hand, hold the pouch firmly in the other hand, apply counter-clockwise pressure to the cap, and voilà! One of your oh-so-vital servings of fruit, ready to inhale at your convenience.
He could not figure it out. So, he threw it across the table and yelled, “I can’t!”
I retrieved the pouch and placed it in front of him, unopened. I bent down to his level and smiled. He crossed his arms and stuck out his lower lip.
I ducked my head to look at him eye-to-eye and asked, “Can you fly a rocket ship to the moon?”
He said, “No!”
I asked, “Can you drive a car to the movies?”
He said, “No! No! No!”
I asked, “Can you ride your bike without training wheels?”
He said, “No, and I don’t want to!”
I asked, “Can you determine the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
He looked up at me and said, “What?”
Then I backed away a bit and, smiling, asked him quietly, “Can you put on a shirt by yourself?”
He uncrossed his arms and said, “Yes.”
He reached for the pouch and I gently swatted his hand away. He laughed and waited for the next question.
I asked, “Can you take a bath by yourself?”
He said, “Yes! A shower.”
I asked, “Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?”
He laughed again and said, “No!”
I looked at him sideways and he said, “OK, yes!”
Then I said, “You can’t drive a car … yet. You can’t ride a rocket to the moon … yet. You can’t ride your bike without training wheels … yet. You can’t cure cancer, or make a plan for world peace, or feed the world’s hungry, or invent a flying car. There are a lot of things you can’t do. Not yet. But that’s because you don’t have the experience you need to do those things. Your mind and body are still growing. You’re still learning. Everything is still new to you. You aren’t unable to do these things because you’re seven; your age is just a number. You are unable to do these things yet because you haven’t had the time to learn how to think, how to allow your intelligence to work on a problem until you find the solution.
“Plus,” I said, “you’re just too short to reach the cabinet.”
Then I said, “The answer you give when someone asks if you can fly to the moon is, ‘Not yet.’ ”
I asked, “Does that make sense?”
He shrugged and said, “I guess.”
“OK,” I said. “Good.”
Then I asked, “Can you open your applesauce pouch on your own?”
And he said, “No.”
Then he added, “Not yet.”
He smiled, reached for the pouch, and turned the cap with all his might.
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July 19, 2015 November 18, 2015 / Carter Gaddis / 6 Comments
If there is one thing I have learned in nearly a decade of parenthood, it is that there is no way to know for sure if you are doing it right. Only time will reveal how much you have screwed up your kids, and by then it will be too late to do anything about it.
This is oddly comforting. It is liberating as a parent to let go of the illusion of control.
Yet, we remain culpable. It is our responsibility to guide our children through their formative years, to place them on a path of happiness and productivity.
Yes, this is a contradiction. Clearly, parenting is a no-win proposition.
That said, some parents are worse at juggling this great contradiction than others. And some are much, much worse. Some, apparently, just don’t give a crap.
How can we identify these incompetent moms and dads? Who, exactly, are these people responsible for the decay of society and the end of civilization as we know it?
Simple: Only terrible, horrible, no good parents allow their kids to do these 13 things:
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4. Power wash the driveway.
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6. Walk.
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8. Yard work.
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Source: GIPHY
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May 29, 2015 March 24, 2016 / Carter Gaddis
I received a 2016 Kia Sorento SXL AWD on loan to drive and review for a week, courtesy of Drive Shop and Kia. Here are my thoughts.
The timing of the loan was ideal. What better way to really get the feel for a family car like the 2016 Kia Sorento than to drive that car hundreds of miles for a Memorial Day weekend excursion?
We made a lot of road trip memories during our week with a 2016 Kia Sorento.
We piled in on Friday afternoon and headed for Gulf County, a five-hour drive north of our home in the Tampa Bay area. A magnificent beach house awaited on Cape San Blas.
Our loaner Sorento had a 2.0-liter turbo gas direct injection, four-cylinder engine; independent front and rear suspension; and full-time all-wheel drive with lockable center differential.
Um … what?
I’m no car expert. I drive them, and I pay attention to things like how comfortable the seats are, how good the gas mileage is and how much space there is for packing. Our Sorento passed those tests with ease.
There also was the Kid Test, though. Would the boys like it?
Short answer: They loved it. The Sirius/XM radio was a huge hit — Kids Place Live became, in just that one week, an all-time favorite. They were fascinated by the navigation display and paid close attention to our progress on the real-time map. There was plenty of room in the back for them to be comfortable during our long drives up to and back from the Panhandle.
I can sum up the experience simply: By the time our loan period ended, the Sorento felt like our car. It took us to a place where we made wonderful memories, and we will always associate our family’s first trip to Cape San Blas with the car we came in.
I wasn’t asked to do this, and it isn’t associated with Kia or Drive Shop at all, but I felt compelled to commemorate our experience with the Sorento in video form. Forgive its sappiness. It’s not an actual commercial, just a genuine expression of how a family trip can bridge generations, and how lifelong memories are made on the road.
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May 27, 2015 November 17, 2015 / Carter Gaddis / 14 Comments
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Visit Gulf County for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
The boys leap in sync over the lips of low waves that bubble off the Gulf of Mexico. Peals of laughter drift up the beach and skip across the soft sand to fall lightly upon the dune grass.
Here and there across the sand, quiet islands of humanity stir under portable cabanas. The light of the setting sun angles in and illuminates the glowing row of blue and yellow and orange and red and sand-colored houses that stand sentinel along the ridge.
She spots dolphins off shore. An occasional dorsal fin cuts a languid, westward arc above the smooth surface of the water. The boys leap the ambitious waves and sprint with the dolphins along the shoreline, racing the setting sun to the horizon, laughing as the sky transitions from bright blue to dark blue to purple and orange and finally to red-gold.
I watch the boys and my wife and the dolphins and the golden sky, and I resolve: We will always come back to this place. We will always come back to Gulf County, Florida.
It was a sponsored trip, one of those rare and wonderful opportunities online writers are fortunate enough to receive every now and then. This one came via an out-of-the-blue email from a generous agency looking for a writing dad who could bring his family to this secluded place in the Florida Panhandle for a weekend in May.
Yes, I said. Absolutely, I added. We’ll go. We had been almost everywhere else in Florida, but never to Gulf County. It was time to remedy that.
Where. It is on the Gulf Coast, southwest of Tallahassee, east of Panama City. Its only population center is Port St. Joe, home of the 2014 Florida Class A state high school football champion Port St. Joe Sharks. The county consists of forest, marshland, gulf coastline and the scallop-rich St. Joseph Bay.
Getting there. From our home near Tampa, Gulf County and Port St. Joe are a five-and-a-half-hour drive north, through little Florida towns stuck in time – Spring Hill, Homosassa, Chiefland, Fanning Springs (at the Suwannee River), Cross City, Perry. Then west through the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, along the edge of the Apalachicola National Forest, past Sopchoppy, Carrabelle and down Highway 98 where it hugs Apalachicola Bay.
Where to stay. We left on Friday afternoon and at 9 p.m. we pulled in at Cape San Blas, where we picked up our key and welcome packet from the after-hours check-in bin at Coastal Joe Vacation Rentals.
Our beach house was huge and yellow, like the mid-afternoon sun. It’s called At Water’s Edge, because that’s where it is – on the edge of the gulf, tucked behind the dune on Cape San Blas. There are five bedrooms and four bathrooms. There is a private pool, a wood deck in the back, and a wood porch that stretches the length of the eastern side of the house.
You can watch the sun rise over St. Joseph Bay from that porch. Later, you can sit on the other side of the house and watch the sun go down over the gulf.
There is a private path over the dune that opens onto a beach of white sand and gentle waves. It’s a place for sunsets, where dolphins dance with laughing children. When we left late Monday morning, it still was guarded by a mighty sand fortress of our design – not even the overnight tide had penetrated its walls.
I imagine that when we reminisce about this trip to Gulf County, we will think first of the house. Not because it was spectacular, comfortable and huge. It was all of those things, certainly.
What we’ll remember, I imagine, is the time we spent together at that house on the beach, in the pool, or sitting around playing cards or doing nothing. That, in the end, truly was what set this trip apart for me – the rare chance for the four of us to simply be together in a place where the cares and worries and schedules that waited back home could not intrude.
Everything else fell away for a long weekend, and it was just our family and the house at Cape San Blas.
What to do. We had only one scheduled activity pulled from the extensive and detailed Gulf County Adventure Guide: an eco-tour of the St. Joseph Bay by kayak, with Dan VanVleet of Happy Ours Kayak and Canoe Outpost as our guide. The sun shined bright and the sky was blue on Saturday morning, but a strong wind blew from the south and east and made the going tougher than usual on the water for four novices like us.
Still, our younger son took to it like a natural. The next day, he asked if we could kayak across the entire length of the bay. By the end of our guided tour, our older son was able to handle Dan’s sleek, pro-style craft on his own.
Dan, a former teacher who founded Happy Ours in 2000 with his wife, Debbie, taught us how to tell the difference between a St. Joseph Bay whelk shell and a conch shell. Dan also explained why male horseshoe crabs latch on to female horseshoe crabs in the water (yes, it’s related to procreation, but there’s more to it that we did not know).
He also asked us one at a time if we knew why a bald eagle is called that. None of us knew, but I won’t spoil it – it’s much more fun to hear it from Dan himself.
We saw starfish and hermit crabs and, as we drifted along a little saltwater channel, Dan regaled us with the unfortunate history of the original town of St. Joseph. We learned that at one time, the forerunner to the current Port St. Joe was the largest population center in the territory of Florida, and the state’s first constitution was signed there in 1838.
Events in old St. Joseph took several disastrous turns after that, but the misfortune of Florida’s early white settlers helped make Gulf County and the St. Joseph Aquatic Preserve what it is today – a pristine, secluded destination where “real” Florida flourishes still.
We found a starfish in St. Joseph Bay.
Back on land, Dan introduced us to his seven chicken friends – his “girls” flock quickly to him when he calls, and that delighted the boys no end. We bid Dan and Debbie goodbye, and promised to see them again on our next visit.
Saturday evening, we enjoyed a tasty supper at the Sunset Coastal Grill in Port St. Joe before heading back to At Water’s Edge to swim in the pool, to hunt for unusual seashells, and to watch the sun set.
Sunday, we explored the 2,516-acre St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, which takes up the outer tip of Cape San Blas. It was another windy, warm day, perfect for hugging the shoreline of St. Joseph Bay along the sandy Bayview Scenic Trail there at the park.
Everywhere we looked at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, we found natural beauty.
We then made the 20-minute drive around to Port St. Joe, where we let our curiosity guide us to the base of the Cape San Blas light. It was moved to its current location at George Core Park on the Port St. Joe waterfront from the cape in 2014, along with two former lighthouse keeper residences.
There was so much more we could have done. We had the chance to ride horses on the beach, something we’ll definitely do next time. We also could have taken a shuttle out to St. Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge, a no brainer for a future visit.
Instead, we were drawn back to At Water’s Edge, where we ate hotdogs and chips for lunch and whiled away the afternoon by alternating between building sandcastles on the beach and cooling off in the pool.
At sunset, our collective sense of relaxation began to metamorphose into memory as we bathed in light refracted endlessly by airborne salt crystals and sea foam. We were lulled by the lapping low waves into believing it would never end.
And you know? It won’t end. It didn’t end when we drove away from Cape San Blas on Monday morning, and it didn’t end when we pulled safely into our driveway back home on Monday afternoon.
This was not how the story ends. It was how it began.
I know this, because we are resolved: We will go back. We will always go back to Gulf County, Florida.
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The Doofus Dad Stereotype is Still a Thing, Unfortunately
May 15, 2015 November 17, 2015 / Carter Gaddis / 8 Comments
Our older son is at a Friday night birthday party in the next neighborhood up the road. Our younger son requested a viewing of Frozen.
My wife, their mother, is – as of this writing – stuck on an airplane that is runway-bound while it waits out a nasty Central Florida thunderstorm. She is on her way to Cape Cod for a brief family visit, a weekend with her sister and mom.
Yeah, right.
I got this.
Just like millions of dads all over the world would have it if their parenting partner went out of town for a weekend or longer. This is part of the deal. We cover for each other – when I’m out of town, she’s fine. And vice-versa.
If this is starting to sound familiar, that means you are probably one of the very, very small handful of people who used to read this journal in its infancy.
My goodness. I just checked the date of the last time I wrote a post proclaiming that “I got this.” It was May 16, 2012 – almost three years ago to the day.
“When Mom leaves, the boys and I miss her. A lot. She’s absolutely the straw that stirs. Over the long term, we’d be lost without her. (Ugh. I almost deleted that sentence, because it’s too painful to even contemplate.)
But listen … we’re fine. The boys get fed. They get bathed. They receive my attention. They get hugged and rough-housed with and loved. The only real adjustment is I get up a half-hour earlier so I can take my shower and get dressed before they wake up.
I don’t need Mom to leave me a check list. I already know how to call their pediatrician, if necessary. I know how to feed them, and dress them, and bathe them, and read a bed-time story to them. I know how to take care of them. They’re my kids. Of course I know how to take care of them. I’m fortunate in that I have an incredible partner, and there’s no way I’ll ever take what she does and who she is for granted. We need her, and even though that doesn’t change when she goes on the road, we’re fine for a while.”
Was that me, trying to make myself out to be some kind of special snowflake dad who is so much better at this than the rest of you? Hell, no. It was me refuting the antiquated notion that dads are imbeciles who are helpless without someone there to hold their hands when their parenting partners are not around.
A writer for Babble, Lori Garcia, expressed that same sentiment. Not three years ago. Yesterday.
Hell, yes! We’ve made it! No longer must engaged, loving, competent dads be considered helpless buffoons in the absence of their partners!
This is great! This is …
I spent a good portion of this evening taking the losing side of an argument that I honestly believed was settled a while ago. After all, hadn’t I written about it three years ago? Hadn’t a lot of people?
Weren’t big brands taking notice that the tired, old doofus dad trope was done and dusted? Hadn’t Dove Men+Care raised the bar for everyone? Hadn’t we decided as a society that dads can (and should) Lean In, too?
Yes! We are beyond it! Aren’t we?
Here’s what I wrote in a good conversation with a group of less-naïve dads on Facebook. I reference the Babble story mentioned and linked above:
“I guess I’m as confused as Lori about why it would be (still) the majority opinion that if one parenting partner takes off for a while, the other parenting partner would melt into a puddle of confusion and despair about bath time and bed time or whatever. Yes, there are ‘red state’ ways of thinking about the family dynamic, but I want to believe that the old, tired way of thinking about these things is being overtaken by more enlightened ideas. At least in theory, if not in actual everyday, everywhere practice. No?”
No.
As I naively tried to argue in favor of progress, a fellow dad posted this ridiculous commercial from AT&T in the same private group: Piece of Cake. Basically, it’s a dad who is left at home alone with the kids and is so inept that only a magical AT&T app that controls everything in the house helps the husband and kids survive the mom’s absence.
It’s the first big-brand commercial I’ve seen in a while that relied on the doofus dad as the primary conceit. And listen – I am aware there are dads who are doofuses. I am aware that everyone forgets things and takes shortcuts and needs a little help every now and then with the kids and with life in general.
I also am aware that in our insular group of fathers who write and interact on social media – the Dad 2.0 Summit crew, City Dads and many others – we do not necessarily fall within the cultural perception of the usual. Maybe it just seems to me like it’s no big deal for dads to be “left alone” with the kids for a while because of the company I keep.
I’d like to think it’s beyond that, though. I’d like to think there has been progress. I’d like to think that it’s “normal” for a dad to be able to pick up his kids at the bus stop on an afternoon, drop off his older son at a birthday party, watch Frozen with his younger son, and plan a fun, productive weekend while his wife was enjoying a wonderful weekend with her mom and sister.
I’d like to think that. Until there are no more commercials like that silly AT&T nonsense above, I’m afraid my fellow fathers are right.
We still have a lot of work to do.
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April 15, 2015 April 13, 2017 / Carter Gaddis / 9 Comments
I asked our 9-year-old son if he thought he and his 6-year-old brother were old enough to walk the mile between our home and the neighborhood community pool without me or Mom.
He shook his head “no” before I finished the question.
“Maybe in one more year,” he said. “But right now … it’s a mile.”
He paused to marvel at the magnitude of the word, the vast distance it represents for a third grader, the incomprehensible here-to-thereness of it.
“There’s so much chance of bad stuff happening along the way,” he continued. “Like, what if there’s a snake or something?”
Yes. Exactly.
What if the mean streets of our suburban Central Florida neighborhood were over-run by an army of hungry Burmese pythons, on the hunt for new meat after eating all the rabbits and deer in the Everglades?
Or something?
Something like aggressive, stinging fire ants, which can swarm up a small child’s leg in an instant and inflict dozens of painful wounds.
Something like reckless high school-age kids tearing around the neighborhood like idiots on modified, rocket-propelled golf carts.
Something like a careless driver flying along far too fast to see two little boys alone crossing the road.
Something like open bodies of water – retaining ponds, drainage creeks and golf course lakes.
Actual alligator sunning itself near the sidewalk connecting our house and the community pool. It looked hungry to me.
Something like the alligators that frequent those bodies of water. (Seriously. They’re everywhere. See photo.)
Something like a bad person looking for an unprotected kid to take.
Something like an over-zealous “good Samaritan” watchdog poised to place a panicky phone call to an over-zealous law enforcement agency that stands ready to over-zealously protect the children of the world from parents who have the gall to allow their kids to walk alone on a public sidewalk less than a mile from home.
It’s a jungle out there, right?
No. No, it’s not. Not here.
It’s a pleasant, 15-minute stroll, with broad sidewalks attended by shade trees the whole way. Wide strips of low-cut St. Augustine grass form a green, well-tended barrier between the walkways and the occasional passing minivan.
It’s a nice neighborhood. It’s a safe neighborhood. It’s the kind of place where friends respond gladly to neighbors in need. Crime is low.
This is home.
Yet, even in this idyllic setting, danger lurks behind every swaying palm tree. The seemingly tranquil stretch between our driveway and poolside actually is a battle scape.
In my mind, at least.
Listen, we trust our sons. They have proven worthy of that trust time and again. They are growing up well and confident.
But they’re kids, and we’re parents. They don’t yet possess the capacity to deal with crises — or even minor conflict — without adult supervision. It’s our job as their parents to help them learn those skills, and part of learning means failing at it. We understand that, but we’re not going to be irresponsible about it, either.
So, when they play outside, they must do so within shouting distance of the front or back doors. If they plan to go inside at someone else’s house, they must let us know where they’ll be and for how long.
When they want to go swimming, we take them to the pool. One day soon they’ll ride their bikes or walk that mile alone, but not yet.
Does a cautious approach make us helicopter parents? Are we over-protective? Too risk-averse for the healthy emotional development of our sons?
No. We aren’t over-protective. We are risk-averse, admittedly, but who in his right mind is risk-agreeable when it comes to their own kids? We aren’t Free-Range parents, either.
We are, simply, parents.
My wife and I are doing everything we can to prepare our kids to live life well. We also are doing everything we can to make sure they enjoy a happy childhood, and we’re in no hurry for that to end.
Confession: My greatest fear is that something catastrophic will happen to one of my sons, and I won’t be there to help them.
I’m not paralyzed by this fear. I don’t sit in the dark and rock back and forth, contemplating the horrific potential of the havoc rendered by the forces of darkness.
But the fear is there. I can’t deny it. It might not be rational, especially when you consider the statistics behind this recent Washington Post headline: There’s never been a safer time to be a kid in America.
Still, I want to protect them. I need to protect them. It’s more than a sense of responsibility or duty. The compulsion is visceral. It’s fierce. It’s real, and it’s not going anywhere soon – if ever.
This urge to shelter them from the harshness of the world is something I’ll have to work through as a father. As they grow, so too will I.
Part of being a parent is learning when and how to let go. It’s gradual, sometimes imperceptible, but eventually – they let go of their need for reassurance. They no longer feel the urge to look over their shoulders and make sure we’re still there. They let go and move on, alone in the world but ready for what comes.
When that happens, I’ll have to be ready to let go, too.
Not yet, though. Not just yet.
One day, he won’t look back to make sure I’m there. I need to be ready for that day. I’m glad it’s not here yet, though.
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High Anxiety: the Price of Parental Expectations in Youth Sports?
March 26, 2015 November 18, 2015 / Carter Gaddis / 4 Comments
An Ithaca College study published this month in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology confirms again that we, as parents, have absolutely no idea what we’re doing.
This is especially true, according to the study, for parents of kids aged 6-18 who participate in competitive swimming, tennis, gymnastics, bowling, wrestling, cross country and indoor track. Probably baseball, soccer, football, basketball and hockey, too, but they haven’t gotten around to observing team sports, so they don’t yet have a gauge on how stupid we are when our kids play those.
What egregious parenting gaff has been revealed now? How are we damaging our kids who play individual (and probably team) sports?
We place expectations upon our children. And that, apparently, is bad.
To be clear: I agree to an extent, but reject the notion that expectations are to be avoided in youth sports. I’ll explain why in a minute.
According to the study, parental expectations in youth sports are bad because the more ambitious the expectations, the greater the level of anxiety (pregame jitters) exhibited by the kid athletes. Similarly, the more parents wanted their kids to out-perform the other kids – in other words, the more the parents cared about who won – the less a kid was able to concentrate during the competition.
The reverse was true, too. The study found that the more ambitious the kids’ goals were, the higher the levels of anxiety experienced by the parents.
Hey, that’s fair. If we’re going to mess with our kids’ minds, they have every right to mess with ours right back.
Look, I’m all for managing expectations. I’m all for maintaining an even keel, especially when it comes to my kids and sports.
We enrolled our kids in YMCA soccer for years. Every player got a trophy. There were no standings. The score was kept informally, and no one knew (or cared) who the champion was at the end of the season.
There are parents and academics who believe that kind of athletic competition is a waste of time, that it defeats what they consider the purpose of kids participating in competitive sports. Their idea of meaningful participation in youth sports is that learning how to win a game at a young age can prepare their children to “win at life” as adults.
I wrote about my objection to that way of thinking about youth competitions in 2013 – After School Activities: Just Let Kids Be Kids. The bottom line for me was that the skills required to win a youth athletic competition only very loosely translate to the skills necessary to succeed in any profession except professional athlete and maybe coach.
Perhaps a kid can learn social skills as part of a team, but excelling on a field of play at age 8 is not a predictor of a corner office with a Fortune 500 company.
Still, now that our older son is well into his first season of competitive baseball, you’re darn right I have expectations. These expectations are fundamental. They are not negotiable.
I expect him to learn how to catch, throw, run, slide and swing a bat well enough that he won’t get hurt during the course of a game.
I expect him to pay attention to his coaches during practice, and that he’ll listen to me when we’re playing catch in the back yard.
I expect him to treat his teammates and his opponents with respect.
I expect him to learn the rules of the game, and I expect him to remember what he is supposed to be doing at all times on the baseball field – and if he doesn’t remember, I expect him to ask his coaches or more-experienced teammates.
I expect him to finish his homework before week-day practices and week-night games.
I expect him to have fun.
Now, I understand what the Ithaca report meant to condemn. There are parents who take sports too seriously, who live and die with every moment on the court, in the pool, on the mat or on the field. If pushed too far, that can be tough or even impossible for a kid to handle emotionally, and it’s not a good way to teach. It’s certainly no fun for anyone.
What I’m not wild about with this study is that it attempts to caution parents that any expectation has the potential to heighten the level of anxiety for a kid athlete. Furthermore, this is automatically assumed to be a bad thing.
I submit that parents should set reasonable expectations regarding a child’s participation in youth sports. Those expectations should be explained clearly and parents should be sure that their kid understands exactly how to live up to the expectations.
My expectations are reasonable, but I also acknowledge that trying to live up to all of those – including the part about having fun – might present a challenge for my sons. So be it. Growth happens when we confront our anxieties. We either overcome them or succumb to them. Either way, we learn.
Give a kid goals and watch him or her excel.
And that’s part of the job as parents, to present challenges for our kids to overcome. Overcoming those challenges might not put them on the path to a career as a high-powered executive, but it will help them learn how rewarding it can be to live up to – and sometimes exceed – expectations.
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March 25, 2015 March 24, 2017 / Carter Gaddis / 7 Comments
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” – A Farewell to Arms
We are broken in unseen places.
We are broken by divorce. We are broken when we lose a dream career because of a poor economy. We are broken by a heart attack. We are broken when we live the nightmare of fearing for the life of one of our children. We are broken slowly, callously, by impersonal office jobs. We are broken by cancer.
Even as we break, the sinews and ligaments of love and leisure hold the center.
I am broken, but I am intact because of my wife, my kids, my parents, my extended family, my friends, occasional professional success. I have been broken but not defeated, because even as the bits and pieces of me dangled precariously and threatened to fall away along the path, I found reasons to smile.
I found I could still experience happiness.
Happy is not a condition. It is a moment of forgetfulness or a flash of remembrance.
I was able to forget, or to remember, during my wedding with Beth, on our honeymoon to Las Vegas, on our 10th anniversary trip to New York City, when our sons were born, when I was chosen to read an entry from my online journal at Dad 2.0 Summit, during all the many days of enjoyment and abandon at Walt Disney World and other places where reality was paved over and I could remember or forget. These countless moments and experiences lifted my spirit and, for a time, seemed to mend the broken places.
Once broken, we stay broken. Wrapped in a thick blanket of inertia, scarred and scared, yet awake and aware, I was unable to stop but unwilling to move. The broken places are not stronger. They are merely broken.
This only ends one way. Remember the rest of Hemingway’s quote from Farewell: “But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these things it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.”
I am in no special hurry and must therefore find a way to function. I live with the knowledge of the broken places. They mount and swirl together as a swift current in a strong, cold river that gashes a drear desert. If I give in, I can drift along on that current and let it take me where it will, no will of my own. But I choose to choose my response. I can remember to forget, or forget to remember. I know I can do that, because I still can smile.
We can’t fix the broken places. So we need to know: How much can one person endure? That’s the question. Do we possess an infinite capacity to endure break after break after break, winding on endlessly into that desert? I am afraid I do not, but the evidence is incomplete.
Where are the unseen places? What do they look like?
I see a bridge, a stone passage through and over time, a safe thoroughfare imperiled on all sides by vagaries comedic and tragic. The bridge has crumbled and fallen in on itself in places. Where the stones are collapsed, the bridge veers in new directions. Crossing, thwarted by each new chasm, I leap along on wings of forgetfulness and remembrance, catching the current of love and leisure, pursuer and pursued. I land and peer along the narrow path ahead. I see only a straight road, but it is an illusion and I know that now. Inevitably, my gaze is drawn backward, where I look upon a labyrinth of my own unconscious design, a life in parts, a bridge broken but on the whole, not bad. I move on.
Where will I break again? Will I be ready and able to leap across the next chasm? Will the current slacken as I lament the broken places and fall, fall, finally and forever?
Yes. The world breaks everyone. Afterward, there are broken places but we move on. We meet new, better friends and lifelong companions. We find more fulfilling careers. We improve our diet, take our meds and promise to exercise. We relish every moment we have with our dear children and never – never – take their laughter and strength for granted. We vow to find our place in this world. We meet illness with treatment and optimism and if we are healed we cherish our good fortune and move on.
We make the leap across the unseen chasm. We turn into the current. We remember or we forget. We smile. We move on.
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March 22, 2015 November 18, 2015 / Carter Gaddis / 6 Comments
One sunny day in January 1996, we decided to adopt a kitten. We drove to the Humane Society of Pinellas County to pick one out.
We found a litter of six tabby kittens just out of foster care, a furry, mewling mass squirming around their recumbent mother in a covered, elevated outdoor pen. The kittens were 10 weeks old. Our eyes and hearts picked out a brown and white longhaired female with pretty yellow eyes and a calm disposition.
Before we could adopt our kitten, we needed cat supplies. So, we left the kittens and drove to the nearest pet store to buy a litter box, food, a water dish and cat toys. We were gone for 45 minutes.
Murphy the cat, circa 1997. He was a loving, devoted companion for nearly two decades. Soon, we’ll find a new kitten. But not quite yet.
When we came back, our longhaired kitten was gone – adopted out from under us. The only kitten left in the pen was a shorthaired, silver-and-black tiger-striped male with bright green eyes, a lively demeanor and white tips on his front paws. The humane society volunteer who had fostered him and his littermates said it looked as if he had dipped his paws in milk.
The attendant opened the pen. The kitten climbed my arm and perched on my shoulder, where he sat and observed while I filled out the paperwork.
We put him in the carrier. He meowed the whole way home. We named him Murphy and marveled as he grew from sprightly kitten to warm, loving, devoted friend.
Nineteen years later, on Feb. 12 of this year, I wrote this update on Facebook:
“He joined our family in 1996, a shelter kitten who climbed onto my shoulder for comfort the first time I met him. He has been my companion through 19 years of seismic life change. I named him Murphy, after my favorite baseball player. He is weak now, legs gone, head and tail limp. He made it through the night, so we’ll take him to the vet today to see if anything can be done. Beth and the boys are sad, and so am I. But what a cat – a true friend. He’s had a long, happy life. Two decades of pure love.”
By 9:10 a.m. that morning, he was gone. It was time. We cried and mourned as a family, just as we had when we lost Luna at Christmastime in 2012. The boys had only ever known a world with Murphy in it. Our older sonwants to be a veterinarian, a career goal attributable, in part, to the love he felt – still feels – for that dear cat.
Murphy’s absence is not quite real yet to me. I’m still a bit confused in the middle of the night when I shuffle into our bathroom in the dark and I don’t have to worry about stepping in the litter box. I still am careful not to roll over too abruptly in bed, because I don’t want to unsettle the devoted old cat who purred the night away in the crook of my arm.
But listen: This is not a sad post. Murphy lived a long life and was loved every second of it. He is loved still. He was sweet and dumb and devoted and oh, so lovable. We rejoice in his memory.
We just have to make sure we find the right one.
How does one go about that these days? How do you adopt a kitten?
It starts with an impulse.
Before Murphy came to the end, we already were talking about what would come next. My wife is allergic to cats, but she began to campaign for a kitten months before we became a no-pet household.
It starts with an impulse.
Let me be clear: My wife is allergic to cats, but she wants another one.
She endured 11-plus years of cats under her roof, in her bed, under her feet. Murphy and Luna destroyed our floors with their claws and by other means. Before we replaced the carpet, we waged battle for years against the stubborn redolence of concentrated uric acid (also known as residual dried cat piss).
Her sneeze attacks are sudden and wall-shaking – the sneezes come in rapid-fire bunches and persist until Benadryl works its way into her bloodstream.
Despite this, she wants another cat, and soon. If not for the fact that I insisted we spend a respectful amount of time mourning the absence of my dear feline companion, we already would have a new cat in the family. She and the boys were that eager, but they understood I needed time.
Why does my wife want a cat?
“I like having something alive when I come into the house,” she said. “And I think it’ll bring joy, which is really the only reason that matters.”
OK, then.
It will happen in the next few weeks, after our younger son’s cast comes off his broken left arm. We’re looking at late April.
Potential parenting fail alert: I might have promised him on the day he broke his arm that he can name our family’s new kitten. His choices so far – Mr. Fuzzy Whiskers or Murphy Junior.
Yeah … we might not be sticking to the letter of the law with that particular promise. I think it’ll be a family decision, with our younger son leading the discussion. That’s a fair interpretation.
(I am not spending the next two decades with a Mr. Fuzzy Whiskers.)
We have some ideas already about the kind of cat we want to join our family. The candidates:
Upon reflection, we’ll go with none of the above.
And we won’t go into this on a whim, as I did in 1996 with Murphy. Back then, I lacked the perspective required to envision the day two decades later when I would have to say that tearful goodbye to a companion who had shared nearly half my life.
Now, armed with the knowledge that the kitten we adopt next month could very well be cuddled in his or her feline dotage by our grandchildren, we will prepare accordingly and choose carefully.
I’ve read advice from reputable sources, including the ASPCA and Purina. Before we bring home a new kitten, we will:
Budget for monthly expenses: food, litter, litter bags, industrial-strength cleaner
Budget for annual (and emergency) veterinary bills
Prepare the house to absorb the inevitable damage and to combat the inevitable smells and dander
Explain to the boys about the responsibility of pet ownership and the opportunity to save an animal’s life by adopting from a shelter
Determine whether we want to declaw our new kitten in order to avoid the kind of destruction wrought by our clawed kitties in the past
Research places near us that provide cat adoption services
Clear time on the schedule for the next few months to nurture our new kitten and help him/her become acclimated to our home
Most important, we’ll explain to the boys that our new kitten is not a replacement for Murphy and Luna. The love and appreciation we feel for our departed companions will always be with us. If anything, as we get to know our new family member, I imagine our memories of Murphy and Luna will grow vivid – the way Murphy would leap and spin with a mid-air cartwheel as he tried to apprehend a bouncing rubber ball; Luna’s propensity to sit up on her hind legs, like a meerkat, and bat relentlessly at a proffered cat treat.
In the coming weeks, I’ll share the story of our family’s new addition. I hope you enjoy the journey, and I welcome any kitten adoption advice you have to offer.
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Older readers will recall the days when news was purveyed only via newspapers and the radio. Although that was a long while ago, and memories of those days are dimmed by the efflux of time, my recollection of that era was one where reporters ferreted out the facts from wherever they were hidden, verified them by cross-checking against other sources, and promulgated them in unalloyed form untainted by the reporter’s opinion, unadulterated by ‘he said, she said’ reporting, and free of ‘press release’ propaganda. Reporters ‘wore out boot leather’ or ‘played the phones’ to bring us the real news. Of course during wartime some of the ‘news’ was subject to censorship and state propaganda designed to keep morale high, but we accepted that as appropriate.
How different it is now. Apart from the multiple media outlets that exist, the style of reporting has changed so that the consumer of news now has to refine the slivers of gold from the heavy overburden of dross. And in fact it’s worse than that. If it were only a matter of refinement, many readers are perspicacious enough to find the gold, but we now have another layer of overburden – propaganda, a deliberate intent to persuade, to deceive, to cajole into believing whatever the writer, or more sinisterly the editor or proprietor, wants us to believe. News outlets have become a powerful means of persuasion, of bending consumers to the will and the beliefs of the authors. There is no more flagrant example of this than the Murdoch media, and should Gina Rinehart get control of Fairfax, we should expect the same.
How many times have we heard political commentators say: “Labor never seems to be able to get its message across”. Or “Every time Labor has some good news to announce, it is drowned out by some mishap or disaster”. Or “Whenever Labor has a success or has achieved a legislative goal, leadership speculation overwhelms it.” Or “They just can’t seem to throw off speculation about a change of leader, or Kevin Rudd’s return.” Or “Labor can never get any ‘oxygen’ or clear air”. And who is to blame for this? Labor of course – it is hopeless at communication they say. It amazes me that those who say that with a straight face either cannot see, or refuse to acknowledge, that it is the media that consistently ensures that Labor’s attempts at communication are thwarted. It is the media that can always find a negative story, a downside, a contrarian view to counter anything positive the Government achieves, any ‘good news’ stories it has to tell. How many times have you heard Barrie Cassidy, Leigh Sales, Chris Uhlmann, Tony Jones, Emma Alberici, Fran Kelly, or Karen Middleton utter those very words? Cannot they see that the Murdoch media particularly, and much of Fairfax media too, deliberately runs interference to counter Labor’s good news so that the adverse news gains prominence over the good. These journalists can easily see the phenomenon, but are seemingly blind to its origin.
This piece asserts that one of Labor’s intractable problems is that ‘the media is in the middle’, in between the actual news, good and bad, and the public, that the media filters the good news about Labor out, and replaces it with the bad, albeit too often constructed out of little or nothing at all. It is part of the media’s strategy to run a continual campaign of obstruction so that Labor gets almost no ‘clear air’, no ‘oxygen’ to disseminate its good news. There are hundreds of examples of this.
Before someone comes here insisting that once again I am unfairly ‘blaming the media’ for the contemporary state of news dissemination, for Labor’s current position in the opinion polls, let me quote from David McKnight’s book Rupert Murdoch An Investigation of Political Power (Allen&Unwin, 2012). He describes how in the US Murdoch has used Fox News “…to pioneer a new form of political campaign - one that enabled the GOP to bypass sceptical reporters and wage an around-the-clock, partisan assault on public opinion. The network, at its core, is a giant soundstage created to mimic the look and feel of a news organization, cleverly camouflaging political propaganda as independent journalism”.
McKnight goes onto say: “In Australia, the desire by Murdoch’s news media to shape the agenda of Australian politics shows no sign of diminishing. Its two most powerful weapons, the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, run regular campaigns against Labor and its policies, but are particularly venomous towards the Greens. The flagship Australian, as Robert Manne said in his prescient Quarterly Essay, remains an ideologically driven newspaper ‘unusually self-referential and boastful, with an extreme sensitivity when it is criticized. Its most distinguishing stance is its ‘loathing and contempt for anyone who thought radical action on climate change was needed’.”
McKnight concludes his book: “Given his oft-repeated rejection of retirement, Rupert Murdoch is likely to remain a powerful figure capable of influencing world politics for a considerable time to come.” So unless the Leveson Inquiry brings him undone, we have much more Murdoch interference to come.
If anyone is still sceptical about Rupert Murdoch’s preoccupation with commercial power and the exercise of political and ideological influence over governments on three continents, please read McKnight’s book. Page after page documents how he has become involved in high-level politics for many years.
He was a great supporter of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Regan, George Bush and John Howard, a strong advocate for the Iraq War, a promoter of the now-debunked ‘weapons of mass destruction’ story, and the supposed connection between Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, one that never existed, one for which there was never any cogent evidence.
He was an opponent of closer relationships between the UK and Europe, and editorialized strongly to push his views on this. Through his US Fox News he has supported the Republican Party and its extreme right wing extension, the Tea Party, running a virtual propaganda machine that is venomously anti-Obama, strongly pro-Republican, and aggressively anti-global warming.
We know he has ‘courted’ national leaders in several countries, and indeed they have ‘courted’ him for his support politically. This has come out in all its ugliness in the Leveson Inquiry. Tony Blair flew halfway round the world to a News Corporation meeting at Hayman Island to curry favour. Anyone who doubts that Rupert Murdoch has an anti-Gillard, anti-Labor, anti-Green agenda should look at the overwhelming evidence that this is so. His editorials have called for ‘the destruction of the Greens at the ballot box’. His media outlets are pro-Coalition and pro-Abbott, who is never put under scrutiny by his media, never challenged, never questioned about his policies or costings, never corrected when he utters lie after lie about the carbon tax, the minerals tax, asylum policy, or for that matter any Labor policy. Abbott gets a free ride. And he knows on which side his bread is buttered: “I hope he liked me”, said Abbott after their one and only meeting in the US. I’m sure he hopes just that, and is now convinced that even if Murdoch doesn’t like him much, he will support him, because he wants a change of regime, a change all his outlets promote day after day.
Now I know any newspaper proprietor has the right to pursue his or her commercial interests, and to hold any ideological or political position, even to use whatever means that are available to pursue them. But is it right, is it fair, is it moral for just one man to be able to exercise such unbridled power on three continents, such that he can change governments or keep them in office through the power of his media?
Should one man have this disproportionate power to persuade the electorate to his own views? And should he have the unfettered capacity to do this by disseminating untruths, distortions, and downright lies? Should one man have the power to poison the minds of the voters against the nation’s PM and her active and productive Government, the power to mount a disingenuous campaign, Fox News style: “a new form of political campaign - an around-the-clock, partisan assault on public opinion”, in order to dislodge an elected Government?
Folks, this is serious – this is exactly what News Limited is doing; it will not stop until it succeeds, no matter how long that takes.
Let’s look at a few examples of how this is being done.
Murdoch regards The Australian as his treasured flagship even although it is said to not turn a profit. Its modest weekday circulation of around 100,000, with weekend patronage a little larger, does not lessen its value to him. It is aimed to influence opinion leaders in commerce, industry, agriculture, banking and politics. And it does.
Murdoch journalists know the ‘party line’ and readily toe it. Maybe they subscribe to it, but even if they don’t, they know that their continuing employment depends on pleasing Uncle Rupert, or at least not upsetting him. Although one reads the occasional ‘no one tells me what to write’ from News Limited journalists, everyone knows what the corporate line is, and dutifully complies. In his Quarterly Essay Bad News – Murdoch’s Australian and the Shaping of the Nation Robert Manne documents how editor Chris Mitchell makes it clear in his weekly meetings with his columnists how he wants stories to ‘come out’. And so they do.
Paul Kelly is a doyen of Australian political comment, has written tomes about it, and is a Walkley Award winner. One might imagine that he would be fiercely independent and not subject to editorial strictures. Yet his writings are compliant with the Murdoch line. In his review of Kelly’s book The March of the Patriots in Crikey Guy Rundle points to: “…the great flaw that runs through his work - an almost visceral dislike of some amorphous group, variously known as “progressives”, “the Left”. People from this group are rarely, if ever, quoted – they’re an amorphous chorus of noises…” This visceral dislike contaminates his weekly columns and TV appearances. He argues against the carbon tax, castigates the Government over its asylum policy, the minerals tax, and its style of government. And because of his aura of authority, his word is gospel to many. It is a pity that someone of his journalistic stature is such a Coalition sycophant.
There is little point in spending much time on Dennis Shanahan, who is unashamedly pro-Coalition, who can extract any drop of good news for the Coalition from Newspoll results, and any amount of bad news for PM Gillard and her Government, not that this takes much effort at present. He joined with Matthew Franklin in the News Limited campaign against the BER and HIP, which ran unabated for months, even after three Orgill Reports showed over 97% satisfaction with the former.
Neither is there any point in discussing the partisan contributions of Christopher Pearson, Tom Dusevic, Judith Sloan or the editorial writers at The Australian. Just glance through the last issue of The Weekend Australian to see what I mean. Find if you can anything that is complimentary to PM Gillard or her Government.
In his desire to establish himself as a columnist and TV commentator, Peter van Onselen prefers to follow the party line, often to his detriment. He sarcastically derided Julia Gillard over her opposition to a levy to fund the NDIS, a move that would have given Tony Abbott another GBNT slogan. Even Abbott discarded the idea of a levy, leaving PvO exposed as naive.
Don’t be deceived by his innocent baby-faced appearance. This man is a venomous enemy of the PM and her Government. This is what Uthers Say had to say about him in a piece: Enter the Australian all spin zone – a News Corporation duplication “Australians are seeing Fox News channelled in Australia by News Corporation’s Australian operations and particularly in not too subtle form on The Contrarians hosted by News Ltd’s Peter van Onselen.
“The practices of the Fox News Channel revolve around keeping the audience afraid and enraged. Those who stand between the very wealthy and greater wealth must be labelled, vilified, and dismissed. The tactics of its “news folk” and commentators include stacked panels, name-calling, talking over or shouting down any opposition, having a ready supply of villains that the audience will have Pavlovian responses to, and of course feeding the perceptions they create that suit the narratives that serve their corporate masters so well.” The Bolt Report uses similar techniques.
Do read the whole piece to gauge the extent of van Onselen’s malevolence, and how the tactics used in the US Fox News, which is nothing more than a propaganda machine for the Republican Party and its extreme right wing manifestation, the Tea Party, are replicated here. Fox uses the disingenuous slogan ‘fair and balanced’ and its dishonest catch cry is: ‘We report, you decide’.
In searching for even one non-partisan writer for this newspaper one is left with just George Megalogenis, who writes well on matters economic, and at least backs his assertions with facts. But even the much-respected Mega at times seems to be avoiding conflict with the party line when he writes his columns.
In my view The Australian is patently partisan in its opposition to the Gillard Government and its support for the Coalition. Almost everything it publishes is designed to replace the Government with a Coalition one.
The same could be said for the rest of the News Limited stable. It is fruitless looking for a non-partisan writer there. Bolt, Akerman, Lewis and McCrann are conservatives with a vitriolic hatred of Labor, and the others largely follow their lead.
Let’s look at the Fairfax stable, where one could once reasonably expect to find better-balanced journalists. Ross Gittins and Peter Martin are standouts in that they present the facts as they are. They write mostly on matters economic, and do it well. At the Australian Financial Review there are some sound writers, chief among them Laura Tingle, who seems to be able to see things others can’t, and express them in clear prose.
But the Fairfax journalists that are most read are a big disappointment. The grande dame of political journalism, Michelle Grattan, who once could be relied upon to write balanced articles, has got her knife so far into Julia Gillard that she can scarcely say anything good about her at all, even when the PM has a substantial success to her credit. There is always a down side that gets the emphasis. Any acknowledgement is given begrudgingly. Why she is like this she alone knows, but it shows, and reflects poorly on her.
Phil Coorey seems a reasonable sort of fellow, especially on Insiders, but even his articles are tainted with the disparaging remarks about the Government. Peter Hartcher, whose well-written book, The Sweet Spot, I reviewed a little while ago, too gets on his high horse to vent criticism against the Government.
To read their columns a visitor could be left with the impression that Australia had an incompetent, leaderless Federal Government that had no vision, no narrative, and no accomplishments, that does nothing but fight over leadership, and that is headed for certain electoral wipeout at the next election, from which recovery would take a decade, or more.
They, along with many other commentators, are so certain of this electoral tsunami that they speak as if it were a foregone conclusion. Discouragingly, their dire predictions seem to be based on contemporary opinion polls, to which they wrongly attribute predictive capability, even this far from the next scheduled election. How these columnists have been conned into assigning such power to the polls is beyond me, and I suspect to some of the better pollsters too.
And it’s not just regular journalists that indulge in the perpetual ‘Gillard is doomed’ rhetoric. Crikey’s Bernard Keane is regular knocker, and recently the usually supportive Mungo MacCallum has joined the doomsters, basing his assessment on a discussion he had with half a dozen mates at a pub. Even Labor politicians are gloomy. We are used to Richo rabbitting on about the PM’s political demise as a matter of when, not if, but when Steve Bracks joins him and talks about Labour being wiped out around the nation, Labor supporters despair. Mind you, he retreated from this line when he recently launched his book, A Premier’s State.
Indeed it’s hard to find many who support the Government. NAB chief executive Cameron Clyne was one in an article by Ben Butler in the SMH Let’s stop the negativism, says Clyne Read it for a psychological boost!
So there it is – a media in the middle – interposed between the political reality of Federal politics and the public. Most of it is malignant; intent on spreading widely its cancerous message about PM Gillard and her Government, absorbed with metastasizing to every part of the electorate. Truth is irrelevant – bringing PM Gillard and her Government down is all that counts. The Murdoch media now reflects the strategies employed by Fox News in the US – an around-the-clock, partisan assault on public opinion – and the Fairfax media, and to some extent the ABC, is following suit. It is subversive and dangerous.
Can you imagine a football match where one team is playing well and scoring freely, while the other is floundering? Imagine now a clique of TV and radio commentators whose focus is on every real or trumped-up misdemeanour of the winning team, savaging their players and their coaches for ‘unfair’ play, rough tactics, poor strategy, incompetent ball handling, timid tackling, hopeless defence, pathetic attack, and lack of leadership.
Imagine the commentators overlooking the dirty tactics, the behind the play assaults, the lack of any visible game plan, the foul leadership, and the low scoring of the other side, glossing over these misdemeanours as inconsequential. Imagine as the game progresses and the score mounts, the commentators predicting, even at half time, a massive loss for the winning side based upon Sportsbet odds.
Imagine the umpires punishing every small or imagined infringement of the leading side with a severe penalty, while overlooking the gross violations of the other.
Imagine the supporters of the losing team hurling abuse, cans and bottles at the players, threatening to jump the fence and assault them. Imagine them endlessly chanting lurid slogans until they became deafening. Imagine this going on from the very beginning, and continuing even as the superior side piles on goal after winning goal, to the very end.
Imagine even some of the winning side’s supporters turning on them, criticizing their tactics, even the colour and design of their gear.
Imagine all that and you will have an image of what is going on with the media in this country. The media is in the middle, determined to shield the public from the truth, the real score, the real promise of greater things to come; determined to distract the electorate, to misrepresent the progress the Government is making, to promote the losers and paint them as in an impossible-to-lose position, but never prepared to expose their hollowness, their policy paucity, their costing dishonesty, their sinister agenda for our nation and its people.
What do you think?
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2/08/2012Well done, Ad Astra, even better than your best! This needs to be said again and again!
2/08/2012As usual, Ad astra, you have hit the nail on the head. Here in Qld, the Courier Mail is a bloody disgrace! And I cancelled my subscription with the Australian once Peter van Onselen changed from being a pretty balanced writer into a Coalition shrew. Pathetic, as he started out (mostly) inpartial. That the Courier Mail is basically the ONLY paper in town is holding all the plebs to ransom. Added to that, all our local & regional newspapers, such as Quest Newspapers Albert & Logan news here in my area, are also all controlled by Murdoch's media empire. Honestly, I'm sick of all the lies! I haven't read the article your link provided regarding Peter van O, but I shall do so shortly & get back to you. Thanks again for another accurate & informative article!
Tom of Melbourne
2/08/2012 Bill Kelty knows nothing- [quote] 'I've got to be frank: it's too easy to blame the media, too easier [sic] to blame the playthings of politics. And there's no purpose blaming the opposition for doing what, after all, you would expect them to do, and that's to beat you. ''In a sense, I think we make politics just simply too hard. The truth will normally do.” [/quote] Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/a-trusted-messenger-steps-forward-to-rebuke-labor-20120518-1yw5j.html#ixzz22NWhpW9L Ad Astra is a far more astute analyst than any ALP/union luminary.
2/08/2012I'm glad to read such an article, and see it "out there". For more that 25 years I have believed that the most malevolent influence on democracy is the Murdock press influence and Power. No organisation should have this power to use. Those who deny it is happening are those in collusion with it who are happy to take the benefits. As we see in the UK the benefits come with a consequence. Plenty of Journo's know this is happening. When are we going to get the facts from some of them or are they too cowed and scared of losing their jobs, or,do they also love the intoxicating taste of having power to influence outcomes.?
jaycee
2/08/2012Ahh!..good..I didn't want to be the first to comment AGAIN!...people will start to think I hang around this site too much! Yes, AA..great article...Lots to talk about. One example we all are aware of with the MSM. blocking news is the Wixxyleaks and The Independant Aussie stories on Thompson/Slipper shenanagens. I think it was last night I was gobsmacked to hear Leigh Sales excitingly announce that "...you remember how WE broke the story on the corruption in the HSU. saga...".....WHAT!! The MSM. were the LAST to come upon the scene....the blogsites had moved from breaking to making the pace on the story. But yes, it is the media, always the media and only the media that shapes and breaks the personalities in the politics in the mainstream news. Murdoch and now "Mikimoto Rhino" are doing their damnest to break this govt'...We can't do much about "the beast" yet, but Rupert ought to be declared personae non gratae and denied any and all access to Australia by any medium. After all, he is now a foreign national working against the interests of the nation....."Throw the bum out!"
2/08/2012 As Ad Astra says, the blatant bias of Rupert Murdoch’s News Ltd in Australia favoring the Coalition and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, has done great damage in opposing the Government’s minerals tax and carbon pricing scheme along with promoting the chicanery of scepticism about climate change. Yet it has not defeated the all important legislation bringing in these all important reforms. Other major change has been achieved too in the areas of health and communications, particularly the NBN. All that in the context of a hung parliament and the most tenuous hold on government has been achieved by the vision, tenacity and negotiating skills of our Prime Minister, supported by some very able Ministers and two very principled and strong minded Independent MPs. Let's get behind them and ensure their decisive re-election in a year's time. Perhaps then the government will have the strength of numbers to address this blatant abuse of power by Rupert Murdoch. Current Australian media ownership laws, as much the responsibility of Labor power brokers as Coalition in the past, cry out for reform. Meanwhile [b] Remember! “True Liberty Is When Free-born Men Speak Free!”[/b] John Milton’s Areopagitica, Crying freedom for the press Back in 17th century England, Resisted monarchy’s excess. His tract was a mighty weapon In democracy’s progress. We are the beneficiaries Of his most eloquent address. But we ‘free-born’ were complicit, As we watched and acquiesced While that freedom was abused With a brazen shamelessness. We encouraged one man’s ambition To buy up, control, possess As property our thoughts in print And we applauded his success. We shared profits with this behemoth Who now destroys our happiness And publishes news of our world, Writ as he commands it be expressed. This threat to our democracy Tells us it’s time to re-possess What he uses as a licence To break all rules and decency transgress. Our precious freedom so perverted Has caused society's regress. Let’s use our laws while we still can, Redeem ourselves, and truly free the press.
2/08/2012Ad Astra Well said, sadly. Oh and you forgot the real traitors in the media, the ABC. Most Australians trust the ABC. I used to. Not anymore, they are just as culpable, even more so as they are available everywhere in Australia, and they are supposed to be impartial. I used to dislike people calling for the demise of the ABC, but I would now find myself in the front row calling very loudly, if not for their demise at least for a giant cleaning out and new, impartial staff being put in their place.
2/08/2012Folks You are all quick off the mark tonight. Thank you Patriciawa for your very complimentary remark, and your elegant and apt pome: [i]True Liberty Is When Free-born Men Speak Free![/i] Libbyx33 Thank you for you kind comment. I think you will be mortified when you read the piece on [i]Uthers Say[/i] about PvO. His strategy is right out of the Fox News playbook. 42 long The Murdock power is frightening. Almost every page of McKnight’s book documents this. The latest book [i]Dial M for Murdoch[/i] by UK Labor MP Tom Watson and Martin Hickman is next on my list. Here is the review in [i]The Guardian[/i] http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/may/06/dial-murdoch-tom-watson-hickman-review The review concludes: [i]"In the end, this story is about corruption by power," he notes, before adding, vividly of the Murdochs: "From the criminal underworld to the headquarters of London's police force, from the decks of yachts in the Mediterranean to farmhouses in the Cotswolds and the deep-carpeted rooms of Downing Street, they had spun an invisible web of connections and corruption." The law of the playground states that the bully survives only if he is indulged. That surely is the greater crime, and that is laid at the politicians' door.”[/i] jaycee Thank you for the compliment. The Levinson Inquiry has a while to run. By the time the next election comes along, who knows what might have happened to Murdoch and his empire. Maybe his wings will have been clipped and his power in this country limited. Gravel Thank you for your kind comment. You are right. The ABC is culpable; it is too often an echo of News Limited. Why is this so? Maybe it needs a new Board and MD. Wasn’t it good of ToM to pay me such a nice compliment!
2/08/2012Hi Aa, another clear and concise article laying out the shortcomings of the media in this country. Great work. I have posted a number of times on the need for a Canadian style "Truth in media" legislation, which I believe would be in the best interest of our great (although somewhat diminished) democracy. I wrote the poem "The Boil" a few days ago, and as previously stated, was waiting for this new article before posting it. Hopefully a bit of light relief, amidst the political thrust and parry of The Political Sword. The Australian public looked upwards in awe From the base of a hill that was not there before It appeared just like magic…. And it grew overnight And by the next morning…. was a hell of a sight And some people said this was surely a sign That the country was sick, and we’re in a decline But the government said wait.. this just isn’t right The economy is good and the future is bright But the people got frightened by the sight of the mound And despite all the evidence said the country’s not sound But the government continued, as the figures were good Ignoring doomsayers as they knew that they should But frustration increased in the ranks of “The NO” And the hill stole their focus and continued to grow Big red and angry with a festering head “It looks like a pimple”, one observant soul said Then a little boy smiled, as he spoke to his Mum “It’s just like that boil, that I had on me bum” And a woman with shock written over her face Said “The damned thing’s so big, you could see it from space” So the question arose as to what should be done With a bloody great boil that could blot out the sun Could they lance it or squeeze it or just build a fence Round a festering pustule that was so immense But after heated discussion machinery was brought So the squeezing commenced and the excision sought And they pushed and they squeezed until up went a shout And bugger me dead, all the media popped out. Pushing harder and harder, spurred on by success Coalition backbenchers were expelled with the mess. Then the core broke away in a fountain of puss And in the midst of the gore was an LNP bus Covered with slogans and filled up with slime Then the door slowly opened and out stepped Chris Pyne And the children collectively said to their mummies “It’s a big mincing poodle, with a mouthful of dummies” Then Hockey slipped… landing, calculator in lap But the batteries were spent and his figures were crap Mirabella and Bishop stepped out hand in hand They were covered in slime….. but their posture was grand Abetz and his senators came out, single file Followed closely by Abbott spewing venom and bile His budgies were glowing and his hirsute chest puffed But the people all saw that his party was stuffed With his slogans revealed for the rubbish they were And his efforts exposing him as the billionaires Cur With their policy vacuum being more than enough To expose them as naught but a large pile of slough (sluff) So the people moved on with their confidence high As the Abbott’s ambitions went completely awry And the country recovered, growing stronger each day While the LNP circus slowly faded away And the moral for all is the poison… you’ll foil If you use enough pressure to excise the boil And don’t be misled into sad apathy But seek out the truth, as it will set you free Ask questions, demand answers and ignore all the spin And then those that deserve it will hopefully win And be careful when riding the LNP bus As you may well end up…. Sitting… covered in… puss. Cheers
2/08/2012Patriciawa, I wasn't sure if the poem was yours, until I read Aa's comment. Nice one! Cheers
2/08/2012Thanks for another excellent commentary. Unfortunately this is the only website that shows up the deceit and propaganda of Labor's opponents. I have caught out Van Onselen and Shanahan on perpetuating myths. Tony Windsor blew a hole in van Onselen when he tried to lie in an Agenda interview. VO got back in his box. In the USA Obama at least has the New York Times and the MSNBC supporting him. That is why Murdoch is desperate to take over the NYT. He has already destroyed the balance of the Wall Street Journal. Here in Australia Labor does not have a supportive newspaper or news channel. Unfortunately that is why this country will see its worst nightmare PM-Tony Abbott
2/08/2012Truth Seeker Thank you for your kind remarks and for your superb verse. What a great belly laugh it gave me as I reveled in your clever medical analogy. There is nothing as effective and satisfying than lancing a ripe boil and watching its purulent contents burst forth. And it’s therapeutic too for the bearer of the boil. Of course, the contents of the boil need to be consigned to the bin for soiled detritus and cast into the fiery furnace.
2/08/2012Frank Thank you for your generous remarks and for reminding us of PvO’s encounter with Tony Windsor. It is a foolish man who tries to trip him up, but PvO doesn’t yet realize how wet behind the ears he is. Murdoch may find his days of expansion of his empire are at an end. News Limited may not be as potent come late 2013. It’s been a long day, so I’m off to watch TV.
2/08/2012Well said AA, couldn't agree more. In fact I would go as far as saying it is Murdoch, not the coalition that Labor needs to beat if it wants to see another term in government. I most definitely don't want to see government regulation of the media and clearly self regulation has been a complete joke but something needs to be done to stop this rot and the question really is 'what'. When one organisation holds nearly all the cards it is nigh impossible to have a meaningful debate on media regulation without the usual howls of gagging the press, threatening free speech, censorship, filtering etc, however a simple law against publishing lies or misinformation as news would be hard to oppose and even harder to argue against by the opposition or Murdoch. It worked in Canada so well that Fox News wasn't able to get a look in there, and that in itself has to be a glowing endorsement.
2/08/2012Thanks Ad for your kind words and appreciation of my poem, I am glad that It produced a laugh, and that you enjoyed the analogy. It is great fun writing such verse, and employing subtle metaphors to emphasise a point (or two). TPS is a great site, and I am happy to add my little bit via comments and poetry. Cheers
Ad astra reply
2/08/2012Wake Up Thank you for your pertinent comment. You are right, Murdoch is the most powerful enemy. If only we had the Canadian rule banning lying in the electronic media, what an improvement that would bring about. PvO would have to revise his strategy.
2/08/2012I agree with everything you say Wake Up. The ABC in australia until recently had a unique status for representing a "balance". Which it can no longer claim. Murdoch hates the BBC claiming that it is the enemy of free speech. As IF this bastard ever cared about free speech. Free speech is when he has the right to state what we should accept and any contrary view is opposed., by his regime. If a "state" like USSR has a paper called PRAVDA one could assume it is a slave of the state. When a monopoly on opinion, ( not fact ) like the NEWS LTD runs things we are supposed to believe that it is OK. Well It is NOT, and we should stop listening to this propaganda and realise how we are being manipulated.
2/08/2012Ad astra, great post as always. I think when you typed the following words you summed up the wizened foreigner's poisonous world view and his attachment to dishonesty, mendacity and corruption: [quote]He was a great supporter of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Regan, George Bush and John Howard, a strong advocate for the Iraq War, a promoter of the now-debunked ‘weapons of mass destruction’ story, and the supposed connection between Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, one that never existed, one for which there was never any cogent evidence.[/quote] His malevolent presence is everywhere in the msm. With hindsight, we only have ourselves to blame for abandoning the media ownership rules set down by wiser heads, thus allowing this dreadful old man's foul tentacles to penetrate every aspect of the media Hopefully when the Levenson Report is handed down, the tentacles will be prised loose in the UK and some action will be taken here. No matter what, I think that legislation similar to Canada's wrt news reporting is essential, with harsh penalties for violations. It should also include shock jocks and opinion writers,; opinion is not exempt from truth.
3/08/2012Thanks, Truth Seeker, that's an update of a pome I wrote a while back when the hacking scandal first broke out in the UK. I like your political 'pomes' too. Let's see more of them. From your command of form and language I suspect you might be a poet from some time back, rather like Talk Turkey who seems to have been essentially a poet first and a Labor champion later. For me the need to encapsulate some thoughts about politics in a few lines has driven me to use verse as my vehicle at times. I've started reading poetry proper only recently. You are quite right. Tony Abbott and his team are a boil on our body politic and we need to see him squeezed off the face of Oz. As you wrote earlier [i] To hand the keys of this great nation To the Abbott’s vacuous team To rape and pillage our economy[/i] Would be to .....[i]realise a nightmare… from the dream.[/i]
3/08/2012Murdoch always says he doesn't tell his editors what to publish, He doesn't have to, they just know. How often does Murdoch bring someone from outside the News empire to edit his newspapers, They are usuually people with a long career in News and have figured out early in the piece what attitudes they have to have to advance. Likewise their reporters. In your assesment of the various senior writers at the Australian I think you missed Greg Sheridan He was an unashamed apologist for the Suhartos at the time they were lining their pockets and people were being murdered in East Timor by the army and Rupert was trying to advance his interests in Indonesia. Mind you Sheridan had some mates, not least some senior ALP figures! At the risk of being branded pickey I reluctantly point out it is the Leveson inquiry. And what compelling viewing that has provided
3/08/2012Ad astra Your writing awes me, not so much the writing itself as the breadth and depth and insight of the reading to which your writings bear witness. But your writing itself is so logical, so clear and ordered, I think you are nonpareil in everything you say. And you have never written better than this, as I'm sure you know! It is sad indeed that every line is all too true. Oddly, though my wording is a lot less conciliatory than yours, I find it all too easy to write similarly condemnatory material about the many things I really hate, and I really do mean hate, as in hatred of that wrinkled nasty old ex-Australian evil wizard Murdoch. There's just so much to write about, the only problem being that often even the most virulent terms are just completely inadequate, as in, who doesn't have fantasies of physically snotting that poisonous poodle Pyne, kicking him in the ribs and gaoling him for complicity in attempted sedition? Well before I reached the end of this new thread, I had some of the words of TS Eliot's poem [i]The Hollow Men [/i]exercising the gerbils, and then just a few lines from the end you yourself referred to the hollowness of the Abborttians themselves. So I looked the poem up, as you do so easily these day, and at the cost of a fair (or unfair?) bit of column space I'll paste it on the end. I know I could link it instead but it's nice somehow to grace the Sword with it, and to honour Ad astra's own writing with some of the best there ever has been. (I still prefer Ad's!) But I found first of all something unexpected, I'll let the Wikipedia notes do the talking. Funny though I don't think I ever saw any episodes, might now try to get it on DVD from my PUBLIC LIBRARY, it sounds worthwhile. Others may have seen it and I'd be glad to hear their opinions thereof. [b]The Hollowmen TV Programme[/b] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Genre:Situation comedy-Drama Created by Santo Cilauro Tom Gleisner Rob Sitch Directed by Rob Sitch No. of episodes.12 Production Working Dog Productions Broadcast Original channel ABC1 First shown in Australia Original run July 2008 The Hollowmen is an Australian television comedy series set in the offices of the Central Policy Unit, a fictional political advisory unit personally set up by the Prime Minister to help him get re-elected. Their brief is long term vision; to stop worrying about tomorrow's headlines, and focus on next week's. The Hollowmen was first broadcast on Wednesday, 9 July 2008, on ABC1. Each series comprises six half-hour episodes.[1] On the eve of the first episode's national premiere, the series was approved by the ABC for a second series. The second series was screened right after the first, beginning on 13 September 2008.[2] Lachy Hulme will reappear in the third season.[3] The comedy-drama satire is produced by Working Dog Productions, which was also responsible for Frontline, The Panel and Thank God You're Here. The music used during the opening credits is an edited instrumental version of the 1987 song "North by North" by New Zealand band The Bats. A special one-off presentation of The Hollowmen was created by Working Dog and played at Parliament House in Canberra on 11 March 2009, in support of the ABC's funding bid for 2009-12. [Isn't that interesting? - I don't know how I missed it.] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now here's the poem: I have [b]bolded[/b] the parts that seem to me particularly poignant. [b]The Hollow Men [/b] by T S Eliot Mistah Kurtz-he dead A penny for the Old Guy I We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass In our dry cellar Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion; Those who have crossed With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom Remember us-if at all-not as lost Violent souls, but only As the hollow men The stuffed men. II Eyes I dare not meet in dreams In death's dream kingdom These do not appear: There, the eyes are Sunlight on a broken column There, is a tree swinging And voices are In the wind's singing More distant and more solemn Than a fading star. Let me be no nearer In death's dream kingdom Let me also wear Such deliberate disguises Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves In a field Behaving as the wind behaves No nearer- Not that final meeting In the twilight kingdom [b] III This is the dead land This is cactus land Here the stone images Are raised, here they receive The supplication of a dead man's hand Under the twinkle of a fading star.[/b] Is it like this In death's other kingdom Waking alone At the hour when we are Trembling with tenderness Lips that would kiss Form prayers to broken stone. IV The eyes are not here There are no eyes here In this valley of dying stars In this hollow valley This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms In this last of meeting places We grope together And avoid speech Gathered on this beach of the tumid river Sightless, unless The eyes reappear As the perpetual star Multifoliate rose Of death's twilight kingdom The hope only Of empty men. [b] V Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly pear prickly pear Here we go round the prickly pear At five o'clock in the morning. Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow Life is very long Between the desire And the spasm Between the potency And the existence Between the essence And the descent Falls the Shadow[/b] For Thine is the Kingdom For Thine is Life is For Thine is the This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [b]BUT [/b] [b]FIE on TS ELIOT![/b] I am [i]not[/i] a hollow man! Ad astra is not a hollow man! Comrades of the Left are not hollow! [i]Let the poem instead begin [/i] [b]THEY[/b] are the hollow men! [b]THEY [/b]are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. And put the whole poem in the third person, where the Third person is the Fourth Estate! THEY are the Media in the Middle. And WE [i]will[/i], because we [i]must[/i], knock the stuffing out of their straw-filled heads. Swordsfolks please retweet or otherwise proselytize mentions of Ad's new thread to you followers, do it every time in fact. He talks such plain sense, it helps to bring people back together after the deliberate fragmenting perpetrated by the Abborttians and those bloody Media in the Middle. Don't quite know how to finish this so I'll just say [b]VENCEREMOS![/b] [b][i]NO PASARAN![/i][/b]
3/08/2012Truth Seeker WOW! TPS bids fair to be what The Bulletin was a hundred years ago! Patricia, and thee, and me, makes three . . . And Yes, TPS is a great site, led from the front by our host's wonderful threads, and its spread far and wide every day by our resident but peregrinacious Tweety Bird Lyn. The better it gets the better it gets.
3/08/2012Oops 'and its spread' = 'and it's spread' JUST A TYPO OK!? :)
Lyn
3/08/2012 TODAY’S LINKS Typecast, Mr Denmore, The Failed Estate Honestly, if you're a journalist and you can't do any of those things, I would argue you really have no business being in the profession in the first place. And I'm 53 years old. Starting a blog is hardly rocket science. Digital video? Hit record on your iPhone, plug it into your USB port, go to YouTube, upload. How hard can it be? Twitter? Please! Twitter is MADE for journalists, particularly headline writers. http://thefailedestate.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/typecast.html #80 Parody of journalism Part 1- Spin and counter spin, with and without a News Corporation, Uthers Say Firstly after two years of unrelenting campaigning by the News Ltd press and the news limited (limited by the sheer dominance of the News Ltd press in the Australian media scene) to keep Kevin Rudd in the leadership picture in efforts to delegitimise the Prime Minister of Australia, two out of three being sold on the news limited idea may not be a very successful campaign. http://utherssay.com/ The Book of Mvrdoch, Archie, Archie Archives With every Blogger and every Twitterer and every FaceBooker adding their voice.Blessed be the Blog Post and the Tweet and the FaceBook Update and the Wikileak.All saving Democracy and the world which became noisier yet finally amenable to reason.Blessed be the Fifth Estate and the power which devolved to the common man http://archiearchive.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/the-book-of-mvrdoch/ Listen To The Music,Sal Piracha Only The Depth Varies Mr Hockey was critical of Wayne Swan's continued offensive against the Axis of Greed, and decided (probably with the assistance of staff) that Mr Swan was drawing attention to himself as "Acting PM" to set himself up as an alternative to the unpopular Julia Gillard. I hate to be the one to break it to Mr Hockey, but here goes: Wayne Swan is the Acting Prime Minister. He doesn't need to draw attention to himself. He gets our attention because right now, he is our elected leader. http://onlythedepthvaries.blogspot.com.au/ Gillard dodges the states' hospital pass, Mungo MacCallum, ABC In the meantime, Gillard's stubbornness has, for once, paid off; she has got her trials, and the states - well, most of them - are on board. Even van Onselen has had to admit, grudgingly (in paragraph nine of another lecture), that her original "poor decision" has been vindicated. Coming from The Australian, that's about the best she could hope for http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/07/30/3556634.htm Swan Is On The Money, Ben Eltham, New Matilda We’re taxing the rich less. Tax rates on the wealthy have fallen significantly in Australia. The top tax bracket was 69 per cent in 1970. Today it is 45 per cent. This means that the wealthiest in our society were paying more than one and half times more tax at the statutory rate a generation ago. Of course, its worse than that, because the very wealthy have vastly more tax perks, write-offs and accounting tricks with which to legally minimise their tax, such as negative gearing, self-managed superannuation, family trusts, and all the rest. http://newmatilda.com/2012/08/02/swan-money FWA review released: blow to biz lobby, Bernard Keane, Crikey The business campaign for further industrial relations deregulation has suffered a major blow with the release of the review of the Fair Work Act by Bill Shorten today. http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/08/02/shorten-unveils-fwa-review/ Our ABC: has it lost the meaning of respect or is it just following the political discourse? Miglo, Café Whispers Has the ABC lost the meaning of respect or is it just following the political discourse? A discourse, it seems, being set by the Republicans in America and the Liberals in Australia where respect is ignored even if earned, yet handed out to the undeserving few http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/our-abc-has-it-lost-the-meaning-of-respect-or-is-it-just-following-the-political-discourse Will the Chinese Government eventually dominate the NSW electricity transmission network-, Clarence Girl, North Coast Voices The NSW Liberal government is devising a plan to attract greater foreign investment in the state's assets that will see more than $40 billion worth of infrastructure assets made available to Chinese state-owned companies, according to The Australian. On a tour of China, NSW Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell said that Chinese state-owned companies would be able to bid on asset sales that will be outlined in an infrastructure blueprint due in September. http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/will-chinese-government-eventually.html Bill Shorten cheated of an IR fight he could win, Rob Burgess, The Power Index given that many of those enterprise bargaining agreements were struck last year when headline CPI was 3%, it can't in itself be used as a sign of a wages blow-out. Actually, Bill Shorten would prefer it was interpreted that way. Then he'd have a fight on his hands -- a fight he could win out in the electorate, and one that might actually bolster Labor's dire opinion polling. http://www.thepowerindex.com.au/follow-the-power/shorten-cheated-of-an-ir-fight-he-could-win Sell off the NBN? Abbott won’t confirm or deny, Renai LeMay, Delimeter selling off the completed portions of the NBN would be horribly messy and wouldn’t really make much sense. The current NBN network is a real patchwork affair — bits of residential fibre here and there, wireless in patches, some substantial backhaul links, and satellite stations under construction. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to sell off those bits and pieces shortly after they were built — that, in my opinion, would mediate against a long-term Coalition FTTN strategy http://delimiter.com.au/2012/08/02/sell-off-the-nbn-abbott-wont-confirm-or-deny/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_ YES WE’RE TALKING TO YOU, KONRAD: Patronising journalist ass gets behind wheel of taxi to discover what working is like, Vex News This morning The Age has published an article so pat, so stupid its author will wander Media House being congratulated. It will probably win a Walkley. For one of their number has been sent on assignment to work as – wait for it – a taxi driver. http://www.vexnews.com/2012/08/yes-were-talking-to-you-konrad-patronising-journalist-ass-gets-behind-wheel-of-taxi-to-discover-what-working-is-like/ Why Abbott could lose the ‘unloseable’ election, Daniel Palmer, Climate Spectator Then there is the potential for gaffes, with just one bad interview considered crucial in cruelling Hewson’s chances. Abbott hasn’t been immune from them in the past, so there’s nothing to say he will be immune in an election campaign http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/why-abbott-could-lose-unloseable-election Australia’s best economic fundamentals since 1964, Stephen Koukoulas, Market Economics One massively inspiring fact is that in 1964, Australia’s per capita GDP (US$ terms) was $2,250. In 2012, the IMF estimate it will be $69,000, an increase of more than 2,600%. We are a very rich country. http://www.marketeconomics.com.au/2164-australias-best-economic-fundamentals-since-1964 Job cuts and wage cuts, John Quiggin Although he is happily ditching promises made to public sector workers, Newman cites vague language about the ‘cost of living’ to rule out any re-examination of tax poloicy, even though most of QUeenland’s low tax effort reflects concessions to business rather than households. http://johnquiggin.com/2012/08/02/job-cuts-and-wage-cuts/ Carbon pricing impact low but big ,Donna Kelly, The Fifth Estate Mr Skelton said a change of the Federal Government, with opposition leader Tony Abbott still declaring he will drop the tax, would be interesting.“There are lots of incentives and tax relief in the system which would make it quite challenging and in discussions I have had with colleagues, it’s not thought it would be repealed in its entirety http://www.thefifthestate.com.au/archives/36996 Fair Work Act review: weighing up the evidence, the spin and the wedge , Rae Cooper, The Conversation But keep your eyes on Tony Abbott. He is a man who is deeply wedged on IR policy. He walks the line between having promised not to enact WorkChoices-style changes (remember the “Dead, buried and cremated” line?) and criticising every move the government makes. All without any discernible policy between these two points. http://theconversation.edu.au/fair-work-act-review-weighing-up-the-evidence-the-spin-and-the-wedge-8611 Today’s front Pages Australia Newspaper Front Pages for 3 August 2012 http://www.frontpagestoday.co.uk/index.cfm?PaperCountry=Australia
3/08/2012Patriciawa, Thank you for your kind word, And yes, you are right that poetry has been a part of my life for a long time as I was a singer songwriter in a previous life (prior to the onset of illness). I have always been a student of politics, and despite times of disgruntlement, I believe that the ALP is the only party that shows real social conscience. I have only been commenting on blogs for a short while, and have different names depending on the tone site. My respect for Ad's writing was why I chose "Truth Seeker", as a reflection of his concise, straightforward, insightful, respectful and honest approach. TT, Ditto. I do enjoy your honesty and passion, and am happy and honoured to be included. Cheers
3/08/2012Truth Seeker, Patriciawa and Talk Turkey Three great pieces to add to Ad Astra's latest and best topic. There are so many good and clever people in Australia. Thank you all for putting your best foot forward for Labor.
3/08/2012Ad astra: As usual a good piece on the rotten media we have in this country. Murdock has poisoned the 4th estate totally even to the extent that our National Broadcaster dances to his tune. It is the corruption of our ABC that I am most angry about. Truth Seeker: Wonderful piece of verse you have given us. I find it quite delightful that on TPS we are graced with three poets. TT: Hope you are coping ok and not suffering too much.
3/08/2012Truth seeker - wonderful work. Lyn - even the descriptions of your links are informative, thank you. And on the topic, psycologists will tell you there are a number of distinct stages to perceived danger (which I'm sure NewsCorp is feeling at the moment), from memory the second one is fight - and a media organisation will fight by publishing articles that are designed to change people's point of view. At this point keeping the pressure up - media enquiries (UK), changing media laws (AUS) and loss of influence due to a decline in sales (Globally) will only add to the response. In the end, I suspect NewsCorp will implode in a similar way to Conrad Black's empire - the difference is that Murdoch the elder will never do jailtime. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Black
3/08/2012Excellent article on an increasingly propagandising partisan Australian mainstream media. One can only hope that their mainstream rapidly becomes a backwater.
3/08/2012 [b]AA[/b] Your logic, breadth of understanding, research skills, patient writing style and your energy means that you are without peer. The great testament to this in recent times is the vast array of new names that have appeared under comments here, especially in the last 3 months or so. And many choose to remain. Great work. There are a very few others, Mr Denmore for example, who are right up there too, but IMHO, you shade them when both quantity and quality are considered. And Lieutenant Lyn's magnificent efforts every day must not go unmentioned as a cause of so many posters and undoubtedly many more lurkers flowing onto this site.
Tom of Melbourne
3/08/2012As a matter of interest, is the interest of the media in Gillard’s affair with Bruce Wilson, and her conflict of interest (client/lover) or her involvement (in the alleged misappropriation by Wilson) legitimate?
3/08/2012 [b]AA[/b] I forgot to mention that I was up until the end of last year a daily commenter (ie pro JG arguer) on the Drum. I haven't been there even to read since then except on one occasion a few weeks back to use my registered name lest I lost it because of non-use. Even on that visit, I merely made a quick faux comment to use my name, and read nothing ..... disinterest! But at 3.30 am I was up today to watch the Lympics, and had a browse on the Drum with my ipad. I was looking for comments from erstwhile "colleagues" who with me carried the fight to the enemy. Of about the 30 who I knew to be pro government I could find only 2 familiar names. I saw many of the familiar enemy commenters still writing there. There were of course many pro government writers, but only those 2 that I recognised. I am still pondering an explanation but I suspect it has got something to do with the frustration of dealing with the same 3 or 4 neoliberal writers who have articles there every week, sometimes 2 or 3 from the same person. I refer to Reith, Sloan, and one or two IPA reps whose hackneyed and unrefreshing rants the ABC is ready to publish day after day. I am not referring to balance or bias at the Drum .... a quick look into the archives there shows a wide range of writers from all perspectives. But there is that few of which Reith the liar is a standout who have articles there day after bloody day. ( I know this from reading tweets and from visiting other sites who make mention of it) Unlike TPS, the Drum had / has IMHO gone very stale and repetitive. After 8 months I don't miss it, even though it was formerly a place of excitement for me and the site where I cut my blogger's teeth.
3/08/2012Hi Lyn Thank you again for a great collection of links, which I will read after responding to the overnight comments. To whet my appetite though, I couldn’t resist reading Mr Denmore. I was taken with his conclusion, which is relevant to this piece: [i]”…good journalism is still about good news sense, intense curiosity, an ability to tell a story, [b]a respect for the truth[/b], a crusading mentality and a capacity for sometimes telling people what they don't want to hear. That hasn't changed. And it shouldn't change.[/i]” (My bolding). And so say all of us. I’ll be back in a while to respond to the comments that came in after I retired last night.
Lyn
3/08/2012AA Another fine article coincides with my own opinion of the current media. As in some of my past comments our or should that be "their abc" is not worth capitals and I have often refered to a Dennis Wheatley book "Such Power is Dangerous" which is about media domination but my recent search indicates it meant the movie industry not print media. Old age catching up with me. The abc needs a JC clearing out the temple action and a few Labor Ministers standing up and condemming any journo's actions that just repeats the MSM lies by simply interrupting them for a change and then telling them to their faces that that is bullshit and then forcing the facts on to the airwaves. Well I can dream so someone please tell me I am not living in a Matrix reality and Neo/Julia is the one.
3/08/2012Folks Good morning and thank you so much for your thoughtful comments overnight, which I’ll now attempt to answer. jane Those words summarize many pages of David McKnight’s book [i]Rupert Murdoch An Investigation of Political Power[/i]. Although I had read here and there about the Murdoch influence, until I read this book I had no idea how pervasive it had been for decades and on three continents. Every page raises the eyebrows. The fact that Murdoch has not sued McKnight or the publisher suggests that it an accurate account. Murdoch is not interested in just the commercial side of his business, he is an ideologue with an intense interest in politics on a global scale, and seeks to influence national leaders to his point of view. While some of the influence is exercised covertly, much is done overtly through his media. He has been labelled the world’s most powerful man, which may be an exaggeration, but he could easily wear the more modest tag: ‘the world’s most powerful media mogul’. Unfortunately his influence is geared to support extreme conservative positions. I agree that that if Canadian law has prevented Fox News from operating there, we could do with such a law here.
3/08/2012rocco You are right when you say: “[i]Murdoch always says he doesn't tell his editors what to publish, He doesn't have to, they just know.”[/i] The McKnight book documents how Murdoch carefully picks editors that share his views of the world, and will sack them if they write contrarian editorials. You are right about Greg Sheridan. He knows the party line. Thanks for noticing the misspelling of ‘Leveson’. Correction made.
3/08/2012Coalition 'cute' shoots itself in foot. With Shouldabeen smirking over his shoulder, and waving what appears to be 2 or 3 pages of A4 paper ("Coalition announcing policies", says ABC New Breakfast, can you imagine the shellacking a Labot minister would get for two page 'policies'?), Warren Truss made an ass of himself this morning, and - surprise - the Coalition's policymakers generally by example, in one go. First up he namecalled his fellow agricultural land control Coalition policy committee members as "Ministers". Apparently they, including 'Treasurer' Hockey and 'Foreign Minister' Julie Bishop, are in government??? Did you notice? Cute? No, plug stupid. But that was without trying to be cute. That was yet to come. Warren Truss, cutest guy in the cute Coalition, demonstrating just how much 'work' Coalition policy-fudgers put into policy-making, ran past the assembled media some weird and wacky rules from around the world demonstrating how other countries handle foreigners buying their agricultural land. And jolly wheezes they were, with Tony Abbott smirking loonily over Truss's shoulder. The jolliest wheeze of all was Truss telling us that in New Zealand, foreigners may not buy more than 5 hectares of "agricultural land", and should that land include "sea views", then a non-Kiwi was restricted to a purchase of 0.2 hectares. Smirks all across the three Coalition luminaries, because Jivin' Joe Hockey was there, too, champing at the bit to run his opening line past all assembled - "Since 1788 Australia has relied on foreign investment...". See, Joe did pay attention in History Class. Of course, the fact that there was no "Australia" in 1788, 1789, or 1900 for that matter, since the nation only federated as 'Australia' in 1901, is something that maybe slipped past Joe. Unlike lunch. Back to New Zealand and circumscribed agricultural land purchases. Remember '5 hectares', or '0.2 with an ocean view'? Remember the film "Avatar"? Directed by an American fellow, James Cameron, who's just purchased a little writing shack on New Zealand's North Island, so that he can knock out the scripts for Avatar 2 and 3. James has to work out just what he's going to use his new 1,000 hectares of Kiwi agricultural land http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/james-cameron-buys-land-in-new-zealand-for-farming/38405/ for, because at the moment it's running cattle, and his family are vegetarians, but whatever they decide, they do have to make their property come up with some agricultural produce, because that is one of the terms of their purchase of it. Perhaps James can mull over what to grow by gazing out at his new property's ocean view? The Coalition are apparently already elected, as the concept of 'Shadow Treasurer', 'Shadow Minster for Foreign Affairs', just does not apply to conservatives in waiting. That's arrogance, that's getting ahead of themselves. That's to be expected. But politicians who provide skinny policy documents they describe as being the framework for shaping our national interest, all Australians' national interest, and illustrate just how cogent the work they've put into the policies is by demonstrating how wacky other countries' laws are, and get their examples wrong, well, that's stupidity. That's also to be expected. But when they do both of these with 'aren't we cute' smirks on their faces, 'aren't we so witty and hardworking to have chased down these funny little examples from all around the wide world' in their Year 10 school project body language, then we are see the sort of cute that shoots itself in the foot. If this is what can be expected by this mob in government, who'll help the national interest then? Not these galahs, because, let's face it, we saw this sort of stuff under Howard, and Shouldabeen promises the country he'll take us all back to Howard. Cute. Stupid. Lazy. Arrogant. Shouldabeen. Whichever deity you call on... help us!
3/08/2012Talk Turkey What can I say. You lavish so much praise you make me blush. Thank you. To me this was simply another piece, but it was written from the heart. You and I share, along with many others who comment here, a loathing of much of our current media, which we see as a grossly biased player in the deadly serious business of governing our nation. Its overt intention is to overturn our elected Government and replace it with an Abbott-led Coalition Government. Our democracy supports its right to express a preference, but that privilege is perverted every day when journalist after journalist, editorial after editorial distorts the truth, misrepresents the facts, and at times blatantly lies. Those who corrupt the truth to achieve their purpose stand condemned. Labor is fighting not just the Coalition – that is a relatively straightforward task – it has also to fight dishonesty and corruption in the media that perverts and debases our democracy. You will recall that in May I wrote [i]Julia Gillard can defeat Tony Abbott. But how does she neutralize Rupert Murdoch?[/i] This is a theme to which we will all need to return as the 2013 election approaches. We need to expose, as best we can, every instance of dishonesty and misrepresentation. We need to embarrass journalists by drawing attention to their inaccuracies and biases. They do read in the Fifth Estate. Many, if not all, have professional standards and pride in their work. They will respond to criticism so long at it is fair and backed with facts. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2012/05/05/Julia-Gillard-can-defeat-Tony-Abbott-in-2013-But-how-does-she-neutralize-Rupert-Murdoch.aspx Thank you for posting T S Eliot’s [i]The Hollow Men[/i]. How apt! [i]VENCEREMOS! NO PASARAN![/i] indeed.
3/08/2012Gravel I endorse your admiration of our resident poets: Patriciawa, Talk Turkey and Truth Seeker.
3/08/2012Again AA you are the light in the darkness that pervades our very lives, don't turn off the light. Well written & so bloody true & frightening, I think we have hope. We can gather from the comments here we are not alone in our rage & desire to get on top of these despicable people. Murdoch must be brought to account. Talk Turkey "who doesn't have fantasies of physically snotting that poisonous poodle Pyne, kicking him in the ribs and gaoling him for complicity in attempted sedition?" I do DAILY!! p.s. I hope you stay on top of your medical problems & all's well in the long term, I wanted to post on the last article from AA but the door closed on me yesterday. [I'm in a similar situation that has been going on for 33yrs!! S8's daily, crushed, nearly killed in an industrial accident when 21, broken back the rest is history & a not good one at that, I feel for you TT] I too think that ABC24 are talking about the whinging wing nut like he is already the F_cking PM. As we have seen, no point in complaining. If we do all you get is a GET STUFFED email as so eloquently summarised by Jane last week. You are a real ray of sunshine AA. All the commentators are pretty damn good too.
3/08/20122353 Your reference to the fate of Conrad Black and his empire is apt. Murdoch’s empire is vast and in many parts. The UK side looks to be under the greatest threat, the US and Australian side much less so. No one can predict how it will all turn out. If I had to guess, I suspect it may turn out to be a slow crumble. Folks I'll be back after lunch.
3/08/2012I think there will be consequential repercussions for Murdoch in the states, from the UK situation. The Media in australia is in disarray so it would be hard to predict anything with accuracy.From OUR point of view could it get much worse? SO ANY change should bring some potential benefit.
3/08/2012Ad astra. Great article I could feel the passion! I feel energised. And hey great word perspicacious (I had to look that one up - love it) The media maketh and the media breaketh - that is Murdoch's mantra. Murdoch didn't like Nelson or Turnbull either because they were too leftish for him, and so I believe he gave them a particularly bad time of it as well. He loves Abbott because 1) he is not that bright 2) he'll do and say anything to get power 3) he is a religious zealot (so that deminishes his brain cells) and 3) he knows how to run and duck (both literally and metaphorically) 4) he's a bloke! Now to Lyn's links!
3/08/2012Many thanks, as always Lyn, for my morning's reading so far! TT, good to see you up and at it in spite of it all! I join your enthusiasm for having Truth Seeker posting here with us at TPS. Truth Seeker, your arrival is most serendipitous. Lynchpin over at the Poll Bludger had asked if I had written any lyrics, which sadly I hadn't! Still he did persist with me and I tried adapting the lines of Working Class Man (Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes) http://polliepomes.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/working-class-girl/ Lynchpin did record that and as well composed music for another of my earlier pomes at http://polliepomes.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/but-will-boat-people-ever-get-the-message/ We had encouraging comments from bloggers about the need for some modern day leftie lyrics, but are far from having them performed yet. The boat people song is ours entirely of course, but we need permission to use the Working Class Man tune, and so far we have had no response to enquiries at all. Still it's early days and who knows you may know just what we have to do to get a collection of leftie songs off the ground! You may have some ready to go yourself! Can you advise us anyway?
3/08/20122353 Your reference to the fate of Conrad Black and his empire is apt. Murdoch’s empire is vast and in many parts. The UK side looks to be under the greatest threat, the US and Australian side much less so. No one can predict how it will all turn out. If I had to guess, I suspect it may turn out to be a slow crumble. deknarf Thank you for your comment. I share your hope that the MSM becomes a backwater, unless of course it resumes is proper role – providing accurate news and reasoned opinion based on verifiable facts.
3/08/2012Psyclaw Thank you for your most generous comments. You are right, [i]TPS[/i] continues to attract great commentators who bring so much to the site. Lyn’s links have made [i]TPS[/i] a hub for the Fifth Estate. With her Twitterverse there is a vast amount of information accessible here. I seldom visit [i]The Drum[/i]; only when Lyn links to an article there. There seems to have been a concerted campaign of getting extreme right wing advocates into all sorts of media slots – an echo of Tea Party tactics.
3/08/2012Hi Lyn What a lovely compliment is ‘Supercalifragilistic’. Thank you. The links to Newman’s behaviour gives us a glimpse into what an Abbott Coalition Government would be like. I hope all Queenslanders take note. Why is the media so exercised about the latest poll numbers, supposedly leaked from Labor sources? Of course there would be an electoral wipeout for Labor if those figures pertained at an election; that is a mathematical certainty. The fallacy is in believing that these numbers will be the ones around in late 2013. I haven’t seen much of Mark Riley lately; is he still Channel Seven’s chief political reporter? I see the old, old story about Julia Gillard during her union days, the one that resulted in Glenn Milne getting the boot from the ABC and News Limited, is being resurrected. I guess if there’s nothing else to tip on her, they dig to the bottom of their dirt barrel. 2353 says: [i]“Lyn - even the descriptions of your links are informative, thank you.[/i]” I agree wholeheartedly. It is those descriptors that add so much value to your links. We know they take a lot of time to compile, and are eternally grateful for this excellent work you do for us all. I’m still to read your morning links. It’s been a busy day!
3/08/2012Michael I suppose this flurry of ‘policy’ activity is to give substance to Tony Abbott’s utterances in China. There is always an opportunistic edge to them – Abbott knows that the average Joe will applaud him if he seems to be resisting ‘selling off the farm’. But investors will despair and his Nationals mates will need to be placated. Their preferences are still a mystery; listening to Barnaby Joyce on ABC TV a couple of days ago left me no wiser. He is amazing. He can talk gobbledygook non-stop yet still earn from his colleagues the tag ‘great retail communicator’.
3/08/2012KHTAGH Thank you so much for your complimentary remarks. You give me great encouragement. I agree that [i]”All the commentators are pretty damn good too.”[/i]. That, and Lyn’s links is what makes [i]TPS[/i] what it is. Any success with your Gravatar issue?
3/08/2012LadyinRed Thank you for your kind remark; you are right about the passion that propelled this piece. It goes back to the beginning of this blog when I added the strapline ‘Putting politicians and commentators to the verbal sword’. The media was my main target, and is even more so now, deteriorating as it is every month. 42 long You may be right, but progress in the US to bring Murdoch to account seems slow. It makes me wonder whom he has in his pocket there. We now know he had many in the UK – Blair and Cameron just for starters!
3/08/2012bilko Thank you for your complimentary remarks. I too would enjoy seeing Government members hitting back at journalists making stupid remarks or asking obtuse, unintelligent or disrespectful questions, as JG did with: ‘Don’t write crap’. Sabra Lane is an example of impertinent questioning. If anyone doubts this, read the transcripts of her interviewing Wayne Swan on 1 August. http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3557936.htm Here’s a couple of examples to get you going: [i]”SABRA LANE: Australia and the United Arab Emirates have signed a deal overnight to pave the way for Australian exports of uranium. At a time when the Middle East is so unstable is that really such a wise thing to do?[/i]” Sabra must she believes she has the edge on wisdom. [i]”SABRA LANE: Mr Swan you're set to deliver a speech tonight where you're going to talk about how Bruch [I think that was supposed to be ‘Bruce’] Springsteen's songs and lyrics have inspired you. How is the decline of industries in New Jersey in the United States relevant to Australia?[/i]” Yes Treasurer, explain yourself to me, Sabra Lane, ABC reporter of note. And later: [i]”SABRA LANE: If your policies have been so strongly influenced by the likes of the Boss and Cold Chisel, why is it that the working class has walked away from Labor?”[/i] An irrelevant backhander to end an acerbic interview, during which Wayne Swan exhibited a level of courtesy not matched by his interviewer.
3/08/2012Folks There is a follow-up to the [i]Uthers Say[/i] piece referred to in this piece. It is Lyn's second link. It is here: http://utherssay.com/2012/08/02/80-parody-of-journalism-part-1-spin-and-counter-spin-with-and-without-a-news-corporation/ Beware, your blood pressure may rise at the arrogance of PvO, which seems to have no bounds.
Lyn
3/08/2012 Hi Ad and Everybody Twitterati for you. You will see the MSM will not lay down and die, making hay over a Bill Shorten meat pie, reported by none other than Samantha Maiden. Journalist anyone?? Read the first tweet & follow link, some ugly people out there an “unproductive old cow” added to Julia’s other insults, when or where will it end. Agnes Mack OK everyone, we've stuffed our faces with pie jokes. Time to get serious about this reprehensible sexist piggery http://bit.ly/OugkRR Marian Dalton Who was the smart-arse journo who thought handing Shorten a pie was funny? Latika Bourke OMG What? Australia's largest Beef Producer 'jokes' PM Gillard's an 'unproductive old cow?' http://latika.me/MgHwC1 TheFinnigans dump at sea, burn to death, shot at, smash with baseball bat, kick to death, now to be minced at the abattoir like an old cow. Death of a PM Mark Newspoll w/end and no Ruddstoration leadershit!!......Time to beat up some old shite and 'pie in the sky' faux outrage!! #auspol Media to be charged to report from Parliament Under the proposal, television networks with space in the Parliamentary Annexe would be charged a combined total of $25,620 a year, based on a rate of $300 per square metre “inclusive of energy and cleaning costs”. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/media-to-be-charged-to-report-from-parliament-20120803-23k9b.html#ixzz22Ss32Tgk Susan McDonald The #Insiders panel this Sunday August 5 is SMH's @lenoretaylor, Courier Mail's Dennis Atkins @dwabriz & Global Mail's @MikeSeccombe 9am ABC Stephen Koukoulas Since the carbon tax started, the ASX is up 3.7% - adding about $41 billion to the value of the market. Should cover a few bills Australian Politics Foreign investment plan crazy: Reith: FORMER Howard minister Peter Reith has condemned a Coalition plan to incre... http://bit.ly/RfwS4Y Brisbane Times Premier Newman says public servants must 'wait and see' what jobs will be cut when the budget is handed down http://ow.ly/cHJRN Arioch atikambourke: Link to Coalition's Foreign Investment discussion paper here: http://latika.me/NOa5wf” so it's aspirational not policy #auspol Queensland Online Newman on courts: 'Just you wait and see' http://bit.ly/QFAlbh #qld Coalition says police should probe union scandal, but Labor rejects claims as 'ancient stuff' THE Coalition says police should investigate claims by Ralph Blewitt, a former AWU official and alleged bagman for a financial scandal linked to the then boyfriend of Julia Gillard, who wants to give evidence about his role in the scam and the conduct of others. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/coalition-says-police-should-probe-union-scandal-but-labor-rejects-claims-as-ancient-stuff/ Premier Campbell Newman blames public service leaks for creating uncertainty in government workforce http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/premier-campbell-newman-blames-public-service-leaks-for-creating-uncertainty-in-government-workforce/ Flashboard Newman blames public service leaks for creating uncertainty in government workforce #qldpol" Everyone else blames 2000+ job cuts. Australian Labor Campbell Newman can do $110 million to upgrade Qld racetracks (http://www.racingqueensland.com.au/media-release/211/Newman-Government-delivers-Gold-Coast-racing-upgrade) but can't do $20 million for a #NDIS launch site. Bill Shorten in political pie fight Ms Wong told 3AW that Mr Shorten had entered her shop at 5pm last night and was agitated when he was told that she was out of pies http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bill-shorten-in-political-pie-fight/story-fn59niix-1226442192020?sv=8f5da19d481aa08071949658cb30df30 Frances Farmer What a pile of shit, as if he'd lose it over a pie. RT @samanthamaiden: Bill Shorten's ANGRY PIE VIDEO. http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/neil-mit John Hanna@ Shopkeeper hands over security footage of customers to media? Remind me NEVER to shop there. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bill-shorten-in-political-pie-fight/story-fn59niix- Kabuki Geek Staff at North Carlton Foods apparently make offensive remarks about the PM - Best to avoid. North Carlton Foods 577 Lygon Street Carlton North VIC 3054 https://plus.google.com/102201994234915146871/about?gl=au&hl=en#102201994234915146871/about Judge 'n Jury _ @Pamela_November The media is only interested in Shorten's pies, and Swannies Springsteen. Policy? Does policy discussion get more likes? Simon Copland THIS IS WHY EVERYBODY HATES THE MEDIA. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-03/shorten-humbled-over-meat-pie-furore/4175738 Geoff Abbott's roads funding pledge ridiculed! http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-03/government-ridicules-roads-funding-pledge/4175314 Enough said!
3/08/2012Hi Lyn I’ve been though this morning’s links. I thought Mungo MacCallum’s piece was a good read, nailing on the way PvO’s miscalculation, apparently acknowledging in the end: [i]”that her original "poor decision" has been vindicated.[/i]” Can you believe the arrogance. Yes! http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/07/30/3556634.htm Ben Eltham’s piece was good and had a link to Wayne Swan’s John Button Lecture: that concluded: [i]”It is with this in mind that I've called this evening's lecture Land of Hope and Dreams. Because that's what I think this country is. A land of hope and dreams, but they must be hopes and dreams for everyone, not just for a fortunate few.”[/i] That sums it up pretty well. http://www.treasurer.gov.au/wmsDisplayDocs.aspx?doc=speeches/2012/022.htm&PageID=003&min=wms&Year=&DocType=1 Miglo’s piece on the ABC was spot on. http://cafewhispers.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/our-abc-has-it-lost-the-meaning-of-respect-or-is-it-just-following-the-political-discourse/ Daniel Palmer’s piece about how Abbott could lose the ‘unlosable election’ is good reading. http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/why-abbott-could-lose-unloseable-election He begins with a truth we have been uttering here for many months: [i]”It is impossible to forecast a federal election more than twelve months out, especially as we can’t even be sure of the identity of the two candidates. That hasn’t stopped people from trying however, with no shortage of pundits lining up to call Opposition leader Tony Abbott 'Australia’s next prime minister'. The polls suggest they will be proven right, but polls can fluctuate wildly in the year of an election.”[/i] It ended with the timely reminder: [i]” A week may be a long time in politics, but 15 months is practically an eternity.”[/i] We should all note Stephen Koukoulas’ piece: [i] Australia’s best economic fundamentals since 1964[/i] http://www.marketeconomics.com.au/2164-australias-best-economic-fundamentals-since-1964
3/08/2012You are just as guilty though with that piece of anti-Greens rot about not making dirty deals over the treatment of asylum seekers because you lazily assumed the MSM reports were true. The Greens believe we should uphold the law, that is a good thing but was written up as a bad thing because the MSM didn't listen to the actual debate or read the actual bill and neither did you.
3/08/2012What drives me the craziest though is the MSM report that Gillard and the ALP can't get across their message, because the MSM are too busy claiming they can't get across the message to report the message.
3/08/2012Hi Lyn Your Twittterati shows the emptiness of the Fourth Estate with the ‘Shorten pie affair’, and its venom in promulgating the 'unproductive old co' jibe. There seems to be no depth to which it will not stoop.
3/08/2012Coalition's "cute" is catching, as is its stupidity. ABC News shining light Latika Bourke told us this afternoon that community reaction to the Coalition's agricultural land discussion paper would be filtered through "Treasurer Joe Hockey's office". Apparently they pay her.
jaycee
3/08/2012This "new" piece of newslimedited "scandal" involving one; Blewitt and Julia Gillard's early career.....Where do they drag these pieces of tragic castaway up from?...are they old alkies thirsting for another flagon to quell the drouth? Above all else, they must be bloody tragic to try and flog these dead horses...AND Murdoch!...surely his very mother must be squirming and regretting the unavailability of safe abortions in her day! It is time the govt' got serious with these traitors..for traitors they are..we have a democracy in place..it worked perfectly when we had a hung election...didn't we all praise the system....until!...yes, the little turd got flushed and now he and his sychophants want to stink up the nation. Why haven't the federal police automatically investigated these acts of sedition?...they seemed to be all over Haneef and Hicks, yet here under their very noses we have traitors plotting AND acting in broad daylight to bring down the govt'...if that isn't an act of sedition, one has to wonder what is!? Murdoch..: Personae Non Gratae....we don't need turncoat troublemakers in this country. I see they cancelled "Captain Emhads'" visa, why not Murdochs'?
Lyn
3/08/2012Hi Ad and Everybody Thankyou to our Bloggers they make the MSM look useless. Don't read the comments some will just destroy your faith in the human race. Michael Latika is paid to tweet by the ABC she has upset a lot of Tweeters. Latika tweets all day every single utterance of Tony Abbott and the Coalition she has virtually admitted her voting intentions. DISGRACE: The Australian’s false implication of embezzlement at PM shames our great newspaper As originally reported by one-time high-flying now unemployed journo Glenn Milne at the time, the worst that could be reasonably said of the PM was she was dating the wrong bloke. Conflating that into a sleazy she-must-have-known yarn is pretty harsh even by the harsh standards of VEXNEWS. When folk like conspiracy theorist and Greensparty preference feeder Stephen Mayne and others who ought know better run out this yarn, while always insisting that everyone involves denies wrongdoing to create their false impression there’s responsible broadcasting/reporting going on, they are left looking very silly. It’s a shame one of the nation’s best newspapers, usually a credit to the company that subsidises it, has descended to this http://www.vexnews.com/2012/08/disgrace-the-australians-false-implication-of-embezzlement-at-pm-shames-our-great-newspaper/
3/08/2012[quote]Warren Truss made an ass of himself this morning,...[/quote] Situation normal, then. What a pack of buffoons they are. I've been reading more of Can't Do's latest assault on Queensland thanks to Lyn and her wonderful links. His latest excuse for the mass sackings is that if he didn't sack all those people, every Queenslander would have to cough up an extra $1,000 tax to extricate Qld from the imaginary crippling debt. Although he had $100+m to upgrade a racecourse. It apparently never occurred to this financial genius, that when you sack workers there is a multiplier effect. (Probably too dumb to work it out) They don't catch the bus or train or drive their car to work, so less revenue for public transport and servos. They don't buy the cup of coffee and/or toasted sanga or bun on their way to work, they don't buy their lunch, so the café owner's takings fall and s/he ends up sacking a couple of employees and on and on it goes. So the cretin Newman ends up with even less revenue to pay off his imaginary debt. And now he's decided to close an unspecified number of courthouses, mainly in rural areas. Is there any end to his stupidity? I read the comments section after stories like this and the anger among Qlders is palpable. I think any goodwill he may have had, has evaporated except for the barrackers, who will no doubt turn nasty when he treats them to the same treatment he's dishing out to other people.
3/08/2012 [b]Marilyn @ 5.39pm[/b] Too true ....... they're too busy writing stories about the story they wrote yesterday which was about the story they wrote the previous day, which was about the story they wrote the previous day, which was about the story they wrote the previous day etc etc ad nauseam. And of course the original story that sparked all the following stories was a lie, or was just a make-up anyway. I think we are in a transitional period at the end of which the press will have ceased to exist or will be drastically different. So at the moment most press journos don't know what they are, and the default has become that they are mere googlers and copy and pasters. The days of investigations as the tool in trade of journos ie wearing out shoe leather and running up huge phone bills as they chase up leads and find out actual stories, are already gone. TV journos are much the same, preferring to cash in on insignificant happenings and blow them up into a "story", which becomes the basis of further variants of stories on the same theme for a few days. And during the playing out of such paradigms, if some other related event or information emerges which best suits them promoting the 180 degree opposite of their original stance, well that's just not a problem.
3/08/2012Folks The MSM continues to decay. It may be dead by tomorrow. I'm calling it a day.
3/08/2012Patriciawa, I followed your links, and thought you have done a great job with both sets of lyrics, unfortunately to use someone else's tune opens a huge can of worms on a number of levels. Many artists do not want to be identified to any political agenda, even though they may well have a leaning towards the party in question. I personally gave up on trying to publish a song book, using my own system of guitar music, as the licensing was too hard to organise, although I am still going to publish my guitar music system, soon (hopefully). I have never written any political songs, as I believe that even though there may be a need, the differing styles of music available may well severely limit the appeal. In my humble opinion, the poetical approach appeals to a much broader demographic and, unlike certain types of music, remains timeless. You certainly have the skills to do both, and facebook and youtube are great formats for getting songs heard, but the experience with Land Down under/ Kookaburra sits in the old gumtree, shows just how careful songwriters have to be, but I applaud your efforts and would encourage you to continue. Maybe recording an album of performance poetry might be an option worth considering. My ability to sing has been severely impacted by the steroids that I have been on as a result of my illness, so I no longer perform publicly, although I still teach, write and record occasionally. Sorry that I could not be of more help, but I sincerely believe that with such great talents as Aa's, yours and TT's supporting the ALP as well as the good bloggers of TPS and other sites, we can show up the media for the biased and soon to be irrelevant right wing hacks that they really are. Keep up the good work Cheers
4/08/2012I have declared virtual war on the ABC's 'political journalists'. "The ABC has gone to Hell." Never a truer word. Here we are 5 years after Howard, the maggots he installed have matured pupated and turned into filthy blowflies spreading their filth into every home in the land. There is no choice about this. The truth is not being told, Right-Wings' lies and distortion on the ABC are its daily stock-in-trade. Australia is already suffering serious dumbing-down, the 'Science' program Catalyst is a case in point. It is a OOOH-AAHHH bullshit apology for science, a platform for the blond bimbo Jonica Newby, doxy and protege of the ABC's scientific demi-god Robyn Williams, to glorify herself and tell lies about cannabis and help sell her old man's American-owned Ben's canned dog food by devious though not all that well-disguised means. "Doctor" Jonica Newby is a BVS, a bloody vet FFS, about as much claim to being a scientist as Manuel in Fawlty Towers. The journalists Ad astra singles out for special mention are obvious, but the behind-the-scenes producers and directors of their offerings, faceless men as ever were, are harder to identify and just as deadly. We can't do anything much about the commercial bias elsewhere but the ABC has a charter whose conditions it is openly and defiantly flouting. Analbell the slyly-sidling Crabb is a case in point, she flatly insists on talking of the carbon tax, though on every level she knows that that is false. Their mix of spin, ignorance and outright defiance of the principles of the ABC charter means that we are [i]entitled[/i], more, [i]dutybound[/i] to take up cudgels, if not swords, on behalf of the ABC we used to trust and love. I will be writing more about this and calling for an examination of the particular persons who hired the worst pf them, and the producers and directors, their affiliations and associations, their payments to such as the IPA and Reith, who in fact should be paying the ABC millions for the publicity. (OOOhhhh No,couldn't do that, it would be against our Charter!" Huh. It is no use sitting around complaining though. It is up to us few to devise a strategy ("astrategy", I typo'd first) to deal with these vipers in our sole public-funded major TV and media player. [i]They must not be tolerated,[/i] and it this site's mission to bring them to account, see top of page.
4/08/2012[u]Gigolo the Clown[/u] A man came to a doctor one day, a doctor with a reputation for helping people deal with their problems. "Doctor," said the man, "I'm fairly well off, I have a good job which uses my special skills, everything I really need, but I just can't seem to enjoy life. Nobody ever seems to understand me. It is making me very depressed. Can you help me?" The well-meaning doctor beamed, "I think I know just the thing. Last night I saw a performance by the world-famous clown Gigolo. He was so funny, all the people came out looking happy, and with new enthusiasm for their lives. He almost performs miracles in lifting people's spirits! He's doing another performance tonight, I reckon seeing him will give you a fresh outlook on your life!" Tears of misery welled in the man's eyes. His voice barely controlled, softly and brokenly he whispered, "Doctor - I am Gigolo!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well I am so very very proud, I can't tell you, that so many of those who contribute here make comments nearly always complimentary and supportive of my own posts, and telling me that I help lift your spirits. I don't know anything that could give me such pleasure, and I love this site and those who write their honest thoughts here. (Because here there can be no posing, concern trolls get short shrift, sussed as if by that colourless dye in swimming pools that turns bright red when someone pees in the water.) Sincerity shines here like a beacon, it cannot long be pretended. And unless and until Labor fails at the next election, which I assure you now as always [i]will not happen[/i], I will ALWAYS talk up our great Government, (I'd say 'our great [i]Party[/i]' but I must include Oakeshott and Windsor, two of the finest most courageous politicians ever to grace the HoR.) And when I do, be sure, I do it from heart and head both, I have strong reasons for my belief, I'm not in Cloud Cuckoo Land, The ABBORTIANS are! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ But for myself, well I do feel a good bit like poor Gigolo atm. Things aren't real flash for me right now - Oh and btw KHTAGH thank you so much for your post, I am fortunate indeed compared to you, and so many damaged or otherwise long-term disabled people or those with truly chronic pain. But pain and suffering makes us humble and empathetic wih other unfortunates, it is not entirely negative, though it's true, while you're in severe pain that's pretty much all that's on your mind. But to continue: All was well by Thursday morning, my [i]originally-intended[/i] surgery is/was supposed to proceed on Tuesday 7th. I have been wearing the same catheter tube up my penis for a fortnight, poor little fellow's tip is excruciatingly sore, a mere touch with cotton wool hurts! But much worse still is the unexplained agony just inside my bum (sorry folks, but as I said we're all adults here. And the nurses, some of them still students of 18 or so on work experience, are completely unshockable, there is no stupid pretence at 'modesty', if you go through what I'm going through and your cockiness level is still in evidence, well you're more of a stoic than I am.) Anyway my urine was nice and clear and pale yellow, collecting in ample quantity in the bag strapped to my leg, and though I always feel like I urgently need to pee all the time, at least I knew the catheter was doing its job. Well the hospital wanted a blood sample and a urine sample 5-6 days before the op on Tuesday, so on Thursday I changed the old catheter bag for a new one, not wanting my current urine to be contaminated by the used bag -(even though I had rinsed it out thoroughly several times) (The same tube stays in place up poor little Dick, only the bag changes.) So off we went, J**** driving, to Clinpath to supply the samples. My blood was taken OK, but when I looked in the new catheter bag, it was completely dry! - And that was 2-3 hours since I changed the bag, it definitely should have had quite a bit of urine in it. [b][i]Uh-Oh![/i][/b] So I rang the office of my urologist-surgeon Dr Q straight away, they said I better go there and get it checked out. Well when I got out of the car to cross the road to the hospital, I saw that a small amount of very bloody urine had made it to the bag, only a spoonful but not pretty. The solo nurse put me on a bed in a sort of broom cupboard room, and proceeded to decant the little bit of bloody urine and took it away for analysis. I was trembling violently with pain and apprehension I must say, well the nurse was gone for half an hour, if it hadn't been for J**** there, no emergency bell, I would have felt completely abandoned. During the wait (and I was so obviously really unwell) I said to J****, [i]nobody thought to take my temperature or BP, listen my heart or anything[/i]. I felt a bit shocked by that. But at last the nurse came back, with an 18-y-o as I mentioned, and they proceeded to syringe the tubing, suck out the backed-up heavily bloody urine, (it was more than a litre) and flush the (punctured, remember?) bladder several times with saline solution. It hurt like Hell, sometimes when they squirted stuff up me it felt like an internal electric shock! Am I boring you? Sorry, but there's more. By this time, feeling like I'd gone a dozen rounds on the losing end with Joe Frazier, they put me in a bed in a proper room, J**** still waiting with me, until Dr Q took time out from theatre to visit me. He really just said hello, told me to drink lots of water, assured me all was [i]comme il faut[/i], that the blood wasn't so unusual, and the surgery would go ahead as planned on Tuesday. And [i]said I could go home[/i],which really surprised me and J****. Well by now my unblocked catheter was working again, nice pale yellow urine too and plenty of it. I felt lot better too, and sat up late writing a post. About four AM Friday I went to bed. But Dam, when I woke up around 9, I had a bagful of very dark and bloody pee. A bit freaky I must say. So I rang the hospital: Nope the urologist said, just drink lots of water. Well then I rang a certain Ad astra, an eminent previous-and still-well-informed medical practioner of LONG standing. I wondered aloud if it was normal for a catheter to be in place for so long (not really he said, no). The question of possible urinary tract/bladder infection came up, and I expressed a degree of surprise that I had not been prescribed antibiotics for the long wait with the catheter in place - though I make clear that I am a stickler for judicious antibiotic use; against viruses antibiotics is as much use as a machinegun for repelling mozzies. Well Ad said, Dr Q has had long experience of this sort of thing, he wouldn't be into operating on you on Tuesday if he wasn't content. Well erm I said, but he [i]hasn't[/i] had long experience of my particular problem, namely that he had torn a hole in my bladder, an event he said he'd never done before. I pointed out to Ad that 3 or 4 days with a catheter was one thing, more than a fortnight quite another. I worried aloud that I might have a bladder infection by now. [I had just thrown out a bag of half-a-dozen slices of Helga's Pumpkin-seed bread, it keeps well for 4 or 5 days but by 2-3 weeks it was so mouldy even the spoggies wouldn't eat it.] Ad got the analogy of course, and that was about the end of the conversation. Dam I had hardly put the phone down from Ad when the Hospital rang, [i]Sorry Mr B, you have a bladder infection, you must start a flucoxacillin course at once, and come in on Monday when we will give you intravenous antibiotic [/i] . . which I've never had before, even in heart bypass surgery, it sounds ominous. So now I'm scared stiff that the infection may reach, or already be in my kidneys . . . And that is VERY scary. I don't understand why with my own very sketchy understanding of medicine that I could predict accurately what was likely to happen in the presence of a long-inserted catheter in the absence of antibiotic cover, where a highly-reputed urologist did not, but there it is. Plainly it's easier to prevent such infections than to arrest them once they've taken hold, anyway I would bet that the surgery won't go ahead on Tuesady as planned, I'll have my heart in my mouth if they do, OR if they don't! I do hope Dog likes my kidneys!
4/08/2012Today Lenore Taylor is prattling about the non-existent stalemate in refugee law and the Australian has some strange story about families helping their family members escape Afghanistan because they have no other way to do it, saying it is not illegal and then calling it smuggling.
4/08/2012Do I really expect anybody to want to read all that stuff? I really don't know. But anyway, for me, writing is the most therapeutic thing in the world. And trying to improve the World's outlook, by the Power of Me. Well that's the theory. Much of my verse including two BIG books (unpublished) of rhyming verse is really sincerely just that, trying to educate kids to educate adults to care for our native species in particular. Much despair there. Subjects, I skip around like a joey kangaroo really trying out.(If you haven't seen that well it's amazing, just crazy) But as for Ad astra no-one can hold a candle to his writing, let alone his answers to everyone, kind and tolerant and wise, he really is a model for any decent human to respect. He is wise enough to know the difference between flattery and geuinely sincere compliments, and compliments come free, and it is hardly possible to write anything about Ad that isn't complimentary. So blush away Ad astra, but whether they/we say it fulsomely or sparingly, everybody not just TT thinks exactly the same, so there. I dare to hope that this site will be important in small but important ways. It already is anyway, but it is more than a letterbox, it is a site with a mission, and an experiment in communication all the time. The points of view, the way malicious posters are handled. There really is no template here, The Political Sword is dynamic and open-ended and ever-changing, and it is a unique ongoing record of Australian political history, unbroken for at least all the nearly 2 years I have contributed to it. I think we've got the manners right actually, well pretty much. I treat disrespect with disrespect, I never pretended otherwise, if you don't like that then suck eggs, I hope everybody takes the same stand really. Here we're free to say what we want - except for the most uncalled-for personally insulting posts, and then that's Ad's decision alone. ToM can feel pretty lucky imo he still gets posted here, I wouldn't pull him (I'd just taunt him cos I'm smarter :)) but many other writers here would. So where it develops in the next few months is of great moment I reckon. It will be needed as never before in the last quarter of this government's term. It's August. I have always said Abborrtt remember the Ides of September - six weeks. I predict that just about then the bumbling will come to a head, and the rumbling will start, and Abbortt will begin to be nailed at last. Dead ash come December. [i]OR[/i] a lame-duck Opposition, unsure of its allegiances, policy-bereft, with Abbortt increasingly the object of derision.
4/08/2012Hi TT, not sure how SA time works but I,ve been lying awake here for hours and if I'd known what you were going through out there i'd have sent some loving thoughts across and tried to metaphorically hold your hand. I am astounded at your stoic determination to keep thinking and have your brilliant brain beat that body of yours. In the middle of all that pain you can still get us thinking too. You are so right about the awful Abbort who gets worse by the day. Last night's news showed him almost skeletal and with very obviously dyed and increasingly sparse hair, his huge ears flapping around and his mad eyes staring out at us as he tried to stir up the xenophobes of country Queensland about Chinese investment there. Surely his appearance alone should have us rid of him!
4/08/2012Bad Abbott says the Jesuit Father. One of the supposed planks of the 'fair dinkumness' of Tony Abbott is his 'muscular Christianity'. A serving priest in Abbott's Church, who also works at Shouldabeen's old school, had a few words to say about the Leader of the Opposition, reported in the Sydney Morning Herald today. "Dissing wisdom of the Abbott The rector of Sydney's most high profile Catholic boys' school has gone into print criticising Old Boy Tony Abbott over his attitude to refugees. In a piece in the latest St Ignatius (Riverview) newsletter, Father Ross Jones, SJ slammed Abbott for saying he would tow illegal boats back into Indonesian waters. ''He would then steal the bulk of their fuel, to ensure they stayed there. How demeaning a mission for this nation's navy. The navy is called the senior service. Some service. When challenged on talkback radio recently that this was un-Christian, Mr Abbott simply retorted that he didn't think it was a very Christian thing for asylum seekers to come in by the back door and not the front door.'' Commenting on the recent parliamentary debate on refugee policy, Father Jones said that the arguments were ''mean-spirited … lamentable … and lacking in moral fibre.'' Riverview is run by the Jesuits, who are unafraid of a good stoush. After the 2010 election campaign, principal Shane Hogan wrote that neither Abbott nor Julia Gillard had showed Ignatian leadership, adding that the art of debate was ''not to condemn your opponent but to point out why your arguments were more credible''. Several parents rang up threatening to cancel their cheques. This time around, Father Ross Jones should simply send out copies of a new book called Tony Speaks! The Wisdom of the Abbott, published this week by Black Inc. In it, we are reminded of a few choice quotes from the former seminarian. But the final word goes to one of Abbott's three daughters, who in 2009 called him a ''gay, lame, churchy loser''. Asked why she had done this, Abbott replied: ''Yeah, well, look, she knows me well …'' " The 'free run' Shouldabeen's long luxuriated in daily shreds.
4/08/2012 [b]Michael [/b] As you probably know the Jesuits have long been quite radical within the RC church as far as speaking their minds. The Pells and Ratzingers would have no time for them at all. Apparently the Jesuits are historically a totally independent and self sufficient mob within the church, and more, as I'll explain in the next paras. Some may have heard of Christopher Geraghty. He retired a couple of years back as a NSW Supreme Court Judge. previously he had been a RC priest for about 15 years. He has written at least 3 books disclosing (putting well deserved shit on ) the workings of the church. His second book is The Church Factory, the inner view of seminaries as told from the perspective of a wise mature head who experienced the inside. I won't be able to tell the whole story but the relevant point here is that to ask questions, seek to discuss, or debate any aspect of what they were taught (ie to demonstrate a brain, some initiative, and a sense of what's right) resulted in actually being booted out. True! No-one except the compliant could remain. Now it doesn't take too much brain work to understand how the 60-90 age group RC clerics have stuffed up the priestly sexual assault matters as disclosed on Four Corners does it. Literally they are by definition dopes. Their endurance of and graduation from the seminaries as described by Geraghty, and their remaining in their roles for the next 40 to 50 years (unlike Geraghty) defines them as being drones, compliant, and prepared to forgo (allegedly) not only sex, but also the exercise of their brain. In this regard, Jesuits are different because those qualities that are devalued in seminaries is valued by them. [b]TT Comrade[/b] I am saddened to hear of your vicissitudes, but glad that you can still bash the keyboard so well. I am talking to you because of your well known "respect" for the churches and Dog Albitey. Judge Geraghty's books include Cassocks in the Wilderness, The Priest Factory, and another released a few months ago. They are cheaply available through fishpond.com.au I am telling [b]you[/b] this because I know you would absolutely enjoy the books and be well in sync with the author's perspective. And you'd get a few extra tidbits and insight into how bad things really are in the inner sanctums. I stress ...... they are [i]NOT[/i] religious books, in fact to the contrary. While on the subject, a book called Poe John XXIII by Thomas Cahill is also a must read for the likes of you TT Comrade. Again it is anything but a religious book. It tells with great insight and riveting interest about the inner sanctums and politics and factional brawls within the Vatican, and how they were faced and coped with by the only decent human pope there ever was. There are extraordinary insights into John XXII, his pauper-ish upbringing, his accidental election when faction voting went wrong in the Sistene chapel, and most interestingly his role in WW2 whereby he [b]personally[/b] saved the lives of many thousands of jewish people. ( he personally arranged the supply and distribution of false papers, using forged birth certificates signed, fraudulently signed off by the church) Of course Ratzinger is the most conservative pope since, and with his close mate Pell (yes, really) is assiduously undoing every contribution John XXIII made. If only to understand what sort of prick Ratzinger ie the current Pope Benedict is, it is essential to read this book. Ratzinger is the total opposite of John XXIII. I have yet to convince my lapsed RC brother (who is a lurker and a long term occasional commenter at TPS) to read these books but I am still working on this essential aspect of his education and edification.
4/08/2012Well Patricia you've done me proud anyway, Thank You, to hear of Abbortt's increasingly threadbare appearance is a tonic (no pun intended). Btw there is nothing stoic about me, on the contrary when I'm alone I am quite likely (and often to my own surprise) to SCREAM at the walls, like [i][b]NO-O-O-O-O![/b][/i]. It doesn't help much. When J**** is home I just whinge and whimper and moan. A lot. Michael, you too help me feel better, news of Fr Jones' condemnation of Abbortt's stance on AS is Gold. Nasking and DMW, everybody would like to hear from you, I know that at least one of you has medical probs of his own, well, I am empathetic, be sure!
jaycee
4/08/2012Here is a copy of the email I sent to Mr. Farley of AAco. meats.. concerning his comment about Julia Gillard and an old cow. Sir. Given your status as an old fart and a bag full of hot air, you better be careful you are not shipped off to the Bureau of Meterology to be used as a hot air balloon!....But then again, you'd only have to open your mouth (sphincter) and the air would be lost...so there...I guess you would be less than useless in ANY capacity! Kindest regards....Joe.
4/08/2012I agree with your assessment of the MSM and the way Australia has been "sold out" to a few vested interests. What I don't understand is why the Labor government insists that the media are not a problem. Why do senior ministers like Craig Emerson keep on saying there is nothing wrong over at the ABC for instance. Data collected and published by Independent Australia clearly shows media bias towards the coalition ?
4/08/2012Better the assessment comes from other than ALP who are condemned for 'whingeing" . I can understand Emmerson not falling for it. They are definately trying to do a job on Shorten. You would think . Bringing out the BIG guns ERIC A over a soft microwaved pie. Well in Melbourne a SOFT pie is a big deal mate. This is one of the great food places of the world.
jaycee
4/08/2012Yes, Steve...I've wondered on that about the ABC. I think we all have noticed the seemingly deliberate stupidifying of the ABC. replete with those dicky-dinky balloon promos! I feel I can see that Howard suckole ; Scott's fingerprints all over it! Christ knows I have written to several ministers over the ABC. and it's taking the piss out of the govt'. But I don't think I am giving any secrets away when I state that they better do something about the national broadcaster before the next election or they won't have a leg to stand on let alone a communicated platform! I remember those "Town Hall" debates at the last election where they set Julia Gillard up...and there off the side of the stage was none other than Uhlmann and Grattan along with the other filth giggling and smirking.....real professionals I don't think!
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It pretty much goes without saying that, since I am an author of fiction, determined to be a storyteller, I spend most of my time talking to people who exist only inside my goofy old head. Sure, most of the imaginary people I create to keep me company are at least loosely based on real people that I either once knew, or still know. You can tell that about Millis, the rabbit-man, pictured here on the right, can’t you? Sure. I had a New Zealand White pet rabbit that I raised as a 4-H project. His name was Ember-eyes… because, well, yeah… red eyes. It just happens that my goofy old memory transformed him into an evolution-enhanced science experiment in my unpublished novel, The Bicycle-Wheel Genius. But he was a real person once… ’cause rabbits are people too, right?
Anita Jones, a character from my unpublished novel, Superchicken, is based on a real person too. I admit, there was a girl in my class from grades K through 6 that I secretly adored and would’ve done anything to be near, though every significant event I remember from my life that involved an encounter with her, involved red-faced embarrassment for me. That’s why I remember her as having auburn-colored hair. Charley Brown’s Little Red-Haired Girl… duh! I would’ve died sooner than tell her how I really felt, even now, but by making her into one of a multitude of imaginary people who inhabit my life, I can be so close to her that sometimes I am actually inside her mind. There’s a sort of creepy voyeurism-squared sort of thing.
Dorin Dobbs, the main human character of my published novel, Catch a Falling Star, is an imaginary character based mostly on my eldest son, though, in fact, I started writing that novel five years before he was born. Like most of the imaginary people in my life, I talk to Dorin repeatedly even when the real Dorin is half a world away in the Marine Corps. And even though the Dorin I am talking to is not the real Dorin, he is still constantly using language that is extra-salty far beyond his years, and is often defiant of my fatherly wisdom, and always argues for the exact opposite of any opinion I express. That’s just how it is to be the father of an imaginary son.
Realistically, I have to admit that even the flesh-and-blood people in my life are imaginary. No one ever actually inhabits another person’s head except through the magic of imagination. Even though I am talking to you at this moment, you are only an imaginary person to me. I don’t even know your name as I write this. And I am the same to you. You may have read my writing enough to think you know something about me… but you really only know the Mickey in your mind that I have worked at putting there with my words. And I really have no idea what that imaginary Mickey you have in your head is like. He is probably really the opposite of who I think I am.
I am, after all, married to this girl panda, Mandy Panda from the Pandalore Islands, and my three children are all Halfasian part-panda-people. Yes, this is the imaginary person who is my real-life wife. The secret is, we only ever know the imaginary people we have in our goofy little heads. We don’t know the real person behind anyone in our lives, because it is simply not possible to really know how anybody else thinks or feels, even if they write out their lengthy treatise about how all people are imaginary people. That stuff is just too goofy-dippy to be real.
Filed under artwork, autobiography, characters, goofiness, humor, imagination, Paffooney, rabbit people, strange and wonderful ideas about life
Tagged as artwork, colored pencil, humor, imaginary people, paffooney, t, thinking about thinking
April 22, 2022 · 8:49 pm
Sometimes life goes well.
And sometimes it goes really rotten.
And it seems that it goes badly three or maybe four times as often as it goes well.
This has been a bad week for me.
I got a booster shot two days ago to protect against further Covid problems. But I am still ill today just from the injection.
And yet I am still supposed to be funny on Fridays.
So, today, I am going to explain why rabbits’ feet are not going to help.
They are not lucky for me.
I have been a rabbit for forty years, since I was 25 and starting a career as a teacher.
Rabbits are always alert, always ready to face whatever predators may come our way, foxes, weasels, bears, tigers, bankers, health-insurance salesmen, lawyers, and politicians.
Rabbits have a field of vision that stretches for well more than the human 180 degrees of view.
They have to put together sensory input quickly, thump loudly with a hind leg, and bolt down the rabbit hole.
Critics would say that a rabbit doesn’t act assertively enough, standing up for himself in the face of what is unjust, life-threatening, and wrong. But it is not easy to be a rabbit in a dangerous world where bad luck is more common than good.
And think about it carefully, in a harsh and unjust world-environment. a rabbit’s foot is never lucky to the rabbit it came from.
So, feeling rotten, surrounded by crumbling pipes and leaky plumbing in this old house, and getting nothing but spam calls on the phone from scammers, this fat old rabbit, going blind and laid up with arthritis pain, is still happy to count all four rabbit’s feet still attached.
Filed under autobiography, feeling sorry for myself, humor, illness, metaphor, Paffooney, rabbit people
January 22, 2022 · 5:37 pm
Rabbit People
On days when I am still recovering from life-altering blows, I often try to find new realms, alternate realities to live in. (Retreating into a fantasy world is one of the reasons she gave for leaving.) And since, as a youth in Iowa, I raised rabbits for a 4-H project, I know rabbits better than I do human people. Rabbits are people too. So, I have been walking among the rabbit people. Seriously, bunnies are better people than most human people. They are not trying to profit off you. They are not trying to get everything they can off you. They are merely there to wiggle their whiskers, sniff for food, poop, gnaw on stuff, and make more bunnies.
I often see myself as a rabbit person. In cartoon form, I am the bunny-man teacher known to the Animal Town School System as Mr. Reluctant Rabbit.
As a teacher, I am always pulling out carrots of irony and gnawing on the ends of them in front of students. If they complain that eating food in class is supposed to be against the rules, I ask them, “Do you want a carrot of irony?”
“Oh, no, thank you sir.”
“They are good for your eyesight as well as your insight. You really ought to chew on healthier things like that.”
“Oh, no sir,” they say. “We prefer Hot Cheetos.”
And so, I taught on like that… like a rabbit, fast and frumious (a Jabberwocky sort of word), and never really bit anybody. Teaching is like that. You offer the good healthy stuff to nourish their little animal minds, and they always choose the junk food instead.
And so life goes on like that. Looking to rabbit people to ease my pain and need for good, wholesome carrots of irony.
I have recently run a free-book promotion on The Bicycle-Wheel Genius.One of the main characters in the book is Tommy Bircher’s pet rabbit Millis. During the course of the story about invading aliens, Secret Agent Robots from the CIA, and making friends when you need friends, Millis is turned into a rabbit-man by a lab accident. He teaches Tommy that you don’t have to be human to be a good, caring, self-sacrificing person. He also teaches him to eat his carrots and greens like a good boy should.
So, I will spend more time with the rabbit people and heal a little bit. That is what you do with the tragedy that life brings you. You spin it into whole cloth, making humor and poetry out of everything bad that happens… wrapping yourself up in a comforting blanket of lies (you can also call those fiction stories), and eating a little chicken soup on a cold day to heal your soul. (Oh, I forget, rabbits often gag on chicken soup. Let’s make that bean soup with carrot chunks.)
Filed under humor, irony, Paffooney, rabbit people
Tagged as artwork, colored pencil, drawings, goofiness, humor, irony, paffooney, rabbit people
December 5, 2021 · 4:29 pm
Made-Up People
I often get criticized for talking to people who are basically invisible, probably imaginary, and definitely not real people, no matter what else they may be.
The unfinished cover picture is from the novel The Bicycle-Wheel Genius which I finished the final rewrite and edit for and then published in 2018. All of the characters in that book are fictional. Even though some of them strongly resemble the real people who inspired me to create them, they are fictional people doing fictional and sometimes impossible things. And yet, they are all people who I have lived with as walking, talking, fictional people for many years. Most of those people have been talking to me since the 1970’s. I know some of them far better than any of the real people who are a part of my life.
These, of course, are only a few of my imaginary friends. Some I spend time with a lot. Some I haven’t seen or heard from in quite a while. And I do know they are not real people. Mandy is a cartoon panda bear, and Anneliese is a living gingerbread cookie. I do understand I made these people up in my stupid little head.
But it seems to me that the people in the world around us are really no less imaginary, ephemeral, and unreal. Look at the recently replaced Presidentumb of the Disunited States. He is an evil cartoon James Bond villain if there ever was one.
People in the real world create an imaginary person in their own stupid little heads, and pretend real hard that that imaginary person is really them in real life. And of course, nobody sees anybody else in the same way that they see themselves. Everybody thinks they are a somebody who is different from anybody else who thinks they are a somebody too, and really they are telling themselves, and each other, lies about who somebody really is, and it is all very confusing, and if you can follow this sentence, you must be a far better reader than I am a writer, because none of it really makes sense to me. I think everybody is imaginary in some sense of the word.
So, if you happen to see me talking to a big white rabbit-man who used to be a pet white rabbit, but got changed into a rabbit-man through futuristic genetic science and metal carrots, don’t panic and call the police. I am just talking to another fictional character from a book I finished writing. And why are you looking inside my head, anyway? There’s an awful lot of personal stuff going on in there. Of course, you only see that because I wrote about it in this essay. So it is not an invasion of privacy. It is just me writing down stuff I probably should keep in my own stupid little head. My bad.
Filed under characters, colored pencil, commentary, goofy thoughts, humor, novel plans, NOVEL WRITING, Paffooney, rabbit people, strange and wonderful ideas about life
Tagged as characters, imagination, the Bicycle-Wheel Genius
November 19, 2021 · 5:07 pm
I am a captive today. I went to Denton, Texas yesterday to receive my booster dose of the Covid vaccine. I don’t feel any worse than the last two times I got vaccinated. But I am not better either.
And there are two big court cases happening today that have a huge effect on whether life is going to be fair to us rabbit-people, or will end up being more fair to those FOX people.
Three knuckle-dragging crackers hunted down an unarmed black man with guns in Georgia, claiming he was a theft suspect. They repeatedly threatened to kill him if he didn’t surrender to them, and then they finally carried out the threat and shot him dead. And yesterday I heard the main cracker make the excuse that the man tried to grab his gun, so he shot him to death in self-defense.
One Rambo wannabe in Wisconsin, a seventeen-year-old who owned an AR-15 that he wasn’t old enough to legally purchase, went to a protest where he goaded unarmed protesters to attack him, shot and killed two of them, wounded some others, and now is claiming he shot in self defense. Those unarmed protesters shoulda known better than to taunt him and make him afraid when he had his big gun in his hands.
It’s a tricky briar patch they want to throw me in. I live in Texas where you can now carry around a loaded gun concealed on your rabbit fur without having to get any kind of permit first. I may have to think twice about walking into anyplace named the OK Corral.
I am not the sort to solve my problems with a gun. If I am ever in a confrontation where someone has to be shot, it will most likely be me. I would sooner die than kill somebody.
But the world in general does not think like I do.
So, I am thinkin’ all tricksey about makin’ that old FOX throw me inta my laughin’ place. Somehow I gotta convince that old boy that I don’t wanna be there. Cuz them ol’ FOXes is cruel like that.
I will recover from my booster shot I will feel better in a day or two. The FOXes will probably look at this post and call me a racist, because of what I am actually saying. That’s how racists justify being racists. But the only race I really belong to is the ordinary rabbit-people race, also known as the human race. But rabbits come in many different colors, and lots of them are spotted. So what? What ya gonna make out o’ dat?
You don’t solve problems of violence with more violence. So, we gotta try something else. Any ideas?
Filed under angry rant, cartoons, commentary, goofy thoughts, gun control, humor, rabbit people
June 23, 2021 · 3:01 pm
Hit their targets thrown from Mars…
And when the pandas drive their cars,
Their tire treads are candy bars!
Take that truth from me!
As if it were Bugs who taught us to sing,
Because we use only the words that we know!
Filed under goofy thoughts, humor, Mickey, Paffooney, Paffooney cartoony, poetry, rabbit people
Tagged as bad poetry, nonsense
October 24, 2020 · 7:06 pm
This is an illustration that goes along with my first good published novel, Catch a Falling Star. I don’t talk about that novel in this blog very much anymore since, in order to actually promote that novel, I am under contract to have to spend hundreds of dollars more to use one of their many expensive promotional packages to get this “award winning” novel promoted in the way the publisher thinks it deserves. I wanted to use a picture like this for the cover of the book. They rejected that. Instead they gave me a silhouette picture of a girl flying a kite at night. That, of course, has nothing to do with the novel inside the book. These two, by contrast, are two of the most important characters from the book, both of them aliens. Farbick is the competent space pilot who gets himself shot and captured during the failed invasion of Earth. Davalon is the marooned tadpole, Telleron child, who gets himself adopted by a childless Earth couple. I definitely like my picture better than the one I got stuck with.
This picture is called, “Long Ago It Might Have Been.” It is a picture I drew in the late eighties, after my girlfriend/Reading-teacher colleague took a job in San Antonio and left me behind. Honestly, she wanted to marry me, and I never got around to telling her that the reason our love life was so difficult was because I had been sexually assaulted as a child, and though I was attracted to her, I hadn’t truly healed enough at that point to become a husband and father. I never told her about my terrible secret. She left. She got married and had more than one blond-haired little girl that probably looked just like her. The boy in this picture looks like a young me with blond hair. He wears a baseball jacket of the St. Louis Cardinals, my favorite team. He’s the child that might’ve been, if only I had grown to adulthood a little sooner.
This picture is even harder to explain without me looking like a real fool. After all, if you are a real fool, it’s rather hard to hide that fact. In that last picture, I depicted something that related to one of the two girlfriends that I had to juggle at the same time back in the eighties. You see, I had set my heart on winning over Mary Ann whom I had worked with in the same classroom as she was the teacher’s aide assigned to the Chapter I remedial program I was teaching. She’s the girlfriend I took on visits to the Austin area on weekends. She had a sister in Austin, the one who lived in the nudist apartment complex, where she stayed during those visits. My parents lived in Taylor, Texas at the time, a nearby suburb. We dated regularly. She knew my terrible secret. She was a divorcee and I knew her terrible secrets as well. Ginger, on the other hand, was looking for a mate, and she lived in the apartment next door. She’s the one who would’ve hopped into bed with me anytime I asked. And she made no bones about wanting me to be hers. Needless to say, I could’ve written a TV sitcom about the majority of my love-life back then. It could’ve starred Jack Ritter as me. And I ended up with neither of those two young ladies. The picture, of course. is in honor of the kids in the eighties calling my classroom Gilligan’s Island because they thought I looked like the Gilligan actor, Bob Denver.
This is, of course, a portrait of Millis the rabbit in his accelerated-evolution form as a rabbit-man from my novel The Bicycle-Wheel Genius. That book, obviously, is a science-fiction comedy with a lot of unexpected plot twists. But the story behind the picture is one of a boyhood spent as a town kid in a farm-town community. Unlike the other kids in the Iowa Hawkeyes 4-H club, I couldn’t raise a calf or a pen of hogs as my 4-H club project. So, instead, I got in as a keeper of rabbits. Of my two original rabbits, a buck and a doe, I had a black one and a white one. The white one was a New Zealand White, a purebred white rabbit with red eyes, because the entire breed was albino. I called the white rabbit, the buck, Ember-eyes because his eyes glowed like fire in the night under the flashlight beam. The doe was a black rabbit I called Fuzz. Out of the first litter of babies Fuzz had, eight of the ten were white And of the two black babies, one died in the nest, and the other passed away shortly after he got big enough to determine that he was a male rabbit. I won’t go into how you determine the sex of a juvenile rabbit. So, almost all of the rabbits I raised before I discovered what a Dutch-belted rabbit was, were white with red eyes.
So, it is my thesis for today that every picture I make has some kind of story behind it. It may be totally boring, but still technically a story. So, there.
Filed under artwork, autobiography, humor, old art, Paffooney, rabbit people, strange and wonderful ideas about life
Okay, big miscalculation here. My old eyes can’t read the rabbit-talk in this cartoon. So, let me do something about it.
Nope. I can read it now. But that’s the problem. Not only is it not funny, but it’s also sorta racist. But wolves do eat rabbits. Still…
News in the RabbitTown Gazette includes the fact that my son is nearing recovery from COVID 19, and nobody in the house has caught it from him. He gets tested on Saturday so he can return to work if the test is negative.
Of course, the nation-wide news is not so great. This is 2020 after all, even in RabbitTown. The price of carrots is still within reach. But rabbit people are continuing to get sick from the pandemic which will be with us well into 2021.
And the weasel in the really bad weasel-wig that somehow got elected Prexydon’t is still favoring wolf-people, even when they kill an unarmed rabbit. And he blames the rabbits for being mad about how the wolves seemed to get away with murder. He twists the facts to suggest that exercising your right to peaceful protest is the cause of the chaos.
Yes, I am basically a rabbit too.
According to the featured editorial in the RabbitTown Gazette, you should be able to say, “Rabbit lives matter!” without having wolves answer back, “You mean ALL lives matter!”
After all, if you can’t admit out loud that “Rabbit lives matter,” then you really mean the opposite when you are saying, “ALL lives matter.”
Rabbits, whether they are black, white, brown, or red, have unique rabbit qualities, and they all have a basic worth. And I don’t mean as food for wolves.
The paper seems to have only bad news about the economy when you look at it from a rabbit perspective. Sure, the wolves are doing great right now on Wall Street, but that doesn’t help those of us who are not invested in the stalk market. We regular rabbits, and especially poor rabbits, are struggling to keep carrots on the table.
So, it is time for all good rabbits to do whatever a rabbit can. And that’s the way it was today in Rabbit News.
Filed under angry rant, artwork, cartoons, commentary, humor, Paffooney, rabbit people, racial profiling, satire, surrealism
November 22, 2019 · 7:34 pm
Yesterday I went once more into the breech, willingly, stupidly, but also bravely. I put in a whole day of Pre-AP English classes for 8th-grade smarty-bunnies. I know those kids are supposed to be the good bunnies. And many of them were. But Pre-AP classes can also contain many little snarky bunnies who are smart enough to carry out evil plans and do truly sinister and wicked things.
Yes, snarky bunnies can eat you, and some will not even spit out the bones when they are finished.
A good share of the problem was that the weather had turned rainy and cool in the early morning hours. That cranks up the pain input on my arthritis meter and makes me feel cranky and out of sorts. That also makes it harder to control what stress does to my diabetic blood-sugar levels. Yelling at kids makes the blood-sugar levels shoot upwards, and then my stressed body chemistry will make everything crash. Bummer. Pity the snarky bunnies. I took it out on them. (I should here point out that I am one of those teachers who calls it yelling when I quietly recite a sin-list to a snarky-bunny perpetrator and run down the menu of possible consequences just to make him or her squirm before taking them back out of the hallway after forcing them to choose the behavior they will excel in rather than suffer the appropriate consequence. They often don’t realize their actual peril because I tend to smile and enjoy pronouncing sentences.)
I tell off a snarky bunny, though forgetting to draw the plewds of nervousness… on him.
I actually only had a handful of snarky bunnies to sharpen my teeth on. Too many good bunnies inhabit Pre-AP classes. But there were two in 3rd period, and a handful in the last 7th-period class.
I told them the story of how English teachers, especially old ones, are often afflicted with Lycanthropy. (That is… werewolf disease. I had to define it for them, as well as the word, “afflicted”. Pre-AP students, yes, but only 8th-grade little ones.) I told them that they didn’t have to worry because the full moon was last week and that I hadn’t actually eaten a misbehaving student since 1863 (at least, as far as I could remember.)
“Are you threatening to kill us?” one bright snarky bunny said.
“No, of course not. I am just warning you that I do not like afternoon misbehavior, and I am capable of growing my fangs in the late afternoon class.”
They were mostly quiet and busy little bunnies. But two of them, who were actually best friends, started arguing with each other just after the last bell. Instead of scurrying home to afternoon carrots and gruel, one pushed the other with two hands, and then that bunny lost control and hit the other on his shoulder-blade with a slap-fist. I got to keep them after class for more sin-lists, confessions, and good-behavior-vows.
So, all in all, I had a good day at Field Middle School. I enjoyed chewing on some snarky bunnies. And I thanked the teacher thoroughly for being out and giving me the chance. Oh, and I think I earned at least a couple of dollars for doing it.
Filed under humor, kids, Paffooney, rabbit people, strange and wonderful ideas about life, teaching
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