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Tag Archives: Native Americans
The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 – meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.
This description is from Dirk, the museum’s curator of anthropology. He’s chosen a selection of objects that represent human cultures throughout time and around the world, that we’ll be sharing here – and at 100.hmns.org – throughout the year.
This stone figure is a silent witness to one of the best known Pre-Columbian civilizations, the Aztecs. Aztec history chronicles a meteoric rise of a band of hunters and gatherers who, in few centuries, went from a nomadic lifestyle to that of city-dwelling empire builders. While their ascent to power was phenomenal, their demise was cataclysmic. Only three years after meeting the Spanish for the first time, Aztec civilization ceased to exist as an independent political entity.
The statue depicts Chalchiutlicue, a goddess of water (literally her name means “She of the Jade Skirt.”)
Explore thousands of years of Native American history in the John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas, a permanent exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
You can see more images of this fascinating artifact – as well as the others we’ve posted so far this year – in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org
The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 – meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now.
For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.
This description is from Dirk, the museum’s curator of anthropology. He’s chosen a selection of objects that represent human cultures throughout time and around the world, that we’ll be sharing here – and on hmns.org – throughout the year.
Amazonian tribes have made some of the world’s most amazing feather work ornaments. This headdress, belonging to the Palikur tribe, is symbolic of our growing world class collection of South American rainforest cultural artifacts.
Currently on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science is a selection of mainly Plains Indian artifacts. They come to us from Mr. Gordon W. Smith, who put his collection together from 1925 through 1939. What makes this collection very special is not only the historic nature of the items (those that are on display were made for and used by American Indian people), but also the context. We have information on who made these and when and for whom. That is a treasure trove of information sadly often lost with objects of this nature.
The Arapaho live on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. The vests they create – such as this one – tend to be decorated with geometric designs; sometimes they depict the American flag.
The use of glass beads dates back to the arrival of the first European settlers, with some of the earliest beads being manufactured in Venice, Italy. They were used in commercial exchanges as well as in missionary work. This was the case with Father DeSmet, who worked extensively among the Plains and Northwest Indians.
Lone Dog’s winter count.
Tanned hide, paint
1801-1876, South Dakota
There are various ways to keep track of the past. Most of us would rely on written documents to refresh our memory; among American Indians oral traditions and pictorial records are of great importance. Among these pictorial records are the so-called winter counts. These drawings can be painted on either animal hide or muslin.
Winter counts are histories or calendars which record events with images, with one image representing a year. In Lakota, they are called waniyetu wowapi. The Lakota word waniyetu means “year,” which tends to be measured from first snowfall to first snowfall. It is often translated as “a winter.”
These winter counts were used in conjunction with an extensive oral history. Each year was named for an event, with the images serving as a reference source that could be consulted regarding the order of the years. The events used to name the years were not always the most important things that happened, but rather the most memorable. One such event, “The year the stars fell,” has been identified as the year 1833, when the Leonid meteor storm was visible. Information courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian, Education Office.
Lakota dress
Buckskin, glass beads, thread
Ca. 1870
In its basic form, this is a typical dress worn by Plains Indian women. It consists of three assembled parts: the front, the back and the yoke. These three pieces give the garment a T- shape outline. Very likely this dress was made during the winter months, when the cold forced people to stay inside and work on clothing.
This dress is a good example of the great diligence and talent on the part of the women who made it. It is estimated that it took 300,000 small glass beads to complete the decoration.
In February 1934, Ms. Olive Dean wore this dress to a costume ball in Washington, D.C. She was awarded the first prize for the most outstanding costume by the two judges, Anna Ball, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s daughter and Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.
These blankets, sometimes also referred to as wearing blankets, are still being made today.
In the early 1800s, Osage women began to sew mosaic ribbon work patterns around the borders of wool blankets, transforming them into extraordinary robes. Girls and women wore these robes at weddings and other special events and the ribbon work ranged from relatively simple bands of ribbon work to richly patterned reverse appliqué ribbon work, a technique of sewing a cut out ribbon pattern on to a differently colored ribbon background. The bold compositions were created by splitting the cut out pattern into two colors and maintaining a strict symmetry. Free hanging tabs of ribbon often framed the bottom edge of the robe.
The blankets were wore around the women’s shoulders and positioned over their forearms so that the ribbon work draped as a cascade of color in front of them. Despite the extreme fragility of the ribbon to tearing and fraying and its susceptibleness to fading and running, Osage women celebrated this art form. They also sewed reverse appliqué bands of ribbon on shawls and skirts and at the shoulder of their blouses. Today women wear these blankets as important garments that are emblematic of their Osage identity. (Information courtesy of Eva Fognell, Curator. Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. Fenimore Art Museum. Lake Road. Cooperstown, NY.)
Amulet in the shape of a turtle
Tanned hide, sinew, beads, umbilical cord
Early 20th century
Upon the birth of a child, the umbilical cord was saved inside an amulet. These amulets would quite often take on the shape of a turtle, as is the case here, or a lizard. In both cases, these animals are seen as good omens for a long and safe life – since the lizard often survives by shedding its tail, the turtle can retreat into its shell for protection. | {
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Democrats' 27-State Strategy And The Tennessee Abomination
With 30 percent of the vote, Tennessee Democrats just nominated Mark Clayton, a completely unknown flooring installer who raised no money and couldn't bother to update his campaign website for four years for U.S. Senate. Clayton believes that NAFTA is building a super-secret highway from Mexico City to Toronto as part of a new world order conspiracy, that Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning a Nazi takeover of the United States, that FEMA is building prison camps for American dissidents and that Google is censoring his website. He is also Vice President of a pro-theocracy organization that has made it priorities to attack, among other things, reproductive choice and "gay Muppets."
In other words, if I lived in Tennessee and had to choose between the major party nominees, Bob Corker would have just won my enthusiastic vote for U.S. Senate. Bob Corker once literally sold protected wetlands to Wal-Mart.
This abomination's primary opponents included Larry Crim, who looks like he would play well enough in Tennessee, former sitcom star Park Overall, a strong progressive and fantastic public speaker, and TK Owens, random guy off the street who, one assumes, is probably not as off-the-rails crazy as Mark Clayton. Still, all of those candidates trailed not only Clayton, but this guy as well. Overall and Crim, in fact, each pulled about half as many votes as the conspiracy theorist flooring installer who didn't campaign.
Think about this for a moment: a man who thinks that Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to implement the final solution under a NAFTA new world order just beat Laverne from Empty Nest, in Tennessee. Really take a moment to let that sink in.
Recalling South Carolina's strikingly similar 2010 nomination of Alvin Greene, an unemployed man who lived with his father and was widely believed to be developmentally disabled, one must at this point be blunt: are southern Democrats really this hopeless, or are southern Republicans really this corrupt? Either way, this country's in a lot of trouble if Democrats don't get their act together soon.
The filing deadline for independents on the general election ballot was back in April. However, anyone qualified can still be certified as a write-in candidate. While their odds of winning wouldn't be great, they would certainly be better than Clayton's, particularly if national Democratic organizations could muster the nerve to back them over Clayton. A strong write-in might even benefit from Clayton's siphoning of the extreme right vote that otherwise would have defaulted to Corker. In fact, if a serious Democrat decides to continue the race, I'll be their first general election campaign volunteer.
More importantly, however, national Democrats need to learn from what happened yesterday.
Southern Democrats need national support not just in the general election, but in the primaries as well. Take a look at the candidate websites linked above. These are not serious campaign websites. These are monuments to amateurism. Where was the money? Where was the support? Where was the campaign?
This could have been avoided if Democratic organizations were more willing to get their hands dirty in primaries. Obviously, they can't go around picking sides in races in which two or more serious, viable candidates are duking it out. But is it really so improper to make sure voters aren't playing guessing games on their ballots, or to make sure there's no funny business going on? Supporting the party's eventual nominee is a fine philosophy, until that candidate is Alvin Greene or Mark Clayton.
Obviously, Democrats aren't very popular in the south at the moment. Barack Obama won just 57 percent of the primary vote in West Virginia, losing 42 percent to Keith Judd, a Texas man who is currently incarcerated. In Kentucky, 42 percent of primary voters chose "uncommitted" over the sitting president. In Arkansas, Obama lost 40 percent of the vote to a complete unknown. Dixiecrats, to put it mildly, do not care for this president.
But instead of fighting these perceptions tooth and nail, Democrats have opted to cede the south to people like Bob Corker. It's the new, unspoken "27 state strategy," and though it will probably work out well for Obama in November, it is otherwise a miserable failure thus far. If Richard Nixon were alive today, he could tell you how well a lonely win can work out.
Imagine what's going on down ballot. If you're a Democrat running for the House in rural Tennessee and you see Barack Obama at the top of the ticket and Mark Clayton under him, you're probably already thinking about calling it a day. Without a massive amount of outside help, you're screwed.
The 50 State Strategy needs to be brought back, soon, in a big way, and by liberal groups that aren't afraid to meddle in a primary once in a while. Short of a massive effort like that, we may well be living under a Republican majority for a very, very long time.
Correction: An earlier version of this piece quoted Senator Corker as having called Social Security and Medicare 'generational theft.' This was based on news and blog reports quoting Corker from a GOP weekly address in May of this year, a business roundtable event in Memphis in June of this year and a meeting of the Senate Aging Committee in May of 2011. At the urging of Corker's office, the author reviewed more complete transcripts, reports and videos of these events and came to agree that these reports had taken Corker's words out of context. It is more accurate to report that Corker has repeatedly characterized the current state of these programs as ones that will lead to 'generational theft.'" | {
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If you would like to receive an e-mail notification when new content is posted on I Dream of a Jeanie Bottle and/or be advised when the Hiatus is over, please submit your Email address below.
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Sorry about the comic delay
You’ll never guess what happened. I was working on the comic today(Sunday). And while in the middle of it, got called into work. I figured I’d be back in the evening so I could finish the comic then. Well, not so. I got back home at 11:23 PM. AND I have to be back in to work for 6 am tomorow. So I’m going to hit the hay tonight and attempt to finish the comic tomorrow. | {
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Rexgrep is a graphical frontend to the grep command.
Rexgrep combines the power of the 'grep' command with the convenience of
a very easy to use graphical user interface, while not compromising on its
functionality. | {
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Programmes
Good Health for a Great Future
“He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything” – Arabic proverb, Our initiatives in health sector are driven by this idea. We cater to individuals and communities in various strata of the society where access to healthcare still remains a challenge.
Putting our hand forward for Shree Raghunath Hospital
Established in 1915, Shree Raghunath Hospital is a century old charitable institution situated at Lachhmangarh, Rajasthan- hometown of Sanganeria family. This hospital provides medical facilities such as general surgery, orthopedic, general medicine and routine pathological tests to the residents of Lachmangarh, especially the poor sections of the locality, at a very minimal cost. This is a 20-bedded hospital and is treating on an average of 125 patients per day. In order to raise funds for meeting its day-to-day expenses, the Hospital sought help from other charitable organizations. In 2012, Sanganeria Foundation came forward and granted funds for its furtherance.”, mainly comprising of 4 labs for Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany respectively.
Supporting the Kiwanis Club of New Delhi
Kiwanis Club of New Delhi is a philanthropic Organisation in South Delhi to provide artificial limbs free of cost to patients who had given up the hope of leading healthy lives. Responding to the needs of the limbless, the Centre has served thousand of patients. To help more people, Kiwanis staff has been visiting rural areas in and around Delhi and also various hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdarjang, LNJP, Jaipur Golden Hospitals along with Institutions like the Spinal Injury Centre and Institute of Physically Handicapped.
Sanganeria Foundation has been supporting this organisation since its inception. as Sh. Sant Sanganeria who is the Trustee of SFHE, is also a Board Member in Kiwanis. The newly built Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre of Kiwanis receives appropriate funds for its day-to-day running expenses. SFHE also extends its continuous support by way of providing wooden tables, chairs, air conditioners, computers and various other electrical appliances.
Providing access to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF)
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was established mainly to transform India’s education system. The Foundation believes that kids of today are future of tomorrow and any child, who is imparted quality education at the primary level, proves to be an empowered citizen of the Country. Every child should also uphold constitutional and humanitarian values of equality, secularism, tolerance, integrity and dignity and have access to equal opportunity. To attain its goal, RGF strives to create education access to large number of children, which in turn will help them to realize his or her full potential. To express its unanimity, SFHE extended their helping hands towards this Nobel cause by donating 10 vehicles to RGF for the use of orthopedically challenged people.
Standing up for Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity” in Kolkata, is a charitable organization for supporting under-privileged and orphan children in and around Kolkata. Mother Teresa is the founder of this organization. On 6th April 1988, Late Shri Prahlad Roy Sanganeria and Late Smt. Radha Devi Sanganeria donated their ancestral property “Daya Dan”(a nursing Home for Handicapped) to Missionaries of Charity Organization, located at 58/1, Nimtolla Ghat Street. Mr Arch Bishop and Henry D’Souza of Kolkata officially inaugurated this home on 26th August 1998. Being an ardent believer of charitable activities, SFHE has always been supporting this Institution since 2007 by way of various donations.
Supporting St. Stephen’s Hospital
St. Stephens Hospital is a charitable super-specialty hospital established in 1885 in Delhi, to provide comprehensive health care to all sections of the society with special emphasis on the underprivileged, irrespective of caste, creed or social status. Their commitment towards providing good health to the underprivileged proved to be an inspiration for the Sanganeria Foundation, resulting in undertaking the responsibility of polio paralyzed children and TB patients.
Making Sikar self-sustaining
Sanganeria Foundation in collaboration with HUMANA, has installed 50 Biogas plants in the village of Sikar, Rajasthan. Biogas is both environmental and economically friendly because it is a collection of the high-energy gases from the decomposition of agricultural crops, manure, and bio waste. After decomposition, the leftover material can be used as a good quality fertilizer. SFHE believes that Biogas, as a renewable resource can replace conventional energy resources in the near future.
Putting our hand forward for Shree Raghunath Hospital
Established in 1915, Shree Raghunath Hospital is a century old charitable institution situated at Lachhmangarh, Rajasthan- hometown of Sanganeria family. This hospital provides medical facilities such as general surgery, orthopedic, general medicine and routine pathological tests to the residents of Lachmangarh, especially the poor sections of the locality, at a very minimal cost. This is a 20-bedded hospital and is treating on an average of 125 patients per day. In order to raise funds for meeting its day-to-day expenses, the Hospital sought help from other charitable organizations. In 2012, Sanganeria Foundation came forward and granted funds for its furtherance.”, mainly comprising of 4 labs for Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany respectively.
Supporting the Kiwanis Club of New Delhi
Kiwanis Club of New Delhi is a philanthropic Organisation in South Delhi to provide artificial limbs free of cost to patients who had given up the hope of leading healthy lives. Responding to the needs of the limbless, the Centre has served thousand of patients. To help more people, Kiwanis staff has been visiting rural areas in and around Delhi and also various hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdarjang, LNJP, Jaipur Golden Hospitals along with Institutions like the Spinal Injury Centre and Institute of Physically Handicapped.
Sanganeria Foundation has been supporting this organisation since its inception. as Sh. Sant Sanganeria who is the Trustee of SFHE, is also a Board Member in Kiwanis. The newly built Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Centre of Kiwanis receives appropriate funds for its day-to-day running expenses. SFHE also extends its continuous support by way of providing wooden tables, chairs, air conditioners, computers and various other electrical appliances.
Providing access to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF)
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was established mainly to transform India’s education system. The Foundation believes that kids of today are future of tomorrow and any child, who is imparted quality education at the primary level, proves to be an empowered citizen of the Country. Every child should also uphold constitutional and humanitarian values of equality, secularism, tolerance, integrity and dignity and have access to equal opportunity. To attain its goal, RGF strives to create education access to large number of children, which in turn will help them to realize his or her full potential. To express its unanimity, SFHE extended their helping hands towards this Nobel cause by donating 10 vehicles to RGF for the use of orthopedically challenged people.
Standing up for Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity” in Kolkata, is a charitable organization for supporting under-privileged and orphan children in and around Kolkata. Mother Teresa is the founder of this organization. On 6th April 1988, Late Shri Prahlad Roy Sanganeria and Late Smt. Radha Devi Sanganeria donated their ancestral property “Daya Dan”(a nursing Home for Handicapped) to Missionaries of Charity Organization, located at 58/1, Nimtolla Ghat Street. Mr Arch Bishop and Henry D’Souza of Kolkata officially inaugurated this home on 26th August 1998. Being an ardent believer of charitable activities, SFHE has always been supporting this Institution since 2007 by way of various donations.
Supporting St. Stephen’s Hospital
St. Stephens Hospital is a charitable super-specialty hospital established in 1885 in Delhi, to provide comprehensive health care to all sections of the society with special emphasis on the underprivileged, irrespective of caste, creed or social status. Their commitment towards providing good health to the underprivileged proved to be an inspiration for the Sanganeria Foundation, resulting in undertaking the responsibility of polio paralyzed children and TB patients.
Making Sikar self-sustaining
Sanganeria Foundation in collaboration with HUMANA, has installed 50 Biogas plants in the village of Sikar, Rajasthan. Biogas is both environmental and economically friendly because it is a collection of the high-energy gases from the decomposition of agricultural crops, manure, and bio waste. After decomposition, the leftover material can be used as a good quality fertilizer. SFHE believes that Biogas, as a renewable resource can replace conventional energy resources in the near future. | {
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Bungie Rewards scheme saves you $777,777.77 in Destiny 2 extras
To tie in with the launch of Destiny 2: Forsaken, Bungie has announced a new rewards programme, aptly named Bungie Rewards. Signing up to the programme allows you to earn exclusive items for doing specific things in game, though you should do it quickly as the first reward is already up for grabs.
To earn the very first reward – a digital copy of Forsaken’s soundtrack – players will have to complete the entire Destiny 2: Forsaken campaign by September 30th. The soundtrack comes complete with two bonus tracks that aren’t available to purchase in the store, so the challenge is worth it even for those who were planning to buy the soundtrack outright (or willing to pay the $777,777.77 price tag for the added tracks. No, really.)
Though future items are yet to be announced, we already know that the second challenge will require players to pick up the Ace of Spades. You’ll want to go ahead and sign up for Bungie Rewards.
Future challenges will be based off more specific criteria, such as acquiring rare in-game items as well as achieving certain Triumphs.
Bungie Rewards has been launched alongside Destiny 2’s Season of the Outlaw, and players can expect a bounty of more exclusive rewards over the coming months. | {
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What are the two major political parties in the United States?*
What is the political party of the President now?
What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
• Citizens eighteen (18) and older (can vote).
• You don’t have to pay (a poll tax) to vote.
• Any citizen can vote. (Women & men can
vote.)
• A male citizen of any race (can vote).
49.
What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?*
serve on a jury • vote
50.
What are two rights only for United States citizens?
• apply for a federal job • vote
• run for office
• carry a U.S. passport
51.
What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
• freedom of expression
• freedom of speech
• freedom of assembly
• freedom to petition the government
• freedom of worship
• the right to bear arms
52.
What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
• the United States
• the flag
53.
What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
• give up loyalty to other countries
• defend the Constitution and laws of the USA
• obey the laws of the United States
• serve in the U.S. military (if needed)
• serve (do important work for) the nation (if
needed) • be loyal to the United States
54.
How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*
• eighteen (18) years and older
55.
What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
• vote • join a political party
• help with a campaign
• join a civic group
• join a community group
• give an elected official your opinion on an issue
• call Senators and Representatives
• publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
• run for office • write to a newspaper
Name two national U.S. holidays.
—————————————————–
* If you are 65 years old or more and is a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 years or more, you can only study the questions that have an asterisk after the question.. | {
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Introducing the new EBHN Hydronic Baseboard with the lowest surface temperatures available and even better reliability and product life! Cadet’s premier hydronic baseboard line is recommended for nurseries and bedrooms, and for people with severe allergies. While Softheat offers everyone a comfortably warm room, it was specifically designed to reduce the effects of indoor allergens, compared to other heating systems.
Ordering Information:Standard voltage is 240/208. SOFTHEAT EBHN heaters require a thermostat. Optional White Sand color is available by special order. Optional right end wiring available by special order.
Technical Information:Heater is constructed of 22 gauge steel for durability and powder coated for a quality finish. Baseboard heaters work best when placed under a window and at least 12” from furniture or other objects. Keep at least 12” minimum from objects hanging above (i.e., drapes). Heater may be placed directly on the floor and mounted to the wall. | {
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Hot or Not? Grassland Orb
We saw this at an art gallery over the weekend and can't decide. The Grassland Orb is real grass ball that hangs suspended from the ceiling. The grass is grown using only light and water, and is then dried. The transformation from lush green to straw-colored takes approximately two years. Prices range depending on size, $370-540.
'What is special about them is that the grass changes from lush green to straw-colour. Observing the transformation of the object over time thus becomes a unique experience. The grass grows not on soil but on various materials – using water and light only. The roots intertwine and form a joint area that, with the aid of the special technique of drying, will stick even on stainless steel. The dried grass objects are available in natural or varnished. All objects are unique natural products because of the individual growth of the grass.' | {
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July 12, 2004
A lovely lunch menu. Your guests will rave about this, I promise. At least mine do! The soup and the torta are both in the little cookbook I've given to friends, so for any friends reading this, sorry about the repetition. The dishes in this menu might look a bit time-consuming or complicated, but consider this: You could make the soup a day ahead and refrigerate it, then just reheat when you want to serve it. If you clean the lettuce ahead of time, the salad is a snap to put together. And even the torta doesn't have to be served hot, so you can have it ready before your lunch guests arrive.
And don't forget the wine and maybe a good bread.
Carrot-Ginger Soup
The original recipe for this used chicken broth, and for a long time--even after I was a vegetarian--I was afraid to try this with vegetable broth. But the last time I made this, I used canned vegetable broth, and it was just as delicious. I also have successfully cut down on the amount of butter by 2 or 3 tablespoons. For the richest, silkiest soup, you may want to use the entire amount, but I no longer use that much. Don't, under any circumstances, try to use ground ginger in this soup; it is nothing at all like fresh ginger. One last note: the recipe calls for a pinch of curry powder (mild or sweet, not hot, curry), but I like to use about a quarter-teaspoon. It's up to you.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; saute for 15 to 20 minutes, lowering heat if necessary. Add broth, wine, and carrots. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the carrots are very tender (about 45 minutes). Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Season with lemon juice, curry, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chives or parsley and serve.
Romaine Salad with Oranges and Walnuts
I made this one up entirely, so you might have to fiddle with the dressing to get it to your taste. Don't leave out the orange juice, though!
Toast walnut halves in a heavy, ungreased skillet over medium heat. Set aside. Toss lettuce with orange slices. Combine dressing ingredients and shake or whisk until emulsified. Add dressing to salad and toss; sprinkle with walnut pieces and serve.
Potato-Crust Spinach Torta
There's a lot to recommend this dish, but one of the nicest things about it is that you can make it a little bit ahead, because it tastes great at room temperature. You wouldn't want it to sit out for too long, since it's made with eggs, but an hour or so won't hurt. The potato crust makes this dish a bit more trouble than, say, a quiche in a pie crust, but it's well worth it, believe me. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it's looks like you're quite the gourmet cook when you present it. You'll need a springform pan for this if you want the presentation to count, but if you had to, you could use a quiche pan and lift wedges out.
If you or your guests don't care for cilantro, cut down on the amount or leave it out altogether. I have been known to be too lazy to put the lemon zest in.
Peel the potatoes. Slice two of them crosswise about 1/8 inch thick. Slice the third potato the long way, same thickness. Brush a wide skillet with olive oil and set it over high heat. When the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium. Make a layer of potatoes and cook, turning them once, until tender and golden on both sides. Repeat until all the slices are done. Remove to a paper towel as they finish cooking. I have sometimes had to add a little oil to the pan before all the potatoes have been done.
Add 1 T. oil to the pan. Add the scallions and herbs; cook until the scallions are wilted and bright green, about 4 minutes. Remove to a bowl. Now add the spinach with only the water clinging to it (from washing it; if it's dry, add a couple of tablespoons, no more than 1/4 c., of water). Cook over high heat until the leaves are wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer spinach to a sieve and press out all the water; add it to the scallions. Add eggs, cheeses, and lemon zest and stir well. Taste for salt and season with pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and set it on a sheet pan. Cover the bottom with potato rounds, overlapping where necessary so there are no gaps. Place the long potato slices around the sides of the pan. Pour in the spinach mixture and bake until firm and golden in places, 40 to 45 minutes. Ease a knife between the potatoes and the sides of the pan. Release the spring and lift off the side. Set on a serving plate and serve. | {
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Use Coupon Code SG3078 at Checkout to receive $20 off your order of $100 or more. Minimum Orders of $100 Excludes Firearms, Ammo, Ice Fishing Electronics, Marine Electronics, Trolling Motors, Optics, Scopes and Sights. Minimum order amount cannot include Buyer's Club Membership fees. One coupon redemption per customer. Cannot be combined with any other special offers or coupons and cannot be redeemed for cash. Hurry, limited time offer! Expires 11/21/18.
Use Coupon Code SG3078 at Checkout to receive $20 off your order of $100 or more. Minimum Orders of $100 Excludes Firearms, Ammo, Ice Fishing Electronics, Marine Electronics, Trolling Motors, Optics, Scopes and Sights. Minimum order amount cannot include Buyer's Club Membership fees. One coupon redemption per customer. Cannot be combined with any other special offers or coupons and cannot be redeemed for cash. Hurry, limited time offer! Expires 11/21/18. | {
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– While productivity improvement remains the top objective for collaboration infrastructure, cost reduction will be the popular next move– Mobile email is believed to have the maximum impact on productivity across all size companies
– While large & mid-size companies prefer a combination of virtualisation and open source software to manage costs, smaller companies prefer a combination of SAS and open-source software
– To download a complimentary copy of the report, please follow this link
December 2012: The Collaboration Trends Survey Report 2012-2013 by ValueNotes is based on a survey of over 150 key information technology influencers and decision makers across 10 industry segments who participated in Collaboration Retreat 2012 organised by Mithi Software Technolgies. The report covers the preferences of management for collaboration technologies that impact enterprise productivity; explores the methods enterprises are deploying to manage costs; and lists key collaboration insights across the industry, from SMEs to large enterprises.
Arun Jethmalani, Managing Director of ValueNotes, said, “Currently, collaboration technologies are being widely deployed to not just reduce operational costs, but also to boost productivity. Clearly the use of collaboration infrastructure will continue to grow, especially in light of the present state of the global economy.”
Overall, productivity improvement remains the top objective for collaboration infrastructure. Providing mobile email is believed to have the maximum impact on productivity. Companies, across all sizes and all levels of management, believe this will have the maximum impact on productivity.
Cost reduction will be the popular next move. Though large and mid-size companies have a long-term objective of increasing productivity, their immediate next step on collaboration infrastructure is cost reduction and improving security.
Next initiatives on collaboration infrastructure
Tarun Malaviya, CEO of Mithi Software Technologies, pointed out that, “Enterprises now consider collaboration technologies to be one of the key drivers of productivity and sustainability. And as collaboration becomes more important to more people in the enterprise, managing costs, complexity and risks associated with it is becoming even more important.”
While larger and mid-size companies believe that a combination of virtualisation and open source software is the most effective way to manage costs, smaller companies would rely more on open source software to reduce cost.
– To download a complimentary copy of the report, please follow this link | {
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Augusta, ME – Members of the Environmental Priorities Coalition, a coalition of twenty-four environmental, conservation and public health organizations representing over 100,000 collective members statewide, blasted Governor LePage’s proposal to weaken a wide range of protections for Maine’s clean air, clean water, public health and natural heritage. Many of the Governor’s recommendations weaken decades of successful legislation that passed in the state legislature with bi-partisan support.
“A dirty environment is not the way to bring new jobs to Maine,” said Maureen Drouin, Executive Director of the Maine League of Conservation Voters. “In fact, Maine’s water, land, and wildlife are the heartbeat of our economy and our way of life. This proposal is nothing short of reckless. Dismantling our environmental protections flies in the face of common sense and takes us in the completely wrong direction.”
Governor LePage’s sixty-three recommendations include: repealing a law that passed unanimously in the Senate last year (LD 1662) to protect children’s health from sulfur dioxide pollution; abolishing the Board of Environmental Protection; and opening up 30% of Maine’s North Woods to development.
“This radical set of proposals from Governor LePage would dismantle decades of progress protecting Maine’s environment and preserving our natural heritage. If passed, these policies would increase air pollution, threaten wildlife, open the North Woods to rampant development, and make companies that break the rules less accountable, among many other far reaching impacts,” said Environment Maine Director Emily Figdor.
“Just last November, despite challenging economic times and a sweeping change in political leadership, Maine people still voted overwhelmingly to protect our environment,” said Jenn Gray of Maine Audubon. “Over 59% of Maine people said ‘yes’ to investing in land conservation by voting for renewed funding for Land for Maine’s Future program.”
Other proposals include scaling back hazardous waste and water quality standards.
“This proposal cuts down our core values: clean drinking water and clean air for our families, an energy future that reduces pollution and cuts our dependence on oil and the conservation of our natural legacy for future generations,” said Jane West of the Conservation Law Foundation. “We need a more sophisticated approach to improving our regulatory systems than simply tearing down the solid foundation that benefits every family and business in Maine.”
Governor LePage would also repeal a rule to get the toxic Bisphenol-A (BPA) out of baby bottles and other consumer products, and overturn the 2008 Kids-Safe Products Act.
“This out-of-touch proposal strikes at the heart of all that is important to Maine people,” says Karen Woodsum of Maine Sierra Club, “Conserving our natural legacy takes vision and vigilance, and our elected officials play a central role.”
The Governor’s submission goes to the Committee on Regulatory Fairness and Reform.
“The Governor has assured the people of Maine that his Administration would not weaken Maine’s environmental standards, but these proposals are all about weakening Maine’s environmental standards – including the elimination of programs that protect public health, reduce toxic and air pollution, and save taxpayers money. We urge the Legislature to reject the entire package, and focus instead on improving the efficiency of implementation of Maine’s laws. That’s what this process was supposed to be about,” says Pete Didisheim, Advocacy Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
“Maine businesses and homeowners face real problems, such the roughly $2 billion exported out of state and overseas to run our businesses and heat our homes,” said Ellen Hawes of Environment Northeast. “We had hoped that this evaluation of regulations would be careful and thoughtful – and produce good and new ideas for the future. Instead it is a list of rollbacks that would turn the clock back to the 1950s and would damage public health under the guise of reducing business costs.”
“Maine’s beautiful environment is the foundation to our prosperity and our way of life,” concludes Drouin. “We are counting on the Legislature to fight this irresponsible proposal and make wise-use of our extraordinary environment so Maine people and our economy can thrive.”
# # #
BACKGROUND:
The Environmental Priorities Coalition includes 24 environmental, conservation, and public health organizations representing over 100,000 members who want to protect the good health, good jobs and quality of life provided by Maine’s environment. | {
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D97 updates board on racial equity analysis tool
During a regular meeting on May 12, District 97 officials administrators gave a presentation to board members outlining at least one area where it has been utilizing a Racial Equity Analysis. The analysis is one of the most critical aspects in the racial equity policy that was approved last year. The policy has an ultimate goal of eliminating race-based outcomes in D97.
During the virtual meeting, D97 Supt. Carol Kelley said board policy calls for district officials to "review existing policies, programs, professional development, and procedures for the promotion of racial equity and elimination of equity and its contributors."
Eboney Lofton, D97's chief academic and accountability officer, said the district has been using a racial equity analysis tool to develop a 5-year outlook for its Gifted, Talented and Differentiation program.
According to district data, although African American and Latinx students make up 29 percent of the students in grades that qualify for gifted instruction, they only comprise around 11 percent of GTD students.
Lofton said that some "critical hallmarks" of the 5-year plan include making sure that critical thinking units are taught to all students by enrichment specialists (formerly called GTD teachers). In the past, gifted students would be pulled out of their normal classrooms to receive the instruction separately. In addition, GTD students will also receive "math enrichment" in the general education classroom.
Lofton said administrators and enrichment specialists are working to make sure that all kindergarten through second grade students are working toward the same curricular goals.
"We want to bolster our supports to students in kindergarten through second grade," she said. "We know this is a really critical age for students as they're developing both an academic vocabulary and also academic background knowledge, so we want to lean into those classrooms and support them in that way."
Lofton said that although advanced students will continue to receive accelerated instruction, administrators will work at ensuring that the opportunity to access GTD instruction is open to all students who have the ability to perform at that level.
She said some factors that could be contributing to equality of opportunity, such as eligibility criteria, will be "ripe for examination."
"As we move to opening this opportunity for all students, the eligibility criteria start to kind of fade away and you focus on those separate supports [in the] acceleration process, which have their own set of criteria [based more on] individualized assessment and not as rooted in some of the previous hallmarks we used for eligibility," Lofton said.
CONTACT: [email protected]
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Every person has a unique DNA sequence in their genome. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge have tried to quantify what these differences in the genome mean in the context of the genes targeted by drugs.
In a new study published in the scientific journal Cell they look at certain receptors (GPCRs) in the human cell. These protein receptors are the main targets of the biggest group of marketed modern medicine. By mining existing data sets they have mapped the extent to which mutations occur within GPCR drug targets in individuals and studied what impact these mutations could have on the therapeutic effect of medicine.
‘We estimate that an average of 3 percent of the population have receptors that contain mutations which can alter the effect of medicine’, says first author of the study, PhD Fellow Alexander Hauser from the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology at the University of Copenhagen.
‘This might mean that the medicine simply works less efficiently. It can also mean that the medicine does not work at all or causes adverse effects on patients’, adds Madan Babu, last author of the study, from the MRC Lab of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, where Hauser conducted this research.
The researchers have analyzed the mutations in human GPCRs by using whole genome sequencing data from the 1,000 Genomes project with about 2,500 participants as well as exome data from the ExAC project with over 60,000 participants.
They then used structural data to infer critical sites in GPCRs to uncover which mutations are more likely to alter the outcome of medicine.
‘The 3 percent of the affected population is an average. For some important receptors, it is way more. For instance, the relevant mutations occur in 69 percent of people in the GLP1 receptor that is the target of diabetes medicine and in 86 percent of people in the CNR2 receptor that is used as a target for medicine to relieve nausea induced by chemotherapy. But of course, we cannot know every person’s genome and so these are estimates based on the data sets available’, says Alexander Hauser.
The researchers use their findings and sales data for the 279 GPCR-relevant drugs from the National Health Service in the UK to estimate how much money is spent on medicine with little or no effect.
As a conservative estimate, they find the economic burden on the UK National Health Service to be at least 14 million pounds annually, taking into account the number of people with mutations in both copies of the gene in important sites of the receptor target.
‘The prevalence and potential impact of variation in drug response between individuals is a strong argument for further researching this field. It also constitutes a fine example of why personalized medicine might be the way forward; even when we are talking about common drugs’, says Hauser. | {
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Hurricane Season is Here; Get Prepared
(June 19, 2012) —
Hurricane season started June 1, and it’s time for all of us to finalize preparations at home as well as at the University of Miami. Click here to go to the updated version of “Weathering the Storm,” the University’s condensed guide to hurricane preparedness. Print out a copy and refer to it in case a storm is approaching.
Although we are preparing for the upcoming hurricane season, the University Disaster Plan provides guidelines for handling any type of emergency life-safety situation that may arise, whether it impacts the University campuses only or has a greater impact on the surrounding community.
The University Disaster Preparation and Recovery Plan is available online. The emergency preparedness website, www.miami.edu/prepare, provides you with up-to-date information regarding emergency preparedness.
Please remember—for life-threatening emergencies on any campus, call 911. UM Police are also available around the clock by calling 305-284-6666 on the Coral Gables campus. On the Miller School campus, call Security at 305-243-6000, and on the Rosenstiel campus, call Campus Safety at 305-421-4766 (office) or 305-710-7991 (24/7). More than 150 emergency blue-light phones, which connect directly to police and security, are strategically located throughout the Coral Gables and Miller School campuses.
The University has numerous methods for communicating information to faculty, staff, and students, including:
• When a situation warrants, mass text messages and e-mails containing emergency information will be sent out. Now is the time to make sure the University has your current information by verifying your profile on MyUM at www.miami.edu/myUM.
• To confirm or update your contact information: Log on to myUM. On the home page, click on “Personal, Address and Emergency/Evacuation Information” in the “Personal & Biographical Info” section in the right-hand column.
• Confirm or update your emergency and storm preparedness information: Go to myUM and click on “Personal, Address and Emergency/Evacuation Information.” On this page you will find a link to forms where you can provide contact information for someone who will know how to reach you in the event of an emergency that requires you to leave your residence. On the same form, list an address and phone number where you can, most likely, be reached if you were not able to live in your home. If you do not have information for either of those, click the boxes to indicate you don’t have a contact or don’t know where you’ll be.
• Messages in a time of crisis are immediately posted on the University’s home page, www.miami.edu. Additional information about clinical and research operations on the medical campus can be found on the Miller School of Medicine’s home page, www.med.miami.edu.
• Information is updated on a recorded message on the UM Emergency Information Hotline, 800-227-0354. In a time of crisis, trained staff are available to answer questions live.
• Your cell phone can keep you informed in case of an emergency. Please take a moment to visit www.miami.edu/myUM to provide your personal cell phone number and check that all of your personal information is correct. Here’s how to add your cell phone number so we can contact you in an emergency:
Log on to myUM. On the home page, click on “Personal, Address and Emergency/Evacuation Information” in the “Personal & Biographical Info” section in the right-hand column.
The fourth section on the page is for providing Emergency Cellular Phone Information. In the Emergency Cellular Phone Information section, click on “Update this section.” Complete the fields on the page (number and phone carrier). Be sure to check the box marked “I consent to allow the University to send a text message to notify me in the event of a Campus Emergency.”
Click “Submit” to update information.
Storm Alert Updates
The University will send out Storm Alert emails and post up-to-date information on its Storm Alert/Emergency Preparedness website, www.miami.edu/prepare, whenever a major storm is within a 500-mile radius of South Florida or during any other type of emergency crisis. You are urged to check the website for all official University emergency announcements, respond accordingly to the cell phone emergency call, or call one of the hotline numbers listed in the hurricane preparedness guide. The hotlines are updated frequently during emergencies and contain current information about University operations.
The University of Miami Health System (UHealth) mission of providing quality patient care makes the institution unique among the University’s programs and calls for special concerns in the event of an approaching hurricane. Emergency announcements issued from the Miller School and its hospitals and clinics may differ from statements released by the Coral Gables and Rosenstiel campuses. During a “warning” level of a hurricane or tropical storm threat, University of Miami Hospital will continue to operate under its established Hurricane and Tropical Storm Emergency Response Plan. Department directors will brief hospital employees on their department’s proper procedures and their specific responsibilities in the event of a hurricane. The Miller School’s annual Hurricane Update will be available online May 31, and additional information will be published in e-Update.
After a storm, students, faculty, or staff who are forced to evacuate or temporarily relocate to another area should notify the University of their new location and contact information by going to recover.miami.edu. This is the online site where you should “check in” following a hurricane. This will help us determine that all members of our UM community are safe and ascertain who needs emergency assistance. | {
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Every Moment Is A Gift
While listening to a recent sermon by Bishop T.D. Jakes I heard him say something that struck a cord with me. He spoke to the idea that every moment of your life is a gift. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that but for some reason, at this point in my life, it resonated with me.
When you are doing personal development you’ll hear about the concept of gratitude being an essential component of growth and success from nearly every successful person. This is for good reason. With an attitude of gratitude you will absolutely see an improvement in your circumstances.
Watch the video below for the actual quote and to discover my big take-away from that sermon.
If you received value from this please Like and comment below, and please share this with someone who you think would benefit from seeing it. | {
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Tag Archives: Sirenia
DOLPHINS OF ABACO: WONDERFUL PHOTOS FROM THE BMMRO
The BMMRO (Bahamas Marine Research Organisation) is based at Sandy Point, Abaco. It is dedicated to researching, monitoring, and protecting the marine mammals of a very large area. Not just cetaceans – the dolphins and whales. Recently, a small number of West Indian manatees (sirenians) have been making the northern Bahamas their home. I’ve written plenty about Georgie the adventurous manatee in the past – and in April she returned to her favourite place, Cherokee, after a bit of time away from Abaco.
Recently, photographer Shane Gross spent some time with the BMMRO and took stunning photos of dolphins. It’s impossible to say, or think, anything unpleasant about these lovely, intelligent, playful creatures. Say you ‘don’t much care for dolphins’, and you’d be more than halfway to having a down on kittens. Here are some magnificent images that deserve a wide audience.
There must be something special about Cherokee on Abaco. Georgie the Manatee, having travelled over from the Berry Is. early last month, spent 4 weeks or so on the move. She was tracked on the west side of Abaco in the Marls, moving north and rounding Little Abaco, then travelling south visiting various Cays along the way, ending up in Hope Town harbour. After a few days she moved across from Elbow Cay to the Little Harbour area, before settling down in Cherokee. That was nearly 3 weeks ago. She’s still there, by far the longest she has stayed in one place
Maybe the sea grass is especially good there. Or maybe she has found a tasty freshwater spring. Or it could be that she is enjoying the company there, and the welcome from the community – though she of course has been a very popular visitor in all her ports of call. Whatever the reason, she seems to be happy and in good health. Kendria Ferguson (BMMRO) has just sent me 3 photos from her visit to Cherokee today. Georgie has managed to shed her tag – again – but since everyone knows where she is, it doesn’t matter for now…
The image below is also posted on the BMMRO’s FACEBOOK PAGE and maybe gives a clue to why Georgie is so content – calm, friendly interest and attention. The next one is of a young boy inspecting Georgie, also in Cherokee. Equally peaceful.
Let’s compare and contrast those serene pictures with another taken recently – the woman below who was detained in Florida for her ‘manatee riding’ antics…
GEORGIE THE MANATEE IS WEANED
It’s good to look beyond the immediate area of Abaco and the Cays when the occasion calls for it – for example, more good news about the BMMRO’s painstaking research and careful protective monitoring of the very small West Indian Manatee population in the Bahamas. I’ve written before about these gentle, unhurried, curious creatures and their vulnerability – particularly to man’s usage of their natural habitatCLICK ===>>>MANATEES
Kendria Ferguson’s story below shows just one aspect of the BMMRO’s commitment to the conservation of the cetaceans and sirenians in the seas around Abaco and beyond. The Manatees have excited the interest of the whole local community including the schoolchildren. If you have ever been moved by the sight of dolphins in Marsh Harbour or whales further out to sea, you can be sure someone is keeping an eye on their well-being. You might even be moved to help this important conservation work, in which case CLICK ===>>>HERE
KENDRIA’S REPORT
Adult female manatees are considered sexually mature at 6-10 years of age and have a gestation period that lasts up to 13 months. The first two years of a calf’s life is spent with its mother. During this time they are taught where to find food, fresh water, warmth and shelter. Generally, after two years the calf separates from its mother. This separation is known as ‘weaning’.
On the 14th of June 2012 Argos satellite locations received from both Rita and Georgie’s satellite tags indicated that they were no longer traveling together. Georgie had been weaned. Georgie was born on the 25th June 2010, therefore Georgie was now old enough to survive on her own in the wild
Georgie fitted with a paddle belt around the base of her tail. A flexible nylon tether is then attached to this belt with the satellite tag, which floats when it’s near the surface.Photo provided by Jim Reid-USGS Sirenia Project
After tracking Rita and Georgie for the last three months, it was hard to fathom a two year old being old enough to take on the world. But like they say – mothers know best!
Rita and Georgie fitted with satellite tags
Rita and Georgie were released in Great Harbour Cay (GHC) on April 19th of this year. They travelled to Nassau during Hurricane Irene (late August 2011) from Spanish Wells, Eleuthera and ended up in Nassau harbour. Concerned for their safety, The Department of Marine Resources gave Atlantis-Dolphin Cay permission to capture the animals and house them until a decision was made as to their release. After spending over twenty-five weeks in captivity, scientists feared that Georgie would be weaned before she was returned to the wild and given the opportunity to learn how to survive in her natural habitat. The mother-calf pair was transported to The Berry Islands on April 19th, where they were released and fitted with VHF data log satellite tags.
A map showing areas visited by Georgie pre-weaning and post-weaning
There are four resident West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus) residing in Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands. Notably, an adult female, “Gina” (known previously from Florida), has been residing in Great Harbour Cay since 1999. Since then she reportedly has had 3-4 calves and is currently accompanied by her female calf, JJ, which was born in the late winter of 2011.
Within Rita’s and Georgie’s first week of being released they travelled over 50 miles around the east coast of GHC to as far south as Ambergris Cays and back into the harbour where they were released. During the winter months, Floridian West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) travel vast distances in search of warm waters. So it isn’t uncommon for these agile species to explore the shallow waters in which they inhabit.
Georgie is now re-visiting important habitat areas she visited in the past with her mother. Since their separation in June, Rita and Georgie have been seen together in the harbour by the local community.
Scientists will continue to monitor Georgie’s movement patterns around The Berry Islands throughout the hurricane and winter seasons. This data will assist us in developing a management plan for manatees in The Bahamas.
WEST INDIAN MANATEES IN THE BAHAMAS
The appearance of a mother and calf manatee off the Berry Islands in December 2011 – see BMMRO SIGHTINGSpost – led me to investigate these creatures a bit more. I added some more info and a couple of photos to that post, but really they deserve a post in their own right. So, with a wave of a flipper in the direction of Wiki and other open sources, here’s some more about these most strange-looking mammals, just in case you ever happen to come across one…
I will expand the post when I have read the latest “What Manatee?”, “Total Manatee” and “Manatee Monthly” magazines
MANATEESTrichechidae “Large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species in the order Sirenia. The name manatí comes from the Taíno, a pre-Columbian people of the Caribbean, meaning breast”
10 MEMORABLE MORSELS OF MANATEE MINUTIAE
The 4 species of Sirenia are the West Indian, Amazonian and West African manatee; and the Asian / Pacific dugong. Fossil remains of Florida manatees date back 45 million years; their closest living relative is the elephant
Manatees are also known as Sea Cows. Some say sailors who’d been at sea for too long took them to be mermaids, a mistake I doubt they made twice…
They can weigh up to 1,300 lb and measure up to 13 feet. Females are larger than males. Baby manatees may weigh 65 lb. Adult intestines can reach 45 meters which would take Usain Bolt 4.31 seconds to run past (if straightened out, obviously)
Accurate population estimates seem to be impossible to obtain, varying by season and by year for no apparent reason. Overall, the picture is of a declining population, with extinction likely without further protection (see below for the THREATS to the species)
West Indian Manatees can move freely between extremes of salinity, and may be found in warm shallow coastal waters, in estuaries, or migrated into rivers to freshwater springs (as in Florida). They cannot survive below 15°C (60°F). They have a propensity to hang around the warm-water outflows of power stations
Manatees have some intelligence and demonstrate discrimination and task-learning similar to dolphins.Their eyelids close “in a circular manner”, though I can’t quite picture this. They have only 6 teeth in each jaw, which are replaced throughout their lives
They breed every other year. Gestation lasts 12 months, and it takes a further 12 to 18 months to wean the calf. A single calf is born. Apart from mothers with a calf or males showing off to females, manatees tend to be solitary creatures
They are herbivores, eating many plant species, such as mangrove leaves, turtle grass, and types of algae. An adult manatee can eat up to 10% of its body weight per day. They have been known to eat small amounts of fish from nets
Half a manatee’s day is spent sleeping in the water. The rest of the time they graze in shallow waters. They swim at 3 to 5 mph, faster in short bursts. They may live up to 60 years (surprisingly, given their punishing daily schedule)
The oldest manatee in captivity is Snooty, at the South Florida Museum. He was born at the Miami Seaquarium on July 21, 1948 and came to the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Florida in 1949
PREDATION, THREATS AND CONSERVATION – A SUMMARY The manatee is yet another creature whose worst enemy is mankind. The generalisations below apply to the West Indian manatee – elsewhere there may be different problems
Natural predatorsManatees have few natural predators except, occasionally, sharks and crocodiles. Predation is not a significant survival threat. The main causes of death are human-related, such as habitat destruction and human marine objects; and natural causes such as low water temperature and disease
HuntingHistorically, manatees were hunted for meat. They were easy to tempt to a canoe and then stun with a pole. Manatee hides were used – and traded – for canoes and shoes; their bones were used for ‘medicine’. Museums used to pay for hides or bones. Hunting was banned in 1893, though some poaching still occurs
Manatee Group Young Manatee
Ship-strikeManatees move slowly and are curious… Coastal development has led to many violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships, causing maiming, disfigurement, and death. Manatees are cut in half by large vessels like ships and tugs. Many others have propeller scars and they can often be identified by their scar patterns – some bear 50 scars and disfigurements from vessel strikes. Breeding ability may be affected. Infected injuries can prove fatal. Internal injuries also come from being trapped between hulls and docks. Studies of the attrition rate from “boat mortality” alone is causing much concern for the survival of the species. In 2009, of 429 Florida manatees recorded dead, 97 (23%) were killed by commercial and recreational vessels
Red tideAnother cause of manatee deaths is “red tide”, blooms of the microscopic marine algae Karenia Brevis. This produces toxins that affect the central nervous systems of sea creatures. In 1996 an outbreak off the Florida coast killed 151 manatees
Other threats(1) Fishing gear: hooks, metal weights, and especially mono-filament line clogging a manatee’s digestive system; entanglement in fishing lines (2) water-control structures such as navigation locks and floodgates (3) drowning in pipes and culverts (4) bizarrely, there have been numerous reports people, when allowed to swim with manatees in Florida, harassing them
CONSERVATION All three species of manatee are listed by the World Conservation Union as vulnerable to extinction. It is illegal under US federal and Florida law to injure or harm a manatee. They are classified as endangered by both the US state and the federal governments. Some vessels are now adapted to help prevent harm to manatees where they operate
Florida Sea Park Manatee
For news of forthcomingBMMRO research into the apparent recovery in the population of manatees in the BahamasCLICKHERE
Finally, here’s the link to a website that contains more manatee information and images. You can join, adopt a manatee, donate or buy stuff. Who wouldn’t want a T-shirt – or a ‘ManaT-shirt’, even – adorned with a picture of the lady above?CLICK LINK===>>>SAVE THE MANATEE CLUB | {
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Bros Like This Site featured In:
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
It was the middle of February and we were fucking sick of Winter. The entire East Coast had been covered for two months with like 3 feet of snow, which was apparently (according to fucking bro-haters) due to the fact that I #57 don’t recycle. We needed to get the fuck out and get our fucking drink on. So we signed up for a scavenger hunt that would take you around in a limo all day long. Sure on the surface this might sound like some fucking lame shotgun wedding bachelorrette party, but the important thing to note is that the entire hunt revolved around getting fucked up, so needless to say, we were fucking in.
One of the requirements for the day was that your team needed to be in costume. While most of the teams decided to be hilarious shit like, “Team Everyone Wear Red Shirts,” we decided to push the envelope. We decided to be edgy. We decided to be bros. Our team name? “I Will Remember You.” We were dead fucking celebrities.
While tame costumes such as DJ AM, Michael Jackson, and Ed McMahon drew laughs from the fucking bro-haters, we started to get some glares and shaking of heads when they spotted a bloodied Steve “Ground” McNair and his pal in an Angels t-shirt that read “Adenhart" across his back. For some reason people didn’t like the fact that we were celebrating a 22 year old’s recent death at the hands of a #23 drunken driver. But shit really hit the fan when Ginger Bro walked in dressed head to toe in spandex, a helmet, goggles, one of those saucer sleds tied around his neck, and just in case anyone still couldn’t get it, a Georgian flag pinned to his chest. That’s right – he was the fucking luger whose death at the Olympics earlier that week was immortalized by the magical powers of Youtube. As bitches kept coming up telling him that he was “fucked up,” and that the luger had a family, he just gave them the motherfucking finger. True bros recognized his genius and gave him #13 high fives while telling him it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. They were fucking right. Bros realize that tragic deaths are hilarious, so you better fucking believe we’re gonna make fun of them.
Society refers to it as “the line.” Some fucking made up shit that determines whether something you say is hilarious or if it’s “inappropriate” or flat out “appalling.” While bro-haters stay as far as humanly fucking possible from “the line,” bros realize there’s only one reason for its existence – to fucking cross that shit. Nothing gets a bro’s creative juices flowing more than a solid tragic celebrity death. It really doesn’t get any better than trampling on some B-list celebrity’s grave while the rest of the fucking world mourns them just because he was a fucking guest star on “Who’s The Boss” back in the 80’s. The minute Anna Nicole Smith died a couple years ago you better fucking believe I sent out an email entitled “Reunited at last” with a picture of that fucking 90 year old billionaire she was whoring herself out to.
Bros don’t give a fuck about celebrity deaths. In fact, bros don’t give a shit about celebrities period. While girls spend their days at work/in class reading up on the technique Kim Kardashian uses to shave her unibrow or what type of hat The Bachelorette wore to the fucking store, bros devote their time to much more important shit - like talking trash on #62 fantasy football league message boards. Seriously though, why the fuck do bro-haters care so much about a fucking celebrity death? Most likely it’s because, unlike bros, they’re lives are fucking meaningless so they have to live vicariously through whoever US magazine says is important. Anyways, here’s a couple ways to pull off the best tragic celebrity death jokes and really piss off the fucking bro-haters in the process.
Exploit the Death-Induced Celebrities – Every once in awhile there’ll be a news story about some horrific murder or death that wasn’t technically a celebrity. Even though this person wasn’t in some shitty movie back in the 90’s or an heiress to a family fortune, society will still treat this death like the worst thing since the fucking passion of the Christ. 99.9% of the time this is because the person who died was young, white, female and pretty good-looking. Bros are smart as shit so they fucking realize what this type of death really means: comedy gold. While girls bought countless magazines with Natalie Holloway on the cover a couple years back, bros were busy honoring her death the only way they knew how - buying blond wigs and seaweed for their fucking #86 Halloween costumes.
The Sooner the Better – I always love it whenever I say some shit like, “Silly Chris Henry, It’s ‘Kiss the BABY’ not ‘Kiss the PAVEMENT’” like 10 minutes after he’s reported as dead and people get all pissed off and say shit like, “Whoa, whoa, too soon man.” Give me a fucking break. So you’re telling me that it would be cool to make jokes about this celebrity’s death in two weeks, but now the country is in such dire mourning that I’m out of line. Fuck that. Bros realize the closer to the celebrity’s death, the funnier the fucking joke, so there’s no point in waiting. Whenever there’s a tragic celebrity death, bros immediately knock that shit out of the park like they’re the fucking retarded kid at the end of Little League practice.
Remember that kid back in Kindergarten that would fucking cry at everything? Yeah, that’s society. Just like when we were five years old, bros see these tears as a sign of weakness and you better fucking believe we’re attacking that shit. With true American heroes (like Sean Taylor) dying every day, there’s no reason to devote more than 2 seconds to even thinking about honoring some #119 midget with a catch phrase. While the rest of society mourns over some actress’s car crash fatality, bros realize what it truly is: the perfect fucking punch line.
I don't think DJ AM should be made fun of because of 1 very important reason: he was a fucking bro. Not only was he the focal point of many a rager, but he also DJed at places where people were constantly getting fucked up. Furthermore, after almost dying in a tragic plane crash he started using more. Talk about being grateful for being spared. I'll admit that it was bra-esque for him to do that gay reality show where he helped people sober up, buuuut he did die of a massive drug overdose anyway.
I wanna go out myself with a "tragic" death. Dying at age 70 from heart and liver related problems due to massive cirrhosis and having a heart attack from snorting brocaine while fucking some 25 year old slampiece doesn't sound like a bad way to go.
They honored that child ass ramming creature called Michael Jackson whose only contribution to the world was providing countless jokes. Billy Mays sold tons of shitty products and everyone knew who he was plus he died like a bro from too much booger sugar. That's the types of deaths that should get coverage.
hey dont make fun of pat tillman he was a true fucking american hero and a great reason to heckle shitty countries like france or the continent of africa. and steve irwin jokes are fucking funny but he was also a bro. jumping on crocodiles, venomous snakes, and other crazy shit is major bro points.
what about heath ledger? he died like a punk bitch. fucking actors, yea, he had some legit roles, like the brothers fucking grimm, and the joker, but he went out with an overdose. really? bitch move. steve irwin was a fucking bro. period.
Making fun of celebrity deaths is fucking awesome, because most of them die of total weak-ass bro-hating causes like cancer and shit. Real bros go out with a fucking bang.
Like James Dean, who died in a fiery car crash while bro-ing his balls off at like 100 mph in a droptop Porsche down a California highway. That's fucking bro.
Or Hunter S. Thompson, who got royally wasted at his ranch on whiskey, brocaine, and like 15 different psychedelic drugs and then blew his head off with a shotgun while listening to awesome tunes at full volume. That's bro as shit.
Me and my bros at the office had a $100 pool going to see who could come up with the best joke about the deaths of Billy Mays, Farah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, and Michael Jackson, since they all happened the same week.
The winner:"They say celebrities always die in threes. Leave it to Billy Mays to give you the fourth one for free."
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!
Of course, we later found out that the bro stole this joke from a couple different comedy websites that posted it first, but we still gave him the money because we all know that stealing shit is totally bro.
And for all the bro-haters who ask why we think it's funny to make fun of dead celebrities:Why? 'Cause FUCK EM, that's why!
Let us not forget David Carradine... Lived as an ultimate kung fu bro... But then killed himself via autoerotic asphyxiation. Does that make it a bra move since he was found dead literally wearing a bra?
I about swallowed my dip I was laughing so hard at the retard/little league reference.
I've learned over the years, that a clutch way to instantly burn all bridges with the females you're around and ultimately make them cry, is rip on princess diana being dead. These slam pieces were like 4 years old when it happened but due to their abilities to universally sync their periods, they always go estrogen overdose when you make fun of her. Bros are the shit.
i always point out funny shit about that stuff, for instance Natalie Holoway was murdered by "Joran Van Der Sloot" which is the same name as the Swedish baker man from Family Guy with the funny voice. which is hilarious
I was doing a fantasy football draft with my bro's this weekend, we were crushing brews and talking shit and I got the first pick and got all serious and said "With the first pick in the 2010 Fantasy Draft, I select Steve McNair" My bro's loved it and one responded "I think he's a real sleeper pick."
A week after Heath Ledger died, we were having practice and one of the bros on our team missed a tackle. Another bro, sitting on the sidelines yells out, "You're as good as tackling as Heath Ledger is at living!" Too soon? I think not. | {
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Usual metastatic localizations in MTC are liver, bone and lung. We report two cases with metastases in pancreas and breast.
In a 51-year-old woman were discovered several nodules in the thyroid gland: 29×19 mm in the right lobe and 5 mm in the left. Calcitonine (CT) levels were 2300 and ECA 44 ng/ml. Fine-needle aspiration of the main nodule confirmed MTC. Total thyroidectomy and right jugulo carotidal lymph node dissection were performed in 1998 with pretracheal and recurrent dissection. Pathological examination confirmed that the main nodule was a non-encapsulated MTC with two additional micro-MTC. Several lymph nodes were invaded. CT, ECA and CgA ab+. A RET mutation in codon 620 was found. Post surgical CT was never normal: CT rising from 40 (until 2003) to 80 (2005), 90 (2006), 150 (2007), 270 (2008) and 490 (2009). Calcium, PTH and methoxyamine levels were normal. Search for metastases was negative (repeated cervical and liver US with contrast, FDG PET-scan (2005) and F-DOPA (2007), cervical and lung CT scan) but in 2009 MRI discovered a 13 mm lesion of the pancreatic uncus. It was enucleated (CT 93) and the pathologist confirmed 18×13 mm metastasis (CT, synaptophysine and CgA+; Ki67 35%) with invasion of 2/5 lymph nodes.
In a 52-year-old woman, the increasing size of a nodule in the right thyroid lobe with elevated CEA necessitated total thyroidectomy with right jugulo carotidal and latero-tracheal lymph node dissection in 1990. MTC with lymph nodes invasion (7/11) was found. A new surgery was performed by sternotomy with additional lymph node invasion (2/23). The patient was not cured (calcitonin 845→3760 ng/ml in 1994). No RET mutation. A third surgery with recurrent dissection found 5/13 lymph nodes invaded. CT level was 840 ng/ml post surgery and increased to 1285 (1995), 2670 (1997), 6000 (2001), 7500 (2006), 9850 (2009). Repeated imaging was normal (cervical and liver US, CT scan, anti-CEA immuno-scintigraphy, FDG PET-scan, MRI) and radioimmuno-therapy in 1997 was unsuccessful. In 2009, bone scintigraphy found several localizations and X-ray of the breast discovered a 8 mm right mass. It was found a MTC breast metastasis (CT and CgA+; Ki67 <3%) (three lymph nodes +). Post surgical CT 6100 increased to 8400. In summary, two unusual MTC metastases localizations (pancreas 11 years after discovery; breast 19 years later). | {
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Is it a VPN you can easily turn ON and OFF? Personally I don't do anything related to banking or on line shopping, where you give credit card details, through a VPN. I only turn it ON if I need to. Also where does the VPN give you an IP address. It's no good being provided with an IP address in Poland or Russia if you want one in the UK for example. Otherwise it can be useful to have access to a VPN if you need one.
Most VPN's are useless. Try it out before you spend any money. I've tried several to be able to access the BBC, who have locked their doors to foreign viewers this year. The BBC, like most large commercial organisations, can easily see that you are using a VPN. Your access is then disabled.
VPNs use a connection to a server in another country, from which you then access the wbsite or service you are looking for.
In spite of their claims, this will slow down access, to streaming TV, for example. As VPN use has become popular, companies have set up systems that routinely check for VPN use, it is very simple to do. While it will not affect all services, try it out with the service you want to access and bear in mind that it might stop if the sevice implements VPN bans.
Most VPN's are useless. Try it out before you spend any money. I've tried several to be able to access the BBC, who have locked their doors to foreign viewers this year. The BBC, like most large commercial organisations, can easily see that you are using a VPN. Your access is then disabled.
VPNs use a connection to a server in another country, from which you then access the wbsite or service you are looking for.
We've used a VPN service for several years to access the BBC. They've not blocked us yet. Try UKTVPlus.
YoMo2 wrote:We've used a VPN service for several years to access the BBC. They've not blocked us yet. Try UKTVPlus.
Andrew
Hi AndrewI note that these people are based in Crete. Do you think that has any bearing on their apparent reliability, given the problems other providers seem to constantly have? I'm probably going to be looking for a decent VPN next year. (Retirement beckons! )
Norton Security (Symantec) are currently plugging their VPN to their subscribers because of the so-called KRACK security flaw which has just been discovered to attack almost any device that uses wifi -- that's just about everything, right?! That's the bad news. The good news is that KRACK does not attack by downloading from the internet, but by intercepting your wifi signal, so you'd be very unlucky for it to attack your home network. Unlocked public wifi, such as in cafes and restaurants, is much more vulnerable. From what I've read about it, Microsoft had already updated their security before the news about KRACK was released. The bit I don't quite understand -- which I'm sure you techies out there will be able to explain -- is exactly how a VPN would make you more secure if you continue to use wifi, as opposed to an ethernet cable, between your device and your router.
YoMo2 wrote:We've used a VPN service for several years to access the BBC. They've not blocked us yet. Try UKTVPlus.
Andrew
Hi AndrewI note that these people are based in Crete. Do you think that has any bearing on their apparent reliability, given the problems other providers seem to constantly have? I'm probably going to be looking for a decent VPN next year. (Retirement beckons! )
Tim
Tim, they have a local contact who supports local users, but the servers etc are in UK. They have occasional technical hitches like anyone else, but I've never been blocked by the BBC or ITV. They have a choice of UK servers, and switching servers usually resolves any temporary problem. | {
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/ Climbing Works
Anyone got the skinny on whats going down at the Climbing Works at the moment ? It's been closed for a couple of days with a 'maintenance issue'. I presume that there has been a metiorite strike through the roof followed by an alien invasion of intergalactic boulderers .... you see what happens when there is an information vacuum ;-) | {
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The Giants were on the verge of losing their fifth game in a row and falling two games behind the Cowboys in the NFC East
with three games left. But they went on an improbable run from playoff outsider to Super Bowl champion.
The Giants finished the regular season 9-7. The Saints can get to 9-7 by winning their last four games. Even if they do, New
Orleans still would need help to reach the playoffs, but the first step is controlling their end.
“Obviously the margin for error is very tight,” quarterback Drew Brees said. “We understand that if we want a shot at postseason
play we probably have to win out. We’re playing the defending world champs in their house, and the last three don’t mean anything unless we win this one.
“The Giants have played in these types of games — playoff games before the playoffs. That’s kind of the situation we’re in.”
The Saints will have one clear advantage on the Giants: four days of extra rest. New Orleans lost at Atlanta last Thursday
and had the weekend off. New York (7-6) lost an emotional division game at Washington on Monday night.
“As everybody knows, football is a
tough game, so the more time you have to rest your body is obviously
better,” Saints defensive
tackle Sedrick Ellis said. “But there are plenty of teams that
come off a short week and win and there are plenty of teams
that lose them. It just depends on how prepared you are to play
the game.”
The Saints are banking on a return to form by Brees and the steady improvement of a defense that played its best game of the
year against Atlanta.
Brees is trying to rebound from one of
the worst two-game stretches of his career. San Francisco intercepted
back-to-back
passes and returned them for touchdowns on Nov. 25, rallying to
beat New Orleans 31-21. He threw a career-high five interceptions
against Atlanta, and his botched clock management at the end of
the first half cost the Saints at least a field goal as they
scored a season-low 13 points.
Brees had thrown 24 TD passes and five interceptions in his previous eight games.
“I understand the importance of taking
care of the football,” he said. “Certainly the last two weeks there have
been an inordinate
amount of turnovers. That’s something that can’t happen and
something I have to fix. But as far as me being cautious and
conservative,
that’s not going to happen. You stay aggressive, you stay
confident. If you don’t have that as a quarterback in this league,
you can’t play.”
While Brees struggled, the defense held Atlanta to 283 yards — 92 fewer than any other New Orleans opponent. The Falcons had
a stretch of five consecutive possessions without a first down.
Although the Saints are on pace to break an NFL record for yards allowed in a season, they have become more comfortable in
new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme.
“Everybody has a better understanding of exactly what they’re doing on the field and what’s expected of them in any given
call,” Ellis said. “We’re finally starting to jell together. I wish it could have been a lot earlier, but that this point,
we’ll take what we can get.”
The next task is duplicating that
performance against New York, whose lead on the NFC East has shrunk from
2½ games in early
November to one over Dallas and Washington. Giants coach Tom
Coughlin said this week his team might have to win its last four
to claim the division, putting as much pressure on New York as New
Orleans.
The Giants were nearly perfect in that situation last year. The Saints hope it is their turn this season.
“If we take advantage of our opportunities, we’ll be all right,” Greer said. “We might be the underdog, but we have a chance
to do something special.”
Notes:
The Saints are healthier than they have been in several weeks. Three
players missed practice on Wednesday, and all are backups
— offensive tackle Charles Brown (right knee), defensive end
Martez Wilson (toe) and cornerback Elbert Mack (illness). Starting
safety Roman Harper was limited with a rib injury. | {
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Pages
Thursday, May 05, 2011
triple chocolate cookies
dah nak raya dah ke? hehehehe...well, it's been a long time since i've put up something sweet here, kan? well, here it is...the triple chocolate cookies. if you love, love, LOVE chocolate, then, this is the one for you. i took the recipe from this '500 series' bookaaaand as usual, it will never fail. :-) happy, happy, happy joy!!!
3) beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy and bet in the egg and vanilla essence.
4) add the flour mixture and mix until almost blended.
5) add the chocolate chips and mix - i do this manually.
6) scoop the dough onto a baking sheet 5cm (2 in) apart.
7) bake for 12 to 14 minutes, longer if you want the cookies to be crunchy.
8) transfer to a wire rack to cool and it can be stored in an airtight container for five to seven days.
~this recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies, and of course it also depends on the size.
*if you are preparing the dough ahead, roll the dough into a log 4cm (1½ in) thick, wrap in foil and refrigerate for two hours. before baking, cut the log into 6mm (¼ in) slices and place the slices 4cm (1½ in) apart on a non-stick baking sheet. | {
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Monthly Archives: November 2009
As an entrepreneur you are constantly coming up with ideas, some good, some bad, and you are always looking for someone that will buy your story. So, sometimes when a 1st customer, an investor, your parents, or even when a competitor just gets what you are up to feel set free, validated and even empowered. Now, no entrepreneur likes to loose, but sometimes just knowing that someone else is thinking what you are thinking, well, it validates you and your hair brained ideas, and sometimes that feels good.
So, when I saw that eventbrite had revenue of $100 million in what they thought was a $35 billion dollar market place, it kinda gives me goose bumps.
Over 2 years ago I started pitching a company called “Social Helix” and then and now I am still excited about the idea of connecting people thr0ugh events. I always felt like profiles like myspace and facebook were a bit lifeless compared to the real thing. I mean the people we care about, really care about, well we meet them in person don’t we? And when I realized that, I started to get really excited about changing the way events work.
Today, I am working on a few other ideas, some with potential investors, and others are just engineering projects with a possible revenue upside, like http://loc.is, but in those cases, SocialHelix got me in the door, but we never got the money we needed to make it happen.
Sometimes as an entrepreneur you think you are crazy, not because other people tell you so, but you really wonder if your bet is right.
Today I received some validation that I am not crazy when eventbrite announced revenue. Eventbrite claims they have revenue of $100 million ( some of that goes to event curators ), and placed their market size at $35 Billion. $35 billion is an interesting number because that is what we predicted with SocialHelix nearly 2 years ago.
The event space is huge and ticketmaster plays a role in such a small space of it. It’s the classic problem of long tail vs short tail. Ticketmaster went after some of the worlds largest venues, and secured deals with those locations. Large Venue style ticket sales which are usually divided into primary and secondary sales total about $1.5 billion and $6 billion respectively. While movie ticket sales are around $10 billion a year.
Sites like Eventbrite and SocialHelix would rather target long tail sales which are usually personally, or organizationally curated instead of venue curated. In that industry we have several interesting segments, and this market is huge, it so huge that most people don’t think about it. Groups and Meetings which include corporate events, business meetings, and
Launchy is a micro utility that launches when you type ‘alt+space’ ( I set mine to ctrl+space), and then you just start typing the name of the app or web address you want to launch. The app makes it possible to use a lot more of Windows XP without using a mouse. A few of the mondern operating systems have something simular, but if you are still on Windows XP, you will love launchy as much as you love your keyboard. 😉
Since being a developer these days means writing scripting languages on linux, windows, and mac os you will need a great text editor that works in all three. jEdit is great because it runs in java, and thus works on windows, linux (ubuntu), and mac osx. It’s lighter weight than using eclipse and supports 30+ languages with syntax highligting. jEdit also has an easy to use plugin interface kinda like Firefox, that manages plugin installs, and plugin updates. When I set up jEdit, I usually set the tab ( buffer )controls up to be the same as they are in Firefox.
Firefox 3.5 is a huge speed improvement over 3.0, and it now supports all of your favorite dev plugins. One of these days, I will have to see if I can configure different FF Profiles to load different plugin sets. Maybe I would have one profile for speed, one for dev, and maybe one for demos.
Google Chrome is the fastest web browser, not just because the browser renders javascript at blazing speeds, but because the browser has several other optimizations in the user interface to make it light, powerful and fast. You can even use chrome with a choice of themes now, and change the default search engine to something other than Google’s, but who would want to use that? I use chrome whenever I don’t need all of the dev plugins loaded in FF.
I know a lot of you like the Apple app store, but for those of us that game, Steam is the best place to buy, download, and manage the updates for all of your video game needs. Steam, produced by Valve Software, allows you to buy a game through there small desktop client and then it will download it on your idle bandwidth, and update your games in the background. You basically never have to worrry about keeping your games or drivers uptodate again. I now hate it when I have to buy a game any other way. Oh, yeah the best part, no more annoying CD checks for games that you paid for. I love this service so much, I have rebought games just so I don’t have to manage them or deal with CD cracks any more. You can even gift games to your friends. 😉
At LA startupweekend I built with one other team member http://loc.is
a geolinking service that computes a geohash for gps coordinates or a
street address. The resulting geolink will provide a map, and some
other interesting information when a user clicks the link.
It’s kinda a little cobbled together, but by dec.3rd it should be working well.
I wonder if all of the the twitter bots are a result of people trying to gain free api access to twitter. Normal rules allow a certain number of requests per minute or or something. However if yo were to have 1,000 accounts, you could perform 1,000x that number of requests and searches per hour.
I bet if twitter looked for accounts that were performing high volumes of API requests, they would find accounts that were most likely linked to bots.
I am not yet sure if it is worth it for twitter to remove these accounts or if they are oddly good for the ecosystem. | {
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Home Blu-ray ReviewJul 31 2015 02:01 PMPerhaps the least ingratiating or creative entry in the DreamWorks Animation canon, Tim Johnson’s Home borrows a bit from E.T. and other sci-fi films and tel... Read More
Places in the Heart Blu-ray ReviewJul 30 2015 11:04 AMRobert Benton has not been a prolific movie director, with only eleven films on his directorial resume, but his work includes serious dramas such as Kramer v... Read More
To accept Indiana Jones is to accept the idea that:
When you need a vine to swing on to make an escape, one will be there.
When you are looking for a secret catacomb, X will mark the spot.
When you only have one bullet left in your gun, it’s a “magic bullet.”
These are the truths of Indiana Jones, a man who always gets into trouble, but who always has a way out. By design, it’s all in the tradition of the old Republic Serials. It’s candy for the mind. It’s short on truth, but long on heart and soul.
For people of Steven Spielberg’s generation, Raiders of the Lost Ark stirred nostalgia for the old Saturday serials. For those of us from a younger generation, Raiders introduced us to the concept of serial adventure, and defined the genre. Indiana Jones is now the iconic character of action-adventure films. Who can think of adventure without imagining Indiana Jones in his leather jacket and fedora, cracking a whip?
Raiders of the Lost Ark was conceived by George Lucas, with Philip Kaufman and Steven Spielberg. Scripted by Lawrence Kasdan, the film captured the imaginations of the moviegoing public, earning an impressive $242 million at the box office, and setting the stage for two sequels, a television series, comic books, and more. The film is a 115 minute roller coaster ride, never letting up for a moment. While it’s wholly unbelievable, nobody cares - because the viewer is drawn into the adventure and is willing - no, eager - to go along for the ride. The world of Indiana Jones in Raiders is often imitated, but never duplicated. That axiom holds true for the further adventures of Indiana Jones, for though there is much fun and excitement in the later incarnations, the magic is never again captured.
Raider of the Lost Ark introduces globe-trotting archeologist - adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) as he is attempting to recover an ancient idol, an impressive artifact from deep in the jungles of South America. Approaching his goal like a cat approaches prey, lithely and in shadow, we get our first fleeting glimpses of our hero in the shadows. We see only a silhouette of the man, until he is confronted. Then, with keen senses, he averts attack, and continues on, single-mindedly, toward his goal. In a truly exciting opener, Jones achieves his goal, retrieves the idol, and then is found running for his life from a booby-trapped cave to escape with the goods, only to be foiled by his arch-rival, Belloq (Paul Freeman). If we didn’t get an idea where this film was rooted before this point, the maniacal laughter of nemesis Belloq echoes through the jungle, while Jones comically escapes the tribe of natives under Belloq’s control.
Having lost the artifact, he returns to his duties as a college professor, where some special guests await him. After a visit from government agents, he is tasked with recovering the Lost Ark of the Covenant - the actual chest that held the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. The U.S. government wants Jones to retrieve the artifact, not for its religious value or its power, but to deprive Hitler of that which he covets. Jones realizes that the Nazis would be invincible if they got their hands on the Ark.
Jones enlists the aid of his feisty ex-flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, in a spirited performance), to retrieve the Ark. With the help of Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) they soon realize that Belloq is working for the Nazis - and he has a head start. Many adventures by land, sea and air follow in rapid-fire succession, without pause for breath, until the exciting final confrontation on a remote island between Jones and the Nazis, and with some interference from some supernatural forces.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a prequel (as if it matters), manages to up the ante on the thrills and chills of Raiders, but it is somewhat of a disappointing follow-up, mostly because of the dark turn the adventure takes in this outing. Jones finds himself in the company of beautiful singer / dancer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and a young boy, Short Round (Ke Huy Kwan). Through unusual circumstances, the trio finds themselves in a village in India, where the children have all been stolen and forced into slavery. Jones takes it upon himself to take on a deadly cult, rescue the children, and return a sacred stone to the village - dragging Willie, kicking and screaming all the way. This film is much darker in tone than Indy’s previous outing, with some very disturbing images and situations. The humor we saw in the original film is there, but it is countered by such darkness that it is difficult to enjoy. Capshaw does reasonably well as Willie, but her performance doesn’t touch that of Karen Allen’s in Raiders. The film starts with a couple of very impressive sequences, but fails to capture the imagination in the same way that Raiders did.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade recaptures much of the adventurer’s spirit found Raiders. An excellent casting coup landed Sean Connery in the role of Henry Jones, Indy’s father. The two race against the Nazis (again) to find the Holy Grail. He who drinks from the Cup of Christ will enjoy eternal life. The interplay between Connery and Ford is priceless, and makes this a very enjoyable outing. Reprising roles from the original Raiders are John Rhys-Davies and Denholm Elliott. The spirit, if not the magic, of the original Raiders is felt here, in this fine finish to the Indiana Jones legacy... for now...
The DiscsThe Adventures of Indiana Jones is a four disc set. Each disc has its own plastic keepcase, and there is a nice faux leather slip case to hold them all. Each of the three films is on its own disc. Extra features are on a fourth disc.
The menus for each disc follow a common theme, reminiscent of a graphic novel, only animated with scenes from the films. I like the concept, but I’m not entirely pleased with the result. Still, the menu is only the means to get to what’s important - the films and the documentary features.
The Video
Raiders of the Lost Ark
This film was meticulously restored by Lowry Digital, and it looks splendid. Thousands of dust spots and scratches, and other artifacts of age were removed from the film. The DVD boasts a beautifully restored image, high in contrast and with good shadow detail. Colors are perfectly saturated. The film isn’t completely free of defects, but it is an impressive restoration. There are a few camera angles in desert sequences where a dark spot can be seen, top center in the frame. This isn’t a dust spot, but I don’t know what it is. It appears a couple of times, and will disappear with a new camera angle - suggesting trouble with the original camera negative. This is minor, but I’m surprised it wasn’t cleaned up in the restoration. There are also a few instances of minor blooming around the frame’s upper or lower edges, which last a few seconds and then disappear.
The image is nice and sharp, with some grain present from the original photographic process. It appears as if there is a hint of edge enhancement - fleetingly visible in high contrast scenes, but hardly an issue.
This restoration is better than I ever would have expected, making this film look nearly as good as The Last Crusade, made eight years later.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
This film features highly saturated colors, high contrast, and decent shadow detail. The picture is very sharp, and free of defects such as dust and scratches. I did notice some blooming in some of the daylight scenes, where the light sky meets dark mountains... most noticeable at the start of chapter nine. It looks like a bit of edge enhancement, which is not noticeable throughout - but does seem to show up from time to time.
Overall, the picture quality is excellent, with well-rendered skin tones and solid black levels. Deeply saturated reds abound in this film by design, but none are over-saturated to the point of bleeding or dot crawl. This film is full of difficult source material, and it is all rendered well.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
This, the final Indiana Jones outing, looks the best on DVD. The picture is bright, with high contrast and excellent shadow detail. Whites are white, and blacks are bold. The picture is sharp, with an occasional hint of enhancement, but not to the point of distraction. Colors are perfectly saturated. This is near perfection.
The Audio
All three films enjoy remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks, and all three sound marvelous. Great care went into these mixes, and the effort really shows.
Raiders of the Lost ArkRaiders has the weakest sound of the three, which is to be expected. Surrounds had to be remixed from mono to include a stereo effect, and the result is a slightly “processed” or matrixed sound. Frequency response from the rear channels sounds a bit limited, too. Still, considering the sound recording technology employed in 1981, Raiders sounds spectacular. Bass response is good, the front soundfield is expansive. Dialog is always clear, and surround effects are more than adequate.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Both of these films enjoy better surround effects than Raiders. Frequency response is excellent all around, with good use of LFE. Dialog is always clear and pans across the front soundstage with the actors. Last Crusade, being somewhat newer, sounds more spacious, with more accurate bass. The John Williams score really gets a chance to shine in both of these films, sounding better than I’ve heard since Indy played at my local theater. This is good stuff.
Extra Features
Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy
Three features, totaling over 2 hours, document the making of the three Indiana Jones films. New interviews with cast and crew, interspersed with footage from the shooting of the films, tell the stories of scripting, casting, shooting and editing these landmark films. Interviews include: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Norman Reynolds, Frank Marshall, Douglas Slocombe, Paul Freeman, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Michael Kahn, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Kwan, Alison Doody, Julian Glover, Sean Connery, 1988 interviews with River Phoenix, and Denholm Elliott, and more. It’s a treat to see all these people reminiscing on these films, as well as seeing them at work on the set.
We see parts of screen tests with Tom Sellick and Tim Mathison (both were in the running for the role of Indiana Jones) and Sean Young (who auditioned for Marion Ravenwood). We find that that role of Sallah was originally planned for Danny DeVito, but his scheduling conflicts led to the casting of John Rhys-Davies.
We find out that Indiana was George Lucas’ dog’s name. Willie (Willie Scott) was Steven Spielberg’s dog’s name. And Short Round was the dog of Willard Huyck, writer of Temple of Doom.
Shooting of Temple of Doom was hampered due to a back injury sustained by Harrison Ford, taking him off the project for six weeks. A stunt double filmed most of the “conveyor” scene in his place, with Ford providing close-ups upon his return.
There is a lot of information here, and I like the fresh perspective of the cast and crew, looking back on their work - rather than period interviews. Your take on this may certainly vary, but I found the new documentary to be very enjoyable and informative - and complete enough for my needs. I find that too many “extras” bloat the price, and I don’t have time enough to watch extras for hours on end. Paramount has found a good balance, here.
Featurettes:
The Stunts of Indiana Jones (10:56)
An overview of the stunts of Indiana Jones, with input from Lucas, Spielberg, Ford, and Vic Armstrong - stunt double for Ford. Stuntman Terry Leonard talks about being dragged behind the truck in Raiders. Key stunts from all the films are discussed.
The Music of Indiana Jones (12:23)
You can’t have a discussion about Indiana Jones without John Williams. His score is one of the most memorable movie scores ever. Williams discusses the process of writing the music. With archival footage, and input from Steven Spielberg.
The Light and Magic of Indiana Jones (12:20)
Richard Edlund (visual effects supervisor), George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Dennis Muren, and others discuss the visual and mechanical effects seen in the films. Shots discussed include: Opening the Ark, the Mine Cart sequence, various matte paintings and model shots, the plane through the tunnel, disintegrating drinker, etc...
Trailers
Various trailers for each film, and a game preview for “The Emperor’s Tomb” round out the extras.
Over three hours of bonus features are included on this bonus disc provide a lot of fresh perspective on the making of these films, with current interviews from almost all the stars, and from much of the crew involved in the films.
Final Thoughts
Color me ecstatic. Home theater enthusiasts have been waiting for these films on DVD for years, and Paramount has delivered. The movies look and sound terrific, getting the royal treatment for this release. And the fourth disc of the set, with over three hours of bonus features, contains a wealth of information and trivia behind the scenes of these landmark adventure films.
Thanks for the review!
I was thinking I might be able to resist the urge to pick this set up. I have the films on LD. But now I can't wait to relive the trilogy on dvd.
The 2 hour documentary sounds great.
Re the dust spot - if it's not in any but one angle then it's probably dirt on the camera lens. The opening of How the West Was Won has dirt on the camera lens, too, and people used to say it was a defect in the transfer. I'll check out the DVD when I pick it up and let you know my thoughts.
I just watched Raiders and I was blown away by the picture and sound. THX means something on this one, with the new logo too.
to nitpick, sound is slightly flat, and bass may seem boomy, but I recall that it sounds similar on the LD.
can't complain!
certainly way better than my P&S VHS!
Another timely and well written review from HTF. I hope I can find a copy of it next week. I imagine it'll go fast. I do wish that it was a more of a "deluxe" edition with more extras. Especially commentaries. Hopefully, we'll see a big deluxe set after the new movie plays in the theatres.
But since this is one of those movies that was on the "when will it be on DVD?" list, I'd buy them if even if they didn't have any extras.
*Whispering* But don't tell the movie studios that.
Is there any other sequel in the history of cinema--other than Temple of Doom--that is actually criticized for being DARKER than the original?
Maybe that is a bit of hyperbole, but I find it odd that people complain about TOD being too dark, when hard-core fans usually want films as dark as possible, especially middle acts of trilogies.
Just an observation...
Thanks for the review. In most of the reviews i have read so far they all knock temple of doom for being too dark. I say gimmie a break! i know tons of people that think TOD is the best of the trilogy for that very reason. There also abit crazy since Raiders is easily the best. But TOD is a solid outing and takes to much undeserved criticism. If you wanna complain about kate capshaw i can see that but too dark nah i don't think so that was all part of the charm mmmmm snake surprise and monkey brains. gotta love it!
[quote] i have read so far they all knock temple of doom for being too dark. I say gimmie a break! i know tons of people that think TOD is the best of the trilogy for that very reason. [quote]
Although I do not put TOD at the best in the trilogy, I do adore it precisely because it IS so dark. Moments like the one where Indy comes across the statute near the palace...where the guides get really nervous and flee...and Indy tells Short Round not to come up there...those moments make TOD for me. | {
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Fibroid In Uterus Wall
Myoma Uterine Fibroids What is Myoma, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment for Myoma
A fibroid is a benign tumor that mainly consists have muscular tissue and usually grows inside the uterus. Fibroids are also called myomas. Its size ranges widely, from a small tumor the size of a pea to a large tumor almost the size of the uterus. Myomas are classified into three types, depending on the location where they are found. The intramural myoma, a fibroid that grows in the muscular wall of the uterus. This subserosal myoma, a fibroid located just beneath the outside mucosal covering of the uterus. Here the fibroid projects to the.
Outside and occasionally remains connected with the uterus only through a small stalk. The submucosal myoma, a tumor that grows beneath the surface of the uterus lining. Therefore, this type of fibroids can grow into the uterine cavity. The actual causes have development of a fibroid are still unclear. However, it has been documented that fibroids are associated with high levels of estrogen, the female sex hormone. Fibroids can only developed during reproductive years of women. Following menopause, the production of estrogen decreases which will usually cause fibroids to shrink or disappear.
Myomas are more common in nonpregnant and infertile women. In general, fibroids are asymptomatic or associated with just a few complaints if any complaints. If any complaints occur, then the location, size and type of the fibroid are the major factors. Fibroids can affect nearby structures. They can cause compression of the bladder, which may lead to urinary complaints, or may obstruct the intestine, which may result in constipation. Other complaints can be backaches, abdominal problems, menstrual flow disturbances. Fibroids can impede normal childbirth, which may require caesarean delivery. Fibroids relatively more often lead to miscarriages.
Whenever fibroids cause symptoms, they need to be removed or shrinked. Medications sometimes cause fibroid to shrink by blocking the production and secretion of estrogen. In other cases, surgery may be required to remove the fibroid. The type of surgery depends on the location of the fibroid. Sometimes it's possible to remove the fibroid with the help of the tube entered through the vagina and the procedure is called hysteroscopic myomectomy. In other cases, surgery through the abdominal wall may be necessary. In the case of a large fibroid, hysterectomy may be the only solution.
I have been suffering from fibroids and endometriosis for over 20 years, and I had very intense pain, back problems, lower stomach problems, headaches from being so anemic. And it controlled my life. I think my first procedure was probably '95. And so since '95, I've been going through different procedures with different doctors, and nothing worked. I would do the surgery, and I would be fine for a month or two. And then I would say the longest I've ever been OK was for three months, and then bam here it comes again.
One of the doctors that I went into, he told me that the best advice that he could give me was to just go ahead and have a hysterectomy. And then he started laughing and said that that was his best advice for the day. And then I told him, thanks, but no thanks. And I walked out. I had a cyst rupture on my right ovary. And I ended up in the emergency room where I had to do surgeries to remove my appendix, because it kind of fused my appendix and my fallopian tube together.
After I got out of that surgery, my GYN at the time, she told me, I want you to go and see Dr. MacKoul. She said, this is the only doctor the only doctor that I want you to see. I went in to see Dr. MacKoul. He was pleasant, and he took the time out to explain to me what was going on and do all his little drawings. Dr. MacKoul recommended a LAAM myomectomy, because I wanted to retain my uterus. He told me if I had any questions just to call him,.
And he would explain anything that I didn't quite understand. Then he actually came and sat with me before I actually was taken in for the surgery. And he went over again what we're going to be doing, and then he told my family to just trust him. I was in good hands. I did not come across a specialist until I actually met Dr. MacKoul. Not only did he tell me what my problem was, not only did he tell me what mistakes had been done with my surgeries prior.
That caused my endometriosis to get worse but he fixed the problem. I haven't had any pain no back problems, no stomach problems, no headaches. I finally decided it was time for me to do what I wanted to do. Three months later, my dad had asked me, would I go with him to Africa. And I told him, sure, and so we went to Africa for a month. This was something that I would not have done prior to having the surgery. The energy that I didn't feel I had before to be able to do.
My master's, now I'm working on my master's. I have the energy where I'm doing my master's, working, and also helping my niece with her homework, and now having to travel with her to go to her different events. I wish I had met Dr. MacKoul before. I wish I had heard about him before I went through all those other procedures. But looking back, with everything that I went through, I'm always telling other people about Dr. MacKoul. He is a true specialist. He is the only specialist I would recommend.
What are Fibroids Causes, symptoms and treatment of fibroids
Welcome back lovely ladies today we are going to figure out fibroids. figure out fibroids figure out fibroids It's like a tongue twister! say that three times fast. anyway, fibroids are something that you may never have to face because it generally tends to affect women age 30 or more however it is interesting to note that 25 percent women will probably suffer from fibroids at one point in their life but I'll never have symptoms and they'll never need treatment so what the heck are fibroids Fibroids are noncancerous growths.
In the muscle walls in your uterus. Studies show that that being overweight or having high blood pressure are major risk factors. Fibroids tend to shrink when your body goes through menopause. So, what causes fibroids unknown. I know, sorry to disappoint you. the thing is is that the growth depends on the estrogen levels in the body and as the woman continues to menstruate and the sizes can vary they can be so small that you need a microscope to look at them or they can be really big as big as the uterus. now if you do have symptoms,.
Some of them may include pelvic cramping when you're not on your period, lower abdomen pain, lower back pain, painful sex, and increased urine frequency. the doctor will do an ultrasound to check for all of this. Now some treatment options generally include getting on birth control pills or an IUD Intrauterine Device to help regulate the estrogen, and if it really really really comes down to it surgery is also an option. Again, all this varies on your diagnosis and the severity of your problems. Always remember to go to a doctor to get.
How to cure uterine fibroids without surgery
Hello, I'm doctor Gillian Johnson As a former fibroids sufferer what I want to tell you is You don't have to suffer. Fibroids and fibroids symptoms can be cured WITHOUT surgery or a hysterectomy. I had two uterine fibroids, and you may know how painful is. After several unsuccessful medications, my gynecologist wanted me to undergo surgery. But another doctor suggested me to follow a new holisticdrugfree method, accessible on the web. In just 5 weeks fibroids shrunk drastically. No more pain, no more irregular periods, no more bladder pressure. The following ultrasounds shown that both of these fibroid were completely gone.
Endometriosis, Uterine Fibroids, and Estrogen Dominance
Now, when we have a stage called estrogen dominance estrogen proliferates tissue when it's dominant. Estrogen within itself is very good. I helps us with our brain tissue, our memory. It helps us to think clearly, prevents foggy brain and all this other stuff. Estrogen in itself is very goodit's not bad. But when you have an estrogen dominance situation where the estrogen is very dominant over the progesterone, you're going to have all these symptoms and you're going to have a proliferation of tissue. For instance, if a woman comes in with cysts on her ovaries or cysts in her breasts.
Or she has fibroids on the inner uterine lining, or she has endometriosis these are all tissues that are being proliferated. They are increasing because she's got too much estrogen in her. Thus, we have a lot of increase in the amounts of hysterectomies because women are getting large fibroids and they're bleeding heavy, heavy, heavy, so they have anemia. I went through this myself, personally, in my forties. I had a lot of estrogen dominance but back then we didn't know exactly what to do. And so, I ended up having a hysterectomy because every time.
Understanding fibroids and abnormal uterine bleeding
Gtgt Sawson AsAsanie, M.D., MPH My name is Sawson AsAsanie, and I'm the director of the Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Program at the University of Michigan. Today we're going to be talking about abnormal uterine bleeding, which is a very common condition that affects many women in their reproductive years. Abnormal bleeding is any type of bleeding that is irregular. That could be bleeding in between menstrual cycles, bleeding that is heavier than usual during menstrual cycles, bleeding after intercourse, or even bleeding after someone's gone through menopause. There are many different causes of abnormal bleeding, and some might be due.
To hormonal changes, some might be due to structural abnormalities such as lesions within the uterus, and others might be due to systemic medical conditions. When a woman has a menstrual cycle that occurs greater than 35 days from start to start, less than 21 days from start to start, or bleeding in between their menses, after intercourse, or after menopause, these are all indications that something might be abnormal, and she should be examined by her physician. Uterine fibroids are a common cause of abnormal bleeding, and the lifetime risk.
Of developing uterine fibroids is approximately 70 to 80 percent. Uterine fibroids are benign tumors of the uterus and can cause many symptoms such as abnormal uterine bleeding, which can be either heavy or irregular, pelvic pain, andor pelvic pressure related to the large size of fibroids. However, not all women with uterine fibroids have symptoms, and the decision to proceed with treatment for uterine fibroids really depends on whether or not those symptoms are bothersome. If you think that your bleeding symptoms are abnormal or bothersome, or if you suspect that you might have uterine fibroids, you should talk to your doctor.
Youtu.beJiaqOtVna1g Your doctor has recommended that you undergo a Dilation and Curettage, or D and C. But what does that actually mean The uterus is part of a woman's reproductive system. It's the organ that contains the growing fetus. The cervix forms the neck of the uterus, and the vagina is the canal through which conception and birth take place. The endometrium is a soft lining that protects the fetus during pregnancy. Reasons for having a D and C vary. Most D and C's are performed because the patient has complained of unusually heavy menstrual bleeding.
Other common problems include, uterine infection, bleeding after sexual intercourse, incomplete miscarriage or the presence of polyps small pieces of extra tissue growing on the inside of the uterine wall. Then the surgeon will use a gloved hand to conduct a vaginal examination and will check the size and location of the uterus by pressing on your lower abdomen. A metal or plastic vaginal speculum is used to gently expand the vagina and allow access to the cervix. Once the cervix is visible, a forcep is used to grasp the front lip of the cervix causing.
The uterus to open a little. Using a blunttipped probe, the surgeon carefully measures the length of the uterus and takes a small sample of tissue from the cervical canal. Next, the surgeon will dilate, or open the cervix, using a series of progressively larger metal rods called dilators. When the cervix has expanded sufficiently, the doctor will use a spoonshaped instrument called a curette to gently scrape out the lining of the uterus. In some cases, surge When the entire lining of the uterus has been removed, the instruments are withdrawn.
Fibroids In The Wall Of The Uterus. Hysteroscopy..Resident of the city of Vologda fortyeight years was carried outpatient hysteroscopy to determine the growth of four submucous uterine fibroids, which are..
Dilation And Curettage | Diagnosing Uterus | Clearing Uterine Lining | Manipal Hospitals.This animated tutorial explains in detail about the Dilation and Curettage procedure done on the Uterus. Dilation and curettage, also called at DC, is procedure.. | {
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Friday, June 06, 2014
What causes poor sleep, and how do I get better sleep?
This article discusses health conditions that cause a person to get poor sleep, and discusses things everyone can do to get better sleep.
With any illness, injury or sniffle, you'll hear one common suggestion: Get plenty of rest. Whether we're nursing a broken bone or trying to recover from the flu, we are led to believe that adequate sleep will put us right on the path to recovery. But just how important is sleep, and what about those of us who can't seem to get quality sleep?
Lack of sleep is linked to several health concerns:
Colds, flu, viruses and infections. One of the first systems to be adversely affected by lack of quality sleep is immune function. When you're tired, you feel worn down -– and that's not just a feeling. Your body is using all energy reserves to fight off the viruses and exposure to germs that might not affect a person with a thriving immune system. Also, if you receive vaccines, the sleep-deprived are slow to respond to the immunity the vaccines are designed to build.
Heart disease. According to Donna Arand, clinical director of the Kettering Sleep Disorder Centers in Dayton, Ohio, lack of sleep causes an inflammatory response to the cardiovascular system. Rises in C-reactive protein due to impaired sleep are warning signs that the body is responding to a perceived injury, infection or disease. In this case, lack of sleep is that perceived threat that results in inflammation. Poor sleep also causes the body to produce more stress hormones, which may contribute to cardiovascular disease. Chronic stress coupled with lack of quality sleep causes double trouble for the heart, arteries and ventricles.
Diabetes. In the past decade, there has been growing evidence that too little sleep can affect hormones and metabolism in ways that promote diabetes. According to a study published in the Lancet in 1999, healthy men with a week of impaired sleep –- only four hours a night –- showed dramatic changes in glucose tolerance. They also had higher-than-normal glucose levels after just one week. This study involved healthy people with no previous record of insulin resistance or history of diabetes.
For those already diagnosed with diabetes, sleep deprivation leads to extremely poor blood sugar control. These studies do not include control factors of the snowball effect that often starts with losing a night's sleep. Sleepy people don't usually reach for healthy foods as snacks and meals. They don't usually choose to walk during their lunch break -– or head to the weight room after work. Tight glucose control involves nutrition and exercise parameters, and both of those are adversely affected by just one night of impaired sleep.
How Can We Improve Our Sleeping Patterns? 1. Keep the bedroom for sleep and sex. Don't let the bedroom become the home office. Keep the clutter and distraction of that quickly approaching timeline out of the bedroom. Keep a cool temperature, and design the room for its purpose. Walking into your bedroom should be a clear change from the rest of the house.
2. Put down the screens. An hour or more before bedtime, put down the computer, smartphone and TV. Dim the lights throughout the house, and start getting your mind ready to wind down. Some people use blackout shades in the bedroom during the summer months. Before electricity, people stayed awake two or three hours past dusk with candlelight, and their natural circadian rhythms prompted them to sleep. There's a lot of research that links artificial light –- including blue-light from screens -– with interrupted sleep patterns. If we're staying up six or more hours past dusk with fluorescent light glowing, our bodies don't know when it’s time to sleep.
3. Pay attention to what you eat and drink before bedtime. Try not to go to bed ravenous or stuffed. Be aware that a glass of wine might help calm the nerves, but metabolizing alcohol keeps the body in an alert mode while the mind is trying to snooze. Have that glass of wine earlier in the evening. And yes, eating bad pizza right before bed can cause nightmares. So can stuffing yourself with any food minutes before trying to sleep. Your body is trying to do two things: metabolize food and sleep. The food is going to win, and that's a cause for dreams and other disruptions to quality sleep.
4. Move your body. There is substantial evidence that exercise helps you sleep. Even moderate exercise like a daily walk promotes better sleep -– in terms of quality and quantity. Be careful with your exercise timing, so you're not too energized with endorphins to sleep. There's also a direct link between exercise and stress, and stress is a big factor in sleep-deprived people. Move your body. Manage your stress. Get quality sleep.
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Important! Read This! Blogs are Not Medical Professionals
The information contained on this Web site is news, general EDUCATION & INFORMATION and should NOT be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your physician.
The information contained in or made available through this site cannot replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in the medical field.
There may be variations in treatment that your physician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
This Blog is not intended to endorse or to recommend any particular physician, treatment, drug, food or supplement. You should regularly consult a doctor in all matters relating to physical or mental health, particularly concerning any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
Any images of people in this BLOG are NOT actual patients. These photos are of models or from publically available photos. These are not actual patients. | {
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Greenbrier Barn Party
The Greenbrier Barn Party is one of Friends of the Smokies’ oldest fundraisers and celebrates the long history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s support and preservation by the generous people of this region. So come on out and join us for some food, music, and a good time at the Greenbrier Barn Party! | {
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Value For Money
We bought a 12 ft trampoline and after even 3 days it's paid for itself with the amount of usage it has got!
The trampoline was a good price and was delivered in 2 or 3 days rather than overnight but that wasn't a concern. I rather think that was the courier service than their issue. There were no delivery instructions for the trampoline itself but I found it rather easy to work out. Once your realise how to use the spring tool it's rather easy. We had one clasp for the netting which wasn't drilled out but having bought a drill bit and done it myself and told the company they refunded 5 quid as a good will gesture which I thought was nice. All in all a relaxed but efficient service. Efficient because when I gave the wrong postcode for my address by one letter they called us to confirm the correction. | {
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Page 2
Still, RFID has been surrounded by too much hype, according to Tobolski. Each time users start to fall into "the valley of disillusionment, we see a new wave of hype," he told the FCC commissioners.
Tobolski also recited a long list of RFID implementation challenges, including costs, standardization, privacy, performance and reliability, and a need for greater collaboration.
"Costs are not yet what we want, [although] they will come down over time," Tobolski said. He pointed to one retail customer, with 510 miles of CD shelves, that was looking into installing RFID-enabled smart shelves. The customer abandoned that idea when told the price tag would be $250 million.
Systems integration will be expensive, too, Tobolski acknowledged, in that most current systems "are not geared to handling RFID data."
Accenture is working with a group of pharmaceutical firms that are now collaborating around RFID, he said.
On the privacy side, though, some RFID opponents still perceive the technology as "the beginning of the enslavement of humanity," he said.
Is RFID key to supply chain security? Read what a panel has to say.
Also underscoring privacy issues was Greg Pottie of Sensory Networks, a manufacturer of sensors used in applications such as seismic monitoring and transportation of contaminated goods. RFID is now "climbing the stack" to become a sensor, he said.
Pottie mentioned some possible workarounds to privacy concerns. "One of the solutions to the privacy dilemma is that [consumers] can be bribed," he quipped, in reference to consumer loyalty programs. "But you cant just take and take [customer information]."
As RFID takes greater hold, issues will include "who will be in charge of the data" and whether those who are responsible can be trusted, he said. These will be "sensible issues for regulation."
Check out eWEEK.coms Supply Chain Management & Logistics Center for the latest news and analysis of enterprise supply chains. | {
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The mourning period for Thailand's late king Bhumibol Adulyadej is coming to an end, ahead of his cremation later this month.
Tens of thousands of mourners have been rushing to Bangkok's Grand Palace to pay their respects, as a period of nearly a year for his body to lie in state ends ahead of the October 26 cremation.
Since Bhumibol's death last October 13 at the age of 88, more than 12 million people have visited the golden Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, where the late monarch's coffin is kept behind a symbolic royal urn.
The hall is to be closed to visitors at midnight on Thursday.
The throne hall has been kept open 24 hours a day since last Saturday to accommodate the high number of last-minute mourners.
Officials said the palace received over 96,000 visitors on Wednesday, a record number for one day. | {
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There's an interesting story behind this concert in Hawaii in 1967. It was recorded because it was supposed to be released as a live album called 'Lei'd In Hawaii', but due to technical problems and weak performances the recordings weren't good enough. So the Beach Boys booked a studio in Los Angeles and re-recorded their "live" set with the intention of adding crowd noises later and passing it as a live album. It never came out, but several recordings from that studio session have been released through the years on various rarities compilations. At first these recordings were presented as pre-show rehearsals (cause they didn't want people to know that they were planning to release a fake live album cause the real thing wasn't good enough), but the truth is now common knowledge.
'Lei'd In Hawaii' would've been special because the group performed without backing musicians and without Bruce Johnston (but with Brian, who'd sometimes perform with the band on special occasions). So it's just the original five-piece line-up and it's interesting to hear complex songs like 'Good Vibrations' and 'Heroes And Villains' performed with just four instruments (Brian on keys, Al on bass, Carl on guitar and Dennis on drums).
There's an interesting story behind this concert in Hawaii in 1967. It was recorded because it was supposed to be released as a live album called 'Lei'd In Hawaii', but due to technical problems and weak performances the recordings weren't good enough. So the Beach Boys booked a studio in Los Angeles and re-recorded their "live" set with the intention of adding crowd noises later and passing it as a live album. It never came out, but several recordings from that studio session have been released through the years on various rarities compilations. At first these recordings were presented as pre-show rehearsals (cause they didn't want people to know that they were planning to release a fake live album cause the real thing wasn't good enough), but the truth is now common knowledge.
'Lei'd In Hawaii' would've been special because the group performed without backing musicians and without Bruce Johnston (but with Brian, who'd sometimes perform with the band on special occasions). So it's just the original five-piece line-up and it's interesting to hear complex songs like 'Good Vibrations' and 'Heroes And Villains' performed with just four instruments (Brian on keys, Al on bass, Carl on guitar and Dennis on drums).
Thank you, Joost. And you just gave me an idea for a much-deserved present for myself. The "Lei'd In Hawaii" rehearsal sessions CD is available here (as a CDR, but that's OK). I'll order it tomorrow.
First vid - doesn't go with the sound ... can hear Brian, but he's not there, and some harmony "Bop-m-bop"s are heard but not sung at that time. Seen a few vids here of "live" Good Vibrations, but none of them have video matching the audio. Are there any live vids of "Good Vibrations", i.e., on stage? P.S. - who's playing piano back there, looks familiar?
Smile Vibrations - is it all Brian on vox/instruments? Is it the new Smile just released, or is it an outtake from the 60s Smile that (?) never got fully finished/released?
Alexis, the first video is just a "music video" they did in 1967. Dennis Wilson is having a good time miming the tambourine. Bruce Johnston is playing the organ. This is an interesting mix with the Jew's harp at 1:43.
There are a few live videos of Good Vibrations on YouTube, but none from the 60s. I like this one from 1976. Brian Wilson appeared on stage....
A cool fact about Good Vibrations: Carl obviously sings lead on the verses, but the high notes are not him. "I hear the sound of a..." is Brian, and "...gentle word" is Carl again. "When I look..." is Brian, "...in her eyes" is Carl again. Brian was such a perfectionist at the time, if he thought a vocal from one of the other members was less than perfect he'd just do it himself. On all later live versions Carl effortlessly does the high notes, but you've got to remember that GV was only Carl's 5th ever lead vocal and he was still only 19 years old. On a sidenote: on the slow part ("Gotta keep those loving good vibrations a-happering with her"), Dennis plays the organ part.
It is, but the remarkable thing is that it's mostly based on a version of GV that pre-dates the familiar hit version. The original GV lyrics were written by Mike Love, Tony Asher and Brian, on the hit version all Asher's lyrics were ditched and replaced by new lyrics by Mike. For some reason Brian decided to use the original lyrics for his 2004 version. Mike obviously didn't like that.
Alexis, the first video is just a "music video" they did in 1967. Dennis Wilson is having a good time miming the tambourine. Bruce Johnston is playing the organ. This is an interesting mix with the Jew's harp at 1:43.
There are a few live videos of Good Vibrations on YouTube, but none from the 60s. I like this one from 1976. Brian Wilson appeared on stage....
A lot of Beach Boys fan don't like him, but I don't think he's as much of a bad guy as some people like to think. People dislike him for his lame sense of humor, because he's usually far from humble in interviews and because he often gave Brian and Dennis a hard time. But then again, I'm sure Brian and Dennis were often impossible to deal with. Even Carl got fed up with them in the mid/late 70s.
It did, it went to #2 in the UK and #10 in the US. But the previous Beach Boys albums all did better in the US, so it was a commercial failure but only relatively. I guess it just wasn't the music that people expected or wanted to hear from the Beach Boys.
Arranged and played a Billboard top 10 song while in high school; started a record production career one year later, and wound up producing a million seller "Hey Little Cobra"; wrote Billboard #1 song "I Write the Songs", covered by Barry Manilow, Frank Sinatra, and has sold 25 million records of it; wrote backing vocals and sang on recording of Elton John "Don't Let the Son go Down on Me" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall"; only Beach Boy with a Song of the Year Grammy.
He's shown he's got the writing chops, and the producing chops, why do you think he's dropped the ball on his solo work, Joost? Anyway, I'll definitely try before I buy when it comes to his solo stuff - thanks! | {
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Meet Guo Feixiong
By Xiao Guozhen, published: July 23, 2014
This is China Change’s second profile of Guo Feixiong. Read the one by Xiao Shu.
On August 8, 2013, Guangzhou-based rights activist Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄, a.k.a. Yang Maodong) disappeared. Ten days later following a sustained uproar on social media, his sister finally confirmed his criminal detention upon receiving a notice of such from the Chinese police for allegedly “assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place.” Assembling a crowd? Disrupting order? Where? People familiar with Guo Feixiong wondered, including myself. His lawyer at that time, Sui Muqing (隋牧青), explained: the allegation has to do with street demonstrations in support of the Southern Weekend at the beginning of the year. Before him, in Beijing, starting that spring, the New Citizens Movement participants, including Dr. Xu Zhiyong and lawyer Ding Jiaxi, had been arrested and similarly charged for unfurling banners and giving speeches on street calling for government officials to disclose their assets and for China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The arrest of Guo Feixiong was part of the ongoing nation-wide crackdown on politically active citizens who had sought to exercise their rights.
Guo Feixiong was indicted on June 19, 2014, on the same charges for his role in the Southern Weekend protests and other street demonstrations, and his trial is expected soon. If the trials of Xu Zhiyong, Ding Jiaxi, Zhao Changqing, Liu Ping, and many more over the last a few months are any indication, Guo Feixiong will be found “guilty” and given a harsh sentence, I fear.
A Pioneer of China’s Rights Movement
It would be his 2nd prison term. In the summer of 2005 during the Taishi villagers’ struggle to impeach their village officials for corruption, Guo Feixiong provided villagers with legal assistance and initiatied a media campaign, working
“All we want is to replace the village officials.” Taishi village in Fanyu, Guangdong (广东番禺太石村）in September 2005, a scene that would become all too familiar across China in the coming years. Click to enlarge.
with an assortment of lawyers, journalists, and scholars in one of the earliest incidents that ushered in the rights movement in China. At the time he had already participated and worked with rights lawyers in a number of cases defending rights and freedoms, such as the cases of Cai Zhuohua “illegally” printing Bibles and the Shaanxi private oil rigs. As a philosophy student at East China Normal University in Shanghai, he was an active leader in student democracy movement in 1986 and again in 1989. In September 2005, he was criminally detained by Guangzhou Fanyu Public Security Bureau, and in December was released after the prosecutors dropped the case. He was one of the 14 Persons of the Year of Yazhou Weekly (HK), along with Gao Zhisheng (高智晟), Xu Zhiyong (许志永), Teng Biao (滕彪), Fan Yafeng (范亚峰), Chen Guangcheng (陈光诚), Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强), Li Heping (李和平) and six others. In September 2006, Guo Feixiong was arrested for rallying support for lawyer Gao Zhisheng who had been arrested a month earlier for his defense of Falungong practitioners and his condemnation of atrocities against them.
Tiger Bench.
The horrendous tortures of Gao Zhisheng have been well documented. Guo Feixiong was tortured nearly as badly. When he was convicted of “the crime of illegally operating a business,” in a trial that had no physical evidence but statements obtained through coercion, was sentenced to five years in prison on November 12, 2007. He described these tortures in his self-defense to the court: In Guangzhou First Detention Center, he was interrogated for 13 consecutive days and nights and prevented from sleeping; he was put in shackles for over 100 days, and for 42 days, he was tied to a wooden bed with hands and feet cuffed to it so that he could not bend his body. In the secret detention facility in Shenyang, he was beaten savagely by the police covering his head with a black hood; he was put in the infamous “tiger bench” (老虎凳) for 4 hours; his manhood was shocked by police using high-voltage electric baton, and, unable to endure it, he attempted to end his life by thrusting toward a glassed window; he was put in the same cell with inmates on death-row and, when an murderer threatened to pluck his eyeballs out, he broke a window and defended himself with broken glass.
“Free” for Twenty-Three Months
Upon release from prison in September, 2011, Guo Feixiong told Deutsche Welle in an interview, “What I have experienced in the hands of police was far worse than what [overseas Chinese] media had reported. But for the time being, I do not want to expose anything or anyone. I want to promote something rare in the Chinese society, a concept of tolerance. [We] do not oppose individuals, [we] do not create hostility; instead, [we] advocate democracy and rule of law in China by way of a happy ending.”
Free of bitterness (I don’t know how he did it), he began picking up where he had left and catching up, while living alone in Guangzhou. His wife and daughter left China during his imprisonment to seek asylum in the U. S.
The first time I worked with Feixiong was on the Li Wangyang case. Li Wangyang was a labor activist in Shaoyang, Hunan province (湖南邵阳), during the 1989 democracy movement across pretty China. Li Wangyang had served two prison terms and one labor-camp sentence totaling twenty-one years on charges of counterrevolutionary propaganda, incitement, and subversion. He lost both his sight and hearing and almost all of his teeth as a result of torture endured in prison. On June 6, 2012, one year after his latest release from prison and four days after a Hong Kong media outlet broadcast an interview of him in commemoration of the Tiananmen Movement anniversary, he was found “hanged” in a hospital ward in his hometown. Li Wangyang’s death outraged the activist circle and touched off a massive protest in Hong Kong.
Feixiong and I worked on a statement calling for rights lawyers and legal scholars to form a legal support team and to demand an investigation and justice.
Working with Feixiong was like on a secret mission. We couldn’t talk on the phone because – he told me through more secure (or so we thought) communication — “there is high-tech surveillance equipment outside my apartment building and they watch everything I do and stalk me wherever I go.”
For drafting the statement with Feixiong and campaigning to collect signatures, I was summoned and questioned in police custody for 8 hours. Afterwards, Feixiong encouraged me to write an account of the experience. “It will generate publicity for the team of signers, but also a frontal declaration of our belief and determination. It will shake our persecutors on the inside.”
From left to right: Guo Feixiong, Yang Zili, the author, and Xu Zhiyong in the summer of 2012 in a dinner gathering in Beijing.
At the end of July, 2012, Feixiong visited Beijing and we met almost every day at different gatherings. He met with friends old and new, veteran dissidents and young bloods, rights lawyers and activists, scholars and artists. He talked about cooperation and networking. He had his eyes on building a connected citizen block across professions and geographic barriers. I think that was the drive behind his Beijing trip.
Not surprisingly, everywhere we were, whether outside the home of Mr. Hu Shigen (胡石根), with whom Feixiong stayed, or inside a restaurant, or leaving 798 art district, there were security police around or trailing behind us. One time, with Hu Jia behind the wheel, we shook off the vehicle following us at an intersection, unloaded Feixiong who quickly hid behind a billboard at a bus station, and continued driving to lead the security police away. You only see scenes like this in a movie, but this was on the streets in Beijing.
Finally they kidnapped Feixiong to stop him. Midday On August 2nd, Zhao Changqing, who is serving a two years and six months prison term for being a key figure in the New Citizens Movement, told me that Feixiong had been taken away by the police and could not be reached by phone. The next morning I finally got hold of Feixiong. He was in police custody for 13 hours through three transfers: from the neighborhood police station near Mr. Hu’s home to Beijing security police to Guangzhou security police and finally to his neighborhood police station.
Later that day, having managed to slip past surveillance he boarded a train to Beijing as though in a contest of will with the security police. Back in Beijing, he visited the Great Wall in Badaling (八达岭长城) and, a month later, he sent friends a photo of him on the Great Wall taken by a tourist. “I want to send you the most recent photo of me in case I am detained again,” he wrote.
Guo Feixiong on the Great Wall, Badaling, Beijing, in August 2012.
Throughout the summer and into the fall and winter, he was repeatedly summoned for interrogation, but he kept it to himself. “During the five years in prison, I had been through countless torture sessions and beatings. It’s tiring to expose the kind of summons, stalking, and mental harassment I go through now.” But in December, he decided to publicize them. “The security police violate the rights of democracy activists and rights defenders by routinely employing house arrest, summons and forced travel and other egregious means. Few fight back directly, but I reject it categorically, so they are very incensed and take it out on me – they made this clear to me,” he wrote in an email. “If we don’t expose such insidiousness, we could be encouraging them while inadvertently preventing people new to the freedom movement from learning about and receiving training on the struggle.”
Rallying Support for Colleagues
Feixiong’s first prison term was, in part, due to his frantic actions to rescue his close friend, lawyer Gao Zhisheng more than ten years ago. “I propose that all forces, internationally and domestically, be mobilized for a strong and resolute campaign to rescue Gao Zhisheng,” he wrote in August, 2006. “We are not just rescuing one individual but the conscience of the country. The rescue helps the overall democracy movement and rights movement in China.” “The dictators believe they can control and strangle us. It’s time for us to tell them, with our actions, that, no, they can’t!” (link in Chinese)
In July, 2009, while a prisoner in Meizhou, Guangdong, Feixiong exposed a homicide between inmates to the prison management and tried to protect the life of another prisoner. He managed to send the news out to rights lawyer Liu Shihui and spread it. For this Feixiong was beaten dozens of times by thugs doing the authorities’ bidding. The prisoner he protected, risking his own life, escaped execution and was eventually released. Liu Shihui marveled, “Guo Feixiong’s bravery is extraordinary….while a prisoner himself, he identified the murderer in front of the lawyers.”
When the nation-wide crackdown on the New Citizens Movement and other activities started in the spring of 2013, he was concerned and anxious. In emails to me, he urged support in various fashions for Li Huaping (李化平) in Hefei, Liu Ping (刘萍) in Xinyu, the first four NCM activists in Beijing, and the dozen or so activists in Guangdong. After Ding Jiaxi and Zhao Changqing were arrested in April, Feixiong penned an article (link in Chinese) singing the praise of the two “democracy heroes in Beijing.”
Feixiong’s efforts do not stop at organizing protests and defense teams and drafting statements. With any given case he was involved, his eyes were set on systematic change. Following the Li Wangyang tragedy, us and other colleagues studied the Coroner’s Report and the Coroner’s Court system in Hong Kong. “We want to launch a social movement to try to introduce the coroner’s court into mainland China.” Cao Shunli’s death in March this year would have further advanced Feixiong’s effort should he be “free.”
All of our efforts, of course, point to the ultimate question: It is difficult and futile to plan a good tree in poisoned soil, and in China, what needs to be changed is the soil itself.
Guo Feixiong spoke in front the Southern Weekend headquarters in January 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-lZn96vqMY
In January, 2013, during the Southern Weekend incident, Feixiong gave speeches on street arguing, straight to the point: “China’s media censorship is the most reactionary thought policing system that should have long been abolished. We are here today to support the Southern Weekend, not just because they were suppressed; we are here to fight for a universal right, and that universal right is the freedom of speech.”
While battles still have to be fought one at a time, Feixiong initiated the campaign to demand the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by the Chinese National People’s Congress. China signed the ICCPR in 1998 as it bid for WTO entry but has never ratified it.
Feixiong didn’t seem to have foreseen his own arrest in August, 2013. Or maybe he did, taking it as a close possibility on any given day. His two crimes, according the indictment whose crudeness and ludicrousness the Chinese authorities are not shy from showing to the rest of the civilized world, had to do with protests during the Southern Weekend incident, the street demonstration for the ratification of ICCPR, and asset disclosure by officials.
Theorist and Strategist
Everyone knows Guo Feixiong is fierce and indomitable. When he was detained in 2005 in connection to his work in providing legal training to Taishi villagers, he staged a hunger strike for 59 days in protest. In Meizhou prison where he started to serve the five-year sentence in 2007, he was on a hunger strike for 75 days demanding political reform from the Chinese government. He again was on a hunger strike for 25 days protesting his illegal detention which he believed was for no other reason but to prevent him from continuing his activism as well as being a sustained reprisal for his role in China’s rights movement.
Everyone knows he has been a doer, and has made profound contributions to the development of civil society in China over the last decade or so.
But fewer people know that he is also a theorist who wrote more than 40 articles between spells of prison terms, reflecting on topics ranging from the complexity of Deng Xiaoping’s character to the causes of the collapse of the USSR, from the positive impact of the rights movement on all levels of society to the concept of “popular sovereignty.”
He placed major rights defense events into larger perspectives. In an essay titled The Taishi Incident and China’s Rights Movement – Speech at Harvard University Fairbank Center for East Asia Research on June 20, 2006, he analyzed the social causes of the event and the key players in addition to the villagers themselves. He wrote, exuding optimism for the future of the rights movement, “together, the development of civil society and an independent judiciary are the two primary goals of liberal and democratic advocates.”
In his long articleReflections on the Three-day Political Gatherings in Front of the Southern Weekend Offices, published in January, 2013, his thoughts centered on two things: citizens and action. “A citizen,” he wrote, “is by definition a man who possesses political rights and exercises his political rights. Real citizens are active citizens.” “To push forward the constitutional democracy process and to build civil society, we must start from direct actions, from exercising citizens’ political rights.”
Apart from the usual “suspects” such as rights lawyers, veteran activists, liberal thinkers and online opinion leaders, he saw grassroots young activists, not college students, as in 1989, as the main players in future democracy movements, especially when they joined with the urban middle class. Meanwhile he made positive calls to the authorities in Guangdong and beyond: “civil society’s democracy experiments need assistance from both the authorities and the civil society itself. The authorities need not to support them; it shall be enough if they do not oppose them, sabotage them and illegally suppress them.”
Fexiong’s arrest and indictment must be a cruel awakening. He will be tried soon, and in all likelihood, he will be “convicted” and locked up in jail again as they did to the New Citizens Movement activists in Beijing and the Xinyu Three and more in Hefei, Chibi, Zhengzhou and those elsewhere waiting to be tried.
Gao Zhisheng around 2005. Click to enlarge.
For much of the past eight years his friend Gao Zhisheng has lost his freedom and suffered unspeakable torture and spent the last two years and eight months in the remote Shaya prison in Xiangjiang. His friend Gao Zhisheng due to be released on August 7, but Feixiong is again in jail facing trial. Such is China’s political reality, and the history of China’s rights movement in a nut shell. It is true that people’s awareness of, and demand for, rights have grown tremendously over the last decade, but precisely because of it, the economically strengthened dictatorship in China is suppressing such demand with unprecedented resources and harshness. The two forces are tearing China apart. They can put Guo Feixiongs and Xu Zhiyongs in jail, but they will not stop this ever expanding divide.
News brought back from lawyers’ meetings with Feixiong is worrisome. He is suffering from joint pains and general weakness. His sister, a MD, said a hunger strike caused his health to deteriorate rapidly and the prison diet and living conditions don’t help. I would add that, from case after case we know that the Chinese authorities have destroyed the physical and mental health of many politically prisoners. Last July, days before being secretly detained, he asked me to “please help call for attention” to his case should he be in trouble again. My heart was broken. I have told his stories to everyone and anyone I can, and I have prayed for him. Here I am, writing what I know of him in the hope that more people will get to know Guo Feixiong, and more people will speak out and do what they can to demand his freedom.
Too often we tend to recognize and admire the heroes when they are gone, but we must realize that sometimes they live right in our midst. I think Feixiong is such a person and we must cherish him here and now.
Lawyer Xiao Guozhen (肖国珍)
Xiao Guozhen (肖国珍), born in 1972, is a Beijing-based lawyer from Hunan. She is a graduate of the University of International Business and Economics School of Law in Beijing. Because of her rights defense-related work, she has been subjected to police surveillance, threats, and unlawful restriction of personal freedom. She is currently a fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy.
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[…] before his arrest, Mr Yang wrote: “The dictators believe they can control and strangle us. It’s time for us to tell them, with our actions, that, no, they can’t!” Zhang Xuezhong said his client had “been actively engaged in the democratic movement […]
[…] before his arrest, Mr Yang wrote: “The dictators believe they can control and strangle us. It’s time for us to tell them, with our actions, that, no, they can’t!” Zhang Xuezhong said his client had “been actively engaged in the democratic movement […]
[…] travel across the country in recent years. In Guangdong he joined the calls for releasing dissident Guo Feixiong (郭飞雄), Tang Jingling (唐荆陵), and numerous other participants in the Southern Street […] | {
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If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence. If we desire a society without discrimination, then we must not discriminate against anyone in the process of building this society. If we desire a society that is democratic, then democracy must become a means as well as an end.
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Welcome to LABProLib!
LABProLib stands for Latino and Black ProgressiveLiberalism! We are not a news website. Our website catalogs online articles, events, photos, cartoons, selected powerful satire stories, and more that speaks to people of color and our allies. Most of the articles are complemented with photographs and graphs that has been appropriated into memes. | {
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
Several people whom I respect have approached me -- independently -- in recent weeks with speculation that some sort of combination or merger of Orbitz and Kayak would make sense.
The speculation speaks to the power of travel search.
I say the following only somewhat facetiously, but the travel industry is almost getting to the point where almost nobody will be selling travel anymore -- all of the travel businesses will be building platforms to enable consumers to search for travel instead as part of their ever-growing advertising/media strategies.
Think of Google, which sells huge amounts of travel advertising, but doesn't own a travel business.
Speculation has been rife that Orbitz, the weakest sister among the online travel agencies, is in play. When Expedia eliminated flight-booking fees, taking away a huge chunk of Orbitz's revenue, the prognosticators offered a scenario that perhaps Expedia would buy Orbitz or maybe Travelocity and Orbitz would join forces.
But, the Orbitz-Kayak merger theory posits that Orbitz could build a profitable search business in tandem with Kayak's metasearch platform if Orbitz downplayed its transaction business and leveraged the huge amount of air and hotel searches that consumers already are conducting on its global websites.
For Kayak, a merger of some sort with the larger and search-query-rich Orbitz brand would give Kayak even greater scale, including in markets like the U.K., where Kayak's effort have been sluggish.
I wrote in this blog recently, how Pegasus Solutions found that its system gets 1,900 hits from travel lookers for each booking conversion.
In this regard, travel businesses across the spectrum are trying to grow and monetize their advertising/media platforms as an alternative to their fickle, competition-laden transaction businesses.
From a financial standpoint, I don't know how a Kayak-Orbitz merger would work.
Orbitz, saddled with debt and struggling, has limited options. And, although Kayak acquired SideStep for around $200 million in 2007, an outright purchase of Orbitz would seemingly be cost-prohibitive, given Orbitz's huge debt load.
Still, wiser heads than mine are telling me that the financial folks can figure out a formula for getting an Orbitz-Kayak combination done.
Such a deal would speak volumes about the evolution of the travel business.
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About me
I've followed online travel, its twists, turns and detours, since the beginning (not Adam and Eve, but Rich and Terry), and will follow the aforesaid in this blog. I'm North America editor of Tnooz and I write USA Today's Digital Traveler column. Things not in my resume: I visited Orbitz headquarters pre-launch in 2000 and, left unattended, eavesdropped and examined the whiteboards to learn partnership details; Travelocity's ex-CEO Michelle Peluso credits me with her success (Wharton notwithstanding) after I wrote a sentence (with accompanying photo) mentioning that some of her Site59 women wore fishnet stockings and then airline execs kept the phone lines busy; I once drove to tiny Sherman, Conn., to see where PhoCusWright lives; and I was a nachtportier in a West Berlin hotel in the days (Btw) when a nasty wall split the city. Fyi, the previous stuff wasn't necessarily in chronological order.
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The opinions I express in the Dennis Schaal Blog are my own. Only I could think of this stuff. The opinions uttered or written here in no way reflect on the views of past employers, current partners, future associations (how could they anyway?) or my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Slayton. I don't have a lawyer, but if I had one, he or she probably would have told me to write something like this. Well, maybe not exactly. The Dennis Schaal Blog is Copyright (c) 2009 by Dennis Schaal. All rights reserved. | {
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Lindeners anxious for Gov’t to honour its end of the bargain in August 21, 2012 Linden agreement
Lindeners are continuing to keep watch on the unfolding developments regarding the agreement made between the community and Government that is still to be implemented almost a year after.
Today Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon told this Newscast that some amount of frustration is stepping in and there is uneasiness within the community. He said the region is still engaging the Government and he is optimistic that some significant movement will be made at their next engagement.
The agreement signed between region 10 and the Government includes the creation of a technical team that has specific terms of reference to review the issue of the tariff increase; the establishment of an economic development committee, the return of the Region 10 television stations, and a regional land selection committee.
Solomon said he expected much more at this point but pointed to what he thinks may have stalled the process.
One of the sore issues for the community is the return of the television station to the region. According to the Regional Chairman some level of movement with relations to the licensing process is taking place.
Lindeners last year put a halt to Government’s attempts to impose a hike in electricity tariffs on the community with over a month of protest. | {
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Racor Marine
Racor Marine, a division of Parker, is a leader in fuel, air, oil, and coolant filtration systems. Browse below for a Racor fuel filter, diesel water separator, or one of our many other products from Racor. We can deliver the entire Parker/Racor line at wholesale prices. Can’t find what you need? Feel free to e-mail us or call us at 978 410 3200 | {
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The drivers, crew chiefs and car owners get their names in the papers and faces on television, but it's no secret that there are hundreds of people behind each NASCAR team.
There may be no bigger unsung hero -- or heroes -- than the ones who log thousands of miles before the drivers ever hit the track.
Aside from being sleep-deprived and maybe feeling unappreciated, they're also the ones who are, perhaps, one of the most integral members of the team. They are the transporter drivers.
"It's more important than just getting from point A to point B safely and representing Joe Gibbs Racing and Home Depot in a professional and safe manner when they're going down the road," said Greg Zipadelli, crew chief for Tony Stewart. "They take ownership of what's on the truck. They oversee all that gets switched out and they make sure they have the right parts and pieces for the cars we have on the trailer."
In year's past, a member of the at-site pit crew would often double as driver of the car hauler, turn wrenches on the car and change a tire or two over the weekend.
With the rigors and demands of NASCAR's current 36-race schedule -- which travels as far north as Loudon, N.H., as far west as California and as far south as Miami -- it's just not possible for one man to do that consistently.
"Mentally you are on the road and just the fatigue of dealing with traffic and dealing with other people out there . . . physically when you get back your body is to a point where it's worn out and you have to turn the truck around and have to go again," said Cindy Lewis, who drives the transporter of the No. 77 Dodge of Brendan Gaughan.
To make the job more manageable, some teams have two drivers to make the weekly swings from Point A to Point B. Lewis and her husband, Bill Lewis, team up to get Gaughan's Penske Racing South entry to the track and back to the shop each week.
"A lot of the teams now have permanent co-drivers and they come to different tracks, depending on how far away they are and help on race day and maybe drive the truck back," said John Pounds, who drives the transporter for the No. 22 Dodge of Scott Wimmer. "The primary truck driver will get a break."
Two-man transport driving teams are becoming more commonplace, mainly due to the distance between tracks.
In late June, teams must drive from Sonoma in Northern California back to the shop -- most of which are in North Carolina -- to swap road-course wear for superspeedway wear for the trek to Daytona the following week.
On July 25 in New Hampshire the teams began the longest stretch of the season -- 18 consecutive weeks, including this weekend in Watkins Glen, N.Y. -- without a break. It ends four months later on Nov. 21 at Homestead.
"I'm here to help. (Scott Crowell) does most of the stuff at the track, where I'm more at the shop working to get the truck turned around so that he can get a couple of days off," said Danny Heidtke, who shares transporter driver duties for the No. 20 Chevy with Crowell. "And then when we have a tough stretch of races, I'm available to help with the driving. You just can't run seven days a week anymore. The way the schedule is now, you need time off."
And the job won't get any easier next season for those in the Busch Series, Over a one-month span, the Busch Series will go from Daytona to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Mexico City, Mexico to Las Vegas and Sin City to Atlanta.
"It's the difference between me still doing this job and not doing this job. It's more work than people can possibly conceive. It's a two-person position, and a year-round, full-time one at that," said Crowell. "Most people in this profession will tell you that their deal is pretty good, but. And more often than not the 'but' portion of it consists of, 'Man, I only got a half day off this week.' I couldn't do this without a second person." | {
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Monday, December 16, 2013
Rumination on Electric Drivetrain for CarBEN EV5
The background on this is I was able to be at the X-Prize Knockout Round as a guest member of the Edison2 team, and while I was there I meet and talked to many of the people, and to see what they had built, and all the effort and passion that went into it. Jason Fagone has written a enthralling and detailed book about the X-Prize, called 'Ingenious' and he and Kevin Smith of Illuminati Motor Works are touring with the IMW 'Seven' electric car.
Seeing the IMW Seven and talking to Kevin Smith and to some of the folks at the MIT Electric Vehicle Team has got me thinking more about the main electric drivetrain for CarBEN EV5 - which is a 5 seat electric car that I am currently building. I've been concentrating on the design and how to construct it, so this is a first take on the drivetrain components:
I can fit 106 of these in CarBEN EV5 (Seven has 99) and Kevin Smith swears by them and their ruggedness. That would be ~ 35.3 kWh and cost roughly $16,000. They use no BMS and do a "bottom balance" and have stopped seeing stress that occasionally caused the cells to swell.
I had used the EiG 20Ah pouch/prismatic cells in my planning and I could probably fit about 50 kWh into the compartments in the floor. FVT has an innovative BMS system that shunts the excess from one cell to another cell that is still charging; rather than to ground - as I understand it. This should be more efficient than ordinary BMS.
I looked briefly at the A123 cells, and these are wider than would easily fit in the battery compartment I have in CarBEN. And they are very hard to find, if not impossible.
A choice for charger is still vague. Seven has a Manzanita, and it works well. They disconnect it on the inside, so that regen doesn't blow it out.
One of the MIT EVT people has put me in touch with their Porsche guy, and I have asked about getting the rear suspension from a 914. He is a busy person (post grad?) and I will wait and see if he can help me. Up until now, I've been thinking of using the front suspension of a Saab 900. But I'm also going to look at the Neon front suspension that Seven uses (in the front and back), though I don't think it could fit in the back of CarBEN, and I don't need the Prelude rear wheel steering; as the wheelbase of CarBEN is significantly shorter.
It looks like all this hardware will cost $35-40K, which is actually about what I was expecting.
The Illuminati Seven sets a high standard for efficiency: it uses just 129Wh/mile at ~60mph, and it has a 220+ mile range at 60-70mph. The EPA rating (tested by Chrysler at their proving grounds in Chelsea MI) for 7 is 207MPGe.
8 comments:
Neil it was a pleasure to meet you at MIT and I'm very impressed by all the work you have put into carBEN.
I'm a mechanical engineer and love that you are digging in and designing a better mouse trap. But I have a personal philosophical dilemma with the effort. As much as I'm all for this effort, the prospect of extracting $15K out of my own pocket for the electric motor alone would stop me cold. Of course I work on projects all the time where I'm spending this kind of money buying electric motors, but it is someone else's money, not my money.
I did spend $12K of my own money to build solar hot water panels, but got a 30% rebate from the government. Also, I think the payback on the hot water panels versus oil heat seems pretty reasonable. But paying more for a prototype car than it would cost to buy a Nissan LEAF...well...that seems to be a lot more than I could stomach.
I hear what you are saying, John. I am hoping actually to do a crowd funding campaign to buy the big ticket stuff for CarBEN. And I hope to learn from this and build another one better and for less money. And I hope to have others learn from what I've done and then go on to build their own.
The IMW 'Seven' was about $110,000 for the X-Prize car, and now more for the second gen body. And that is a good cost for what it is.
If CarBEN can go 300+ miles and it costs me $45K including the battery, that is still less than a Tesla. :-)
Hello, Neil Blanchard, I am student from India currently pursuing mechanical engineering and am doing a project on a solar electric road vehicle along with a team of 29 members.Could you please provide me with your email id. I was hoping to contact you and get some guidance on aerodynamics.I really liked your above stated design and coefficient of drag is astonishing.
Regards,Darshan Mehta Mechanical EngineerStructures and Bodywork Head at Solar.Mobil Manipal
I do not know any actual Cd's for my design, as I have not been able to do any testing, or even any CFD work on my model. But, I am following some designs I know are low drag, so hopefully it is low drag.
Neil dot Blanchard at Verizon dot Net
It turns out that the Saab 900 I bought for the front suspension, will possible also have workable rear suspension, that I can use in CarBEN.
Hello Neil,Why dont you design your own suspension ? It would require some time, analysis and some software skills.But it would be to your exact specified criteria.Also i have sent you an email regarding CFD.
I bought the Saab 900 for $300. And the suspension should be very close to what I need. I have so much else to do to build CarBEN, I am glad to be able to use some existing parts.
I'll look for your email. The main challenge for using CFD is my model is not solid - it has lots of holes; so while it worked for me to generate the CNC files to construct the foam core to the chassis, it won't work for CFD. Unless you have some way to close all the holes in the model. | {
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SACRAMENTO -- The Assembly gave final legislative approval Monday to a bill that aims to crack down on anonymous campaign money by giving California's ethics and tax agencies more authority to conduct investigations.
The measure allows the Fair Political Practices Commission and the Franchise Tax Board to initiate audits of campaigns suspected of illegal activities before an election occurs, even if campaign statements or finance reports have not yet been filed.
It also explicitly permits the FPPC to seek an injunction in Superior Court to force disclosure and gives the tax board up to two years to conduct more complex investigations.
Assemblyman Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park), the author of the bill, said on the Assembly floor the proposal's intent is "to give the FPPC the ability to address concerns as they arise, to stop improper activity and to clear the innocent expeditiously."
But Assemblyman Donald P. Wagner (R-Irvine) said the measure gave the ethics agency "unchecked power," calling it a "perversion of the process."
FPPC investigators "can come after you, they can come after me, they can come after anybody in this room for no reason because this bill gives them the power," said Wagner, who voted against it.
The measure is part of a slate of anti-"dark money" bills introduced in the aftermath of an anonymous $11-million donation from an Arizona nonprofit to a committee that opposed Gov. Jerry Brown's tax-increase initiative. Many of those bills have stalled, stymied by the two-thirds threshold required to amend the 1974 Political Reform Act.
Gordon's bill sputtered in the Assembly last fall, when Democrats were one vote short of a supermajority. On Monday, all Assembly Democrats except one voted in favor of the bill, giving it the bare 54 votes it needed. (The Democratic holdout, Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina), has faced a probe into his own campaign money by the FPPC.)
Another campaign finance bill awaits final legislative approval in the Senate. That measure, SB 27 by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), would require more disclosure from nonprofit groups and other organizations that spend money in California elections.
Jason Kaune, president of the California Political Attorneys Assn., said the fallout from the Arizona donation may be the reason for today's partisan vote.
"The money in the most recent case happened to be money from the right," Kaune said.
His group opposes the measure, AB 800, arguing it does not provide sufficient oversight of the ethic's agency's new power.
"Historically, the FPPC has been an impartial referee, making the call after the play. AB 800 would have the FPPC insert itself into the political process before an election and before an alleged violator has even filed a disclosure form. The referee would be able to interfere with the process," said Kaune.
But the bill's passage was heralded by California Common Cause, which sponsored the measure.
"This will make it easier to expose dark money from out-of-state special interests and ensure that voters have the most up-to-date information as they enter the voting booth on election day," said Sarah Swanbeck, the group's policy and legislative advocate. | {
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Testimonials and Reviews
We take pride in giving you a personalized education with top notch learning materials and unlimited support from pro dog trainers. Here’s what our students and mentors say about their experience.
Amy and Spike – best of friends!
Amy W., CCDT – Master Class Graduate
Toms River, NJ
“CATCH Canine Trainers Academy is wonderful. I can’t say enough good things about the curriculum, the materials or the staff. The program binder is supplemented with a vast and comprehensive library of books and videos sent directly to your home (included in the cost of your tuition). The staff is fantastic, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. They are available by phone or email at any time during your studies. The program is self-paced, but if you need a little more structure (like I do), your Program Director can arrange that for you. My PD Kelly and I speak once a week by phone to go over my reading assignments and study questions from the program binder. I feel very comfortable with the way in which I am learning the material. And I am confident that I am well on my way to beginning my dog training career. Thank you CATCH!!!”
Laura V. – CATCH Certified Mentor Trainer
Carbondale, CO
Laura on mentoring a CATCH student:
“Working with Brandi has been a memorable experience. She seems to have learned all the information a beginning dog trainer needs. I am very impressed with the CATCH program and Brandi seems to have acquired the information and is able to apply it in a practical and humane manner. Brandi’s student dog, Ginger, was a tough choice. Ginger’s owner commented that she’s, “…a different dog.” She is even friendly with the owner’s youngest child in contrast to the relationship they had prior to Brandi’s efforts. Ginger has started to lose weight and, according to her owner, is a much happier dog. Brandi was always on time, appropriately dressed and very professional. Her observations of handler and dog behavior were spot on. She even brought some things to my attention that I might have missed. I am happy to have had the opportunity to work with Brandi and think she is going to be a great ambassador for the CATCH Academy.”
Vinny teaching one of his students a recall, starting on a long line.
Vincent O., CPDT-KA, CCDT – Master Class Graduate
Staten Island, NY
“Just figured I’d say hello and that I started phase 6. I’m up to hands-on public speaking and being a leader. I’ve already practiced a 5 -10 minute lecture on socializing. I’m really enjoying phase 6 as I think it will help me in being a better teacher. Again I would like to say I am really enjoying your course, it is a life changer and I feel the confidence growing after each phase. LOVE IT sums it up 🙂
Thank You CATCH team.”
Pia and David cheering on a graduate at the CATCH Professional Dog Training Skills workshop.
Pia Silvani, CPDT-KA, CCBC – Asheville, NC
“Another fabulous five-day workshop with David Muriello. His CATCH program has proven to be extremely popular. If you are looking to become a trainer, want to increase your skill sets, preparing for your CPDT exam and much more, go to catchdogtrainers.com. They have developed something unique. I highly recommend it!”
Maria with her super adorable student dog, Emma.
Maria N. – Master Class Student
Langhorne, PA
“I’m currently in Phase 4 of the CATCH Master Class and am thoroughly enjoying the program. In just a few short months, my ability to observe and interpret canine behavior has vastly improved, I’ve acquired a deeper understanding of how dogs learn, and I’m communicating with them more efficiently. This has been invaluable to me as a shelter volunteer because understanding canine body language and behavior opens the lines of communication between you and any dog. This helps to reduce stress and establish trust.
The CATCH curriculum is comprehensive, well-structured, and grounded in the most current teachings of reward-based training, animal behavior, and learning theory. The binder materials are supplemented with books and videos by respected leaders in the field, and each phase contains hands-on activities to put your knowledge into practice. The Master Class also provides you with an experienced mentor trainer in your area with whom you’ll work one-on-one to hone your training skills.
The CATCH staff are truly invested in every student’s success and are readily available via phone and email. Kelly, my Program Director, regularly checks on my progress and spends as much time with me as needed to review course materials and answer questions. She has the enviable ability to distill learning theories into layman’s terms. She also makes learning fun, and I’m grateful for her wealth of knowledge and endless encouragement.
Another reason I chose CATCH is because its program complies with state standards for integrity, financial stability, and educational quality. This was important to me because currently the dog training industry is not sufficiently regulated. Of great concern is the lack of a law prohibiting just anyone from claiming to be a dog trainer. And some can do harm despite good intentions. As a CATCH student, I know I’m receiving a quality education from a reputable academy where my certification will set me apart from the competition.
With every phase, my knowledge, skills, and confidence grow, and I look forward to working through the remainder of the program. I know it will best prepare me for a successful dog (and people!) training career, and I strongly recommend CATCH to any aspiring dog trainer.”
A photo op with Jill with her student dog, Bentley!
Jill H. – Basics Pro Student
Springhill, FL
“I am a professional dog groomer, and after 31 years of dog grooming, I started classes at the CATCH Canine Trainers Academy. After just the first three phases I have been able to utilize these positive training methods with the dogs coming into the grooming salon. This has made my dog grooming much easier with frightened, young, or very old dogs that have fears of being groomed or basically left by their owners in a strange place. These methods that I now use regularly have the dogs more comfortable, happy and relaxed, some of them don’t even want to leave!
I’ve learned that talking to the dogs in “their language” is amazingly effective, making for a greater and calmer experience while being at a strange place with loud noises. The fear and stress in these dogs have lessened dramatically, and I expect that eventually will be eliminated entirely over time and constant practice. I would encourage these basic lessons to be taught to all dog groomers in the industry, for a safer, calmer outcome to be utilized in the dog grooming industry.”
Carolyn, Desmond, and Oda Mae
Carolyn M., CCDT – Master Class Graduate
Whittier, CA
“I could not be happier with my decision to join CATCH. I chose this school because from the very first phone call they took the time to get to know me, my interests in becoming a dog trainer, my family, and my dogs. They have NEVER given me a student ID number. Every time I email or call on the phone they know me by my name. As staff and as my mentors they are encouraging, motivating, completely knowledgeable, helpful and always available for anything I need, If I call they answer and I’ve talked on the phone with my program directer for an hour chatting and getting all the answers and advise I need to be the most knowledgeable and informed. At no point did I feel I was taking up too much of their time. They are genuinely there for their students and completely invested in our success. Anytime I email I usually get a phone call or and email reply within the hour if not sooner. They are AMAZING.
The curriculum is equally outstanding, I was trained as a dog trainer through PetSmart and now learning everything CATCH has put into their curriculum I am shocked at how much I did not know. I truly do not think there could be a better at home learning program than the one CATCH has created.
I am in Phase 7 (out of 10) doing the Master program. In each phase there are book written by the world’s best authority on dog training, animal behavior and learning theory. There are study guide questions for each section of reading assignments. There are also hands on activities to give you extra real life practice. Once you complete a phase your program director emails you your test. It is made up of the study guide questions so there are no surprises and no trick questions. If you do the program with the Mentor package you are assigned to an experienced dog trainer in your area. For the first part you have to shadow the mentor for either 5 private sessions or 6 group classes. This is invaluable if you are becoming a dog trainer because there is so much more you can learn from seeing done hands-on and being able to practice and ask questions. Later the mentor evaluates you on your own training skills.
Again I literally do not have one bad comment or even a criticism for anything about CATCH, I kind of wish I did so that I didn’t look so one sided but they just haven’t given me anything to complain about. This school is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to become a trainer or even just learn more about dogs. It is WELL worth the money if you have any interest at all.”
The CATCH curriculum gained me the knowledge to apply myself as a competitive, certified, professional dog trainer/behavior specialist with a business sense to succeed.
Their flawless curriculum, student support staff and one on one teaching and coaching of Marcela, set me on this amazing path of owning my business and living my dream of making a difference in the lives of dogs and their humans.
You too can CATCH your dreams!
Reach out and sign up with the absolute best academy for learning all things positive in dog training and behavior!
CATCH Canine Trainers Academy is without a doubt……Top Dog!”
Raffaele, Max, and Nala enjoying a well-deserved day out!
Raffaele C., CCDT – Master Class Graduate
Lorton, VA
“I started with CATCH a little over a month ago and it has been great so far! I just finished Phase 1 and I learned so much! The staff at CATCH are extremely knowledgeable and responsive. When I was first considering CATCH among the other schools, I talked to Rebecca who helped make my decision so easy! I gave her some tough questions to answer and she had great answers and from that point on I was sold. It really was because of her of why I chose to go with CATCH and not ABC. She even set me up on a call with the Founder of the Academy, David! That call was so great and inspirational. You can really tell that they all know their stuff! After I joined I was assigned my mentor Kelly! Kelly has been nothing but helpful. She has already helped me out with a few things and I know I will be needing her help more as I progress through the phases. It’s great to have someone to bounce business ideas off of and to answer any question I possibly have. I am very confident that CATCH is going to prepare me to open my own Dog Training business and I am so glad that I found them! I would definitely recommend any aspiring dog trainer to choose CATCH over the other programs out there. If you are looking for a dedicated staff, modern techniques, and ample resources then this is the program to choose!”
Emilee D. – How to Speak Dog Graduate
Washburn, IL
Emilee and Her Handsome Golden, Bruin
I just finished up phase two of their program and I’m sooooo in love with it!
There are so many great things to say about CATCH, here are just a few of my favorite things.
1. Number one is definitely the staff. Everyone at CATCH is so sweet! I love that your’e not just another student there. They know me by name, and they are always there to help. It’s so nice just to be able to pick up the phone or shoot and email even if my questions are about my dog and not school related. My dog is a joyful pain so it happens frequently. 😉
2. I have lots of health issues so it’s been amazing to have something that is entirely self paced! No due dates or deadlines!
3. The hands on activities and videos are so helpful. I’m a very visual person, so I love being able to watch or do what I’m learning.
I totally recommend CATCH, I’ve never been happier with a program!!
Leah R. – CATCH Certified Mentor Trainer
Orlando, FL
“I am looking forward to continuing work with my student, Lindsay!
I’m impressed with her level of education. She knows the science behind what she’s doing, and is familiar with all the “icons” of the industry. Good job, CATCH. :)”
Student Quote
David’s way of encouraging me has made me a stronger trainer, but also a stronger communicator, and listener. I appreciate all the skills that he taught and brought out in me.
Erica Lieberman, CPDT-KSA, CDBCHead Trainer - Pawsibilities New York
My experience with David really helped me become more confident as a professional dog trainer. He taught me how to work with people and listen to their issues. He taught me how to think critically about the way I was coaching my clients and helping them achieve their goals.
Ferdie Yau, CDPT-KAOwner of Sits n Wiggles Training
David was a wonderful teacher who led by example and gave specific, helpful and challenging feedback. I learned valuable techniques for training a variety of behaviors.
Sarah Walker, CPDT-KAOwner of Side-by-Side Dog Training
Learning more about how dogs think leads to a lot of positive changes in how you interact with them. Dogs are so special and I’m excited to help people better understand them so that more can live long lives with loving families.
Hollie E.Master Class Student
Wow. What a difference this course is making in my training. I actually see my dog and I communicating better with all the little things like sound and body language. It’s so cool, I am loving this!
Vincent O., CCDTNow a Master Class Graduate
I am having so much fun learning. The way the course is laid out really helps us absorb the important details.
Vinny O., CCDTNow a Master Class Graduate
I got everything yesterday and have already begun! I did the reading for the first section of Phase 1 and the practice questions! Thanks so much, I am so enjoying it already!!! 🙂
Kate D., CCDTNow a Master Class Graduate
We loved seeing the educational training videos shot live, watching David work magic in a matter of moments with two of our shelter dogs. All positive training! Highly recommend as in 5 stars!
Gisella M.Zani's Furry Friends Rescue
With every other school I spoke to I felt like it was more about getting my money and not finding out why training is so important to me. Speaking with David and Rebecca I felt like I was speaking to a friend who was trying to help me accomplish my goals and it never once felt like a sales call.
Amanda P.Master Class Student
It’s not just the basics in dog training with CATCH. It’s a more in depth curriculum. I wanted a school to help me with “why dogs have fear aggression” and “why they suffer from separation anxiety”. Studying here, I will be able to answer those questions.
Amanda P.Master Class Student
CATCH On! Blog
Get the latest updates in the world of professional dog training (plus hot debates, funny stories, and great training tips). | {
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IN Phyllida Lloyd’s impeccably measured biopic, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) is a woman who’s been surrounded by voices throughout her life. Some are supportive, many are vindictive; others are merely imagined, products of the stresses of office and, finally, of the dementia that has beset her in old age. Often they speak to her on screen. But frequently they’re like echoes in her consciousness, coming from another place. Lloyd’s skilful use of stereo sound effects constantly draws attention to these voices, as they cajole or confront her and she struggles to go her own way.
The movie’s protagonist is both “Margaret’’ and “Thatcher.’’ As it begins, she’s an old lady, tut-tutting about the price of milk (49 pence) and chatting with her ever-supportive and long-suffering husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent), over breakfast. Except he’s not there. She’s living comfortably but not luxuriously, surrounded by what’s left of her life and an armed guard, while under the care of nursing staff. Her daughter, Carol (Olivia Colman), visits occasionally; her son, Mark, briefly glimpsed in a treasured home movie shot while the family was on holiday in Cornwall in 1959, lives in South Africa. Her aloneness is palpable and heartbreaking.
Written by Abi Morgan (writer and creator of the gripping BBC TV series “The Hour”), Lloyd’s film moves back and forth between the present and the past, as if guided by this old lady’s fractured memories.
It’s revealed that the Iron Lady wasn’t always so, young Margaret’s ascension into the ranks of parliamentarians linked to a nascent feminism. Spurred on by the words of her small-businessman father (Iain Glen) — “Never go with the crowd, Margaret. Go your own way’’ — she does what she has to do to achieve her victory. She refuses to succumb to the local Conservative Party boys’ club’s condescension or to their whispering campaign against her. Only Denis (played as a young man by Harry Lloyd) stands by her.
Beautifully portrayed with a convincing blend of vulnerability and steely-eyed determination by Alexandra Roach, Margaret gradually morphs into Thatcher. Her transformation is born both of the times and of perceived necessity. And if she’s a “monster,’’ as an angry protester later describes her, the patriarchy she’s rebelled against is her Dr. Frankenstein.
Streep is truly extraordinary as the Thatcher that Margaret becomes. Her performance might initially seem to be merely a case of expert mimicry: Streep gets the voice, the intonation, the posture and the movement with breathtaking precision. But then she also takes us far beyond it, making her character a tragic figure, driven by her idealism (however misplaced) and destroyed by her blindness to her own failings and to the social breakdown that is a direct consequence of her decisions.
She is presented as a woman in denial. “Feelings do not interest me,’’ she haughtily declares. “Thoughts and ideas are what matter the most. What we think is what we become. My father always said that. And I think I am fine.’’ Beware of pity, she might well have said, for it can bring one undone. And, with her world collapsing around her — the Cabinet boys’ club sharpening their knives against her, and rightly so this time — she remains oblivious to why it’s happening.
It scarcely needs to be said that to try to understand the forces that shaped the controversial Thatcher is not to endorse any of her policies as Britain’s first and only female PM. But to be able to find compassion for this seemingly pitiless woman, as “The Iron Lady does,” is to rise above her limitations. | {
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Just Jordan
Just Jordan Next Episode Air Date
When will be Just Jordan next episode air date? Is Just Jordan renewed or cancelled? Where to countdown Just Jordan air dates? Is Just Jordan worth watching?
Just Jordan is about a 16-year old kid, named Jordan (played by Lil' JJ), who just moved from his surburban Arkansas home to the big city of Los Angeles. It centers around his daily life struggles, such as dating, school, and parents. During the show, Jordan oftenbreaks the 4th Wall, and talks to the audience.
Next Episode of Just Jordan is
Take your countdown whenever you go
About
EpisoDate.com is your TV show guide to Countdown Just Jordan Episode Air Dates and to stay in touch with Just Jordan next episode Air Date and your others favorite TV Shows. Add the shows you like to a "Watchlist" and let the site take it from there. | {
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Chris asks: how to get alienated kids from inner cities interested in nature?
This year saw a sharp rise in the number of multi-author scientific papers. This reflects the increasingly collaborative nature of science – no more crazy loners tinkering in their basements. Thus, a better system for assessing scientific contributions (at least as it pertains to publication of research) is becoming more urgent.
10 top researchers in the area of adolescent health, sexuality and behavior sent a letter to the Democratic leadership in the Senate, urging them to cut funding for abstinence-only education immediately. Why? Because it is dangerous.
A new player in the Global Warming Denialism field – the typically dishonestly named Civil Society Coalition on Climate Change, which as its members boasts all the libertarian, Right Wing “think”-tanks that employ no real climate scientists, but instead an army of apologists for the pollution industry, including the nefarious John Locke Foundation (via) and the propaganda experts in the cookie-cutter mold of Frank Luntz, Carl Rove and Eric Dezenhall. Just look at their opening salvo, their first so-called report (pdf) – if you have been following the GW denialism lately you can instantly recognize all their carefully crafted Orwellian words, phrases and the entire denialists’deck of cards.
The extreme right wing of the GOP is being purged by an even more extreme right wing of the GOP. Is there anyone normal left in that party at all, one wonders?
Comments
Also, I first noticed this article at this splog, and I was a little confused until I clicked the aabout link and saw the placeholder text. I’ve sent a notice to the registrar of the domain for you, but you might want to send one as well. It’s info at key-systems.net
There are some technical measures you can take to prevent this in the future which essentially record who is requesting your RSS feed so that you can choose to give violators a different(garbage) feed. | {
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What is a DRE and how will it affect my DWI case?
According to N.J.S.A. 39:4-50, a person is guilty of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) if they operate a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, narcotics, hallucinogenic or habit-producing drugs. It is also a disorderly persons offense to by in public while under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), pursuant to N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10(b). Most people understand how the state can prove a DWI case when alcohol is involved. We’ve heard the term “breathalyzer” and we know that police routinely use breath-based tests to determine whether someone is “above the legal limit.” But with drugs, the case is a bit different, specifically because there is no “legal limit” for drugs.
The New Jersey Supreme Court, in the case of State v. Bealor, 187 N.J. 574 (2006) stated: The statute also does not define the quantum of narcotics, hallucinogens or habit-producing drugs required in order to violate its prohibition. Instead, as with alcohol intoxication, the issue is simple: was the defendant “under the influence” of a narcotic, hallucinogen or habit-producing drug while he operated a motor vehicle. We have described generally the term “under the influence” as a substantial deterioration or diminution of the mental faculties or physical capabilities of a person whether it be due to intoxicating liquor, narcotic, hallucinogenic or habit producing drugs. We also have explained that the term “under the influence” means a condition which so affects the judgment or control of a motor vehicle operator as to make it improper for him to drive on the highway.
As such, to convict a person of DWI when drugs are involved, the State has the added burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was intoxicated by marijuana and that his judgment or control of the vehicle were so affected that it was improper for him to be driving.
The State’s principal argument for proving intoxication typically consists of an evaluation by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). A DRE is a police officer that has completed a special course in drug recognition. This consists of a 9-day classroom course and then several tests in the field. At the end of the program, the officer would be licensed to perform drug recognition evaluations. These evaluations consist of a variety of tests, like walking a line, finger to nose, etc. as well as measuring things like blood pressure, pupil size, temperature, etc. Prosecutors will typically take it as gospel that these individuals are experts in recognizing with someone is intoxicated on one of the substances described in the DWI statute.
I have fought prosecutors on this issue because the fact of the matter is that there really is no actual science behind the DRE program. There is not a single scientific study that anyone could identify (including people who actually teach the courses) that shows that the tests are scientifically reliable or that they are even useful in proving anything. And the New Jersey Appellate Division and Supreme Court have, to date, never issued an opinion one way or the other about whether DRE officers should be accepted as “experts” at a trial.
At the end of the day, it is assumed that a trial judge in New Jersey municipal court or criminal court will allow a DRE officer to testify. It is up to the trier of fact (the jury or the judge in a bench trial) to determine how much weight to give such testimony. Therefore, it is important to retain competent counsel who will challenge each and every aspect of a DRE’s opinion and show that the “evaluation” is based on nothing more than junk science. | {
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Find a Fuel Station in Deal Island, Maryland
Local Gas Station Directory makes it easy to find a gasbar providers in Deal Island, MD. Look up a gas station in Deal Island, MD, then print out the address and map for the gas station in Deal Island, MD.
Local Gas Station Directory includes related professionals such as gasbar providers with their years of Deal Island, Maryland experience! | {
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Response expected in Okla. same-sex marriage case
TULSA, Okla. — Attorneys for an Oklahoma lesbian couple suing to have their marriage recognized in the state are expected to make a court filing in the case.
Documents on behalf of the Tulsa couple, Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin, are due Monday at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
The filing is a response to a brief by the Alliance Defending Freedom group, which has challenged gay marriage in Oklahoma. The ADF claimed in a recent filing that legalizing gay marriage would threaten traditional marriages.
U.S. District Judge Terence Kern determined in January that Oklahoma’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause.
Bishop and Baldwin filed their lawsuit in 2004, after Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly passed the constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage in the state. | {
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I know Nuccia already posted about this, but I can't find the post! Maybe it is on your blog. Anyhow, I finally watched the episode yesterday and really enjoyed it. I am so jealous of her access to the latin records and her personal translator. I bet Jim can tell us that it is not that easy!
I also thought that it was fascinating how her son found Anita by searching first name and birthdate. I have a ggf who fell off the face of the earth and never thought of searching ancestry like that. I wonder though how many people named Anita they had to plow through to get the right one.
I am also glad that they researched someone with pretty humble roots as opposed to Brooke Shields. I mean her story was fascinating, but not all of us descend from nobility.
I agree Lori, I thought this was a great episode! What I wouldn't give to be able to touch those old books! I also loved the fact that they went to the library in New York, I have spent many an hour at those same tables, and reading those books. One last thing, I noticed that her great grandparents were buried in Calvary Cemetery! I hope she can put a stone for them, they had such a story.
I know I am a little late here - I had a very busy week! I too thought about Gina and Carmeloni when I saw that part of the episode. I really like the show despite the fact they leave so much out and make it look so fast and simple. I have had people who have seen the show ask me what takes me so much time! LOL
I think the show is a good way to get people interested in genealogy. I think it's misleading in the time and effort that it really takes, but has woken people up to what is out there, and might get quite a few people to check out their own genealogy. Sure, a lot of people will do it for a bit and drop it, but there I am sure some will become addicted just like the rest of us! LOL!
Cathy, that is too funny hahaha, if only they knew how long, and how much more we all have to go!!
Cathy, I think the show gives people the impression that they will walk into an archive and an expert will hand them a book and open it to the page with all their family history and if it is in another language, that expert will hand them an English translation too. LOL. It also makes you think that ancestry has EVERYTHING!
These shows are very interesting and I think it will spur more people to get into Genealogy.......it is, however, very misleading in that people are going to expect that everything will be there waiting for them to just "make a copy of the records and go home".
Even if you can afford the travel expense [I have been rejected "in person" by the Parish Priest in my Dad's birthplace of Corato in Italy at least 4 times in my efforts to go back a few more generations. The Town Hall has been helpful in filling most of my basic requests for docs, but they don't have any records prior to 1809.
They just make it look too easy......I am sure that Ancestry has sold quite a few subscriptions, I'm sure ---- this is like an infomercial....
Would you believe, my husband likes it? When it comes on, I leave the room and come in here..but, I can hear it. I think they just did the genealogy of a bunch of stars and we are only seeing the interesting ones or those who actually have historical ancestors. I also think it is very misleading. It takes us a long time, to do this type research, but hey, Ancestry is raking in the coins and thats what its all about.
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Florida class debuts in team rankings
In this week's update of the 2010 team recruiting rankings, Florida jumps into the mix at No. 12 after the commitment of four-star small forward Casey Prather. He joins promising power forward Patric Young, the No. 27 prospect in the Rivals150.
This marks the second consecutive week an SEC team has joined the rankings. Last week South Carolina jumped into the top 10, and Tennessee is the third SEC school in the rankings at No. 15.
The ACC is by far the top recruiting conference in 2010 with six teams in the top 20 - five in the top 10. The Big Ten is second with four teams, including Ohio State at No. 1.
The Big 12 is down to two teams in the rankings with Florida pushing Oklahoma State out of the No. 20 spot. The Big East also has two representatives with Syracuse being the No. 2 class behind the Buckeyes.
Conference-USA is represented by Memphis at No. 3, and the Atlantic-10 has both Xavier and Dayton in the rankings. | {
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Anyone who listens to country music knows that a good party is vital for most occasions. Whether it’s a collegiate inspired pre-party, a Lee Brice infused “parking lot party,” or the celebratory after party, the quality of your party can cement your social status — in one way or another. Lucky for country music newcomer Sandra Lynn, she is throwing quite the “Afterparty” these days on Sirius XM The... | {
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It’s now been one year since Automattic acquired Gravatar. “Gravatar now lives on about 20 servers. 2 Database servers, 1 File server, 2 Load balancers, 5 Caching servers, 9 Web servers, and 1 Development server. That combination of servers is handling an average of 7,214 of your requests every second of every day. That’s a whopping 623,293,056 requests daily!” Wowza!
The comments on this blog are now Gravatar-enabled. I didn’t use a plugin, just 2 lines of PHP. It’s pretty fascinating going through old posts and comments and seeing who has a Gravatar already. Do you have an account yet? | {
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Learning query transformation rules is vital for the success of semantic query optimization in domains where the user cannot provide a comprehensive set of integrity constraints. Finding these rules is a discovery task because of the lack of targets. Previous approaches to learning query transformation rules have been based on analyzing past queries. We propose a new approach to learning query transformation rules based on analyzing the existing data in the database. This paper describes a… CONTINUE READING | {
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Bill Winfield
Doll
With a sharp shaft of wintersun in your eyes,you hand me a little doll you made mewhen the snow would get too high.Entrancing,as if on the edge of life,the doll has a luminous qualityand is intricately carvedfrom a pale, cool substancewhich, when you describe it,is unknown to me.I gaze deeplyinto its strange light, which singslike an angel, or a mummy, or an infant.You say you made it on absolute nightswhen there were no stars and no moon,no motion in the dark trees,only a huge solitude.Looking closer,I begin to recognize my own eyesstaring back, unfinished though,like small clouds moving very high up.
Years, worldsroll into a single instant of helpless love,too near to bear,and I fall into the sea from a high cliff,wondering as my mouth meetsa white wave,how many fathers I foundafter I died. | {
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Peach Sweet Tea Cake
Cake decorating can seem intimidating and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m not going to lie it does require some practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be decorating cakes like a pro.
The best way to get used piping details is by practicing first on wax paper. If you make a mistake you can just wipe it off and start over. The more comfortable you get with a piping bag, the more controlled your details will look. Remember to have fun with it, because at the end of the day it’s a form of artwork that you actually get to eat!
I am so excited about this recipe! I’ve been working to perfect it, and I can officially say it is now ready for you to try! As a Southern newbie, I felt it was necessary to pay homage to sweet tea. No other drink is more iconic or beloved. | {
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New store space – some teasers
So given that we recently sold off our sofas and chair, we have had some..lets say..anxious customers wondering what in the world they will be sitting on in the new space. I promise that it will all be ok. Yes, the orange chair is going away. But it will be ok!
Our new lounge space features a marble fireplace that just begged for some new sleek furniture. | {
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Monday, February 9, 2009
The Draft-Nappers Are Stirring
The Patron Saint of the "Leave Us The Hell Alone" Caucus: Charlie Anderson (James Stewart), the Individualist hero of the film Shenandoah.
“Virginia needs all of her sons, Mr. Anderson."
“That might be so. But these are my sons! Mine! They don’t belong to the state! When they were babies, I never saw the state coming around here with a spare tit. We never asked anything of the state, and never expected anything. We do our own living, and thanks to no man for the right."
The kind and thoughtful people who seek to relieve us of the burden of planning and managing our own lives are preparing to seize our children, and any of us who happen to be within the targeted age range (most likely between 18 and26). With quiet persistence, the Draft-Nappers are plotting to reinstate military slavery.
As with every presidential administration since that of George Bush the Elder, Barrack Obama and his comrades (particularly the leering wad of incarnate malice known as Rahm Emanuel) are famously enamored of the idea of government-mandated "national service."
One of Obama's cherished conceits is that his reign will somehow usher in an era of national service that will be both "universal" and "voluntary" -- as if disagreements over the merits of government-imposed labor, and the type of activity that qualifies as "service," would evaporate when exposed to his irresistible charisma.
On the strength of American Grit: What it Will Take to Survive and Win in the 21st Century, a new book by Republican neo-con strategist Tony Blankley, it seems clear that Obama's Republican critics will actually out-flank him to the left on the issue of conscription. Blankley's critique of Obama's National Service proposal is not that it would be an impermissible imposition on individual rights, but that it is insufficiently militaristic and of inadequate scope.
The second chapter of Blankley's slender book is entitled "Bring Back the Draft." A return to military slavery is mandatory, he writes, in order "to replenish our dangerously over-stretched armed forces."
Rather than repudiating the interventionism that has left the military "dangerously over-stretched," Blankely takes the opposite view, giddily anticipating additional wars with Iran and Pakistan, and an open-ended, generations-long conflict with the amorphous threat he, and others of his dishonest ilk, have designated "Islamofascism."
As Blankley acknowledges, "there is a limit to the number of people willing to volunteer to be a soldier -- a dangerous career that is often severely disruptive of family life -- and that pool has clearly been tapped out." Accordingly, "We will soon be faced with the choice of severely scaling back our role in the world or expanding the army through conscription."
One measure of the depth of Blankley's totalitarian impulses can be found in the fact that he never considers the possibility that scaling back "our" role in the world (that is, the role assumed by the government ruling us) is the correct and moral thing to do. Nor does he display any hint of considering the possibility that the thin trickle of volunteers to fight the wars that tickle his inverted libido represents something of a public referendum.
If the so-called war against "Islamofascism" were really a life-and-death struggle akin to the Battle of Salamis, recruiting an army at the point of a gun would hardly be necessary. Conscription is never necessary to inspire men to defend their homes and families, and it is never used for that purpose. It is carried out for the sole purpose of compelling men to kill and die on behalf of the State and the degenerate clique running it.
The British-born Blankley, former Chief of Staff to Newt Gingrich and current pundit for both the Washington Times and The McLaughlin Group, has the mien of a gangster, which he cannot help. To judge from his writings, he also has the soul of a Commissar.
His book is a brief but tedious harangue devoted to the theme of using the power of the government to compel people to love and serve that same government. His chapter on the draft abounds with the language of collectivist compulsion, most of it performed in the key of "communitarianism."
Despite the fact that most Americans eschew military service, he insists that it would be possible to forge a "national consensus" on behalf of reinstituting military slavery; such a "consensus" would be an agreement among those heading the two major wings of the ruling Establishment Party, rather than widespread support among the public (which itself would not make conscription legal, constitutional, or just).
Sentencing other people's children to servitude, or worse:
"The Bloody Vote," a WWI Australian anti-conscription pamphlet condemned those who voted in favor of a referendum on the military draft.*(Click to enlarge.)
Blankley's vision of "consensus" is probably quite similar to that of the despicable Woodrow Wilson, who -- as he introduced a bill to impose conscription -- declared that that the draft "is in no sense a conscription of the unwilling; it is, rather, selection from a nation which has volunteered in mass."
The specifics of Blankley's proposal are quite familiar to those who have been watching, with growing disgust and alarm, as proponents of conscription start to fine-tune their arguments and oil the machinery of military servitude: He calls for "a compulsory program for all Americans aged eighteen or nineteen, men and women, after most have graduated from high school. The military, reviewing these graduates' transcripts, extracurricular activities, and medical reports, would select however many they needed to fulfill their draft allotments for a two-year period of military service. Those not chosen by the military would undertake a two-year civil service obligation," which may include "homeland security" roles of various kinds.
This is essentially the same proposal contained in legislation sponsored by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-New York), who, oddly enough, is treated with reflexive partisan scorn by Blankley. And it is also quite similar to the plan proferred in the Establishment publication Foreign Policy by retired U.S. Army Colonel William L. Hauser, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and naval veteran Jerome Slater of the State University of New York, Buffalo.
The program envisioned by Hauser and Slater would "combine a revived military draft with a broader public-service program as already practiced in some European states -- a `domestic Peace Corps.'" Unlike Blankley, they would permit draftees "to choose between military and nonmilitary service" -- that is, to select their preferred form of servitude -- at least initially. Given that providing additional military manpower is the entire point of the proposal, the domestic service "option" would probably last just long enough to get the measure enacted by Congress.
Discussing what they consider the ancillary benefits of military slavery, Hauser and Slater list what they consider "a number of positive social consequences." For instance: "Conscription will enable the forces to reflect the full spectrum of American pluralism, in terms of both socioeconomic classes and racial/ethnic groups. It is unacceptable that less than 1 percent of the country’s eligible population serves in the armed forces, with almost no war-relevant sacrifice being asked from the rest of society. It ought to be axiomatic that the hardships and dangers of military service be more widely shared."
"Dulce et decorum est?" Hardly: "For Leader, People and Fatherland he gave his life," announces this form letter filled out by a unit commander each time some hapless German conscript wasted his life in the service of "his" government.
This might be "axiomatic" to someone who has deeply imbibed the spirit of Prussian militarism. For a commercial republic, there is nothing "unacceptable" about a military that is largely peripheral to public concerns, rather than being -- as Hauser and Slater apparently desire -- the central, defining social institution.
In a fashion similar to that of Hauser and Slater, Herr Blankley scorns Americans for neglecting the "common life," of losing a sense of "common purpose and common destiny." Restoring the draft, he insists, will bring about "greater national cohesion and unity" to a country that has become "atomized." Absent such benevolent regimentation, Blankely laments, "our country will degenerate into nothing more than a giant trading bazaar where many different people happen to live together."
Oh, please spare us the ignominy of living in a peaceful country where self-regulating people engage in free, mutually beneficial commerce, rather than functioning as living cogs in the State's killing apparatus!
Before signing on as Chief of Staff to the self-appointed "Teacher of the Rules of Civilization" (that would be "Mr. Newt" himself), Blankley was a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan. It's bad form for those who craft the words that dribble down the presidential chin to take credit for their contributions, so we're not sure exactly which of Reagan's orations benefited from Blankley's wordsmithing.
However, we can be confident that Blankley had nothing to do with Reagan's assessment of Jimmy Carter's decision to re-activate the Selective Service System in 1979. Reagan pointed out that conscription "rests on the assumption that your kids belong to the state. If we buy that assumption them it is is for the state -- not for parents, the community, the religious institutions, or teachers -- to decide who shall have what values and who shall do what work, when, where, and how in our society. That assumption isn't a new one. The Nazis thought it was a great idea."
The Nazis' totalitarian siblings in the Communist camp were equally enamored of the concept of universal, compulsory service, including conscription; after all, that principle was inscribed by the finger of Karl Marx as the eighth plank of the totalitarian decalogue, the Communist Manifesto.
Like Nazi and Communist totalitarians, Blankley believes in the state ownership of the most intimate form of private property: The individual.
Oh, sure, his book is littered with puerile, rant radio-caliber invocations of the sanctity of the "free market" and "private enterprise" (this despite the fact that he supports a national industrial policy for the supposed purpose of achieving "energy independence"). But he apparently cannot understand or isn't honest enough to admit that a government that can steal one's very person for the purpose of military service can take whatever else it wants -- and do whatever it wants -- at any time of its choosing.
The operational principle in conscription, as the vile Bernard Baruch, head of the Wilson Junta's War Industries Board, pointed out in August 1918, is that "every man’s life is at the call of the nation and so must be every man’s property.... The state is all; the individual is of importance only as he contributes to the welfare of the state. His property is his only as the state does not need it. He must hold his life and possessions at the call of the state.”
"That section stipulated that the president could order from any manufacturer that produced goods needed by the military or the Atomic Energy Commission, once the contents of the order had been approved by Congress. If a manufacturer failed to fulfill the order by the president's deadline, the president could have that manufacturer's property seized and operated for the purpose of producing the goods needed by the government."
Certainly, the government would have to provide "just compensation" for the stolen property, just as it pays its military slaves a token wage. But the assumption here is that all property -- including our individual lives -- belongs to the state, and that we enjoy the use of our property and the ability to direct our own lives only by the grace of the state.
No, he doesn't belong to the state: Justus Samuel Grigg, born on February 3, 2009. (Click to enlarge.)
Even as they enlarge upon the horrors -- whether real, exaggerated, or fabricated -- of "Islamofascism" in distant lands, Blankley and his fellow Draft-Nappers are diligently working to impose totalitarianism here at home.
No scimitar-wielding Mohammedan has materialized on my doorstep to demand that I surrender my children as a "blood tax" demanded by the state. I know what variety of greeting I would give such a personage were he to appear. The same is true for any functionary of any government who would presume to claim my children as the property of the official gang that employs him.
Music Video Extra
"Military Man" by Gary Moore and the immortal Phil Lynott -- not, alas, by Thin Lizzy, as mistakenly reported in the title. This was the last live performance by the irreplaceable Mr. Lynott before he died, at age 36, of his own foolish and self-destructive drug addiction.
This is a particularly fierce rendition of the song, which could serve as a soundtrack to a reading of Smedley Butler's tract "War Is A Racket."
__
*In my original version I mistakenly referred to a "British" referendum on conscription during WWI. I regret the error, and appreciate the correction from commenter Cindy Williams.
41 comments:
Mr. Grigg, this is your best, hardest-hitting essay yet. No, no, we DON'T belong to the state--certainly your beautiful little boy doesn't or the sweet-faced girl child in the picture. The warmongers can employ any linguistic misdirection they want, but those in the military are simply hired killers whether they fully realize it themselves or not. Thanks for your clarity bringing this truth to light.
I wonder if the roly-poly Blankley would be the first to enlist and set the example by undergoing the rigorous, often dehumanizing indoctrination and training that all members of the military go through in basic training (a rhetorical question, of course).
I sincerely hope that in response to this renewed attempted at slavery to the State that Ron Paul introduces a bill into Congress that reiterates a proposition first put forth by Smedley Butler in War is a Racket. Ron's bill would require that any and all commitments of military action by the president or intent to declare war by Congress (hah!) be submitted to referendum. HOWEVER, only males of military draft age would be allowed to vote in said referendum and any who vote in favor of military action or war would be automatically enlisted into the armed services.
That should bring warmongering by proxy to a screeching halt in a hurry.
I've noticed one thing regarding your posts, Mr. Grigg, and the people who write comments about them. You do not seem to oppose the military as a rule, nor are you a pacifist, correct? You are openly hostile to the draft and the military-centered societies that have had them in the past. And I respect you greatly for that. I also think your research and views of the ever-expanding police state is the best I've yet to find anywhere.
However, I have to say that sometimes I get the feeling, based on the comments, that people might be interpreting your posts in a slightly different way than perhaps you intend; it seems that many people tend to regard the military, and all those who are part of it, as somehow evil (in a general sense and not just speaking about the US military). I may be completely wrong, but it seems that many people who comment on this blog are overly pacifistic, or naive at the very least.
I believe that one must live his life how he sees fit, and those who would seek to prevent one from doing so must be resisted. This is freedom. But, far too many libertarians I know and have spoken to are not willing to take that to it's logical conclusion - violence. Most Americans have not experienced violence, and thus don't know it, or know how to deal with it, and people fear what they do not know. Instead of being taught violence, and the need to avoid it, by responsible people (parents don't teach kids how to fight anymore, and schools will suspend or expel kids if they defend themselves), they learn it from other sources. This is not necessarily the problem as much as it is perhaps a symptom of a larger degradation of society.
But, those who profess to love freedom and seek to be free must be willing to fight for that, violently if necessary, and military service is an excellent way to learn how.
I'm just going to make that point and leave it. I don't really want to argue the merits of violent resistance vs. peaceful civil disobedience. That argument is old and tired and needs no more discussion. They both have their merits, and their adherents have different mindsets. Personally, I think that violence must be the absolute last action taken, after peaceful means have been exhausted, over and over again.
Liberranter said:"I wonder if the roly-poly Blankley would be the first to enlist and set the example by undergoing the rigorous, often dehumanizing indoctrination and training that all members of the military go through in basic training..."
I don't think the methods of establishing unit cohesion through basic training are pertinent to this discussion. It seems to me that the hardships that recruits go through in basic training are designed to do several things, chief among them is a) make them more willing to kill, and b) make them better able to deal with stressful situations with their teammates, achieved through a mild form of stockholm syndrome - if they suffer together, they will work better together under adverse conditions.
First, the willingness to kill. Most people cannot fathom the idea of having to kill another person. I have trouble with the idea, and I've been through years of martial arts and a little bit of combat training, though I've never been in the military. But, part of being human is the possibility of having to kill another human being. Indeed, this is true of most animals.
There was a fellow by name of John Singer some years back in Utah.He'd been a child in Germany and learned to hate the regimented lifestyle of National Socialism.
So he thought he was in a free nation here in USA.WRONG.He took a few loads of BUCKSHOT in the BACK, yes the BACK, I've seen the autopsy photos from the book by the fellows one of whom wrote for the NY Times at one point.
They got away with it, cold-blooded murder.
That pretty little innocent baby, what kind of country does he face in the future. His dad can do only so much, maybe there will be enough to save it all. I hope so for your kids and mine.
As far as RAHM ISRAEL EMANUEL, he served in the IDF but not the US military. His father was in the Irgun
U.S. war journalist Pat Dollard:
Let me tell you right now, no exaggeration. Rahm Emanuel is the devil. He is . . . a Goebbels, a Mengele, a perfect Cromwell who would, without thefaintest evidence of hesitation washing across his face for even a millisecond, order and even personally execute each and every human being he or Obama perceived to be an enemy of the regime. And if you ever personally offended him, and he had the opportunity to kill you, he would probably do it by starting with your children as you were made to watch. He is a bad guy.
In agreement but wondering:How do you address the rite-of-passage/character development concerns? Two quotes, out of context, usefully allude to them: "In present-day modern societies, most young people are brought up by their families at home. Often they only go on their way into the world at age eighteen or nineteen, if then. This was not true in a great many previous societies. In them, boys (not girls, who were usually allowed to remain at home until they were married) were taken away from their fathers and, above all, their mothers, so that the process of making men (read warriors, or less often priests) of them could get under way...." Martin Van Creveld, The Culture of War at 46-47. "These rituals of transformation are nearly universal. In the Boy Scouts, on the football team, at boot camp, in the frat house, young males learn to view their families with some detachment and to see themselves as part of a group that will someday be in charge. Young women face a parallel set of initiation rituals, sometimes more daunting than those of the male...." Thomas Fleming, Morality of Everyday Life at 125. My response: The concerns are real, and the relative lack of such rites of passage in contemporary American culture may be contributing to serious problems. However, more of the same isn't going to get us out of the problem. The growth of the central government has contributed materially to the problem, so more of it won't help. Our current regime is orders of magnitude more centralized and immoral than when last it might legitimately made such demands (ironically, that last time might have been the time period referred to in your opening). Until and unless our governing and culture aimed and moved towards subsidiarity, significantly cut taxes, adhered to a moral non-interventionalist foreign policy, and instituted a whole raft of other reforms, which would basically add up to a revolution --I couldn't see supporting these bozo's with their mandatory service ideas.Thoughts?
"How do you address the rite-of-passage/character development concerns?"
Christopher, the quotes you posted seem like attacks on the family, the most important governing institution under God's sovereignty.
What kind of "character" do young men and women develop when they are programmed to be "detached" from their families? Perhaps the kind of character which will allow them to consider euthanizing their elderly parents at the behest of the state? I certainly agree with you that subsidiarity is needed.
I wonder if with the increasingly infertile economic landscape, the regime will be able to feed itself by feeding millions of hungry and hopeless volunteers. In this scenario a draft will not be necessary for the wheels of empire to keep turning.
Jerri Lynn Ward,I don't think it is anti-Christian to acknowledge certain facts of life such as children leaving the nest, the importance thereof, and that some pagans were virtuous.But I will admit that I chose the quotes in part because --out of context mind you, they might appear provocative. More importantly, however, I believe they allude to a summary of one of the abusive arguments the regime might put forth. Ah the sadism! Having worked to eviscerate the family and indirectly corrupt the culture and character of the people, men like Blankley and Rangel are going to blame the body politic, the very victim of their policies, and propose MORE government programs as the solution. That's why I put forth those quotes. The point is not that families should bow to the state, but that rites of passage --metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood, growth, change, is important not just for the individuals and families involved but for the society or culture at large. I'm just guessing the regime will try to use that truth against us. So how do we who still believe in family and church as countervailing institutions counter that argument?
Christopher, I take from your posts that you think the Authoritahs will not be swayed by the self-evident moral perversity of conscription. Sadly, I am inclined to agree.
Therefore, I should argue the point you raise this way: The purpose of the armed forces (standing or militia) is to kill people and break things, preferably with a level of proficiency sufficient to deter a would-be aggressor. Using the armed forces as an instrument to forge greater social cohesion is orthogonal to its purpose, and can only make it less effective.
In fact, when asked, senior officers will say much the same thing -- in public, anyway. I think they're telling the truth.
"The point is not that families should bow to the state, but that rites of passage --metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood, growth, change, is important not just for the individuals and families involved but for the society or culture at large."
So how could this work without alienating youth from God and family? I think that I should go read the Bible on this point.
Somehow, I don't think the modern or imperial military is the answer. When men were defending hearth and home, such as during the American War of Independence, weren't they fighting side by side with family, at least in the militia?
Will, great post. It's good to remind people why they are on this earth and to whom they owe their existence and service. Their God and their families. And to do justice and charity to all others.
The subject of recruitment reminds me of a conversation Voltaire had with a Quaker once:
" "We never go to war. This is not because we fear death. On the contrary, we bless the moment that unites us with the Being of Beings. It is because we are neither wolves, tigers nor mastiffs, but Christian men.
"Our God, who has commanded us to love our enemies and to suffer without complaining, would not permit us to cross the seas to slaughter our brethren, just because murderers clothed in scarlet, wearing caps two feet high, enlist citizens by making a noise with two little sticks beating on a stretched ass's skin.
When after a victory, all London is lit up with illuminations, and the sky is ablaze with fireworks, and the noise of thanksgiving is heard from bells, organs and cannons, then we groan in silence about the murders which caused the public rejoicing."
While I do not believe in the absolute rejection of violence, as the Quakers do, (and I deeply respect them,) I do agree that no Christian man may ever rejoice in killing. Especially murder: when state-hired/enslaved killers slaughter men (and women, and children) who pose no actual threat threat of invasion or occupation. It does not matter, objectively, how much or how sincerely the killers believed their victims posed a threat.
I will never be able to respect any human being in any tax-funded military. I will understand why they think the way they do. I will understand their tragically misplaced desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I will not hate them. But I will never respect them.
Another fine essay. Your assessments of Rahm Emanuel and Bernard Baruch are refreshingly perceptive. So good to see someone who does not fawn and grovel over the hobnailed jackboots of our "betters."
I recently came across a marvelous little speech which I would like to share. It is from the pirate captain, "Black" Sam Bellamy, after he had captured the sloop of one Captain Beer in 1717. He invited Captain Beer to join his pirate band, but the good captain adamantly refused, and Bellamy's crew insisted the captured sloop had to be sunk to prevent it raising the alarm and provoking a pursuit. Bellamy said to Beer:
"I am sorry they won't let you have your sloop again, for I scorn to do any man a mischief when it is not to my advantage. Damn the sloop, sir, we must sink her, and she might be of use to you.
"Though, you are a sneaking puppy, and so are all those who will submit to be governed by laws which rich men have made for their own security; for the cowardly whelps have not the courage otherwise to defend what they got by knavery.
"But damn ye all together; damn them for a pack of crafty rascals, and you who serve them for a pack of hen-hearted numbskulls. They vilify us, the scoundrels do, when there is only this difference between us: They rob the poor under the protection of law, forsooth, and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage. Had you not better make one of us, than sneak after these villains for employment?"
When the good Captian Beer still demurred that his conscience would not permit it, Bellamy concluded:
"You are a devilish conscience rascal, sir. I am a free prince, and I have as much authority to make war on the whole world as he who has an hundred sail of ships at sea, and an army of an hundred thousand in the field; and this MY conscience be. But there is no arguing with such snivelling puppies, who allow "superiors" to kick them about deck at pleasure."
I wish I could have met Black Sam. He sounds like a man after my own heart. His flagship, the Whydah, which sank in a storm in 1717 taking Black Sam, a vast amount of loot, and all but two survivors, down with it, has been located and carefully excavated, and some of the 100,000 recovered artifacts may be seen at the Whydah museum in Provincetown, MA, probably the best museum of life aboard a pirate ship in the world.
Everyone, please bring attention to an Oregon bill being circulated right now called HB2556. It will allow the Govenor to block deployment of National Guard troops. This would set a great precident if it passed, allowing citizens in other states to force their Gov to do the same. Do a google search for Oregon news and you"ll see it mentioned in a Salem story. Please spread the word.
Ken,That's a good opening salvo. I'll use that. My opponent in debate might then say, but because (1) the overall majority of the conscripted will not see combat, and (2) the kids will have the option of choosing non-combat service tasks like in other countries, that criticism doesn't wholly or even substantially undercut the character-building thing we are aiming for. I could then reply that even children are not stupid, and that they will object to their valuable time being spent learning skills not necessarily of their choosing or of any conceivable use. I could further note that no matter what is said now, the history of large bureaucracies suggests a significant percentage of the conscripts will have their choice for training, if any is even given, will be effectively ignored, and that even if, against the odds they get into the job or skill training of their choosing, it will be subpar as the government need not turn a profit and so will have little incentive to provide a decent service to these kids. Why not just cut taxes, and get out of the way of private individuals and businesses? You'll see competent and useful training and apprentice programs soon enough, I might argue.JLW,We completely agree that the modern imperial armed forces is not the answer. I aim to prepare for the arguments I anticipate the regime will make, and that will percolate through their courtiers the major media, until they spill forth from the misguided lips of even such as friends and family. "So how could this work without alienating youth from God and family? I think that I should go read the Bible on this point."I suppose no rite of passage works without somewhat inducing a sense of separateness, and possibly alien-ness from one's family. But that's a needlessly pejorative way of looking at the process and the point of the whole thing, which is to form adult men and women ready willing and able to pursue their own vocations. Sense of autonomy might be a better way of looking at it. I'll defer to others on exegesis, but I recall a few passages about a man leaving his mother to cling to his wife, kicking a bad son out of the house, Our Lord being asked to perform a certain work at a wedding, the timing of which appeared to annoy Him a bit.
If we have "national service," that's my time to bail out of the US. My wife and I are too old to be pressed into service, Redcoat style. But I will not allow my daughter to be treated as the property of the ruling class.
Another great column Will, I noticed you also have excellent taste in music too. Congratulations on the new addition to your family. And thanks to Lemuel, great comment on Captain Black. I'll have to get up to the Whydah museum this summer.
Will, congratulations on your new little boy. Your children are blessed with godly parents. Great article too, providing much food for thought. My five kids are 11 to 2. I can't imagine them being drafted.
If we have "national service," that's my time to bail out of the US. My wife and I are too old to be pressed into service, Redcoat style. But I will not allow my daughter to be treated as the property of the ruling class.
I so appreciate your articles, Mr. Grigg. Thank you for your vigilance and care for the rest of us.
To Pat H., who said even animals kill. Yes, they do, and without compunction: they NEVER dither about whether they "should" or "shouldn't," whether it's moral or right or wrong. They just do BECAUSE that's ALL they are: animals. They can do no other.
For all the stupidity about evolution, we, human beings, "homo sapiens sapiens," "the wisest of the wise," are NOT mere animals.
Therefore, just because animals kill is no REASON for human beings to kill. Especially because someone else -- something no animal suffers from, except trained dogs! -- TELLS them to!
The false conundrum of "rites of passage:" In the ancient Hebrew culture, after God, family was ALL. Israel didn't exist apart from family. A young man passed into "manhood" with a Bar Mitzvah, a demonstrated knowledge of his ability to read and recite and understand the Law of God. He became a full member of the adult community at 30 years of age, which is "why" Jesus started His ministry at around that age. A man gained authority within the community when he had fulfilled some years of experience at being "a man:" responsible, mature in manner and judgment, contributor to his family's welfare, his father's business and household, respected in the wider community.
His wife was chosen for him. According to the Law, he and his wife were to spend one uninterrupted year together after their marriage. He was not even subject to conscription in time of war. He was to please his wife in everything. He and his bride usually lived under his father's roof. His wife became a daughter to her mother-in-law.
The young man "left" his father and his mother to cleave to his wife in that his loyalties changed from his position as a young son, a lamb in his parents' bosom, to his wife's husband.
This was how one became a man in the culture of Jesus' birth.
There was no military requirement per se, but because of the danger of surrounding and often hostile societies, boys were taught to defend themselves, often with mere farming implements.
Being a man was never associated with the military. It was always associated with your mature mental development within your home and society. It was demonstrated in how good a provider you were for both your father's house (Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates this quite well) and your own.
There is much to be admired in the social laws God gave to Moses in the desert.
How much better off we'd be today if only we respected and lived them according to our Lord's example and teachings.
Mr. Grigg would never have had to write the things he's felt conscience-bound to write.
Once again, thank you, Mr. Grigg. And congratulations to you and your wife on the birth of your beautiful new son.
No scimitar-wielding Mohammedan has materialized on my doorstep to demand that I surrender my children as a "blood tax" demanded by the state. I know what variety of greeting I would give such a personage were he to appear. The same is true for any functionary of any government who would presume to claim my children as the property of the official gang that employs him.
Can't add much to that.....we don't need to go overseas to fight a war.
Of course "we" need to go fight overseas. If "we" didn't, the Mohammedans would come over here and burgle our liberties. They would abscond with them after stuffing them into large canvas duffelbags.
But thank goodness all those soldiers protected "our freedoms" from being stolen by the North Koreans, North Vietnamese, Cubans, Filipinos, Afghanis, Iraqis, Panamanians and Grenadans! Because they were just about to invade and "take our rights."
To Pat HHaving traveled throughout the thrid world I can testify that many countries, even with decadent govts, are much more free than the US. For example within most countries in Latin America, sans Venezuala, it is much easier to live out in the countryside far from the meddlesome nature of the central govt. doing your own thing and not have to worry about suffering some intolerable bullshit from a pesky govt snoop. Your standard of living, using Western standards as our guide, is not the same - but quality of life is far superior. I sure can put up with an outhouse if it means not having some useless parasite monitoring my every move.
I can't wait to hear the bleeding heart bedwetters defend this latest bankster bailout. Some naive simpletons thought they had a friend in Sobama. The next four years are going to be a hybrid of a Clinton third term mixed with a Carter second term and blaming the Republicans is going to wear out fast. Wait till the sycophants get those "voluntary" service and draft notices. I hope they enjoy the change.
Congratulations, Mr. Grigg, on the successful birth of your baby boy, and prayers towards your wife's speedy recovery. Coincidentally,I share in your joy because our blessed daughter has come on the same day as your blessed son. May they both grow happy, strong, and free.
To Pat H Having traveled throughout the thrid world I can testify that many countries, even with decadent govts, are much more free than the US. For example within most countries in Latin America, sans Venezuala, it is much easier to live out in the countryside far from the meddlesome nature of the central govt. doing your own thing and not have to worry about suffering some intolerable bullshit from a pesky govt snoop. Your standard of living, using Western standards as our guide, is not the same - but quality of life is far superior. I sure can put up with an outhouse if it means not having some useless parasite monitoring my every move.
5:53 PM
You may be right, but how long with that last? Are you willing to risk investing in a short when you should be looking for the best long-term investment? Try a freer state in the US, for example. Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, New Hampshire, Vermont, anything. If you wish to live out in the wilderness with little luxury, that's fine, but why do so in a different country?
That jackass Blankley must have _fought_ in the Battle of Salamis. And, as anyone can plainly see, he triumphed magnificently over the Salamis, along with the Bolognas, the Sopressatas, and a few random Gorgonzolas...
The time for debate is over. The time to vote from the rooftops is nearly here. | {
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Archive for the ‘resentment’ Tag
Cognitive has a simple, straight forward meaning. It is defined within the fields of psychology and linguistics as being aware of current intellectuality such as knowing and thinking. When conscious judgments are being made within the brain, the process is described as cognitive as the functions that are taking place provide us with our perspective and understanding of our thoughts and senses at that current moment in time.
Ignoring the physical processes, the word cognitive simply focuses on the intellectual functions that occur within our brain. This also includes our intuition and memory, which is why it is proving so effective within psychology studies today. It focuses on how out thoughts become acquainted within our brains, how they are produced, and how our intellectual thoughts function within the brain.
History behind where the word cognitive derives from helps to understand what it is used for. ‘To come to know’ and ‘meaning to become acquainted’ are the basic meanings behind the word itself; making the definitions clean and clear. Everything that the brain comes to know and understand is of a cognitive process. Memory is an important factor of this, it requires the brain to make a clear imagine and thought that can be remembered whenever it is needed.
Without memory, thoughts, knowing, learning and judging, our brains would be going to waste, but cognitive studies allow new experiments and conclusions to be produced and published successfully. It is for these reasons that the word cognitive has become very important within science and medical studies, and as the understanding of science progresses it is our brains that need to keep up.
If you’ve ever told a lie and felt uncomfortable because you see yourself as scrupulously honest, then you’ve experienced cognitive dissonance. It occurs whenever your view of yourself clashes with your performance in any area—you see yourself as smart but can’t believe you made such stupid stock investments. Exactly how we choose to resolve the dissonance, and its discomfort, is a good reflection of our mental health. In fact, cognitive dissonance can be a great opportunity for growth. Better living through cognitive dissonance, cleaning up emotional pollution is how I feel about you is how I feel about me. Misinterpreting the message of cognitive dissonance ruins marriages, a fact that totally eludes marriage therapists and relationship authors who promote "getting your needs met."
Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort of self-image colliding with reality. Such collisions are inevitable, as self-image tends to be based on values – what is most important to you – while behavior is routinely directed at short-term comfort, pleasure, and utilitarian goals. The common cognitive dissonance in intimate relationships is “I am a loving and compassionate person. Yet I am not loving and compassionate to you at this moment.” The way we resolve cognitive dissonance helps determine health and well being. The following choice gives you the best chance of achieving a solid and authentic sense of self while improving your relationship.
I am a loving and compassionate person. Yet I am not loving and compassionate to you at this moment. Therefore, I must try harder to understand your perspective and sympathize with any discomfort or pain that underlies it. The choice below guarantees a precarious sense of self based on victim identity or self-righteousness, not to mention failure of all attempts at intimate relationship. I am a loving and compassionate person. Yet I am not loving and compassionate to you at this moment. Therefore, there must be something wrong with you – you are selfish, irrational, ignorant, unworthy, crazy, personality-disordered, abusive, damaged by childhood, etc..
It’s easy to avoid the trap of cognitive dissonance in intimate relationships. Instead of asking what is wrong with your partner, ask, what in me is making it hard to be compassionate right now. The answer will almost always be guilt (I’ve hurt or neglected you), shame (I feel too inadequate), or fear (I’m afraid of your response). The only thing that relieves guilt and shame for violating a value is investing more energy in the value. Ignoring it or continuing to violate it by blaming your behavior on your partner will only aggravate guilt and shame, no matter how much you try to hide your failure beneath resentment, anger, or self-righteousness. If fear blocks your compassion, share that with your partner, which will give him/her a chance to feel compassion for you. What you want to arrive at is a relationship song that goes something like this. I want to be more compassionate to you and I know that in your heart you want to be more compassionate to me. Let’s figure out how we can make it easier for each other to be compassionate and pursue what is best for both of us.
Resolving cognitive dissonance in this way makes you less likely to seem critical or attacking, which makes it difficult for your partner to be defensive. The stakes of accurately interpreting cognitive dissonance are high. Fidelity to values generates energy, confidence, and vitality, while violation of values depletes all three, which is why it requires adrenalin; usually in the form of anger or resentment – to temporarily restore energy and confidence. Like all amphetamine effects, these dissipate in an hour or so, in favor of a depression that is likely to be relieved by more resentment or anger. Continuing this roller-coaster ride of disaster leads inevitably to contempt of self; however, hidden by chronic resentment and self-righteousness and a deeper contempt for the former loved one.
The alternative choice is to invest in a deeper compassion for self and loved ones.
Like this:
Every time we sit down in meditation, we are challenged to face our dissatisfactions. What is really going on in our body-mind? What ideas are we stubbornly holding onto? What are we afraid of? What would we rather not deal with like anger, resentment, longing, dissatisfaction, numbness? What, or who, are we rejecting? What aspect of our lives makes us want to act selfishly or childishly – by throwing a tantrum, blaming others, or refusing to participate? We don’t have to go seeking for our dissatisfactions when we meditate. Zazen, seated meditation, doesn’t have to become a grim session of taking account of how crappy our life is or how flawed we are. We also need to be open to awareness of the joy and positivity in our life; we have to be completely open to awareness of everything as it is. However, we are much more likely to be open to the positive stuff than we are to the negative stuff, so facing the dissatisfactions takes some intention and courage.
I like to think of “opening the doors of my mind” during zazen to whatever might wander in. The Zen ceremony of Segaki ritually enacts this process when the doors of the temple are opened wide and the hungry ghosts or manifestations of unresolved stuff are invited to enter. It is surprising how effective this ceremony is. Many people report unresolved stuff coming up for them as they sit zazen in the day-long retreat that follows the ceremony traditionally. In the evening there is a ceremony to send the “ghosts” on their way, but it often takes much longer to become familiar with a new ghost, learn what it has to teach, and then take the actions necessary to truly send it away.
When I open the doors of my mind as I settle on the meditation cushion, I always feel some apprehension. What am I going to discover? What am I going to have to deal with? Am I going to have to change?
When I finally summon the courage to face my dissatisfactions, I am always surprised to find that no matter how bad it is – it is less anxiety-provoking to face it than it is to avoid it. Finding something behind the door can be scary and might require serious action, but in the long run it’s better than sensing there’s something behind the door but just wondering how terrifying it might be. When we really face our dissatisfactions there is often some sense of relief. In addition, avoiding or denying parts of our reality increases our sense of separation or isolation from our whole life and from the people and situations we encounter. When we are one with our dissatisfactions we are more fully present with everything. When trying to summon the courage to face our dissatisfactions during meditation or anytime it can be helpful to recall the sense of relief or presence that can be achieved by doing so. Sometimes it also helps to imagine the worst that is likely to come through the doors of our mind and ask ourselves if it would be the end of the world; it rarely would be. Alternatively, we might talk ourselves into facing our dissatisfactions by noticing how tired we are of running away from it.
Once we are determined to be still no matter what comes at us, we expand our awareness by letting go of any idea about our life, our body-mind, or what we should or should not be experiencing at this moment. Then our dissatisfactions can arise and find itself recognized and embraced – because, after all, it’s not coming at us from outside, it was already here.
Rarely is dwelling on the past seen in a positive light nor should it be. Thinking too much about times gone by typically keeps your mind and life stuck in neutral and maybe even shifts it into reverse. If you habitually ruminate over your earlier life, you may regularly be revisited by feelings of anger, guilt, resentment, sorrow, or shame. Such emotions are hardly productive. In many ways, they're downright toxic. Fretfully obsessing about the people and events precipitating such negative feelings can lead to endless recycling. Becoming increasingly stagnant, or fixated, your thinking really can't progress toward any adaptive resolution.
Moreover, returning to the past to rehearse old dissatisfactions and grievances or even to replay images of earlier triumphs and idly preoccupying yourself with irreconcilable thoughts about them can result in self-reproach, lamentation, remorse, and even bitterness. Using your mental energy for such a doubtful purpose can catapult you into the inextricable pit of would have, could have, should have with the result that you can end up consumed with regret; which are most futile of emotions.
Yet, to be fair, dwelling on the past does have certain short-term advantages. For instance, you might become preoccupied with earlier events of success by way of rationalizing present-day frustrations and failures. If you haven't been able to live up to the hopes of others or to your own expectations, you might find temporary comfort in reliving past accomplishments. But while focusing on past positives may afford you some relief from current disappointments; by itself, it does nothing to direct or re-direct your efforts to further your objectives in the here-and-now. If you're to realize your full potential in life, you need to squarely focus on what you can do right now to fulfill your promise and not on what you achieved in bygone times.
Dwelling on the past can also be a way of not coming to grips with present-day realities. If your head is stuck in the sand of yesteryear, you may not be facing up to the fact that never having been this old before, you may now be less attractive, less strong and nimble, less quick-minded and adaptable, or with less stamina. There may be limitations and constraints that didn't exist earlier. The limitations that now need to be confronted and adjusted for and obviously, denying what in the past you may still need to make peace with can only hinder your moving forward in life.
Besides all this, loitering in the past can represent a kind of self-indulgence. It can interfere with your creating or in some alternate shape or form recreating past joys. Ultimately, it is pointless to employ memory to hold onto what may have been lost many, many years ago. As a result of not letting go of the past, you may rob yourself of present opportunities to reach out for what may still lie within your grasp. If past satisfactions and pleasures have left a vacuum in your life, now is the perfect time to diligently pursue what possibly might fill this void. If, because currently they're sorely lacking, you've been renewing in your head former attachments and endearments, you may be much less pro-active in searching out new sources of love and support than, optimally, you should be.
Light Yagami
Name: Dr. Anil Agarwal Jain
DOB: 28-05-1982
Admission To School: March of 1986
Admission To MBBS in MMC: 1998
Convocation: In Year 2003
TOFEL (Test of English as Foreign Language): 2004
Admission to University of Massachusetts Medical School: 2004
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, MA 01655
774-442-2173
Three-year Internal Medicine Residency Program completed in 2007
Worked in Brigham &Women's Hospital till 2010
Returned to India in 2011
Now appointed as visiting Associate Professor of Internal Medicine in Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Bangalore in 2011 | {
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Your New York City Forecast: Christmas In The City
By Weather Staff
|
December 24, 2017 @2:19 PM
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New Yorkers saw a great deal of clouds over the five boroughs on Christmas Eve, but, we did manage to get a few peeks of sun in as well. It remained on the chilly side however, as temperatures struggled to break 40 degrees.
On Christmas day, we could see a few rain or snow showers during the early-morning hours, but, skies are looking brighter for the afternoon. The only downside is that it will be turning windier, with gusts of over 40mph possible throughout the day.
Some colder air will then settle into the area Monday night, and stay in place through the weekend. Afternoon highs will only be in the upper 20s and low 30s, so, be sure to bundle up. Conditions are looking dry for the most part, but, we could see some more snowflakes on Friday. | {
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What was the selectmen’s real vote on the Safe Community Act?
When, on night three of Wellfleet’s Town Meeting, it came to the vote on he Safe Communities Act,the selectmen were listed as having voted 5-0 in favor. It felt uncomfortable, therefore, to have two selectmen trying to sway the vote against the measure. But without really coming out and saying so. If, as it seemed from their comments, worry about losing funding for dredging the harbor seems to them, on second thought, more of a concern than standing up for the vulnerable—and nobody ever said there might not be a price to pay for standing up for your values– they should have started out saying as much: subtract my vote from that 5-0. They seemed to be trying to have it both ways.
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About This
In the spirit of full disclosure: this blog is about everything. Yes, I know, that sounds both irresponsibly noncommital and ridiculously ambitious, but it’s not really. “About everything” in the sense that it’s about life. Call it an ongoing inquiry into how life works, how to live. My version of what I regard as everyone’s basic project, required by living, the old experiment-of-one. | {
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Monday, August 1, 2011
The Final Question -- and Cupcakes
Once upon a time, there was a math professor that gave an exam. When the students entered the testing room, they were given a mathematical framework and a list of problems to solve, each of which built on the solution to the previous one. The professor told them that they must solve all the problems in the time allotted, and that whoever did so, would pass; whoever did not, would fail.
The professor also told them that they should take each proposed problem solution to a machine in the corner. If the solution was correct, the machine would give them a cupcake.
Well, on the first problem some of the students who found the solution first got a bit rowdy and started waving their cupcakes in the faces of those who were slower and teasing them. The professor told them to settle down and stop it, or the professor would kick them out and they would fail.
At that that point, one of the students said to several others: “Look, this test is hard, and I think it’s so hard that none of us is going to pass unless the professor lets us. So the best way to do that is to show the professor that we appreciate all that he has done to teach us, and that we’re trying hard to please him, and we’re good people – not like those rowdy ones. So let’s all work together on each problem, and when we get our cupcakes we’ll keep giving some of them to the professor. And if we give him enough cupcakes, even though we will never answer all the questions, we’ll still pass.”
Many of the students, looking at the nasty problems coming up, were convinced that this was the only way they were going to pass, and so they agreed. But the student did not convince everybody. Some students rejected the idea that the test was impossible, and that passing the exam depended in any way on the professor.
Then there ensued a strange scene. On each problem, the students working together in a group solved the problem faster, and so should have given the machine the solution ahead of the few who were working solo. But many of them were concerned that they didn’t have enough cupcakes to give, and so they were over trying to convince the ones who were doing it alone that they should try to join the group. And sometimes they would succeed, as one of the loners felt that the test was becoming too hard; and sometimes they would lose a member, as some members of the group felt their point of view wasn’t being listened to. And then sometimes one of the group would get hungry and eat a cupcake instead of contributing it; so they had to kick that member out of the group until the member said he or she was sorry. And then they had to spend some time gathering the cupcakes and giving them to the professor. So as it worked out, the loners were solving the problems just about as fast as the group.
And then they got to the problem right before the last one. And it was a really nasty problem. Moreover, because they had been working in a group, the members of the group hadn’t been paying close attention to all the details of the previous solution, so none of them could put it all together and come up with the last step in this solution. And they were really worried that they hadn’t gotten enough cupcakes yet.
So finally one of the loners came up with the solution. And this caused an even bigger argument among the group, but finally one part of the group went over and looked at the loner’s answer, and got the solution – although they didn’t really understand that last step. And now there were two groups. The first group said, we haven’t got enough cupcakes, but if everyone comes back and helps us solve the next-to-last problem, and gives us their cupcakes, we’ll have enough. And the second group said, yes, we solved the next-to-last problem, but if we don’t get the cupcakes for the next-to-last problem from everybody, the first group and the loners, and give them to the professor, the professor will decide that we can’t work together and just aren’t nice enough. And the loners just kept being stubbornly convinced that it was all about solving the final problem.
And now there was frantic activity all over the room. The first group was still trying to solve the next-to-last problem, and badgering the second group and the loners for cupcakes. The second group had given up on the final problem (partly because they still thought it was impossible, and partly because they couldn’t solve it anyway, since they didn’t understand the solution to the next-to-last problem) and was badgering the first group and the loners for cupcakes. And the loners were trying to work on the final problem, and telling both groups that if they weren’t going to help solve the final problem, at least they should go away and stop bothering them. And as they did this, the clock kept ticking; and the end of the exam drew closer; and closer; and closer.
The moral of the story is – no, I’m not going to tell you the moral of the story. Consider this the final question of your exam: what is the moral of this story? If you get it right, you pass; if you get it wrong, you fail.
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Wayne Kernochan
About Me
I have recently retired. Before retirement, I was a long-time computer industry analyst at firms like Aberdeen Group and Yankee Group, and before that a programmer at Prime Computer and Computer Corp. of America. Sloan/MIT MBA, Cornell Computer Science Master's, and Harvard college degrees. Used to play the violin, and have written unpublished books about personal finance, violin playing, and the relationship between religion and mathematics, as well as three plays, two musicals, a screenplay on climate change, short stories, and poetry. I intend to use this blog in future both to continue to enjoy the computing field and to pursue my interests in many other areas (e.g., climate change, history, issues of the day). | {
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Review: Palm Treo 750
After reviewing a number of the most recent QWERTY smartphone, we've developed certain size and weight expectations for a Windows Mobile device - especially a monoblock one - as opposed to the slide-out style of the Apache, Wizard or Hermes. The first thing that struck us was the weight of the Treo. It feels about twice as heavy as the BlackJack, Dash, Q and other slim QWERTY smartphones.
However, everything is relative. The first time a current Treo user picks up the 750, he will probably say "wow, this is really light," as many Treo users we know did. For as heavy as the Treo 750 is, it is actually about 20% lighter than the 650 or 700.
The 750 is a pleasure to hold in one hand to talk on the phone. Although it is thick, it is also narrow and has a nicely rounded transition from the sides to the back. The smooth rounded shape and rubbery finish are a pleasure to wrap your hands around. The sides are concave and made of a hard, smooth plastic, which should allow you to grip the phone firmly even if your hands too small to wrap around the Treo.
Although the Treo is well-designed for one-handed use, it is not nearly as comfortable when held in two hands to type, even though there are not any hard plastic corners or other bits that poke you. Instead the problem is one of balance - the Treo is so heavy - and the keyboard so short - that when you try to type two-handed, more than two-thirds of the length - and weight - of the Treo are hanging up in the air.
Over time we learned to hold the Treo differently than we would any other QWERTY phone to balance the weight, but this did not make up for the weight or the cramped keyboard.
Keyboard
Although the Treo's keys are small, they have a very nice rounded, convex shape and enough space in between each key that you should be able to feel out keys and type quickly. Unfortunately, this isn't the case in real-world usage. When tapping out messages, we made far more errors typing on the Treo than we normally do.
Although you can feel each key below your thumbs, they are small enough and spaced tightly enough that your thumb winds up resting on more than one key at a time when typing. If you don't press straight down, or if your thumb is off center slightly, it is too easy to press a neighboring key instead of your intended target.
The navigation cluster remains largely unchanged from previous Treos. The D-pad is large and very easy to control. The send and end keys have been enlarged at the expense of the Windows and ok keys, however all four are easy to press, and tough to mistake for one another. | {
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Salt Lake City, Utah
Welcome to California Pools. Welcome to Your Home Oasis.
California Pools can help you make your Salt Lake City-area home a sanctuary of leisure and indulgence to share with family and friends for decades to come. Whether you’re in the market for a custom pool and spa, outdoor fireplace, landscaping or decking, the California Pools team of experts can turn your vision into reality. No job is too big or too small. To us, it’s about walking you through every step and delivering the backyard of your dreams.
Why California Pools?
For more than 6 decades, California Pools has been custom designing and building the most beautiful outdoor spaces for over 70,000 customers. Our years of experience mean we have built every imaginable design to fit every lifestyle. You can trust that we know what works, how to stay within a budget and a timeline, and how to educate you every step of the way for peace of mind. It’s why we are continually recognized by industry experts as a national leader and why so many clients recommend us.
About Your Local Salt Lake City Team
Your California Pools Salt Lake City team is led by owner and operator, Ryan Blocker. Ryan has been featured on DIY Network’s Pool Kings showcasing his team's incredible talent. With his years of experience and attention to detail, you can be sure your outdoor transformation will be a smooth process with incredible results. With California Pools of Salt Lake City, you can enjoy your backyard through every season and every stage of life. Trust Ryan's team to transform your backyard into a paradise.
Finance Your Project
Ready to get started but need financing? We’ve got you covered. Visit our preferred provider in your local area. We only partner with trusted financial institutions that are committed to giving you the best rates and terms available. The application process is simple and a decision is often available within 24 hours. | {
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} |
Saddleworth Winter IV - the Moor on 4th Feb 2015
Saddleworth Moor after snow, February 2015
These photos were taken on Saddleworth Moor on 4th February 2015. We had to wait about an hour for the weather to break and provide some light and shade. We came up to our knees in snow as we waded through heather and bog to reach our vantage points. Temperature about -2 degrees C. Grouse had left tracks in the snow, unworried by nearby traffic on the "Isle Of Skye Road" over the Moor. It was marvellous up there! | {
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} |
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New Girl: 5x16
Helmet
Despite being happy with Sam, Jess confesses to Cece that she had a sex dream about Nick. And Schmidt attempts to help Winston land Furguson a cat audition when he finds out Aly’s boyfriend is a talent agent for pets. | {
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Residents of Pelican Island in Berkeley Township, N.J., had requested an injunction against 495 Productions to stop the cameras from rolling, but Ocean County Superior Court Judge E. David Millard wasn't buying what they were selling, the Asbury Park Press reported Wednesday.
Still in the mix: a zoning challenge filed last week by attorney Ron Gasiorowski on behalf of a neighbor two doors down from the house where Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jenni "JWoww" Farley are doing their reality-TV thing.
The property owner, who previously rented the "Jersey Shore" house to 495 Productions for four seasons, is reportedly seeking a zoning variance to the township's prohibition on commercial activity in residential neighborhoods.
A neighbor across the street from the "Snooki & JWoww" house told the Press that the production hasn't bothered him and hasn't attracted tourists, as happened with "Jersey Shore" production in Seaside Heights.
The world's richest person got even richer this year. Forbes says that Bill Gates's net worth rose to $79.2 billion in 2015 from $76 billion last year. That put him at the top of the magazine's list of the world's billionaires for the second consecutive year. The co-founder of Microsoft Corp.... | {
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} |
Lost in Suburbia: The scene of the crime
Wednesday
If this were a game of Clue, I knew who the victim was, where it died, and what killed it.
The Roomba was dead. In the den. With a shag carpet.
But the question was, who done it?
When I arrived home that day at 12:41 p.m., the familiar whooshing of the Roomba, set to vacuum at 12:30 p.m. each day, was suspiciously silent. I scoured the house but couldn’t find it anywhere.
I turned to the dog.
“Monty, do you know where the Roomba is?” I questioned him. “Is it lost? Was it kidnapped? Did something else nefarious take place in this house while I was gone?”
But the dog was mum.
I retraced my Roomba’s steps and then, just as I was about to leave the den, I spotted it. In the corner. Silent and unRoomba-ing. Upon closer inspection I could see what happened. It had choked to death on a clump of shag carpeting.
I was bereft. It was only six months old. It had died at such an early age. And it was definitely an untimely death. We knew the Roomba couldn’t handle the shag carpeting: We had caught it in distress one time before, and from that day on, we decided to keep the den door closed when the Roomba was working.
But somehow, mysteriously, today, the door had been left open, and the unsuspecting Roomba had fallen prey to the lure of the shag.
Before I could figure out who killed the Roomba, I first wanted to make sure the Roomba was, in fact dead. The shag carpeting had the Roomba firmly in its clutches so I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it out of the tangled mess. Then I turned the Roomba over. Its bristles were knotted up in shag. The roller was completely encased in shag. The filter was full of shag. It was clear the Roomba was dead and it had drowned in shag carpeting. But I took it to triage anyway and worked on it, feverishly removing all the tangles of shag carpeting from its rollers and coils. I grabbed a set of charging paddles. “Clear!” I yelled, and then shocked the Roomba. But it didn’t respond. It was dead on arrival.
Wiping away my tears, I dumped the Roomba in the trash and started to look for clues. The door to the den had been closed when I left the house, of that I was certain. So, who opened it? And more importantly, who had it out for the Roomba?
I walked into the kitchen. Vacuum cleaner mysteries always made me hungry. But as I opened the fridge, I noticed the dog sleeping across the kitchen floor. Slowly a thought entered my head. Could it be the dog? Could the dog have killed the Roomba? The dog hated the Roomba. The dog hated vacuum cleaners in general, but especially a vacuum cleaner that chased it around the house, trying to suck all the shedding dog hair directly off the dog’s body. Yes, the dog was not a fan.
I went to the den and closed the door. Then I got down on all fours and pushed against the door with my face, like a dog. The door resisted at first, but then popped open. I shook my head. I knew what I had to do.
“Monty!” I yelled across the house.
The dog appeared quickly at my side, tail wagging and full of joy, clearly trying to throw off all suspicion that a Golden Retriever could be a stone cold killer.
“Monty, the Roomba is dead. And I suspect that you had something to do with it. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
The dog looked at the rug. The rug winked at the dog.
“Don’t worry,” it said silently. “I’ve got you covered.”For more Lost in Suburbia, Follow Tracy on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LostinSuburbiaFanPage and Twitter @TracyBeckerman. | {
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Computer Chess (Trailer)
Presented as a 1980s documentary about a chess software tournament, Computer Chess is a comedy about human relationships and how they are affected by technology. Written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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Oct. 8 Buck Showalter postgame interview
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Q. I know this is going to be a piercing look into the obvious, but how important was it to get out of here 1‑1 instead of 0‑2?
BUCK SHOWALTER: Well, you know, the math is you've got to win three or lose three, so I think ‑‑ you know what I'd be talking about if we weren't able to win. It's one win closer to winning three. We got through Texas knowing that we had to win 11 games and starting out winning three is hard. We know it's a tough task ahead of us, but you like the mathematics of it after tonight. At least you're one step closer.
But nobody assumed anything one way or the other coming in here. They knew it was going to be a tough task, and they're very talented. Pettitte was very good tonight, again, but that was kind of a given going into it.
Q. Can you go through your strategy in the 7th inning, O'Day for A‑Rod, you bring in a guy to walk a lefty‑lefty with Cano and then go after Swisher?
BUCK SHOWALTER: If I let Darren walk Cano, then I don't have an option to counteract a potential pinch‑hit for Swisher because with his numbers off of Matusz, that's a possibility. So I want to have the ability to either have Brian face Swisher or have a counteract if he brings somebody off the bench. If I let Darren walk him then I don't have that option.
Q. Just the idea of walking ‑‑
BUCK SHOWALTER: Cano?
Q. Yeah.
BUCK SHOWALTER: Well, he's one of the hottest hitters in baseball. That seems like every week. No disrespect to anybody hitting behind him, but it's just a chance we took. 90 percent of it had to do with the confidence I had in our players. The way Brian is throwing the ball, he would have presented himself well regardless of who he was facing.
Chen was the key to that ballgame. We had some big outs late, but Chen ‑‑ of course Jimmy coming in, Jimmy was really ‑‑ he was on his game tonight.
Q. Could I ask you your strategy in keeping Chen in the game in the 7th rather than going to the bullpen right there?
BUCK SHOWALTER: I thought he had pitched real well. They should have scored the first ball. He had a hit, that's a hit, and Mark doesn't have a play anywhere. So he had two infield hits off of thumbs and another one back to Chen, so I liked the idea. I think he was 0‑for‑6 or something coming into the game against Wei‑Yin and I wanted to take him through there. I knew I wasn't going to let him face Rodriguez. But also I don't want to bring Ibañez off the bench. If I bring in a right‑handed pitcher, that's why we let Brian face Nuñez, too. We want to keep Ibañez on the bench if we can, and Chen allows us to do that, as did Matusz.
Q. Going into New York, this year you've played in three series, you've won three all series in New York. Does that play here at all as far as confidence in the clubhouse and guys being more comfortable going there than maybe if the situation was reversed?
BUCK SHOWALTER: Well, obviously the way that the schedule is set up, and we can debate that, we've been there ‑‑ just because you've been there, I don't think anybody thinks that that's any preclusion ‑‑ a given on how you're going to play. I think our guys are very realistic and very ‑‑ they understand the tough task ahead of them regardless of what's happened in the past. I think all of that gets thrown out the window when you get to this situation. So I'm just real proud that the guys continue to compete and do it with a lot of let‑it‑fly mentality. There's no back‑off in them at all. We pitched well the last two nights. In order to match up with guys like Sabathia and Pettitte, you're going to have to have outings like we got from ham he will and Chen. Kuroda at times has been as hot as any pitcher in the American League. That's why they have won; their starting pitching, they get what they pay for.
Q. I know they always say about closers after they blow a save or whatever that they've got to get right back on that horse again, and obviously that's what happened. Did you say anything to Johnson last night or today?
BUCK SHOWALTER: No, I would have got the J.J. look if I did, as he looks down at me like he does most people he meets, and he wouldn't insult him like that. The players have to know that a manager doesn't live in a what‑have‑you‑done‑for‑me‑lately world. It's real easy, like I said last night, to trust Jim Johnson. He's done it a few times for us. He hasn't had many ‑‑ it really wasn't a blown save, it was pitching in a tie game in the ninth inning. Regardless if it was or wasn't, Jimmy would have been out there again tonight. He's having a special year, a special year.
Q. Do you think that Chen fully comprehends how important this win tonight was given that there's a language barrier and the fact that he out‑pitched Andy Pettitte?
BUCK SHOWALTER: I didn't think he out‑pitched. I'd say he pitched as well. He had to have it. I'm real proud of Wei‑Yin. All year long you think of all the challenges that have been with him since day one of Spring Training, and I think his teammates have done a great job of making his path easier and making him feel good. Probably one of our best‑conditioned athletes. That's why the five‑man rotation he's been so good with, and we got him at 26 out of Japan before you get a lot of guys at 30, 31 that have had some wear and tear, and he's from Taiwan, not Japan.
Q. For a while you've talked about having a chance to give these fans what you've given them the last couple of nights. Can you just talk about what it's meant to you, your staff and everybody in that clubhouse?
BUCK SHOWALTER: It means a lot. It means a lot to us, and ‑‑ because I know it means a lot to them. I'm not going to say ‑‑ there's not a city in America that loves their baseball team more than this city, and I've seen it on both sides. It's a great feeling for our players to give back the faith that they've had in them this year. We put them through some tough times, and the challenge will be after this season is over keeping that feeling. It's not chemistry, it's Ws. Show me the end game. They like good baseball. They like this team. The city so lot like this team, and I think they share a real kinship with the way our guys approach competition.
Q. I asked you a question in Spring Training about home runs given up. So far the Yankees have hit 245 home runs this year. You've given up 1 in 18 innings. Do you like those odds?
BUCK SHOWALTER: Well, I'm going to come looking for you if they hit about 12 on Wednesday, okay?
Q. How are you doing it?
BUCK SHOWALTER: Pitching well. Pitching well. And if we don't pitch well, the ball will end up where the grass doesn't grow. If a pitcher is on top of his game and the hitter is on top of his game, this time of year pitchers win. That's why people are playing in October is because of their pitching. You can talk about all the other stuff and statistics, but it's the one common denominator of everybody here is that you've pitched pretty consistently, gotten deep in your games with your starters. | {
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100s of deals: Up to 75% off
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To make this gift-giving season a little merrier, we are extending our Returns & Exchange Policy. For all items purchased between Oct. 21 and Dec. 24, 2016, you’ll have until January 31, 2017 to return the item for a refund of the merchandise value. Just make sure to bring your proof of purchase or gift receipt. Quick Ship upholstery items are excluded from the Extended Holiday Return Policy. You have 7 days to return your Quick Ship upholstery item for a full refund or exchange.
The following items are non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
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Mattresses
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Made to Order items, including custom rugs and furniture
Final Sale items (identified by a price ending in $.X7 or $.X9)
Items damaged through normal wear and tear.
Delivery fees are non-refundable and prior purchases are not eligible for price adjustments. | {
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Judicial Watch Christmas Message 2016:
We have just come through an unusually contentious election. And, in fact, many consider the past eight years to have been some of the most divisive in American history.
So, at a time like this, it may be best to step back from the events and issues that divide us and focus our hearts and minds on the uncommon bonds that unite us.
As we do, I am reminded of one of my favorite stories from Christmas past… A story that proves anew that the essential message of Christmas – “Hail the newborn Prince of Peace” – remains today as powerful as it is poignant, as timely as it is timeless. It’s the tale of a truce … a brief, fleeting truce … that turned a World War I field of fire into a pageant of peace. As Time magazine reported it several years ago:
On a crisp, clear morning 100 years ago, thousands of British, Belgian and French soldiers put down their rifles, stepped out of their trenches and spent Christmas mingling with their German enemies along the Western front.
***
Most accounts suggest the truce began with carol singing from the trenches onChristmas Eve, “a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere”, as Pvt. Albert Moren of the Second Queens Regiment recalled, in a document later rounded up by the New YorkTimes. Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade described it in even greater detail:
“First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing – two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”
The next morning, in some places, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, calling out “Merry Christmas” in English. Allied soldiers came out warily to greet them. In others, Germans held up signs reading “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Over the course of the day, troops exchanged gifts of cigarettes, food, buttons and hats. The Christmas truce also allowed both sides to finally bury their dead comrades, whose bodies had lain for weeks on “no man’s land,” the ground between opposing trenches.
I believe you will agree that there is a lesson to be learned there – an enduring lesson that transcends the temporal and, especially at this time of year, elevates us above the trials and traumas that so often beset us. It is the Christmas message of “Peace on earth,” that caused the bloodied and battered Allied and German soldiers to lay aside their enmity and arms and “sing in exultation … joyful and triumphant.”
Truly, as Rifleman Graham Williams wrote, the spirit of Christmas “is really a most extraordinary thing.” And as I have said in each of the past several years, there is one particularly extraordinary Christmas message that should give us indomitable courage even in these troubling times. It’s from Isaiah 9:6, and it defines the hope that lies within us all: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given – and the government shall be upon his shoulders. ”
Ultimately, man’s power is limited on this Earth, contrary to what some politicians and their antecedents might try to tell you. And even in the most dire of times, we rest secure in the words of one of my favorite Christmas carols, “the wrong shall fail, the right prevail.”
Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us here at Judicial Watch, and a Happy New Year.
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Prediction From the Grave
Very few would have predicted on September 11, 2001 that the headlines 14 years later would feature an American president arming Iran; that there would be millions of Middle Eastern Arabs flooding into the heart of Europe. Or Saudi Arabia, while refusing to accept any refugees from an Islamic civil war in Syria, would instead offer to build 200 mosques in Germany, one for every hundred who has arrived to spare the Germans the trouble and expense of building the mosques themselves.
Hardly anyone would have foretold the return of the Russia to the Middle East, spearheaded by a legion of forces who had honed their skill at "hybrid warfare" -- then an unknown term -- in Ukraine. Not just anyone mind you, but as Michael Weiss in the Daily Beast notes, "the Kremlin isn’t sending just any troops to prop up the Assad regime. It’s dispatching units that spearheaded Russia’s slow-rolling invasion of Ukraine."
Except one man: Osama bin Laden. Unlike the American public, which still expected its leaders to defend them against aggression on that fatal day, Bin Laden had come to the conclusion the American elite would run at the slightest difficulty. What convinced him was the precipitate withdrawal of American troops from Somalia in 1996 following the incident popularly known as Blackhawk Down.
The photos taken by Canadian photographer Paul Watson, of a dead American soldier being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu spelled the beginning of the end for U.S.-U.N. peacekeeping force. Domestic opinion turned hostile as horrified TV viewers watched images of the bloodshed—-including this Pulitzer-prize winning footage of Somali warlord Mohammed Aideed’s supporters dragging the body of U.S. Staff Sgt. William David Cleveland through the streets of Mogadishu, cheering. President Clinton immediately abandoned the pursuit of Aideed, the mission that cost Cleveland his life and gave the order for all American soldiers to withdraw from Somalia by March 31, 1994. Other Western nations followed suit.
When the last U.N. peacekeepers left in 1995, ending a mission that had cost more than $2 billion, Mogadishu still lacked a functioning government. The battle deaths, and the harrowing images prompted lingering U.S. reluctance to get involved in Africa’s crises, including the following year’s genocide in Rwanda. In 1996, Osama bin Laden cited the incident as proof that the U.S. was unable to stomach casualties: when “one American was dragged in the streets of Mogadishu you left; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear.” Never before or since had a photo altered a nation’s political destinies so much so.
Bin Laden knew that the weakness of the West lay, not in it's armed forces, technology or economy, but in the alienation of its own elites. Attempting to explain the complete capitulation of the Western decision makers to the refugee flood rushing at their borders Peggy Noonan notes in her Wall Street Journal article that the political and cultural elites no longer even regard territorial integrity as an existential issue. It was something well enough to have, but certainly nothing worth defending to the point of inconvenience; and most assuredly not unto the death.
Like the barons of yesteryear, they were secure in castles rising above the squalid countryside, safe from pestilence, hunger and even war. Noonan describes the modern aristocracy as a law unto themselves, living in a world unto itself, with more in common with foreign princes, other elite classes than with the commoners who surround them.
Rules on immigration and refugees are made by safe people. These are the people who help run countries, who have nice homes in nice neighborhoods and are protected by their status. Those who live with the effects of immigration and asylum law are those who are less safe, who see a less beautiful face in it because they are daily confronted with a less beautiful reality—normal human roughness, human tensions. Decision-makers fear things like harsh words from the writers of editorials; normal human beings fear things like street crime. Decision-makers have the luxury of seeing life in the abstract. Normal people feel the implications of their decisions in the particular.
The decision-makers feel disdain for the anxieties of normal people, and ascribe them to small-minded bigotries, often religious and racial, and ignorant antagonisms. But normal people prize order because they can’t buy their way out of disorder.
People in gated communities of the mind, who glide by in Ubers, have bought their way out and are safe. Not to mention those in government-maintained mansions who glide by in SUVs followed by security details. Rulers can afford to see national-security threats as an abstraction—yes, yes, we must better integrate our new populations. But the unprotected, the vulnerable, have a right and a reason to worry.
Economists describe this as the principal-agent problem. "The dilemma exists because sometimes the agent is motivated to act in his own best interests rather than those of the principal. ... Common examples of this relationship include corporate management (agent) and shareholders (principal), or politicians (agent) and voters (principal)." In layman's language, the principal-agent problem occurs when it is the interest of the agent to sell out the principal.
The problem arises where the two parties have different interests and asymmetric information (the agent having more information), such that the principal cannot directly ensure that the agent is always acting in its (the principal's) best interests, particularly when activities that are useful to the principal are costly to the agent, and where elements of what the agent does are costly for the principal to observe. Moral hazard and conflict of interest may arise. ... The deviation from the principal's interest by the agent is called "agency costs".
One warning sign of an incipient problem is when the agent actually prefers the company of the principal's enemies. "You don't negotiate deals with your friends. You negotiate them with your enemies," Obama told CNN's Fareed Zakaria. Jeremy Corbyn who is the leading candidate to head the UK Labour Party, takes a similar view. He thinks the solution to the collapse of Syria, besides admitting more refugees, is to talk to Britain's enemies in the region.
Shane Harris, writing in the Daily Beast, illustrates why Osama Bin Laden's insight into Western leadership was so accurate. There are none so blind as they who will not see. "More than 50 intelligence analysts working out of the U.S. military’s Central Command have formally complained that their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria were being inappropriately altered by senior officials, The Daily Beast has learned."
The complaints spurred the Pentagon’s inspector general to open an investigation into the alleged manipulation of intelligence. The fact that so many people complained suggests there are deep-rooted, systemic problems in how the U.S. military command charged with the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State assesses intelligence.
“The cancer was within the senior level of the intelligence command,” one defense official said.
Two senior analysts at CENTCOM signed a written complaint sent to the Defense Department inspector general in July alleging that the reports, some of which were briefed to President Obama, portrayed the terror groups as weaker than the analysts believe they are. The reports were changed by CENTCOM higher-ups to adhere to the administration’s public line that the U.S. is winning the battle against ISIS and al Nusra, al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, the analysts claim.
The reason so many voters may feel uneasy about Hillary Clinton's private email server, even if they can't articulate quite why, is the unease any principal feels at finding his agent has an unregistered cell phone with all the messages erased. It all goes back to Bin Laden's insight that the weakest link in the West is not the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines but the email server that gives them orders. Give the elites a way to weasel out and they'll take it.
And they've been taking it ever since. These cumulative disappointments have tended to undermine confidence in the leadership of the Western political class. If the process continues indefinitely the elites will eventually lose legitimacy. The first sign of declining confidence is the emergence of high-handed behavior in the agent, or what Victor Hanson calls "lawlessness".
This increases social agency costs dramatically, often to the point of paralysis. "Lawlessness" only exacerbates the agency problem. It does not solve it. The process of estrangement can go on for a long time. Ironically it is often marked by a deceptive passivity on the part of the principals, because they are no longer engaged in the relationship. The agents are thus lulled into complacent belief in the trust of the principal.
Yet despite the outward calm, it is a time of tremendous tension with everyone waiting for a trigger event which will initiate the clear break. There will be many false starts which portend a resolution, indeed some activists may even try to manufacture trigger events to precipitate things intentionally, only to see their efforts fizzle.
Such events are not so easily anticipated. Ironically a real trigger event will almost certainly be completely unexpected. No one -- or only very few -- will recognize a trigger's significance when it arrives. Only belatedly and after it takes a life of its own will it be identified. The best anyone can do is build up their networks to be ready for the day. The irksome thing about the future, is that except for climate scientists, Marxists and Islamists, it is hard to predict.
For most of the rest of the world the saga which began on September 11, 2001 still has no ending. Osama bin Laden was satisfied that the West would be weak enough to conquer. "It is written," he must have thought. Yet maybe he's wrong. In this age of wiped email servers and emergent forces, nothing is written.
Did you know that you can purchase some of these books and pamphlets by Richard Fernandez and share them with you friends? They will receive a link in their email and it will automatically give them access to a Kindle reader on their smartphone, computer or even as a web-readable document.
The War of the Words for $3.99, Understanding the crisis of the early 21st century in terms of information corruption in the financial, security and political spheres | {
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The Western Club Restaurant
Quick Facts
Scores are calculated from restaurant reviews of 5pm customers who have dined at the restaurant.
The Western Club Restaurant Review
Rating Fabulous (Rating 5/5)
First visit with friends. Wonderful!! Can't wait to take my husband. Great service, food and atmosphere. Even although we were there through 5 pm deal we were treated as all clients were. Lovely complimentary haggis bon bons, olives and melon. All enjoyed starters and mains. Finished off with cheese, liqueurs and coffee. | {
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Tony Ward: Fans have the right to feel conned
DESPITE their defeat to Munster on Saturday, Ulster's superb start to the season should surprise nobody. Much like the other provinces, the game in the north is built upon a very solid schools foundation and an ever-developing underage youth rugby structure too. It is far from perfect but with growing interest and the game extending ever further into Catholic schools, the future in the province is secure.
Because of my involvement with three different clubs – Garryowen, St Mary's and Greystones – there was barely a rugby ground in the nine counties that I didn't visit and, while some games may have been 'friendlies', there was always great tradition and prestige attached.
Playing Ulster at Ravenhill was a mighty ask. The supporters were passionate and vociferous and they had some outstanding players in some great teams. They enjoyed unprecedented success, with the Jimmy Davidson period in the 1980s perhaps the most successful and memorable to date.
Jimmy D had a 'Club Ulster' vision way ahead of his time and in players of the calibre of Philip Rainey, Trevor Ringland, Davy Irwin, Keith Crossan, Jimmy McCoy, Johnny McDonald, Willie Anderson, Willie Duncan, Nigel Carr, Philip Matthews, Stevie Smith and Davy Morrow had international class material with which to work.
There were great teams before, coinciding with the Mike Gibson and Jack Kyle eras, but factoring in victory over the all-conquering Grand Slam-winning Wallabies in '84, the Davidson dynasty takes some beating.
At least that is until now. On Saturday in Limerick a game was lost and a record fell. The background to that defeat is worth highlighting, for in the first half of the season what Mark Anscombe and Ulster achieved in winning 11 straight games was phenomenal and I'm not sure it has got the recognition it deserves.
Before the home and away fixtures of the Celtic League, an inter-provincial Grand Slam involved beating the other three provinces in the one season.
With professionalism and the Celtic League came home and away fixtures, thereby making six wins from six the perfect inter-provincial Grand Slam target.
But Team Ulster this season has gone so much further than that in creating a record that will be difficult to beat.
Bear in mind that those 11 straight wins included victories over all four Welsh regions on Welsh soil, plus the Italian two in Italy.
It means that from now to the Rabo Direct Pro12 play-offs they have to travel outside Ireland (to Glasgow and Edinburgh) just twice with six of their 10 remaining games at fortress Ravenhill.
All of which makes the background to last Saturday's defeat so much more disappointing. In effect, the IRFU player management policy (which applies to Munster and Leinster too) forced Anscombe's hand.
Even allowing for forthcoming Heineken Cup Rounds 5 and 6, I will take some convincing that the Ulster mentor would not have picked from a full hand and fielded a different starting 15 entirely were the national squad players available.
Of course, grabbing game-time for kids can be productive in its own right but those fans (from both sides of the border) who turned up on a horrendous December evening in Thomond were badly short-changed.
I think I speak for most when I cite the derby aspect as the most enticing element to Pro12 rugby.
I'm not sure quite how long the public will continue to support these hitherto appealing festive derbies. Certainly in Limerick on Saturday there was a feeling of being conned. What could have been a great contest and great occasion, irrespective of the weather, turned into predictable one-way fare.
Not, mind you, that Munster played particularly well, but certainly they did enough to win against a scratch, hugely inexperienced Ulster side. And if that (from the time the teams were announced on Friday) is not seen as conning the public (who would in most cases have bought their tickets long before), then I don't know what is.
I was in Belfast and Limerick, and though just eight days apart, they were different games in terms of intensity and competitive appeal.
Joe Schmidt may be struggling to retain the Heineken Cup but in terms of strength-in-depth at this point in time, Leinster still appear much further down that road than the rest.
That, however, is not the issue; the issue is about fielding the best 15 for a match and an inter-provincial series that should still matter to Irish rugby. However, much like the club game, I fear we have lost our way with the goalposts having shifted gradually and irreparably.
One thing's for sure – any hint of a repeat and fans will very soon be voting with their feet. | {
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PUBLIC
In our hands-on Newborn Care class, you will learn the basics of how to care for the newest addition to your family. Topics include diapering, bathing, umbilical cord stump care, and circumcision site care. You can pick up swaddling and sleeping tips from our Newborn Care expert and find answers to all of your baby care questions.
You will also have a chance to learn about typical newborn behaviors and patterns, and how to interact with your baby in an age appropriate and developmentally beneficial way. | {
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Live in the Kenyan wilderness and join our efforts to protect the endangered Rothschild Giraffe and other African wildlife
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Do conservation volunteer work in Kenya and help protect endangered animals and local ecosystems. This is an opportunity to see wildlife in their natural habitat, and learn from conservation experts in the heart of East Africa. You’ll be based at the Soysambu Conservancy, where we work to preserve biodiversity through research and monitoring methods.
The major focus of the project is the endangered Rothschild’s Giraffe. Only a few thousand remain in the wild, and a significant portion of the population lives in Soysambu. We need to protect the species before they become critically endangered. You’ll also do hands-on work, like removing alien plants and building waterholes for wild animals. All of your activities are supervised by experienced conservationists.
You’ll live and work in the conservancy, staying in a ranch house with other volunteers. Seize the opportunity to live in the savannah and have the ultimate African adventure!
Price Calculator
Flexi Trips > Kenya > African Savannah Conservation
End Date
Volunteers / Interns
ChildrenAges 3-14(reduced price)
Children aged 3-14 must be accompanied by at least one adult paying full price
We offer discounts for families and groups of friends travelling together. Call us on 01273 007 230 for more info.
Please note this calculator is for pricing information only. You will need to choose your final dates and duration on our application form.
Personalised MyProjectsAbroad website, with all the information you need about your project, accommodation and destination
A free cultural awareness course
Membership to our volunteer social media groups, to share information and to get in touch
Support to help you complete registration or internship documents, if applicable
What's not included?
Visa costs (where applicable)
Flights
Is a wildlife conservation volunteer opportunity in Kenya right for me?
This project is great for anyone passionate about protecting wildlife in Africa, and who has an interest in working in the great outdoors. It’s also a great opportunity to have an off-the-beaten-track adventure.
Pursuing a career in conservation? This project offers a perfect balance between research and doing hands-on work. You will learn directly from conservation experts, giving you a good all-round experience to add to your CV. You can use this experience in interviews and talk about what you learned and the challenges you faced.
This project runs year-round, and you can join from a minimum of one week. However, it is recommended to stay longer, as you’ll get to see and do much more.
What will I do on this project?
As a volunteer on this Conservation Project, you’ll support the work of local conservationists to protect wildlife in the Soysambu Conservancy. Here are some of the tasks you can expect to do during your placement:
Research the Rothschild giraffe and other endangered species
Set up camera traps and study animal behaviour
Conduct community outreaches
Remove invasive species
Maintain waterholes to ensure vital water access to wildlife
Your work will be divided into five main categories:
Endangered species research
Our major focus is to research the ecology of the Rothschild's giraffe and share this knowledge with other reserves. This is pioneering research that could determine the fate of this subspecies, as only a couple of thousand giraffes remain in the wild. Our work in Kenya goes a long way in maintaining a habitat where they can flourish and breed in peace.
Setup camera traps
As animals are very active by night, camera traps help us study their natural habitats, behaviours, and movements. You will be involved in setting up these cameras around the reserve. This will also serve as the perfect way to do mammal inventory. Inventory helps measure the success of our efforts, when counting a populations’ potential growth.
Community outreach
In addition to working in the reserve, you will also participate in a community outreach once a week on a Thursday. The outreach activities vary upon the needs of the community at the time. They could include:
Teaching children about the importance of protecting the environment
Teaching English
Playing sports like football
Building a toilet or oven
Invasive plant removal
Alien plant species are a big problem in Kenya. They destroy endemic plants that provide a habitat for the local wildlife. You’ll help remove these plants. You’ll also help clear and maintain trails to make sure visitors don’t wander off the dedicated paths. This helps protect indigenous plants.
Maintaining natural water holes for animals
You will help maintain water holes and boreholes. This will ensure that water is constantly stored for the animals, and is vital to their survival during times of drought.
Where in Kenya will I work?
Soysambu
During your time in Kenya, you will be based at the Soysambu Conservancy.
The conservancy is located in the heart of the ancient, beautiful Great Rift Valley in Nakuru County. Soysambu is in the Kenya Wildlife Service’s list of endangered ecosystems. This is why we need volunteers to support the work of local conservationists.
You will live with other volunteers at the conservancy in a ranch house, which has been modified into dormitory-style accommodation. Dormitories are separated according to gender. The house has an outside area for activities and a spacious living area for relaxing or socialising. You can choose to have your meals indoors or outdoors, and relax after a long day’s work while admiring the spectacular views.
Please note that electricity is only available in the evenings when the solar power is used.
AIRPORT PICKUP, FLIGHTS AND VISAS
When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Kenya Arrival Procedures page.
What is a typical day on this project like?
You usually work five days a week. Depending on the activities, you may be required to start earlier, finish later, or work over the weekend.
Work is divided up among all the volunteers using a weekly schedule. On a typical day you can expect to work from 8am to 12pm. Then, you will have a break with some time to eat, sleep, read and relax. After this, at around 2pm, you will go back out to work in the afternoon, when the heat starts to abate.
Workdays are usually split into physical and non-physical days. You’ll alternate between days for digging, cutting, and general physical labour. This is followed by days for collecting data, GPS mapping, and species research.
Evenings are spent cooking and eating, playing games, and preparing for the following day.
Trained local staff are on hand to supervise activities and provide support, and will accompany you wherever you go on the reserve. You will also be able to take part in workshops designed to teach you about different aspects of the project and the environment.
Since you will be sharing accommodation with your fellow volunteers, you will be able to spend your evenings and weekends getting to know each other better.
What are the aims of this wildlife conservation volunteer opportunity in Kenya?
The aim for this project is to preserve the ecological well-being of the area and ensure the survival of precious wildlife species.
Kenya is well known for safaris and wild animals that can be seen roaming from the roadsides. However, the human population continues to grow. There is an increasing threat of poaching, pollution, and damage caused by residential and commercial development. Reserves such as Soysambu create havens for wildlife and allow wilderness areas to flourish.
With such a wide range of research and practical work being done at Soysambu, you’ll gain a new range of skills. You will also get an increased awareness of the African landscape, its animals, and their ecology.
Our major focus in Soysambu is preserving the Rothschild’s Giraffe. Roughly 5% of the Rothschild Giraffe population live in Soysambu. The research we do is critical to ensuring that the species is able to thrive here.
We also strive to involve the local communities. At Soysambu, we work side-by-side with local communities. This includes running educational programmes and workshops in local schools. The goal is to share knowledge with children about the importance of protecting animals and the environment.
Management Plans
We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.
Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.
Measuring Our Impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Visiting Africa was a dream of mine for my whole life. I remember watching nature documentaries as a child and being enchanted by the variety of animals and habitats in the world.
De-snaring was the most popular activity among the volunteers because you see the results of your work straight away. The snares can leave nasty injuries on the animals so it is our job to remove them.
FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION
You'll stay at shared accommodation with other Projects Abroad volunteers in the reserve. This is a great way to get to know your fellow volunteers and share the experience of living in African savannah together.
The accommodation is safe, clean, and comfortable. Your programme fees include three meals a day.
LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND FREE TIME
Volunteering in Kenya is the perfect opportunity to explore this extraordinary country. With such a vast array of different activities, you’re sure to find plenty of ways to fill your evenings and weekends.
A trip to East Africa wouldn’t be complete without a safari. You can see wildlife like elephants, lions, and even the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, as you explore the savannahs.
Our projects are based in Nanyuki, which is known as the gateway to Mount Kenya. With this majestic mountain on your doorstep, it’s worth taking a day to hike around the base.
You can spend evenings at buzzing restaurants, listening to live music and trying some of the local dishes. Kenya also has must-see markets, with bright textiles and hand carved sculptures.
You can spend your free time exploring independently or travel with a group. With so many volunteers joining us throughout the year, you’re sure to make some new friends and travel buddies during your trip.
SAFETY AND STAFF SUPPORT
Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on-hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.
Meet the team in Kenya
Carol joined Projects Abroad in May 2013 as the Medical Coordinator for Kenya. She studied medical laboratory science and in her free time she enjoys dancing, travelling and making new friends.
Meet the team in Kenya
Peter Mugwe
Peter joined Projects Abroad as Volunteer & Sports Project Coordinator in August 2014. He was born and raised in Nairobi and will be one of the first staff members volunteers will meet when arriving in Kenya. Peter enjoys travelling, listening to music, watching football and meeting new people.
Meet the team in Kenya
Dennis Gakara Kamau
Dennis joined Projects Abroad in March 2015. He is responsible for overseeing the Care and Teaching projects in Nanyuki, Kenya. Dennis is an outdoor person and loves seeing new things! His hobbies include playing soccer, badminton and table tennis. He also loves reading and travelling, especially on safari!
Meet the team in Kenya
Tonny Kipkurui
Conservation Manager
Tonny joined Projects Abroad in June 2012. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and is currently pursuing his Masters in Conservation Biology. He started his career in conservation and wildlife research ten years ago and worked and volunteered with Kenya Wildlife Service Research Department in the Masai Mara. When he is not immersed in his work, he enjoys meeting new people.
Meet the team in Kenya
Charles Matankory
Conservation Coordinator
Charles joined Projects Abroad in May 2014, bringing in vast knowledge and over 15 years of experience in conservation. He has previously worked with international organisations including the World Wide Fund for Nature. In his free time he loves listening to music and bird watching.
Meet the team in Kenya
Imane Valsan
Volunteer Advisor
Imane was born in France. After studying history and literature, she decided to travel to Africa. She is always interested in discovering something new and started working for Projects Abroad in July 2015 as a Volunteer Advisor.
Meet the team in Kenya
Jurine Freeman
Volunteer Advisor
Jurine was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa; in 2004, she studied tourism management and human resource development at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She joined the Projects Abroad team in February 2016. Her tips for new volunteers: always keep an open mind as it takes great courage to step out of one’s comfort zone. In her spare time, she enjoys winetasting, watching movies and series, and keeping fit with her daily workouts.
Meet the team in Kenya
Gabriela Estrada
Volunteer Advisor
Gabriela was born in Guadalajara, she has a degree in Foreign Languages. She has worked as an English teacher and translator for several years and she joined the Projects Abroad team in 2016. She loves spending time with her family and friends, reading, going to concerts and cultural events. Gabriela has had the opportunity to travel through South America and Western Europe.
Not quite what you’re looking for?
Take a look at the following pages where you'll find collections of similar projects: | {
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Rumored Buzz on Adelaide Best Affordable Search Engine Optimization
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Four Must-Dos for CIOs Networking Online
Executives exploring options outside their current company are often in need of job search etiquette tips. Especially since the immediacy and transparency of today's technology can easily create an uncomfortable situation. So how can you avoid being "that guy" while still incorporating social networking tools into your job hunt?
A good first rule of thumb: If you find yourself hesitating before clicking send, stop and review what you're doing. Laying the right groundwork with your network can also help protect your reputation.
Organize your contacts by trust level. Say you've decided it's time to look for a new job and want to begin to contact people in your network. You should be building concentric circles based on trust levels and initiate contact with your core trusted resources first. But you may want to modify the tone of your conversation from, "Get me the heck out of here!" to "I'm seeking more challenge than my current company offers," depending on your relationship with your contact.
Never talk trash. Bashing your current employer to professional contacts is never acceptable. Too many networking conversations begin with, "Of course this must be kept confidential, but so-and-so said..." Dishing dirt is infinitely appealing, but the world we work in is a small one. It's far too easy for your name to be sullied when you toss around negative opinions.
Be direct in your requests for help. Job seekers commonly make the mistake of being too hesitant to ask for help right off the bat. Don't simply ask networking contacts to keep you on their radar screen. Most of us have about 5,000 people on our radar screens that we've completely forgotten about. We all have good intentions when we use that phrase, but it's too passive to be effective. It's human nature to want to help someone in need, and people remember the times they're able to provide real assistance.
So make that easy for them. Imagine you contact a former CEO and tell her you're being downsized. Here are two ways she could view that conversation after you hang up, depending on how you direct it: 1) "I got a call from Bob today. He's losing his job. [sigh] So many folks are being cut; the economy just sucks right now." Or, 2) "I got a call from Bob today. He's losing his job. He asked me for the names of three companies I respect so he could research them. I named X, Y and Z. I'm really glad I was able to help him."
Which conversation seems more memorable? The yet-another-boat-anchor depressing one or the one that was action-oriented and positive? Develop a list of short tasks that will advance your search in tactical and practical ways. By keeping the tasks small and not too time-consuming, you're being respectful of people's calendars and increasing your chance for a positive outcome.
Be present online. Capitalize on tools such as LinkedIn and use your status updates wisely. Share an article once a month. Twice a month, swap out a book on your Amazon reading list. Regularly look for industry events or webinars and indicate you're interested in attending, or join a professional group.
It's up to you to keep your name out there by conducting yourself professionally online. Folks really read their LinkedIn network's updates. What you share can demonstrate your effort to improve yourself and position yourself as a thought leader.
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Earl Bascom also continued his innovative contributions to the sport of rodeo by designing and making rodeo's first hornless bronc saddle inrodeo's first one-hand bareback rigging inand the first high-cut rodeo chaps in Professional cowgirls also compete in bronc and bull riding, team roping and calf roping under the auspices of the PWRA, a WPRA subsidiary. The original one-handed rigging was made by Bascom from a section of rubber belting discarded from a threshing machinewith the entire rigging - the handhold and bow hunting in japan body - all made as one piece. When the rider is ready, the gate of the bucking chute is opened and the horse bursts out and begins to baller deutsch. Accessed February 5,
Rodeo rider Video
Saddle Bronc Riding These contestants were young, often from an urban background, and chose rodeo for its athletic rewards. Buzkashi Cowboy polo Equestrian drill team Jereed cirit Pato Polo Polocrosse Team chasing. Rodeo's performance level permits pageantry and ritual which serve to "revitalize the spirit of the Old West" while its contest level poses a man-animal opposition that articulates the transformation of nature and "dramatizes and perpetuates the conflict between the wild and the tame. African Americans constitute a smaller minority of rodeo contestants, though many early rodeo champions, such as Nat Love , were African American. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. It was originally named the Cowboys Turtle Association, later became the Rodeo Cowboys Association, and finally the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in Rodeos have long been a popular competitor and spectator sport in Australia, but were not run on an organized basis until the s. Links auf dieses Wörterbuch oder einzelne Übersetzungen sind herzlich willkommen! Each competitor climbs onto a horse, which is held in a small pipe or wooden enclosure called a bucking chute. In the s, the Black World Championship Rodeo was held in New York City and other locations across the United States. The Stampede also incorporated mythical and historical elements, including Native Indians in full regalia, chuckwagon races, the Mounted Police, and marching bands. Associations also exist for Native Americans and other minority groups. University of New Mexico Press. Some other cities and states have passed similar prohibitions. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Chilean Rodeo Federation has criticized the lack of governmental funding and has pointed out that rodeo reaches a part of the population that does not have access to other Chilean sports. Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States. Associations also exist for Native Americans and other minority groups. Such contests often are unregulated, with a higher risk of injury to human participants and poor treatment of animals than in traditionally-sanctioned events, particularly if consumption of alcoholic beverages by participants is permitted. The PRCA takes the position that the organization does this and even goes beyond expectation. | {
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} |
Court upholds sentence in 2004 Westminster home invasion
The Carroll County Circuit Court recently upheld a 95-year sentence for Edinson Ramirez, who was convicted in July 2005 for his role in a 2004 Westminster home invasion and shooting of an area landscaper for whom he once worked.
Ramirez, of Westminster, has been serving his sentence at the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, but requested that the court amend his sentence, arguing that prior to his conviction, he had a relatively minor criminal record, according to court documents.
He also indicated that he is of relatively young age and argued that the court did not treat all of the defendants in the crime equally, court records state.
According to court documents, in October 2004, Ramirez and Jerry Burkett broke into the home of Linda and Rodney Hidey, threatening to kill them and their 7-year-old daughter until they opened a safe inside the home, which contained about $80,000 in cash.
Rodney Hidey, who once employed Ramirez, was beaten and shot in the leg during the ordeal.
Ramirez and Burkett tied up the family before they left the home, according to court documents. Hidey was able to free himself and then call police.
The case remained unsolved until January 2005 when Naomi Ruth Burkett, Burkett's wife, told police that her husband and Ramirez had committed the armed robbery with her assistance.
Burkett told police that she helped plan the robbery and drove the pair's vehicle the night of the robbery.
Naomi Burkett received an 18-month sentence for her involvement, while her husband received a 30-year sentence, and 25 of those years without parole.
The three-member panel of judges concluded that Ramirez committed violent crimes that "surely continue to impact lives," according to court documents.
The court learned in August 2013 that the defendant only knew the safe was in the house because Hidey employed Ramirez to help him build the home and set the safe in the basement floor, court documents state.
The court found that Ramirez's intimate knowledge of the Hidey home made the crime "even more heinous," according to court documents.
Following a jury trial from July 11 to July 15, 2005, Ramirez was convicted on multiple counts, including two counts of armed robbery, two counts of robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, two counts of first degree assault, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, felony, theft, first degree burglary, and possession of an unregistered rifle or shotgun.
A Washington state man found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in September stemming from a 2012 Eldersburg shooting was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole Tuesday in Carroll County Circuit Court. | {
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ForeignRights
It all started back in 2014. Three years have passed since Combel launched the first title of Agus & Monsters’ series. We met Agus, Mr. Flat and a bunch of amazing and funny creatures. Then everything changed. Sometimes it can be difficult to encourage kids to read. We are all aware of how struggling it is […] | {
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Traditionally, countries in Africa have been slow to benefit from technological advances. But the small East African nation of Rwanda may be ahead of everyone when it comes to drone technology. After launching the first large-scale drone delivery program (for transporting emergency medical supplies) in 2016, Rwanda today announced a new regulatory policy to streamline commercial drone innovation and approvals. Called “performance-based regulations” the policies specify the level of safety a drone operator has to reach but leave it up to the operator how to achieve it. With drone technology changing so quickly, the Rwandan Aviation Authority didn’t want to hold back innovation by requiring specific designs or technologies as requirements for regulatory approval.
Rwanda broke the news today in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum meeting. The country developed its new policy in collaboration with the WEF’s new Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco. “They came to us and said we want to be the world’s leader on this technology. Help us create the most enabling, well-designed policy,” says Zvika Krieger, who heads technology policy and partnerships at the center. The Rwandan drone policy is the first of what the WEF aims to be a steady stream of pilot projects for template policies that can be adapted over and over for other governments or business sectors. You can learn a lot more about the center in my deep-dive profile. | {
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CB Cliff Harris Surprise Cut for Eagles
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All 32 NFL teams have until Monday at 4 p.m. ET to trim rosters from 90 players down to 75. The Eagles used the weekend to get a head start on the first wave of cuts ahead of the season opener against the Browns on Sept. 9. On Saturday, the names included WR Elvis Akpla, S Wade Bonner, DE Xavier Brown, WR Brian Hernandez, WR McKay Jacobson, WR Tiger Jones, G Alfred McCullough, S Tom Nelson, CB Kevin Thomas and T Thomas Welch.
Nothing particularly surprising since all were long shots to make the roster. Then Sunday morning came this news; cornerback Cliff Harris was also released. Harris was a former college All-American at Oregon after an eight-interception effort following the 2010 season, and on top of that he was a dangerous return man. On the field, there was plenty to like, and along with Damaris Johnson, the Eagles had landed two of the biggest names among rookie undrafted free agents. But also like Johnson, Harris' off-field baggage was the reason he went undrafted.
Still, the news of his release comes as a shock. As CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank writes, the Eagles are aging at the position (Nnamdi Asomugha and Joselio Hanson are 31) and depth remains an issue.
Why didn't Harris make the cut here? At the top of the list is the idea that he didn't play well enough to beat out a talented group of cornerbacks, and it's hard to dispute that after watching practice every day and after three preseason games. Harris needs to add strength and he needs to refine his technique and he still needs to learn to approach the game as a professional. Talent alone doesn't get it done in this league. Every player has talent.
Spadaro adds that it didn't help that Harris missed OTAs because of the NCAA rules prohibiting players from working out with NFL teams until their college graduations. And while Harris showed well early in camp, he wasn't the same once he suffered an ankle injury.
And this happens every August. Those under-the-radar players that fans and media think should have an impact because of their college successes struggle to make the transition to the NFL game. We'll no doubt hear that the Eagles could've kept Harris around for another few days, giving him one last look in the final preseason game, and if they remained unimpressed they could've stash him on the practice squad.
But here's the thing; it's rarely the case that a rookie undrafted free agent gets cut and goes onto a Hall of Fame career. Does it happen? Sure. But for every Kurt Warner or James Harrison's there are thousands of names we never heard or can't remember. That's not to condemn Harris' career before it starts, more a commentary on just how good NFL personnel departments are.
This isn't the end for Harris, though; NFL teams will always need good cornerbacks. He can still catch on with a club, and if it doesn't happen this season, he'll have a year to train and try it again in 2013. | {
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Contents
Baldanders was first conceived by shoemaker and writer Hans Sachs after reading the description of Proteus in The Odyssey. According to Sachs’ and collected descriptions, the Baldanders is a creature that is symbolic for the continual change in nature and society as well as the importance of familiarizing oneself with the common from another perspective. Its name is derived from the combination of German words for Soon (Bald) and Another (Anders).
Baldanders was later featured in a novel by Grimmelshausen, Simplicius Simplicissimus to which the creature was further elaborated on by the alternate author and even illustrated on the cover page. In it, the hero of the story stumbles upon a stone statue of an ancient Germanic god. Once touched by the protagonist, the statue explains that it is the Soon-Another or Baldanders to which the statue demonstrates its powers and transforms into a variety of objects.
Baldanders are often described as having a human torso and head, having either a single goat leg attached to the hip or a goat leg and a bird leg together as well as large bird wings and a fish tail. The rendition in Grimmelshausen's novel depicts the baldanders carrying a sword sheathed on a belt as well as a large book containing drawn pictures of all the forms they have taken. Their primary goal it seems is to change into as many shapes and objects in existence as possible.
Baldanders is a regular character in the bi-weekly, alternate history webcomic What Happened When created by Andrew Scott and Carlos Morote.[1] In this comic's alternate universe, Baldanders fulfils his original role as a 'Trickster' who also gives sage advice to his fellow members of The Ghost Club concerning an epidemic of rage-fuelled madness in Victorian London presumably caused by an onslaught of souls returning from the land of the dead.
The Baldanders is also mentioned in Japanese video games. In the Sega Mega Drive game Curse, the player controls the Baldanders star fighter, which was created by an ancient alien super technology. The PlayStation 2 and portable game Puyo Puyo Fever 2 features a character who is a large dog in knight's armor named Baldanders. In the game Final Fantasy XIII, Baldanders is an antagonist and fal'Cie who poses as a human named Galenth Dysley; in the English translation, his name is Latinized as Barthandelus. In the board-game-like Culdcept, Baldanders is a creature that temporarily changes into different, random creature every time it fights. In Kazuhiro Fujita's manga, Ushio and Tora, Baldanders appears in the form of a small child, but also can become a ghost-like entity when fighting. | {
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Texas denies Medicaid coverage for autism therapy for kids
Like many parents of children with autism, Braulio De La Cruz sought an expensive therapy called applied behavioral analysis — or ABA – when his son Noah Leonardo was diagnosed last year.
Noah, now 3 years old, qualifies for Medicaid coverage because he had been approved for Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and his neurologist sent paperwork to get the state to cover the therapy. But Medicaid officials rejected the request. Braulio De La Cruz appealed the decision, but that effort hit a major roadblock last fall when the state suddenly said the Medicaid program would not cover behavioral therapy.
Now De La Cruz and other parents — who say their children with autism are legally entitled to such treatment — are butting heads with Texas officials. And without Medicaid coverage, they must either forgo the therapy or find a way to pay for individual insurance plans that help pick up the costs.
De La Cruz has turned to an individual Humana plan to cover his son’s therapy. But it costs him $198 a month, a small fortune when he is watching expenses closely while preparing to go back to school to study nursing. And the cost goes beyond just the premium.
“The most difficult part is the deductible,” he said. “It’s $6,500 – it’s pretty outrageous that you have to pay that before anything is covered.”
In addition, the effects of the Texas rejection of ABA coverage were compounded for many families by a controversial state decision to cut back on Medicaid payments for other home-based therapy services for children, including many that youngsters with autism might use.
Representatives for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission declined to comment for this story, except to say that Texas, like other states, is reviewing guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on this issue. Texas Sens. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, chair of the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee;Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, vice chair of that committee; and Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, also declined to comment.
Dan Unumb, executive director of the Legal Resource Center at Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group for families, said if federal officials don’t weigh in, Texas families may have to turn to litigation to convince the state not to resist covering behavioral analysis. De La Cruz says he is considering a suit if the state doesn’t change it course.
“I don’t know if they’ll continue to draw a line in the sand, and I don’t know what steps CMS may be taking,” Unumb says. “My sense is that there’s many layers to things in Texas.”
A Federal Directive
In 2014, CMS advised states that they must cover medically necessary care for Medicaid-eligible children with autism up to age 21. Advocates say that includes therapies a doctor deems necessary for a child, including behavioral analysis, which uses positive reinforcement to encourage behavioral modification and can run from $60 to $150 an hour.
Some states – California, Virginia and Maine, for example – needed very little prodding to put policies in place. Others, including Ohio and Florida, did so only after being hit with court suits.
But Texas responded slowly. One of the advocates at the center of the debate is Shylo Bundy. When her daughter, who also qualified for Medicaid through the SSI program, was diagnosed with autism at 15 months of age, the toddler’s doctor prescribed 30 to 40 hours a week of behavioral therapy. Medicaid officials denied the coverage. Bundy, an attorney, immediately put her law skills to work, spending months appealing, making phone calls and contacting legislators until she eventually got the state to reverse the decision. Bundy and her husband have traded off not working so that someone can be home to take care of their daughter.
After her success, Bundy began a pro bono effort to help a handful of other families get Medicaid coverage, too.
In 2015, she and others were having regular meetings with legislators and Texas Health and Human Services officials. Bundy said she thought state officials were gearing up to add behavioral therapy to standard Medicaid coverage for children with autism, which generally includes occupational, speech and physical therapy.
But that stopped after the Legislature last year did not pass a bill to license behavioral therapists. Legislators opposed licensure for several professions, saying it was overregulation. Shortly afterward, the state stopped covering autism behavioral therapy.
“The state had said what would make them feel better about Medicaid covering ABA was if [therapists] were licensed,” Bundy says. “It’s not required under Medicaid law, and many other states provide ABA without licensure. But we were working on getting a licensure bill passed. When it didn’t pass, the state cut all those people off [from ABA].”
Bundy says that the state had approved only 10 children for the therapy – including her daughter — and all but two were left without the therapy. State officials have not made clear why coverage continues for those two.
Not ‘A Defined Benefit’
Peter Hofer, senior litigation attorney for Disability Rights Texas, is representing De La Cruz and some families who lost coverage. One of them was left with $30,000 in bills when behavioral therapy that had been approved for Medicaid coverage was discontinued for their 6-year-old son. Medicaid refused to pay for therapy he had already received, Hofer said.
After contacting state officials last September, Hofer received a reply two months later from Gary Jessee, the associate commissioner for Texas Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, another federal-state program that provides coverage to kids from lower-income families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. The letter said the state does not have to cover behavioral therapy because federal officials listed it as only one of several treatments and did not mandate that behavioral analysis be covered.
“In response to your contention that the July 2014 CMS guidance requires that [Texas] provide ABA to your client, Texas Medicaid respectfully must disagree with your conclusion,” Jessee wrote. “Texas Medicaid currently provides medically necessary services to children with autism spectrum disorders, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy and nutrition counseling. … ABA is not currently a defined benefit in the Texas Medicaid program.”
In early 2016, Hofer sent a complaint against the state of Texas and a request for assistance and intervention to CMS.
Bob Moos, a public affairs specialist for CMS, said that federal officials are discussing the behavioral therapy issue with Texas officials, but he declined to give any details.
Expensive But Effective
Abbi Coursolle, an attorney with the National Health Law Program, a national advocacy group, said Medicaid must cover behavioral therapy if that is prescribed by a child’s doctor. Physical, occupational, speech, and nutrition therapies are not a replacement for behavioral therapy, she adds.
“A few other states have tried making that argument and have not succeeded,” Coursolle said of Jessee’s assertion.
“Texas is beginning to look like an outlier here,” she said. “Over half of the other states have moved to do something. As far as I’m aware, Texas is the only state digging in its heels and saying they won’t do it at all.”
Some of the issues have been litigated. Even before the 2014 CMS directive, at least two federal courts have ruled in favor of children seeking behavioral analysis therapy services from Ohio and Florida.
Unumb said behavioral analysis is a very resource-intensive therapy, but that it can make a huge difference in children’s lives.
“ABA is based on scientific research,” Unumb says. “For many kids it takes upwards of 30 hours a week of intensive therapy to achieve desired results. That sounds like a lot, but when you’re looking at a lifetime of consequence, and at the dramatic difference it can make, it makes sense to comply with the law.”
Bundy can attest to that dramatic difference. She said her daughter’s speech was at the level of an infant when she began behavioral therapy at 18 months old. After six months of that therapy, her speech had reached age level, and Bundy was told that she should be able to start school in a regular classroom without needing long-term support.
“She is proof that early and intensive ABA works,” Bundy said.
By Kate Harrington, Kaiser Health News
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy research and communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. | {
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Bringing Buyers and Sellers Together!
Commercial / Busines | 1.180 AC | | 5965 SF | $299,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
FLEXIBLE USES
SPACE TO EXPAND
This remodeled barn with original floors offers many options for the buyer. great location in Augusta county just on the outskirts of Waynesboro. Wide open space on the main floor and upstairs which offers more space. individual offices have baseboard heat and window unit. New roof with Virginia frame warranty. Access easement. Attached 2 vehicle garage under the main floor with good outside access to load your vehicle. Upgraded electric w/ample outlets. Let your imagination go on this property. Priced below assessment. $299,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
Single Family | 0.200 AC | 3 BR | 2.00 BA | 1272 SF | $134,900
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
NEW LISTING
SPRING INTO ACTION
in this 3 bedroom, 2 bath home, situated on a corner lot in the Wayne Hills area. Home features eat in kitchen, plus a dining room. You can enjoy summer barbecues on the back deck just of the family room. The handy person of the house will love the detached workshop/garage. Priced at $134,900
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
Single Family | 0.300 AC | 3 BR | 2.00 BA | 1885 SF | $199,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
NEW LISTING
ONE STORY YOU WILL LOVE
You will love the cleanliness of this one level home situated on a nice level lot. Features hardwood floors and nice eat in kitchen. Full basement with a fireplace which is ready for gas logs. Living room has a gas log fireplace. New deck.& a fenced area with new vinyl fencing.. Price $199,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
Single Family | 0.200 AC | 2 BR | 1.00 BA | 1395 SF | $127,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
NEW LISTING
WHY RENT-WHEN YOU CAN OWN?
Great home for the first time home buyer with lots of potential to expand. The family room could be separated into a 3rd bedroom. You will love the covered front porch for relaxation. The basement has room to finish the perfect man cave. New roof in 2011 & the tin portion painted 2 yrs ago. $127,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
Lot / Acreage | 1.080 AC | | $58,000
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
PERFECT PLACE FOR YOUR HOME
build your dream home!! Nice building lot with plenty of room to roam. Conveniently located between Staunton and Waynesboro. Public water and public sewer is available. Hurry now to get started. Price-$58,000.
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
Commercial / Busines | 0.050 AC | 0 BR | 0.10 BA | 406 SF | $49,900
Nancy Boyers Principal Broker, ABR, CDPE540-476-4744
PRICED REDUCED
OFFICE SPACE
This office unit is on the second floor of the Monroe Building in Stoneridge. It is unique in the layout due to an extra entrance door to one of the offices. Ideal for one to use one of the offices and rent out the other office and share the common area which allows your investment to work for you. Now offering for $49,900. | {
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Steals & Deals
On Sale!
Why only offer luxuriously convenient espresso when we can offer luxuriously convenient espresso and coffee? We're pretty sure these were the exact thoughts running through Nespresso's mind when they created their newest machine - VertuoLine. Nespresso's latest creation utilizes separate (and updated) espresso and coffee capsules with a unique integrated bar code per blend. Learn More
With a powder coated aluminum handle and stainless steel base, this Reg Barber espresso tamper is useful and easy on the eyes! These powder coated handles are interchangeable with Reg Barber tamper bases, allowing you to try different tamper base styles and sizes. With a beautiful glossy finish, this espresso tamper is sure to make a great addition to your kitchen! Learn More
Named one of the best new products of 2011, the Baratza Vario-W Burr Grinder not only gives you the ability to create that precise grind for your ideal shots, but it has also been upgraded to incorporate weight. Using real-time weight-based grinding with a built-in electronic scale, all you need to do is set your weight preference and the Vario-W will do the rest.
Learn More | {
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HORiZON | December 1, 2014 | 1.74 MB TTS DIVA UHE Classic Electronica is a powerful and versatile soundbank designed to bring you the sound of classic EDM for users of u-he's Diva synth. You'll find 100 high quality presets as well as 13 FLP Files and 13 MIDI construction kits in many popular EDM styles such as: Electro, Deep House, Classic Trance, Classic Techno, and more classical sounds. This...
Arksun Soundbank for Sylenth FXB
Arksun Soundbank for Sylenth FXB | 21.53 MB Sylenth1, created by Lennar Digital, is a remarkably fat sounding synth. With the emphasis on high quality oscillators and filters I was immediately drawn to its sound. Despite not having as much modulating possibilities as some other great soft synths out there right now, I was able to squeeze a surprising amount of sonic range out of it.Almost 3... | {
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Recipes, Thoughts and Travel – Life in and Out of the Kitchen
Movin’
Guys, sorry I’ve been the worst at writing lately. We’re moving on Monday, so everything is packed away in the kitchen. In the meantime, here’s what we made as our last full home-cooked meal in the old place: Roasted Chicken and a Kale, Apple & Roasted Butternut Squash salad.I’ve loved this apartment but I’m really excited to move into the new place with Bren and really make it “ours.” Also, two words: Gourmet. Kitchen.Be back soon! | {
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BS in biology with an informal emphasis on animal behavior and behavioral ecology, as well as more psych and philosophy courses than I care to countWorking on an MS in biology prior to Ph.D work
Logged
While progress the progress of science owes much to such admirable human traits as intelligence, creativity, perseverance, and precision, it is also retarded by equally human but less admirable characteristics such as prejudice, jealousy, short-sightedness, and stupidity~Biogeography textbook
Whether I'm an expert at any of these is debatable (though knowledge of historical fencing is so unusual that I may very well be an expert).
Wow.!!!
. I always wanted to try fencing.
Logged
"i had learn to focus i what i could do rather what i couldn't do", Rick Hansen when asked about getting a disabling spinal cord injury at 15. He continues to raise money for spinal cord research and inspire peoople to "make a difference". He doesnt preach any religion.
Fifteen years experience in the environmental engineering field as well as industrial waste clean ups and emergency response.
Awesome.
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"i had learn to focus i what i could do rather what i couldn't do", Rick Hansen when asked about getting a disabling spinal cord injury at 15. He continues to raise money for spinal cord research and inspire peoople to "make a difference". He doesnt preach any religion.
Fencing is really fun. There are lots of places that teach it around here, but I'm not sure of the situation where you live. I say give it a try if you can. Though I teach foil I'd recommend epee since it makes more intuitive sense.
I have an extensive knowledge of human anatomy/physiology and pharmocology, the only relevant things that I would consider myself an expert on.
Cool.
Logged
"i had learn to focus i what i could do rather what i couldn't do", Rick Hansen when asked about getting a disabling spinal cord injury at 15. He continues to raise money for spinal cord research and inspire peoople to "make a difference". He doesnt preach any religion.
Fencing is really fun. There are lots of places that teach it around here, but I'm not sure of the situation where you live. I say give it a try if you can. Though I teach foil I'd recommend epee since it makes more intuitive sense. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
LAS VEGAS — Carlos Santana frowns. The look is so uncharacteristic, because this whole afternoon his expression runs consistently from beatific to boyish and back. He riffs amiably about receiving inspiration from angels and discloses secrets about his quest for the “universal tone,” about how he learned to distill longing and joy in a single note — that pristine, piercing Santana sound that’s instantly recognizable from San Francisco to Singapore.
But now he’s standing on a hotel balcony 43 stories up, where a photographer has just asked him to climb onto a table, the better to pose against the neon skyline.
The guitar player balks: “Why do I have to be put on a pedestal?”
Awkward pause.
Santana winks. He’ll do it, on the promise that the effect will not be pedestal-like.
At 66, he has an uneasy relationship with the pedestal — the one that he at once covets, disdains and sometimes doubts he deserves. The one that people want to place him upon — except when they don’t, during those dispiriting droughts when the music-buying public all but forgets him. | {
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Pages
May 29, 2014
Don't you want to find a cure? (Memoirs of a Cancer Nurse)
During my employment on P-12 at MD Anderson, I saw a lot of patients battling very rare cancers.
One such cancer was Cardiac Sarcoma--cancer of the heart. This cancer is a very fast-growing and aggressive cancer, often attacking otherwise healthy young people. During my year at MD Anderson, I treated 3 men with this cancer. Just months before diagnosis, they had all been healthy young fathers and husbands without a care in the world. By the time I was their nurse, they were quite ill and just trying to stay stabilized and well enough in order to receive chemotherapy. This could be quite tricky because as you might guess, when there is a tumor in your heart, it really puts a damper on your health and ability to handle even the slightest amount of stress, so getting these patients on a treatment schedule was not easy.
The last heart sarcoma patient I cared for had flown to MD Anderson with his wife from across the country in order to seek treatment. He was young, otherwise healthy and fit, and had two daughters (ages 2 and 4) at home waiting for him.
He had already gone through a few chemotherapy treatments and was now just waiting for his blood counts to come back up before being able to start another round of chemo.
When I walked into his room for the first time, he was slowly walking back to his bed from the bathroom, clutching his IV pole, and looking a little short of breath. I quickly glanced at the heart monitor reading: 220 beats per minute (average should be between 60-100).
I got a little freaked out and looked to the night nurse who was giving me report before heading home. "He's been doing this all night," she said. "The doctors are well aware, the lowest his heart rate has been is 130 bpm while he sleeps."
Holy moly!
Stabilizing and caring for this patient very quickly became my #1 priority. I paged the sarcoma docs and asked them to see him as soon as they could that morning. Within a hour this poor guy was placed on strict bed rest to keep his heart rate from rising so high and placing so much stress on his diseased heart. He was also placed on several new medications to hopefully stabilize his vitals. I spent a lot of time in his room that day caring for him and had the chance to get to know he and his wife.
At one point in his career he had been an FBI agent working in the field and had always been in great shape. "And now," he chuckled through labored breathing, "here I am: can't even walk to the bathroom without feeling like I've run a marathon! Oh, and I can't tell you how excited I am about this urinal business!" he smirked holding up his bedside urinal he would have to use now that he was no longer allowed out of bed. Poor guy. I really felt for him, but despite his situation, he retained a light-hearted sense of humor and remained pretty pleasant and optimistic.
"Honey, we'll just focus on getting you some rest and getting you healthy so we can continue the treatment and hopefully go home in a few weeks," his wife said. They were such a nice and good-looking couple together and they showed me pictures of their beautiful little girls. I could only imagine how hard it was for them to be away from their children and I felt all the more determined to help my patient get the treatment he needed in order to return to them in health.
A week later I had this gentleman as my patient once more.
He didn't look any better that day and he seemed to be pretty discouraged. His resting heart rate was 140bpm.
"They took the post-chemo CT scan of my chest yesterday," he said. "My wife should be here any minute and the doctors said they'd be coming by with the results soon." He looked a little nervous laying there in bed that morning waiting for the doctors to come.
"My wife, she wants me to keep fighting," he continued. "And I want to keep fighting if I have a chance......but if I'm dying.....if this chemotherapy isn't working......I want to know. I know my heart is beating twice as fast as it should. I feel like crap.......I don't want to die in this hospital.....if I'm going to die, I want to fly home while I still can and spend my last days with my little girls." He looked at me pleadingly and grabbed my hand. "Please, I just want to know the truth....even if it's bad. I just want to be able to go home while I still can, you know?"
"Of course," I said. "I'll go print out your lab results from this morning for the doctors and be back."
My heart fell for this patient. He seemed to be giving up hope, but he had so much to live for! He was so young with a great career and beautiful family. A part of me wanted to encourage him to just keep fighting, yet....if seeing his little girls again was the most important thing to him, then maybe continuing to fight was not what my patient needed to do......
While I checked all of my patient's morning blood work on the computer at the nurse's station, I clicked on the results of the CT scan. The report stated that while there appeared to be a small amount of necrotic (dead) tissue in the center of his tumor, the tumor itself had doubled in size in the past month. My heart sank.
I am no radiologist, but it was very apparent from the scan that this tumor was destroying his heart. In a way I was very impressed that my patient was still alive with something taking up so much space and closing off so much of his ventricles and main vessels.
Within an hour I was back in the patient's room while the team of sarcoma doctors and residents came filing in to give him the CT scan results.
"Well, good news! It looks like the chemotherapy is working, and the tumor is responding and dying. I think we'll be able to start another round of chemo. within a few days," the doctor smiled. Wait, what? Did he just say what I thought he said?!
My patient's wife let out an audible sigh and smiled through her tears. My patient looked a little skeptical and glanced quickly at me for some reassurance. I tried to keep the confusion I felt from reaching my face.
"You know, I really don't feel well and my heart rate is so high just laying here." my patient said. "I know I'm not a doctor, but isn't that kind of a bad thing? I just.....I don't want to go through another treatment and then get too sick to go home."
"Well, you do have a big tumor in your heart so it's no surprise that your heart rate is high, but the tumor is dying and I think you'll tolerate another round of chemotherapy well. I do recommend that we continue to move in this positive direction while the tumor is weakened," the doctor replied.
"Definitely, let's keep moving in this direction," my patient's wife said, squeezing her husband's hand. Satisfied, my patient nodded his head and smiled. The room was filled with smiles, hope, relief, and optimism.....yet I remained silent and unmoving in the corner of the room. I felt like I had been electrocuted by the conversation that had just taken place. What about the part of the CT scan that showed that my patient's tumor had nearly doubled in size?! What about the fact that my patient's condition was not improving and that his greatest desire was to see his little girls again?
Perplexed, I followed the doctors out of the patient's room and pulled one of the residents aside.
"Um.....you know, I'm a little confused," I began hesitantly (assertiveness is NOT my forte). "I know I'm no radiologist and I know that the patient's CT scan mentioned some necrosis of the tumor's center......but the CT scan also showed a lot of tumor growth, something that was never mentioned to the patient......"
She just looked at me blankly. "So?"
"So," I continued, "I think he should know that his tumor is still rapidly growing. He told me this morning that he does not want to die in this hospital. He has two little girls back home who he wants to see before he dies and he wants to know if it's getting bad so that he can go home and be with them. Don't you think he should know about the tumor growth so he can make that decision?!"
"Okay, wait. His tumor is growing, but there is necrosis there, meaning that it is starting to die. This treatment is working."
"But what of the cancer doesn't die before it kills him?!"
The resident let out a sigh of frustration. "Look, this treatment may actually save his life and is the first positive response to treatment we have seen in this cancer. If we just give up now, then he WILL die! Don't you want to find a cure for your patients? Don't you want them to get better so they don't just have to go home and die?!" Visibly upset with me, the resident turned around and walked away.
I was stunned and frozen to my spot for a few moments. Was she right? Maybe she was right......
I DID want to cure cancer. Are you kidding me?! I don't think there is anything I want more than to eradicate cancer so that young moms and dads, wives, husbands, children no longer have to suffer in agony and then leave their families behind broken-hearted and ragged from the whole ordeal.........I HATE cancer.
And this is MD Anderson.
If a cure for this heart sarcoma is going to be found, it would be here, right?! These doctors were working feverishly and heroically, trying to save their patients' lives and cure their cancer. What more of a noble career to have and cause worth fighting for?!
Yes, I want to find a cure!!!
.......but I couldn't shake the words my patient told me that morning when he grabbed my hand, almost in desperation. "I don't want to die in this hospital. If I'm going to die, I want to fly home while I still can and spend my last days with my little girls."
I'm sure that no one wanted to find a cure for his cancer more than my patient did. However, I don't think that he wanted to be the guinea pig towards finding that cure if it meant not being able to see his girls again. His girls were more important to him than a possible cure.........There was something more important than a cure.......
No.
As much as I wanted my patient to be cured, I could not be okay with him thinking that his tumor was dying without knowing that it was still rapidly growing, even if that knowledge meant an end to his pursuit of treatment. However, as the nurse I had absolutely no legal authority to tell my patient the results of his scan. I was not the doctor and could not give him this news.
I talked to my manager about my ethical dilemma and was soon in a meeting with the hospital ethics committee. I absolutely hate confrontation and I was physically shaking just thinking about how irate those sarcoma doctors would be if they found out it was me who opened up a big ethical investigation because of this.......but I am a nurse, I am the patient's advocate, and I couldn't be silent knowing that he was not being given all the information in order to make his own decisions on his treatment plan.
The next afternoon, while away from the floor for a what should have been an uneventful echocardiogram, my patient's heart suddenly stopped.
He received immediate CPR and hospital staff were able to restart his heart and transfer him to ICU, but he had to intubated (put on a ventilator) and sedated (put into an induced coma). He obviously would not be starting another round of chemotherapy anytime soon......
A few weeks later I found myself on the ICU floor. I was filling out paperwork after spending over an hour helping perform CPR on a patient who had suddenly collapsed on our floor. It had been a nightmarish hour where we kept thinking we would be able to save the patient, but upon transferring her to ICU and after a few more rounds of CPR, it was apparent that she was gone. I felt ragged from that hour, and as I sat at the nurse's desk finishing up my paperwork for the code, I looked up and glanced into one of the ICU rooms. There was my heart sarcoma patient, hooked up to a ventilator, still in a coma, his wife at his bedside holding his hand.
I walked into the room to say hello. His wife smiled at me and gave me a hug. "How is he?" I asked.
"Doing better, so much better!" she smiled. "The doctors are going to try to wean him off of sedation tomorrow so we can hopefully get him off the ventilator and back up to P-12 to start that chemo." She sounded so upbeat and hopeful, but as I walked off the ICU floor seconds later, I burst into tears. He did not look well, I knew in my gut that he would probably not make it out of the ICU alive, and I wondered if any of the doctors had even thought about preparing his wife for this most likely outcome.....
A few weeks later, my patient passed away in the ICU floor, never having woken up since that day that his heart had stopped during his echocardiogram.
I harbored so much sadness and anger over that last day that I took care of him.....part of me still kind of does.
Obviously my patient's outcome would not have been any different had the doctors let him know that his tumor was indeed growing. He was not stable enough that very day to fly home and his heart stopped the next day. No matter what the doctors would have said, there would have been no way for him to see his little girls again before he passed away.
However, I still feel haunted by the fact that my patient was not given the whole truth about his condition because there was a small chance that the chemo might work.
"Don't you want to find a cure?" That resident's frustrated words still play over and over again in my mind.
But so do my patient's words: "I don't want to die in this hospital. If I'm going to die, I want to fly home while I still can and spend my last days with my little girls."
As a nurse, it is my job to help restore health
to help save lives
to be a part of the process of finding cures.
but......
sometimes there are things that are more important than a cure,
more important than saving a life.
My job is so much more than that--
advocating for my patient,
educating my patient,
helping my patient be informed and feel in control over his/her care,
showing compassion,
crying with a patient,
holding a patient's hand.
Though as a nurse I always hope to see my patients return to full health, since that single, tragic experience with that particular patient I do my best to never let that goal get in the way of loving and serving the person I am caring for.
Also because of that particular experience, I have learned that there are more important and pressing things in life than life itself--
quality time,
family,
love,
compassion,
respect,
kindness,
faith,
peace.
Life is going to be full of challenges, trials, problems, and heartache and I'm sure we'll all be looking for "the cure" to all of the difficult things we'll be given. I only hope that as I go through my own, I remember that perhaps there is something more important than just "getting through" the trial, or having my heart no longer hurt, or being "cured" from whatever ails me; perhaps the whole point of going through it is not just to come out whole and scar-free but to have learned from it, to have remembered what was most important through it all, and to have grown into a better person despite of it all.
Do I want to find a cure?
Absolutely.
But I never want to lose those things that are more important in the process.
About Me
I met my best friend, Garrett, in December of 2002, finally got wise enough to marry him in August 2007, and haven't looked back since! We have three small but energetic children who are the joys of our lives. Garrett is a busy, fun-loving chiropractor, I am a semi-retired RN and full time mom. We are blessed to live in beautiful Alaska where life never affords us a dull moment--just the way we like it! | {
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Real Reason Rihanna Cancelled Her 58th Grammys Performance
The real reason Rihanna cancelled her performance for the 58th Grammys Awards which was held on 15th of February 2016 in Los Angeles has emerged. It was reported that she couldn’t perform due to “bronchitis,” but an insider has told New York’s Page Six that the music star used that as a ploy to get out of the awards show at the 11th hour, because she feared giving a lacklustre performance.
“She felt like her performance couldn’t compare [to some of the other artists’], and she was trying to avoid the embarrassment because she knew it wasn’t the right comeback performance,”
Another source who saw the pop star’s rehearsals told us, “It was underwhelming. The performance was like a throwback to an ’80s talk show. James Corden was going to introduce her, and she was supposed to walk over, talk to him, then gyrate on the mike.”
The source continued: “People were watching like, ‘Oh, is that it?’ She was singing parts of the song live, but it had a lot of recorded vocals [in rehearsal]. We were surprised when she rehearsed the ballad [all the way through], because we thought she was going to kill it and come back with [her more upbeat single] Work. It didn’t seem like Rihanna.”
Producers then powwowed with her team. “It was an intense conversation. It didn’t seem like they were discussing a doctor’s note,” the Post was told. | {
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Committees
The Classified Senate is dedicated to wide-arching representation within the shared governance architecture and committee composition, both on campus and District-wide.
Follwing is a list of committees and associated membership, current as of 12/31/2014. | {
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The Jew and The Carrot, Hazon’s blog about Jews, food and contemporary life. The blog has a diverse and inclusive community, where we welcome readers and volunteer writers from across the Jewish denominational spectrum, and from all walks of culinary life. Our aim is to ensure that The Jew and The Carrot community is a platform for vibrant discussion for anyone interested in food issues.
Late on Friday we received the following letter from Pete Cohon, founder and moderator of VeggieJews, an international, real-world and online, Jewish, vegetarian organization. He has been a vegan and animal rights activist for 22 years and a vegetarian for 27 years. A former San Francisco trial lawyer, Pete now lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Below his letter is the response from Hazon. We encourage a vibrant debate, but please ask commentators to refrain from personal attacks on any views. We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate our Community Guidelines.
An open letter to Nigel Savage, Executive Director of Hazon, and the groups members:
The Hazon group claims that it works to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community, fight climate change and promote a more sustainable world for all. I understand that the group even hosts vegetarian meals at which it promotes its programs.
That sounds great. But I’m concerned that Hazon is not living up to the promise.
Three years ago, during your group’s 2007 Jewish Food Conference, Hazon publicly slaughtered three goats despite numerous appeals that the cruel demonstration of shechita be canceled. I am disappointed that Hazon remains unapologetic for its cruel and unnecessary slaughter. But I am truly offended that you are planning a similar demonstration again at this year’s Jewish Food Conference which will begin on December 24 near Monterey, California.
We will meet on the farm early in the morning on Wednesday, December 23 to observe the shechita (ritual slaughter) and to help pluck, clean, soak, and salt pasture-raised chickens. If you are old enough to be a bar or bat mitzvah, you are old enough to volunteer. No experience is necessary. Wear warm work clothes and be prepared to get your hands dirty.
In other words, Hazon is again promoting unnecessary animal cruelty in the name of Jewish environmentalism.
It looks like, contrary to its claims, Hazon is not really a Jewish environmental group at all.
While claiming to fight climate change and support a more sustainable environment, Hazon completely ignores the 2006 report of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that found animal agriculture responsible for almost 1/5 of all global warming.
Hazon also continues to ignore the 2009 report of the NGO World Watch, which found that the UN’s figures were incorrectly tabulated and that the actual contribution of animal agriculture to global warming is 51%.
But, apparently, Hazon doesn’t care about the facts. Your group continues to pretend to be a Jewish environmental organization and even hosts misleading vegetarian events to promote itself while also continuing to promote cruel and environmentally unsustainable lifestyles. If Hazon believes that a few chickens running around freely on small, sustainable farms can feed the demand of billions and billions of people living mostly in urban areas on this planet, then Hazon is truly living in a dream world. As long as people eat animals, mass production of animal foods will require massive operations that cannot possibly be environmentally sustainable.
Please be advised that your planned slaughter of chickens at this year’s Jewish Food Conference is unacceptable. The conference will only encourage the continuation of a meat-based diet despite the negative health, environmental and ethical consequences. I urge you to stop the bloodletting and start healing the planet by promoting to the Jewish community a diet based solely on plant-based foods. It’s time for Hazon to include compassion for animals in its mission as well as real-world environmental sanity.
- – -
Dear Pete,
Thank you for your thoughtful response to our work. Nigel is out of town this weekend, but he wanted to make sure we responded to you.
Before I go into Hazon’s pedagogy, I want to comment on your climate change comments. As you note, animal husbandry is a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. We know that data and have used it to guide aspects of our Jewish Climate Change Campaign. In this campaign, we ask Jews to reduce their meat intake by 50% within the next shmita cycle – September 2015.
But we go past the concerns of climate change. Hazon engages on the issues that arise from the industrialization of our food – period. We examine how we eat all foods and what we’re eating. Through the Hazon CSA (community supported agriculture) program, hundreds of Jewish families across the US are sourcing their weekly vegetables from local organic farmers. Countless people have been inspired by Hazon to shop at their local farmer’s market.
Now, to address the issue of shechting animals at the Food Conference. I am not going to address whether shechita is cruel – that is a conversation on Jewish tradition that I will not address here. But I will address how participating in the shechita process impacts the community that has become the Food Conference participants. Hazon does not tell people how to be Jews, let alone how to be environmentalists. We do provide the richness of education and experience that enables and empowers personal decision. For too many people, animal consumption is disguised by neat packaging and the neutral term “meat.” By shechting animals at the Food Conference, we provide the space for people to engage with the intimate reality of eating animal flesh. And that experience has proven, time and time again, to do more to influence long-term changes in personal consumption behavior.
Again, thank you for taking the time to engage us on this important issue.
“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, and an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. The body, these waterheads imagine, is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. It’s healthier, they insist, though every vegetarian waiter I’ve worked with is brought down by any rumor of a cold. Oh, I’ll accommodate them, I’ll rummage around for something to feed them, for a ‘vegetarian plate’, if called on to do so. Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine.”
As a vegan on the Vegan Roundtable at Hazon, who has planned with the other committed vegan Jews on the Vegan Roundtable to make our panel a powerful transformational hour for the group that attends with our eyes, hearts, and minds open, may I please kindly ask the vegans who are going to comment on here to make your comments amenable to people listening with mutual and bi-directional openness, kindness, and respect.
Underlying human and Jewish unity and civility is hugely important. Rather than adding to people’s resistance through attack, please speak from the point of view of One Soul, making it easier for people to listen, hear, become conscious, and change.
To propose an idea, at Hazon this year shall we do the lead-up to the shechting and then stop with blade drawn, setting the bird free – just like Avraham listened to Hashem speaking within him, stopped his knife, and had a revellation.
One of the things I find troubling about pro-vegan arguments is an across-the-board refusal to acknowledge that a strictly vegan diet does NOT work for everyone.
(Example: I have Crohn’s — a disease which shows up in disproportionately higher numbers among Ashkenazic Jews than among the rest of the population — and I could not possibly survive on a purely vegan diet. A diet rich in vegetables, especially beans and leafy greens, would rip my gut apart.)
Some of us have bodies that find it easier to break down and process nutrients found in eggs, cheese, and other animal products than to do the same with the most heavily fibrous vegetables. That’s not to say I NEVER eat vegetables — I do — but I don’t have the wide array of choices that vegans and most vegetarians do.
I would take the vegan argument more thoughtfully if there wasn’t such a “my-way-or-the-byway” approach to it. But every time the argument is presented to me it is with the tone of a radical convert, with no room for variables or nuance.
Thank you for sharing, Beth. For the last seven years I have been teaching vegan ideas with variability and nuance, so I hope I will be a refreshing input for you.
We will present options, foods you may not have heard of as large part of a diet before, and gentle spiritual approaches about veganism.
It will be a very different tone from what you’ve heard. The thing is, that heavy handed voice you alluded to is the most visible thing about veganism to the outside world, but in the vegan world, and certainly the live-food (raw) vegan world where I dwell, many people are quite understanding and nuanced.
I am disappointed to see how far from the original topic this discussion has wandered.
I originally wrote my open letter to the group to encourage discussion on the general subject of the absurdity of so-called environmentalists fueling global warming by supporting animal agriculture, which is one of the major causes of global warming. I also hoped to encourage discussion on the subject of Hazon’s specific plan to publicly slaughter chickens at its upcoming food conference, thus making Jewish environmentalism look more like bloodlust.
Sadly, this conversation has degenerated into little more than hysterical vegan-bashing while completely ignoring the real and very important environmental and ethical issues raised by Hazon’s support for an unsustainable meat-based diet.
I respectfully urge folks to stick to the real issues: How can so-called Jewish environmentalists ignore the overwhelming evidence from the United Nations and World Watch that animal agriculture is destroying the planet? How can we call ourselves Jewish environmentalists if we won’t change our own lifestyles to avoid being part of the problem?
Okay, fair enough. Here are some questions, plus an alternative context for examining them. Anyone can step up and answer here.
1. What would it look like for me to change my life so that I could eat vegan?
2. What steps would I need to take?
3. Could I realistically make these changes (based on my income, location and other factors)?
4. How many of us would it take (making these changes) for it to make a difference?
****
My personal context, used as an example: I am blessed to live in a town where I can [and do] ride a bike everywhere as my primary transportation, and I have lived car-free for twenty years. But I still live in a landscape designed for the automobile. I am well aware that MOST towns and cities don’t have a bike-friendly infrastructure like we have here (in Portland).
How many people would have to give up their cars and clamor for changes in infrastructure before anyone listens? And is it possible for EVERYone to do so in the world we currently live in?
I don’t ride my bike to make a statement, or to annoy people who drive cars (though these are sometimes side-effects of my choice to live without a car of my own). I ride my bike primarily because it’s the best, nicest and happiest way for ME to get around. While I wish that fewer people would own and drive cars, I have learned through decades of experience that this is not a good starting point for discussion and education. The better starting points are things like the true costs of driving, and the effects of a car-centric infrastructure on children, the elderly and the poor.
*****
Most people don’t eat a certain way to make a statement; they eat a certain way because it WORKS for them. Veganism is a nice ideal but is not attainable by everyone in the same way — for medical, financial, geographic or other reasons. (If you live in a place where there are no farmers’ markets or decent grocery stires, you’re kinda SOL as regards food choices in general.)
While we are looking at the way food is grown and distributed in the world today, are there other aspects of this situation that folks could be called to notice and act upon without feeling like their personal approach to eating — for whatever reasons — is somehow being invalidated?
How could the infrastructure of mass food production be changed to facilitate healthier food choice and accessibility for absolutely EVERYone, and not just for some of us based on geography, income and other factors?
Finally — and I think this is the biggie — would a succession of individuals making these changes make enough of a difference in the world? Would our dietary choices make a difference, or would they reduced by sheer lack of numbers to little more than a statement?
I won’t be attending the conference but I’d still be interested in hearing various thoughts on this idea. Thanks.
While I found your original letter thoughtful, I think your argument is a case of the letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. I assume you have not banned all use electricity or fossil fuels from your life. How can you claim a mantle of environmentalism without doing so? Hazon has taken steps both in a practical sense and educational sense to encourage better practice across the board, including with regard to meat eating. Each step is important, as well as a consciousness of the how and why of each component. While I understand that your vision involves an elimination of meat eating and animal agriculture altogether, I think you recognize that that is not a practical immediate goal. Accordingly i don’t understand why you oppose Hazon’s attempt to instill a greater understanding and appreciation of all that goes in to meat eating, which very often leads to a reduction in meat eating. Wouldn’t it be more sensible to support Hazon’s practical and educational goals, which have measurable positive effects.
The following is a letter I sent to Hazon about their proposed chicken slaughter. I’m hoping San Francisco Bay Area Jewish and Vegetarian groups disavow their connections to this group.
There is absolutely no rationale for slaughtering chickens at a Jewish “eco”
conference. You give Jews a bad name; you give ecology a bad name; you give food
conferences a bad name; you give change and acceptance a bad name; you give
child education a bad name.
With all of the bad energy you are creating and putting in to demonstrating
ritual slaughter, you could use to teach another way of eating Jewish food -
what, no vegetarian or vegan ideas that you might be interested in teaching to
those who might be seeking change? I wrote a Living Foods Passover Haggadah,
with Recipes for the Seder, and yet you feel compelled to renounce anything
remotely new, innovative, compassionate, healthy, or alternative to standard
carnivore eating. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. Are there no minimum requirements for you
to call yourself an ecological group? How can you possibly describe what you do
as “ecological, good for the environment, change in action”? Animal slaughter as
ecological change for the environment – “1984″ psycho-speak!
I will do everything in my power to promote change in the Jewish community, when
it comes to ecology, eating, and culture. Jews are compassionate; Jews are
caring; Jews are Vegetarians and Vegans. I stand for positive change; I stand
for positive energy; I stand for Jewish healing. I will do everything in my
power to publicly disavow the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish connection to your
group as an ecological movement for change. You are a disgrace to every movement
I hold sacred. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME.
As a vegetarian, an environmentalist, a Jew, and an educator, I just wanted to weigh in on one of the aspects of education: namely tochechah or giving rebuke):
Moshe Luzzato in his Mesilat Yesharim bemoans the fact that many educators rebuke their students in ways and at times when it is impossible to for them to be listened to. In other words, while it is a mitvah to tell someone to tell someone that they are doing something wrong it is forbidden to do so at times when they are unable (or unwilling) to listen.
I believe that if Hazon were to teach that one could only be an be an environmentalist by being a vegan, it would significantly lesson the group’s ability to reach out and educate the masses. As I understand it, Hazon (and many of its grantees) has done a wonderful job teaching about meat reductionism (which is a great step towards sustainability). Making a radical move to advocate against the consumption of any animal products, they would loose their base any many of our support. You have to meet people where they are and only ask of people what they are ready to commit to. Any more merely makes people angry or ashamed
Learning to kill animals, and then seeing them killed, and then butchering and cooking them to eat is NOT an education. If Hazon wanted to teach about environmentalism and compassion in this world, it would show a live animal, then show a packaged product, then release the live animal, and talk about alternatives. Children don’t need to see or witness the bloody carcasses of dead animals that they will later eat. There are alternatives that don’t require your 360 degrees of acceptance. I will not support a group, which labels itself environmental and ecological while they spend money and time on killing and slaughtering animals.
Beth,
Riding your bike is great- but what we eat actually has a much bigger impact. The media and automobile market has done an excellent job convincing the public that we just need to throw out our cars and get hybrids (or alternative transportation) and global warming is history. Not true.
Pete, I think you make some excellent points. As a Jew, I find it disturbing and hypocritical that Judaism emphasizes compassion and taking care of the earth- but yet condones the most violent acts against our ecosystem. The Hazon demonstration of shechita seems to me a voyeur endeavor where people slash up some animals claiming to be on a higher spiritual level. On that level- I not only resent the actions of Hazon, but until that practice is removed I would never consider participating in the organization or conference. (Despite the fact that my research is in intersections of food choices, veganism, and environmentalism guided by a Jewish ethic).
With regard to the environmental messages of Hazon- How can the organization claim any shape of environmentalism or even following Talmudic interpretations of environmentalism without taking an abolitionist stance of factory farming? It seems hypocritical. Perhaps Hazon receives funding from some larger organizations and doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds them.
Getzel has is right. There are Jewishly-appropriate ways to share a different perspective. Our Talmudic Tradition encourages both sides of an argument to be presented in a way that meant to inform and educate. Never as a harsh public rebuke.
There is more than one way to care for the earth and there are differing expert opinions regarding the effect an animal diet has on the earth. We are entitled to have our opinions AND to share them. But we ought not resort to hyperbole, name-calling, and inflammatory speculation.
The Hazon stance, I have read, is for all to halve their meat intake (which I read as double their delicious amazing plant intake) in under six years. That (although I would encourage those who are called to go all the way) is amazing! Thank you for urging the Jewish world to half its meat intake! That is truly phenomenal. What other inclusive body, in Judaism or in any other cultural or religious group is doing that? (Okay, there are some). But what a great step.
What if Judaism actually did that! Half the health, environmental, karmic, ethical, and other problems, and double the sense of lightness, harmony, ecology, and love!
Yes, I am excited for the day when we truly go to Eden and live as we were given the blueprint. For right now in this moment, because we have to start in the right direction, MASSIVE applause for doing everything we can to help Kol Am Yisrael half its meat and double its greens in less than six years. With G-d’s help we can do it in less time!
I have to respectfully disagree with the people who say things along the lines of “Learning to kill animals, and then seeing them killed, and then butchering and cooking them to eat is NOT an education.” In fact, it was the shechting of the goats at the hazon conference two years ago and the chickens last year that started what has been a profound change in how my family eats. It is a powerful educational statement to show people that if we are to eat meat we need to be aware of all that goes into that choice. If we aren’t willing to see live animals become meat than we need to think hard about whether we should be eating it. Since then we have be getting all of our meat, and most of our poultry, from co-ops providing pasture raised ethical meat. I am more cognizant of all that goes into getting this food to my table and as a result it feels “special” so we eat it much less often for a regular weekday meal, opting for vegetarian options instead. There is a sanctity to it, and I find myself wanting to save it for shabbat or a special occasion. As a kosher consumer, the option of buying ethically farmed meat would not be available to me if organizations like Hazon did not embrace that eating meat, albeit a smaller amount, can be part of a sustainable food system. For many people, myself included, vegetarianism is not a viable life choice. If the only options provided by the Jewish food movement was to embrace vegetarianism or purchase mass produced meat I am sorry to say that I probably would have come down on the side of still eating meat. And I know for sure that I am not alone. The majority of Jews aren’t going to give up eating meat, but if we can change the way we think about how we raise the animals and how much we should consume that can make a difference.
There are all kinds of people within the environmental movements and the Jewish food movement is no exception. While I think that a vegetarian and or vegan lifestyle is great for some people, it is wonderful that people of all kinds who are passionate about making this world sustainable for our children can be a part of advocating for change.
Unfortunately, the link to the VeggieJews Web site on this page does not work. For lots of information on the health, environmental and compassionate aspects of Jewish vegetarianism, please go to http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/veggiejews and click on “Files.” You will find there answers to many of the questions raised by comments posted here.
As head of the volunteer food committee for the food conference (for the second year), I feel I should weigh in. While I admire vegans for their idealism, expecting the world to go vegan is simply unrealistic. I believe that getting more people to eat less meat is a much more realistic and attainable goal. Most Americans probably eat meat every day. At the Hazon conference, we are serving meat only once and fish only twice in four days. And if we can’t get kosher, organic, humanely-raised sustainable meat, we won’t eat it at all. I believe this approach is the correct one. Unfortunately, the vegan approach completely alienates meat-eaters. Calling carnivores anti-environmentalists does nothing to solve the climate crisis.
According to the World Watch report on Animal Agriculture’s contribution to global warming, published earier this month, based upon United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Commission figures, animal agriculture contributes 51% of all the greenhouse gasses that are responsible for gobal warming. That makes it the largest single contributor to global warming.
If the entire world follows Hazon’s recommendation to reduce meat consumption by 50% by 2015 (6 years from now), animal agriculture will then contribute 25% of all greenhouse gasses, which means it will still be the largest single contributor to global warming. (Of course folks could reduce their meat consumption by half withing 6 weeks if they really wanted to.) Hazon’s suggestion is like telling someone driving blind drunk on a winding mountain road at 150 miles per hour to slow down to 75 miles an hour. It’s still a recipe for disaster.
And “disaster” in the case of global warming means floods, draught, mass starvation, geo-political chaos, rampant disease and higher infant mortality, to name just a few of the plagues that reality has waiting for us.
That’s reality for you!
Hazon could have helped to lead the way to a more sane future at this year’s food conference. It could have chosen to lead by example by serving only delicious, healthy and environmentally sane vegetarian food and only such food. But, sadly, Hazon lacks the courage to lead. It prefers to follow its members off that slippery mountain road to disaster while shouting empty slogans such as “sustainability” and “empowerment,” rather than actually leading the way to sustainability and empowerment.
What a shame.
Let’s hope that by next year’s Jewish Food Conference Hazon’s leadership will have found the courage to really lead. Let’s hope that next year’s conference and all future Hazon events will be completely vegetarian and only vegetarian for the sake of the planet, the animals and human health.
And if Hazon’s leadership won’t lead the way to a truly sustainable future, perhaps its members will lead for them.
Because if we don’t change our environmental reality, reality will change our planet, and not for better.
Just real quick, I wanted to respond to Michael Bedar’s idea that “at Hazon this year [we should] do the lead-up to the shechting and then stop with blade drawn, setting the bird free – just like Avraham listened to Hashem speaking within him, stopped his knife, and had a revellation [sic].”
Just in case you forgot, or didn’t read the rest of that passage, Avraham listened to G-d not to shecht Yitzchok, but then he shechted a ram in his place, which elicited the further revelation, and in reaction to which, G-d says, “Because you have done this [sacrifice] and not withheld your son… I will greatly bless you…”
And, a few chapters earlier the Torah noted that when Noah left the ark, the very first thing he did was sacrifice animals. G-d liked the smell of the roasting animals so much (and who can blame G-d for that?) that G-d promised never to repeat the flood again.
I noticed that people love to quote the Hillel/Shammai story these days and end with “the rest is commentary,” failing to mention that Hillel said a little more than that, namely, “now go and learn it.” So here’s a blessing that we really LEARN it, and don’t misuse what we learn to forward our personal political agendas.
Unfortunately, the polemic positions taken by groups like VeggieJews is the reason why the vegan movement will never take off as fully as it could. The intolerant and shrill perception is too often reality, and people who may have been interested in the vegan experience will move away from it based on this alone. Poor judgement guys.
Julie: What about the intolerance of meat eaters? Did you look at some of the posts here?
I hope Hazon re-visits this idea of killing non human animals and finds it not suitable for an ethical based conference on food. I am sure they can find a different way of teaching connection with the food we eat, respect and reverence for life..
To Uriel and others, Thank you. The idea that we can evolve past human sacrifice 3800 years ago, and then move beyond animal sacrifice today, may have a valid place Torah learning. Interested in your response…
I’ve been reading these comments and this debate with interest. I have to wonder what you all think of this: Is there some merit to highlighting that the slaughtered chickens would be pasture-raised? Weren’t the studies that Pete sited based on industrialized meat production?
Animals have long held a place in food ecosystems, across generations and across cultures. It would take a major paradigm shift to eliminate animal flesh from the global table.
I don’t eat meat, and don’t plan to eat any chicken at the conference. However, I would love to see some thoughts on meat from pastured and sustainably-raised animals in the mix. Does it make a difference? Will we make no distinction between the chickens brought to the food conference and Purdue chicken parts hauled to the supermarket?
Michael- First, I just want to reiterate (in case the point was glossed over) that I was providing the context for your reference to the binding of Yitzchak because I think it’s poor form to bring something like that (and to omit the rest of the story–which explicitly deals with animal slaughter) in support of vegetarianism.
As for the new topic of “whether there is a place in Torah learning for the idea that we can move past animal sacrifice today”, there are two things I have to say.
The first is, in the context of Torah learning, “animal sacrifice” is a very specific, narrowly-defined thing which Jews are not allowed to do today outside the Temple in Jerusalem, but which we pray every day (three times a day) to be able to do again soon (e.g., traditionally we say in the shmoneh esreh “…restore the service to Your sanctuary, and accept with love and favor Israel’s fire-offerings and prayer…”, and, e.g., when we pray mussaf, we specifically mention the order of the mussaf sacrifice). That should sufficiently answer your question.
That being said, killing animals and eating meat in general is not considered “animal sacrifice” in Torah learning. The whole section of Gemara dealing with animal slaughter and kashering is called “Chulin” which basically means “mundane”, as distinct from sacrifices, which are “holy.” Keep in mind these are very specific, legal definitions of these words.
Secondly, there is a huge difference between animal sacrifices done with proper intention and the opposite. If you’ll indulge me, I would say the proof is in the pudding (see above) that G-d likes good-intentioned sacrifices, and (see elsewhere) very much dislikes the opposite. The same principle applies to “mundane” animal slaughter. For example, one who wants to be a shochet (ritual slaughterer) has to be “a yireh-shamayim (fearful of heaven)… and should never get drunk” (Torat haZevach, 1:1). We do expect those who handle animal slaughter to be of fine character, upright, and trustworthy, and to take the privilege of taking other animals’ lives with the utmost seriousness.
With that, I’ll leave you with a story that is told of the Ba’al Shemtov, that gives an idea of the gravity with which we are meant to approach animal slaughter, and how that standard may have unfortunately slipped in these latter generations (but Hazon does a very good job of restoring these ideas to the public Jewish consciousness):
[T]he story is told of a schochet who came to Okkup to do his work. When he needed to wet the whetstone to sharpen his knife, he would spit on it and with his saliva hone the knife. An old Ukranian who sat there, the one who plucked the feathers, shook his head in disapproval. The shochet asked him what was behind this, and he answered, “When I was young, I plucked the chickens that Yisrolick (the Ba’al Shem Tov) slaughtered, and when he needed to wet his whetstone, he wept on it, with his tears he honed his knife.
Even many of those who eat the muscle tissue of factory farmed animals know and will admit that the raising and slaughtering of them is cruel and contributes greatly to greenhouse gas emissions.”I know a lot of what you are saying, but I have compartmentalized it so I can continue to eat what I want”, a friend told me.
“On the other hand”,(to quote Tevye), to hand raise and care for animals, getting to know them, then slaughtering them brings up other ethical issues. We are horrified to learn that in some countries dogs are raised for food. Yet food animals are lovable and feel pain too.
In 2007, I attended the goat slaughter at the Hazon Conference. Three images remain. Before the slaughter, the goats were happy and actually ‘frisking’. After the slaughter, when the heart and lungs were held up for examination it was painfully obvious that these were the organs of young, healthy animals. The next day during Shabbat services a young father stood up and said what a meaningful experience this had been, especially as he had brought his six month old daughter.
A friend of mine has written a song “What Part of Thou Shall Not Kill Do You Not Understand?”
Yet, I keep attending the Hazon Conference. This year Roberta Kalechofsky (I am the ‘other’ Roberta) and I will present a session on the history of Vegetarianism Judaism and suggestions for eliminating or at least meaningfully reducing the amount of meat one consumes. My hope is for there to be a meaningful number of attendees at our session.
And, note to Hazon, this year please tell the chef to see that the beans are cooked long enough, so the vegans will be happy and the potential veg people will realize the possibilities.
Rabbi David Wolpe writing in the Jewish Week [11/3/09] quotes Jonathan Safran Foer from his new book, Eating Animals, thus: “it’s always possible to wake someone who is asleep, but no amount of noise will wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.”
Rabbi Wolpe proceeds thus: “This observation is not only true with regard to animals. We are aware of the needs of those around us. None of us is ignorant of the waste, indifference and profligacy that mark our lives. But we pretend to be asleep.
The shofar on Rosh HaShanah is intended to wake us up to a life of goodness, of care, of compassion. Perhaps it is intended not only to wake the sleepers, but those of us who are only pretending to be asleep.”
To add a little activism to this debate, this just came through on a listserv I’m on. Thought it might be a good place to share.
AAI North America is looking to hire someone on short notice to do research linking agribusiness to climate change—-getting as specific as possible about agribusinesses who are major emitters and who are also fighting regulation and legislation.
I fully agree with Pete’s original post about the hypocracy of an environmental organization promoting eating meat and killing animals at the upcoming conference. Hazon does incredible work, but I too have had trouble fully supporting an organization that is not willing to fully stand by the values it supposedly represents.
While I could talk about the issues raised by the conference itself, I believe the core issue here is about the definition of “vegan” and the odd way that people respond to the vegan ethical stance.
It is interesting that so many of the people who have had trouble with the vegan views so far have had trouble denying the facts about the social irresponsibility of eating animal products. With all the facts placed in front of them, the best arguments in response to the vegan view are that veganism is somehow a “militant” view of a few, or that it is unrealistic to try to get people to make such a big change. Or, as Julie Steinberg says above “The intolerant and shrill perception is too often reality, and people who may have been interested in the vegan experience will move away from it based on this alone”.
Why is stating facts which no one has yet denied, and saying that people should listen and make a change to better the world “intolerant and shrill”? Why? Because too many people think that veganism is primarily about food, whether they know it or not. While vegans do have a different way of eating, veganism is above all a lived protest against violence, suffering, and the forced “otherizing” of living beings simply for the convenience of taste. I believe the reasons for being vegan are so powerful, and so straightforward, that we should, and have every right to promote it–as it is. If people are not ready to make the change, that is fine. But what use is it to blame us for saying too much? Being a vegan is easy, uncomplicated and fun. Being a vegan is the best choice for the world. Being a vegan denies us nothing, except the time spent having to compromise values for the reasons of convenience.
The facts are undeniably in favor of a vegan diet–for fighting world hunger, for our health, for the environment, for promoting compassion, and working against violence. Show me proof how eating animal products does a better job for these causes than being a vegan, and we can talk.
Now…saying that a little bit of meat, or a little animal exploitation (ie. killing chickens at the conference) is acceptable is only a choice for those who might not agree with the vegan view, because they conveniently have decided that it is an issue not about justice, or human rights…”just” about animals or food. Is it unrealistic to promote veganism instead of other “crutches” like some animal products? It is not–and although I can’t deny that less is better, none is best.
No one would ever say to someone who is against domestic violence, that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to not abuse their partners, so we should allow some husbands to beat their wives, and hope that in the future they will stop (yes, yes they are not the same issues, but you get my point). No one would ever say to someone fighting to end domestic slavery, that it is silly to believe that all slavery should end at this moment, or that we should just oh, allow slavery for people over the age of 18.
If you beleive that vegansim is the best choice for humanity, and is above all about social justice (and I am still waiting for the facts to deny this) then why not try to promote a vegan diet, and not accept some cruelty as a viable choice?
We should all be having mature, productive conversations about these issues. But please understand how unfair it is to treat veganism/vegetarianism as an issue that is “unrealistic” or “intolerant”. It is never intolerant to try to promote making a better world.
—
As long as human beings will go on shedding the blood of animals, there will never be any peace… There will be no justice as long as man will stand with a knife or with a gun and destroy those who are weaker than he is.
-Isaac Bashevis Singer
I saw an interesting article today titled “Climategate: The Final Nail in the Coffin of ‘Anthropogenic Global Warming’?” (http://tinyurl.com/climategate) and I’m wondering what to make of it. Is it significant at all? Meaningless?
The prophets, rabbis and G-d have taught us to love justice, compassion and
mercy. These qualities are at the heart of Judaism. Consider that G-d
chose Moses to lead our people to freedom from slavery because he showed
compassion by saving a lamb that had wondered away from the flock into the
desert. [Exodus Rabbah 2:2.] The code of Jewish law specifically forbids
the infliction of pain upon any living creature and demands that we relieve
the pain of any creature. [Deut. 25:4.] We are required to let animals
rest on the Sabbath [Exod. 20:8-10] and provide for our animals before we
eat or drink. [Deut. 11:15.]
G-d Himself created man and woman to be vegan vegetarians in the Garden of
Eden. [Exod. 1:29] G-d said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding
seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is
the fruit of a tree yielding seed — to you it shall be for food.” [Gen.
1:29.] According to Jewish philosopher Joseph Albo, the reason for this
edict was that, “[i]n the killing of animals there is cruelty, rage, and the
accustoming of oneself to the bad habit of shedding innocent blood. . . ”
[Joseph Albo, Sefer ha-Ikkarim, Vol. III, Chapter 15.] Only after the great
flood did G-d grant humanity permission to eat flesh. [Gen. 9:3.]
According to Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of
Israel, immediately after the flood, due to the sinful nature and demands of
humankind, G-d allowed us to eat animals. [Liebowitz, "Studies in Bereshit,
p. 77.] In Rav Kook’s learned opinion, permission to eat flesh was only given
on a temporary basis until a brighter era when people would return to a vegetarian
diet. [Id.]
Polish Rabbi Isaak Hebenstreit also taught that G-d never wanted people to
eat flesh due to the cruelty involved but temporarily allowed it after the
flood because all plant life had been destroyed. [Rabbi Isaak Hebenstreit,
Kivrot Hata'avah, Rzeszow, Poland, 1929, p. 6.] As Rav Kook explained, “It
is inconceivable that the Creator who had planned a world of harmony and a
perfect way for man to live should, many thousands of years later, find that
this plan was wrong.” [Quoted by P. Pick, "The Source of Our Inspiration"
Jewish Vegetarian Society Paper, London, p. 2.]
More contemporary rabinical supporters of Jewish vegetarianism include:
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa (since 1975), President of the
Harry Fischel Institute for Research in Jewish Law and Seminary for Rabbis and
Rabbinical Judges, member of the City Council of Jerusalem, Deputy Mayor
of Jerusalem (1965-75) and Chancellor of the Ariel United Israel Institutes
(since 1973); and
Rabbi David Rosen, Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1979 to 1985, International
Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, former
Dean of the Sapir Jewish Heritage Centre in Jerusalem and
Professor at the Jerusalem Center for Near East Studies on Mt. Scopus,
President of the International Council of Christians and Jews and President of
the World Conference on Religion and Peace, an all-encompassing
world inter-faith body and a negotiator of the accord that established full
relations between the Vatican and Israel.
[By Pete Cohon, founder, VeggieJews: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/VeggieJews.
Acknowledgment and thanks to Dr. Richard Schwartz for his book "Judaism and
Vegetarianism," and his Jewish Vegatarians of North America Newsletter, from
which the references in this essay were obtained.]
Pete: You have made excellent points on Bibical references to eating a Veg. diet. Also Global Warming information shows how “We (Jews) could make the world a better place” by refraining from eating animal, dairy and egg (an unborn chicken) products.
The health of people has been greatly improved by vegan and raw foods diet. One of leaders of Raw Foods movement wrote a book about how he cured his Crohn’s disease by eating a raw diet.
From doctors who don’t have information on nutrition, who get their “healing” education from drug salespeople to people who don’t believe they could eat the diet G-d intended, we hope by example or trial they will try a vegan diet.
It would make more sense ($$$) to have only vegan food at Jewish environmental conference. It is much less expensive to eat veg. diet than animal based diet. It could be a great learning experience for many. Plus the taste and variety of a Vegan diet is awesome!
However, the journey of the leaders of Hazon is not there yet. Let us hope they will learn and put into use: the ethical, environmental and health aspects of Organic, Vegan Lifestyle.
In case the vegans who have commented on this post actually believe their own rhetoric (that a vegan diet is the healthiest, for the human body and the planet; is inexpensive, is sustainable, etc), I beg you to consider reading “The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability” by Lierre Keith. Keith was a vegan for over 20 years until it decimated her body, and until she started asking the important questions about food production (all food production, including grains etc).
Again, I commend Hazon for seeking and pursuing truth and justice in the face of intense and often misleading opposition. Kol hakavod.
On a last note, if anyone wants to effect some change in the real world, you can help a destitute community in India by donating a goat at http://www.iwantagoat.com/about. Make the difference in someone’s life.
As a vegan, I want to say that Uriel says something important. In 2010, nutrient rich potent vegan foods which are ecologically sustainable look very different from 1970 vegan foods. Knowledge has increased many fold, and knowledge is something all Jews can embrace. I read Lierre Keith’s book “The Vegetarian Myth.” Today we can practice systems for choosing plant-sourced foods to eat from this wide, green Earth, which Keith did not address in her book, so I presume she did not know. We are addressing choosing plant-sourced foods that are individualized to our constitution, among other topics, in both the Plant-Source and Live (Raw) food roundtables. Thanks for adding this important point to the Hazon community, Uriel.
You are probably familiar with Michael Pollan’s, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, and in featured in it Joe Salatin’s Polyface Farm. If your not, Salatin sustainably and ethically raises meat on his farm. “We sell “salad bar” (grass-fed) beef; “pigaerator” pork; pastured poultry, both broilers and turkeys; pastured eggs and forage-based rabbits.”
Pete, you have been citing date about how eating meat will destroy civilization. I certainly used to think so, but there are alternatives which can actually save our species. Read:
“Perhaps because it’s such a hot topic, let me address the cow-global warming argument. Every bit of the alleged science linking methane and cows to global warming is predicated on annual cropping, feedlots and herbivore abuse. It all crumbles if the production model becomes like our mob-stocking-herbivorous-solar-conversion-lignified-carbon-sequestration fertilization. America has traded 73 million bison requiring no petroleum, machinery or fertilizer for 45 million beef cattle, and we think we’re efficient. Here at Polyface, we practice biomimicry and have returned to those lush, high organic matter production models of the native herbivores.
If every cow producer in the country would use this model, in less than 10 years we would sequester all the carbon that’s been emitted since the beginning of the industrial age. It’s really that simple. Without question, grass-finished, mob-stocked beef is the most efficacious way to heal the planet. We should drastically drop our chicken and pork consumption and return to our indigenous, climate-appropriate protein source: perennial forages turned into red meat and milk.”
As for ethical considerations, to each his own, but I would like to share some more of Salatin’s wisdom from the same article.
“Do vegetarians ever challenge you about raising meat? If so, what do you say in response?
I will answer this in two parts. The first has to do with the people who think a fly is a chicken is a child is a cat — what I call the cult of animal worship. This would include the people who think we’ve evolved beyond the barbaric practice of killing animals to some cosmic nirvana state where killing is a thing of the past.
Rather than indicating a new state of evolutionary connectedness, it actually shows a devolutionary state of disconnectedness. A Bambi-ized culture in which the only human-animal connection is a pet soon devolves into jaundiced foolishness. This philosophical and nutritional foray into a supposed brave new world is really a duplicitous experiment into the anti-indigenous. This is why we enjoy having our patrons come out and see the animals slaughtered. Actually, the 7- to 12-year old children have no problem slitting throats while their parents cower inside their Prius listening to “All Things Considered.” Who is really facing life here? The chickens don’t talk or sign petitions. We honor them in life, which is the only way we earn the right to ask them to feed us — like the mutual respect that occurs between the cape buffalo and the lion. To these people, I don’t argue. This is a religion and I pretty much leave it alone.
The second part of this answer deals with folks who don’t eat meat in order to vote against animal abuse, concentrated animal feeding operations, or pathogenicity. And to be sure, many of these folks have bought into the environmental degradation inherent in livestock farming. To these people, Polyface is a ray of hope. I could write a book about the patrons who have come to us at death’s doorstep because they needed meat, and we’ve watched them heal. To be sure, not everyone needs meat, and those who do have varying levels of need. And when people find out that grass-based livestock offer the most efficacious approach to planetary health, their guilt gives way to compensatory indulgence. After all, they have to make up for lost time, and routinely become our best customers. Their emaciated vegetarian faces fill out, their strength improves and they are happier. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is to just give them a Weston A. Price Foundation brochure. We keep them in our sales building like religious tracts. Oops.”
But is his farm really ethical? You decide for yourself:
“The main idea we promote is that our animals enjoy a habitat that allows them to fully express their physiological distinctiveness. I like to say we want our pigs to express their pigness and the chickens their chickenness. The industrial food system views plants and animals as inanimate protoplasmic structure to be manipulated, however cleverly the human mind can conceive to manipulate it.
I would suggest that a society that views its life from that egocentric, disrespectful, manipulative standpoint will view its citizenry the same way . . . and other cultures. How we respect and honor the least of these creates the ethical, moral framework on which we honor and respect the greatest of these. The freedom for you to express your Tomness or Maryness is directly proportional to the value society places on the pig expressing its pigness. And to think that our tax dollars are being spent right now to isolate the porcine stress gene in order to extract it from pig DNA so that we can further abuse and dishonor pigs, but at least they won’t care. Is that the kind of moral framework on which a civilized society rests? I suggest not.
This fundamental understanding drives our production models. Herbivores in nature do not eat dead cows, chicken manure, dead chickens, grain or silage: They eat fresh or dried forage. Of course, what’s neat is that empirical data is discovering the nutritional and ecological benefits of this paradigm. We’re reading about Omega 3 and Omega 6 balance, conjugated linoleic acid, polyunsaturated fats and riboflavin. Whenever a new laboratory confirmation of our philosophy hits the news, we make sure our patrons know about it. In a word, this is all about healing: healing our bodies, healing our economies, healing our communities, healing our families, healing the landscape, healing the earthworms. If it’s not healing, it’s not appropriate.”
I participated in the chicken slaughter last Wednesday. It brought me closer to the food I eat like nothing else has, and I am incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this experience possible. We did not do anything particularly spiritual, yet it was one of the most spiritual experiences I’ve ever had. I highly recommend anyone given the chance to take part in a schechting, accept it.
We have no way of truly knowing this but I don’t believe that any of those chickens suffered pain in life or when killed, thanks to the laws of kashrut.
Both the industrial food system and those vegetarians who take away the opportunity for people to appreciate the life they’re giving a chicken by raising it for meat and accept the death they’re inflicting on the chicken are doing society a great disservice. Vegetarianism is a reasonable response to that disconnectedness but I encourage everyone to go one step forward, and, instead of stepping out of the cycle by not eating meat, confidently step in by connecting with food.
One last thought presented by Pollan is that if we stop eating chicken and cows, we are condemning their species to death. These animals have evolved with us for so long that they’re dependent on us for protection and we on them for food. If we decide to let go of the dependence, they parish.
It’s interesting to see your posts right now. It’s Sunday evening right after the conference. I am writing emails to a few people who have asked me, “How was the conference.” My thoughts are evolving as I give my dispatch. I feel these thoughts will be written in a spoken intimacy and trust that I developed with the Hazon community, and I thank you for hearing me be authentic and speaking to what I sense.
What I see is, people are hungry. I see it in their eyes and feel it in my heart. We are hungry at the permaculture session, hungry at the shechting, hungry at the sustainable ranching session, hungry at the GMO session, hungry at the raw vegan session, hungry at the Torah text study, hungry at EVERY session–and we are really hungry for neither meat nor milk nor millet nor maca. We are all Jewish foodies hungry for G-d.
There is so much energy here, and I choose to dwell in the thoughts that will help this powerful energy go towards aligned divine service, united.
We know that we get to feel connected to G-d through God’s givingness, and living a lifestyle of the Torah themes such as sheirut (service), l’hitpalel (prayer and meditation), holy sheket (silence), devotion…and dietarily there is a part of it.
I know, for me, and for the people of all ages who overflowed Toyon Hall for our live (raw) plant-based eating session, live food plant-based nutrition can be a supportive foundation towards being satisfied in our spiritual hunger. Once we are eating closest to sunlight, chlorophyll as a basis of nutrition, and doing it in a balanced way for our physiological constitution, many people have little care nor taste for the stepped-down, converted, re-metabolized calories that come from animals. Our vessel is emptied of what feels as sludge. I feel the difference, and thousands of people surveyed who have been eating live-vegan for years attest, they feel the difference and don’t want the stepped down flesh energy getting in the way. I have an intensely present, abundant, not-”bambi-ized” relationship with animals while they are alive. Two wild animals came to the window of a room I was in on Shabbat morning – did you notice the buck deer in a modest territory duel? That connection while alive helps us turn our spiritual energy to fill the world with more blessing and helping the Earth turn green again. Jews respect this life so much, not lost in the afterlife, I’ve been intrigued by our feeling of a spiritual connection coming with animals after their lives.
Live-plant based, nutrition is jet fuel, and flying jet engines takes training. That is why there is a forest of things to learn for life as raw vegans. It is funny, I see as many raw vegans gain bulk as I see become thinner, at first. They there is a return to generally optimal weight. After an initial weight loss, I stayed stepping forward and I now have the same weight I had when I was a daily meat-eating iron-pumping university varsity athlete.
What really matters is opening to connecting with what we are very hungry for, and that is the Divine. As far as the spiritual experience during a shechting and the spiritual experience of living closest to the sunlight for nourishment, only each of us can know what really happens spiritually within us. Yet, I can address a narrow question: Is it possible for something else to masquerade as a holy spiritual experience. I do know there are stimulations and agitations that do come out of an animal, as well as out of the sun. So again, it’s personal: what creates the conditions that bring us closer to G-d?
Let’s just be honest with ourselves, all of us, all around. For us an any diet, if some manner of agitation in life is mistaken for a spiritual passion for the dietary lifestyle we are choosing, then simply don’t let anything, including the arguments in books, your livelihood or income, your past, other people, or anything, get in the way of going for what our soul really yearns for: G-d and to live on the mountain of G-d in G-d’s presence.
That’s what’s coming through. Thank you all for everything that made this Hazon conference a blessing.
2. Choose to eat roots, herbs, and foods that grow well in the north, for they are best for warming in the winter. For example, flaxseed ground and hempseed are good northern foods, cayenne and ginger are good warming herbs. Use Chinese and Ayurvedic elemental and herbal wisdom, fully applied into live, raw vegan foods.
Conversely, wait until it’s warm again before eating a high proportion of foods native to equatorial, warm regions, because these foods evolved in the ecosystem to have their own biochemical properties that cool that which eat them. For example, between Brazil nuts and Walnuts in the winter, which do you think you’ll choose?
Eat it warm, connect to the region and the season, and use the wisdom of heating foods.
As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, I am very happy to see this dialog.
I salute Hazon for committing to trying to get the Jewish community to reduce meat consumption by 50% by 2015. JVNA will be happy to help as much as possible toe=ward that important goal.
This is a very important objective because animal-based diets are a major factor behind the current epidemic of diseases in the Jewish and other communities.
Animal-based agriculture is a major contributor to climate change and hunger, water scarcities, rapid species extinction, soil erosion, deforestation and other environmental threats
Plant-based diets are most consistent with Jewish mandates to preserve our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources and help hungry people.
I hope Hazon will do a tremendous kiddush Hashem by getting the quetion, “Should Jews be Vegetarians?” onto the Jewish agenda.
For more information, please visit JewishVeg.com, where I have over 140 articles and 25 podcasts of my talks and interviews, and ASacredDuty.com, to see our award-winning movie “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World.”
I hope you are right, Esta, re the 3rd stage. There are many indications of a shift of consciousness, but there is still a long way to go. As Mark Twain quipped, “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.”
I hope Hazon, and the Jewish community in general, will increasingly address the many ways that animal-based diets and agriculture violate basic Jewish values and address the question, “Should Jews be Vegetarians?”
” JVNA will be happy to help as much as possible toe=ward (sic)that important goal.”
But in the unlikely event it is actually achieved, will you be happy then or will you take the position that you took with the last food conference? (Saying that the JVNA supported humane and pastoral slaughter and then coming out with a public statement against the proposed shechita – the very thing you claim to support)
” animal-based diets are a major factor behind . . .”
isn’t that really somewhat of a sucker punch? Remember — the opposite of never eating meat is not ALWAYS eating meat — rather, it is sometimes or rarely eating meat.
By the way, why is it okay for the vegetarians and vegans to be allowed to bash other Jews who may eat meat and claim that they are neither environmentally minded nor Jewish for that matter? What if a fervently religious reader were to make similar comments about the posters to this blog and their lack of fealty to religious traditions — with the moderators allow such a comment? I think not. Whatever happened to “different strokes” “to each his own” “I do my thing — you do yours”?
1. JVNA basically believes that “humane slaughter” is an oxymoron. We do protest when shechita (ritual slaughter) is singled out for criticism, but we oppose all slaughter, unless it truly is a matter os saving a human life. We do not believe that animals should be raised for slaughter, but we do support improvements for conditions for animals currently raised on factory farms.
2. I (and I hope other JVNA representatives) try to refrain from bashing people who eat meat, unless they are very disrespectful of our position. Instead, I try to point out that Jews have a choice, and that the choice should be made after considering how the production and consumption of meat violate basic Jewish teachings re health, animals, the environment, resource usage and others.
3. Re different strokes, etc., I look at it like the talmudic story of a man drilling a hole under his seat in a boat and then wondering why others were complaining since it was only under his seat that he was drilling a hole. There is increasing evidence that the world is now rapidly approaching an unprecedented catastrophe and that animal-based agriculture is a major contributor to global warming. So, I feel obligated to do as much as possible to get this message out, and I try to be as respectful as possible in doing so.
4. We are not arguing that Jews “must” be vegetarians, but that they “should” be. Thankfully, we have freedom of choice. JVNA is trying to provide basic information, based on Jewish values, to help people make that choice.
5. Of course, other things need to be done to avoid the climate catastrophe that we are approaching and I am sure that I, like most other people can do more. But dietary change is an area that seems to be overlooked, so I still think Hazon would do a kiddush Hashem by putting this issue on their agenda. Especially since Hazon has already committed to working to reduce meat consumption in the Jewish community by 50% by 2015, the next sabbatical Year.
On behalf of the 800 members of VeggieJews, please be advised that Richard Schwartz does not speak on behalf of the entire Jewish vegetarian community. While he may think that Hazon’s commitment to reduce comsumption of meat by 50% by 2015 is a Kiddush HaShem, we believe that it is nothing but an illusion rather like saying that child abuse or spousal abuse should be cut in half by 2015.
But some crimes are so severe that cutting them in half is the moral equivelant of doing nothing. 50% less child abuse, 50% less spousal abuse or 50% less animal abuse and environmental destruction years in the future may make many people feel better about themselves, but it will not solve the problems of global warming and the horrifically cruel treatment of animals in food production.
Jewish environmentalists who take themselve seriously will cut their consumption of environmental destructive and cruelly raised meat down to zero within weeks, not years. Others, living in a dream world, will claim that baby steps toward meaningless goals will do the trick.
But, in reality, neither tiny steps toward meaningless goals or pretending that you can feed a world of billions on allegedly “humanely” raised meat that requires hugh amount of land to produce will solve our problems and bring us to our goal of truly sustainable food production. That can only be done by truly committing ourselves to significant lifestyle changes that start with the elimination of non-sustainable meat from our diets.
We can debate and beat around the bush forever on this issue, but ultimately, only real and meaningful lifestyle changes to remove meat from our diets will get us to our goal of a sustainable diet.
After following this debate for some time, I am almost ready to chime in.
I say ‘almost’ because my opinions are not static when it comes to issues of sustainability, food, Jewish thought, or community.
Thinking of being a vegetarian – or better, a vegan – appeals to me much in the way that living according to halacha appeals to me.
I am one of those Jews who eats only kosher meat and that meat infrequently. I am one of those Jews who keeps Shabbat but only partially. I agree that eating a vegan diet makes sense in many, many ways. As well, I believe that being Shomer Shabbat is just the right thing to do on many levels. At the same time, I am not able to simply make these decisions without much struggle and debate. That is who I am.
(I recognize the differences between killing animals and turning on and off the lights on Shabbat, by the way, but please grant me some lattitude on this one).
I continue to make changes in my life based on ethics, environmental need, observance, etc.
One of the things that helps me to make those changes is to hear from others who face similar struggles. When I read or hear opinions that are fully formed; self-assured or ‘final’, I recoil.
Part of me wishes that I could live my live so certain of what is right and what is wrong. Another part of me knows that I live in the grey both by choice and because that is the bulk of my view on reality.
In response to Pete Colon, JVNA would be VERY happy if all Jews became vegan tomorrow. However, since that may not happen, we go along with the Passover song “Dayenu,” in seeking progress along the way to redemption. So, we are happy that Hazon has set a goal of trying to reduce meat consumption by 50% by 2015, although we realize that this is not enough. As a matter of fact, I suggested to a Hazon leader in a private email message that Hazon change its goal to at least 50%. JVNA will be happy to work with anyone or any group that is working to reduce meat consumption even if they do not share our ultimate objective and/or time table.
In response to Marcia Beck, I salute you for your searching and your efforts. JVNA recognizes that Jews have choices re their diets. I only hope that you, Marcia, and others will consider our arguments re the impact of animal-based diets on Jewish teachings, as they make dietary decisions. WE will be happy to respond to questions that anyone has, and much information is already available at JewishVeg.com and JewishVeg.com/schwartz, including responses to FAQs.
You debating is about listening as well as talking. Seems like you are not listening. I have previously posted with quotes which I hope you will go read, but I can summarize them here:
1. All the data which shows meat production is a contributor toward global warming is from factory farms. I am disgusted by factory farms and do not eat meat from them! Environmentally sustainable meat raising operations, like Caleb’s farm where we slaughtered the chickens last week, actually sequester carbon in the soil and could be a very valuable tool in reversing global warming.
2. A Chicken is not a Dog is not a Human! To compare chicken slaughter to child abuse is completely out of line. Chickens are raised for eating – they give their flesh for a happy and fulfilled life (protection and food essentially).
You dismiss the humanely raised meat simply by saying it would take too much land to feed a population. But isn’t that exactly what Hazon is recognizing? Thats why they are recommending a reduction in meat consumption. We should all eat a little less meat, and get the meat we do eat from a sustainable-humane farm.
Also there is a LOT of land being used to raise meat unsustainably and to grow the massive amounts of corn and soy for their diet. If we were to convert to much higher percentage of sustainably raised meats, there is land to do it in, we just need the consumer demand.
I have no problem with any of you being vegetarian or vegan as a personal choice, but to say that those of us who choose to eat sustainably and humanly raised meat are bad people is extremely rude, and to say we are destroying the environment is absolutely false.
I am not religious, but G-d or people or whatever you believe created a way to sacrifice (literally to make sacred) animals for meat in a respectfully. You are fighting the wrong fight against people actually making our meat sacred.
Marcia, I applaud you for being open to the debate and listening to what everyone has to say, and I hope you will continue to do that.
First, Pete, I am very sorry that I misspelled your name in my last post. I will try to be more careful in my future writings.
Re Josh Kelly’s post: To me, the bottom line is that there are many indications that the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented catastrophe from global warming. and, according to some key climate experts, we are on the verge of a tipping point when global warming may spiral out of control with disastrous consequences. And there are recent reports that animal-based agriculture is a major contributor to global warming. According to a UN FAO report, livestock agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (GHGs) (in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other means of transportation combined. The report also projects a doubling in the number of farmed animals by 2050, and, if this occurs the increased GHGs would negate the effects of many positive changes that reduce GHGs. An article in the November/December, 2009 World Watch magazine by 2 environmentalists argues that the livestock sector is responsible for at least 51% of all human-induced GHGs.
So, while I commend Hazon for many of the things the group is doing, and I have long promoted your conferences and bike rides and other activities in Jewish Vegetarians of North America newsletters, I wonder if Hazon would, as the primary food-related Jewish group, take a greater role in increasing awareness of the above facts and help get vegetarianism onto the Jewish agenda, which hopefully would later get it on other agendas.
Why not a respectful dialog sponsored by Hazon and others on “Should Jews be Vegetarians?” It would be a kiddush hashem by showing the relevance of Judaism’s eternal values to current problems. As part of the dialog, points made by you, Josh, and by other Hazon people could certainly be brought out.
Sorry for my continued nudging, but I really feel that the future of humanity and much, if not all, of God’s creation is at stake. “The time is short and the work is very great.”
you are quite correct — a conversation is a two-way street and I too (and I suspect many others) get the distinct feeling that I’m being spoken at and not spoken to. From my experience, that is symptomatic of someone who feels it is more important to be right than to be effective. Unfortunately such rigidity hurts the moderates when our positions are actually so close (never eating meat vs. sometimes or rarely eating meat as Hazon advocates). Further, such militancy typically falls on deaf ears — look through the comments and you will not see anyone who says “Gee, I never knew that — I’m going to change”. Rather, a handful of Tofu Taliban start chanting “bad Jew, bad environmentalist, shame shame shame”. It does nothing to promote a reasoned, moderate position.
The self-righteousness and condescending challenges (I assume Pete must be running out of gauntlets to throw down) and the dismissive manner in which reasonable arguments (such as those which advocate healthy, sustainable local meat production) are dealt with summarily and cavalierly.
Ironically, rather than seamlessly dovetailed, the so-called Jewish component seems slapped on post facto with a long-winded quote from Richard Schwartz no less! Personally, I love when vegetarians reference Rav Kook and his teachings. Isn’t he the distinguished looking Rabbi wearing the huge spodek (fur hat)? I’ll tell you what — if you can give me the name and address of the free range,organic mink and sable farm from which those pelts came, I will gladly forego the one chicken a week that my family eats.
To Richard: congratulations for finally stepping up to the plate and conceding what so many others have suspected for so long — The JVNA’s true position with respect to any shechita-humane or otherwise. Don’t you find it more than a bit ironic that your position is now being rejected as being not extreme enough while virtually everyone else rejected for being too extreme!
No one in this dialogue supports factory farming. To preemptively attack those who advocate viewpoints other than the moderator is both counterproductive and self-defeating. As several of the posters have stated above, there is in fact room for the thoughtful husbandry of animals on the local level — I have been raising poultry for over two decades and has some have noted above, they’re my new word is not a liability — it’s an asset, restoring the tilth and well-being of my soil as well as my soul. Perhaps that’s a lesson that we can take away from this dialogue that sometimes within our greatest liabilities lie our greatest positive possibilities (a familiar theme in Chassidic thought).
Since I find myself in the unusual position of defending you and Hazon, it must mean that Moshiach is coming very soon.
The corrected comment (I’m a farmer not a techie and voice recognition software has a mind of its own!)
To Josh Kelley:
you are quite correct — a conversation is a two-way street and I too (and I suspect many others) get the distinct feeling that I’m being spoken at and not spoken to. From my experience, that is symptomatic of someone who feels it is more important to be right than to be effective. Unfortunately such rigidity hurts the moderates when our positions are actually so close (never eating meat vs. sometimes or rarely eating meat as Hazon advocates). Further, such militancy typically falls on deaf ears — look through the comments and you will not see anyone who says “Gee, I never knew that — I’m going to change”. Rather, a handful of Tofu Taliban start chanting “bad Jew, bad environmentalist, shame shame shame”. It does nothing to promote a reasoned, moderate position.
The self-righteousness and condescending challenges (I assume Pete must be running out of gauntlets to throw down) and the dismissive manner in which reasonable arguments (such as those which advocate healthy, sustainable local meat production) are dealt with summarily and cavalierly.
Ironically, rather than seamlessly dovetailed, the so-called Jewish component seems slapped on post facto with a long-winded quote from Richard Schwartz no less! Personally, I love when vegetarians reference Rav Kook and his teachings. Isn’t he the distinguished looking Rabbi wearing the huge spodek (fur hat)? I’ll tell you what — if you can give me the name and address of the free range,organic mink and sable farm from which those pelts came, I will gladly forego the one chicken a week that my family eats.
To Richard: congratulations for finally stepping up to the plate and conceding what so many others have suspected for so long — The JVNA’s true position with respect to any shechita-humane or otherwise. Don’t you find it more than a bit ironic that your position is now being rejected as being not extreme enough while virtually everyone else rejected it for being too extreme!
No one in this dialogue supports factory farming. To preemptively attack those who advocate viewpoints other than that of the moderator is both counterproductive and self-defeating. As several of the posters have stated above, there is in fact room for the thoughtful husbandry of animals on the local level — I have been raising poultry for over two decades and has some have noted above, their manure is not a liability — it’s an asset, restoring the tilth and well-being of my soil (as well as my soul which is inextricably related to the food I grow and eat). Perhaps that’s a lesson that we can take away from this dialogue that sometimes within our greatest liabilities lie our greatest positive possibilities (a familiar theme in Chassidic thought).
Richard – Since I find myself in the unusual position of defending you and Hazon, it must mean that Moshiach is coming very soon.
Shmuel, you write that nobody in this dialog supports factory farming. great! But the reality is that factory farming is expanding rapidly. Since it is a major contributor to climate change and many other environmental problems, including rapid species extinction, soil erosion, deforestation, desertification and water pollution, as well as the VERY wasteful use of water, energy, land and other valuable resources, it is essential that there be a major reduction in such farming.
I believe Hazon is doing great work and, as I have indicated, I have long promoted Hazon events. Because of the great respect Hazon has gained in the Jewish world and beyond, it is in a wonderful position to take a stand. I think it is time to move beyond the relatively insignificant debating points and for Hazon to take a strong, public stance against factory farming and for a major shift by Jews to plant-based diets. While I do not endorse it, Hazon could mention the possibility of eating some “humanely” raised meat.
Again the bottom line is that our precious planet is rapidly heading toward an unprecedented climate catastrophe and without a major shift away from factory farming there is no way that catastrophe can be avoided, and all other issues will be insignificant.
I’m happy to see this conversation still taking place. But let’s be clear that your statements about factory farming are equally true about monocrop agriculture. I.e., this is a true statement: But the reality is that monocrop agriculture is expanding rapidly. Since it is a major contributor to climate change and many other environmental problems, including rapid species extinction, soil erosion, deforestation, desertification and water pollution, as well as the VERY wasteful use of water, energy, land and other valuable resources, it is essential that there be a major reduction in such farming.
Jews becoming vegetarians and continuing to support those farming practices doesn’t help anything. Additionally, the idea that we can feed the world if we would all just be vegetarians is misguided. How long can we sustain vast fields of monocrop grains that depend on fossil fuel and fossil water for their productivity? A couple decades if we’re lucky? Whereas, the two-thirds of the Earth’s dry land that are not fit for farming support hosts of very edible and nutritious animal life.
There is no simple answer, and I wish the more militant commentors here would give Hazon more credit for facing that fact.
The main reason for monocrop agriculture is because over 70 percent of the grain grown in the United States and about 40 percent of the grain grown worldwide is fed to farmed animals. Also much land is used for grazing of animals and, in at least some cases, that is having very negative effects on our land and water. (I have a book with many pictures of these negative effects).
So, if there was a major shift to plant-based diets, far less grain would =need to be produced, and land could periodically be left idle to restore fertility, and we could shift away from monocrop farming.
The world is presently trying to feed 60 billion farmed animals, in addition t almost 7 billion people, and this is having very negative effects re the environment, climate change and the potential to feed all the people. According to the UN FAO, the number of chronically hungry people passed 1 billion for the first time in 2009.
Richard- Let’s reflect on your comment. You propose that the main reason for monocrop agriculture is for livestock. I propose that the main reason for factory farmed livestock is a glut of cheap, government-subsidized monocrop grown corn (please see the history of agriculture in the U.S. (like, you do know that cows eat grass right? And their bodies are designed almost exclusively for digesting grass?)). You also point out that 70% percent of U.S. grain goes to livestock and gets converted into the meat, dairy, and eggs which are a major source of nutrition for our country. There are around 300 million people in the United States, and most of them probably currently eat animal products every day. You suggest we stop eating animal products, and then you predict our national grain consumption will decline. Wow! So how exactly are we going to replace all that nutrition that we currently get from animals, if we’re not eating their products, and not eating their grain either?
Not to mention that there are over one billion chronically hungry people in the world. I assume you mentioned that because you expect us to do something about it. Well, are we going to share our grain with them or not? (Pellagra is better than starvation after all, right?) So how is our grain production going to decline? And, hey, wait a sec, what’s going to happen when the oil becomes too expensive to use it any longer for fertilizer? Or when the oil runs out? Then are we looking at one billion hungry people, or about seven billion hungry people? By then we’ll all probably be raw foods vegans. Seven billion raw foods vegans. Right.
As for negative effects, vegetarian agriculture provides us with plenty. A book with many pictures? Are you aware that there are dead zones in the ocean, some of them three times the size of Vermont, caused by monocrop agriculture? Are you aware that monocrop agriculture has created human-made deserts on what was some of the most fertile land on earth, before the advent of factory farming? And all in the name of feeding the grain-eating masses, my friend.
There is nothing innately harmful about livestock. Millions of bison once roamed North America and helped make the Great Plains great. In the comments above, Josh Kelly mentioned Joel Salatin’s 10-acre Polyface Farm, where he regularly raises, among other things, over 1,000 chickens, 2,000 lbs. of beef, 2,500 lbs. of pork, 100 turkeys, and 50 rabbits, with a diet based primarily on grass, and builds topsoil and sequesters carbon while doing it. Are there unwise ways to raise livestock? Yes. Those are not what Hazon advocates.
The chickens at the Hazon shechting this year spent their lives eating bugs on a fallow field and leaving their droppings in exchange as fertilizer so that more vegetables could grow there in the future, to feed the holy vegetarians (who seem not to realize the essential role animals play in soil fertility). Instead of pouring synthetic fertilizer on that field, as you seem to condone, the chickens increased the fertility and provided additional nourishment in the form of meat. Compare that efficiency to a monocrop grain field, please.
No, vegetarianism is no messiah. It is no hero. It is not going to save the world. How are we going to feed all the billions of people? The short answer is, before long, we’re simply not. We can’t. And certainly, becoming more and more dependent on synthetic fertilizers and further stressing our already over-stressed water and topsoil supplies is not going to save the world.
Pete- Yes, I would prefer she listen to the more rational neighbor. Except I don’t understand who the firefighter is supposed to be in the analogue, if you are the one neighbor, and Hazon is the other?
Regardless, it’s not a fitting analogy since in a house fire, it’s obvious to everyone that there is a problem and it’s clear what to do, and there is no way to immediately reverse the damage to make the house more habitable (whereas, unless I’m understanding you incorrectly, you would agree that there is a way to reverse global climate change; otherwise why are you trying so hard?).
A more fitting analogy might be that someone forgot to turn off the gas in the oven, and the house is filling up with a potential killer that no one can see or smell. Sooner or later the house is going to explode and everyone in it is going to die. The natural gas detector goes off. One of my friends argues that I should close the valve and never, ever use natural gas again because it could blow up the house, while the other suggests we open the window and close the gas valve and be more mindful of our gas use in the future. The first friend is right in a way, because if used the wrong way, the gas is going to blow the house up. But if used the right way, it makes our lives much better and is completely safe. Who do you think sounds more reasonable? Who would you listen to?
Listen, I don’t know what you do when you’re not having debates on the Hazon blog. If you’re out there taking direct action against the factory farms and oil companies, then bless your little soul. But there is no glory in commenting on this blog and protesting Hazon.
Bobbie- One of my friends who met you at the conference said you were offended by my comment on here. My intention wasn’t to offend, just to educate, so I’m sorry about that.
Uriel, I think you are missing something in your analysis. The world is now trying to feed almost 7 billion people and about 60 billion farmed animals. Yes, cows can and do eat grass, but in their final days they are fed much grain in feedlots. And during that time in the feedlots, it can take as much as 16 pounds of grain to produce just one pound of beef. So if there were far less animals, we could produce less grain and still have plenty to feed people. Currently the US imports more protein in foods from hungry countries than we export to them as, for example we import beef raised in tropical rain forest areas for the fast food market.
Another negative factor is that in feeding grain to animals, we are converting a food rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates into one that is high in cholesterol and saturated fat, and a major factor behind the current epidemic of diseases.
Re your response to Pete, we can argue re which analogies or metaphors are best, but I agree with Pete’s overall assessment. The world is on fire and we need people shouting out the following “Convenient Truth”: a major societal shift to plant-based diets gives us a chance to avoid the impending unprecedented climate catastrophe. Without such a shift, there is NO WAY that the climate catastrophe can be avoided. Hazon has a chance to really make a difference, so I urge everyone to promote this idea to Hazon leaders and to as many people as possible. The future of humanity depends on it.
Uriel: I wasn’t offended by your comments. I found them “passionate” about your way of promoting killing and eating animals.
Interesting how even in “conversation” misinformation gets passed on. I have found the same “misinformation” and distortion being passed on by those who do not look at the dangers to our environment and health by eating animals.
“May All Be Fed” and “Diet For a New America” by John Robbins are excellent books for showing the dangers of animal and dairy based diets.
Dr. Richard Schwartz’s comments are outstanding. I appreciate his knowledge and writings of enjoying Jewish Holidays without killing animals.
As I eat my meals, I am glad that I don’t kill animals or cause undue suffering by enjoying food with no dairy or animal products.
Agree with Richard Schwartz that Hazon leaders and others have a chance to make a difference by promoting plant-based diet. The environment and future of humanity depend on it.
Well, that’s it. I give up. You guys must be right. Even though the reason the U.S. created a surplus of cheap grain to begin with was for food security, sure, let’s imagine that we could go back to a world where we have no food security (think about Egypt and Joseph (in the Torah)… honestly, I’m 100% down to go back to famines and stuff… it certainly kept human population in check (remember the Great Irish Potato Famine? That wasn’t even that long ago, but how quickly we take an abundance of cheap calories for granted)). That’s what reducing our grain production means.
Oh, and you’re right about disease and health too, it’s all caused by eating meat. Even though the people who live the longest are meat-eaters as a rule (e.g., see recently deceased Gertrude Baines of the U.S. who died at 115 years of age, and loved her crispy bacon). There has never been one vegan to hold that record, and if there was ever a vegetarian, it was an exception, not the rule. Compare vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists to meat-eating Mormons… Mormons live longer, on average. Ever heard of the French Paradox? I could go on (and on and on), but I’ll just stop and acquiesce, that, you’re right.
Richard, you’re right about the analogy, even though in the analogy, all you have to do is run out of the house. I don’t think you’re advocating running away from America, or from Earth, are you? We already ran away from the Old Country with all their famines and droughts, killing hundreds of thousands regularly. Oops! Again, let’s not talk about food security. You’re right, let’s just run away from the burning house which is the oncoming climate catastrophe, and not worry about where we’re running to.
Bobbie, I guess when you say that you’re glad you don’t kill animals or cause undue suffering, you mean you’re glad you don’t have to think about the animals that were killed or suffered or brought to the brink of extinction so you could enjoy your food with no dairy or animal products and then leave self-righteous comments in online forums dismissing the suffering of said animals. [!] Otherwise I have no idea what you’re talking about.
We all agree that factory farming is destroying the world. Why can’t you guys just acknowledge that beyond that point, you can’t definitely say anything else, and there is no point in putting veganism on the Hazon agenda?
I can tell none of you have had significant experiences working on farms. This conversation would be much more constructive if you had, and had knowledge of the real world outside the writings of the Baskin Robbins heir, or whoever else’s theories you’re immersed in.
(Sorry my sarcasm is becoming more pointed… it’s correlated with the absurdity of the conversation.)
Unfortunately, the only thing that will save our planet from the effects of global warming is to lighten our carbon footprints by changing promptly to a healthy, humane and environmentally sane plant-based diet. Talk is cheap. Real change happens when one choses what to buy in the supermarket.
For those who wish information on how to change to a plant-based diet, please go to http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/veggiejews and click on the link to “files.” There you will find an article called “Pete’s Program for a 10 Week Transition to a Veg*n Diet.” Note: that’s 10 weeks, not 6 years as Hazon recomments. It’s easy, it’s interesting, it costs you nothing and, best of all, it works.
And please tell Hazon to replace its environmentally friendly but empty words with action by making next year’s food conference totally vegetarian.
Lol… I agree Uriel, this conversation has gotten rather absurd. I mean you vegans are preaching to the freakin choir! We meat eaters participating in this conversation and Hazon as a whole are doing so much to save the environment already. Even if you think that our occasional meat intake is hurting the environment – which I can tell you for a fact its actually helping sequester carbon because we get free-range meats – our intake is miniscule compared to most Americans. Your not gonna save the planet by stopping Hazon’s promotion of sustainable meat. Go picket in front of a CAFO! Go outside the grocery store a try to convince customers to not buy the factory farmed meat! But for god’s sake leave our schechting alone!
You realize there is literally no other opportunities to participate in a kosher schechting in this side of the continent? If you cant deal with a Jewish environmental food group that has sustainable meats as part of their agenda than I’m sorry for you but dont take that away from the rest of us because there is nowhere else we can go. You have your veggie jews thingy to talk to other vegan soapboxers, but Hazon is all we have for kosher sustainable meat. Btw Pete, can u stop plugging your yahoo group? You’ve done it like 7 times in this debate and its become extremely annoying.
When it comes down to it we’re probably not gonna save the humanity by eating sustainable meats and your definitely not gonna save humanity by annoying everyone with your dogmatic vegan antics – or, to put it in kinder terms, your not gonna save the humanity by eating tofu. But the point is we’re both trying. Lets join forces, the veganists and sustainable meaters, and try to convince people who don’t care to start caring. What do ya say?
Josh, thanks, I agree with you 100% that the important thing is to try to convince people who don’t care to start caring. As Mark Twain is reported to have quipped, “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.” I have found a great deal of denial, resistance, apathy and ignorance in terms of the impacts of animal-based diets and agriculture and I think that is what has to be changed if we are to have a chance to avoid climate and other environmental catastrophes.
I have been a long time promoter of Hazon events in JVNA newsletters and I plan to generally keep doing that. I have been involved in this discussion not primarily to change people who are generally aware of the issues and have worked out their own ways of dealing with them. I have been involved because Hazon has rightfully developed a reputation as the main Jewish group concerned with food issues and thus has the potential to help shift our imperiled world to a sustainable path.
Hazon can do this by stressing that the world is heading rapidly toward an unprecedented catastrophe and that a major shift away from factory farming is essential if the world is to have a chance to avoid that catastrophe. Hazon can then discuss options, including more sustainable production of meat, but also pointing out that vegetarianism is very consistent with Judaism, provides adequate nutrition, possibly with some supplementation, and has many benefits re reducing global warming and many other environmental threats.
If Hazon at least gets vegetarianism and other alternatives to factory-farmed meat onto the Jewish agenda, it would be doing a tremendous kiddush Hashem in showing the relevance og eternal Jewish teachings to present crises. Thank.
“You realize there is literally no other opportunities to participate in a kosher schechting in this side of the continent?” Josh wrote with obvious regret. He apparently feels persecuted by vegetarians who just won’t let him have his fun. “Let’s join forces,” he suggests.
Well, Josh, the fact that you apparently see slaughter as entertainment is the very reason that we can’t join forces. After the Holocaust, no Jew should ever take a life unless forced by desperate circumstances to do so. Killng should never be done for recreation or any other reason. It is a horribly sad act that reduces us all, not an opportunity to enjoy the power trip of taking a life.
You apparently feel persecuted by vegetarians who want to take your fun away. How bizarre! It is the helpless and harmless animals whom you kill without need who are the real victims of human blood lust. They are the ones who suffer and die by the billions every year so that humans can eat unhealthy, high fat, high cholesterol, envirnmentally destructive and cruelly produced food despite the alternative of a cruelty free, healthy and environmentally sane vegetarian alternative.
No, Josh, I can’t stand by silently while you get your kicks killing animals any more than I could stand by while a school yard bully beats up weaker, defenseless kids. No doubt he also feels persecuted when others try to stop the injustice and destructiveness of his behavior. But when good folks do nothing, evil triumphs.
I do not mean to call you evil, but your actions certainly leave much to be desired. You know the old saying: Hate the sin, love the sinner.
The question is, when will folks like you realize that life is sacred to the Jewish People and its needless destruction lessens us all. Just because we are permitted to eat meat does not mean that we have to eat meat.
The fact that some folks find entertainment in needless slaughter is exactly why we have so much cruelty to animals, such as cock fighting, bull fighting and dog fighting. I suppose that Michael Vick (football star and convicted felon for dog fighting) also wonders why folks of conscience won’t just leave him alone.
You don’t have to join us all on our march to a healthier, environmentally saner and less cruel future but can’t you at least stay out of the way of those who want to help take us there?
“Well, Josh, the fact that you apparently see slaughter as entertainment is the very reason that we can’t join forces. ”
Well Pete, the fact that you feel the need to create strawmen, bogeymen and put words in people’s mouths — words which they neither said nor meant, that you twist every credible argument with some Kafkaesque logic apparent only to yourself, all of the foregoing with a smug, self-congratulatory smarminess may go a long way to explain why your petition is only able to garner 800 signatures out of the worldwide population of hundreds of gajillion people.
Perhaps your inability to differentiate between education and entertainment precipitated your departure from the West Coast.
All are in agreement that the current food system is hopelessly broken and unsustainable. So that leaves the other piece under discussion, namely whether there can be any meat at all in a sustainable diet. (Ironically, the main issue as to what the Torah says in these cases is never addressed). Obviously, Hazon and the majority of the posters (myself included) feel that there can be. You and yours feel that there can’t. I guess what rankles many folks here is the fact that we are your closest allies and you have chosen to turn on us bringing in your tempeh-bearing minions who chant “bad Jew, bad environmentalist — shame shame shame”. That’ll go a long way towards winning friends and influencing people.
While I personally parted ways with Hazon based on the Jewish piece (or the lack thereof), I nevertheless believe that it is counterproductive to torpedo their environmental efforts as they have been successful in bringing this dialogue to the next level and garnering much media attention to their efforts. Again, it comes down to whether you want to be right or whether you want to be effective. Unfortunately for all, you have apparently elected the former at the expense of the latter.
“The question is, when will folks like you realize that life is sacred to the Jewish People . . .”
perhaps when folks like you stop playing hackee sakee with supermodels on the beaches of Tel Aviv and actually open a real Jewish text (and no — Richard Schwartz’s 240 articles [actually one article rewritten 240 times] doesn’t count). Let me ask you something — When you practiced law did you actually read the cases or did you just cite them based on the headnotes? I thought so.
I have been a long time believer in seeking common ground and solutions, rather than in scoring debating points.
And I think there is much common ground that we can build on, including the following:
1. As Shmuel indicates, “the current food system is broken and unsustainable.”
2. The world is currently on a path toward a major catastrophe from global warming.
3. It is essential that steps be taken as soon as possible to try to avoid the potential climate catastrophe.
4. A major factor behind the climate crisis is factory farming.
5. A reduction of at least 50% of meat consumption by Jews would be positive.
6. Jews have a choice re their diets, and one acceptable option is a vegan diet. Although I do not favor them, other choices involve eating significantly less meat and/or eating meat raised under non-factory farmed conditions.
7. Judaism teaches that we should guard our health, treat animals compassionately, protect the environment, conserve natural resources and help hungry people, and these teachings should be considered in our choice of diets.
8. Hazon has built up a well-justified good reputation as a group doing positive things re food issues and therefore has great potential to influence other Jews and later society in general.
Based on these concepts that I hope we can generally agree with, I think that Hazon should take a more open role in promoting its initiative to seek a reduction in meat consumption by 50% by 2015.
If others have any other points re common ground that theythink should be added or other conclusions, please state them. Thanks.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been a participant in this blog, so the way it is going now, I have to decide either to respond or inform you that I no longer feel a part of this discussion. After jotting notes to myself, I chose to respond, and I am again going to express from my kishkes and come from spirituality as is my tendency and experience.
There is a place (HaMakom) we may get to inside us where there is a feeling of merging. It brings about an unintended spontaneous shift. While there is a place for seeing diet issues as a prescription for solving social and global ills, we are going to get stuck in argument unless the cause and effect get cleared up. Being in HaMakom is the cause, feeling merged is the experience, our diet is the effect, and the planeto-social impacts of our diet are the secondary effect of the effect.
I hope we get that our inner Torah, the most important Torah according to the Ba’al Shem Tov, is the guide of the Jewish people, where Hashem can speak to each of us, literate or illiterate. We are in our walk (our halachah) with Hashem. As complete as I feel in the place, HaMakom, mental arguing dissolves. That dissolution of argumentativeness is so important because eating is always one of our most intimate activities. We love to eat in peace and not in conflict. We don’t get to that place of stillness to eat in peace by the argumentative faculty of the mind. We get there through intimacy, as though each other, and certainly as though Hashem, were our beloved.
We are going to be hungry for being right, or hungry for being convincing, eternally starved, if we keep coming to life’s questions and to each other’s faces with so much to be right about. It is time we go into knowing directly or “apperception” of the living word of Hashem within us. We have a guide to deveikut, merging into Oneness, in our blessed lineage. Use it. Cultivate silence, cultivate our inner light and life force (yes, Jewish concepts), feel the simcha (which means more than joyfulness such as dancing, but inner bliss). Bliss, simcha is inherently yichud, oneness, and from oneness spontaneously a life of service and upliftment. In simcha we see the soul rejoicing “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh” behind every pair of eyes, human and animal. We can dance with our animals and our family — that is why animals get Shabbat in the Torah.
As I understand it, this means holding Shabbat consciousness of simcha, shalom, and yichud from one Shabbat to the next. The next six days of the week after a good Shabbat, in fact every day, is Shabbat in these prophecied times, if something is going to happen as far as Mossiach in our lifetimes. Included in that is the consciousness we give animals on Shabbat. We’ve had one day a week in the past, as a bicyclist once has training wheels. Now it is time to ride on our own. Meaning, the Shabbat consciousness of wholeness, Yichud, or Union with all life infused with the illuminating Shekhinah–it is now upon us to remember and witness Shabbat Consciousness all seven days of the week. All seven days of HaMakom and oneness, that brings about glorious massiach consciousness on all the Earth.
In conclusion and the primary point I want to share with you: There isn’t a prescription besides knowing G-d: “Vanity of vanities,” no act matters but to know G-d, as our wisest king Shlomo said. We cannot eat, posture, promote, compost, and definitely not argue our way to the answer and the Redemption. “Know Hashem” is the only meaning. In Tehilim, “Be still and know I am G-d.” Be still and know the One.
So saying veganism is the answer, in the redemptive sense, isn’t exactly right. We’ve got it subtly flipped over backwards. “Be still and know I am G-d” is the only answer.
Then live what makes it easier for you to be still within your thoughts. An abundance of people find veganism supports the stillness and quiet of the egoic mind. That sums up the field of Spiritual Nutrition.
And when you find the stillness and are filled with the awe of the grace of Hashem, that’s when many, many people spontaneously make another transition, regarding feeling, touching, acknowledging the soul behind all beings’ eyes.
Again, we can crack this prison wall of stagnant back and forth (holding no one back but ourselves). The prescription isn’t veganism — it’s the other way around! The unintended outcome of following Torah wisdom, becoming an empty vessel and entering HaMakom, for many is to feel “I would as soon bite my own arm as unnecessarily harm another animal with blood in its veins and a soul behind its eyes, as I am one neshamah with it.” That’s how beyond choice and beyond intellectualizing what I’m talking about is. It’s the “insperience” directly, not left-brained object-oriented thought. Going into HaMakom is entering Gan Eden, and the garden as a reality coming very, very much alive. Yes, there is a creation dietary blueprint given to creation within us, but we can live that blueprint not even because it’s in Chapter 1, but because, simply, “Of Course! We are one soul, and look, listen, feel, smell, taste this garden!”
First get still and know G-d, then the Garden will enter our eyes, ears, pores, nose, and mouth. Torah guides us to inner readiness for messiah-like actions such as choiceless choices that end death. My life is my message is walking the halachah of oneness-simcha-bliss-shalom consciousness.
Pete Cohon wrote on December 30th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
“On behalf of the 800 members of VeggieJews, please be advised that Richard Schwartz does not speak on behalf of the entire Jewish vegetarian community. While he may think that Hazon’s commitment to reduce comsumption of meat by 50% by 2015 is a Kiddush HaShem, we believe that it is nothing but an illusion rather like saying that child abuse or spousal abuse should be cut in half by 2015.”
As a current member of VeggieJews (before Peter or another moderator should kick me off or somehow “dissuade” me from remaining), please be advised that Richard Schwartz DOES partially speak for this member of the Jewish vegetarian community and that I must disagree with Peter’s multiple statements as expressed above. Oh, I believe that I DO understand Peter’s statements. Additionally, I believe that Shmuel’s and Richard Schwartz’s above comments concerning this thread should CERTAINLY not be skimmed over or just ignored completely. While Peter may think that Hazon’s commitment to reduce comsumption of meat by 50% by 2015 is anything BUT a Kiddush HaShem, I would believe otherwise.
I’d like to equate here the continual craving to eat meat as a type of “addiction” so-to-speak.. Gradual REDUCTIONS in eating meat — similar to gradual reductions in abuse of many types of addictive substances — are MUCH more effective than going Cold Turkey, if you readers will pardon this particular non-vegetarian expression
It is now just after New Year’s Day 2010, and many of our secular Jewish brothers and sisters are acting upon their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and be in better physical shape for the upcoming year. Improvements in diet and increasing regular physical exercise are, of course, the primary means of carrying this out, as nutritionists and other health professionals can certainly attest to. And keeping a completely vegetarian diet certainly is ONE major way, among other ways, to improve one’s diet. OTOH, those who go too far and all of a sudden completely avoid ALL food, such persons will no doubt suffer negative health effects from their continuous, uninterrupted fastings (e.g., anorexia nervosa and/or increasingly compromised immune systems). We all realize that nervous-system collapse and death are the eventual and extreme results of such Cold Turkey starvation weight-loss tactics.
we have to concide that we are omnivores, we arent herbivore or carnivores.
We have the God given power of choice.
Consuming meat is part of our adaption to life on this planet. We can eat meant that has been reared in d slaughtered in ahumane fashion and we can still worship God and follow his tennents.
There is nothing i have read that suggests it any other way
Yes, Lester, we have a choice re our diets, but shouldn’t that choice consider how animal-based diets violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, and help hungry people. These diets are casing an epidemic of diseases in the Jewish and other communities and are significantly contributing to climate change and other environmental threats to all of humanity.
Re health, a person can thrive indefinitely on a diet of meat, fat, and water, which is not true regarding a pure vegetable diet. Animal products do not cause disease in humans. This is well-known, but check out this Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....=BlogEntry
Re compassion for animals and protecting the environment, you’re simply confusing factory/industrial farming with meat consumption in general. We already had this conversation. Skilled animal husbandry mimics nature and actually locks greenhouse gasses in the soil and builds a vibrant healthy environment. While the industrial growth of monoculture vegetable crops depletes topsoil, requires vast amounts of petroleum products, and destroys animal habitat.
Keep thinking critically. Don’t believe the hype.
I’m not here to jump into argument, but before I get to my invitation, @Uriel, I know many people on a plant sourced only diet (lifestyle really) who outlive all their siblings, brimming with vigor at that. That’s my own eyes, not hype. Who’s hyping?
I’m here to carry on from my last post back on Jan 24. I was writing all about how we have the cart before the horse. The “food movement” is stuck in the muck if we in the “food movement,” (why that’s in quotes in a moment) Jewish and universal, think we can come to clarity by debating about food in some kind of a silo isolated from the tikkun hanefesh, tikkun haolam of the soul and the world.
I realized in my life that what is worth doing is what I feel in my bones, no, the inside of the inside of my bones. You have to get there through looking deeply to the point where the bones and the earth’s dust itself become one.
There, there is simply not a spark of desire of any kind to spill precious and sacred blood, to sever head from body, to end the holy breath before its naturally time.
This whole JCarrot blog debate will ultimately come to a dedication to realization – not my realization, but your OWN.
What I have been studying and working for for years – Transformative Social Change – a Culture of Life and Liberation (COLAL) will spring forth. It lS springing forth like a great quickening.
In authentic life, bridging our outer idea of a movement (food or any other social movement) with inner change is mandatory and incorporates every way we manifest inner death as outer death, inner life as outer life, inner imprisonment with outer imprisonment, inner liberation with outer liberation.
So what do we do if at “the inside of the inside of my bones” I know that killing and eating other animals is part of the way of living in the world, of making the world a better place, and of repairing the world? What if I have looked “deeply to the point where the bones and the earth’s dust itself become one” and I realized that there is no killing, because we are all part of one larger life where there really is no difference between my bones and the earth’s dust. Who am I to glorify myself and say I reject that knowledge?
as president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, I urge hazon,preferably in cooperation to do a tremendous kiddush Hashem (sanctificationn of God’sname) by organizing a committee compposedof respectted rabbis, other Jewish scholas,nutritionists, health expertsa, environmentalists, agricultural experts and other key people tothoroughly investigate the realities of animal-based diets and agriculture.
this is especially important as the record breaking heat waves, storms, floodsand wild fires showover and over again that the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented climate catastrophe.
As Mark twain is reported to have said “Denialis not just a river in Egypt,”but Hazon can play a major role in overcoming the denial, ignorance, apathy and resistance.
Uh, — Richard – in case you haven’t noticed, Hazon already “plays a major role in overcoming the denial, ignorance, apathy and resistance”. They’re just more reasonable and moderate and much less disingenuous then you – the food conference was a perfect opportunity to showcase pastoral farming and moderate meat consumption. Yet you and your “Jewish vegetarians of North America” (in the name of transparency would you disclose the number of members you have?) actually boycotted the very thing that you claimed you wanted. Why should your position be any different now?
For years you saw a rabbi to debate you on the merits of kosher meat production and consumption. Not surprisingly, there were no takers forcing you to fabricate an imaginary dialogue between you and your imaginary friend — a hypothetical rabbi. Why would you now think that “a committee compposedof respectted rabbis, other Jewish scholas,nutritionists, health expertsa, environmentalists, agricultural experts and other key people ” would actually heed your radical call?
My respectful position comes from realizing that each person lives, evolves, and changes on a meaningful basis from what gives them simcha.
Debates and arguments from the head have their place, but any time our dialogue is primarily a debate from the head, we have the cart before the horse. Since our teachings enliven that growing and eating food generates simcha and praise, even before it generates sustenance and material planetary impact, the primary intent in the Jewish food movement is to warmi ourselves around that simcha of the food cycle, as we do a campfire.
I sincerely hope and pray we are all be touched by that simcha. The technology of live, plant-sourced, bloodless food is not only among the first instructions of Torah, our blueprint the gan eden paradise that is just an individual and collective choice away, but a way to stop taking on karma and victimization that translates into the consciousness of suffering and war and blood spillage. That seed bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees are given as food for us is only as radical as the opening of the teaching that our tradition is based on.
Yes, Hazon is doing wonderful work. I have been a long time supporter, and donated many of my books to be used a prizes for people who raised large amount of money on Hazon bike rides.
But respectfully much more needs to be done. There is currently an epidemic in the Jewish co,mmunity(and other communities), largely related to animal-based diets, and animal-based agriculture is a major contributor to green house gases (more than the entire transport sector, according to a UN FAO report), at a time when the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented climate catastrophe.
So, once again, a public debate with ground rules on numbers of words, etc. on “Should Jews be Vegetarians?” would be a kiddush Hashem, and Hazon would deserve much credit for helping organize it.
If I am wrong, it is important that a rabbi and jewish scholar show that.
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