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https://stories.soonersports.com/austin-stogner-the-journey-back-home/ | 2024-02-23T23:04:49 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474470.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20240223221041-20240224011041-00127.warc.gz | 0.983446 | 1,557 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__38157208 | en | I’ve never been in more pain in my entire life.
My dad played football at Baylor, so I come from a football family. Pain and toughness come with the territory. But I’ve never felt something like this.
In 2020, an injury I sustained in a game revealed an infection in my leg, and the severity of the infection left me with more questions than answers at the time. I was a tight end for the Sooners, and I can honestly say I wasn’t worried about never playing football again.
I was worried if I’d ever be able to walk again.
I was incredibly scared when they took me to the surgery room.
No one knew how far the infection had spread and if they could save my leg.
As they were wheeling me through the hospital, though, I recalled a Bible verse my dad instilled in me at a young age.
2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”
As I said that verse to myself over and over, I was no longer scared. I was reminded of God’s love and the sound mind he gave me to take charge of any situation I found myself in, including this one.
Even beyond my injury, that verse has become a major theme in my life, especially during my collegiate career.
There have been plenty of setbacks and obstacles along the way. As crazy as it sounds, though, even when I was at my lowest, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.
My journey, with the tremendous highs and devastating lows, has made me into the person I am today.
And it’s helped me (re)discover the place I was always meant to call home.
The highs before the lows
While the recruiting process was a little overwhelming at times, I took to OU almost immediately. I committed during my sophomore year of high school, so I didn’t waste much time.
I visited a bunch of schools, but OU seemed like the perfect fit to me.
The offense they had, the success of their team, and the proximity to my home – it just felt right.
Nevertheless, the transition to college was a big step, especially being away from home for the first time. But I was lucky to have a great support system. I had teammates and friends who helped me navigate through that transition and made me feel comfortable.
To be honest with you, the start of my OU career couldn’t have gone any better. But football, and life in general, has a way of humbling you when you least expect it.
A home game against Kansas during the tail end of my sophomore season would soon change everything.
A life-changing hit
Before I took the field against Kansas, I remember feeling sick. I was pretty sure I had strep throat, but I wasn’t about to miss a game because of a sore throat.
During the game, I took a hit to my thigh that initially felt like a Charley horse. But the pain worsened throughout the day, and my knee started swelling up. It got to a point where walking became difficult, and I was in excruciating pain.
I called up my then-trainer Chris Watson in the middle of the night, begging him to take me to the hospital.
After days of tests and uncertainty, it turned out that I had an infection in my leg caused by strep throat.
I had to undergo surgery and spent several days in the hospital. I lost a lot of muscle in my leg and had to work harder than ever just to be able to get back on my feet and walk again.
But with the help of the OU medical staff and trainers, I was able to make it back eight weeks later to play in the 2020 Cotton Bowl against Florida. Stepping back onto the field meant everything to me. It symbolized overcoming adversity and the determination to not let anything hold me back.
Despite a life-changing and potentially career-ending injury, I was playing football again, and my goals and dreams remained ahead of me.
To this day, it’s hard to put into words how grateful I am for OU’s support during this incredibly testing time.
A Sooner for life
When I came back, I wasn’t exactly myself, though.
It wasn’t until I was about halfway or three-fourths through my junior season that I finally started to feel good again and play better football.
And after the season, things started to change at OU within the program. When Coach Riley left, that took its toll on the team.
At that time, I made the difficult decision to transfer to South Carolina for the 2022 season, wanting to make the best decision for myself and my career as a student-athlete.
But life has a funny way of bringing you back to where you belong.
I enjoyed my time at SC, but I found myself yearning to be back at OU.
The camaraderie, the history, and the standard of excellence — there’s just something special about being a Sooner.
I believed I had unfinished business in Norman.
So, I decided to take advantage of my fifth year and do something that’s quite unusual in college athletics — I transferred back to the place I transferred away from.
And ever since, the support I’ve received from the OU athletic department has been nothing short of incredible. The athletic director, Joe Castiglione, went out of his way to ensure that I could still graduate as a Sooner even after I transferred from OU.
That tells you everything you need to know about this university.
Once you’re a Sooner, you’re a Sooner for life, and it’s not just a catchphrase.
OU has looked out for me since the first day I arrived on campus, and I can’t tell you how much their support and guidance has meant to me these past few years.
Finishing what I started
One of the many joys of my return to OU has been establishing a relationship with Coach Venables. He’s truly an amazing person, as he genuinely cares about us as individuals and wants to see us grow not only as football players but also as people.
My hopes for this season are simple: I want to win football games.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that winning is more important than individual stats or accomplishments. It’s about the love and bond you share with your teammates, and the feeling of achievement that comes with a victory.
Looking ahead, I want to pursue a career in the NFL and play football as long as I can. But I’m also mindful of life after football.
My leg injury taught me so many things, but above all else, I learned that my career could come to an end at any moment, and I need to be prepared for the day when I hang up my cleats for good.
I never could have predicted this roller coaster ride, but I remain grateful for every twist and turn along the way. It led me back to where I belong in what’s become my home in Norman.
So, here’s to a great season and ending my college career in the Crimson and Cream.
I wouldn’t want it any other way. | literature |
https://onceuponawrittenword.wordpress.com/2021/08/31/connections-and-character-landscape-in-jane-eyre/ | 2023-05-28T22:35:59 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644571.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528214404-20230529004404-00759.warc.gz | 0.968812 | 5,595 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__160637155 | en | By way of introduction, I should mention that Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre holds a special place in my heart in a rather unique way: It may be my least favourite book in the entire English literary canon.
For what reason? Take your pick! Nearly all of the characters irk me in ways I cannot put into words, the storyline drags dismally, and the whole tale seems shrouded in a sort of feverish darkness. (Also, narrowing down your protagonist’s options for a husband between Rochester and St. John is nearly as dismal of a choice as when the USA had to opt for either Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton.)
Never has a person tried so desperately to like a book as I have tried to like Jane Eyre… The first time I read it, I was 16 years old and reading it as part of a bargain. I had a good friend who was a reader and had never read The Lord of the Rings, possibly my favourite book of all time. She told me that she’d read it if I read a few of her favourite books: the Eragon series and Jane Eyre. I don’t think either of us particularly enjoyed the other’s suggestions — I don’t know if she ever even got through LOTR, and I passionately disliked both Eragon and Jane Eyre. I had wanted to enjoy it for my friend’s sake, but much to my chagrin, I could not.
A few years later, once I’d mellowed out a little, I decided to give JE another chance — it was a classic after all, and I probably ought to like it. Undoubtedly, I was just too young to appreciate its nuance the first time. Alas, I came to the same distressing conclusion: I simply did not like the book! Halfway through my university degree, I determined to give it one more chance in a 19th century literature class. After all, I reasoned, surely studying the literary aspects would help me to understand why it is such a well-loved and revered classic.
Sadly, the third swing struck out, too. I doubt I’ll ever read JE again, and will likely go to my grave still baffled at how many people legitimately enjoy the story and its characters. However, I have finally come to a place of grudging respect for it, thanks to a nearly 4,000 word essay I wrote as part of my third attempt to give it a chance. (Told you I tried desperately hard.) That essay is presented as follows, because it actually is quite interesting and I’m rather proud of it. Hopefully you enjoy it, even if you’re not a Jane Eyre fan.
(And if you are a Jane Eyre fan, please do comment and explain to me why you like this book so much!)
Now without further ado,
Connections and Character: Landscape in Jane Eyre
There is a moment in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre in which Jane, as the narrator, asks her reader to imagine a new chapter in the novel as the curtain going up after a scene change in a play. There is a short description of the room where Jane is sitting, and then the play continues, with dialogue, character, and emotion being the chief items of importance. Many scholars and critics of Jane Eyre seem to take this note to the reader to heart, treating the book almost as though it were a play, quickly glancing over each new set before settling into the continuing action. No doubt this is still an effective way to read the story, but the difference between a novel and play lies in the very thing that is overlooked in the former and omitted in the latter: landscape. Though landscape in Jane Eyre is usually only considered when focussing on the quintessential Gothic elements of the book, its plays a much more involved role than simply setting the iconic scene; it is every bit as important to the story as the dialogue, plot, and characters are. Paying close attention to landscape in Jane Eyre allows readers a deeper understanding of the story by seeing how it aids Jane’s personal development in crucial moments as she matures, illustrates her feelings and responses towards various situations in her life, and offers a potent means of describing the nature of several characters in the story, including Jane herself.
Jane’s life is influenced by a fascination with landscape from nearly the first moment the reader begins to know her. She introduces herself almost instantly as reading a book, Bewick’s History of British Birds – hardly a stirring title. But what she seems to love in the book is not necessarily the descriptions of the birds themselves, but the places which they inhabit, “the bleak shores of Lapland, Siberia, Spitzbergen, Nova Zembla, Iceland, Greenland, with ‘the vast sweep of the Arctic Zone, and those forlorn regions of dreary space’” (Brontë 64). Jane finds herself fascinated by the “strangely impressive” landscapes she encounters, and her imagination feeds not on pictures of birds as one might expect from the title of the book, but rather on the “vignettes…[from] the rock standing up alone in a sea of billow and spray; to the broken boat stranded on a desolate coast; to the cold and ghastly moon glancing through bars of cloud at a wreck just sinking” (64, 65). Jane’s solace and happiness even at the outset of the book is absorbed with stark, wild, almost desolate landscapes. A few pages and chapters later, Jane also shows a fascination with tales from Gulliver’s Travels, the content of which she conceives as “a narrative of facts,” sure that she can one day access the Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians through their lands, which she considers “solid parts of the earth’s surface” (78). To young Jane, landscapes are the connections to other places, realms, and realities. Though the definition of fairies, imps, and elves may vary according to imagination, the landscapes in which they live are within the mind’s grasp; Jane herself, disappointed at not being able to find any of these elves, “at length made up [her] mind to the sad truth that they were all gone out of England to some savage country, where the woods were wilder and thicker, and the population more scant” (78). Thus, it is not difficult to see how Jane’s character is heavily influenced by the concept of place, specifically natural landscape, and how she is especially drawn to those which are wild, strange, and far off, as they are a means of accessing a different or otherworldly place or people.
Yet though Jane is fascinated by imagined landscape, though delving into a book seems to be her favourite pastime, her desired place to sit in order to read her books is in the window seat, where she can “at intervals, while turning over the leaves of [her] book… stud[y] the aspect of that winter afternoon,” or look out at the horizons of her real world as well (64). The concept of Jane sitting at the window is a crucial one for connecting her with nature, as the panes of glass are “protecting, but not separating” her from the outdoors (64). The horizons that she can see from these window seats are important as well, as they often intimate her attitude towards each particular dwelling in which she finds herself. At Gateshead, for instance, she describes the view as “an empty field where no sheep were feeding, where the short grass was nipped and blanched,” a landscape where she finds “no pleasure,” just as she finds the house to be lonely and devoid of pleasure, warm life, and nourishment (97). Once she leaves Gateshead and lives instead at Lowood school, Jane describes the garden there as “a wide enclosure, surrounded with walls so high as to exclude every glimpse of prospect” (108). It is clear that Jane initially feels somewhat trapped at the school, but even when she has lived at the school for eight years, the trapped feeling has not gone away. Wondering what the future holds, Jane looks out of a window and realizes her situation by looking at the horizon: “there was the garden; there were the skirts of Lowood; there was the hilly horizon. My eye passed all other objects to rest on those most remote, the blue peaks: it was those I longed to surmount; all within their boundary of rock and heath seemed prison-ground, exile limits” (151). Brontë depicts this scene so that the reader’s imagination adds layer upon layer to the landscape, filling it in with the immediate details and then gazing further and further as Jane herself does – essentially seeing through Jane’s eyes. This is a turning point in Jane’s character, since her comprehension of the distance and the yearning to go physically beyond it is what prompts Jane to tire “of the routine of eight years in one afternoon,” to leave Lowood, and to seek a new dwelling somewhere else (151).
Once at Thornfield, Jane yet again does not seem initially fully content, and continues her characteristic habit of gazing out at the horizon. She frequently goes to the attic and looks out at “sequestered field and hill, and along dim skyline… then [longs] for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; which might reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life” (178). Now, gazing out at the landscape around Thornfield, Jane realizes her desire more concretely, that she wants a spark of liveliness and interest in her life. When Rochester arrives at Thornfield, Jane once again “walked to the window, but nothing was to be seen thence: twilight and snow-flakes together thickened the air and hid the very shrubs on the lawn” (189). This time she is unable to yearn for another horizon past her own; she has no need to desire a far-off life, for Rochester has brought that life to her. She leaves the window, “let[s] down the curtain,” and is summoned to formally meet Rochester downstairs. Here, it is the noticeable absence of a concrete landscape to prompt longing which ushers in the next turning point of Jane’s life, coming to know and love Rochester.
Yet even though this is the end of Jane’s window gazing, the landscape continues to play an important role in enhancing the reader’s understanding of Jane’s true feelings towards her situation. When she has fallen in love with Rochester and thinks he will marry Blanche Ingram, she resents the idea of going to Ireland since the sea will separate the two of them, physically forcing them apart. Later on, when she is ready to marry Rochester herself but finds out that he already has a wife, Jane feels uncomfortable and almost trapped by him. Rochester tries to use a physical change of scene to put Jane at ease, attempting to give them both an escape from the situation by proposing a “place I have in the south of France: a white-walled villa on the shores of the Mediterranean. There you shall live a happy, and guarded, and most innocent life” (394). Here, just as with Ireland, Rochester again uses the ocean as a motif for separation from Thornfield. However, the way Brontë words Rochester’s solution suggests that it would not be out of place to draw a parallel between his French villa and the white-walled garden at Lowood, the school where Jane learned to speak French. Since the emotions accompanying Jane’s description of the Lowood garden were those of being trapped and enclosed with no clear future, it is not unreasonable to apply the same feelings to her current situation; and just as with Lowood, Jane now makes up her mind to leave in search of a new servitude. This time, however, she has no destination and simply needs to go “in the contrary direction to Millcote… not one glance was to be cast back; not even one forward” (412). The lack of a clear direction or an aim, which up to this point in the story has been provided by longing for a distant horizon, leaves the reader feeling as lost and isolated as Jane does. The landscape must change once more, but it is now completely unknown, both to Jane and the reader.
While Brontë uses a specific idea of place to better describe Jane’s feeling of being trapped in her situation and in her love for Rochester, Brontë also uses landscape to illustrate Jane’s situation when St. John urges her to marry him later in the story. The conversation does not take place in a house, but in the beautiful landscape surrounding it, which Brontë describes in detail. But though it is described in a way that the reader understands it as beautiful, it is never explicitly stated as such; instead, Bronte has Jane speak of treading “soft turf, mossy fine and emerald green… the hills, meantime, shut us quite in; for the glen, towards its head, wound to their very core” (499). Though beautiful and potentially a solace, this landscape that Jane describes has an eerie hint to it, for it leads down an isolating, winding way. Usually when a horizon is described, it reaches only as far as Jane can physically see; this time, however, she appears to know exactly where the road ends up, even though the end is impossible to literally see. This unique moment in which Jane sees more of this road than she should be able to, suggests that in some sense, this path is allegorical to the one that Jane would be following if she chose to marry St. John. From this path, there would no hope of return; beautiful in its own right, but not warm or comforting, only long and isolating, taking her far away with no potential return. Interestingly, travelling to far-off lands was Jane’s original desire as a child, and she used to yearn for what lay beyond the horizon. However, Jane has changed at this point in the story; now, Rochester satisfies her desire for strange, new life, and there is no longer any joy for her in the prospect of exploring a land which will take her further away from him.
The allegorical nature of the landscape here continues through the rest of the scene. When St. John and Jane begin to argue, and St. John gets ready to convince her to marry him, “he leaned back against the crag behind him, folded his arms on his chest, and fixed his countenance, I saw he was prepared for a long and trying opposition” (501). St. John’s resolve is firm, as unmoveable as the very landscape that he leans against in confidence. His position is enhanced by his following remark asking Jane to lean on the Rock of Ages, to trust his judgment. However, the more Jane considers the situation and becomes convicted in her heart that she must not marry St. John, she too “rose up and stood before him, leaning [her] back against the rock,” standing her ground as immovably as he stands his (508). St. John then looks out towards the hills one last time before they both return home, retracing their steps and physically walking away from the path they might have trod together.
This scene between St. John and Jane is one of several that suggest a parallel or connection between landscapes and characters. Jane herself seems rather obsessed with “sketching a character” of those around her, figuratively as well as literally (173). When Jane describes characters to her readers, the descriptions often employ language reminiscent of landscapes. When she first meets Rochester, she relates the sound of his approach breaking the silence as “in a picture, the solid mass of a crag, or the rough boles of a great oak, drawn in dark and strong on the foreground, efface the aerial distance of azure hill, sunny horizon and blended clouds” (181). He is abrupt, unavoidable, and striking, but rather than using such adjectives, Jane calls to mind a landscape, letting the idea of the picture speak to Rochester’s character before the reader has even met him. Only a few pages later when she describes Rochester in more detail, his face is “dark, strong and stern,” similar to the bleak, hard landscape that surrounds their first meeting, and he disappears “like heath that in the wilderness / The wild wind whirls away,” evoking a picture of nature to portray a character (185). Jane also describes the character of Blanche Ingram like a landscape: “her mind was poor, her heart barren by nature: nothing bloomed spontaneously on that soil; no unforced natural fruit delighted by its freshness” (264). This natural imagery allows the reader to see and better imagine the character of Blanche as easily as they might picture her physical features when Jane draws her portrait a few chapters earlier.
Though Jane draws many implicit parallels between characters and landscapes in her narrative, she draws a few explicit ones as well, quite literally. Almost all of her paintings are either portraits of those around her or depictions of landscapes she sees. But when Rochester first discovers Jane’s sketchbook, he finds a number of paintings that are a blend of portrait and landscape which are described in great detail for the reader. The Evening Star and Death are just two of these paintings, but each feature a definite figure that is integrated with and yet distinct from the landscape upon which it is painted. The paintings depict neither a person nor a place, but rather an essence, or, one might say, a character. Thus, Jane describes a person’s nature by using nature itself, evoking the earth and specific horizons or vistas which the reader may understand in order to give a distinct impression of the person’s essence.
Though Jane sketches the character of those around her by using landscape, she herself is connected to landscape as well. Rochester often calls Jane a fairy or an imp, strange and other-worldly, hearkening back to the wild landscapes she was obsessed with as a child. Jane herself assures Rochester that she is “naturally hard – very flinty… [with] divers rugged points in [her] character” (360). Such a description indeed seems to portray a landscape rather than a human being and draws a connection between Jane and the place “up where the moors spread and grey rocks are piled” (79). Like the moors, Jane is striking but not beautiful, rugged but soft. She is at once straightforward and full of hidden thoughts and feelings, like the flatness of the heath which covers a labyrinth of mysterious spaces to be explored. As Rochester keenly notes, she does not smile or laugh very often, but when she does it is pleasant, like a sudden patch of vibrant flowers on the muted colours of the moors. The moors are where Jane feels safe and at home, where she finds solace and protection. Even though Jane cannot survive completely alone on the moors and needs a human dwelling where she can be “protected, but not separated” from nature, the dwelling that she comes across is right up against the landscape and is aptly named Moor House (64). In fact, the inhabitants of Moor House are literally family to Jane, as she finds out later on that they are her blood cousins. Thus, Jane is intricately connected to the moors; they provide a haven for her, and it is only after dwelling on them that she comes into her own, and can return to Rochester as her “own mistress… an independent woman now” (536). In short, where Rochester’s nature is wild and Blanche Ingram’s nature is fallow, Jane’s is moorish: solitary, soothing, and strange.
Bronte also highlights Jane’s deep connection to the physical world by using landscape to bring her to revelations of truth, and even the divine. In some ways it seems like a stretch to claim that the natural world can communicate truth or allow for a recognition of the spiritual, but as Jennifer Gribble puts it in her article on imagination in Jane Eyre,“it is essential to Charlotte Brontë’s intent…that she should attempt to blur such distinctions between the observer and the scene and to make the world of nature contiguous with the human mind” (Gribble 290). The key idea in this definition is that the human mind can somehow be influenced by nature in such a way that it is able to realize new things of which it was previously unaware. These moments are generally turning points for Jane in the story and mark stages where she grows up, especially when considering the novel as a bildungsroman, a story in which the protagonist progresses from adolescence to adulthood following a “pattern of personal growth” (Baldick 39). In Jane Eyre, these crucial moments of personal growth come through the revelation of landscape.
The first such instance is at Lowood, prior to Helen passing away. Jane has been out playing all day, and then looks at the many aspects of the beautiful evening, “noting these things and enjoying them as a child might, when it entered [her] mind, as it had never done before: – ‘…This world is pleasant – it would be dreary to be called from it, and to have to go who knows where?” (Brontë 144). This moment is highly significant for Jane: one minute she is childlike with simple thoughts and pleasures in mind, the next minute she has lost that naivety and comprehended death. Jane suddenly understands the implications of what is happening to Helen, realizing that she is dying. Such a turning point in the story is crucial to Jane’s character and maturation, but it does not come about through a conversation or the aftermath of someone’s death; Jane lands on this truth through the landscape, once again reinforcing her character’s connection to nature.
Jane experiences one other potent revelation through nature when she is out on the moors after having run away from Thornfield. In this instance, Jane is hurting as much as she possibly can be, and though nature offers her shelter, she still finds herself utterly “worn out with…torture of thought” (416). But as she looks up at the sky stretching out over the moors, she reflects that “we feel [God’s] presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us: and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence” (416). Jane’s struggle with her idolization of Rochester is ultimately banished by her conviction that “he was God’s, and by God would he be guarded,” a realization that comes to her only through looking at the night horizon, in the solitude and safety of the moors (416). Though Jane initially runs to the moors to “ask repose” of Nature, which “seemed to [her] benign and good,” it is not nature in and of itself which comforts her, but it is through nature that she realizes the overwhelming presence, peace, and benevolence of God (415). It is entirely plausible that in writing this scene, Brontë was thinking of Psalm 19:1-3: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. / Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. / There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (KJV). This would be an ironic and striking reversal of Jane’s childhood sentiment that “Psalms are not interesting,” indicating yet again that Jane has reached another stage of maturation at this crucial moment; and once again, this revelation comes not from a conversation or event, but through a landscape (92). Perhaps Jane’s other-worldliness, her fairy or elf-like qualities, stem from the fact that she seems to connect with the spiritual world through the physical one.
Landscape and place in Jane Eyre are far from simply inert background; rather, they are a means of connecting all aspects of the book to one another, and also connecting the reader to the story in a more nuanced and subtle fashion. Jane herself is obsessed with landscape from the onset, as it is the way in which she seeks to find a connection to strange and far-off places. Landscape, specifically horizons, often serve as a way of illustrating Jane’s situation and prompt a change of scenery, both figuratively and literally. Similarly, character itself is intrinsically linked to landscape in Jane Eyre. This can be seen explicitly in Jane’s drawings and implicitly in her descriptions and portrayals of the characters of those around her, like Rochester and Blanche Ingram. Jane’s own character is not exempt from such a parallel, as she is deeply connected to the moors. Finally, as she grows up, Jane’s strong relationship with landscape acts as a catalyst for connecting her to deep truths such as death, and later even brings her to a truer understanding of God. Clearly, then, landscape plays a crucial role in Jane Eyre, and by considering the significance of descriptions of place throughout the story, the reader may gain significantly deeper insight into Charlotte Brontë’s classic tale.
Baldick, Chris. Oxford Dictionary of Literay Terms. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. Print.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Richard Nemesvari. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 1999. Print.
Gribble, Jennifer. “Jane Eyre’s Imagination.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction, vol. 23, no. 3, 1968, pp. 279–293. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2932556.
The Holy Bible. The King James Bible Online: 2018.
One thought on “Connections and Character: Landscape in Jane Eyre”
Way cool, some valid points! I appreciate you making this article available, the rest of the site is also high quality. Have a fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person | literature |
http://www.sustainabletropics.org/publications | 2019-10-15T20:12:23 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986660231.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20191015182235-20191015205735-00539.warc.gz | 0.903082 | 555 | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-43__0__42591396 | en | Alliance partners participate in cross-cutting, timely, and innovative research across the globe.
Increasing REDD+ benefits to indigenous peoples & traditional communities through a jurisdictional approach
In this brief, we (1) review the current situation of indigenous peoples (IP) and traditional communities (TC) with regards to climate change, REDD+ and low-emission rural development (LED-R) in the Tropics; (2) present a conceptual framework for Jurisdictional REDD+ to demonstrate how IP and TC could receive greater and more lasting benefits from climate change mitigation strategies (including possible climate finance) under certain conditions; (3) present six regional case studies on Jurisdictional REDD+; and (4) summarize recommendations for the road beyond Paris. In particular, we examine which actions can be supported by IP and TC, governmental decision-makers, and other key stakeholders to ensure equitable and sustainable low-emission rural development.
navigating climate change mitigation and sustainable development in the tropics
In this paper for Outreach, a multi-stakeholder publication produced for the UNFCCC negotiations, the STA describes its transformational framework for large-scale, bottom-up solutions through Low-Emission Rural Development strategies. The full Outreach publication can be reached here.
About the sustainable tropics alliance
The Sustainable Tropics Alliance (STA) is a strategic partnership of independent, non-governmental organizations that draw on research, multi-stakeholder engagement, and local knowledge to develop low-emission rural development (LED-R) models in the Tropics.
indigenous peoples and low-emission rural development
Indigenous peoples and traditional communities are key players in the race to slow climate change, yet often on the sidelines of climate change dialogues. In this report, we explore opportunities for greater inclusion and improved benefits-sharing for indigenous peoples and traditional communities in the context of Low-Emission Rural Development (LED-R).
fostering Low-emission rural development from the ground up
The STA analyzes progress made in implementing low-emission rural development (LED-R)—a jurisdictional or regional approach to sustainability—using examples from eight regions in the Tropics. LED-R provides a framework for integrated implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and helps to address challenges related to implementation. We define LED-R and assess each region’s potential for and progress in moving toward LED-R. We also identify the key actor groups in each region, describe their dynamics, and discuss the potential roles each group could play in the transition to LED-R. We also summarize the barriers and opportunities for LED-R to take hold across the regions. | literature |
https://www.lnbc.com/event/womens-tuesday-am-christmas-study/ | 2023-11-28T10:20:59 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679099281.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20231128083443-20231128113443-00241.warc.gz | 0.804535 | 137 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__260180108 | en | Join the Women’s Ministry for our Tuesday Morning Bible study! Childcare Provided.
Study // Book: Because of Bethlehem by Max Lucado
Start Date // November 14 at 9:30am-11:30am // Fellowship Hall
Leader // Sharon Rhoads and Lori Williamson
Cost // Simply Purchase the Book at this link.
Join with Max Lucado in this lively, heartwarming six-week celebration of all things Christmas. Because of Bethlehem features stories both insightful and whimsical. On every page, Max’s words will encourage, captivate and inspire you, but most importantly, they’ll point you towards the One worth celebrating. | literature |
https://www.theserviette.com/blog/ | 2019-10-21T09:57:36 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570987769323.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20191021093533-20191021121033-00186.warc.gz | 0.989034 | 1,083 | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-43__0__202036641 | en | Last night we said goodbye—yet again—to an international friend.
I remember the first time my husband had him over for coffee, maybe a week or two after he showed up at our Sunday fellowship. We found out that a coworker in the city where he had done his PhD had often invited him to events where the Bible was discussed. While completing his doctoral work, he began to think that the faith he had previously mocked had some substance to it. When taking a post-doctoral position meant he needed to move to our city, his coworker directed him to our fellowship. I think he would say that he was not yet a follower of Jesus when he arrived in our city. But he was curious and close.
We knew he was transient, but we befriended him anyway. We shared our table with him, over and over. He graciously ate anything we served him, and visited with anyone whom we placed at the table with him. We celebrated milestones and grieved losses together. We met each others’ parents when they came to town, and got to know each others' coworkers. We watched him declare his desire to follow Jesus by being baptized, grow in his understanding of the Bible, and develop friendships with Jesus followers of all different ages and walks of life.
Two autumns ago, we started a weekly gathering with him to eat, read the Bible, and pray. Some weeks we ate supper with 10 people, and some weeks we ate just with him. But if he was in town, he was at our table on Thursday night…even last night, before he flew out to his new job in a new country this morning.
Last night he emptied all the leftovers from his kitchen into mine. In my freezer are his leftover strawberries, in my fridge his German sausages, and on my counter his butter in his butter dish. There’s a tote bag in the corner which I think contains his vinegar, oil and salt.
He even left his umbrella in our umbrella holder, and said “I hope it’s not raining on the way home, so I can leave this here.” Standing in our narrow hallway last night, saying goodbye, my heart squeezed. Why do we do this? Why do we love when we know the people we love will leave?
The scripture that comes to mind whenever I think about this is from John 13:1. “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” He calls us to love and to love to the end. Christians are taught to “love one another deeply as brothers and sisters” (Romans 12:10). From the way our hearts were squeezed last night, I knew we had loved our international friend like the brother that he is. And it was only right to love him “until the end”.
It is worthwhile investing in transient people like international students and immigrants because…
…God says it is worthwhile.
There are only two things in this world that will last into eternity: God’s Word and human souls. When I see the new life that flourished in our friend’s heart in his few years in our city, I am sobered to think what a loss it would have been for eternity, if that friend in his last city had never invited him to investigate the Bible’s claims, and if no one in our fellowship had noticed and welcomed this newcomer.
…you get the chance to invest in another corner of the world.
It boggles my mind to consider this: when one of our international friends comes to Christ (or even comes into contact with His Words), we indirectly have the chance to influence that person’s network, too. As our friend shares what he’s learning in another language, on another continent, in another culture, he reaches people we could never have reached ourselves. Last night our friend asked for prayer for his students and colleagues at his new job, a reminder that part of what he has learned here will affect how he influences others for many years to come.
...many people won’t.
There are many people who dismiss deep relationships with transient people because they don’t see what God sees in them, they don’t have a global vision for what God can do through that investment, or they’re too busy with the relationships they already have.
When my husband first had our international friend over for coffee, we could not have known that he would become one of our best friends in this city. We took a chance on friendship with him, and our lives were enriched because of it.
We gain much more than we lose, by following God’s command to love the internationals and immigrants He brings into our lives. Today it feels like we lost: we lost our neighbour. But the net result of our relationship with him is gain: we gained a friend and a brother. We gained all the things we learned with and through him. Maybe we will gain more brothers and sisters through him. And someday we’ll eat together again in our Father’s house, and say no more goodbyes. | literature |
https://events.goucher.edu/event/presentation_and_qa_with_author_charles_johnson | 2020-05-31T01:36:02 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347410535.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20200530231809-20200531021809-00029.warc.gz | 0.960444 | 248 | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-24__0__117078168 | en | Q&A with author Charles Johnson
The Kratz Center for Creative Writing at Goucher College is pleased to welcome Charles R. Johnson as the Fall 2019 Kratz Center Visiting Author.
Johnson is the second African American man (after Ralph Ellison) to win the National Book Award, for his novel Middle Passage, and he has also received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a MacArthur Fellowship, and numerous other prizes and awards. His novels and short stories have been translated into many languages.
Johnson will give a presentation and Q&A in Soper Room in Julia Rogers on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at 3 p.m.
At 8 p.m. on the same day, Johnson will read from his work in Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College. Both events are free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved for the evening event at www.goucher.edu/tickets. For more information, contact the Kratz Center at [email protected].
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 3:00pm
Julia Rogers Building, Soper Room 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd. | literature |
https://frontroomdojo.com/lineage/ | 2023-06-07T11:49:03 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653764.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607111017-20230607141017-00444.warc.gz | 0.95826 | 1,498 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__286655104 | en | Ueshiba Morihei, Osensei (1883–1969)
Aikido was created by Ueshiba Morihei from his lifetime of martial experience and spiritual practice. Following a challenge by a naval officer, which involved repeatedly avoiding being hit with a bokken, Osensei experienced a major shift in his awareness. Alone in his garden, “At that moment I could understand that my life’s work in budo was actually based on divine love and the laws of creation” (Ueshiba).
He thus came to the realization that the source of true budo is love. From this perspective, competition had no place in his system. “There is no room in Aikido practice for conceptualization or opinion: no perfection, no right or wrong, only the reality of experience” (Ueshiba). Further, “Within love [ai], there is no competition, no enemy, no antagonism toward anyone else or anything” (Ueshiba).
For him, “Budo is a divine path established by the gods that leads to truth, goodness, and beauty; it is a spiritual path reflecting the unlimited, absolute nature of the universe and the ultimate grand design of creation” (Ueshiba). The principles of heaven and earth could be perceived through the virtue which would come from devoted practice.
In practice, “one must polish one’s ki and forge the spirit within the realm of life and death. . . . Realize that your mind and body must be permeated with the soul of a warrior, enlightened wisdom, and deep calm” (Ueshiba). He made a clear distinction between the manner of practice of sports as useful bodily exercise, and practice as budo. “Warriors, too, train the body, but they also use the body as a vehicle to train the mind, calm the spirit, and find goodness and beauty, dimensions that sports lack” (Ueshiba). Making the body strong and healthy was but a part of what came with practice. Sincerity, valor, goodness, and beauty are also nurtured and encouraged.
The ideal state of Aikido is considered as being “able to respond to, embrace, and blend with anything offered, without any conditions or preconceived notions” (Ueshiba).
Our techniques employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space.
The body should be triangular, the mind circular. The triangle represents the generation of energy and is the most stable physical posture. The circle symbolizes serenity and perfection, the source of unlimited techniques. The square stands for solidity, the basis of applied control. (Ueshiba)
Aikido may also be called the way of peace, as the practices are focused on harmonizing one’s body and spirit with the natural forces of the universe.
Aiki reflects the grand design of the cosmos; it is the life force, an irresistible power that binds the material and spiritual aspects of creation. Aiki is the flow of nature.
Aiki signifies the union of body and spirit and is a manifestation of that truth. . . . Aiki is the ultimate social virtue. It is the power of reconciliation, the power of love. (Ueshiba)
Do symbolizes both the cultural path of Aikido and the way of Aikido. This shows in how we relate to self, other, society as a whole, as well as how we deal with nature. Takemusu Aiki sums this up succinctly.
Take stands for “valor and bravery”; it represents the irrepressible and indomitable courage to live. Musu typifies birth, growth, accomplishment, fulfillment. It is the creative force of the cosmos, responsible for the production of all that nourishes life. Takemusu Aiki is code for “the boldest and most creative existence!” (Stevens)
Stevens, J. (1995). The secrets of Aikido. Boston, MA & London, UK: Shambhala.
Ueshiba, M. (1991). Budo. New York, NY: Kodansha.
Ueshiba, M. (1993). The essence of Aikido. New York, NY: Kodansha.
Kato Hiroshi, Shihan, 8th dan
Kato Hiroshi (1935–2012) lived in Tokyo, when he was not travelling to spread his knowledge of Aikido. In 1953, when he was 19, Kato sensei began his Aikido training at Aikido World Headquarters (Hombu Dojo) under the instruction of the Founder of Aikido, Ueshiba Morihei. From 1975, he taught at his own dojo in the Ogikubo district of Tokyo.
He regularly traveled to affiliated dojo in Texas and California twice a year, as well as to other places around the world where he was invited to share his depth of experience and dedication to the ideals and principles of Aikido. Having studied directly with the founder, and having trained himself for over 56 years, he demonstrated an uncommon wealth of knowledge as he cultivated a world-wide community of practice dedicated to the art of harmony / peace.
Kato sensei focused upon the nonverbal aspects of instruction and practice, and emphasized that seeing is far better than hearing about something. He recommended that everyone try to do what he showed, even if you did not understand it. In his words, “Results come as you practice.” His style could be described as moving with a unified body, powered by one’s hips with knees soft, from a compact base, both grounded and fluid.
Kato sensei hiking January 2009
Cultivation of respect for the natural world was an intrinsic aspect of his training and experience. Hiking in the mountains was part of his training with Osensei, and integral to my experience of training with him during my 10 years in Tokyo. This served multiple functions: as physical exercise, as a time of community building, and as offering a welcome opportunity to shift perspective from one’s life in the city. Body, mind, and spirit were honored, respected, and interwoven on such outings.
Susan J. Newton, 4th dan
I began my study of Aikido as part of my doctoral program in transpersonal psychology in 1992. Following licensure as a Clinical Psychologist in CA, I traveled to Tokyo to deepen my practice in its home culture. While serving the international community as a psychotherapist, I had the great good fortune to study for 10 years with Kato Hiroshi Shihan, 8th dan, a direct student of Ueshiba Morihei, Osensei. With direct authorization from Kato Shihan, I opened Front Room Dojo in 2011. Now living in Kapa’a, HI, I work as a psychologist / processworker and consultant in private practice, as a free-lance editor, and continue to deepen my Aikido practice. | literature |
https://en.daz3ddl.com/products/rera-and-rera-hair-for-genesis-8-females?f=siderbar_favorite_log | 2022-12-08T00:26:51 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711221.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20221207221727-20221208011727-00778.warc.gz | 0.928247 | 159 | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__150171843 | en | Introducing Rera and Rera Hair for Genesis 8 Females!
Rera is a spy from a futuristic world. After completing arduous tasks time and time again, she became numb and ruthless. All that exists in her consciousness is the task and the gun in her hand. Smiling? That's a luxury for her.
Rera comes with fixed expressions, her own makeup — her design is inspired by comics, anime, and sci-fi characters.
Bring the edgy Rera and Rera Hair for Genesis 8 Females into your stories for your fill of boldness! | literature |
https://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/health/adverse-outcomes.php | 2017-02-21T00:58:50 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501170614.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104610-00042-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.967277 | 1,634 | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-09__0__111580570 | en | The adverse outcomes experienced by young people may vary according to the specific type of disability or health condition that the parent has. For example, young people caring for a parent with a physical disability report a variety of physical ailments resulting from the caring role, including muscle strain, fatigue and exhaustion (Gays 2000). Young people living with a parent with mental illness may experience greater social isolation as a result of the stigma attached to mental illness, as well as the stress of coping with the parent's condition.
Figure 3.8 presents disability prevalence rates among parents for four disability groups: intellectual/ learning, psychiatric, sensory/speech, and physical/diverse. Intellectual/learning disability is associated with impairment of intellectual functions, with limitations in a range of daily activities and with restriction in participation in various life areas. Psychiatric disability is associated with clinically recognisable symptoms and behaviour patterns frequently associated with distress that may impair personal functioning in normal social activity. Sensory/speech disability is associated with impairment of the eye, ear and related structures, and of speech structures and functions.
Activity limitations may occur in various areas, for instance communication and mobility. Physical/ diverse disability is associated with the presence of an impairment, which may have diverse effects within and among individuals, including effects on physical activities such as mobility.
This report discusses the current overall health status of young Australians in the 21st century with that of young Australians in the 1990's by making reference to morbidity and mortality data and to positive measures of well being. In finishing this report, data from the specified years were studied and analysed.
Self-assessed health is often a good indicator of the positive measures of wellbeing. A series of studies have also shown that people's perception of their own health status to be a powerful, independent predictor of their future health. Table 2.1 below indicates the ‘self-assessed health statuses' of those aged 15-24. Surveys performed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) asked respondents to assess their own health against a five-point scale.
In 2004-05, 70% of young Australians aged 15-24 years assessed themselves to be in either a state of excellent or very good health; another 24% rated their health as good and the remaining 7% to be either fair or poor. Young males outnumber females aged 15-17 years in either a state of excellent or very good health (85% of males compared to 80% of females), results were very similar in the 18-24 age group. There is a slight increase in the proportion of young people stating their health to be excellent or very good from 65% in 1995 to 70% in 2004-05. Likewise, the proportion of young people who assessed their health as fair or poor declined from 9% in 1995 to 7% in 2004-05.
Morbidity rates often refer to disease and disabilities. Communicable diseases such as Hepatitis B and C for example, remain a threat to human health. Fortunately, the number of hepatitis B notifications have almost halved between 1995 and 2005, from 100 notifications to 55. Hepatitis C on the other hand increased since 1996 from 1.1 per 100,000 young people to a peak of 9.4 per 100,000 in 2001; it did however decline again to 3.5 per 100,000 in 2005. There are also chronic diseases such as Hayfever and allergic rhinitis which are considered the most frequent long-term conditions reported (14%), followed by short-sightedness (12%); and then asthma, with a prevalence rate of 8.5% during the 1990's and 13% in 2004-05.
A population's experience of mortality provides a key set of indicators of its health and wellbeing. Even though death rates for young Australians are quite low during the 1990's and the 21st century, the trends and differences are still significant in the planning of future public health care.
In 2004, there were 1,470 deaths among those aged 12-24 years, 1,012 (69%) were males. As indicated by Table 2.26 above, the leading cause of death for young Australians was transport accidents which make up 30% of all deaths in this age group; followed by intentional self-harm (19%), and accidental poisoning (5%). These three causes accounted for over 50% of all deaths. Cancers also featured among the leading causes of death for young Australians having been responsible for 3% of all deaths. High levels of distress between young males (12%) and females (19%) aged 18-24 has also been reported, an increase from 1997 when the corresponding proportions were 7% and 13%.
In 1997, there were 2,082 deaths among those aged 12-24years, 1,523 males and 559 females. The causes for two-thirds of all deaths during this decade were very similar to that of the 21st century. On a positive note, the mortality rates among young Australians aged 12-24 years over the past two decades has halved, mainly due to decreases in deaths caused by injury which accounts for a majority of deaths. Suicide and transport accidents have too declined by 40% and 35% respectively between 1995 and 2004 and deaths due to drug dependence disorder decreased from 142 deaths in 1997 to 3 deaths in 2004.
PART 2e: Asthma
Asthma is one of the most common long-term health problems amongst adolescents in Australia. It is a disease caused by the narrowing of one's airways, resulting in symptoms of wheezing and shortness of breath. For most asthmatics, the condition can be effectively controlled through medications on a regular basis; in some cases, people with severe asthma may lead to premature death. In spite of the difficulties in precisely measuring asthma prevalence, studies have indicated that Australia has one of the highest prevalence rates in the world and is indeed on the rise, having increased in the early-to-mid 1990's.
The burden of disease due to asthma is significant, accounting for 7,995 DALYs or 4% of the total disease burden for young Australians aged between 15-24 years in 2003. In 1996, asthma accounted for 2.6% of total DALYs (2.1% for males and 3.1% for females). This 2.6% is made from 4.8% of YLD and only 0.6% of all YLL, indicating the fact that asthma is a major cause of chronic disability rather than death.
During the 1990's, 11.3% of the then population had asthma, an increase on the 8.5% prevalence in 1989-90; whereas in 2004-05, estimates based on the ABS have indicated a prevalence rate of 13%. Between 1996-97 and 2004-05, females were overall more prevalent to asthma (14%) than males (11%). As shown in Figure 2.14 above, the difference was largest in the 20-24 year age group where the prevalence rate for females was 1.7 times the rate for males. However, among those aged 12-14 years, the prevalence rates for both genders were close (14% and 13% respectively).
It may also be of interest to acknowledge the significant reductions in asthma hospital separation rates between years 1996-97 and 2004-05. The number of separations has fallen from 189 to 88 separations per 100,000 young people for males and from 283 to 131 separations per 100,000 for young females, a decline of 54%.
In terms of mortality rates in 2004, there were 14 deaths due to asthma which accounts for less than 1% of all deaths in this age range. Between 1995 and 2004, deaths from asthma almost halved. This shows that asthma is not the main cause of deaths in Australia; and is also a clear indicator that young Australians today are much healthier than their counterparts were during the 1990's. This decrease in mortality rates can be largely due to a reduction in the severity of asthma, changes in treatment practices or environmental factors or through improved asthma management. | literature |
https://clearwatercog.org/2018/03/meet-cog-stephanie-shank/ | 2019-03-20T15:37:14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202433.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20190320150106-20190320172106-00316.warc.gz | 0.991415 | 643 | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-13__0__46525502 | en | Next up in our Meet the COG series is Stephanie Shank!
Stephanie is the Program Developer for the COG and she was interviewed by Nancy Richards.
What ridiculous thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing?
Stephanie is quick to play tricks on others but it is pretty hard to pull one over on her. She has two boys at home that are known to try often but haven’t been successful yet. She says with a smile, that they are still pretty young so their pranks are still very obvious.
Stephanie did recall a time when she was in the 3rd grade that her dad got one over on her. Her family went to Cedar Point for some summer fun. She was convinced that roller coasters were very scary things and that she was not ready to ride one and then came her dad, a determined man. He convinced her that the Gemini was no big deal and not really scary at all. “Be brave, I will ride with you” he said. So off she went hand in hand with him and boarded the coaster. The trick was on. Little did she realize that he had tricked her into sitting in the very front seat. She says within seconds she was screaming like crazy and kept her head in her dad’s lap for the entire ride. Her family tells her she parted the Gemini with some wise words, “I AM NOT RIDING ANY MORE ROLLER COASTERS EVER! OR AT LEAST UNTIL THE 5TH GRADE!”
What’s the most useless talent and what is the most useful talent you have?
Stephanie’s most useless talent is towel snapping. She would give herself a gold medal for her towel snaps. She and her brother practiced for hours perfecting their skill while running around their house as young children. Or, in reality, he perfected his skill on Stephanie and her sister. It was a game of survival. She continues the tradition by playing the game with her boys. She is quick to note, it is all in fun and the laughs abound.
Stephanie considers her most useful talent to be that of a writer. We at the COG couldn’t agree more. She told me all about how she has journaled since she was a young child and would spend her days writing if she could. She also happened to mention she is an avid reader and has been known to read five (5) books a month. Reading that many words in a month would sure give you a lot to write about.
What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Stephanie said she thought about this a lot while she was getting ready to be interviewed because there are so many things that came to mind. She then settled on telling me how she believes everyone should have the privilege of being immersed in a culture that is not their own. It gives you a whole different perspective of people and the world. She challenges us all to go somewhere different, don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable, experience a new culture fully –it just might change your world. | literature |
https://fixyfix.com/blog/why-the-little-things-you-do-for-others-go-a-long-way/ | 2024-04-25T08:28:26 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712297290384.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20240425063334-20240425093334-00742.warc.gz | 0.95951 | 360 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__159579753 | en | While ‘tis the season for giving, it’s the little things you do for others — over the course of time — that ultimately go a long way. Whether you’re well off (or not), a business entity, or underprivileged, helping those in need is one of the most rewarding contributions you can make for both yourself and society. Be it physical, monetary, or sheer hardship, there are numerous reasons someone could be in dire need of a helping hand.
As the popular Ralph Waldo Emerson saying goes: “Life is a journey, not a destination.” However, sometimes on that beautiful yet unpredictable path, things can go unexpectedly awry. Although the resilient ones manage to get through major setbacks on their own, some of us — be it our misconstrued ways of thinking, or lack of resources — benefit greater from those who are willing to give them a small nudge. That very nudge could come in the form of an opportunity such as a place to crash for a brief stint, or a much needed job opportunity.
Regardless of the predicament, each circumstance serves as an opportunity for those contributing to their respective causes. From the contributor side, the biggest benefit you receive is that feeling you get inside knowing that you made a difference. Essentially, the little things you do for others are, utterly priceless, for both the giver and receiver.
In closing — to summarize Forrest Gump’s well known quote, life is “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” However, regardless of its twists and turns — and debts and credits — we can make the world a better place if we find it in our hearts to assist others along the way. | literature |
http://edpub.tapity.com/review-how-to-publish-a-book/ | 2016-06-24T23:41:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.959804 | 802 | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2016-26__0__127369453 | en | The book is APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book, by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch. It is available on Kindle for $9.99. The bottom line is: Get this book if any of the following apply to you:
- You have any interest whatsoever in publishing your own book, print or digital;
- You are an author who wants an overview of best practices in social marketing using the latest tools available, even if you already have a publisher; or
- You want to know what the future of publishing is looking like from the point of view of authors.
In APE, Kawasaki and Welch present about the greatest possible amount of useful information per page. Yet they do it in a style that makes you feel like you are sitting down with Guy over coffee. Much of the information presented is practical and even technical, but it is never dry because every bit is so directly relevant and applicable to the reader who wants to write and publish a book. Also, APE has witty quotes and quick anecdotes scattered throughout, making it nearly as fun as it is informative.
The primary premise of APE is that if you want to write a book, you may be best off publishing it yourself, especially since the authors are going to tell you just what you need to know to pull it off. The key sub-premise is that to pull it off, you will need to wear the hats of author, publisher, and entrepreneur. The book’s title is thus also its table of contents. The first section tells you how to write your book, how to be an author. The second section tells you how to produce and distribute your book, how to be a publisher. The third section tells you how to market your book, how to be an entrepreneur. By “entrepreneur,” they really mean “marketer,” but they probably couldn’t find a picture of an APM for the cover.
APE can be read from cover to cover as an inspirational book (while guiltlessly skimming some of the more specific detail) and then can be used as a reference that you can lean on as you actually go through the process of publishing a book. As an inspirational book, the authors make it clear that publishing your own book is hard work, but they also make you realize that you can do it, and you can do it well. And they include tons of great advice and pearls of wisdom throughout. As a reference book, APE feels comprehensive, but curated; that is, the authors have gathered what they feel are the best resources and methods to help you at every stage of your publishing journey, so you are not overwhelmed with every possible way to do something. In this way, the authors are giving you their advice all along the way and saving you from frustrating dead ends and inferior ways of doing things.
The “Entrepreneur” section of APE is actually a great primer in how to use social marketing to market your book. Most of this section is applicable even if you have a publisher; for that matter, most of it is applicable even if you are selling something besides a book. This section summarizes Kawasaki’s wisdom on social marketing in general—it is a great read and worth the price of admission on its own.
What APE cannot do for you (and does not claim it can): make you a good writer if you are a poor writer; tell you what to write about; make it easy to publish your own book (though it can make it easier); guarantee that you will get rich from your book. As long as you do not have any such unrealistic expectations, if you want to publish your own book or market your own book, you will love APE. It will give you the kick in the pants you need to get started, and it will be your constant companion all along the way. | literature |
https://www.crowdrise.com/wisdompublications | 2017-09-26T17:39:22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818696653.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20170926160416-20170926180416-00693.warc.gz | 0.945756 | 278 | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-39__0__5594240 | en | For over three decades, Wisdom Publications has been committed to publishing contemporary and classic Buddhist books. As the leading ecumenical and nonprofit publisher in this field, publishing everything from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's works to the classic "Mindfulness in Plain English," we have made it our mission to:
- help cultivate and share the phenomenal and multifaceted resource of Buddhism, enriching the world by preserving and sharing the wise, compassionate, and profound teachings of Buddhism and mindfulness
- advance critical scholarship, nurture communities of authors and readers, and
- preserve Buddhist literary culture.
We are committed to providing readers with polished, thoughtful, and carefully-chosen works, available at reasonable prices. We also donate many books each year to schools, prisoners, sanghas, and libraries, and all our profits are invested back into the creation of new works.
We recently had a new website built (www.wisdompubs.org), where we now offer thousands of pages of free content from our books available to read online, as well as direct and instantaneous ebooks for sale.
We have already raised $5,000 this fall, and hope to raise $5,000 more by December 31st so we can continue developing and improving our new website, and fulfilling the work of our mission.
(Tibetan flags photo by Chris Majors) | literature |
http://www.reemazaman.com/letters/letter-to-a-past-love | 2017-09-25T13:22:04 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818691830.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20170925130433-20170925150433-00045.warc.gz | 0.973729 | 1,424 | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-39__0__58089246 | en | A final gesture of love. “Marie” is his ex-wife. Six months into our relationship, he moved cross continent. We ended our relationship six months after the move.
I realized today that the connection I’d actively created with you involves my helping you process present and past events. Given this understanding, it feels unkind, dishonorable, irresponsible, and premature to leave your life without properly responding to your feelings and thoughts from last night. I’m writing this letter in respect of the roles we had created, and my responsibility as that person.
You say you haven’t been able to feel better despite having moved closer to family and the people you love. I fear and feel this is because the transformation you seek is internal; changing external circumstances will not accomplish that feat. I hope you devote the emotional effort of looking closely within, into your thought, behavior, and speech patterns. I fear that your negativity and general ingratitude towards the little and big things are obstacles that challenge your ability to be happy, calm, loving, and emotionally present. I hope you start AA, or something similar, a framework for support and guidance that isn’t a romantic relationship or partner. I feel alcohol is one of your numbing agents. It allows you to evade the inner turmoil that demands tackling, healing, and release. Ultimately, the quality of our relationships, both interpersonal and intrapersonal, determines our quality of life. So I feel all the above are factors that have kept you from true fulfillment. Moving from one geographical state to another isn’t the same as truly moving, from one state to another. I think you’ll feel better only after doing the necessary, deep, difficult, and continual inner work. It’s the task we all have in common, simply in different manifestations.
For me, our relationship began on our first date when, while waiting for dessert, you reached over, took my hand and said “I would never do this on a first date, usually. I hope there is a second one. I hope I haven’t repulsed you.” My heart broke for you. Earlier, you had told me the story of Marie calling you “repulsive”, something that is incredibly cruel and untrue. I wasn’t going to accept a second date given our vast differences and the fact that you were clearly very focused on your ex-wife, and broken. But when you said that, I made myself a vow: I would sign up to be the person who’d show you that you were deserving and capable of being loved even though you didn’t think that was possible. I would give you love and remain by your side knowing full well that I would receive very little respect, affection, or attention in return. I would love you without conditions or expectations, for that was the only way. I would give you a year. I would do this because you deserved the gift and opportunity to heal and move beyond your present and past, because you are inherently good, decent, and highly intelligent. You were and are worth the work. What I would receive in return is the contentment that comes from helping someone with something that only I could give and do for the person. Arguably, that incentive is both loving as well as egotistical. We dance this fine line in the matters of love.
Something you and I spoke of often is the hard-to-swallow truth that so much in life, and especially in love, is uncontrollable. By extension, so many parts of a person and the relationship forged with them will remain ever mysterious. Unknowable spots that will remain blurry given the nature of life and being human. It is the highly intelligent and the young who believe ardently that we can understand, and thereby determine or control or know, anything and everything we wish to. For the highly intelligent, it is a necessary and humbling step to realize and accept that not all are within our minds’ grasp. As for the young, life will teach them the same truth. The journey is sweetly ironic: The older we grow, the more we learn. The more we learn, the more we realize we know so little. The more we learn, the more clear it becomes that learning is an ever unfurling path.
Give yourself time. You deserve it.
One of the things that pains me most is that nowadays, you show such interest in my life and my work, when for the most part of our relationship and synergy, I was invisible. I was the other woman, and Marie and you were the ones in focus. I loathe that you ask me so often about my book when in the past, I begged you for nine months to read something from it, and you couldn’t and wouldn’t make the time because you preferred to focus on yourself, your move, your job search, your ex, your pastimes and your addictions. It’s like lavishing affection on a teenager after refusing to embrace her as a child. Contraband love, sullied gifts, the kind which accepting means one’s auctioned oneself to the dark.
I cannot be your Reema anymore. Meaning that I cannot and will not give, and give, and give to you anymore. You have nothing to give me in return, and my past reasons for giving you love, time, support, counsel and friendship are no longer valid. A hard lesson I’ve learned is that in all my relationships, my role as a daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, wife, ex-girlfriend, ex-wife involves that I counsel. This is my approach to intimacy. At times it is also how I avoid it. My calling and my crucifix. Invariably, unless I’m careful, I grow depleted and resentful from the constant outpour of words, thought, synthesis, and love I devote to my beloveds. That is on me, a tightrope I choose to string, a balancing act I’m still navigating. My doing and my responsibility — no expectations, yet I try, yet I beg. Such an agreement, and its results, are ultimately unfair on both the beloved and myself. In terms of you and I, we know only an unbalanced synergy. I feel it would be deeply unhealthy for both of us to continue this. You need to take care of yourself — you deserve to become self-healing, self-sustaining, and self-empowering. There is so much to you that is remarkable, extraordinary, and good — hence my commitment to you. This is my final offering of love. If you read this letter, I hope you can receive it as such.
Please seek help. You are worth the work. You are worth the commitment. You are worth the love you need now to give yourself. | literature |
https://hospice-of-san-luis-obispo-county.networkforgood.com/events/6586-stephen-jenkinson-canadian-culture-activist-and-author | 2018-05-20T20:56:45 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794863689.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20180520205455-20180520225455-00504.warc.gz | 0.934903 | 254 | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-22__0__38789392 | en | 'Come of Age' Reading and Reportage
"Getting older is inevitable; becoming an elder is a skill." - Stephen Jenkinson, MTS, MSW
Acclaimed Canadian culture activist and author Stephen Jenkinson returns to San Luis Obispo to discuss his upcoming book, Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble. In his signature provocative style, he makes the case that we must birth a new generation of elders, one poised and willing to be true stewards of the planet and its species. With lyrical prose and incisive insight, Jenkinson explores the great paradox of elderhood in North America: how we are awash in the aged and yet somehow lacking in wisdom; how we relegate senior citizens to the corner of the house while simultaneously heralding them as sage elders simply by virtue of their age. Part critique, part call to action, Come of Age is a love song inviting all of us to grow up, before it's too late.
We invite you to an evening book reading and reportage by Stephen Jenkinson for young folk and old folk, for elders in training.
For more information, please visit www.hospiceslo.org or call (805) 544-2266 | literature |
https://www.adamrogers.online/the-intrepid-traveler-preface | 2023-12-05T08:45:39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100550.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20231205073336-20231205103336-00226.warc.gz | 0.960928 | 3,876 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__86128749 | en | The Intrepid Traveler — Preface
by Adam Rogers
“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”
— Samuel Johnson
The Greek poet, Constantine Cavafy, wrote in the late nineteenth century of the importance of enjoying the trip, any trip, and not only longing for a journey’s end. It’s a metaphor that can be extended to many of life’s processes and what this book is ultimately about.
This book is about travel – not tourism per se, but travel – experiential travel; the kind of travel that benefits both the visitor and the visited. And not just the travel where you go for a good time – though if you follow the guidance in this book carefully, I do believe you will have the time of your life, far beyond what you ever thought possible.
In the history of this world there has never been a better time to explore and never a greater need for increased awareness of the principles and practices of responsible, ethical, sustainable, and experiential travel. This is what I like to call intrepid travel, as the word intrepid suggests a lack of fear in dealing with something new or unknown – indeed seeking out the new and unknown to better understand the world as well as oneself. The adjective comes from Latin intrepidus, formed from the prefix in (or "not") plus trepidus ("alarmed").
Intrepid travelers are among a group of daring individuals who want—indeed thirst—for a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. To travel is to step beyond the comfortable surroundings of the familiar world. I believe this is one of the greatest adventures we can take in life.
Whether you are planning a trip to Argentina, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, or Germany (or Haiti, India, Jamaica, Korea, or Lichtenstein), traveling offers an opportunity for the ultimate adventure and the highest education, if you are open to it. To travel is to live life at its fullest.
I believe that travel is best when one pursues a three-dimensional experience, with three separate but interlinked facets of reality. There are the things we can see with our eyes—images captured on postcards, the monuments left behind by past civilizations, the architectural remnants of yesteryear. And then there are the people—the descendants of those who built the pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or the temples of Machu Pichu. The second dimension of intrepid traveling involves getting to know these people and their culture, gaining a glimpse of empathy into how life is experienced through their eyes. The third dimension involves nature—tuning into the vibration of the land and listening to it with all five senses.
This book is part travelogue, part travel guide—to anywhere. The insights that I share in these pages took years to develop, and I am still working on them. My first real travel experience occurred at the age of ten, when my parents packed up the Chevy Suburban, loaded me and my two sisters into the back, and then set off from the south of Arizona to the Yukon Territory in the far north of Canada. I wasn’t sure where we were going or why were we leaving, or even what Canada was, although I distinctly remember two words that often came up in the conversations emanating from the front seat: Nixon and Vietnam.
My next big travel experience came at the age of sixteen, when I hitchhiked from the Yukon, down the Alaska Highway to Los Angeles and then back by way of Wyoming and a short stint at the National Outdoor Leadership School. The following year, I bought a used motorcycle and spent a summer exploring the Pacific Coast of North America from Haines, Alaska to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by the light of campfires along the way. By the age of eighteen, I had run out of exciting places to explore on my own home continent and so I set my sights further East—so far East that my goal was to arrive back in the West. This journey took me around the world, lasting five years and took me to fifty countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia on a shoestring budget of less than one hundred dollars per month.
During those five years, I practically lived five lifetimes. Each country, town, and village touched me in some way. Every person I encountered enriched me with a new understanding of life. It is often said that seeing new outer horizons broadens one’s inner horizons, and indeed for me, traveling caused my worlds to expand far beyond what I thought possible at the time. Not a single day passed in the five years I spent on the road that my awareness did not expand through a new insight or revelation.
A word about past editions of this book
The first and second editions of this book were not necessarily written for the jet setter. I started out with the backpacker in mind, like myself many years ago. I have since learned that the jet setter, the business traveler, or a UN Advisor “on mission” can all be experiential travelers, intrepid travelers; responsible adventurers with an appetite to partake of the banquet of life, traveling to explore and experience what is beyond the horizons—the horizons “out there” and those that lie within us.
Indeed, during the twenty-two years I spent working with the United Nations between the second edition of the book and this one, I was able to explore an additional 50 countries in a way that would have been much more difficult had I been an independent traveler on a shoestring budget. From remote rural areas of Mozambique and isolated villages of Cambodia to the deserts of the Sahara and the mountains of Nepal, I was tasked with connecting with, interviewing, and photographing villagers and local authorities throughout the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). LDCs are a group of 47 developing countries that, according to the United Nations, exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world. Some of the images and insights in this edition are from those experiences.
Whether your budget is $100 per month or $1,000 per day, the two things I believe you must bring with you as an Intrepid Traveler are an open mind and curiosity. You can be eighteen or eighty years old and travel with a backpack, a duffel bag, or a suitcase. You can wear jeans or a suit. The externalities are secondary. A wise monk in a monastery in Thailand once told me that it is the motivation behind the action that determines the quality of the experience. It is precisely your motivation to travel that will be the greatest determining factor behind both the quality of your experience and whether it builds you up or breaks you down.
There are as many reasons to travel as there are travelers themselves, but there is something that ties even the most diverse of travelers together: a sense of adventure, a heightened self-confidence, and a positive outlook on life. Travelers seldom sit still; they are always wondering what is on the other side of the mountain. The tourist tours, usually in groups, and focuses most of his attention on seeing, on “window shopping.” Travelers are usually highly motivated, intensely interesting, and wonderfully inquisitive. Their experiences have shown them that the world is indeed a wonderful place. They have a good understanding of global events and feel comfortable with anyone in most any circumstance. She focuses on experience—on meeting people and attempting an empathic understanding of life as viewed through another’s paradigm.
It is my vision that through increased travel and a greater understanding of the world in which we live, that the world will become a better place one traveler at a time. Global peace and global stability can only come through global understanding. Understanding comes through connecting and interacting. Connecting and interacting is what you do when you travel.
Every traveler is intrepid—fearless and self-confident. This confidence arises from being able to perceive a goal and achieve it. It also comes from trusting the universe to provide your needs and knowing with confidence that every situation, no matter how complicated or uncomfortable, is an opportunity to learn. We are never presented with a challenge too great to overcome with the right attitude, and every challenge brings with it new understanding and awareness.
It is commonly thought that to see the world one needs a lot of money. The opposite can be true as well; quite often the amount of money spent on a trip is inversely proportional to the depth of the travel experience. In other words, the more money you spend on a trip, the more you may insulate yourself from the people and the reality of the country you are visiting. If you travel to Mexico City, stay at the Four Seasons, eat American food, and travel to all the tourist sites with groups of Americans in air-conditioned tour buses, you may not really be in Mexico City. Rather, you could be merely “seeing” an image through the framed perspective of a tinted glass window. You could probably get better views from watching a documentary on the National Geographic website.
On the other hand, being too frugal carries an opportunity cost, causing you to miss out on potentially valuable travel experiences. I have met travelers who have passed up a visit to a museum or ancient ruins because of a five-dollar entrance fee. If your budget is too tight to allow a visit to a local museum, it may be time to reevaluate your travel plans.
Getting to the part of the world you have planned to visit may the biggest cost you encounter. However, if you plan, compare prices, or make more stops with longer layovers, you can significantly reduce this expense. Once you arrive at your destination, especially if your journey takes you to the developing (and often much more interesting) part of the world, the cost of living and traveling could very well be much less than you expected.
By spending less than the contemporary “tourist,” you are more likely to encounter locals and engage them in conversation. By avoiding lunch at the Radisson and eating in a local restaurant, by avoiding the tourist bus and taking local transport, and by staying with a local family in a bed-and-breakfast or at an Airbnb, you are more likely to spend time with people who are from the area, which should be one of the three reasons you are there in the first place. The geography and nature may be attractive, the cultural sites and monuments may be interesting, but it is the people you meet while traveling that will make your travel experience one that will enrich your life beyond compare. When you return home from your travels, you will have made new friends with whom you may be in contact for the rest of your life.
Travel slows down time – and we live longer
I have found that in many ways when we travel, and our senses are exposed to new experiences, we pay more attention to the details surrounding us: We become more mindful of the people, the food, the smells, the architecture, etc. Thus, we live more in the here and now because it is in the present moment where we experience reality. When we do this, our perception of time slows down, like when we were children marveling at and learning about the world around us. Remember how long the month before a birthday seemed as a child? Then, as we get older, we fall into routines and an entire year can go by in the blink of an eye.
I believe we are only truly alive when our consciousness is anchored in the here and now. When our mind is mired in memories of the distant past, we get lost in movies of our own making. We are not here, now. When we are anticipating or worried about events that may or may not happen tomorrow, we are not here, now – we are literally somewhere else in our minds. We are only alive, when we are here, now, in this moment. Thus, the secret to longevity could be as simple as staying present and mindful in the present. Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth as it turns out, is not in some hidden faraway Floridian fable—it is right here where I am, in this moment. It is in observing and appreciating the details of my now.
Inward/outward simultaneous travel
While you are on your outward global journey to faraway lands, you may discover another journey occurring simultaneously. You will see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things that will stimulate your spirit and awaken your senses. These new senses will inspire you to contemplate different paradigms about life and how it is lived. Traveling can transform nearly anyone into a philosopher and poet, for life on the road is revealed to you in a wonderful tapestry of contradictions and the kind of raw beauty that defies definition.
Seeing the world as it is in its true nature is what gives the traveler a perspective of life that is often different from those who have never traveled. The journeyer is more apt to view him or herself as a citizen of the world, of the human race, rather than citizen of a country or representative of a specific race.
I have found that for me, traveling quite often awakens a primordial nomadic instinct that creates a desire to forever want to see and experience what is beyond the next horizon. The more we experience, the more we want to experience.
For those who have never tried it, the traveler’s wanderlust can be a curious and rather incomprehensible type of behavior. Some non-travelers even look upon the traveler with either contempt or detached awe, saying to themselves, “I wish I could do that if only _____.”
If you want to travel, there is no excuse to delay. Settle your accounts, pay your bills, take an indefinite leave of absence from work, and hang a sign on the window that says, “Gone fishing – in Tasmania.”
A few notes on the third edition and some acknowledgements
Twenty-five years in the making, I do hope this third edition of The Intrepid Traveler will be of use and interest to travelers who are embarking on their first journey and to those seasoned travelers who can ever-so-well relate to the autobiographical experiences I have included to illustrate a few of my points. I also have tried to write it in such a way that it would appeal to readers who are embarking on the journey of life without transporting their physical bodies to the far reaches of the planet. Armchair travelers can be intrepid as well, gaining every bit as much insights to feed their curiosities and open minds.
This third edition includes a lot of material that simply did not exist when I was doing and living the research for the first two editions. In the early 1980s when I first set out to discover the world there was no email, no internet, and no ATM machines. Placing an international phone call could take three days if there was even a phone available. A letter could take three months to reach its destination. Now all that is required to let mom know you are safe is a Facebook account and access to an internet café or a smartphone.
Also, in the twenty-five years since the first edition of this book was published, I have more than doubled the number of countries I have visited—many during the past two decades of work with the United Nations. I have expanded the sections on traveling as a couple, having experienced much of the world from Marrakesh to Manhattan and from Cairo to Cape Town with my patient and loving wife, Gillian. I also have experienced the joy and adventure of traveling with children and have journeyed to and through several countries from Egypt to Morocco and from Chile to Canada with my two sons, Sage Mandela and Addison Tafari. Traveling with kids opens new opportunities for experiencing a country in ways I had never imagined.
This is a good place to acknowledge that nothing of substance is ever accomplished without the benevolence, understanding, and assistance of friends, family, and higher powers. In recognition of this, I would like to express appreciation to my mother, Nancy Dryden Lorieau and to my publisher at Earth News, Judy Rae. These two women (and their husbands) gave me the push I needed in the early 1990s to put pen to paper and to produce the first edition of this book. I feel enormous gratitude toward my Grandmother Ruth Wyatt Dryden and to her son, my uncle Chuck Dryden. I would also like to thank the late Ted Harrison of the Yukon for believing in me, Ella Cisneros of the Together Foundation for inspiring me, and to Lennie and Alena, for creating a new haven in New Haven. Thanks also to Wes Bernard, who first taught me how to take photos, and to Laura Kullenberg, my first boss in the UN system, who pushed me to take those skills to the next level. Thanks to Jim MacIntyre for an open door; Simona Marinescu for an open mind, and Jamrad Saoman for an open heart and for reminding me to breath. Thanks also to Jamie Birdwell-Branson and Gillian Rogers for editing the third edition of The Intrepid Traveler, and to Dennis Lundø Nielsen of Phoenix Design Aid, for publishing it.
Of the many, many people who helped me out and inspired me along my own journeys around the world: My deep appreciation goes out to Sebastian Copeland (who provided the foreword to this edition), Reinhard Struve of Germany, Salwa el Habib of the Sudan, Martin and Annette Edney of Australia, Zeynep Sinal of Istanbul, Gert Paul Nowosadko of Everywhere, Keven Lafey of Jerusalem, and the Nazmuddin Family of Eritrea and now of Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks to Dimitry Elias Léger, with whom I worked in the post-earthquake rubble of Haiti and who inspired me with his tenacity for writing and the insights of his book, God Loves Haiti. I would also like to recognize, with appreciation and gratitude, the Lebanese monk on Mt. Athos, who changed my life one evening with a single conversation about moments and journeys. Lastly, I would like to express my appreciation to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the Little Prince, who wrote that “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
This book, as with the two previous editions, is dedicated to the Little Prince in all of us. | literature |
http://www.novusvinum.com/gifts/cocktails/bartendingwriters.html | 2018-06-25T08:08:02 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267867579.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20180625072642-20180625092642-00161.warc.gz | 0.958248 | 366 | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-26__0__102971259 | en | WRITERS BEHAVING BADLY
Hemingway & Bailey’s Bartending Guide to Great American Writers
Illustrated by Edward Hemingway
Written by Mark Bailey
(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Workman Publishing, $15.95)
by Becky Sauer
Certain 20th century authors–F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker and Raymond Carver, to name a few–were just as famous for their hard living as they were for their fine writing. Taking inspiration from that theme, Mark Bailey has compiled this unique bartending guide designed for the literary lush. Forty-three American writers are arranged alphabetically and matched up with a signature cocktail recipe, mini biography and an excerpt from their work devoted to the subject at hand—drinking. Illustrator Edward Hemingway supplied the whimsical caricatures of the literary masters, including one of his grandfather, Ernest Hemingway.
Also featured are amusing anecdotes of particularly memorable benders, such as the time Jack Kerouac passed out at a portside bar and in the morning found himself on a ship headed for Greenland. Legend has it that he called his parents to say he would be home “a little late.” As far as the cocktail recipes go, the selections range from the classic (Manhattan, Bloody Mary) to the old-fashioned (Brandy Alexander, Gin Rickey) to the obscure (Ward Eight, Between the Sheets). And though you may not learn any nuances to fixing a Screwdriver, you may find it interesting to know that Truman Capote referred to it as “my orange drink.” This handy little book is less a tome for the serious mixologist and more of a novelty gift for those who enjoy a stiff drink and a great read. | literature |
http://strangecoach.blogspot.com/2010/06/jonah-hex-two-gun-mojo-review.html | 2018-06-17T23:45:34 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267859904.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20180617232711-20180618012711-00072.warc.gz | 0.965135 | 1,790 | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-26__0__74797901 | en | Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo
By Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Truman, and Sam Glanzman
Vertigo Comics 1993
Copyright © DC Comics, Inc.
Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo wasn’t my first experience with weird westerns, but it might as well have been. This is the story that inspired me not only to try my hand at penning weird westerns, but also to read about the history of the Old West—something no schoolteacher or college professor could ever claim. It also set me on the trail to finding every bizarro western I could get my hands on and is thus responsible for Strangecoach as well.
It’s also the first story I ever read written by Champion Mojo Storyteller, Joe R. Lansdale.
I’d been searching for books by Mr. Lansdale ever since I read Stanley Wiater’s Dark Dreamers: Conversations with the Masters of Horror, a birthday present from my brother who encouraged my interest in horror fiction with this collection of interviews featuring such usual suspects as Stephen King and Clive Barker, and several other authors whose books I sought after being introduced to them in these pages.
It was Joe R. Lansdale’s books I was most interested in finding after reading this line from Mr. Wiater’s introduction of the author: “[Mr. Lansdale’s] Western-horror novel Dead in the West reads like Zane Grey’s (and George A. Romero’s) worst nightmare in it’s unflinching descriptions of mutilation and mayhem.” As a fan of Clint Eastwood’s westerns (thanks to my Mom, who insisted Mr. Eastwood played roles other than Dirty Harry, and rented The Good, the Bad & the Ugly on video to prove it to me) and George A. Romero’s living dead flicks (thanks again to my brother, who had no problem warping my young impressionable mind when we were kids, but has since turned his back on Romero’s zombie epics now that he’s a respectable husband and father), Mr. Lansdale sounded like a writer who was up my alley.
But in the suburbs of Long Island, Mr. Lansdale’s books were nowhere to be found in either used or new bookstores. Worse still, the booksellers stared at me with blank expressions when I asked if they carried any of his books, having never heard of him.
So when DC Comic’s Vertigo imprint launched in 1993 with an announcement that Jonah Hex—DC’s scar-faced bounty hunter, whose title survived longer than any other western comic book (92 issues in 1985)—was going to receive a makeover in the hands of Mr. Lansdale and his collaborators, artist Tim Truman (Grimjack) and inker Sam Glanzman in a horrific and humorous adventure of dark magic and western gunplay, I was thrilled that I was finally getting the opportunity to read this author’s work—and on one of my favorite characters too.
Invited to a necktie party he just couldn’t refuse, on account of being trussed up and dragged behind a horse, Jonah Hex is nearly done in by some outlaws when he’s rescued by Slow Go Smith, an older bounty hunter with poor sight and even poorer aim, who manages to kill the outlaws…and most of their horses. Obliged to Slow Go, Jonah accompanies him to Mud Creek, Texas (a fictional town featured in many of Mr. Lansdale’s stories), to collect the reward for the outlaws’ heads.
Mud Creek is, as Hex observes, “a regular paradise—if you was a maggot.” Folks there charge two bits for pictures taken with dead outlaws and prepare picnics to watch hangings, while their sheriff works hard searching for justice at the bottom of a bottle. It’s the perfect environment for Doc “Cross” Williams to ply his trade.
Advertising himself as an alchemist, physician, and paraphysicist, Doc is a pointy-eared, pointy-toothed, goggle-sporting snake oil salesman, traveling across the west in his “Wagon of Miracles” with a trio of circus freaks selling his Sweet Brown Tonic, guaranteed to cure whatever ails folks. He’s also a body snatcher, using parts as ingredients for an elixir much stronger than his tonic—a voodoo potion that turns people into zombies, not the flesh-eating kind, but the obedient kind Doc can command and who suffer from such useful side effects as increased strength and agility.
Unfortunately, Hex and Slow Go are in the wrong place at the wrong time, catching Doc in the corpse-stealing act and trading gunfire with his star zombie—Wild Bill Hickok, who’s a better shot half-dead than he ever was alive. When the smoke clears, Slow Go is a goner, Doc and his troupe are gone, and Hex swears to track them down, avenge his friend, and put Hickok back in the grave where he belongs.
Joe R. Lansdale’s one-of-a-kind imagination fills Two-Gun Mojo with strong characterization, funny dialogue, relentless action sequences, and unexpected moments. Even if he had left out the supernatural elements, it would still qualify as a horror story of frontier life in its depiction of violence, bigotry, and general absence of human decency.
Hex’s point-of-view narrative drives the story with a wicked sense of humor that remains intact no matter how dangerous or strange the situation. The origin of Hex’s scar becomes a running gag as he offers different explanations of how he acquired it for everyone who asks from “damn toothpick slipped” to “damn chigger bite.”
A man of principle, Hex follows his own moral code, righting wrongs as he sees fit, relying on his wits just as much as his guns. A loner by nature, he doesn’t seek companionship, but values those friends he makes along the way, however brief their time together, trading insults with them faster than lead with his enemies.
It is his friendship with Slow Go that puts Doc Williams on Hex’s most wanted list. Despite his ineffectual gunfighting abilities, Slow Go earned Hex’s respect because of his courage in helping others regardless of how the odds were stacked against him. By contrast, Doc is a dangerous coward, literally using others for his own benefit and to do his dirty work while keeping himself out of the line of fire. Encountering more brave souls who fall victim to numerous gutless ones, Hex is driven to see justice done.
Tim Truman’s and Sam Glanzman’s artwork is palpable, bombarding the reader’s senses with such Old West atmosphere you can hear flies buzz, smell manure, and taste Hex’s cheroot smoke. Each and every character is distinct from one another, attired in a variety of period clothing and brandishing a wide array of firearms, demonstrating the artists’ commitment to authenticity, and their genuine love for the era.
And Hex’s visage has never been more horrific. Long-time readers know his face was branded with the “Mark of the Demon,” and even though it’s not mentioned in this story, the description is apt.
Rounding out the art team, color artist Sam Parsons adds striking depth to the already raw characters and gritty environment, and his use of moonlight and shadows for night scenes are especially impressive. Letterer extraordinaire Todd Klein amplifies Doc’s ramblings with clever designs that brings the insanity out of the character’s voice.
Two-Gun Mojo remains my favorite Jonah Hex story. It was also the perfect introduction to Joe R. Lansdale’s writing, and I’ve been a faithful reader of his novels, short fiction, and comic books ever since, regardless of genre, because Mr. Lansdale is his own genre and his stories never fail to entertain me.
Collected into trade paperback in 1994, Two-Gun Mojo is currently out-of-print in book form, but is now available as a motion-comic—released to drum up interest in the Jonah Hex film.
Based on the trailer, the film could use all the help it gets. | literature |
https://tyndalemomentum.com/staff/kristenmagnesen/ | 2023-05-31T19:09:50 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224647409.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531182033-20230531212033-00469.warc.gz | 0.946505 | 184 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__20078090 | en | Kristen Magnesen is a Senior Marketing Manager. She has worked with a myriad of authors from David Jeremiah and Chuck Swindoll to Tyndale’s up-and-coming authors. Kristen specializes in working with our memoir authors and enjoys sharing their testimonies. Kristen created the MemoirAddict.com website and blog, along with the @MemoirAddict Facebook and Twitter pages as a hub for these incredible stories and to meet rising consumer demand for memoirs. Kristen comes to Tyndale with a rich consumer package background; working with such companies as SC Johnson and Mondelēz (formerly Kraft) in the integrated marketing, promotions and retail space. Kristen holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. In her free time, Kristen likes to channel creative activities such as sewing, interior decorating, and crafting her latest Pinterest find. | literature |
http://lendinglibmystery.com/ | 2023-12-06T13:34:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100599.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20231206130723-20231206160723-00872.warc.gz | 0.92569 | 928 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__204252299 | en | MURDER AT 3 CENTS A DAY:
An Annotated Crime Fiction Bibliography of the Lending Library Publishers: 1936-1967
William F. Deeck
FROM THE BACK COVER:
Murder at 3¢ a Day is the first and only reference volume devoted entirely to the lending-library publishers that flourished from the mid 1930s into the 1960s. More than ten years in compilation, it contains full listings of mystery and detective fiction published under such imprints as Phoenix Press, Hillman-Curl, Mystery House, Gateway, Arcadia House, Dodge, and Caslon.
Included are dust jacket blurbs, settings, and leading characters for each title, as well as descriptions of jacket illustrations and names of the artists who designed them. Also included: an article about the lending-library trade written in 1939 by Charles S. Strong, who specialized in this type of novel; a tongue-in-cheek article on Phoenix Press mysteries by Bill Pronzini; brief biographies of many lending library writers; and selected period newspaper reviews of various titles.
Readers and aficionados alike will find a wealth of fascinating and often amusing information about this little known variety of crime fiction. Murder at 3¢ a Day is a must for any reference shelf.
William F. Deeck (1936-2004) was a well-known mystery fan and collector who had a special affinity for lending-library fiction. In addition to the present volume, he was the author of numerous articles and reviews for The Armchair Detective, Mystery Readers Journal, and other publications.
All inquiries and orders:
George A. Vanderburgh, Publisher
The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box™
e-mail: gav (at) bmts.com
Fax: (519) 925-3482
INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINT EDITION:
What you hold in your hands is a labor of love.
There have been scores of biographical and bibliographical reference works devoted to quality mystery fiction, but only a couple – Gun in Cheek (1982) and Son of Gun in Cheek (1987), both written by yours truly – that pay tribute to the genre’s lesser lights. And until the present volume, there has been no detailed source of information on the hundreds of mysteries published by, and the writers who wrote primarily or exclusively for, the lending-library markets that flourished in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and lasted well into the 60s.
Murder at 3¢ a Day was conceived by Ellen Nehr, as a similar volume to her Doubleday Crime Club Compendium (1992), with Bill Deeck acting as assistant. A relatively small amount of material had been gathered when Ellen died late in 1995; it was Bill, with help from various other collectors and aficionados, who did most of the work of researching, compiling, and annotating the entries and who therefore earned the solo byline. After Bill’s death in 2004, I inherited the project – the adding of new material when found and the search for a publisher. Others deserving of heartfelt thanks for their efforts include Allen J. Hubin, Steve Lewis, Richard Moore, and Mark Terry.
Any reader and collector of crime fiction, whether or not a fan of the odd, obscure, and delightfully absurd (Bill’s original title for the volume was Mostly Awful), will find much to entertain and enlighten them here. Some who were previously inclined to scoff at “alternative” mysteries might well join the growing number of us who consider them irresistible.
For you, Bill, and Ellen too, with gratitude. I wish you were both here to see it published.
– Bill Pronzini
GATEWAY BOOKS (1939-1942)
THE WILLIAM CASLON COMPANY (1936)
DODGE PUBLISHING COMPANY (1935-1938)
WILLIAM GODWIN, INC. (1933-1936)
ALLIANCE PRESS (1935)
ALLIANCE BOOK CORPORATION (1941-1942)
JONATHAN SWIFT PUBLISHERS (1941-1942)
MYSTERY HOUSE (1940-1948)
ARCADIA HOUSE (1939-1947)
Copyright © 2006 , 2007, 2008 by the Pronzini-Muller Family Trust on behalf of William F. Deeck. | literature |
https://www.holafusion.com/en/manifiesto | 2024-04-20T18:52:41 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817674.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20240420184033-20240420214033-00236.warc.gz | 0.945846 | 223 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__491887 | en | This is why we do what we do.
At Fusion we look for true inclusion. We do not believe in "inclusion" that offers alternatives for those who "do not fit in" or in proposing different products for those who are outside the norm: we celebrate the diversity of people and individual differences, because they are opportunities for the growth of everybody.
We do not settle for the addition or the coexistence of separate parts, we seek the real Fusion.
Fusion means union of interests, real integration. Impies the conjunction of two worlds until they’re not allowed to separate. It requires understanding that every right must be respected and it is not about changing those who are different, but about comprehending them, and giving them opportunities to develop with their particularities.
It is not about setting molds, but about offering frameworks within which each one can be as they are. We are all different and the path will be more enjoyable if we travel it by being close and accepting each other, rather than pigeonholing ourselves and forcing us to be identical. | literature |
https://montliban.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/the-voices-of-mont-liban/comment-page-1/ | 2018-07-17T17:23:40 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589757.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20180717164437-20180717184437-00096.warc.gz | 0.963735 | 289 | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-30__0__170554049 | en | Growing up in a small town, I got used to the stories told by men and women of all ages and especially the older ones, it always seemed like everyone had a story to tell, all it took was a cup of coffee and your willingness to hear them out, although the last part wasn’t always necessary 🙂 The thing is, I wish I could recall 1% of all the stories I’ve heard since those days and till my present ones… That’s why I created this blog, for the sole purpose of saving and sharing the many stories of a Beautiful historic province and its people, Mont-Liban. Located in the heart of Lebanon and the Fertile Crescent, this ancient Mediterranean province has been taking part in shaping world history for more than 7000 years and still holds an important ethnographic trait that some people would describe as dire for an area in constant instability.
The stories I’ll share with you in my coming posts will be told by locals of Mont-Liban. I’ll Leave the choice of tale to the teller, and the joy of reading to the reader. As for myself, I’ll try my best to embed every single emotion and memory supplied by my narrators in the following posts.
They have a lot to tell you, if you’re willing to hear them out.. although the last part isn’t really a necessity 🙂 | literature |
https://westwood-cottage.ca/2020/10/13/not-just-any-old-trunk/comment-page-1/ | 2023-05-29T22:17:34 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644913.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529205037-20230529235037-00192.warc.gz | 0.972764 | 943 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__11579575 | en | There are four trunks in my home. Each one different with its own compelling journey and story to tell. Their age is showing, but they don’t care; they earned every dint, scratch, bump, bang and paint job and they are proud of it.
The oldest one resembles a beat up rusted metal box with missing hinges and broken clasps. It came to Canada from England on a ship with my great grandfather, traveled by train and horse drawn cart to finally arrive at a small farm on the Manitoba prairies. All of his possessions, hopes and dreams were in this one small trunk. It has been the minder of hand stitched quilts, precious books, important papers, calves born on cold winter nights, the secret spot to stash moonshine, toys, tools, and sundry bits and pieces. It has lived in a house, a barn, a garage and my basement. This old trunk makes me sentimental. It symbolizes my roots, brings me family and stories and strength, grit and grace. It’s time to bring it out of the basement into the light and give it something to take care of.
The second trunk has a rounded top and has been painted many times so that it is neat and tidy. It belonged to my father in law. He journeyed to Canada with it from England in 1952 by ship and then by train to BC. When he joined the armed forces it traveled with him to France and then back to Manitoba. This trunk has stories to tell and secrets to keep. Its last job was to look after the supplies for changing the oil in the car and now that it is in my home it holds my yoga mat. I too gave it a tiny face lift, scraping the paint off of the wooden slats. It reminds me that like it, we move in and out of our roles adapting and reinventing ourselves as we go. It takes time, gets messy and mistakes are made. Like painting every single part of this beautiful trunk black. It’s ok that I don’t know who I will be next or how to get there. The reinventing is in the journey not the destination.
The third trunk joined my family in the 1990’s. It’s a rescue. The local volunteer firefighters were burning down an old abandoned house as a training exercise. My husband discovered the trunk in the house and brought it home. It was dirty, beat up, musty and contained dead bugs. But as they say, it had good bones. With a bit of TLC and some paint, voila, a toy box by day a cool retro coffee table by night. As my children grew up it housed different things and lived in different rooms. It has new marks of a life well lived with us. This resilient survivor tells me that in 2020 in the middle of a worldwide pandemic that amongst the tragedy and uncertainty that the virus brings us, that there is hope, we may feel beat up and discouraged right now, but we can find encouragement, good news stories, growth and light in unexpected places waiting to be discovered.
And finally, the fourth trunk is really what’s known as a hope chest from the 1980’s. It was given to me by my grandparents the Westwoods and the Beevers as a gift on my graduation from high school. Inside were hand stitched linens. I was the first person in my family going off to university in the big city. My first piece of brand new furniture. It has traveled with me to many different homes. It has been through two weddings, one divorce, two babies and the loss and grief of my wonderful grandparents. It is the memory keeper. Tiny snippets of my life; notes from grade school crushes, 4-H projects, letters, lace gloves I wore as a brides maid, the dried roses from my wedding bouquet and the hand stitched linens that so long ago were stitched in Westwood Cottage to go into a granddaughters hope chest. Every now and then I open it up and take a walk down memory lane and bathe in the comfort of the memories of the past. Then I close it up and courageously move my life forward, for just like the four trunks in my home there are more things to experience and learn, more memories to be kept and more journeys to go on.
Beautiful trunks! I love the history. I have one of two trunks that my parents came to Canada with, from Switzerland over 60 years ago. It’s one of my most precious possessions! | literature |
http://tchakayiti.com/home/en/guava-green-ripe/ | 2019-11-21T00:43:10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496670643.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20191121000300-20191121024300-00220.warc.gz | 0.986136 | 674 | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-47__0__384803 | en | Guava, green or ripe?
It’s amazing how big of an impact childhood memories can have on the one who recalls them. Just yesterday, I caught myself giggling at the sight of the small green unripe guavas hanging from our guava tree right outside our kitchen.
I giggled because that sight brought me back in time; back to at least 20 years ago to my six-seven year-old self who thoroughly enjoyed those green fruits. For some odd reason, I loved picking unripe guavas from the tree to eat them. My child’s palate loved its bitter, sometimes sour flesh, which had a leafy taste to it, that I had to spit out after sucking the juice out of it for the fruit was so unripe that I couldn’t swallow it.
It was a constant battle with the grownups around me as I ignored their warnings that eating an unripe fruit would make me sick. Truth is, back then, I strongly believed they only said so because they wanted me to let the fruits ripen so they could enjoy them without me. I didn’t like the ripe fruit at all, not necessarily because I disliked its taste, but because it terrified me.
Now before you start calling me all sorts of crazy, let me tell you that there was a reason to my six year-old self’s madness. It was based on those childhood stories they tell you to either impress or scare you without thinking of the impact it could actually have on you. I have no idea where that came from, but I had been told that the yellow fully ripe fruit got its pink flesh from the many worms that penetrated it. This statement was enough to scare me. The few times I was handed a ripe guava, I saw its flesh moving. I never could decide whether it was really moving or a fruit of my vivid imagination, especially since I had seen so many pink earthworms in our yard. There was simply no way they wouldn’t climb up that guava tree and colonize its fruits. For otherwise, how could its flesh be so pink? Such was my reasoning back then. Eating unripe guavas was thus my only recourse to avoid eating worms while still enjoying the fruit as much as everyone else did.
Today, at 28, I know my imagination played many tricks on me as a child. I also know that, though guavas can have worms, it doesn’t mean that they all do. Yet, I still can’t get myself to take one bite of that fruit. I am still reluctant to bite its pink seedy flesh.
I am proud to say that I have, however, made a strong effort to try and get used to guava’s taste. Though I may eat it in small quantities, I try to train my palate to appreciate the guava pastries sold here. Hopefully, I will also eventually acquire a taste for the guava jelly and guava paste we make here in Haiti. Something tells me, eating the real fruit will take a while. I blame it on that story that scarred me for life.
As I giggle one last time, I vow never to scare my kids from a fruit with such stories. | literature |
http://thelettlife.blogspot.com/2016/03/becoming-real.html | 2018-12-12T16:24:45 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376824059.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20181212155747-20181212181247-00529.warc.gz | 0.989079 | 663 | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-51__0__228202396 | en | Today Hank began his fourth round of Chemo. This week he will receive a drug that requires him to go in for an hour and a half long transfusion treatment. This will take the place of one of the more toxic drugs in his treatment plan, the one that made him vomit the first week. It has the potential to be less toxic, so the doctors like to alternate it with the heavy hitter. Since Hank will be going in each day this week, the access cords to his chest port were left on... covered with a huge, clear, protective sticker/bandaid so he can't knock it loose. Because of this bandaid needing to remain in place, baths are a little more "sponge bath" than usual. As I knelt beside the tub tonight, scrubbing his head with a soapy washcloth... I cried. Patches of hair were noticeable missing. It was becoming real. Our son has cancer.
I bent to rinse the soap from the washcloth, so that I could rinse Hank's head, but noticed the amount of hair stuck to the fibers of the cloth. I stared as I tried to rinse them off. I stared as I wiped Hank's head to remove the soap... as the little hairs began to cling to the back of his neck on the wet skin. I stared as my sweet little four year old boy smiled up at me saying, "That feels good mom. Will you rub my back with the washcloth again?" Tears smoldered down my cheeks. I couldn't get all the hairs to release from his neck and upper back. The thought that I can't wipe away his pain, his suffering, his sickness... it stung in the deepest recesses of my heart.
I stared at him as he continued to smile in his moment of playing with the bath toys. He, only being four, knew to take care to keep his port bandage dry. He, being only four, knew to not squirt the water into his mouth as he used to... and knew not to drink the bath water as he used to... and knew not to splash as he so wanted to... he, being only four. His life has been altered. Hank will forever be changed by this cancer. And to me, those little hairs clinging to the washrag made this journey all the more real.
I often don't have time to sit and reflect on this whirlwind of a journey we were forced to embark upon. When I do, it is most often met with a sense of thanksgiving... of awe at how gracious the Lord has been in the many answered prayers. But tonight, I was struck by the worldly side of it all. I saw the brokenness, the pain, the sadness. I didn't question why Hank, or what if... I just mourned the loss of his hair, his health, his future. I mourned the loss of playing in the mud puddles, sonic happy hour drinks, and playing in the sun without a shirt. I mourned the things that normal four year old boys do, like drinking the bathtub water... however gross that may be, I wish he could... but he can't. I wish I could wash his hair without crying... but I can't. | literature |
https://bloomsday.net/testimonials/ | 2021-08-01T22:39:25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154277.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20210801221329-20210802011329-00327.warc.gz | 0.967057 | 305 | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-31__0__2512556 | en | Donovan’s extraordinary talent as both a writer and editor has completely won my confidence. Initially, I believed that what I wanted was a competent line-editor. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I needed an editor who not only had the capacity to make suggestions, but to dig deeply into my work. After a complete and thorough edit of the first few chapters, Donovan ‘found my voice’. His recommendations have proved to be spot-on, and I heed his advice with the utmost confidence. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that with Donovan’s editing, my book has evolved from a good work to a publishable one.
Donovan is sharp. He gets the job done, all the while consulting and checking-in. His earnest and committed approach is a bonus to his strong skill set. I couldn’t be more pleased, or recommend Donovan Reves with more enthusiasm.”
— Ann Marie Etheridge,
author of memoir, “Long Way Home”
Donovan’s editing experience and critical insight have been instrumental to my writing. As an editor myself, I understand the need for a second opinion that asks the important questions. His own pieces have a polished, consistent quality, from prose to grammar to voice. Donovan is simultaneously thorough and timely with feedback, a rarity amongst editors.”
— Marissa Byfield,
author of the novel, “The Soft Fall” | literature |
http://sassrocket.blogspot.com/2010/05/full-circle-moment-with-emma.html | 2018-07-23T11:48:37 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676596336.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20180723110342-20180723130342-00303.warc.gz | 0.984051 | 320 | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-30__0__22317679 | en | The other night, I had a total full circle moment with my daughter Emma.
From the time Emma was a baby, we read her the book Goodnight Moon. I think bedtime routines and reading to your child are two of the most important parts of the day. We still read every night with Emma but as she got older and realized that other books existed, Goodnight Moon sort of fell by the bedside if you will. The bedtime routine changed from reading Goodnight Moon to reading any two books of Emma's choosing.
This went on up until about the last 6 months. Then, she started learning to read on her own. She now comes home every night with a book from the Reading Room at school. She has to read it and then take a short 5 question test on it the next day. I may be a little partial but I have to say, she is an AMAZING reader and I am so proud of her...she gives even the most daunting-looking words a good ol' college try. And most of the time she gets them right!
Well, two nights ago, she brought home Goodnight Moon. Call me sentimental if you must but I almost got teary eyed when I saw it. She read it absolutely beautifully to me and then I asked if I could read it to her when she finished...for old times sake. I also told her the story that I just told you and she loved it. :)
I love full circle moments and don't feel like they happen all that often but this one was truly amazing for me! | literature |
https://aiimsrajkot.edu.in/dr-sagard | 2023-05-28T06:04:57 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643585.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528051321-20230528081321-00009.warc.gz | 0.660555 | 2,453 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__34100710 | en | Dr. Sagar Dholariya
MBBS, MD BIOCHEMISTRY
Publications (Research papers):-
- Clinical efficacy and safety of dasiglucagon in severe hypoglycemia associated with patients of type 1 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Oct 25:1-11. doi: 10.1080/17512433.2023.2138343. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36266088.
- COVID-19-related liver injury: Focus on genetic and drug-induced perspectives. World J Virol. 2023 Jan25;12(1):53-67. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v12.i 1.53. PMID: 36743658; PMCID: PMC9896591
- Role of the tumor microenvironment and the influence of epigenetics on the tumor microenvironment in oral carcinogenesis: Potential implications January 2022. Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis. DOI: 10.1615/CritRevOncog.2022047088
- Integrating cutting-edge methods to oral cancer screening, analysis, and prognosis. Critical Reviews in Oncogenesis. DOI: 10.1615/CritRevOncog.2023047772
- Growth differentiation factor 15 as an emerging novel biomarker in SARS-CoV-2 infection. World J Methodol. 2022 Sep 20;12(5):438-447. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v12.i5.438. PMID: 36186744; PMCID: PMC9516548.
- Potential of cytochrome P450, a family of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, in cancer therapy. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2022 Oct 14. doi: 10.1089/ars.2022.0116. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36242099
- CRISPR/Cas9: A Molecular Tool for Ovarian Cancer Management beyond Gene Editing. Critical ReviewsTM in Oncogenesis 2022: 27(4):1–22.
- Preeclampsia and Oxidative Stress: A Review. Current Innovations in Medicine and Medical Science. 2022. Vol. 5, 102–109. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/cimms/v5/ 16536D
- Association of the Human Leptin Receptor Gene (rs1137101;Gln223Arg) Polymorphism and Circulating Leptin in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome in the Indian Population. Ind J Clin Biochem (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-022-01065-5.
- Global research trends of interleukin-6 in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics (IJBB). 2022. DOI: 10.56042/ijbb.v59i5.60924
- Emerging Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Virus: A Quick Glance. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2021 Oct;36(4):451-458. DOI: 10.1007/s12291-021-00991-0. Epub 2021 28th June. PMID: 34219999; PMCID: PMC8237041.
- Utility of P-SEP, sTREM-1 and suPAR as Novel Sepsis Biomarkers in SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2021 Oct 6:1-8. DOI: 10.1007/s12291-021-01008-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34642555; PMCID: PMC8494168.
- NGAL/MMP-9 as a Biomarker for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Case-Control Diagnostic Accuracy Study. Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2022 Jan-Apr;10(1):25-30. DOI: 10.4103/sjmms. sjmms_581_21. Epub 2022 12th January. PMID: 35283706; PMCID: PMC8869267.
- Analysis of Prediagnostic Circulating Levels of Gonadotropins and Androgens with Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. J Lab Physicians. 2022 Jan. DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1741443.
- A New Hope in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Management: Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors. Cureus. 2021 Sep 26;13(9):e18300. DOI: 10.7759/cureus. 18300. PMID: 34722075; PMCID: PMC8548046.
- A Molecular Insight of the Role of PIN-1 Promoter Polymorphism (− 667C > T; rs2233679) in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism. Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry. 2021. Aug. DOI: 10.1007/s12291-021-00997-8.
- Analysis of the Prevalence and Severity of Dysregulated Bone Mineral Homeostasis in Nondialyzed Chronic Kidney Disease Patients. J Lab Physicians. 2021. Jul. DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1732495.
- Epigenetic Silencing of DAPK1and p16INK4a Genes by CpG Island Hypermethylation in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2021 Apr;36(2):200-207. doi: 10.1007/s12291-020-00888-4. Epub 2020 May 16. PMID: 33867711; PMCID: PMC7994475.
- Hyperinsulinemia and Hypoadiponectinemia are Associated with Increased Risk for Occurrence of Ovarian Cancer in Non-diabetic Women of North Indian Population. Indian J Clin Biochem. 2021 Apr;36(2):221-227. doi: 10.1007/s12291-020-00891-9. Epub 2020 May 13. PMID: 33867714; PMCID: PMC7994492.
- Potential impact of (rs 4645878) BAX promoter -248G>A and (rs 1042522) TP5372Arg>pro polymorphisms on epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Clin Transl Oncol.2015 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 26209050
- TP53 Gene Polymorphism in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma Patients from North Indian Population and its Pro/Pro Variant is Potentially Contributing to Cancer Susceptibility. J Genet Syndr Gene Ther. 2013;4(5):145.
- Association of Anti-TPO Antibodies with Insulin Resistance in Patients of Hypothyroidism with Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-sectional Study. J Clin of Diagn Res.2020;14(10):BC09-BC13. https://www.doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2020/45695/14123
- Association of High Levels of High-Sensitive C-Reactive Protein with Metabolic Syndrome- A Cross-sectional Study. National Journal of Laboratory Medicine. 2021 Jan, Vol-10(1): BO01-BO05.
- Evaluation of serum vitamin B12 level in patients of metabolic syndrome. Int J Clin Biochem Res 2019;6(4):474-478.
- Utility of serum HE4 level to diagnose epithelial ovarian cancer - A cross sectional study. MedPulse International Journal of Biochemistry. September 2018; 7(3): 69-72
- MDM2 promoter polymorphism (rs2279744) andserum estrogen level are associated with increased risk of epithelial ovarian cancer: A case-control study. International Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Research. 2018;5:526-32.
- Study to evaluate serum sodium, potassium and chloride level in malaria and its association with severity of malaria. International Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Research. 2018;5:565-69.
- Association of serum calcium level with metabolic syndrome: A case-control study. MedPulse International Journal of Biochemistry. September 2018; 7(3): 60-63.
- Effect Of Hypothyroidism And Its Treatment On Proatherogenic Lipid Levels. International Journal Of Scientific Research, Volume-6 | Issue-9 | September-2017 | ISSN No 2277 - 8179 | IF : 4.176 | IC Value : 78.46
- Serum level of CA-125, Salivary Amylase and CEA in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer in North Indian Population. Sch. Acad. J. Biosci.2014; 2(9): 633-639.
- RASSF1 and PTEN Promoter Hypermethylation Influences the Outcome in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Clinical Ovarian and Other Gynecologic Cancer.2014;7:33–39.
- Promoter Methylation of MGMT Gene in Ovarian Cancer. Int. J. Gen. Can. 2015; 2(1&2)
- Job Related Stress is The Source of Stress among Male Partner of Infertile Couples. Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy Research, 2015, 2, 42-49.
- Plasma cell leukemia of IgG secreting type: A rare case. International Journal of Case Reports and Images. 2013;4(12):748–749
Publications (Book Chapters):-
- IL-1 gene polymorphisms in solid tumors, accepted for publication by Elsevier publishers (In Press)
- Dholariya SJ, Orrick JA. Biochemistry, Fructose Metabolism. 2022 Oct 17. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID: 35015453.
- Sonagra AD, Dholariya SJ. Electrophoresis. 2022 Aug 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID: 36251838.
Awards and Honours:-
- 1st Prize in Association of Medical Biochemists of India Conference (AMBICON) National P.G. Quiz, November, 2013.
- 1st Prize Association of Medical Biochemists of India Conference (Delhi Chapter)-scientific meeting quiz, March 2014.
- The utility of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin/matrix metallopeptidase-9 complex as a novel biomarker to diagnose epithelial ovarian cancer’ was adjudged for the “Award by the Organizing Committee-Oral Presentation Category during Association of Clinical Biochemists of India Conference (ACBICON) 2021 held virtually on 12th-15th December 2021.
Areas of Interest:-
Clinical chemistry, Endocrinology, Oncology and molecular biology
Membership of Professional/Academic/ Research bodies
- Life Member of Association of Clinical Biochemists of India (A.C.B.I.)
- Life Member of Association of Medical Biochemists of India (A.M.B.I.)
- Life member of Society of Cancer Research Young Scientists Society
- Life member of National Medicos Organization (N.M.O.) | literature |
http://missteensouthernmanitoba.com/canada-is-great/ | 2018-10-19T11:04:40 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583512395.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20181019103957-20181019125457-00126.warc.gz | 0.956902 | 607 | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-43__0__184670391 | en | The home of polar bears, agriculture, hockey, and diverse ethnic groups. The home of beavers, Tim Hortons, and la crosse. Canada, my home. I revel in the fact that I get to call myself Canadian. I am Canadian, I constantly apologize, and I pronounce the last letter of the alphabet “zed” instead of “zee”. You may wonder what makes Canada great? What makes Canada special or different? What makes Canada the friendliest nation in the world?
Our diversity and multi-culturalism, our family like atmosphere, our willingness to put others before ourselves. As a nation, we choose peace instead of war, hope instead of futility, and love instead of hate. We accept others for who they are despite race, sexuality, or beliefs. We believe in equality and justice in everything we do. I am extremely blessed to have grown up in a country as amazing as Canada. My life has been filled with all of these things Canada stands for, and all of the things it houses.
I remember family ski trips to Banff, Alberta, visits to the CN tower in Toronto, Ontario with my closest friends, vacations at the cabin on Lake of the Woods, Ontario, road trips through the flat lands of Manitoba through Saskatchewan, and choir tours across British Columbia. Each of these adventures and experiences have shaped me into who I am today, and have illuminated the beauty within our incredible country.
I love how at ease I feel in Canada, whether it be within my familiar community or in another province. I love how parents are all “block parents” and look after the neighborhood children without being told. I love how we never judge a “book by its cover”, and are open to new relationships and different people.
We take pride in being Canadian. We celebrate our nationality. We celebrate Canada’s reputation. We celebrate our independence.
Together, we understand what it means to live in this breathtaking nation. From coast to coast, we keep Canada clean. The crisp air and white powdered mountains in British Columbia, the sharp smelling pine trees throughout the territories, the brilliantly colored prairies, and the rocky terrain and clean water towards the east, we take as much care in our environment as we do in human interaction. This goes to show that that is quite a bit.
We have grit and determination in every aspect of life. We downplay the weather and treat minus forty-five, as if it were minus ten. We have grit, and determination when it comes to innovation and union. We have strong morals and self respect. We never give up when the going gets tough.
Canada is my home, and will forever be my home, no matter where I may end up. My character was built through Canada and is based off of what Canada stands for. This country will forever be a part of me, and to have that affect on someone goes to show just how amazing this nation really is. | literature |
http://healthybeautifulblessed.com/his-plans/ | 2019-04-20T17:24:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578529898.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20190420160858-20190420182008-00039.warc.gz | 0.986058 | 707 | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-18__0__146506649 | en | “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11
Though I have always believed this, I haven’t been the best about practicing it. I know God has a plan. Always have. I just always took it upon myself to worry (sometimes constantly) about what that plan was, and whether I would be able to handle the outcome. The thing is…God already knows the end. He already knows you can handle the outcome. Not only can you handle it, but you will come out the other side stronger. You will come out the other side closer to the person He wants you to be. I used to think I knew who I was. I was the quiet one. I was the fat girl. I liked to eat and I didn’t like to move. This is why I failed so many times at losing weight. Being fit just wasn’t who I was. At least that’s what I thought.
I am so grateful that God knows more than I do. He knows who I really am, even when I don’t. These past several months, He has been revealing it to me. I am a healthy person. I enjoy being active and eating healthy food. I not only love doing all of those things, I love talking about them! My comfort zone was always to hide…to stay invisible. If no one noticed me, and if I never talked about it, no one would know I was fat. It would be my little secret. God has been pushing me so far out of my comfort zone with this new life. He is making me realize that with Him, I am capable of more than I ever thought possible. I can be strong. I can be brave. I can be anything.
When you have spent the majority of your life overweight, you tend to look back at your life with anger and frustration. “Why did I do this to myself? How did I let it get this far? I wasted so much time.” These are all things I used to say to myself over and over. It was a new way to feel badly about myself. I didn’t feel badly about my body anymore, so I could feel badly about the body I used to have. God taught me something recently….and by recently, I mean today. Do I truly believe that I am becoming the person I was always meant to be? Yes, I do. If I really believe that, I have to accept that the person I used to be was all a part of God’s plan. That girl is a part of me and always will be. Everything I went through, everything I put myself through, has brought me to this day…this very moment. God knew I would get here before I was even born. He knows me through and through. Instead of regretting my past, I will thank God for my past. My past brought me here, to a place I never thought I could go. Truthfully, I never knew it was a place I wanted to go. I am eternally grateful that He did. “For I know the plans I have for you…” Thank you, Lord, for creating beauty from what I thought was a mess. For making me…me. | literature |
http://thelupylady.com/about/quotes-i-3/ | 2013-05-22T11:18:23 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701614932/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105334-00072-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.932549 | 820 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__61789927 | en | I am in love with lyrics and quotations. They bring out things within you that are ordinarily hard to grasp onto. So I will post some of my favorites here !!!
“Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others.”
“Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That’s relativity.”
Are you doing what you’re doing today because you WANT to do it, or because it’s what you were doing yesterday?” –Dr. Phil
Be who you are and say what you think because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter dont mind. -Dr. Seuss
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
Achievement is not always success, while reputed failure often is. It is honest endeavor, persistent effort to do the best possible under any and all circumstances.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the WISDOM to know the difference.
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have than to have things I am not able to appreciate. –Elbert Hubbard
I believe that hope survives, love prevails, tears cleanse, memories comfort, faith soothes. good thoughts reassure, and our belief in a better place calms the heart.
Some people think it’s holding on that makes one strong— sometimes it’s letting go.
But if I wanted silence I would whisper. If I wanted loneliness I’d choose to go. If I wanted rejection I’d audition. And if I didn’t love you, you would know.
The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. -Paul Valery
Live for today, pray for tomorrow.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. -Will Rogers
An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind -Gandhi
Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer, but wish we didn’t.
The truth doesn’t hurt unless it ought to…
Anger rests in the hearts of fools.
When all else is lost, the future still remains. -Christian Bovee
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” ~Luke 6:37
Anyone perfect must be lying
Anything easy has its cost
Anyone plain can be lovely
Anyone loved can be lost
Nothing lasts forever, so live it up, drink it down, laugh it off, avoid the bullshit, take chances & never have regrets, because at one point everything you did was exactly what you wanted
There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore, and who always will. So don’t worry about people from your past, there’s a reason why they didn’t make it into your future.
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. -Marilyn Monroe
Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly and kiss slowly. Love truly, laugh uncontrollably , and never regret anything that made you smile.
There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow. | literature |
https://www.thefairhavenseries.com/manliness-romance/ | 2023-09-25T13:09:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233508977.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20230925115505-20230925145505-00160.warc.gz | 0.974415 | 794 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__123076713 | en | As I near the end of the journey writing my debut memoir, Destiny Lives On Fairhaven Street, I’m now find myself shifting focus to the business side of the process: marketing.
The goal is to get as many eyes on my book as I can, and that means building up my book’s Facebook page. Likes and followers equal potential sales. I want to take this moment to thank each of you who have been kind enough to like the page.
But, as great as this experience has been, I’ve noticed some unfortunate downsides as I’ve moved closer to publication. Once I created this Facebook page, I noticed some people, many of them men, leaving nasty comments about my decision to not date anyone in the eight years I was apart from Danielle. I debated quoting some of them here, but I don’t want to give them any more attention.
I’ve been hearing this same sophomoric drivel about how “unmanly” my story is since before I started writing it. And though it comes as no surprise, I’ve never been able to answer the question: Why do so many men hold me in contempt for being a romantic? What is so unmanly about loving a woman and being devoted to her? Why do some men find it unacceptable that I spent 1/10th of my life dedicated to a girl when I wasn’t required to? The happiest part of my childhood was when I was with her, so it was only natural that I wanted to get that back. When I returned, I wanted to show her just how much I truly loved her, so I sacrificed the one thing I knew I could never get back: time.
I am the man I am, the husband I am, the father I am, because of her.
The same neaderthalistic thinking these “men” display is the same type my father forced on me growing up. This was the same man mind you, who had four marriages, three of which ended by infidelity on his end.
Writing a memoir makes you vulnerable to the world. I knew this before I started writing, and I wrote anyway, because I am strong enough to withstand vulnerability. I’m proud of what I did, and I’m secure enough in my manhood to share it with the world.
As a father, I want my boys Max and Collin to learn that it’s okay to love someone. A man is devoted to the one he loves. He keeps his word. There is no shame in being romantic and vulnerable under the right circumstances.
This is more than a book. I want it to start a dialogue about outdated male stereotypes and dogmas.
I’m here today as a soon to be published author, a six-foot-tall husband and father, the proud protector and provider of my family, with over thirty years of martial arts experience. My message is simple: If you allow yourself to love, and you allow yourself to feel, you allow yourself to grow into a truly powerful man. I don’t care what these people feel about it.
My uncle was one of my idols growing up. He’s a man’s man, a complete badass and yet he loves his wife, my Aunt, openly and proudly. If I am a quarter of the man he is when I reach his age, that will be a massive accomplishment.
I love my wife, and I’m proud of it.
A real man loves without shame. He does not stray. He does not put others down for their devotion to another. It’s time we return to that.
Destiny Lives On Fairhaven Street – book one of The Fairhaven Series, Coming in 2022.
Some things are worth the sacrifice… | literature |
https://www.derekoverfield.com/blog/fight-over-the-body-of-patroclus-new-painting | 2023-03-25T20:35:43 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945372.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20230325191930-20230325221930-00531.warc.gz | 0.928054 | 166 | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-14__0__225802387 | en | After the death of Patroclus, the dear companion of the great hero Achilles, other Greek heroes fought hard to protect his body from the Trojan forces. Seen as a great moral victory for both sides, the body was furiously fought for and over. "So Ajax stood his ground over brave Patroclus now - the fighting Atrides right beside him, standing fast". But the Trojans would not give up,their "hearts fired with hopes of dragging Patroclus' body out from under Ajax... but the Argives faced them, standing fast in a ring around Patroclus, one fury seizing their hearts." - The Iliad, Homer
Fight over the body of Patroclus, latex paint on canvas, 55 x 60", 2018
Leave a Reply. | literature |
http://www.mynewroots.org/cookbook/ | 2016-12-07T10:27:22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698542060.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170902-00074-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.939431 | 923 | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2016-50__0__27274446 | en | INSPIRED PLANT-BASED RECIPES
FOR EVERY SEASON
My New Roots – Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season features over 100 vegetarian dishes, most of which are vegan, many are gluten-free and some are totally raw. The book includes a wide range of meals from the very easy, to those that are more fun food “projects” that require fermentation and such. There are fancy things to impress your best guests, and tasty basics for weeknight family-style meals. Snacks, desserts, and sweet treats are also a very welcome part of this collection of vibrant and inspiring new recipes.
Very much like the blog, my cookbook is inspired by the seasons and eating in connection with nature, as often as possible. Each recipe features health and nutrition information on the key ingredients, so you will always know a little something special about the health benefits in your favourite dishes.
The Essential Techniques section clearly explains, step-by-step, how to master the basic processes that I use on a daily basis in my home kitchen. This section also features my tips and tricks on how to make your vegetarian meals as flavourful as they can be!
The book features full-colour photography, all shot by yours truly, at home in my kitchen and in the garden. I am so proud of the images inside – each one tells a story of the dish and reflects the season it was made.
It has been an amazing year of growing, making, and enjoying ridiculously delicious food. I can't believe the day has come when I can share that with you all.
“My New Roots is beautiful proof that eating with nutrition in mind need not be a compromise. This is an unabashedly enthusiastic riff on the food-as-medicine approach to cooking and eating. Sarah’s playful and encouraging voice is infectious; you get the sense that she is waiting on the other side of each recipe to give you a high five.”
— Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Every Day
“My New Roots is filled with good ideas for fresh new ways of using plant foods. Sarah Britton shows that truly alive ingredients can result in more interesting and better-tasting recipes and are always worth seeking out.”
— Deborah Madison, author of Vegetable Literacy and The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
“Sarah is a veggie-lovin’ culinary goddess! Her unique and seasonal plant-based creations will inspire you to fall head over heels in love with vegetables. There are so many beautiful recipes I can’t wait to make!”
— Angela Liddon, author of The Oh She Glows Cookbook
“I have been waiting for this book since I first started reading Sarah’s blog years ago. She has a gift for writing truly wonderful recipes, vibrant with produce, and has the knowledge to explain why these plant-based foods are good for us. Her sweet spirit shines through every page. So thrilled to have this keeper in my kitchen!”
— Sara Forte, author of The Sprouted Kitchen
“Sarah’s creativity always inspires. With its vibrant recipes, evocative visuals, witty combinations, and approachable ways to live better, this book is a must for anyone interested in optimal, delicious health.”
— Laura Wright, thefirstmess.com
“Sarah always treads the beautiful line between making whole foods practical and also appealing, leading the way in this new real food movement.”
— Sarah Wilson, author of I Quit Sugar
“Being healthy and happy is so easy when you’re cooking with Sarah. Her gentle approach, love and passion for whole foods, and flair for pairing mind-blowing flavors create fabulous and fresh food that looks stunning and is bursting with personality and life-affirming goodness. With unbelievable tastes and textures, My New Roots takes you on an exquisite journey that seduces you with every lift of the fork, leaving you voracious for vegetables.”
— Tess Masters, author of The Blender Girl
“It’s a rare book that delivers inspiration through its every page, yet each one of Sarah’s recipes sings with flavor and originality. The entire collection is a seductive introduction to a more wholesome way of eating and an irresistible call to the kitchen.”
— Clotilde Dusoulier, author of The French Market Cookbook and Edible French | literature |
https://perefrederic.ca/en/a-spiritual-being/his-great-passion-jesus-of-nazareth/ | 2024-02-22T01:13:03 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947473598.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20240221234056-20240222024056-00587.warc.gz | 0.964087 | 455 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__109315542 | en | One of the very first things to extract from the life of Father Frederic, is his passion for Jesus of Nazareth.
His early education pointed him toward the Gospels. His formation with the Franciscans, his plans to become a missionary in the Holy Land, his writings and books all his preaching on Jesus the son of man and son of God, everything reveals to us that the Blessed Frederic is the missionary to the Holy Land par excellence. His work orients us to know Jesus in the mysteries of His humanity, His birth, His public life, His passion and Resurrection.
It is he who walked about the country of Jesus in every sense during the 14 years that he lived in the Holy Land. The Stations of the Cross which had been banned since 1621, he negotiated with the Muslim Arabs the right to preach the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa and in the arched souks of Jerusalem. He directed the construction work of the church of Saint Catherine next to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. For this construction, he then went to beg in France and in Canada, hence his first journey in 1881.
He is a pioneer in the dispersion of the gospels in Canada. From 1893 to 1907, his Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a text in harmony with the Gospels, enjoyed eight printings, which represent a total of 42,000 copies “It was without a doubt the greatest publishing success in Canada” (Legare – Baillargeon, Good Father Frederic, Montreal, Pauline Ed. 1988, p. 277).
Blessed Frederic could be the patron of the seekers of meaning and truth who study the Gospels and especially the life of Jesus of Nazareth, thus the man Jesus.
“Father Frederic’s entire life was to serve the earthy country of God made man, of making Him known, venerated and loved. What is most striking about him, is his unceasing devotion to the Holy Sites sanctified by the Passion of the Divine Savior.”
Romain Legare, The Memory, vol. 14, no. 2 (April-June 1967), p.3. | literature |
http://blogs.birminghampost.net/news/2011/11/so-whats-so-good-about-poetry.html | 2013-05-19T06:43:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696384181/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092624-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.963618 | 1,398 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__83914569 | en | So what's so good about poetry?
Every now and then (if you're lucky) a piece of literature - be it a novel or a poem - will come along and shake your heart; it'll rock your world. And, I swear, your perspective of yourself and the space around you, will never be the same again.
I came across such a poem, powerful piece that really touched me, when I was at secondary school. I was no more than 13 or 14 when a very attractive young trainee-teacher came to teach us English for a term and read us W.B. Yeats', She Weeps for the Cloths of Heavens:
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Now I don't know whether it was her tone - a lovely genteel accent that sort of juxtaposed beautifully in an inner city world of my comprehensive schooling - or Yeats words per se that moved me to something close to love. Whatever it was, I kind of felt something stirring in my teenage heart, a sort of awakening at the sheer magic of the words and what they could do. I remember going away after the lesson and re-reading the poem again and again until I knew it by heart. Even today whenever I teach Yeats, I always recite that poem because it takes me back to that time when I first fell in love with poetry - or developed a crush on a woman who was way out of my league!
And that's the essence of some words, put together or poetically arranged in such away that they linger in your spirit level, almost giving you another dimension to yourself as a human being. Sometimes they help you to 'see better' - bring you closer to your limitations. But, more often than not, they give you an awareness of your possibilities - nothing is beyond your reach.
Now there are people who say I don't like poetry 'cause I don't get it!. The irony is that sometimes they're the very same people who recite or quote sections from songs or better still, holy books. And they will act as if the quote said it all: end of discussion. Or they'll sing a line or two from song or a hymn like to make a point:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Now, I ask you, what are those - those lines - if they're not poetic in some way. They're beautiful words because they're original; they capture a thought, an idea in a fresh way that make them memorable. Holy texts are poetic no matter whether you consider them as the actual word of God or the product of wordsmiths sitting around a camp fire.
The thing is that poetry matters - all kinds of poetry, not just the stuff we have to read at school as part of the National Curriculum. To say that I hate poetry because you had to suffer the ordeal at trying to grasp the meaning of difficult language is like saying I hate all people under five feet tall! It's ludicrous to state such things because it's limiting and shows your inability to connect with complexity. Now surely that is not what you should broadcast to the rest of the world. Instead wouldn't it be better if you said, I don't like the stuff of Shakespeare's sonnets, or Milton's epic poetry or the meta-physical poetry of 17th century but I do like the sufi poetry or mysticism of Kabir, Tagore or Gibran. Or failing that, you could say I'm not generally partial to poetry but I do like the nonsense poetry and/or limericks of Milligan, the stuff of light-heartedness and frivolity. Now that's a far cry from simply saying I hate poetry! and brushing the whole poetry genre/form aside as being insignificant.
The point is that there is such a colourful array of poetry of all types, in all kinds of linguistic shades and tones.
But there's another important reason why poetry matters in our world. Arthur Scargill's father used to sleep with a dictionary because he believed that words used properly are a powerful tool to mobilise people and politics. Everyone should learn words.
And there's a certain truth in that. Poetry is used in all aspects of our lives, it's all over the place - on billboards, in advertising, in songs, in politics as rhetoric, in films, in news and the dissemination of information - and, dare I say it, in everyday conversation. Even this article, the way I'm putting it together to make a case for poetry, is using the tools and techniques associated with that form. Poetry can be powerful and because it's powerful, it can be political.
Poetry is a voice of dissent, a voice of the people who feel they're unheard, displaced, forgotten. It's a tool for those who want to challenge the world in which we live, take on the mass of conventional ideas we get used to in our daily existence. In the words of Craig Raine, it defamiliarizes our familiarity.
So next time you're having a chat about poetry with someone, think about why you're so hostile to words, the very language you're happy to quote in other context. Why does poetry fill you with dread and boredom? It's the very stuff that gave enlightenment to many of the gurus, prophets and mystics. They recited language, the mantra, day in and day out to create a spiritual epiphany. They wanted to connect with a higher being, what some refer to as God, what some poets call the Spirit of the universe and what the Romantics referred to as Nature
Poetry was, to some extent, the metaphorical vehicle for that journey guiding our souls away from the material world to that serene state of nirvana like this piece of Punjabi verse:
Bhul na jaye o maan meriya
Motiya te mandir dekh ke
(Do not get lost, oh soul of mine,
Gazing at these pearly walls)
Roshan Doug will be reading from his new collection of poems, What light is light... at the University of Birmingham, School of Education, Room G39, 6pm- 7.30
Monday 21st November 2011.
RSVP to [email protected] | literature |
http://www.romansthedivinemarriage.com/2011/07/ | 2020-02-25T02:04:36 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875146004.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20200225014941-20200225044941-00423.warc.gz | 0.944963 | 1,607 | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-10__0__14114363 | en | If there is one book that you should read and have in your library, this Romans commentary is the one. It is a massively important work for all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. Holland’s labour of love brings forth the rich Jewish theology and corporate worldview of the Apostle Paul that is so often overlooked by our individualistic Western presuppositions. Seeing Romans afresh through the lens of the Apostle’s Jewish mindset is both engaging and enlightening. Holland delves into the text with all the integrity and acumen of a true biblical scholar, seeking at every turn to discover the root context of the corporate Hebrew understanding. He shows that Yahweh has covenanted himself in marriage, through Jesus Christ, to his redeemed people, thus fulfilling the entire Messianic hope of the Old Testament scriptures. The salvation accomplished by Jesus is shown to be the grand eschatological fulfillment of all that Israel’s Passover and Exodus redemption prefigured. This commentary is thoughtfully written at a level for all Christians to enjoy and is both warmly pastoral and deeply instructive. This work is a gift of love to the Church of Jesus Christ. May the Lord add his heavenly blessing upon it for the edification of the new covenant community.
Tom Holland in his Romans commentary interacts with the controversial teaching of the New Perspective theologians – and much more besides.
But rather than retreat into Reformed formulations, he engages with the latest views, re-evaluates traditional positions, and breathes new life into Reformed teachings without repudiating them. For example (writing as a self-styled biblical, rather than systematic, theologian) he sees that the “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness” of Genesis 15:6 has been pressed too readily into service by the Reformers as a text that teaches imputed righteousness – and yet Holland does not reject that doctrine.
Furthermore he brings clarity to the complex area of covenantal nomism. He agrees with the New Perspective theologians that Paul, along with his compatriots, rejoiced in the law – indeed Paul considered himself blameless (Philippians 3:6); but this was only before his conversion, not afterwards, when he came to see that the law in fact condemned all men and women before God (Romans 4:15).
In addition Holland brings insights of his own – he sees that in many passages where Paul speaks of the “body” he means a body of people. He gives detailed linguistic arguments for this perspective, and shows that the “body of sin” is fallen mankind who entered into a covenant with Sin (Satan) via their federal head Adam. This body is the counterpart to the “body of Christ” – the church. Although this perspective is not unique to Holland he applies it more consistently in his exegesis than others. At first, if you are not familiar with this concept, it can seem strange – but if you stay with it there is a reward as light is cast on some verses that have always been considered to be ‘difficult’.
For me the climax of his commentary is his exposition of chapters 6 & 7. Holland sees that Paul is telling us that Christ died in the place of the bride of Satan (the body of Sin) to break the legitimate authority the law gives a husband. This explains Paul’s comments at the centre of these two chapters where he reminds us that the death of a spouse ends a marriage. We can now see it is the death of Christ that releases the elect from her former ‘husband’ for her to become Christ’s bride and his body. This, to my mind, is a convincing exegesis – and reveals the cosmic implications of Christ’s death and the “Divine Marriage” in a new and exciting way.
So, if you want a quiet read to reassure yourself that there is nothing new to learn other than what the great Reformers taught – this commentary is not for you.
But, if you want a stimulating, thought provoking, mind stretching, Christ-exalting journey through Romans that interacts with recent scholarship and yet respects the Reformers’ teaching – I think you will be hard pushed to find a commentary to best this one.
If there is intellectual integrity in the evangelical world, I am convinced this reading of Romans will win the day eventually.
Romans: The Divine Marriage – Dr Tom Holland
This commentary follows Dr Holland’s striking development of the ‘new exodus’ motif as a key background concept to understanding Paul in ‘Contours of Pauline Theology’. The first book provided some astonishing new ways of reading Paul, and brought out the significance of the ‘new exodus’ as a paradigm for understanding the New Testament. The Romans commentary pursues the new exodus motif in further detail.
The new exodus exploration opens up Romans in some fresh ways, not least the revisiting of Romans 3:20ff, where the key term hilasterionis provided with new exodus significance, drawing especially on Ezekiel’s use of the term in the eschatological temple’s celebration of Passover in Ezekiel 45. Dr Holland also introduces us to the influence of Ezekiel’s new exodus themes more widely in Paul.
The new exodus line of thinking leads to a rigorously corporate interpretation of passages in Romans which have conventionally been interpreted as individualistic. So the corporate emphasis of Romans 5 (full of echoes of return from exile, a key new exodus theme), continues into Romans 6-8, with surprising results. A major challenge to conventional interpretation is the locating of the word flesh within a covenantal, and therefore corporate framework. Dr Holland is careful to explore the various nuances of the meaning of the word within the biblical corpus, but the result is a much more satisfying connection of the word with its OT roots, and a shift from the usual ontological understanding with its myriad complexities and psychological introspectiveness.
The commentary develops a crucial distinction in the way justification is used in Romans 4, between its applications to Abraham and David. Through this distinction, Dr Holland is able to build on the New Perspective understanding of the term as developed by Tom Wright (in relation to Abraham), and the way the Reformers used the word (in relation to David). Dr Holland develops an argument for reinforcing the view that justification is not merely a declaration of righteousness, as asserted by the New Perspective, but includes within its semantic domain the Reformation ideas of forensic justification and being brought into a covenant relationship with God. He then incorporates the use of justification language in Israel’s ‘new exodus’ restoration from exile, relating this to the key ‘justification’ section of Romans, chapter 5.
The excursuses on righteousness, the flesh and justification are treasure troves in themselves, and the commentary is bristling with insights. The book dialogues with contemporary theological discussion, and takes on board the best results of these, whilst staunchly defending the faith of the Reformers, and presenting strong arguments for their position. Along the way, Dr Holland points out what he takes to be some key shortcomings of New Perspective positions. All agree that Holland has moved the debate on Paul decisively forwards and that a significant counter-proposal to the proponents of the New Perspective on Paul has been launched.
Above all, the commentary brings Romans alive in fresh ways, and as with ‘Contours’, drives us back to the biblical text armed with fresh insights and equipped with fresh tools for mining the gold from this letter, which proves its worth for the 21st century as for all preceding ages. Dr Holland illustrates well the maxim of the pilgrim fathers in relation to Romans: ‘The Lord has more truth yet to break forth out of his holy Word.’ | literature |
https://cassopolis.wordpress.com/last-weeks-sermon/ | 2018-03-17T04:04:14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257644271.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20180317035630-20180317055630-00057.warc.gz | 0.981354 | 3,024 | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-13__0__10740785 | en | “Biting Ourselves to Death”
Cassopolis/ White Pigeon, March 11, 2018, FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
Text: Ephesians 2:1-10; Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-21
Our reading from Numbers 21 this morning, one of the most peculiar readings in the Old Testament for its odd details, is also one which gives many Christians some discomfort to read—at least it does me. For every time I read it I wonder about the particular method of discipline that God employs here with His restive children of Israel in the wilderness. This is certainly not the first time they have become dissatisfied with their wandering lot and the discomforts that come with it—they have done so many times. But this is the first time God has acted against them in such a harsh way, sending, according to the text, poisonous—some translations say “fiery” serpents among them to bite them and even kill many. As I say, this makes me uncomfortable, not that it’s God’s job to make me comfortable with His actions. But I still always wonder, couldn’t God have achieved the same ends in a gentler and less fatal way?
But perhaps not. In the book of Numbers, this event marks the seventh time that the people have risen up in angry rebellion, and this time a rebellion more intense, their anger directed not only against Moses, but against God Himself as well, both of whom they accuse of “bringing us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness!” They have obviously, at this point, forgotten about their slavery and the brutal way the Egyptians treated them—all they seem to recall now is that there was a lot of food available back there, and food better than “this miserable” manna that God has been feeding them with. So perhaps the rebellion of the people is so great at this time that only equally drastic measures on God’s part is able to deal with it, lest the whole intention of God to make Israel a nation be put in jeopardy.
Of course, one can also read this story in another way, one in which the poisonous serpents aren’t directly sent from God at all—they just happen to appear at the same time the rebellion is under way. However God uses their appearance to touch the consciences of the rebels, and the people, recognizing what they are doing as sin, interpret the snakes as punishment, and repent. Whatever the case is in this particular story, one thing that has always occurred to me every time I’ve read it with all its odd details about serpents, fiery and biting and bronze, set up on a staff. It seems that we can also read it as a parable, an account in which physical events are employed to help us think about things going on at another level—the spiritual level—in the lives of these people themselves, and perhaps, at times, in the lives of all people.
There can be little doubt as we hear this story that the people of Israel are frustrated and angry in it, with anger that derives, in all likelihood, from a deeper kind of hurt in their hearts—a fear—or really, many fears—fears of being lost, fears of going hungry, fears of being abandoned. And when someone—at least someone in a biblical or faith context—is afflicted by fear, they have two choices in how to deal with it. They can, if they are wise, look to God in their fear and seek God’s help, as Peter wrote to the church in 1st Peter, “Cast all your anxiety—including your fear—upon Him, for He cares for you.”
However, this can be a tough thing to do, especially if one of your fears is that God doesn’t really care about you, which seems to have been the case sometimes for the Israelites. They appear to have had a consistently difficult time believing that God was really all that concerned about their good. In that case, if you will not, or can not, look to God, you can only look to yourself—and often, if not always, this is not enough of a resource to get real relief. So rather than having the anxiety lifted, it becomes more deep-seated. And as it become deep-seated, one reacts with anger—or bitterness—or by trying to secure one’s self, make one’ self safe from threat, by any means necessary no matter what it might mean to someone else. And when these things begin to occur, especially in a whole community—a society—humans often become themselves like stinging fiery snakes. Our angers and fears and anxieties begin to manifest in our attitudes and actions as we start to bite others and devour them, striking out like animals caught in a trap or cornered in pursuit. And in that process, we begin to bite and devour ourselves, from the inside out, like an acid slowly eating us away.
And perhaps this is something of what this story in Numbers is trying to convey—that when these people in the wilderness lose sight of God—lose faith in God, they became serpents themselves and began stinging and burning and biting themselves to death from the inside out—spiritual death at a minimum, with perhaps physical death to follow as well.
And this kind of a reading makes a lot of sense out of the remedy that God gives Moses to relieve His people’s hurts—the bronze serpent on the pole. Read as a simple physical detail, it seems like something out of folklore, almost smacks of some kind of magic, certainly an odd kind of thing for God to tell Moses to rely upon. But if he people have become their own worst enemy because of their fear and anger and defiance, then it make perfect sense. For when they take a moment of pause in their rebellion, and look up at the serpent on the staff, what they begin to see there is themselves—what they have become. And as they see what they have become, and admit it, in their hearts and in their prayers, they also come to discover what they need as remedy—to again depend on God—to throw their fears on Him and know Him as their Creator and Lord and Savior, and thus find in God the healing and care only God can provide. Such an understanding makes a lot of sense in Numbers, and such an understanding also makes clearly appropriate the use Jesus makes of this story as He talks in the third chapter of John.
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” Jesus asserts there, “that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” The plight of humanity before Jesus came into the world was very much the same as that of the rebellious spirits of Numbers 21. Over years of history, sin in the life of humanity had eroded our relationship with our Maker. It was not completely gone—God had continued to work toward in through Abraham and Israel and the Law and the prophets, had continued always to stand against sin’s incursion into the world. But so weakened had our sense of life become under sin that the drift away had continued, robbing most, if not all humans of their sense of truth, of any real sense of the love of God, and any realization that we needed God. And in that continuing drift, humans and human society suffered, often devolving into our becoming a stinging biting ball of snakes, attacking each other in panic and terror and in the process attacking our own souls. Or in the words of John’s gospel, finding ourselves in darkness, unable to find a way to get out of it, out of the wilderness we had become lost in.
But it is into that darkness, in these last days as scripture calls them, that God sent light—a light, as John says in his opening chapter, that would shine in the darkness so strongly that no darkness, no sin, could overcome it, a light that God put in our midst for us to see and be saved. However, for that light to open blind human eyes—for that love of God made flesh in Jesus to heal hurts we had inflicted upon ourselves for years untold, there was one necessary step—we had to look—we had to do what the Israelites did in Numbers—to look up at Jesus and at Him lifted up on the cross and see there two things—our need for God, and God’s love for us given fully in response to that need to whomever would accept it. And what became truest tragedy, the greatest grief indeed to God’s own heart, was that some would refuse to do so. Some who struggled in darkness would refuse to see God’s light, refuse to accept God’s relief, refuse to understand their need. And “this is the judgment” writes John—“that the light has come into the world—the cure has come into the world—and people loved darkness more than the light—refused to give up even their own self-destruction to turn and look and be healed. But of course, some would—they would believe and take it as truth that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes will not perish.” And it is to these and of these that Paul writes in Ephesians 2.
Paul minces no words as he appraises the former state of those to whom he writes—“You were dead,” he says—not just hurting, but dead, dead to God, dead to your own best good—“through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived”—we were, as he says, “children of wrath”, those in whom the course of the world as sin steered it drove us daily further and further away from God and closer and closer to our own hurt. And we could do nothing about it. We could not halt our own lemming march—we could not heal our own wounds, and be cured—we were blind and lacking understanding of what was even wrong in us—we needed something more than we were or had or could have. But then, says Paul, “God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us—even when we were dead in our trespasses—even, “as he says in another passage, “when we were still enemies of God”—even then, God “made us alive together with Christ—for by grace, you—we—have been saved!”
This is an epic moment in Paul’s letter, this announcement of our salvation. But lest we congratulate ourselves on achieving such an end, Paul goes on—“But it is a gift of grace, a gift of God, not our own doing that we might boast.” But it is nonetheless our gift to claim because God in Christ has given it and will not take it back—and no other power, no darkness, no sin, no human frailty can separate us from this Christ, turn this gift away from us, stop us from looking at the cross and seeing there the love of God and to be healed from our self-biting ways, set alight by the unconquerable light of Jesus.
And in that light—as we look up to the gift of God for healing—we are changed. Or rather, we are remade—we are remade into what we were intended to be from the start, not reptiles, not blinded eyes, but God’s children. For as Paul writes as he concludes this passage of Ephesians, when we have been brought from death to life, darkness to light, injured to whole, we become “what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God created beforehand to be our way of life.” We were never made to be hissing, biting serpents, hostile to God and to each other. This world was never made to be the ball of confusion and anger and enmity that we too often see about us. And as our healing comes to us, we become agents of healing to the world, made for good, made for good works, made to tell the world of God and God’s gift of love raised up on the cross to restore us to life and bring life into us.
There is, in 2 Kings 18, an odd biblical postscript to the story of the bronze serpent that God had Moses make back in Numbers. Apparently, according to that text, the serpent on the staff, in memory of what God did in Numbers, was saved as an artifact by the Israelites and given a place in the Temple. It was even given a name, Nehushtan. However, human nature being what it is, it seems that some folks forgot what the serpent was supposed to represent and began treating it almost like a god—they “had made offerings to it,’ 2 Kings tells us, causing one of Judah’s more faithful kings, Hezekiah, to destroy it, breaking it into pieces.
This is an instructive look into the unique talent sin has to get its way with us—it is able to take even what is good in the world, even the gifts God has given us, and make them into idols—warp them into things they were never meant to be, pulling us away from rather than toward God—the thing that was to save the serpent-bitten became the bite of the serpent itself. And if sin can do this with good things, think what it can do with our fears and doubts and hurts and anxieties. And only the appearance of the truest gift, the gift of God Himself in human flesh, lifted up for all the world to see—and if they would—believe—can defeat that—can change us—can counteract the poison that runs through the veins of human life and bring us to healing. This is what God has done—what God is doing. This is why Jesus came—not to condemn the world for its sin, but to save the world from it. For God did so love the world that He gave His only Son to be lifted up even on a cross that all who looked and believed would find life—and not just life in its most minimal definition, but life abundant, life worthy, life eternal—good for us and good for reaching out to others with—life that God has always intended. +++ | literature |
https://www.irishmonarchy.com/memories/our-family-book-advent-calendar/ | 2023-12-06T02:03:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100575.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20231206000253-20231206030253-00181.warc.gz | 0.976094 | 532 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__54839265 | en | I have never been more excited for December to start. Each year we do various advent calendar (usually Lego) and thought this year we would spice it up with a Funko Pop Harry Potter Advent Calendar. But I still felt like something was missing. Then, one of my favorite local independent bookstores posted something on their IG feed. I was hooked. I just had to do it. And only two more sleeps before it begins!
We decided to go out on a limb and have Madison Street Books select 24 books, wrap them and number them for us to enjoy over the next month. Our own advent book calendar countdown to Christmas! Selecting the books was not a small task. We have 5 people in the house, ranging from two 40-something parents, a freshman in college, junior in high school, and a 7th grader.
How are the books selected?!?
Thankfully this part was super easy. They asked a few quick questions, such as what books we liked and types we wanted to avoid. I gave a few requests and went from there. Once done, they sent a list over and just LOVED most all the selections! Some books we actually had, some were a big heavy for the 7th grader, and didn’t want this to feel like an extended homework night opening each book! After sending back a handful of suggestions, I had the 24 books selected and all I had to do was wait until they were wrapped and ready for pick up!
The plan is to have everyone read each book. Since it’s our first book advent calendar, I am hopeful that all will be “keepers” and write little notes into each book. Right now, I am just excited that they are all excited!
Is it too late for this year?
It’s not too late to do this yourself ! Reach out to your local bookstores, see if they can help select, and maybe even wrap the 24 books. Or maybe start your order on Cyber Monday for curbside pick up. Wrap with plain brown paper, or even foil if you are a time cruchIf you’re too indecisive, maybe ask to start with four and gather the rest this weekend?!? You can always add more books to your pile next weekend!
More hopeful this will turn into a yearly tradition (along with the Lego Advent Calendars or Funko Pops) and that our book selection grows as we all grow! Make sure you follow along on INSTAGRAM for daily pics and stories on the books we receive! So excited – only two more sleeps! | literature |
https://dpaiton.github.io/publications/ | 2022-08-19T22:24:04 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882573849.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20220819222115-20220820012115-00427.warc.gz | 0.795072 | 442 | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-33__0__147240136 | en | Published in International Conference on Learning Representations, 2021
We construct and analyze new datasets for evaluating disentanglement on natural videos. We also propose a temporally sparse prior for identifying the underlying factors of variation in natural videos.
Published in Journal of Vision, 2020
Using differential geometry we explain how sparse coding networks bend their response surfaces, which results in improved selectivity and robustness for individual neurons.
Published in Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements, 2020
We present a 2-layer recurrent sparse coding network for learning higher order statistical regularities in natural images.
Published in UC Berkeley Thesis, 2019
My PhD thesis provides an in-depth account of a recurrent network for sparse inference, including novel analyses, comparisons, and extensions.
Published in IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), 2018
The first published approach for storing digital natural images onto resistive random access memory arrays.
Published in Neural Information Processing Systems, 2018
A hierarchical sparse coding model that decomposes scenes into constituent parts and linearizes temporal trajectories of natural videos.
Published in Data Compression Conference, 2018
A convolutional autoencoder with divisive normalization enables digital image storage on simulated emerging memristive devices.
Published in Proceedings of the 9th EAI International Conference on Bio-inspired Information and Communications Technologies, 2016
A hierarchical sparse coding network that learns bandpass decompositions of natural images.
Published in IEEE Southwest Symposium on Image Analysis and Interpretation (SSIAI), 2016
A convolutional sparse coding network facilitates better depth inference than comparable feedforward networks.
Published in arXiv Preprint, 2014
Exploring the tradeoff of patch size, stride, and overcompleteness in convolutional sparse coding.
Published in The International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN), 2013
Computer simulations of distributed sensor networks using a retina-inspired communication protocol to amplify signals.
Published in IEEE Southwest Symposium on Image Analysis and Interpretation, 2012
Labeling videos with objects using independent color/texture and shape/form processing streams.
You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile. | literature |
http://leacockfoundation.org/get-ahead-college-nalibali-book-club/ | 2022-01-16T10:49:15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320299852.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20220116093137-20220116123137-00690.warc.gz | 0.953625 | 447 | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-05__0__243300742 | en | In the Xhosa language, Nal’ibali means “it starts with a story”. This term is used as a national campaign slogan by the Nal’ibali Foundation, an organization existing to promote a culture of reading across the entire country of South Africa. In May 2013, Leacock volunteer Maureen Cassidy, founded the Nal’ibali Book Club at Get Ahead College, in an effort to do what the Nal’ibali Foundation does- promote a culture of reading.
The first book the Nal’bali Book Club read was “The Housemaid’s Daughter” by Barbara Mutch, a South African author who grew up in the Eastern Cape. In August 2013, the Book Club traveled from Queenstown to the historic town of Cradock in the Eastern Cape to attend the Karoo
Writer’s Festival and meet the author, Barbara Mutch. The experience was fantastic for Nal’ibali Book Club members, as they were able to ask Mutch questions about the book they had just finished reading.
Beyond improving literacy and promoting independent reading for fun, the Nal’ibali Book Club also facilitates teamwork and leadership.
“Other students see how passionate they [Nal’ibali Book Club members] are about reading and want to share in the experience too.”
Leacock’s support of technology integration into the school has also supported the Book Club. E-readers and wifi access make it quick, easy, and affordable for students to access and download books and other reading materials in a wide variety of languages and topics.
“The culture of reading is deeply entrenched in the school- we don’t have a library but we don’t need one because now we have Kobo e-readers, which alleviate the prohibitive cost of books in South Africa. New books can be loaded immediately and cost-effectively.”
Over the past year and a half, the book club has grown from 9 students to over 25, and has truly nurtured a student-led culture of literacy through reading. | literature |
http://micalepublications.com/ | 2019-01-20T06:54:46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583700734.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20190120062400-20190120084400-00113.warc.gz | 0.917846 | 2,387 | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-04__0__150133552 | en | Hysterical Men: The Hidden History of Male Nervous Illness (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2008), 366 pp. Over the course of several centuries, Western masculinity has successfully established itself as the voice of reason, knowledge, and sanity—the basis for patriarchal rule—in the face of massive testimony to the contrary. Hysterical Men boldly challenges this triumphant vision of the stable and secure male by examining the central role played by modern science and medicine in constructing and sustaining it. Mark Micale reveals the hidden side of this vision, that is, the innumerable cases of disturbed and deranged men who passed under the eyes of male medical and scientific elites from the seventeenth century onward. Since ancient times, physicians and philosophers had closely observed and extravagantly theorized female weakness, emotionality, and madness. What these male experts failed to see—or saw but did not acknowledge or noted but refrained from theorizing—were masculine nervous disorders among all classes and in diverse guises. While cultural and literary intellectuals pioneered new languages of male emotional distress, European science was invested in cultivating and protecting the image of male middle-class detachment, objectivity, and rationality, despite rampant counter-evidence in the clinic, the laboratory, and on battlefields. The reasons for suppressing male neurosis from the official discourses of science and medicine as well as from popular view range from the personal and psychological to the professional and political. They make for a history full of profound silences, omissions, and amnesias Now, however, under the greatly altered circumstances of today’s gender revolution, Micale’s work allows this story to be heard.
The Mind of Modernism: Medicine, Psychology, and the Cultural Arts in Europe and America, 1880-1940, edited and introduced by Mark S. Micale (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2004). This vanguard collection of original and in-depth essays explores the intricate interplay of the aesthetic and psychological domains during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and considers the reasons why a common Modernist project took shape when and in the circumstances that it did. These changes occurred precisely when the distinctively modern disciplines of psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis established their “scientific” foundations and achieved the forms in which we largely know them today. Micale’s volume examines the dense web of connections joining the aesthetic and psychological realms in the years of early and high modernism, charting the historical emergence of modernist discussions surrounding such issues as the psyche and the self, dream life, the normal and the pathological, the psychology of sexuality, and double and multiple consciousness. The contributors form a distinguished and diversified group of scholars who write about a wide range of cultural fields, including philosophy, the novel and poetry, drama, cabaret, dance, film, and photography, as well as medicine, psychology, and the occult sciences.
Approaching Hysteria: Disease and Its Interpretations (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1995) Few diseases have exercised the Western imagination as chronically as hysteria—from wandering wombs of ancient Greek medicine, to the demonically possessed witch of the Renaissance; from the “vaporous” salon women of Enlightenment Paris through to the celebrated patients of Sigmund Freud, with their erotically charged symptoms. In this fascinating and authoritative account, Mark Micale surveys encyclopedically the range of past and present readings of hysteria. Intellectual historians, historians of science and medicine, scholars in women’s and gender studies, art history, psychoanalysts, psychologists, and neurologists have all converged in the last decade on “the new hysteria studies.” What does this burgeoning corpus of writing tell us? Why in recent years has the history of hysterical disorders carried such resonance for commentators in the sciences and humanities and beyond? What can we learn from the textual tradition of hysteria about writing the history of disease in general? What is the broader social and cultural meaning of the new hysteria studies? In the second half of the book, Micale discusses the many historical “cultures of hysteria.” He reconstructs in detail the past usages of the hysteria concept as a concept, a language, and a powerful, descriptive trope in various nonmedical domains, including poetry, fiction, theater, social thought, political criticism, and the arts. His book is a pioneering attempt to write the historical phenomenology of disease in an age preoccupied with health, and a prescriptive remedy for writing histories of disease in the future.
Beyond the Unconscious: Essays by Henri F. Ellenberger in the History of Psychiatry, edited, translated, and introduced by Mark S. Micale (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993). Henri F. Ellenberger, the Swiss-Canadian medical historian, is best known today as the author of The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry (1970), a 900-page, brilliantly encyclopedic study of psychiatric theory and practice from primitive times to the mid-twentieth century. However, in addition to this well-known magnum opus, the polyglot Ellenberger wrote over thirty essays in the history of psychiatry, psychology, neurology, and psychoanalysis. Mark Micale’s collection unites fourteen of Ellenberger’s most interesting and important essays, many of which draw on new and rich bodies of primary source materials. Several of the articles appear here in English translation for the first time. The essays in Beyond the Unconscious deal with subjects such as the prehistory of psychoanalysis; Freud’s teachers; Jean-Martin Charcot and the French hysteria tradition; the role of “the great patients” in the history of psychiatry, the psychology of the secret, the life and work of Carl Gustav Jung and Hermann Rorschach, and the cultural history of medicine. The publication of these writings, which corresponds with the opening of the Institut Henri Ellenberger in Paris, truly establishes Ellenberger as a founding figure of the historiography of psychiatry Accompanying the essays is an extensive interpretative introduction and a detailed bibliographical essay by the editor.
Discovering the History of Psychiatry, edited and introduced by Mark S. Micale and Roy Porter (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994), 466 pp. The field of psychiatry has exercised enormous influence in our century, not only among scientists and mental health professionals, but also in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, which shape the cultural life of millions. This vitality has been accompanied by a profusion of historical material. Yet, while rapidly growing, the documented history of psychiatry has been ridden with controversies due to the great variety of interpretive stances and ideological perspectives among writers. This book brings together leading international authorities—physicians, historians, sociologists, and others—who explore the many complex interpretive and ideological dimensions of historical writing about psychiatry. The book includes chapters on histories of the asylum, Freud, anti-psychiatry in the United States and abroad, feminist interpretations of psychiatry’s past, and historical accounts of Nazism and psychotherapy, as well as discussions of many historical figures and movements. Discovering the History of Psychiatry is the first attempt to study comprehensively the multiple mythologies that have grown up around the history of madness and the origins, functions, and validity of these myths in our modern psychological society. The audience includes every person interested in the state of discussion and reflection taking place today in the compelling, powerful sciences of the human mind.
Enlightenment, Passion, Modernity: Historical Essays in European Thought and Culture, edited and introduced by Mark S. Micale and Robert L. Dietle (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2000). During the 1970s and 1980s, the study of intellectual history was often denigrated for its allegedly elitist, canonical, and Eurocentric nature. Today, the situation has changed dramatically. Enriched by the methods and insights of such neighboring areas of inquiry as social history, the history of mentalities, linguistics, anthropology, literary theory, and art history, intellectual and cultural history are today experiencing a renewed vitality. The far-ranging essays in this volume, by an internationally distinguished group of scholars, represent a generous sampling of these new studies. The essays have been written in honor of Yale professor Peter Gay, one of the most prolific, provocative, and influential historians of the twentieth century and a world renowned scholar of European thought and culture. The essays reflect major themes and issues running through Professor Gay’s lifework: The Enlightenment and Its Heritages; Mind and Culture in the Victorian Middle Classes: European Cultural Modernism: Culture, Politics, and Society in Modern Germany; and Freud and the History of Psychoanalysis. The contributors include W. F. Bynum, David Cannadine, Stefan Collini, Robert Darnton, Peter Jelavich, Marion Kaplan, Tom Kohut, Martin Jay, Quentin Skinner, John Toews, Dora Weiner, and Jay Winter.
Traumatic Pasts: History, Psychiatry, and Trauma in the Modern Age, 1870-1930, edited by Mark S. Micale and Paul Lerner (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001). “Trauma” is invoked today to describe a wide range of physical or emotional injuries, from victimization and suffering at the individual level (child and domestic abuse, for example), to the long-term effects of large-scale accidents (Chernobyl), severe natural disasters (the Japanese earthquake and tsunami), and mass cataclysmic events, such as the Holocaust, affecting entire societies over a period of generations. As Traumatic Pasts reveals time and again, trauma turns out to be not an event per se but rather the experiencing or remembering of an event in the mind of an individual or the life of a community. To understand the shifts and layers of the clinical and cultural meaning of trauma is to understand the very struggle of modern societies to comprehend and cope with life in a violent, chaotic, ceaselessly changing world. This book offers a unique, historical exploration of trauma in Europe and America from the 1870s, when trauma first began to take on psychological in addition to physical and medical definitions, through the 1930s, spanning the decades most associated with modernity. The authors cover the overlapping political, cultural, medical, and military approaches to mental trauma within the context of four distinct developments: the spread of railroads during the last quarter of the nineteenth century; the introduction of accident insurance and the early welfare state beginning in the 1880s; the rise of modern psychological psychiatry around the turn of the century; and the First World War and its myriad social and cultural aftermaths. The advent of railway accidents, new industrial technologies and related work accidents, female sexual trauma, and shell shock resulting from the anonymous, technological warfare of the early twentieth century are all featured here as windows onto the critical intersection of trauma, science, and social change. Micale’s and Lerner’s volume provides a generous sampling of the best of the new historical scholarship about trauma, indicating the empirical, analytical, and historiographical scope of this new work and presenting the important conceptual and methodological issues inherent in writing about the subject. One of the most influential works on psychological trauma in the past generation, Traumatic Pasts operates on the assumption that the historical humanities have something important to say about trauma; its essays may be read in part as attempts to introduce a deep historical dimension into present-day debates and controversies. | literature |
https://martcult.hypotheses.org/date/2020/09 | 2023-12-01T09:17:20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100286.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201084429-20231201114429-00490.warc.gz | 0.905755 | 3,413 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__176247088 | en | The Middle English romance Off Arthour and of Merlin (AM) has been somewhat overlooked in terms of narrative because the main story consists of a sequence of battles considered repetitive and therefore boring. Although it is true that the outcome of the battles is predictable (King Arthur and his knights will prevail), the text includes detailed descriptions and specific word choices of how this happens: Arthurian knights win because they have excellent fighting knowledge. Among them, Ywain, fighting to free London from the Saracens, demonstrates mastery of the blade from various binds (the time and position where opposing weapons are engaged). His skill is confirmed by the importance given to the topic in fight books.
A unique copy of the romance AM is preserved in the Auchileck Manuscript at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh under the signature Advocates’ MS 19. 2. 1. Written exclusively in English, it is of paramount importance for the history of English literature and literary taste in the first half of the fourteenth century. The manuscript is a miscellany of 44 secular and religious texts; among the former, there are eighteen romances. Linguistic, palaeographical, and internal evidence point to the origin of the manuscript being in London in the 1330s, where a rich merchant probably commissioned it.
Although in its current state the Auchinleck MS comprises 331 leaves of 250×190 mm, codicological studies of both the manuscript and fragments thereof have revealed that it originally contained at least 386 leaves of 264×203 mm. The manuscript was compiled on vellum by five or six scribes in 48 quires of eight leaves each (with the exception of one gathering of ten). Scribe α acted as the “editor” of the manuscript and wrote most of it. He also copied AM.
Although only surviving in the Auchinleck ms (fols 201rb-256vb), AM originates in late-thirteenth century London. The text, written in rhyming couplets and 9938 lines long, was introduced by an illumination, which has unfortunately been cut out (like many from the same manuscript). As a result, ten lines on the other side of the folio have been lost. A further 200 lines towards the end have also been lost due to a missing leaf; the text is otherwise intact and clearly readable.
The first third of the romance is concerned with the antecedents to Arthur’s reign and it is a close translation of the French Lestoire de Merlin. The remaining two thirds are more autonomous and describe Arthur’s early reign as a sequence of protracted battle scenes, starting with kings of various territories in Great Britain (whose leader is Lot) rebelling to Arthur’s right to rule. Although Arthur wins two battles, the Rebel Kings still refuse to recognise him as their leader. However, the British internal fights must cease when each king, Arthur as well, must fight separate battles against external invading forces: Danes, Irish, Saxons and Angles, who in the text are typically collectively named ‘Saracens’. The text focuses on two armies: one led by Arthur and the other by Gawain. Despite being Lot’s son, Gawain recognises Arthur legitimacy to rule. While Arthur is fighting in Leodegan’s lands (Leodegan is Guinevere’s father), Gawain, together with his brothers Gueheres, Agrevein, Gaheriet, and with his cousins Galathin and Yvain, leads an army in Arthur’s name to protect London. The romance ends with Arthur and Gawain being successful in freeing those key territories.
London is prominent in the romance. However, it is not described in detail and its political relevance is only inferred. Arthur holds court there for important and lavish occasions: he gives a feast ‘ƿat last ful fourten niȝt’ (l. 3582) and a tournament in honour of Ban and Bohort (two of his late father’s allies) joining his legitimacy cause; it is also there that he celebrates his second victory against the Rebel Kings with another 14-days long feast. Furthermore, London is where he prepares against the Saracens’ invasion by ordering that every town should be supplied with food and by appointing a constable for each of them; Arthur focuses on London first, choosing Sir Do, an earl who already has experience in running a town, to administer it, rather than a knight who had distinguished himself in battle.
The text also offers some clues on the considerable size and cultural aspects of the town. The number of pack-horses (700), of carts (700), and of wagons (500) that were meant to supply London with food (but were robbed by Saracens instead) speaks of a large population. As a big city, London has a lot to offer, which is why Gawain, his brothers, and cousins decide to reside there for months after the first battle.
The population itself, and perhaps a glimpse of its political structure, only makes an appearance during the first battle for London. Seeing that Gawain and his army are bravely fighting against the Saracens but that they are greatly disadvantaged in numbers (1200 against 7000), Sir Do gathers the aldermen at the assembly point at Aldgate and quickly convinces them to raise their banners and go in support of Gawain with an army of 5000 men in total (both citizens and knights) ‘[f]or alle chaunce Londen to kepe’ (l. 5126). Conversely, neither Sir Do nor the aldermen are mentioned as leaders of a London contingent in Gawain’s army in the second battle outside the town. The focus there is solely on Arthurian knights and their skills.
Unsurprisingly, Arthur, Gawain, and the other Arthurian knights win against the invaders. However, the text does not assume that they are better a priori: it demonstrates it by employing specific choices in vocabulary and fight descriptions. King Arthur and his knights are very skilled fighters and they have a deep knowledge of fighting practices.
During the final battle for the control over London, Gawain admires Yvain’s fighting skill: ‘He [Gawain] hadde wonder of his [Yvain’s] pruesse | Þat so leyd doun hard and nesse’ (ll. 8165-66). ‘Hard and nesse’ is interpreted by Macre-Gibson as ‘every sort of adversary’, meaning both strong and weak ones (‘nesse’ means ‘weak’, ‘pliant or yelding’). However, it is improbable that Gawain would commend Yvain for killing weak opponents; instead, it is much more likely that this sentence refers to Yvain’s ability to work from strong and weak binds. Simply put, depending on the circumstances, when two swords clash, the opponent can put a lot of pressure on the bind (i.e. a strong bind) or very little (i.e. a weak bind). A follow-up attack from a specific bind will not necessarily have a positive outcome if executed from a different one. Immediately performing a successful attack depending on the type of bind is not easy; it requires understanding of blade mechanics and training. In the late-fourteenth century glosses to Liechtenauer’s verses, the anonymous author of Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, ms 3227a writes that knowing how to act according to the situation (whether it is a weak or a strong bind) is essential.
Vor, noch, swach, stark, indes: an den selben woerten leit alle kunst meister lichtnawers und sint dy gruntfeste und der kern alles fechtens […] Dy weile her denne ieme noch an syme swerte ist, […] zo sal her gar eben fuelen und merken ab iener […] an syme swerte weich ader hert, swach ader stark sey.
[Before, after, weak, strong, indes: on these words lay master Liechtenauer’s entire art and they are the basis and core of all fencing […] While he [the fighter] is still on [the opponent’s] sword, […] he shall quite precisely feel and note whether the other is soft or hard, weak or strong on his sword.]
Just a couple of lines before Gawain’s assessment of his cousin’s fighting skill, the audience is told that Yvain kills many enemies in various ways: he cuts two enemies at the waist, decapitates other two, and inflicts fatal wounds to a fifth. This demonstrates that Yvain is able to employ different and successful techniques depending on the circumstances. By mentioning that he can use to his advantage both strong and weak binds and that he kills all his enemies, Yvain’s fighting skills are emphasised: he clearly knows what he is doing.
In Off Arthour and of Merlin, Arthurian knights save London from the invaders not because they are implicitly better fighters, but because they demonstrate better fighting skills and knowledge. This is achieved through the choice of specific vocabulary that finds parallels in fight books, and therefore by creating links and associations between two literary genres that approached martial culture from a different perspective. For Yvain, this is expressed through his mastery of the bind.
Macrae-Gibson, O. D., ed., Of Arthour and of Merlin, 2 vols (London: Oxford University Press, 1979)
Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalbibliothek, ms 3227a <http://dlib.gnm.de/item/Hs3227a> [accessed 18 August 2020]
Bliss, Alan Joseph, ed., Sir Orfeo (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966)
Byrne, Aisling, ‘West and East: The Irish Saracens in Of Arthur and of Merlin’, Nottingham Medieval Studies, 55 (2011), 217-229
Hanna, Ralph, ‘Auchinleck ‘Scribe 6’ and Some Corollary Issues’, in The Auchinleck Manuscript: New Perspectives, ed. by Susanna Fein (York: York Medieval Press, 2016), pp. 209-221
Liedholm, Astri, A Phonological Study of the Middle English Romance Arthour and Merlin (Ms Auchinleck) (Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1941)
‘nesse’, in Middle English Dictionary [online], <https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED29350/track?counter=1&search_id=4141698> [accessed 18 August 2020]
Pearsall, Derek, and Cunningham, I. C. (eds), The Auchinleck Manuscript: National Library of Scotland Advocates’ MS 19.2.1 (London: Scholar Press, 1977)
Ramey, Lynn Tarte, Christians, Saracen and Genre in Medieval French Literature (New York and London: Routledge, 2001)
Sklar, Elizabeth, ‘Arthour and Merlin: The Englishing of Arthur’, Michigan Academician: Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters, 8: 1 (1975), 49-57
Schmidt, Herbert, Sword Fighting: An Introduction to Handling a Long Sword, trans. by David Johnston (Atglen: Schiffer Publishing)
O. D. Macrae-Gibson, ed., Of Arthour and of Merlin, 2 vols (London: Oxford University Press, 1979), II, p. 9; Astri Liedholm, A Phonological Study of the Middle English Romance Arthour and Merlin (Ms Auchinleck) (Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1941), p. xxi.
In The Sayings of the Four Philosophers there are ‘Anglo-Norman macaronics’ and Latin insertions are present in The Harrowing of Hell, Speculum Gy de Warewke, and David þe King (Derek Pearsall, and I. C. Cunningham (eds), The Auchinleck Manuscript: National Library of Scotland Advocates’ MS 19.2.1 (London: Scholar Press, 1977), p. viii).
Alan Joseph Bliss, ed., Sir Orfeo (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966), pp. ix-x; Laura Hibbard Loomis, ‘The Auchinleck Manuscript and a Possible London Bookshop of 1330-1340’, in Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 75: 3 (1942), 595-627, p. 601; 627; Macrae-Gibson, II, p. 62; Pearsall and Cunningham, p. vii.
A recent study proposes that the writing hand identified as the sixth actually should be understood as a second moment in scribe α’s writing (Ralph Hanna, ‘Auchinleck ‘Scribe 6’ and Some Corollary Issues’, in The Auchinleck Manuscript: New Perspectives, ed. by Susanna Fein (York: York Medieval Press, 2016), pp. 209-221).
Pearsall and Cunningham, pp. vii-xvi.
Elizabeth Sklar, ‘Arthour and Merlin: The Englishing of Arthur’, Michigan Academician: Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters, 8: 1 (1975), 49-57 (pp. 52-54).
In high and late medieval literature, it is not unusual to find that the term ‘Saracens’ designates any type of foreigners, rather than a specific group of people from the Near East. In AM, this idea of otherness is strongly connected to the emerging sense of a national language and identity present both in other parts of the romance (cf. ll. 21-22: ‘Riȝt is ƿat Inglische vnderstond | ƿat was born in Inglond’; Macrae-Gibson, I, pp. 3-5) and in other Middle English texts of the same period: ‘Saracen’ means ‘the Other’, ‘the non-British’ (Aisling Byrne, ‘West and East: The Irish Saracens in Of Arthur and of Merlin’, Nottingham Medieval Studies, 55 (2011), 217-229 (pp. 218-19); Lynn Tarte Ramey, Christians, Saracen and Genre in Medieval French Literature (New York and London: Routledge, 2001), p. 8).
Macrae-Gibson, I, p. 205.
Macrae-Gibson, I, p. 246.
Macrae-Gibson, I, p. 325.
Macrae-Gibson, II, p. 193.
‘nesse’, in Middle English Dictionary [online], <https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED29350/track?counter=1&search_id=4141698> [accessed 18 August 2020]).
Herbert Schmidt, Sword Fighting: An Introduction to Handling a Long Sword, trans. by David Johnston (Atglen: Schiffer Publishing), pp. 30; 132.
Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalbibliothek, ms 3227a, fol. 20r-v.
Transcription and translation are mine. The editorial principles are the following: abbreviations have been silently expanded, the letters u and v have been modified according to modern standards, and the punctuation has been made in accordance with the translation.
ll. 8153-58 (Macrae Gibson, I, pp. 324-25). | literature |
https://www.shawnakaszer.com/product/memoir/ | 2021-10-20T14:07:04 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585321.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20211020121220-20211020151220-00239.warc.gz | 0.957939 | 450 | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-43__0__191998493 | en | Sometimes, the most courageous thing we can do to fight for the life we know we were created to live comes down to one single word. It can be the hardest word, but the start to a great adventure: YES.
In her debut memoir, Shawna Kaszer shares the story of her own ‘yes,’ inviting readers on an intimate journey across the country, and across her heart. Nearly ten years after losing her mom, Shawna found herself stuck, still dealing with the aftermath of her mother’s death. Faced with failed efforts to start a family of their own, and the many ‘somedays’ they were forced to put on the shelf during her mom’s illness, Shawna and her husband pack up their New York City apartment and take off across the country in an ’88 Bronco to find freedom from their past and hope for their future.
Despite her best efforts to remain present on the trip of a lifetime, memories buried behind closed doors begin to spill out on the open road, confronting her on sand dunes, beneath waterfalls, and amongst the wild as past and present are woven together on an epic road trip and an adventure within. With her husband by her side, their bucking Bronco takes them on a wild ride of redemption, to divine meetings with colorful characters, through extraordinary encounters and magical moments with God on a journey to find healing, wholeness, and hope restored.
I believe in the freedom to choose value for value, the power of exchange, the joy of generosity, and that the gifts of God are given freely. That is why here, exclusively on my website, I’m offering you the option to pay what you choose for ‘Mountains Into Roads,’ and why I have made the e-book available online for just ninety-nine cents. Because I want you to have this book, and I’m confident it will bless you! Pay what you choose below, or you can purchase the e-book on Amazon. I pray this book ignites a spark within that sends you out on your own great adventure of freedom, healing, and wholeness. – Shawna Kaszer | literature |
http://www.puffinreview.com/content/content/interview-stephen-may | 2017-04-27T05:17:12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121869.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00327-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.983542 | 1,203 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__66428818 | en | Your first novel, Tag, won the Media Wales Prize whilst your second, Life! Death! Prizes! was shortlisted for the 2012 Costa. The popular belief is that novelists toil in obscurity for years before being noticed, so what’s the secret to your success?
I began writing seriously in about 1998. And my first novel came out in 2008, so that is ten years of false starts, blind alleys and writing things that no one wanted to read. And in fact my first book came out in quite a small way - tiny print run - and remained pretty hard to get hold of even after winning that Welsh prize. It's only been the last couple of years that I have begun to find a readership. You just have to keep writing about what interests you, to tell the stories only you can tell, and hope it interests other people too. I try to be fearless in writing and I think my books aren't like those of anyone else. I like to write about ordinary people trying to show grace in difficult or strange situations. Under-achievers, daydreamers, people whistling in the dark - these are the people I know about and hopefully their stories resonate with lots of readers. Also, I still feel pretty obscure.
Was there specific pressure on you when writing your second novel given that Tag was a prize-winner?
No pressure. I wrote Tag assuming that no one would like it. And approached Life! Death! Prizes! the same way. If you start to worry about prizes, the market, or what people like - then you'll drive yourself mad. I just wanted to write a realistic - but hopeful - book about young men in small town England now. They are a much maligned group. And I felt I had the right story to tell and it wouldn't really let me go till I'd got it out. I felt more pressure with the third because I less time and more difficult subjects. (money, friendship, how to be happy, murder...)
You are fond of giving public readings and inter-acting with the audience. Is it crucial, these days, for an author to be visible and make public appearances rather than being a fashionable recluse like Salinger et al?
I'm a former drama teacher. And, therefore, a show-off. I'm also a good reader and a lot of novelists aren't (poets tend to be better) But I'm also semi-crippled by shyness, so there's always a tension in my live readings. I like conversations with audiences, they always know so much. I don't think it's essential to do it. I'm actually trying to develop more of an interactive show to go along with my latest book, rather than just do readings.
What about social media? You are active on Twitter so is this a good source for both communicating with readers but also in acquiring new readers?
I don't think a tweet has sold so much as a single book. In fact, I don't think even 1000 tweets sell even one book. I think people with 100 followers can sell as many books as those with 100, 000. I spend about twenty minutes a day on Twitter, seeing what people think about stuff, sharing that which seems more than usually interesting. Occasionally I join in with the conversation, though it can feel like shouting next to a waterfall. I think that Twitter, like Facebook, is probably past its peak. One day we will all look back and nudge each other and say 'hey, do you remember when we all used to tweet?' and there'll be an embarrassed sniggering. It'll go the way of Bebo, and ra-ra skirts... Facebook too is probably going - it won't disappear entirely any more than shop window advertisements in the local newsagents have, but in the end it'll begin to seem similarly quaint.
You also teach creative writing, but many say that it is an art which cannot be taught. What do you say to that? Did you attend any such classes before you were published?
It seems to me that there is 'creative writing' which is something that happens in colleges and other institutions, and then there is writing, which is what writers do. Sometimes they over-lap. I think you can save time by attending a course. I went on an Arvon course and that helped. I did an MA which didn't so much. What the MA gave me was a supportive gang and there was between us all an unspoken desire to impress and surprise one another and that helps too. Otherwise you simply have to read a lot. You also have to ask yourself constantly 'why should anyone read MY book, when there are so many brilliant others out there?' My classes are mostly about getting people to pay close attention to other books, and to the world around them. And then about giving opportunities to practice writing in ways they perhaps haven't thought about.
Finally, are you working on a new novel at the moment?
My third novel - Wake Up Happy Every Day - is published by Bloomsbury on March 13. It's a departure and a step forward for me. I think (hope) it demands more of a reader maybe. And I have just finished a rough draft of my fourth - and I'd actually like someone to come along and ask me to write another play. I'm busy now. (I also have a full-time job). I spent the first fifteen years of my adult life face down in my dinner or dazedly wondering where my shoes were - generally off my face in other words - or chasing girls, or haphazardly trying to help raise children. Quite a few of valuable years went by before I got down to any proper writing. I'm trying to make up for a lot of lost time... (though of course it turns out to have been material too...) | literature |
http://www.therealmattdaddy.com/2012/08/saying-goodbye-to-campa.html | 2013-05-24T19:32:06 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704986352/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114946-00055-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.996224 | 1,079 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__186909459 | en | I didn't expect to have to talk to my daughter about death again so soon. We just had a conversation about it when Nana passed away six months ago. My wife's father, David (or "Campa" as my daughter calls him), had been in declining health for a little over a year now. He went into the hospital last Sunday, and never turned the corner to get better. Time in the hospital took its toll on his weakened body, and on Friday, he was moved to hospice and passed away a little over eight hours later.
I choked up as I told my daughter, while we were on our way to visit him in hospice, that this would be the last time she ever sees her "Campa". He was going away to heaven to be with Jesus, just like Nana did. Being only two and a half, her response to me was, "We need to hurry up if he's going away! I need to say goodbye." And say goodbye she did. She sang him the "ABC's," "Jesus Loves Me," and "I Love You A Bushel And A Peck." She gave him hugs and kisses, and she wasn't even scared. I was so proud of my little girl.
The service for him last night was great. So many people came out to support the family, and we heard lots of great stories about David's fifty-five years on this earth. I also shared a story about David, and I wanted you to be able to read it as well. David loved reading about his granddaughter on this blog, and I thought it would be a great tribute to him to share this story.
My Tribute To David
My relationship with David didn't get off to a great start. The first time I met him, he was driving his unmarked State Police cruiser into the parking lot of my high school. His daughter was late coming home from drama practice, and she was sitting in my car. We were talking about things that were important to high schoolers; things that, at the time, seemed important enough to make her late. Truthfully, I was working up the nerve to tell his daughter how I felt about her.
I eventually got the courage to ask David and his wife if I could date their daughter. As I sat at their kitchen table, I told them how I felt about her. I'm not sure you'd call what I received from David a "blessing," but after thoroughly questioning me about my intentions, he seemed willing to allow us to begin dating.
Let's fast forward through a few years of college, and I found myself at that same kitchen table with David and his wife. This time, I was asking permission to marry their daughter. I can't remember if he actually used the word "no," but it was clear that he didn't think it was a good idea to get married right out of college. We clearly didn't agree, and although we delayed our wedding a year to save money, we did eventually get married.
For a long time, I thought he was just being hard on me, and I couldn't understand what I had done to deserve it. I also couldn't figure out what I would have to do in order to earn his respect. It wasn't until I had a daughter of my own that I finally realized that the hard time he gave me had nothing to do with me and everything to do with protecting his only daughter. When I thought he was being tough on me, he was really showing his love for her.
The arrival of my daughter changed a lot of things about our relationship. His eyes would light up when she entered the room. He would beam with pride at her accomplishments. Our conversations became easier as we could always talk about her latest milestones. We shared a lot of smiles and laughs because of her, and David was often the first one to comment on this website when I wrote about her. I could tell that he respected me as a father, and that meant a lot to me.
A few months ago, I sat at that same kitchen table with David for one of the last times. I had grown to appreciate his zany sense of humor, but there was no humor in his voice when he asked me, "Matt, did I really say "no" when you asked if you two could get married?"
Not wanting to be rude, I began to say, "Well, I don't think you actually used the word 'no'..."
He cut me off, "I can't believe I did that!" Then he added with a laugh, "I'm really glad you didn't listen to me." He let me know that he was happy to have me in the family, and that he was proud to be the grandpa of such a wonderful, little girl.
I know, someday, I will be sitting at a kitchen table with a young man who is interested in dating my daughter. Now that David is gone, I will need to be twice as protective of my little girl's heart. Because I know, first hand, that David wouldn't have let him off easy. Thank you, David, for teaching me the importance of protecting those who are most important to you. And I promise, I won't let you down. | literature |
https://ultimateamy.blogspot.com/2011/02/autobiography-of-reading.html | 2021-12-03T00:10:27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964362571.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20211203000401-20211203030401-00360.warc.gz | 0.975643 | 2,707 | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-49__0__22516375 | en | Some of my earliest memories involve my mother and I sitting on a flowered, 70’s style sofa reading the stories of Thornton Burgess and E.B. White in front of the large windows of our post and beam house. Burgess was a local author from Massachusetts and my mother tells me we frequented the Burgess Museum located in the town in which we lived. In particular from this era, I remember crying with my mother over the death of Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. Sometimes my mom had trouble continuing to read aloud and we had to take a break to garner strength to go on. I think my mother taught me empathy through her emotional connections with Wilbur, Charlotte, Peter Cottontail, Jimmy Skunk, and many other characters. While these may have been the first times I cried over a book, they were certainly not the last.
At the age of three and a half, I became a big sister. My brother was born very prematurely and was in the hospital for quite some time before he could come home. During this time, my paternal grandparents spent a lot of time with me. Grandpa enjoyed reading me the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Though the reading of stories did not make me any kinder to my new little brother (I would hit him over the head with my mother’s hair brush when she was not looking), I think reading helped me adjust to the new family dynamics.
According to my mother, we often went to the local library for story hour and regularly checked books out of the library. Along with the books, I frequently listened to musical versions of stories like Cinderella and Snow White on my little record player. My mom says I really loved to read and listen to stories, but I do not have many memories of this. Though they often read to me, my parents did not try to teach me how to read as they were not sure how to do so. They thought my teachers were better prepared for this task.
Jump ahead to the age of seven when I was in first grade and welcoming my second brother. We lived in a small town in Kentucky and I was a student in the class of Mrs. Neuman. It was in Mrs. Neuman’s class that I learned how to read. While I do not remember the process of learning to read, my mother tells me that I picked it up right away and never looked back. By the end of first grade, I was reading chapter books and helping my mom read to my brothers. One particular memory I have from this age is my mother reading E.B. White to my brothers and I, telling us to shut our eyes and imagine what the characters and the settings looked like. She told us the joy of reading was in the freedom to use and develop our imaginations. Given my brothers’ lust for life, these were some of the quieter moments in our household.
At age eight, my family moved again to a town in Massachusetts in the middle of January. I was the new girl in school with buck teeth, glasses and a Kentucky accent. During this adjustment phase, I was reading the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery, and Margeurite Henry. These books took me away from the snowy, new town to places of wonder, beauty, and intrigue. In springtime, I discovered the joys of reading in the shade of the pine grove in our backyard and on the branches of the Weeping Willow just beside our carport – quiet, tranquil places away from my rambunctious brothers.
By third grade, I was well settled in to my new town and had formed a lovely relationship with the school librarian, Mrs. Wolkenbreit. In me, Mrs. Wolkenbreit recognized a voracious, curious reader who was open to many genres and ideas. She told me that I would have the responsibility of helping her choose books for the library’s collection. I needed to report back to her on all the books I was reading so she would know what books to choose for the library. At the time, it was the most wonderful thing anyone could have told me. I do not remember specific authors from that period, but I do know I was exposed to many types of books: novels, biographies, non-fiction, novellas, short stories, memoirs, and more.
The summer of my fourth grade year, I was finally allowed to ride my bike to a branch of the public library and pick out my own books. The librarian there was my summertime Mrs. Wolkenbreit. She remembered what kinds of books I liked to read and would have some selected when she thought I might be visiting her again. She always asked what I thought of the books I was returning and what I might like to read next. Beyond her kindness, I remember her fingers – always dry with paper cuts, but quick to pat me on the back. She was a part of my life for the next five years we lived in Massachusetts.
From fourth grade to seventh grade, I developed a deep curiosity about World War II, the Holocaust, the A-bomb, and the Vietnam War. I began reading books like Memoirs of Auschwitz, Number the Stars, The Devil’s Arithmetic, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, Fallen Angels and others. During this time, I asked a lot of why questions. In sixth grade a classmate of mine asked our teacher, Mr. Noel, how many people he had killed in Vietnam. Mr. Noel immediately sent Charlie to the principal’s office and left the room. This tense moment only fueled my need to understand how human beings could do such damage to each other. Something I think I still seek in the books I read today.
To take a break from these serious themes, I read the Nancy Drew, Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, and R.L Stine thriller series. Starting in third or fourth grade, I discovered my mother’s stash of Harlequin romance novels kept in paper bags in her closet. I would sneak a few into my room on a regular basis and hunt through them for the “steamy” parts. Much was learned from these books. Now I call these books pallet cleansers – a way to clear away or absorb the taste of the more serious books to prepare for further heavy reading.
In junior high school, I continued my exploration of humanity through John Grisham, Bryce Courtenay (particularly The Power of One), and young adult level romance novels like Dance With Me by Jahnna Beecham. Beyond these few authors, I do not really remember what I read during this period. I do not even remember what books were assigned for summer reading or in English class.
At the age of fifteen, my family moved again, to Rhode Island. Again, I was the new girl only this time I was no longer plagued by buck teeth, glasses or a southern accent. Sadly, that did not make the transition any easier. Instead, I was the “hippy, grunge” girl in a very “preppy” high school. The first year did not go well, with regular snubs from sports teammates and most other people. It was during this adjustment year that I was exposed to Shakespeare for the second time. In ninth grade, at my old school, we had read Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth and I had really liked them. They were tough, but also really lovely. In tenth grade, at my new school in Rhode Island, we read Julius Caesar and I grew to hate Shakespeare. When we moved on to The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, I began to wonder if I still liked to read. It seemed like my teacher was killing my love of reading. The Great Gatsby, Heart of Darkness and A Separate Peace, read the following year, began to renew my faith, but only a bit. School reading was just no longer fun.
Outside of school, I do not recall what I was reading in high school, but I know I was always reading. Following the birth of my second brother, I almost always had a book with me. When my family went on road trips, I brought a stack of books with me out of necessity. While my brothers poked, prodded, and tortured each other and my parents, I had my nose in a book. Survival instincts at their best! Sadly, many of those titles now escape me.
College was a time of copious reading. My freshman writing course, “Sex, Love, and the Twentieth Century Novel” introduced me to the likes of Zora Neale Hurston, F. Scott Fitzgerald (beyond The Great Gatsby), and James Baldwin. After the course, I explored more of their writings to my great pleasure. Given my major in Theatre and Dramatic Literature, I soon fell in love with plays while reading Arthur Miller, Shakespeare, Athol Fugard, Paula Vogel, William Wycherley, and many more. I also discovered the works of James Herriot, Barbara Dimmick, and David Sedaris. My junior year of college saw the beginning of my love affair with the Harry Potter series. Friends always asked me how I could read so many books while also maintaining good grades. My secret – reading for pleasure every night before bed, whether it was one page or a whole book.
In my twenties, I began to read much more. Fiction had always been my go-to genre, but some forms of non-fiction caught my eye. I read wonderful books such as Bachelor Girls by Betsy Israel and Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz – non-fiction books that explored history and human nature with humor and wit. In my fiction-reading world, I read Jasper Fforde, Gregory Maguire, Cormac McCarthy, and Jonathan Safran Foer to name a few. During this period, I also decided to read some of the “classics” I had missed in high school and college. I discovered The Grapes of Wrath, On the Road, Brave New World, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the Sherlock Holmes series. Over and over again, books from past and contemporary authors broke my heart, gave me hope, challenged my opinions, and brought me to new, unexplored places. My joy of reading had returned in great force and has not abated since.
In my late twenties and early thirties, I continue to read a variety of authors and genres. Some books that really stick out include On Foot to the Golden Horn by Jason Goodwin, White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar, and most things by Walter Moseley. A good friend of mine also recommended some graphic novels, including Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (for whom I plan to name a daughter, should I have one) and Fables by Bill Willingham. As I move into my thirties, I have developed a deep interest in reading books that have been translated from other languages, or that deal with the migration/immigration experience.
Young adult literature reappeared in my life when I was about twenty-six. My best friend became a school library teacher and reminded me of the joys of young adult literature. I explored classic children’s and young adult authors including Lewis Carol, Roald Dahl, and Frank Baum while discovering new authors such as Markus Zusak, Philip Pullman, Sherman Alexie, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Suzanne Collins, Meg Cabot, and Scott Westerfeld. The authors listed here are my particular favorites because they transport me into other worlds, question my morals/values/opinions, ask me to dream bigger, command me to feel something, and often make me laugh while doing so. The strong feelings elicited by these authors cause me to rave about them to anyone and everyone I speak with about reading – my topic of choice at parties.
In the past ten years, I have also developed a strong relationship with my pallet cleanser authors. I am currently in passionate relationships with Jennifer Crusie, Mary Kay Andrews, Sue Grafton, Stella Rimington, Janet Evanovich (the Stephanie Plum series), John Le Carré and Kathy Reichs. Jennifer Crusie and Mary Kay Andrews serve as my adult pacifiers, reading them over and over again, particularly in times of great stress or sorrow. They are my friends – knowing just what to say to make everything better.
My reading life has been one of depth and commitment, fluffiness and laughter, and sometimes both. Without books, I am not sure what kind of person I would be or what kind of dreams I would have for myself. Because of reading, I am a more articulate, empathetic, balanced, and creative person. Having traveled all over the world and into many time periods through the experiences of children, teenagers, adults and adults of all ages, fictional and real, I have lived a thousand blessed and full lives. | literature |
https://takingthelilongwe.wordpress.com/ | 2017-11-21T10:08:20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934806338.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20171121094039-20171121114039-00525.warc.gz | 0.955602 | 1,360 | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-47__0__246776563 | en | 4 July 2013
The summer session one interns departed on Tuesday and the summer session two volunteers arrive today. That means today Karen and I will be joined by five new high school volunteers and one more coordinator, Maysam. Orientation starts today and then camps start on Tuesday. I am excited to see what summer session two has in store for us all.
With no volunteers here that meant I got to run alone for the first time since May. Although I don’t love running I do enjoy it, because it always helps me to relieve stress and clear my mind. This morning on my run I felt especially recharged and motivated. My strides were a little longer, my knees lifted a little higher, and my arms pumped a little faster. My pace even increased from my normal jog to something that felt more like a run. And yes this could all be because I am slowly getting back into shape, but I don’t see it that way. As I ran I felt inspired, therefore I pushed myself harder.
In honor of my inspirational run I decided to share some quotes and sayings that help me get through everyday with a big smile. Enjoy!
“You can’t really begin to appreciate life until it has knocked you down a few times. You can’t really begin to appreciate love until your heart has been broken. You can’t really begin to appreciate happiness until you’ve known sadness. You have to struggle up the mountainside to appreciate the breathtaking view at the mountaintop.”
“Life would be so different if you stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your perception with their words and opinions. Happiness is derived from the way you see your own life. It depends on your thoughts, not on what you have or what you do not have, or by what other people think you should have.”
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain
“As we grow older, we realize what matters most. We discover ourselves. We find out what we want…what we need….what we deserve. As we mature, we finally say, “I don’t know everything.” As we age, our family and our true friends, they all become vital in our existence.”
“Just remember that yesterday doesn’t matter. Five minutes ago doesn’t matter. What you do right now and going forward is everything.”
“Once we realize that we are here for a much greater purpose that just for ourselves, a purpose to serve others, to live for others, knowing that the self and its ego is temporary and can only hinder one’s spiritual pursuits, than we can humble our minds and understand we are here by the grace of a higher force. We are so much smaller than what we claim ourselves to be, so it is important to remember that at any time of any day, our ego can be re-adjusted for the better or for the worse, and we can control the ego by allowing it to be without letting it be you.”
“Never waste your time trying to explain who you are to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.”
“The past is where you learned the lesson. The future is where you apply the lesson. Don’t give up in the middle.”
“We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others to work on ourselves.”
“Don’t give up on your dream because it is not going in the direction you want. There are different routes to the same destination.”
“Extraordinary things are always hidden in place people never think to look.”
“Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves.”
“The measures of life will not be in what you accumulate but in what you give away.”
“Every act of kindness grows the spirit and strengthens the soul.”
“Worry less, smile more, accept criticism, take responsibility, listen and love, don’t hate, embrace change, and feel good anyway.”
“Treat everyone with the same level of respect; people will notice your kindness.”
“Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”
“One day in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”
“The nature of life is to change, but the beauty of life is to give.”
“Did you say it? ‘I love you. I don’t ever want to live without you. You changed my life.’ Did you say it? Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it, but every now and then, look around; Drink it in because this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow.”
“Be weird, be random, be who you are, because you never know who would love the person you hide.”
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.” -Henry David Thoreau
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” ~The Dalai Lama
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
~ Nelson Mandela
To the mind one day may seem ordinary, when another may seem remarkable. Really each day is ordinarily-remarkable. To see it you just have to open your mind heart and soul. Each day we all have the choice to put on a smile and be happy, and yes I realize that is not possible every single day, but we do have that choice. Sometimes the best way to see the positive is not to open your eyes, but to close your eyes, quite your mind, take a deep breath, and open your heart. -Haley
Oh yeah, Happy 4th of July, drink an American beer and shoot off some fireworks for me! | literature |
http://snowtreebooks.com/author_visits.htm | 2023-02-06T19:50:26 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500357.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20230206181343-20230206211343-00651.warc.gz | 0.975095 | 410 | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__297237375 | en | Programs presented by author/illustrator Yetti Frenkel give children an inside look at the life of a working artist. Presentations include readings of her books, slides of her work as an artist and muralist, and the process of creating a children's book from storyboard to finished product. By presenting a progression of early sketchbooks, Yetti shows children that drawing is a learning process like math or reading and that with perserverance they can also achieve their goals.
To schedule a program, or for more information, please contact Yetti Frenkel.
"The children were obviously enthralled with your presentation and fascinated by seeing the artwork of your picture books. Your lively reading and entertaining personal style were obviously appreciated by our young patrons- as well as by their parents and caregivers who later gave great commendations! With great polish and skill, you brought the picture book creation process alive much to the delight of our visitors, young and old." Paula Hayes, Supervisor The Rey Children's Room Boston Public Library Boston, MA
"Yetti had a genuine rapport with the classes and thoughtful answers to all questions. She showed her sketchbooks and explained to students that drawing is a learning process, like learning to read or do mathematical problems, and that they should not be frustrated if it takes a long time to learn how to draw. Part of her wonderful presentation was to explain the process of creating a book, from the original idea to a book on the library shelf. Several of my students had specific questions about her artwork and one even offered his original drawings to her." Karen Kosko, Library Media Specialist Haggerty School, Cambridge, MA
"I want to thank you for coming to the Children's Room and sharing your books and illustrations with us. It was a treat to hear the stories and see your beautiful, full-scale artwork and compare it to what we see in print." Lorraine Der, Children's Librarian Hamilton-Wenham Public Library
© Snow Tree Books 2004 - Site by IBFX Consulting | literature |
https://abuse.wikia.org/wiki/Opioid_Replacement_Therapy | 2021-06-14T22:16:52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487613453.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20210614201339-20210614231339-00094.warc.gz | 0.950741 | 469 | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-25__0__119308134 | en | Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) is the medical procedure of replacing an illegal opioid drug such as heroin with a longer acting but less euphoric opioid, usually methadone or buprenorphine, that is taken under medical supervision. In some countries (e.g. Switzerland, Austria) patients may be treated with slow-release morphine where methadone is deemed inappropriate in the circumstances. In Germany, Dihydrocodeine has been used off-label in ORT for many years, however it is no longer frequently prescribed for this purpose. Extended-release dihydrocodeine is again in current use in Austria for this reason. Research into the usefulness of piritramide, extended-release hydromorphone including polymer implants lasting up to 90 days, dihydroetorphine and some other drugs for this purpose is in various stages in a number of countries at present. The prescription of medicinal heroin or morphine for long-term addicts, particularly those having difficulty with methadone programmes, is also done in some countries.
Some formulations of buprenorphine are manufactured in pill form with the opiate antagonist Naloxone to prevent addicts from crushing the tablets and injecting them instead of taking them sublingually (under the tongue).
The driving principle behind ORT is that an opiate addict will be able to regain a normal life and schedule while being treated with a substance that stops him from experiencing withdrawal symptoms and cravings, but doesn't provide strong euphoria. In many countries regulations require that ORT should be applied for a limited time only, as long as needed for the patient to consolidate his economic and psychosocial situation. (Patients suffering from HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C are usually excluded from this demand.) In practice however only a small fraction of patients manage to attain abstinence.
ORT has been shown to be the most effective treatment for improving the health and living condition of patients. It is also the most effective in reducing mortality as well as overall costs for society. (e.g. those caused by drug-related crime, the prosecution thereof, the spreading of diseases, etc.)
- Heroin assisted treatment
- Michel et al.: Substitution treatment for opioid addicts in Germany, Harm Reduct J. 2007; 4: 5. | literature |
http://seantscott.com/blog/blogitem.php?a=2020090101 | 2023-03-30T11:25:23 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949181.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20230330101355-20230330131355-00119.warc.gz | 0.99288 | 2,415 | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-14__0__130436753 | en | The walk. A short story.
The man woke to the sound of his dog whining. “Do you need to go outside, girl?” He reached over and touched her head gently. “Ok, come on, let’s go.” He rose from his bunk and went to the door. He picked up his rifle, which was sitting in its usual place, next to the door; and opened the door slowly, peeking out the crack between the door and the jamb.
“I don’t see any bears this morning,” he said to no one but the dog. He opened the door and walked out onto the porch. The dog followed him and then continued on down the steps and into the yard. She was walking slowly, even more slowly than usual. The man could tell her pain was getting worse—much worse than last month. “I am sorry you are hurting, girl, I wish I could take the pain for you.”
The man sat in the porch chair staring out at the familiar, but still beautiful scene; waiting for the dog to finish. As he sat there, he decided that today was the day to go over to the mountain. He went back inside and packed his bag and threw it over his shoulder, then he picked up his rifle and headed back outside.
The dog was lying in the shade, half asleep, but woke up as the man closed and latched the door to the cabin. She watched the man approach and started to get up as the man got close. “Come on, girl,” the man said. “We have a long walk.”
The dog followed the man slowly. It wasn’t obedience, she would have followed if he had said nothing. Maybe it was habit, as she had been following him for almost twenty years, or perhaps it was love. Who can say why a dog follows.
The man walked slowly down the hill toward the creek, the fall leaves crunching under his feet. He winced as he walked through a spider web, and then struggled to get it off his face. As he reached to pick up a stick to protect himself from other webs, he remembered all of the spring days he sat on the porch and threw sticks out into the yard for the dog to chase. He would throw the stick dozens of times and the dog would dutifully bring it back. Eventually the dog would tire and lay down in the cool grass, chewing on her stick as if it were a delicious bone.
The creek had standing water in it, but it wasn’t running, since it had been a few weeks since it rained. The man stopped in the middle of the creek and stood on a large slab of rock, looking back at the dog approaching the creek. She stopped as she got to the bank and looked down. In the past, she would have jumped down onto the flat rock with the man, but today she stopped and looked. She walked up the creek a few paces, then back down a few, looking for an easier path down.
The man walked over to her and sat on the bank of the creek. He reached around the dog’s neck and pulled her head into his lap. “You are a good girl,” the man said to her as he stroked her head. They sat there for a while, the dog remaining completely still, while the man continued to caress her head. “You are the best dog ever,” the man said.
They sat there for a few minutes until the man reached back and put his hand under her tail and picked her up. He carried her up the creek a few yards and put her down by a clear pool of water. “Are you thirsty, girl,” he said as he put her down next to the pool. He wished he could carry her the entire way to the mountain. But he knew he couldn’t, she was just too heavy.
The dog walked into the pool and began to drink. The man stood and watched her patiently as she wandered around the pool drinking the cool, clear water. She eventually got her fill and approached the man. He reached down and rubbed her ears, and then headed down the creek, picking out the high spots, while the dog followed.
The sun was filtering through the leaves making the forest much darker than it had been while they were still in the yard. It was a hot day, hotter than normal and, while the forest blocked the sun, it also kept in the humidity. The man brushed the sweat out of his eyes and continued walking.
He finally reached a spot in the creek that provided an easy way up the hill. He started up the hill, zig-zagging slowly so the dog could keep up with him. Before he reached the top, the forest ended and a large grassy field appeared.
The man and the dog had been here many times before. They often crossed this field when they were hunting. He remembered bringing her up here the first time she saw snow. As they cleared the trees and the dog saw the large open field of white, she took off running through the snow. She ran directly away from the man, then turned to run in big circles. The man watched her for several minutes and then called her. She made one more lap and ran back to him. That was the day he decided she was the best dog ever. Most puppies would have ignored a call, but she never ignored him. It was as if she wanted to be near him as much as he wanted to be near her.
A fly landed on the man’s face and brought him out of his trance. He brushed it away and began walking again. The grass was taller than the man’s waist. He left a trail of bent stalks, as the dog got lost from view. The stalks waved in the breeze, but the movement of the grass caused by the dog could still be easily seen. “I’m over here, girl,” the man said. He stopped walking and called her as she continued her slow progress through the grass.
As the dog approached, the man sat down in the grass and called her. She quickened her pace as much as she could and laid down next to the man. They sat there for a while so the dog could rest again. But it wasn’t long before the gnats made it uncomfortable for both man and dog. The man stood and looked toward the other side of the field. “Come on, girl,” he said. “let’s keep moving.”
They continued down the other side of the hill toward the lake, stopping occasionally to rest. The sun was high in the sky by the time they reached the lake. The man walked along the bank slowly as the dog followed him. He stepped onto the dock and walked out to the end. He dropped his bag, laid his rifle on the dock, and sat down, his legs hanging over the edge of the dock.
He opened his bag and took out a small bundle. He moved the bag away and laid the bundle on the dock, where he unwrapped it to reveal a stick with fishing string and a hook, and several dry minnows. The man baited the hook and dropped it into the water.
He loved to fish. He and the dog had come here often. Usually, the dog would jump into the water and swim while the man was fishing. Of course, this always made it harder to catch a fish, but the man didn’t mind. Eventually, the dog would get tired and come up on the dock and give the man a chance to catch a fish.
But, today, the dog didn’t go swimming. She laid on the dock next to the man and tried to sleep. The pain seemed to come and go. She would sleep for a while and then half-awaken with a quiet yelp, only to quickly fall back asleep again.
The man pulled the hook in and threw it back out again. Normally, fishing was just something to do while he sat on the dock and enjoyed the view of the mountain on the other side of the lake. But today he really wanted to catch a fish.
He continued to cast and pull the hook back in until he finally caught a small lake trout. He cut the head, tail, and fins off and cleaned it out. He wrapped the filets and string up in the cloth and threw what he had cut off into the lake.
He put his bag and rifle in his row boat and then helped the dog get in, before he climbed in and untied the boat. The man paddled across the lake toward the mountain. He paddled slowly, like he wasn’t in any hurry. So, even though the lake wasn’t very big, it took him a while to get across. As he reached the bank, he heard a flock of geese fly overhead. The dog looked up expectantly. “Not today, girl. It’s getting late. We need to keep moving.”
The man started up the mountain trail, with the dog following behind. He walked the trail for about a mile until he found the cairn that marked the spot where he needed to head into the forest. He built the cairn several years ago. He and the dog came up here and found just the right spot together.
The man picked up another stick, remembering his encounter with spiders in the forest near his cabin. He headed into the forest, following the blazes on the trees he had made years before. The last cairn was in a clear area under a large oak tree. The man sat down next to the cairn and looked down at the lake. His eyes found the dock and then scanned up the hill. He could see his cabin, a small wisp of smoke still coming out of his chimney.
“Look, girl, there’s the cabin, right there,” the man said pointing. “Isn’t this perfect?” He pulled the dog in and hugged her. “You are the best dog ever,” he said. He laid his rifle on the ground and opened his bag. He gently opened the bundle containing the fish and cut it into pieces. He held a piece in front of the dog’s nose and she gently ate it from his hand. He continued to feed her until the fish was gone.
“Let’s just sit for a while, huh, girl,” the man said. He sat there, petting the dog and rubbing her ears as she laid next to him with her eyes closed and her head in his lap. She was a good dog. A brave dog. The man wished they could be together forever. But they couldn’t. He knew that. It wouldn’t be fair.
The man put his fishing gear back in his bag and then got up slowly. The dog was still lying on the ground, her eyes closed. The man threw his bag across his shoulder, and grabbed the rifle. He took aim and squeezed the trigger. The shot rang loud in his ear, and echoed all around him. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, with the echo reverberating in his mind.
The man looked down at the dog’s body, and was glad she was no longer in pain. But he would feel the pain of her loss for the rest of his life. He had managed to take her pain on himself after all. | literature |
https://legacy.chass.ncsu.edu/jouvert/v5i3/ed53.htm | 2021-08-04T18:09:47 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154897.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20210804174229-20210804204229-00431.warc.gz | 0.928816 | 3,906 | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-31__0__275851539 | en | Copyright © 2001 by Deborah Wyrick, all rights reserved. This text may be used and shared in accordance with the fair-use provisions of U.S. Copyright law, and it may be archived and redistributed in electronic form, provided that the editors are notified and no fee is charged for access. Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this text on other terms, in any medium, requires the notification of the journal and consent of the author.
Doris? She's the one who's always reading War and Peace. That's how I know it's the summer, when Doris is reading War and Peace.--Philip Roth, Goodbye, Columbus, 7
- A few weeks ago, I took my car to the repair shop to get a new tire. I'd come equipped for the wait with a book -- Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters. When I paid the bill, the clerk-mechanic noticed the book's rather garish cover and asked me what I was reading. After I told him, he shook his head. "You must teach up at State," he said. "Don't you all ever read anything fun, even in summer?"
- Well, it is summer, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere, and we academics are faced with the dilemma of summer reading. Do we emulate Roth's Doris and attempt to tackle 'should-read' (or 'should-have-read') books -- serious, profession-specific or otherwise 'important' texts? Or do we succumb to what we in North Carolina call 'beach books' -- big-print, mass-market paperbacks that usually involve romance or murder? Like many of my students, my mechanic believes that reading is either work or fun, and never the twain shall meet (unless perhaps in a book by Mark Twain). It's hard to avoid being infected by this culturally dominant false choice, and I feel guilty when I exceed a self-imposed limit of two best-selling thrillers per summer month. But working in postcolonial studies provides an easy solution. As Dogeaters itself suggests, there are many recent and relatively recent novels in our field that are both escapist and substantive, that mix dollops of crime, suspense, and love with innovative style, political critique, and historical-cultural information. In this essay, I recommend three such novels, plus some new non-fiction and, for good measure, a couple of films. To honor the relaxation regime controlling American summers, I refrain from mentioning any books of literary criticism and theory.
- Rajeev Balasubramanyam's novel, In Beautiful Disguises (2001), layers comedy, social satire, and myth upon a coming-of-age narrative. Its heroine is an unnamed South Indian teenager who escapes an unsavory arranged marriage by running away to The City (presumably Delhi) and working as a maid. There she joins a gaggle of obstreperous servants who manage the household of Mr. Aziz, his horrid French wife, and their dissolute son. (If you've ever wondered what would have happened if E. M. Forster's Aziz had hooked up with Adela and lived [un]happily ever after, In Beautiful Disguises is the book for you.) She also escapes mundane reality by believing she's a film-star-in-training -- specifically, an avatar of Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's -- and by weaving her life with strands from the Ramayana -- for instance, Hanuman and his legions become performing orangutans at the municipal zoo. Balasubramanyam writes with an entrancingly light touch, but the novel moves toward darker sensibilities when the heroine returns to her home. If she is the Ramayana's female paragon Sita as well as Holly Golightly, is the demon-ruled land of Lanka the 'authentic' rural countryside rather than the corrupt urban environment? Or is it an interior topography contoured by identity-fantasy and gender confusion? In Beautiful Disguises does not resolve all the issues it raises, and the book somewhat strangely elides matters of class and caste (perhaps disclosing the diasporic position of its author), but it is nonetheless an accomplished and ambitious debut novel.
- Identity performances of a different kind structure Anchee Min's Becoming Madame Mao (2000). This astonishing historical novel, a product of careful research as well as of artistic vision, portrays the serial reformulations of the Great Helmsman's first (actually, third) mate from a poor concubine's daughter to a Shanghai actress to a revolutionary cadre to the 'white boned demon' directing the Cultural Revolution. Min sees Madame Mao's life as a sequence of roles drawn from Chinese opera, suggesting how fictional artifice can offer seductive templates for self-actualization in the real world. Another source for Min's Madame Mao is Taoist philosophy: the relationship between Mao Zedong and his wife becomes the dance of yang and yin, a dance of exquisite postures more than of passion, a dance that whirls out of balance due to Madame Mao's 'masculine' ambition and to Mao's 'longevity program,' which required frequent intercourse with virgin girls. Despite the potential for burlesque or for vilification, Min demonstrates a certain sympathy for, even attraction to Madame Mao. To young proletarians like Min, who worked for a time in Madame Mao's opera troupe, the Chairman's wife could be seen as a glamorous, strong-willed, modern woman whose vengeful excesses were not evident until later. Even though Min now lives in the U.S., and this book evenhandedly presents its protagonist's monstrosity as well as her vulnerability, it also recreates the spell Madame Mao cast over millions of Chinese young people. Part of its ability to do so stems from its narrative style. Min combines first-person, third-person, and free-indirect discourse in surprising and supple ways, keeping readers in suspension between empathy and objectivity. She also invests her prose with the texture of translation (although the book was written in English) through unusual turns of phrase and sentence rhythms, delicate allusions to Chinese classics, and references to folk beliefs and practices.
- An even more bravura linguistic performance is Ernesto Mestre's The Lazarus Rumba (1999). Writing contrapuntally between American English and Cuban Spanish languages, cultures, and histories, Mestre spins a magical narrative of a contemporary Cuba forever lost and longed for by its exiled citizens. The most War and Peace-like of the books I discuss here -- at least in length (486pp.) and scope -- The Lazarus Rumba is impossible to encapsulate in a paragraph. It contains multitudes: of characters (contortionists, santeros, revolutionary heroes, talking roosters); of plots (dealing with romance, with murder, with revenge, with enlightenment); of tones (sensual, realist, phantasmagoric, satiric). And of genders -- Mestre turns the gay-straight polarity into a spiral of fluid sexualities that wondrously replace the customary gendered metaphors underpinning the nation-state. Such replacement also intervenes in Cuban literary history. Mestre's hybrid creations (hybrid in ethnicity as well) challenge Rubén Darío's suffering female motherland, Fernando Ortíz's gendered and racialized binary of sugar and tobacco, Nicolás Guillén's two grandfathers. At the same time, Mestre's baroque style and linguistic parody affiliate with Cuban literary predecessors such as Alejo Carpentier and Guillermo Cabrera-Infante. Like the Afro-Cuban orisha San Lazaro/Babalu-Aye, the crippled leper whose wounds are licked by dogs and who represents the ambivalent force of disease and its remedies, The Lazarus Rumba lacerates conventional perceptions only to heal them with new and empowering knowledges.
- For pure escapism (one ostensible purpose of summer reading), I find non-fiction as serviceable as fiction. Michela Wrong's In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz (2001), for instance, presents a world as absorbing and surreal as any fictional locale -- the world of Mobutu Sese Seko's Zaire. The book depicts the Zairean kleptocracy as an opera bouffe that veers toward Kafkaesque nightmare, Mobutu presiding over the mix like a crazed and largely invisible Wizard of Oz. Wrong's reportage pays admirable attention to ethnic and economic politics, yet its bemused irony contains a whiff of gonzo journalism. In this, she joins the growing group of reporter-stylists who transform job assignments into compulsively readable, self-reflexive, highly mannered narratives (Bob Shacochis's over-the-top account of the second U.S. occupation of Haiti, The Immaculate Invasion , being a notable example). Wrong's book might have been titled "In the Footsteps of Mr. Conrad" or "In the Footsteps of Mr. Stanley," as it revisits the odd positionality of the 'foreign correspondent'; for centuries, Western writers have been crucial in producing knowledges of Central Africa, in speaking for its inhabitants, and in fashioning its histories. One therefore may wish to read Footsteps along with other contemporary Western accounts of the Congo and its neighbors (unfortunately, I've not been able to locate contemporary African accounts). Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost (1998) succeeds not only because of its meticulous, compelling historiography but also because it focuses on Western (mis)uses of the Congo. Philip Gourevitch avoids the 'speaking for' trap in a different way. His stunning account of the Rwandan holocaust (We Wish to Inform You . . . 1999) is composed largely of eye-witness narratives, and it resists molding that particular chaos into a shapely historical plot.
- Sometimes, even holding a book violates vacation relaxation protocols. On those occasions, renting a movie provides a pleasant alternative. For people introduced to the extravagant world of Asian martial arts films via Ang Lee's much heralded Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), I recommend the real deal: Tsui Hark's Once Upon A Time In China (1991). Starring Jet Li (the only living man who looks good in a queue), Once Upon A Time In China chronicles the exploits of Wong Fei Hung, an actual folk hero from the late Ching era. A traditional healer as well as a martial artist, Wong was associated with protests against foreign trade practices, dramatized in this film as U.S. attempts to hoodwink poor Chinese laborers into servitude and to kidnap Chinese women for overseas prostitution. The film's ideology is as subtle as an eye gouge (albeit appropriate cover for postcolonial scholars who might otherwise be reluctant to enjoy choreographed mayhem), but the humor characteristic of the genre redeems the plot from unbearability. Yet no one watches 'kung fu movies' for the plot -- it's the fighting that counts.
- The fight sequences in Once Upon A Time in China are fabulous, and frequent, and occasionally fearsome (as in the struggle between an imprisoned woman and her captor). Jet Li's combination of grace and strength is unparalleled; an elaborately inventive ladder-fighting scene eclipses the famous tree-fight in Crouching Tiger; the thematic conflict between Western and Chinese values takes satisfyingly bellicose form in fights between gun-wielders and martial artists. The film's ample supply of gore and its semi-salacious depiction of violence against women, however, may be unpalatable for some viewers. In that case, Once Upon A Time In China II (1993) would be a better rental. This sequel (also starring Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung) sanitizes its predecessor's violence while retaining its dazzling action. Unfortunately, the plot has lost its Manichean edge, as the villains in China II are fanatic White Lotus sect members and the maliciously meddlesome Westerners are relegated to the background. Loosely based on the Boxers, the White Lotus group -- headed by a crazed shaman who engages Wong Fei Hung in a marvelous fight waged on a teetering stack of tables -- is both anti-Western and anti-non-White Lotus Chinese. Dr. Sun Yat Sen makes cameo appearances, and one supposes that the film's political message has something to do with the lost promise of Sun's revolution. Nonetheless, like Once Upon A Time In China, China II is terrific entertainment, its masterful display of martial arts enhanced by sophisticated filming, beautiful sets, and award-winning music.
- An infinitely more serious work now out on video is Bahman Gohbadi's A Time For Drunken Horses (Zamani barayé masti asbha), the first Kurdish-language film to reach international markets. Using non-professional actors (many from the Ekhtiar-dini family) and a documentary film technique, Gohbadi tells a moving story of Iranian Kurdish orphans living on the border with Iraq. Young Ayoub (Ayoub Ahmadi) is responsible for his three sisters and his severely handicapped brother Madi (Madi Ekhtiar-dini), who circulates through the film as a sort of floating signifier of misery. The plot involves the children's sacrifices for each other and particularly for Madi, who needs an operation to prolong his life. The oldest sister acquiesces to an arranged marriage on the soon-to-be-broken promise of help for Madi, and Ayoub joins a band of adult smugglers in order to earn enough money for Madi's medical treatments. The bleak winter landscape underscores the film's restrained evocation of border politics, the unseen presences of trade embargoes and landmines and national ideologues and systemic poverty; locked into the documentary camera's dispassionate point-of-view, we are reminded of our own complicity in the harsh conditions assaulting these Kurdish children. Nonetheless, the film's crystalline ending rescues it (and us) from utter desolation. A Time For Drunken Horses has won a variety of awards, including the Camera d'Or at Cannes.
- Of course, I hope your summer (or winter) reading includes this issue of Jouvert. You can virtually vacation in Historic Waikîkî, courtesy of Andrea Feeser, or in a satirically envisioned Toronto, courtesy of Donald Blais. You can travel through a transnational Caribbean via Cynthia James's analysis of works by Paule Marshall and Erna Brodber. You can explore cultural controversy in India: Monika Mehta discusses Bollywood-related film and music censorship; Nandita Ghosh examines the three-languages policy and its impact on Indian journalism and English-language fiction writing; Sharada Nair re-contextualizes teaching canonical English poetry within present-day Indian history. You can journey south to Australia, from whence Carolyn D'Cruz looks at another cultural controversy, the question of who can speak for Aboriginal peoples. You can enjoy the powerful poetry of Mohammad Tavallaei, whose spiritually and politically charged work suggests the complexities of contemporary Iran. Finally, you can plan the rest of your vacation reading with the help of reviews by Charles William Miller (Rethinking Indigenous Education), Tabish Khair (Mapping Subaltern Studies and the Postcolonial), Benjamin Noys (Monsters and Revolutionaries), Mala Pandurang (Before I Am Hanged), and Robert Clarke (The Cultures of Globalization).
- Allow me this opportunity to thank Tom Lisk for his crucial and continuing support of Jouvert. As Head of NC State's English Department, Tom backed this project from the start, providing the resources necessary to launch and sustain the journal. Tom is stepping down as Head; he will devote his time to teaching and writing. The entire Jouvert community owes him a deep dept of gratitude. I'd also like to thank my colleague and good friend Jim Morrison for his important contributions to the journal. Not only has Jim written articles for Jouvert (on Hitchcock's Ireland and on Roland Barthes's "On Cinemascope"), as an in-house editorial board member he has reviewed many manuscripts and has been a key policy advisor. Jim has accepted a new position at Claremont McKenna College in California; I wish him every success, and remind him that he'll keep receiving manuscripts for review thanks to the wonders of e-mail attachments. Speaking of Jim, let me offer a final summer reading recommendation. Although Jim's recently published memoir, Broken Fever (2001), cannot be categorized as 'postcolonial' (unless one considers Detroit, Michigan, to be a far country), its lyrical, moving, frequently humorous evocations of otherness should find appreciative readers in all parts of the world.
- Ang Lee, director. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Distr. by Columbia Tri-Star, 2000. In Mandarin; subtitled.
- Balasubramanyam, Rajeev. In Beautiful Disguises. New York: Bloomsbury, 2001.
- Ghobadi, Bahman, director. A Time for Drunken Horses. Distr. by The Shooting Gallery, 2000. In Kurdish; subtitled.
- Gourevitch, Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda. New York: Picador, 1999.
- Hagedorn, Jessica. Dogeaters. New York: Penguin, 1991.
- Hochschild, Adam. King Leopold's Ghost. Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
- Mestre, Ernesto. The Lazarus Rumba. New York: Picador, 1999.
- Min, Anchee. Becoming Madame Mao. Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
- Morrison, James. Broken Fever: Reflections of Gay Boyhood. New York: St. Martin's, 2001.
- Roth, Philip. Goodbye, Columbus. 1959; New York: Vintage, 1987.
- Shacochis, Bob. The Immaculate Invasion. New York: Viking, 1999.
- Tsui Hark, director. Once Upon A Time In China. Distr. by Media Asia, 1991. In Cantonese; dubbed.
- Tsui Hark, director. Once Upon A Time In China II. Distr. by Media Asia, 1993. In Cantonese; dubbed.
- Wrong, Michela. In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. | literature |
https://augmentedrobot.medium.com/rejectionship-4885ea2df01?source=user_profile---------8---------------------------- | 2022-12-03T21:51:19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710941.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20221203212026-20221204002026-00688.warc.gz | 0.969634 | 505 | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__63155414 | en | It used to anger me.
Now, it doesn’t even faze me.
Rejection started early.
From never being invited to birthday parties. To not being invited into conversations.
I was never bullied. Nobody was ever mean to me. It didn’t however mean that I was included. It was in a sense, just as bad.
And it’s followed me throughout life. Whenever someone else was in control of my faith, I was rejected.
I always did very well in school. I was always good in anything that had metrics, anything that could be quantified. Things that could be quantified could be used to gain ground and fight rejection. That is how I got into a good school, ivy league university, research programs.
But when it comes to friends, love, jobs. All things founded on subjective merrits, I loose. (Sure you can be a better candidate at either one of those based on merits, but not get chosen anyway).
And coming second, means you were the first, the first to lose.
Academia taught me to not take rejection so harsh, to distinguish criticism from beratement. But it didn’t teach me how to handle my CV being thrown in the trash before it was read. Or to process my coworkers going for dinners and drinks without inviting me, being rejected from a romantic partner.
Time and endless amounts of rejection taught me that.
And it taught me this: being rejected for who you are can be a merit for self analysis. But it can also be a reflection of the person rejecting projecting its negative perceptions, racism, sexism and a million other variables you can’t control.
The worst thing about these types of rejections, when they come in abundance, you start to internalise and normalise being rejected, so you do it to yourself. You start with self-rejection.
You don’t work on that idea you really believed in
You don’t ask the person you like out for a date
You don’t apply for your dream job
So, the lesson here is to take rejection for what it is. And not make it who you are. Because once you do, you’ll enter a rejectionship with yourself and that never ends well. | literature |
https://www.joelkyhan.com/research | 2021-08-04T01:41:26 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154500.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20210804013942-20210804043942-00675.warc.gz | 0.930732 | 272 | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-31__0__61091226 | en | Trends and Patterns in Intergenerational Mobility in Education (with Jason Fletcher). Journal of Human Capital. 2020.
High Schools and Educational Mobility (with Jason Fletcher)
Work in Progress
Neighborhoods, Well-being, and Families (with Margarida Madaleno)
Parental Investments in Residential Location and Parenting Behavior
Parental Involvement and Neighborhood Quality: Evidence from Public Housing Demolitions in Chicago
I present novel estimates showing how parental involvement responds to changing neighborhood quality. To estimate causal effects in the presence of residential neighborhood selection, I exploit the mass closure and demolition of public housing projects in Chicago. I derive an instrumental variable for neighborhood quality, based on the spillover effects of demolitions on other neighborhoods. On average, parents compensate for decreased neighborhood quality by increasing parental involvement. Hence, without accounting for parental mediation, existing estimates may understate the direct impact of neighborhoods environment on children. These parental responses are mainly driven by non-discplinary parenting. In contrast, non-parenting household activity does not respond to changing neighborhood quality. Finally, there is evidence of heterogeneous neighborhood quality effects: most notably, parents with low initial involvement decrease parental involvement even more when neighborhood quality decreases. Within a neighborhood, socioeconomically advantaged parents compensate more when neighborhood quality declines.
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https://stephenjosephcorell.medium.com/beloved-the-haunting-of-sethe-d2ab958962d7?source=author_recirc-----d7febf2314cf----3---------------------2c1d8b80_984c_4392_b100_27ce3260e409------- | 2023-12-07T12:22:47 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100674.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20231207121942-20231207151942-00803.warc.gz | 0.972661 | 1,324 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__25322821 | en | I recently finished my second journey through Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and her magical realism is still flawless. “Beloved”, the titular character, enters the narrative first as a disembodied feeling of haunted anger connected to 124 Bluestone Road, a small house on a low-traffic road somewhere in Ohio. The narrator plays her hand immediately:
“124 was spiteful, full of a baby’s venom.”
Here the reader is immediately notified that something isn’t right here, that the house itself lives in some way, and that the spirit is that of a child.
However, as the story moves on, Beloved (the character) becomes more corporeal until, at the end of the book, she fades back into the house’s memory. She becomes “just weather”, an event that washes over a place from time to time then leaves again. This is a perfect, layered analogy for Toni Morrison’s grappling with the harrowing history of the main character’s life (Sethe).
I can’t help but feel that on my first read-through I missed some of the depth that Toni Morrison put into this book, both in its dialogue and in the nuances of what Beloved represents to the different characters (spoilers ahead). It isn’t simple and it can’t be reduced to one thing.
Yes, Beloved is the ghost of a child that Sethe killed in order to save her from a fate worse than death (letting slaveholders, or slavecatchers, make her less than human). Surely this is the first layer, but in reading through this book a second time and listening to the way the characters interact with each other and themselves, the emotions are immensely complex. The anger, loneliness, and sorrow are intermingled with a confusion of how or what to direct those emotions towards. I think it is more than just Sethe’s daughter that haunts Sethe. I think it is Sethe’s completely justified anger at the world and the slavers that destroyed her life to a point where she would rather her infant bleed out and rest in death than to go through what her mother had to go through.
It is Sethe’s daughter that haunts her, yes, but it is also Sethe that haunts Sethe; An African-American woman in a society that will not allow her to address her ghosts, because they still — on a systemic level — will always haunt her even through the people she meets on a daily basis.
“Sweet Home” (the plantation where she was held captive as a slave) is another layer of the haunting, added to the pile of things that led Sethe to mentally dissociate from her own life, including the betrayal that she feels towards existence and the apprehension she feels even towards allegedly generous and kind white people.
Perhaps it is even more than that though. Toni Morrison is so skilled at making her characters multi-dimensional that seeing a single motive in any action of the characters leaves me feeling like I have missed something. The dialogue is laced with layers that go beyond just the specific character and into the ethos of what it meant for Sethe to be a combination of freed slave, mother, lonely, and black. In many ways it is a brilliant, passionate exploration of human intersectionality.
Perhaps the most layered part of the book, however, are the phases of Beloved’s character and how Beloved aggressively (and dangerously) forces Sethe to change how she interacts with her past. Written into the dialogue is the eerie, scarring realization that the past is something that really couldn’t ever be forgotten, just pressed back into the landscape of the characters’ lives like Beloved as she becomes, in the final paragraph of the book, the weather and the grass.
“Not the breath of the disremembered and unaccounted for, but wind in the eaves, or spring ice thawing too quickly.”
Beloved, like the bitter evils of slavery, rape, dehumanization, torture, and helplessness inflicted upon Sethe, is something that sinks into the land and taints it, rising up every now and again like brisk wind to remind Sethe of the evils that she suffered — and suffers. When it rains and the damp smell lifts from the earth and then recedes when the sun has dried it again, so too the past rises up, so too Beloved exists.
In all of the horror though, there is growth. When we first meet Sethe, she is hunched over, the tree-like whipping scars on her back brilliantly written to carry a tangible weight in the words themselves. At the end of the book, Sethe has in some ways risen up from that weight, left with enough of it to not forget, but she is as free as she ever can be. Beloved has left, perhaps signaling Sethe’s process of working out how to relate to her past and what it means for her future, and working out her mixed feelings of guilt and love towards her murdered daughter, guilt at her morbid actions mixed with a burdened duty that she felt driven to the act. She feels that she can only truly love her Beloved in death, as letting her live would not have been love. In some ways she does not want to let go of Beloved. As a ghost, she can have a relationship with her daughter that she never had, albeit one riddled with guilt.
Toni Morrison leaves us here, with Beloved sinking back into the landscape; more at peace, but never gone. We are left without simplistic answers, without a full recovery, but with a character that has grown despite the evils inflicted on her, without cheapening those evils as mere catalysts for her growth.
If I could have met Toni before she passed away, I would have asked her about the pain she experienced to be able to pen this narrative that feels close enough to her to be brutally real, but distant enough to be well-crafted, timeless, and meaningful.
I will never tire of this book, and, I think, until there is no longer a need for this heart-breaking story to be told, I hope it will not tire of me either, and I hope that its lessons — and its characters — never leave me. | literature |
https://www.akomp.info/ | 2023-12-03T05:30:38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100484.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20231203030948-20231203060948-00108.warc.gz | 0.902796 | 2,822 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__56508608 | en | about the book
In 2009, writer Sandy Allen got something in the mail from their uncle Bob. It was his autobiography, typed on sixty pages in all-capital letters. Bob was a self-described "hermit" who lived in the desert in northern California. Sandy didn't know Bob well. On the phone, Bob said he wanted to get his story "out there" because it was "true." In A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story about Schizophrenia, Sandy shares Bob's story with the world.
AKOMP is written in two fonts. In one font, Sandy tells Bob's life story faithfully to his account. He was a Hendrix-obsessed kid coming of age in tumultuous late sixties Berkeley, CA. His world was forever changed when one day in 1970, at about age sixteen, he was driven to a mental hospital, locked in a cell, injected with drugs and thereafter, as Bob put it, "labeled a psychotic paranoid schizophrenic." In a second font, Sandy interlaces familial, historical, and medical contexts, seeking especially to better understand the 'label' he received.
The result is an utterly unique and electrifying work, one that has changed the conversation about schizophrenia and about mental illness generally.
Hardcover, ebook, paperback now available from Scribner
Buy online from your favorite local bookshop via Bookshop or from any bookseller, today. Or get it from your local library!
read by Sandy Allen and actor Pete Simonelli
Also out in French from Belfond
Top Work of Journalism of the Decade (nominee) – NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute
40 Best Nonfiction Books of 2018 – Esquire
21 Books to Read in 2018 – The Week
“This book is an act of radical empathy through which the author—and, vicariously, the reader—enters intimately into a life that would otherwise be unintelligible.”
– Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
“To pay great attention and devote steady care to the perspective of another is, in itself, almost miraculous—especially when the Other has been cast as mad and dangerous.[Sandy] Allen has brought forward [their] uncle’s life, rendering in exquisite detail what his experiences as a stigmatized, struggling man allowed him to see. This is a truly original piece of work. I urge you to read it.”
– Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, author of Random Family
"I know the decision to write this story wasn't an easy one.... I’m really, really grateful that you did 💖 Thank you for bearing witness. Thank you for being kind, and curious, and thorough, and honest. Just, thank you. 📚😭
– Heben Nigatu (host, Another Round)
"Timely . . . An excellent contextualized first-person narrative of schizophrenia . . . My hope is that it will become a classic and universally read by all psychiatrists."
– Howard L. Forman, MD, Psychiatric Times
"Thrilling writing . . . The interest and the quality of the story make honesty about each aspect of this strange life worth including . . . A watershed in empathetic adaptation of 'outsider' autobiography."
– Jo Livingstone, The New Republic
“A book of many strange and often oddly beautiful pieces that together combine into a story that will make you tremble. [AKOMP] is a resurrection of sorts, a profound retrieval of a life from beyond the veil with which so many of us obscure the realities of illness and family, loneliness and intimacy.”
– Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family
"It is an odd thing, paranoia. It’s easily lampooned and culturally accessible, but it’s seldom experienced or portrayed so elegantly as Allen does here."
"In a searing new memoir, a niece tries to make sense of [their] uncle's mental illness."
“[They call] the beautiful final product a cover version—rather than a translation—and it is a marvel.”
"Insightful . . . Allen offers readers an incredible glimpse into the life of a person battling with schizophrenia."
"A glimpse of how schizophrenia looks and feels from the inside."
“Deeply affecting . . . Evokes what it’s like to try to make sense of a troubled loved one from afar . . . The picture of a distinct but impenetrable life”
“[A] compelling debut . . . Allen is a skillful writer."
– Library Journal (starred review)
"Allen has crafted a fearless narrative about what it is really like to grow up under the weight of mental illness . . . Honest, heartbreaking, and often humorous, this remarkable book offers a window into an experience of mental illness that many people often never get the chance to see through."
“Compulsively readable . . . A fascinating and important work.”
""[AKOMP ] is an extraordinarily empathic journey into the mind and lived experience of a man who struggled to understand and explain his life . . . I urge you to let Allen introduce you to [their] uncle Bob."
“Shows a burgeoning critical mental health gaze . . . [Sandy] allows Bob’s story to flow without neatly fitting into one model of thought around what it means to be diagnosed with schizophrenia."
– ISPS UK
– for The Boston Globe with Kate Tuttle, president of the National Book Critics Circle
– for The Cedar Rapids Gazette with Rob Cline ("A unique and effective effort to honor [their] uncle’s story while placing it in a larger context . . . Allen asks [their] readers to expand their notion of what is 'normal.'")
– for The Daily Iowan with Haley Triem
– for The Essay Review with Nicolás Medina Mora
radio & podcast appearances
– This American Life – "Applied Bob Studies"
Produced during the pandemic by Bim Adewunmi for the "How to Be Alone" episode, a piece on the ways Sandy looked to their Uncle Bob's story as a road map for how to survive isolation
– KCRW's "The Organist" a feature on AKOMP and outsider art (featuring Uncle Bob's music)
Since the book's publication, Sandy has continued writing and publishing about mental health, in pieces such as:
The Cut - "It's Not Just Britney"
In the wake of Britney Spears speaking out against her conservatorship, an essay on the broader problem of coercive psychiatry
99% Invisible – "The Kirkbride Plan"
A long radio story produced by Sandy about the surprising history of mental health care in America
Guernica – "Out of the Maze"
The story of Sandy encountering the painting on the AKOMP paperback, and about grappling with whose truths to listen to, when it comes to "mental illness"
Mad in America – "Media Errors in Covering Mental Health: Advice to Fellow Writers and Editors"
A long essay looking back on a previous experience of reporting about police violence against a psychiatric patient, and the errors that media tend to make when covering these topics
Gay Magazine – "'That's So Crazy': Why the we talk about mental health matters"
An essay about a month Sandy tracked instances they heard people use words like "insane" and "crazy" and what this language reveals about our attitudes towards people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders
Lit Hub – "The Challenge of Book Tour as a Nonbinary Author"
Sandy reflects on coming out as nonbinary after their book initially published
BuzzFeed Books – "How Pie Keeps Me Steady"
An essay about a small thing that helps Sandy, and about how writing AKOMP changed their thinking around 'self-care'
Powell's Blog – "The Madness Shelf" –
An essay about Sandy reading all the books they possibly could "about schizophrenia" and what that did and didn't yield
CNN Opinion – "This Toxic Lie Hurts Society's Most Vulnerable"
An op-ed calling out the bigotry of the NRA and GOP's as they blame people with psychiatric disabilities for gun violence
January 15, 2019 // Iowa City, IA
Prairie Lights (Paperback launch), 7PM
January 17, 2019 // Bronx, NY
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Grand Rounds), 10:30 AM
January 25, 2019 // Brooklyn, NY
Books Are Magic (w/ Kevin Nguyen), 7:30PM
February 7, 2019 // St. Paul, MN
Subtext Books 7PM
February 19, 2019 // Oakland, CA
East Bay Booksellers (w/ Rahawa Haile), 7:00 PM
January 24, 2018 // Brooklyn, NY
Greenlight Bookstore (Hardcover launch w/ Meredith Talusan), 7:30PM
January 27, 2018 // New York, NY
You Get a Spoon, 4PM
January 30, 2018 // New York, NY
House of Speakeasy, (w/ Elif Shafak, Christopher J. Yates, and Michael Wolff), 7PM
January 31, 2018 // Portland, OR
Powell’s Books, 7:30PM
February 1, 2018 // San Francisco, CA
Booksmith @ The Bindery (w/ Esmé Weijun Wang), 7:30PM
February 3, 2018 // Marin County, CA
Book Passage, (w/ Anita Badejo), 1PM
February 7, 2018 // Los Angeles, CA
Skylight Books (w/ Amanda Chicago Lewis), 7:30PM
February 8, 2018 // Providence, RI
Brown Bookstore (w/ Lucas Mann), 6PM
February 9, 2018 // Cambridge, MA
Harvard Book Store, (w/ Matthew Spellberg), 7PM
February 13, 2018 // Kingston, NY
Rough Draft Bar & Books (w/ Elmo Keep), 7PM
February 22, 2018 // New York, NY
NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute (w/ Robert Boynton), 6PM
March 5, 2018 // Coral Gables, FL
Books & Books, 8PM
March 9, 2018 // Tampa, FL
The Hub (University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program alumni reading), 6:30PM
March 18, 2018 // Woodstock, NY
The Golden Notebook, 3PM
March 26, 2018 // Annandale-on-Hudson
Bard College 6:30PM
March 29, 2018 // South Hadley, MA
Odyssey Bookshop (w/ Adrian Nicole LeBlanc), 7PM
April 5, 2018 // Chicago, IL
Women & Children First (w/ Jessica Hopper), 7:30PM
April 6 // Iowa City, IA
Carver College of Medicine, 12PM
Mission Creek Festival Lit Walk, 7PM
April 9, 2018 // Minneapolis, MN
Moon Palace Books, 7PM
April 10, 2018 // Excelsior, MN
Trinity Church panel on Mental Health in Literature (w/ Marya Hornbacher and Andy Steiner), 1PM
April 18, 2018 // Missoula, MT
Fact & Fiction (w/ Anne Helen Petersen), 7PM
April 22, 2018 // Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (Memoir: The Unexpected Hard Stuff), 11AM
May 14, 2018 // Brooklyn, NY
Franklin Park Reading Series, (w/ Alexander Chee, Gregory Pardlo, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Mike Scalise), 8PM
May 17, 2018 // New York, NY
Susan Eley Fine Art “Self and the Other” Literary Salon (w/ Akwaeke Emezi), 7PM
May 21, 2018 // Brooklyn, NY
POWERHOUSE Arena (Memoir Monday w/ Nuar Alsadir, Minda Honey, and Tom McAllister), 7PM
September 2, 2018 // Spencertown, NY
Spencertown Academy of the Arts Festival of Books
October 12, 2018 // Fairfax, VA
George Mason Fall for the Book Festival 6:00 pm
October 26, 2018 // Iowa City, IA
The Examined Life Conference, 12:45PM
October 28, 2018 // Austin, TX
Texas Book Festival (w/ Melissa Stephenson), 3:30PM
November 18, 2018 // Miami, FL
Miami Book Fair (w/ Jean Guerrero), 12:30PM
about the author
Sandy Ernest Allen (he/they) is a queer and trans journalist and author. His work tends to focus on gender and mental health, especially when it comes to debunking false constructs of normalcy. His debut book, a critically acclaimed work of nonfiction called A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story about Schizophrenia (Scribner) was long-listed as a top work of the decade by NYU's journalism school. Sandy has appeared on This American Life and produced stories for 99% Invisible. He has written for many publications, including Esquire, The Cut, Bon Appétit's Healthyish, CNN Opinion, Them, and BuzzFeed News, where he was once a features editor. Though no longer on social media, he writes a newsletter about staying alive on earth called What's Helping Today. He lives in the Catskills.
Photo credit: Louie Tomás
Website designed by Andy Dubbin | literature |
https://bouldernablus.org/palestinian-writing-workshops-book-storytelling-project/ | 2023-09-29T13:47:56 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510516.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20230929122500-20230929152500-00009.warc.gz | 0.938374 | 360 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__15070267 | en | The Palestinian Writing Workshop’s (PWW) Book & Storytelling Project is publishing five new children’s books (in Arabic) using local Palestinian writers, illustrators and printer. This effort will produce 1000 copies of each book (5000 books total); 300 books will go directly to the 60 Nabulsi’s who will be trained in storytelling (see below). The creation of these locally produced books are one of a kind as there are very few locally written children’s books (most children’s books in Palestine are from Jordan, Lebanon, other nearby countries, or English-only books from abroad).
The PWW is training women and men to read aloud (storytelling) using these books (and other books) in libraries and public centers in five Palestinian cities (Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah). Approximately 60 participants will be trained in each city. Participants will also be encouraged to take these books into homes and villages to do storytelling.
Why storytelling and reading aloud?
- Among other things, reading aloud builds word-sound awareness in children, a potent predictor of reading success.
- The nurturing and one-on-one attention during reading aloud encourages children to form a positive association with books and reading.
- Reading aloud is a proven technique to help children cope during times of stress and tragedy.
- Reading aloud in the early years exposes children to story and print knowledge as well as complex words and ideas not often found in day-to-day conversations or other media.
- Reading aloud gives children the opportunity to practice active listening.
- The value of the book is enhanced as an essential tool for knowledge and entertainment.
Below are the five new covers for the five new books: | literature |
https://contrarianmormon.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/the-oath-covenant-of-the-priesthood-an-alternative-view/ | 2018-03-22T23:00:01 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257648103.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20180322225408-20180323005408-00126.warc.gz | 0.961684 | 2,324 | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-13__0__245403889 | en | An alternative view of the Oath & Covenant of the Priesthood –
There have been a gazillion talks in the church on the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Virtually all of them state the same thing. I have a different take. Here is my understanding of this scripture:
The sons of Moses are the Melchizedek priesthood holders who are sanctified. The sons of Aaron are the holders of the priesthood of Aaron who are sanctified. The Lord explains that “whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods…and…are sanctified by the Spirit…become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and…the elect of God.” (See D&C 84: 33, 34.) Also, the elect (chosen) of God is defined as the sanctified.
There has been a day of calling, but the time has come for a day of choosing; and let those be chosen that are worthy. And it shall be manifest unto my servant, by the voice of the Spirit, those that are chosen; and they shall be sanctified; and inasmuch as they follow the counsel which they receive, they shall have power after many days to accomplish all things pertaining to Zion. (D&C 105: 35-37)
So, if we have obtained the two priesthoods but have not been sanctified by the Spirit, we are not the sons of Moses and of Aaron, nor are we the elect.
The Lord said, “For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” (D&C 84: 33)
Most GAs and other speakers interpret the above scripture to mean that if we magnify our calling, we will become sanctified by the Spirit. Then they talk of ways we can magnify our calling so that we can become sanctified. I, however, do not share this view.
The Lord is explaining in this verse how to discern between a faithful priesthood holder who is magnifying his calling, and a faithless priesthood holder who is not magnifying his calling. The key to that discernment is in the last phrase: the faithful ones are sanctified by the Spirit.
Sanctification by the Spirit is always attendant with the powers and gifts of the Spirit. This is why the Lord said that “the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” in D&C 84: 32. This is why the Lord said the chosen “shall have power” in D&C 105: 37. Sanctification by the Spirit with attendant powers and gifts is the key to determine the faith of the saints or the faith of the priesthood holders. This is why there are signs that follow those that believe on the Lord, so that we may determine who has faith and who does not.
Mormon said, “For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; and he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned; and these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; and whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth. (Mormon 9: 22-25)
This is why the very definition of good works, the scriptural definition, is to work by the power and gifts of God, in other words, good works are the work of the sanctified, who are attended with the powers, gifts and fruits of the Spirit and the signs of true believers in Christ. Only the sanctified do good, as they exercise faith as a principle of power, as “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11: 6.) All others are in a state of unbelief, with no attendant powers of heaven to magnify their calling.
Moroni said, “And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God” (Moroni 10: 24, 25)
So, the magnifying of our calling comes from working by the powers and gifts of God, which comes from being sanctified by the Spirit and not the other way around. We first become “sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 27: 20) and are then enabled to magnify our calling by working by the powers and gifts of the Spirit.
Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 16)
Magnifying a calling means making it easier to see. The light we are shining are the good works, which is defined as the powers and gifts of God. So, when we magnify our calling, men can witness the powers and gifts of the Spirit and then turn and glorify God. This is the meaning of the scripture, but before any of this happens, we must be sanctified by the Spirit.
“All they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord” in D&C 84: 35. The expression “receive this priesthood” is defined in verse 33 as those who obtain the priesthoods and who are sanctified, which santification magnifies their calling. The unsanctified do not “receive the priesthood,” they only have the priesthood conferred upon them. Two vital elements must be present for one to “receive the priesthood”: the priesthood must be conferred and sanctification by the Spirit must have happened.
Only the sanctified priesthood holders receive the oath and covenant of the Father. Only the sanctified priesthood holders receive the promised blessings: receiving Jesus, receiving the Father and finally, receiving the Father’s kingdom, which means receiving all the Father hath. And only the sanctified priesthood holders receive the penalty for breaking the covenant and altogether turning therefrom, the penalty being the second death, meaning that they “shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.”
So, what, then, is the covenant of the priesthood? The Lord said, “All those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father.” The covenant is to “receive the priesthood” as defined in verse 33, meaning to obtain the two priesthoods and to become sanctified by the reception of the Spirit unto the renewing of one’s body. If those two parts aren’t completed, you don’t receive the priesthood, nor do you receive (or enter into) the covenant of the priesthood. The covenant is part of the priesthood, it is connected to it, or, as the Lord says, the “covenant…belongeth to the priesthood.” The covenant of the priesthood is received or entered into when you “receive the priesthood.” As a covenant is an agreement between two persons, in this case, between a mortal son of God and God himself, if you keep your end of the agreement, which is to keep receiving the priesthood, or, in plainer words, to continue to possess and use the priesthood in a sanctified state, the Father promises with an oath that you will receive what he says you will receive (all that he hath.)
The final verses that are often quoted (43 and 44 of section 84) are not the covenant of the priesthood, as many will proclaim. The covenant is found in verse 33. The oath is found in verse 38. Verses 43 and 44 are a warning and a commandment, as the Lord has just finished explaining that the sanctified priesthood holders can receive the second death if they break and altogether abandon the covenant and also that those who do not “receive the priesthood” are also in big trouble, as they have no oath or promise of the Father. So, the Lord is giving very helpful instructions to those who haven’t received it, yet, and to those who have received it already, namely, “to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life…[and]…to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.”
The Lord said, “Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses—for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed—and the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord’s house, whose sons are ye; and also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church. For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God. And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord; for he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth my Father; and he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved. But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come. And wo unto all those who come not unto this priesthood which ye have received, which I now confirm upon you who are present this day, by mine own voice out of the heavens; and even I have given the heavenly hosts and mine angels charge concerning you. And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life. For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.” (D&C 84: 31-44) | literature |
https://blog.europepmc.org/2024/01/discovering-reviewed-preprints.html | 2024-02-26T18:28:19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474661.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20240226162136-20240226192136-00810.warc.gz | 0.91166 | 1,139 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__116543586 | en | Preprinting has soared in popularity in the life sciences and is increasingly recognised as an excellent method to share research outputs quickly and freely. While preprints have gained popularity, an important consideration is ensuring their scientific quality. This prompted the development of platforms where researchers can comment on, evaluate, and review preprints.
Preprint review benefits
Preprint review offers several notable benefits to the scientific community. Firstly, it provides an avenue for rapid feedback from experts in the field, helping authors improve the overall quality and rigour of their research. The public availability of the preprint review process expands the number of potential reviewers in comparison to traditional peer review. This fosters a collaborative environment where knowledge exchange is more open and equitable.
Finally, as preprint reviews are freely available they can aid in contextualising research, making scientific findings more accessible to non-experts and promoting broader engagement. This ultimately fosters a more inclusive scientific community.
Growth of preprint peer review initiatives
Excitingly, preprint review is an evolving concept, allowing researchers to experiment with innovative review approaches and encouraging the exploration of new, more effective methods for research evaluation. A recent publication identifies 23 platforms for preprint review and notes the range of different approaches taken. For example, eLife’s model allows authors to submit a preprint which is then evaluated by expert reviewers using specific assessment criteria, followed by author revisions. Meanwhile, ASAPbio-SciELO Preprint crowd review circulates a preprint to crowd members, whose comments are then collated into a public review. Other platforms, such as preLights, highlight community-selected preprints with a summary of their thoughts on the significance to the biological community. There are many more examples of new review models being developed as preprint peer review adoption grows.
Addressing the challenges in discovering preprint review
As the number of review platforms increases, navigating preprint reviews scattered across them poses a significant challenge. Review aggregators, like Sciety and EMBO’s Early Evidence Base, provide a single access point for reviews from different communities. However, few preprint discovery tools connect preprint versions to their evaluations. This makes it increasingly difficult to discover preprint peer reviews linked to preprints, constraining their utility.
To address this challenge a community-endorsed framework known as DocMaps has been developed in a collaborative project led by Knowledge Futures. DocMaps can be used to share information about the preprint review, including a link to the reviewed preprint, review platform and author, evaluation date and more. The DocMaps format is machine-readable, which enables other platforms and databases to “read” review information automatically and display it for their users, making preprint reviews easily discoverable.
Enriching preprint reviews in Europe PMC
To link preprints included in Europe PMC with associated reviews, Europe PMC has set up a process to pull information about the review from Sciety and EMBO’s Early Evidence Base in the DocMaps format. To do this Europe PMC developed a piece of open source software called docmap-parser which converts a DocMap file into the XML format used by the Europe PMC database. Review information is then displayed on the Europe PMC website and shared via a dedicated API module to display links to preprint reviews in a visually appealing way.
Using the DocMaps framework has allowed Europe PMC to develop new tools and features that support the wider preprint community.
For example, preprint review status can be easily identified in the banner on the preprint page and in the version history. This provides clarity on which preprint version the review is assessing and improves the transparency of the preprint review process.
The ‘Reviews & evaluations’ section on the preprint page in Europe PMC summarises all information about available preprint feedback and links to the full evaluation on the relevant review platform. This section was designed with user needs in mind and is based on extensive user research. Reviews are grouped by review platform. To help build trust and easily identify the review group, the platform logo and name are shown at the top. For non-anonymous reviews the evaluator’s name is displayed, providing credit to reviewers. Reviews, including author responses, are listed in chronological order, allowing readers to explore the review timeline and ensuring greater transparency of the review process.
To improve the discoverability of reviewed preprints Europe PMC offers a search filter to quickly find preprints with linked evaluations.
The future of preprint review in Europe PMC
Preprint review is a rapidly developing area with the opportunity to create an ecosystem that best meets the needs of the scientific community.
Thanks to essential work from Sciety and EMBO’s Early Evidence Base over 8,000 DocMaps have been created for preprint reviews by 15 different review groups. As work on expanding this further to represent more communities continues, Europe PMC started including preprint review information available in Crossref. This allowed us to add reviews from 5 new providers and we hope it will enable more communities to link their reviews to preprints in Europe PMC in the future.
As preprint review is taking shape, it is very important to lay technological foundations and develop community standards that accommodate many different approaches to preprint review. As a supporter of innovative publishing practices, Europe PMC together with ASAPbio co-organised the ‘Supporting interoperability of preprint peer review metadata’ workshop to define best practices and create a roadmap for action. Sign up to join the conversation. | literature |
https://ibogahealing.com/testimonials/ | 2023-06-07T01:36:16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224653501.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607010703-20230607040703-00665.warc.gz | 0.988544 | 468 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__164271753 | en | During my first ceremony, I traveled deep in the medicine. With my eyes closed, I could see the stars, and everything around me. It was amazing. The visions I had were amazing as well, and they came quickly all night one after the other. Iboga showed me a memory of a trauma. I was able to heal this wound. During my second ceremony, I didn’t travel as deeply. The shaman asked my soul the questions I had. I feel as though I received answers from my soul, and then I merged more deeply with my soul. After the ceremony, it felt like there was still so much going on. It felt very healing. I slept well. My mind was completely empty and peaceful. My soul felt at peace. I started to feel a knowing, knowing that I was expressing myself from the center of my being. I no longer worry about anyone else, trying to please others. I know my only responsibility is to my soul, to stay connected and re-connect when I drift away. I know in such a profound way that I need to love myself and that is a key to everything. As each day passes, I feel more and more at peace, clearer than I have ever been. I am free.
The people at Iboga healing are truly gifted, loving healers. I would trust them with my life. Steve is one of the most resourceful, compassionate beings I have ever met. Jenny and Nyla each have special gifts, both such loving souls. If you have the slightest hint that your soul wants you to experience this form of healing, please listen. Please go. I think Iboga is particularly helpful for addiction, anxiety, PTSD, obsession, compulsions, depression and so much more. It helps put the mind in its proper place, as a tool and not a ruler. Iboga is an intelligent medicine that gives you exactly what you need. My intention was to connect more strongly with my soul, and I did.
I truly felt at home and as though I have met more of my tribe, my soul family. As the plane left the runway, I was overwhelmed with joy. I felt so grateful, whole, peaceful. It felt like I was being launched into a new world.
God bless you.
Love you all!! | literature |
https://www.bayportyearbook.com/get-involved | 2019-11-13T13:15:10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496667260.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20191113113242-20191113141242-00128.warc.gz | 0.924569 | 216 | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-47__0__75395702 | en | Get Involved with the Anchor
Literary Arts Festival
The Anchor Yearbook staff coordinates the annual Literary Arts Festival, a school-wide celebration of texts, poetry, readers, writers, speakers, music, culture, and more.
The theme of the Festival correlates with the yearbook theme and tries to invite guest attendees and speakers to kick-off the day including poets from Project Voice in 2016 and Nick Jaina, author, and Stelth Ulvang from The Lumineers in 2017.
The Festival will seek submissions from any students in areas of photography, art, panel discussion, acoustic music, spoken word poetry, play performance, monologue presentation, and more.
Get ready to share your talent in a unique literary, artistic, and musical experience!
The Yearbook staff annually publishes The Vessel, a Bay Port Literary Magazine which celebrates student and staff voice through fiction, poetry, photography, and art. We encourage you to apply for this unique opportunity as a way to share your artistic and literary talent and gain publication experience. Apply Here! | literature |
http://literock993.iheart.com/articles/daily-428682/a-listeners-love-at-first-sight-12354930/ | 2017-07-25T00:44:15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424945.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20170725002242-20170725022242-00145.warc.gz | 0.992502 | 296 | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-30__0__204360473 | en | When I was 8 years old my mom ran a day care out of her home. One day, the cutest little girl came to the day care with her brother, and it was love at first sight, as least as much as is possible for an 8-year-old to be in love. We went to the same grade school, we walked home together, and we became best friends.
After about a year my family moved to Maine. On the day we said goodbye, my best friend was inconsolable. Totally sincere, I said to her, "Don't cry; if you wait for me, I'll come back and marry you some day." We kept in contact by letters, which became more frequent as we got older.
Nine years later, after high school, I returned to southern California and reconnected with my childhood sweetheart. After a dizzying 1-year courtship, we were married. I was 18, she was 17. Everyone told us how foolish we were. But we were young and stubborn. We went to college together, graduated, and both of us became high school teachers.
We are still teachers and have raised four beautiful daughters. This summer we will celebrate 34 years married, and I'm more in love than ever. Fairy tales still do come true. I would sure appreciate it if you could play Dan Fogelberg's song "Longer" and dedicate it to Tammy, the love of my life. | literature |
https://www.boulderbookstore.net/breannas-recommendations | 2023-03-25T14:19:49 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945333.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20230325130029-20230325160029-00633.warc.gz | 0.949278 | 904 | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-14__0__19934923 | en | Breanna, Business and Education Sales Coordinator
Favorite Genres: Middle grade, anything fantasy (especially epic, the larger the better), YA (but mostly fantasy), stories based in mythology or fairy tales, witchy books
Favorite Authors: Robert Jordan, Samantha Shannon, Brandon Sanderson, Rick Riordan, Margaret Owen, Natalie Goldberg
After Luz’s brother is run out of Denver by a white mob, she receives visions of her ancestors’ origins. As she struggles to navigate life in 1930s Denver, she understands how her Indigenous Chicano family flourished and how they were threatened. Fajardo-Anstine crafts an incredible generational saga—poignant in its realism, tragic in its circumstance, and absolutely beautiful in its resiliency.
What an amazing matriarchal fantasy! Scorpica has it all—warrior women, mysterious sorcerers, an ancient power rising, and a devastating Drought of Girls. The writing is rich and complex, building the layered world and epic conflict as each woman contemplates the ends she will go to in order to leave her legacy in the Five Queendoms. If you want epic fantasy written by and about women, this is absolutely the one.
Would you go back in time, even if you knew the present wouldn’t change? In this novelization of a Japanese play, a particular seat in this cafe lets you do just that. But you can’t change the present, you can’t leave the cafe seat, and above all—you must return before the coffee gets cold. I was captivated by this beautiful story, a simple yet touching look at how we choose to live the life we are given.
Helen Lambert doesn’t believe that she is cursed, but that’s before the demon arrives and she dreams of past lives that eerily echo her own doomed love affair. In this life, finally, Helen may be able to break the curse—if she kill the one she loves. My heart broke repeatedly as I read this book, unable to put it down. This is an incredible blend of fantasy and historical fiction perfect for fans of A Secret History of Witches.
This book utterly consumed me. When I wasn't reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. In Norse myth, Angrboda is only mentioned briefly as the giantess who births Loki’s three monstrous children. In The Witch’s Heart, she becomes a powerful tragic figure: a witch who has altered the course of the world, a mother devoted to her children, a woman betrayed by her lover. I can’t put this in your hands fast enough.
Red’s only purpose in life is to be sacrificed to the Wolf of the Wilderwood, but from the moment she steps into the woods, everything she knows is completely wrong. Fraught with sharp words, dripping in shadows and blood, driven by the love of sisters, this book will consume you. Familiar fairy tale elements are twisted into a dark, brilliantly original tale reminiscent of The Hazel Wood and Uprooted. I’m dying for the sequel!
Inspired by Chinese myth, Xingyin is the secret daughter of the imprisoned moon goddess, Chang'e. Determined to free her mother, our bold and driven heroine sets off on epic quests through a full and beautiful fantasy world, finding a gentle prince and a badass, magic bow along the way. If you're like me and want more epic fantasy written by women, you must absolutely be swept up in this dazzling, gorgeous adventure.
Saoirse Island was shattered fourteen years ago when August Salt was accused of murdering Emery Blackwood’s best friend. Now he’s returned, and as he and Emery rekindle their love, a haunted past and dangerous present tangle as the island goes to any lengths to preserve its secrets. Fans of Addie LaRue, let yourself be drawn into this beautifully haunting saga that will steal the breath from your lungs.
The Stardust Thief is simultaneously a thrilling and dangerous quest for a magic relic and a beautiful, lyrical story about found family and inner demons. While reading, I was transported to the desert land filled with jinn magic and could not read fast enough. Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, this is the kind of storytelling you’ll want to luxuriate in. | literature |
http://themitchellfamilyoffive.blogspot.com/ | 2017-12-12T19:29:14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948517917.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20171212192750-20171212212750-00319.warc.gz | 0.970095 | 654 | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-51__0__64046285 | en | …not a single one has passed that I haven’t thought of her.
Five years. How has it been five years since the longest and shortest 26 hours of my life? So much has happened in the years since Kate’s birth. It sometimes feels like compassionate Father Time is smoothing the jagged, painful edges of the memories into something more gentle and palatable. I don’t know whether to say thank you or to lash out in protective anger. Part of me appreciates the dulling of the pain while a huge part of me is rebelling at its fading… wanting to feel every second of it, willing to bleed…to know and remember forever.
No matter how much time passes these yearly anniversaries are the biggest hurdle. They continue to be arresting and suffocating. Perhaps a disguised mercy is that because Kate’s life was so brief I was spared many of the more frequent, surprising triggers that affect others who have lost loved ones. We never shared mornings, milestones or a lifetime of memories...just brief moments that pack themselves into two unforgettable days.
In the past five years I have been called upon to reach out to, support and counsel other grieving mothers. Also, I have been asked multiple times by my friends and family for advice or words of love and encouragement to share with grieving parents they know. My love and dedication to Kate has made these missions of support and understanding possible. In these moments, I have the unmistakable feeling that Kate is with me serving as my foundation of strength and support so I can in turn share strength, experience and an exemplified promise of tomorrow with others that are hurting.
I treasure these moments when I feel Kate is close, but I feel closest to Kate through my sweet Ben. Even though he was only two and a half when she was born he has the deepest most amazing connection with her. While my body will forever have the most direct physical connection to her life and our hearts once beat together, Ben’s tender heart has a direct connection to her spirit for which I am so very thankful. (Their connection really is incredible to experience!)
My grief continues to and will forever be a journey. Kate’s life and death fractured my foundation and have forever changed my life, but I have found my path and continue to walk in the shoes of a grieving mother. The painful shoes I put on five years ago are beginning to soften as I break them in more and more every day...every year. I am ready to take the next step in celebrating Kate’s life and legacy.
Thank you for your outpouring of love and support over the past five years. As cliche as it sounds, I could not have made it through without you. I look back at my "Drowning" post when things were the darkest and realize how far I have come. I made it out of the rabbit hole, out of the trenches, out of the darkness. I am forever changed, but I am okay. I am stronger. I have been blessed with good, lasting and meaningful experiences that were made possible by Kate. She continues to make a difference...she inspires me to be better and do better every day. | literature |
https://www.jdtolson.com/memories/family-friends/papaw-the-babysitter | 2022-12-06T03:52:18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711069.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20221206024911-20221206054911-00058.warc.gz | 0.970731 | 190 | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__114906649 | en | Papaw would pick me up from preschool-kindergarten every day in his old Toyota truck, Trusty Rusty. He’d give me a stick of Trident Gum -the kind that still lines our kitchen drawers today- and take me back to his and Nana’s house. Once there, we’d watch TV, eat snacks, or read from the giant shelf of children’s books that he collected for my mom and I. But what stands out most to me is when he’d sit me at the top of the stairs to the basement and he’d pop my toes. I’d try and squeal and squirm away, yelling “No, Papaw! No!!” because I’d always forget it didn’t hurt, and he‘d laugh as he pulled my toes one by one. I miss that sweet laugh. | literature |
http://katyperry.wikia.com/wiki/Katy_Perry:_A_Life_of_Fireworks | 2017-08-20T20:57:12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886106990.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20170820204359-20170820224359-00134.warc.gz | 0.901627 | 200 | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-34__0__197874848 | en | |Katy Perry: A Life of Fireworks|
|Publication date||October 1, 2011|
|Published by||Omnibus Press|
| Preceded by|| Followed by|
Katy Perry: A Life of Fireworks (by Chloe Gotan) is an unauthorized biography all about Katy Perry.
Here is a compelling account of how Katy Perry made her transformation from demure choirgirl to sexy household name. This in-depth account delves into her ill-fated early career, her eventual rise to fame and her controversial first chart-topping single “I Kissed a Girl.” Details her bisexual affair, the struggle Katy faced between her sexuality and her religious background, and her recent marriage to the notorious Russell Brand. Featuring exclusive interviews with Katy’s religious mentors, friends, teachers, co-songwriters, producers, video directors, journalists, and fellow artists, this is a must-read for Katy Perry fans. | literature |
http://www.southsidesox.com/2013/6/13/4428796/rrrr-way-to-be | 2014-08-29T18:08:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500832738.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021352-00002-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.962527 | 661 | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2014-35__0__86404577 | en | In 2007, when I dragged my heavy Chicago heart away from the only place I had ever called home, I committed myself to two years living in Seattle - what I deemed at the time to be a fair enough shot. I truly envisioned reaching that milestone and heading home soon thereafter. Everyone here and there will tell you that I wear my Chicago love on my sleeve. In some twisted interpretation of logic, I left there because I loved it so much.
This past April marked my six-year anniversary here and sometimes this segment of time - the bulk of my 20s - feels like it's passed by in the blink of an eye. Other times, it feels like I've packed an irreplaceable ass-ton of life and growth into these long, extraordinary years in Washington. I believe it's impossible to hit the road with only yourself, and evade evolving and being shaped by whatever new environment greets you. If you can, you're probably doing it wrong.
I've hit my two-year milestone for the third time now. Sometimes I feel ready to return to Chicago, sometimes I feel ready to try a new place, and sometimes I look around me and fear that I may really love it here. Part of me envies folks who know without question where they want to be. And how.
No, really, I want to know. There are many of us on this site who have moved from Chicago, and I wonder why some of you left and then stayed (or perhaps kept moving). And for those who never left, how did you know that's where you wanted to be? Why do you all exist where you exist?
My own decision to remain in Seattle is directly linked to its proximity to other things. I don't stay here for my job, nor any other person, nor because I think Seattle is some fantastic city (don't get me wrong, it is pretty far out). I live here for the ocean and the Olympic Peninsula - the first place I ever stepped foot in Washington State, that fateful July weekend in 2006 - and the same reason that I moved here.
I stay here because quirky, beer-loving Portland and the wave-happy Oregon coast is a quick skip south; and stunning vivacious Vancouver, is but a notch to the north. I live here because sometimes I like to take a break from surfing in the rugged Olympics rainforests, and drive east through the mountains, to the dry desert heat for a weekend instead.
I live here-
For my wandering spirit and aesthetic-driven eye, I find it tough to top the landscape here, no matter what direction I face. Call me crazy, but I enjoy how small and insignificant the nature here makes me feel. The clean air ain't so bad either.
I miss Chicago constantly (Chicagoans especially) and always consider moving back. But something still prevents me from pulling that trigger. The wonder of where plagues me endlessly. And even though it doesn't roll off my tongue totally effortlessly yet, in recent years, I've caught myself referring to Washington as home.
*all photos taken on my phone, other than the unedited Seattle shot from my roommate's phone, and the pic of me low-tide jumping, taken by a friend | literature |
http://onlineresearchhub.com/the-social-experience-of-aging-with-a-chronic-illness/ | 2018-06-19T10:03:06 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267862248.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20180619095641-20180619115641-00135.warc.gz | 0.970985 | 1,356 | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-26__0__41121481 | en | The social experience of aging with a chronic illness: Perspectives of older adults with multiple sclerosis’ (Fong 1), is well laid out from the top to the bottom, it has a nice structure from the subheading to the references. To start with, it has an articulated subheading with lowercases apart from the begging words ‘The and Perspectives’, which appear at the begging of the sentence. All the researchers are indicated below the heading in uppercase. The article well detailed and comprehensive abstract, which contains the purpose of the study, the method used results of the analysis, and the conclusion. The phenomenon to be studied is clearly identified in the abstract as the ‘purpose’ of the study. The purpose of the study is precise but detailed enough to highlight the objective of the paper. It has a clear statement that reflects the entire paper.
Markedly, the article has two research questions at the end of the introduction. One research question seeks to identify the factors that influence the social experiences of persons aging with MS. The second research question identifies the effects of social experiences on individuals aging with MS. Arguably, the research question and the aspects of interest in the article are consistent. This is because the methodology includes a scrutiny of data that is a component of the exploratory study, using a phenomenological approach that focuses on the service needs and health concerns of older adults with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Markedly, the report uses a phenomenological approach that focuses on the service and health concerns of older adults, as indicated in the research question.
The literature review is detailed and comprehensive enough and gives a background of the subject ‘Multiple Sclerosis’. I find the literature review very informative mainly because of its high quality. For instance, it gives a background of the subject matter in the beginning. It also has a solid base study of a projected 400,000 people in the U.S of ages between 20 to 50 years (Fong 1). In the study, the author given full details of the disorder, how it affects people, how people perceive it, and its effect in the society. However, the study is not dated; it is open and dateless, which would suggest that either the authors forgot to include the dates, or they chose not to include them.
Despite lacking dates, the literature review coherently supports the need of the study. For instance, the qualitative case study investigates the lived experience of ten persons between the age of 40 and 59 with the relapse form of MS. Successively; the research identifies a number of potential outcomes of social support. It has also outlined various aspects of social support that are considered to be detrimental or beneficial to adaptation to MS. From my point of view, the study goes into details and identifies a conceptual framework to support the study.
With regard to methodology, the interview that was conducted followed the right guidelines and procedures. The design was descriptive and cross-sectional. Its protocol was approved after the Institutional Review Board of Illinois University in Chicago reviewed it. In addition, the participants were fully aware of the exercise because they were initially recruited through unique strategy of convenience sampling. Therefore, a registered and established body ‘IRB’ ensured that participants were first made to know the procedures they would undertake. After being informed of the study and the procedures, the participants agreed to proceed with the interview. However, the article does not state the actual steps that were taken to protect participants in the study. It appears that before the interview, these participants were notified of their protection because the interviews were conducted at the participants’ homes.
The study used a qualitative approach where twenty-seven interviews were imported and transcribed into a qualitative analysis software program. Markedly, there was no explanation given in using the qualitative study. In addition, there is no autonomy or confidentiality that is guaranteed of the participants. Based on the research, I find the approach appropriate for the research because it the entire research including the interviews was successfully carried out. In the qualitative research, the researchers provided evidence of their expertise. There were four interviewers, two of whom were graduate students. These graduate students are noted to have received eight hours of special training for collecting data, while the other two were highly experienced in quantitative and qualitative research. Results of the interviews conducted are proof that these interviews were competent to conduct the research. Notably, the average time spent during the first interview was 107 minutes, while the second interview was scheduled within one to three weeks after the first interview. The second interview averaged one hour. It is noted that this duration was enough because it allowed an opportunity to clarify points.
Subsequently, coherent steps were taken to ensure conformability and credibility of the analysis and results. Based on the methodology used, data analysis plan was suitable for the research tradition. Additionally, all these methods were coherently described in the article, and the imperative model was displayed to communicate coherent processes.
Questionnaires and re used to collect data where interviewees filled the questionnaires based on the questions they were asked. There was a clear rationale used in data collection. Similarly, the methods used to collect data for the qualitative approach were appropriate and rational because the recording procedures were satisfactorily described. Subsequently, the all the methods used to collect data appropriate and well described in the article. The researchers were keen to describe and discuss assurance of rigor including dependability, and credibility, transferability, and integrity. Therefore, this resulted to adequate description of the methods used in the methodology.
Findings of this research were appropriate and in accordance with the study. Additionally, these findings were placed in the right context of what MS entails. Findings of this research are comprehensive and detailed as they give an authentic, insightful, and meaningful picture. Therefore, the initial purpose of the study has been addressed at length. Therefore, the purpose of the study achieved because all social experiences of individuals aging with MS were explored. To sum up the research paper, the conclusion has entailed everything stated in the research question including the implications (Fong 1). Subsequently, the implications of the clinical practice and process were fully discussed in the conclusion. The conclusion has showed ways in which social experiences of older persons with MS are influenced by values and expectations, experience of MS, and social needs. On the other hand, the participants described distinct concerns regarding aging, which included the future adequacy of support.
Fong, Terry, Marcia Finlayson, and Nadine Peacock. “The social experience of aging with a chronic illness: Perspectives of older adults with multiple sclerosis.” Disability & Rehabilitation 28.11 (2006): 695-705. | literature |
https://www.homeworkknight.com/category/literature-and-languages/ | 2023-02-01T11:58:41 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499934.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20230201112816-20230201142816-00381.warc.gz | 0.932393 | 829 | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__238517626 | en | From the choices below, please write an essay on one of the short stories read in class. You should respond to the essay question by using evidence from the text and the provided scholarly source, as well as a second credible or academic source found on your own using the Hostos Library website.
Make sure to include a clear thesis statement in your introduction that fully addresses the essay question and makes an original claim or argument about your chosen story.
demonstrate understanding of literary terms and elements of fiction.
Make sure to use direct quotes and examples from the story and both of your outside sources, following the rules for MLA citation.
Length and Formatting:
4 pages typed, double-spaced, size 12 Times New Roman font
Heading in MLA Format
In-Text Citations in MLA format. Example: (Carver, 8).
Works Cited Page
Hostos Writing Center
The Hostos Writing Center is available to provide online assistance with your essays, at any stage of the writing process. You can sign up for a live virtual session with a tutor, or you can request written feedback on a draft. Appointments can be made here: https://hostos.mywconline.com, or by e-mailing [email protected].
In “Cathedral,” the narrator admits that all he knows about blindness “comes from the movies,” and that cathedrals for him are just “something to look at on late-night TV.” But by the end of the story, even though he knows he is sitting in his living room, he doesn’t feel like he’s “inside anything.” For this topic, please write an essay focused on the story’s ending—do you think the narrator truly learns to see things from a new perspective? Why or why not?
In your essay, be sure to include discussion of the following secondary source, plus one other: “Cathedral by Raymond Carver, 1983” by Carol Simpson Stern from The Reference Guide to Short Fiction.
2). Raymond’s Run:
By the end of this story, Squeaky comes to an understanding not only of her relationship with her brother, Raymond, but also the way in which she wants to live her life as an adolescent approaching young womanhood. Based on the story’s ending, what kind of person do you think Squeaky hopes to become? How is this reflected in her changing relationships with Raymond and Gretchen?
In your essay, be sure to include discussion of the following secondary source, plus one other: “Raymond’s Run” by Judith Barton Williamson from Masterplots II: Short Story Series.
3.) The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas:
In Omelas, every citizen is faced with an ethical dilemma—the knowledge that their happiness is dependent on the misery of an innocent child. Some are able to accept this from a utilitarian standpoint (the happiness of the many outweighs the suffering of the few), while others choose to leave. Do you think the people who walk away from Omelas are making a moral choice, or do you think they are taking the “easy” way out by removing themselves from the situation altogether?
In your essay, be sure to include discussion of the following secondary source, plus one other: “Le Guin’s ‘Omelas’: Issues of Genre” by W.A. Senior from Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts.
digital_copies_of_sources_used = 0
plagiarism = 0
pref_writer = 0
urgent_writer_assign = 0
version = 4; Technical line. Don’t touch! | literature |
https://www.protestinharmony.org.uk/songs/we-shall-be-known/ | 2024-04-15T12:32:12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816977.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20240415111434-20240415141434-00705.warc.gz | 0.926712 | 158 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__160559866 | en | We Shall Be Known
Karisha Longaker of MaMuse
We shall be known by the company we keep,
by the ones who circle round to tend these fires.
We shall be known by the ones who sow and reap
the seeds of change alive from deep within the earth.
It is time now, it is time now that we thrive,
it is time we lead ourselves into the well.
It is time now, and what a time to be alive,
in this great turning we shall learn to lead in love,
in this great turning we shall learn to lead in love.
We Shall be Known SAT Key G as original | literature |
http://deepspring.org/introducing-barbara-brodsky-and-aaron/ | 2017-06-24T15:47:39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320264.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624152159-20170624172159-00561.warc.gz | 0.987077 | 1,214 | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-26__0__157746363 | en | Introducing Barbara Brodsky and Aaron
(Excerpted from the book Aaron.)
Barbara: Many of you have asked me how I met Aaron. I’d like briefly to share the story.
I lost my hearing in 1972, soon after my first child was born. I coped well with the loss, on the surface. I continued with my sculpture and teaching and had two more children. Through those years I was aware that although I did what I needed to do for myself and my family, I was very bitter about the isolation my deafness seemed to impose.
This anger didn’t negate the fact that my life was full. I had a loving and beautiful family, work I loved, and caring friends. I honor in myself that I was able to cope well with so difficult a situation. But in striving to cope, I didn’t allow myself to feel the pain of my isolation, which is real. Afraid that pain would overwhelm me, I denied it, and turned my anger to outward things. I couldn’t see that it was the anger, not the deafness, that deepened my sense of separation., I was angry at people who talked near me when I couldn’t understand, and angry at God. I lost all sense of a spiritual aspect to my life.
Slowly I became aware that I had to look at what was happening. It had been years since I’d attended Quaker Meeting; I began to go and to look forward to that weekly hour of silent communion with spirit. In time, I began to meditate again as a daily practice, although with no clear sense of direction. I also wrote daily in a journal, a tool that put me into deeper touch with my subconscious mind. I felt drawn to read from spiritual work, especially those ideas from eastern religions concerning reincarnation and karma. As I opened to myself and became more caring and forgiving, I found an increasing inner peace.
Despite all that I was learning, I began to feel rather stuck. I was still bitter, cut off from normal human communication, and blaming God for my situation. I began to pray for help, understanding that I just couldn’t go any further on my own.
As the weeks passed, I began to notice that in the question/answer format I often used in my journal, the “answer” part was beginning to speak from a new perspective, pushing me to open myself to new ideas and ways of thinking.
Soon after that, I met Aaron. Suddenly, one day during meditation, I was aware of a figure standing just off to one side. I asked him who he was and very simply he told me he was Aaron, and was my guide.
I’m not going to suggest that I took this casually. The idea of a “spirit guide” was new to me; I wondered briefly if I was hallucinating. But every time I looked, Aaron was there, just patiently waiting for me to be ready to move ahead. It was important that I never felt any pressure to accept him. He made it clear from the beginning that we had all the time I needed to be ready for any learning that he offered. I wasn’t frightened because I felt so much love, felt a gentleness and connection dimly remembered from some unknown past.
At first my rational mind tried to ask, “Who is Aaron?” Slowly I realized it didn’t matter. I began to listen with my heart, and not play mind-games. I understood that it was irrelevant whether Aaron was simply a deeper part of my subconscious or was external. I was getting information that I needed for growth and to which I hadn’t had previous access. As I began to trust that information, and my own ability to hear it, I became clearly aware of Aaron’s existence as a separate entity.
He tells me he is a being who has evolved beyond the need to return to the physical plane. He is from “beyond the causal plane.” He defines himself as a “being of light,” which he says we all are. I’ve come to know him as a being of infinite love, compassion and wisdom. He also has a wonderful warmth and sense of humor. He is a teacher.
As my trust deepened, Aaron led me on a beautiful journey into myself, into past lives to unearth the sources of some of the pains of this life, examining the questions of isolation and separation on which my deafness forced me to focus. Together we healed the suffering of that deafness and went on to investigate the origins of these issues of separation and isolation. The journey has been both painful and joyous, frightening and beautiful. Always, Aaron’s love was there to help me through the rough places.
Yes, my deafness is still painful. I doubt that I’ll ever be completely used to this silence. But I also embrace it. Twenty-six years of silence is a profound teacher, and I thank it for the ways it’s led me to deepen in understanding. I no longer fight with it. I no longer feel this silence as my pain. It is our pain, the aloneness of us all, and its arising serves as a reminder for connection and compassion.
Constantly, I see Aaron’s wisdom and compassion touching other’s lives, as it has touched mine. Many others have come to love him and trust his guidance, first my friends, then their friends, and on in an expanding circle around the globe. It humbles me to see myself as part of this chain of sharing, to be permitted this part in it and to learn and watch others learning. It brings me much joy! I am in awe of the process.
And so, with great love, I offer you Aaron. | literature |
https://jessiesun.me/publication/sun-2018/ | 2022-09-25T14:45:14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030334579.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20220925132046-20220925162046-00568.warc.gz | 0.94411 | 405 | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-40__0__93238494 | en | Serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is one of the most extensively studied neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Also expressed in peripheral tissues, 5-HT participates in vasoconstriction and in aggregation of platelets through 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR). However, there have been few studies regarding the interaction between 5-HT and 5-HT2AR in the immune system. In the current study, we analyzed the role of 5-HT and its 5-HT2AR in the activation of antigen-specific Th1 and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in mice. RT-PCR and western blotting analyses confirmed the expression of 5-HT2AR in both CD4 and CD8 T cells. Both antigen-specific and anti-CD3 stimulation of IL-2 and IFN-?? production from these cells were inhibited by a selective 5-HT2AR inhibitor, sarpogrelate hydrochloride. Concanavalin A (ConA) activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, which were purified from mouse spleen following depletion of endogenous 5-HT, was enhanced by a selective 5-HT2AR agonist, (R)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI). Such DOI-induced T cell activation was nullified by sarpogrelate. Moreover, an ELISPOT study showed that sarpogrelate also reduced antigen-specific induction of both CTL and Th1 cells in vivo following immunization of mice with cognate antigens. These data suggest that antigen-specific Th1 and CTL cells might be regulated by 5-HT signaling through 5-HT2AR on their surfaces and that 5-HT2AR inhibitor might have an immunosuppressive effect in vivo. ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. | literature |
http://pippablog.com/against-the-day-pynchons-journey-into-the-real/ | 2019-12-15T01:24:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575541297626.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20191214230830-20191215014830-00028.warc.gz | 0.932117 | 3,884 | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-51__0__155281742 | en | One of the hallmarks of postmodern authors is their treatment of time as imaginary. Postmodern novelists such David Foster Wallace in Infinite Jest, Thomas Pynchon in Gravity’s Rainbow, Jonathan Foer in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Don Delillo in Falling Man treat time as a purely human construct—something that can be broken, bent, manipulated, and twisted on a whim. Postmodern literature is rife with segmented, meandering, or divergent timelines—in postmodern narratives, time is an illusion.
At first glance, it appears that Pynchon is up to the same narrative tricks in Against the Day. He seems to begin in the present, take halting steps forward in the narrative and chronology, and then rewind the world several years back with narrative threads like the one that follows Merle Rideout and Erlys Zomboni. Likewise, when Pynchon describes Reef Traverse and Yashmeen Halfcourt’s romance or Frank Traverse’s first encounter with his eventual lover Stray, Pynchon is fond of beginning paragraphs with “years later” as he seems to leap forward chronologically, even while the narrative stands still. This apparent time-travelling technique is nothing new to postmodern fiction, but Pynchon is actually very though subtly different mechanism to manipulate the narrative. In fact, far from using the postmodern model of time as a merely human idea to be played with, Against the Day is Pynchon’s illustration that time is the only one of the four dimensions that is not a construct.
Pynchon does not manipulate time, at least not in what his character Kitt Traverse would call the imaginary fourth term in vector mathematics and indeed what most readers would call the imaginary term in postmodern fiction. Pynchon manipulates everything else instead by changing the reader’s frame of reference. Pynchon does not leave the reader in the familiar and comfortable world bounded by an x,y, and z axis of three dimensional matter, free to play with time as if it were an imaginary construct. Instead, Pynchon approaches the world as a Quaternionist, a devotee of an obscure branch of turn-of-the-century pure mathematics. He approaches time as the constant instead of the variable, and the rest of the physical universe being imaginary axes i, j, and k. Time, in Against the Day, is unchanging and unchangeable—instead it is the rest of the world that changes. Quaternionist Umeki Tsurigane explains Pynchon’s conceit to the reader when she explains Quaternionism to Kitt:
Actually, Quaternions failed because they perverted what the Vectorists thought they know of God’s intention—that space be simple, three-dimensional, and real, and if there must be a fourth term, an imaginary, that it be assigned to Time. But Quaternions came in and turned that all end for end, defining the axes of space as imaginary and leaving Time to be the real term, and a scalar as well—simply inadmissible. Of course the Vectorists went to war. Nothing they knew of Time allowed it to be that simple, any more than they could allow space to be comprised of impossible numbers… (351)
Pynchon urges his readers to make a cognitive switch away viewing the world through the traditional Vectorist lenses where time is something to be manipulated around what we understand to be the “real.” Pynchon asks his readers to see the world as a Quaternion would, with time as the only real value—a world where everything else is imaginary. Pynchon then proceeds to take his readers across constant unwavering time, all the while changing the imaginary world of the physical. Time, so commonly stretched, bent, and broken in postmodern narratives, becomes a solid line, Pynchon’s Archimedean lever large enough to move the world. Although perhaps are not immediately intuitive, Pynchon gives his readers plenty of clues to understanding his narrative technique.
While time never changes, the physical world of the novel, which is the truly imaginary one, starts, stops, and transforms. The transient and ethereal nature of the physical is a consistent theme in Against the Day.
Pynchon’s most obvious clues that the physical world is imaginary come when he writes about the Chums of Chance, the novel’s perennial teenage boys. Fittingly, they give the simplest and most obvious clues to Pynchon’s Quaternion mindset. The Chums fly through the center of a hollow earth through the poles (Pynchon 117). The Chums search for a mysterious and strangely mobile mystical city of Shambhala while traveling underground and literally walking through the earth (Pynchon 437). To erase all doubt of the transmutability of the physical, Pynchon sends the Chums of Chance from earth to Antichthon, the other earth, by flying their airship through the sun (1021).
Elsewhere in the novel, Pynchon has Kit Traverse ponder the difference between those ashore and those leaving on a boat with the sad acknowledgement that those leaving “would never be here, never exactly here, again” (747). Kit understands that “here” in the sense that it is a place, is also a time, and that time will never come again. Later, Pynchon gives what is perhaps the best metaphor for Against the Day’s Quaternion worldview: Kit Traverse travels through the Asian great rock arch called Tushuk Tash. As Kit’s companion Lieutenant Prance explains, “This great Archway known as Tushuk Tash. Which means ‘a rock with a hole in it’” (Pynchon 764).
Pynchon asks his reader to see the hole in the physical universe that many suppose to be solid and real. Fittingly, it is the passage of time that causes rock formations like arches and columns—it is time that creates these gates that are holes in what ought to be solid. Without this knowledge, Pynchon seems to tell readers, the world cannot truly be understood for what it is. Lieutenant Prance warns Kit that “Unless we enter by way of it, we shall always be on the wrong journey.” (Pynchon 764) It is not the rock that is real and permanent, but the hole in it.
He continues this theme of the physical as illusionary when Reef, Yashmeen, and Cyprian travel across Europe at the dawn of the First Balkan War. Pynchon takes his readers through a dizzying number of towns, valleys, passes, and hamlets, each one given scant attention aside from being defined as someplace on the way to someplace else. Some of these places, such as the Macedonian cities of Prilep and Veles, exist. Others, such a mountain cult monastery, do not. To the vast majority of his readers without an atlas handy to check whether all those Balkan towns and passes are real, one is just as real as another; this is Pynchon’s point. If the reader cannot recognize what places are real and what places are created, he seems to say, who is to say that any place is real at all?
When Against the Day’s narrative thread returns to the Americas, Pynchon uses a relentless motif of holes and the physical impermanence of what the reader thinks of as the real to push his readers to embrace the Quaternion. His Mexico is a place of caves, holes, and ancient cities long destroyed while the American West of Against the Day is full of mines in Colorado. Again, Pynchon uses the imagery of rock as an illustration of the physical world. His mines betray the idea that the earth is solid, that everything is what it seems. Revolutionaries Webb Traverse, Frank Traverse, and Ewball Oust consistently use dynamite to blast holes in the very matter that frames their world. Pynchon’s characters remake with ease what the unenlightened reader takes to be eternal.
Even New York City, with all its physically imposing buildings, is nothing but “the Cabinet of Ultimate Illusion.” ( Pynchon 353) Everywhere he takes the reader, Pynchon points out the inescapable truth of the Quaternion concept of the world: time is the only constant, the only real value in what we can appreciate in space-time. Those who say otherwise are charlatans, tricksters, or worse.
When Miles Blundell confronts the mysterious Trespasser Thorn who claims to have travelled through time to warn the pre-World War world, Miles has a sudden revelation: “…in fact no ‘time travel’ at all—the presence in this world of Thorn and his people had been owing only to some chance blundering upon a shortcut… by whatever terrible singularity in the smooth flow of Time had opened to them.” (Pynchon 555) Time is real, Pynchon tells his readers, and nothing can change that fact. Indeed, a few paragraphs later, Miles tells his friend Chick Counterfly, “There is nothing immortal about them, Chick. They have lied to all of us, including those… fool enough to work for them, in exchange for ‘eternal youth.’ They cannot provide that. They never could” (Pynchon, 555). With depressing finality, Miles tells readers what they intuitively already know about attempts to manipulate time: “I simply knew, the minute I saw him, that it was all false, the promise was nothing but a cruel confidence game” (Pynchon 555).
Pynchon rejects the concept of time as a human illusion and in doing so rejects the human hope against hope to somehow escape time and its consequences:
“Time,” explained Dr. Rao, “is the Further Term, you see, transcending and conditioning i, j, and k—the dark visitor from the Exterior, the Destroyer, the fulfiller of the Trinity. It is the merciless clock-beat we all seek to escape, into the pulselessness of salvation. It is all this and more.”
“A weapon based on Time…” mused Viktor Mulciber. “Well, why not? The one force no one knows how to defeat, resist, or reverse. It kills all forms of life sooner or later…” [bold in original text] (558)
When the reader finally embraces Pynchon’s Quaternionist worldview that time is the only real value it begs the question “is there any point to anything?” If only time is real, and the physical universe the reader inhabits an imaginary one, does anything matter? Pynchon, while rejecting the idea that the physical world is real, has his characters expressly reject nihilism (Pynchon 922). Instead, Pynchon uses mathematics to prove that real things can come out of the junction of the one real dimension and the three imaginary ones.
Yashmeen Halfcourt explains this to turn-of-the-century mathematics genius Dr. David Hilbert in an attempt to prove the Reimann hypothesis: “There is also this… spine of reality… Though the members of a Hermitian may be complex, the eigenvalues are real.” (Pynchon 604) These eigenvalues are based on the interplay of the imaginary ijk with the “spine of reality” that is, time, but are still real themselves. An eigenvalue is a mathematical term used in matrix mathematics, but a very telling a literal reading of the German word would be “own values” or “innate values.” This reading implies that not only is time real, but some innate value, some “self” is real, and by extension others’ “selves” as well—Pynchon uses eigenvalues, not just a singular eiegenvalue.
With time and his characters’ “innate values” being the only real things in the world, Pynchon pushes his worldview to its narrative limit and turns the world “end for end” (351). Understanding this Quaternion perspective explains the novel’s focus on light and the bifurcating properties of lenses—refraction can literally skew the imaginary physical world and rotate it about its axis. This allows Pynchon to turn the physical world into a place where the cruise liner the Stupendica is also the battleship Emperor Maximilian (515). It lets Pynchon’s characters build fanciful technology to use photographs to see the world as it might have been—still the same, but slightly altered—the world as rotated about Yashmeen’s “spine of reality” (1061). Tellingly, this technology works by following a person in a photograph forward or backwards through time; the eigenvalues, being the core identities of Pynchon’s characters, retain their identity even as the imaginary physical world shifts and distorts around them. Pynchon even bifurcates his characters: the professors Renfrew and Werfner are mirror images of each other in their temperament and interest in Balkan politics. As one Pynchon scholar puts it, “their obsession reveals how much they are alike” (Aghoro, 44). Indeed, they are the same person, because their essential nature—the eigenvalue—remains the same. In the novel, detective Lew Basnight even comes “to accept the professors as a single person” (Pynchon 771).
The underlying theme of Against the Day—that self and time are all the only “real” things in an imaginary world, is one that it seems many critics and scholars seem to have missed. Tom LeClair makes mention of Pynchon’s frequent use of bifurcation as a theme and his use of lenses, particularly the double refracting Iceland spar, but seems at a loss as to why, ending his review by hoping “some future scholar will read the novel twenty times and either illustrate how it recapitulates the whole history of narrative or demonstrate how every piece fits together into a fourfold design that will replace four-base genetics as a model of all life” (Leclair “Lead Zeppelin”). Lewis Menand also sees the math—even going so far as to title his piece “Do the Math”—but misses the point, citing a character’s discourses on Quaternion mathematics but then dismissing it with “And on into the night” (“Do the Math”). Others point to its sprawling plot and seemingly strange spatial manipulations and write them off as Pynchon being Pynchon (Rankin “’Reader Beware…’,” Peck “Heresy of Truth”) or, like Liesl Schillinger, spend pages writing about Against the Day’s author and various different sections of the book without really addressing the book as a whole (“Dream Maps”). Peck quotes from one the novel’s repudiated Trespassers to explain the novel (“Heresy of Truth”) and Shillinger confuses the novel’s Quaternion travel through three dimensional space with travel through time (“Dream Maps”). Scott Borchert takes the book’s title quite literally and links “the Day” of the novel’s title to references in Mason & Dixon to present Pynchon’s novel as a stand against “capitalist modernity” (80).
Critical confusion notwithstanding, Against the Day is not merely a meandering genre pastiche, nor is it merely a novel about technological change at the dawn of the 20th Century (Menand “Do the Math). Borchert’s reading of it as an anti-capitalist manifesto is not wholly incorrect given the book’s treatment of anarchist revolutionaries and unrestrained capitalists, but such a reading misses the fundamental reason why Pynchon is frustrated by naked capitalism and its materialistic trappings: because materialism is not merely empty, but the materials themselves are illusionary. Instead, the novel is Pynchon’s plea for his readers to acknowledge what he sees as the only reality left in a modern era of uncertainty and change—that things change and disappear, but time and the self remain.
Aghoro, Natalie. “Bilocated Identities: Taking the Fork in the Road in Against the Day,” AS Peers. 2. 2009 (33-52). Web.
Borchert, Scott. “Against Accumulation: Moby Dick, Mason & Dixon, and Atlantic Capitalism.” English Honors Papers. Connecticut College, 2008. Web.
LeClair, Tom. “Lead Zeppelin.” Bookforum. Rev. of Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon. Dec/Jan 2007. Web. 12 February 2011.
Menand, Lewis. “Do the Math.” The New Yorker. Rev. of Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon. 27 November 2006. Web. 13 February 2011.
Peck, Dale. “Heresy of Truth: Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day.” National Book Critics Circle. Rev. of Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon. 10 December 2010. Web. 13 February 2011.
Pynchon, Thomas. Against the Day. New York: The Penguin Press, 2006. Print.
Rankin, Ian. “’Reader Beware…’.” The Guardian. Rev. of Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon. 18 November 2006. Web. 14 February 2011.
Shillinger, Liesl. “Dream Maps.” New York Times. Rev. of Against the Day by Thomas
Pynchon. 26 November 2006 Sunday edition. Web. 14 February 2011. | literature |
http://promisesbygod.com/tag/deliverance/ | 2018-02-23T20:38:15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891814833.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20180223194145-20180223214145-00432.warc.gz | 0.956691 | 208 | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-09__0__260730792 | en | A Promise by God…Salvation…
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents-which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
Philippians 1:27-28 NASB
HEBREW TRANSLATION –
Only, behave yourselves worthily of the Good News of Messiah, in order that whether I come and see you or am absent, I hear about you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one being, striving together for the belief of the Good News,
without being frightened in any way by those who oppose, which to them truly is a proof of destruction, but to you of deliverance, and that from Elohim.
Philippians 1:27-28 TS2009 | literature |
http://jumpinginpuddles-lookingforstars.blogspot.com/ | 2018-01-16T11:26:38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084886416.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20180116105522-20180116125522-00197.warc.gz | 0.987081 | 684 | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-05__0__132500002 | en | People often tell me I am brave – and if I am, it's because of my mother.
People often tell me that I am kind – and if I am, it's because of my mother.
People often tell me I am resilient – and if I am, it's because of my mother.
People often tell me that I have great faith – and if I do, it's because of my mother.
If I am brave in the face of the hardships life has given me as of late, it's because my mother has taught me how. Long before I became ill, I watched my mother suffer. I can't even remember a time when it wasn't so. And all through growing up, I watched her struggle with it, and win. I watched her bravery in facing early-onset Parkinson's and still raise five children. I watched her shake and tremble and be unable to feed herself, yet still she taught us our school, and guided us through life, and encouraged us in every pursuit. I am brave because I had the very best model of bravery. I am brave because my mother showed me how to be.
If I am kind to others, it's because my mother showed me what kindness is. She, who suffered long before I ever did, takes time out of her hard life to talk to lawyers for my family, to help us kids understand and complete paperwork, medical bills, and college grants. Even though we are often tight on money, she finds money to buy things for the food pantry. Since I was small, I have always seen my mother's kindness. I needed no definition aside from her actions. When she offers gentle words to new mothers at camp, when she talks to the hurting people around me and offers them her help, when she makes phone calls for me when I can't do it myself... A thousand things she does every day has shown me what true kindness is. So if I am kind, it is because of my mother.
If I have great faith in face of hardship, it's because my mother led the way. Life has always been hard for my family - the way that life is hard for everyone. But I never once saw my mother's faith waver. Never in my lifetime could I say that I saw her doubting. She taught me the greatest part of faith – the one thing I have always truly needed to make it through life. And that is: God is Enough. Even if everything is taken from us, even if we have nothing left, God is Enough. She taught me that keeping my eyes on Him would get me through anything life could throw me, because He is greater than all life's worst twists and turns. She did not have to say it. She didn't have to lay it out before me like a map. I saw it in every action. I heard it in every word.
If I have great faith, it's because God has shown me His light, through her.
Everything I am, I owe to her.
People often say that I am a lot like my mother - and if that's true, then I can think of no better compliment.
Happy birthday, Mama. I love you. Thank you for being the lighthouse through which Jesus shone so brightly. Thank you for teaching me all the best things I know. : ) | literature |
http://imnotthe10thstar.deviantart.com/art/Tea-fluffy-Frerard-one-shot-260258139 | 2015-03-04T22:39:31 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936463660.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074103-00091-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.989666 | 681 | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2015-11__0__39156431 | en | I glanced at the clock as I made my way through the cramped kitchenette of the tour bus; 3:29 a.m, it read. I sighed. Frank was trailing behind me like the caboose of a train, exhousted out of his mind.
I stopped to open a shoddy cupboard for a mug. When I did, I felt the force of a small body impact the middle of my back. It stumbled backwards a few steps.
I turned to see Frank rubbing at his tired eyes with sweater-covered knuckles; blue and black stripes, oversized, which made him look more like a child than ever.
Not to mention his Star Wars pajamas.
"Watch where you're goin', sleepy head," I said, laughing hypnotically. He sure was, too; his hair was tumbled all over the place, red and black swirled unnaturally around his puffy cheeks.
"Whatever," he moaned lackadaizically, "You're comfy."
He wrapped his noodle-of-an-arm around mine, and leaned his head against my shoulder, eyes shut. I grinned, letting the warm breath from between his teeth depress into my skin.
"I gotta make this, though," I said quietly, "Why don't you go wait for me at the table, 'kay?" I brushed his shoulder persuasively.
He lifted his head as if it weighed a hundred pounds, and looked up at me through completely closed eyes.
"Mm'kay," he mumbled, dragging his little bare feet to the table near the window. He scaled one of the bar-stools and slumped onto the cushion like a sack of potatos.
I turned again to focus in front of me when a hard knock called from behind. I swiveled back to see Frank with his temple against the wood.
"Ow," he slurred.
I rolled my eyes with a dopey smile and snatched a mug from the cupboard. I filled it with water, got out a package of 'Sleepy Time Tea,' and slid it in the microwave above one of the counters. I set the time as directed, and turned toward the table in which Frank sat waiting.
"Aww," I whispered, smiling. Frankie was sprawled out over the length of the table, his chest rising and falling silently and smoothly. His nose was tucked between the bend of his elbow.
I sat down across from him as soundlessly as I could, keeping my eyes on him with bated breath.
Steeling my lungs completely, I reached out and tenderly engulfed his tiny, tattooed hand. Still, he made not a sound or movement. There was something absolutely precious about the way his lips were parted, and the way his head was turned, and the way his hair fell around his plush, rosey cheeks, and the way his silent breaths fogged up the surface of the table, and the way his pretty little eyelashes quivered as he slept; everything. He was absolutely precious.
I took a final, achey note, and rested my head against the table's cool surface, shutting my eyes. A triple beep rang from the microwave, but I ignored it.
I nodded off, his delicate little hand in mine. | literature |
http://dessert-darling.blogspot.com/2012/04/light-and-warmth-and-love.html | 2018-07-18T20:14:46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676590329.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20180718193656-20180718213656-00034.warc.gz | 0.971877 | 460 | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-30__0__187245052 | en | Taking a break from the usual food posts. Here is a more personal one for you darlings.
My little one. The reason why I wake up every morning, the reason why I continue to smile and hope and thrive to find myself. Often times it is difficult as she is slightly impatient as toddlers usually are... But my little one is so loving, that each warm hug and gentle kiss melts my heart.
It is a challenge, a challenge to be a better mother... a challenge to nurture her, help her gain weight when she is so picky with food, to teach her in every way that I can... to simply be a mother that I would look up to, if it weren't me in that position.
She is the light of my life. Perhaps even the heart of my craft and this blog. She scoots herself up a chair beside me while I weigh out the ingredients and she says "Mommy, tulong ako" (Mommy, I'll help). Her favorite chore is to mix anything she sees that has a fork or a mixing utensil with it. It can be messy, and most of the time, especially when it is a paid job, I ask her to play or ask Mr. DD to carry her away to eat or play or watch Princess movies that she loves. She cries, asking for me... And comes back when she smells the sweet aroma from the oven envelop the house. She takes a peek in the oven door, careful not to get too close. I ask her for a kiss and tell her that I love her, she always answers.
When it is done, and I take the baked cupcakes out of the oven, she approaches and says "Mommy, cupcake?" and I say, "Yes, baby."
She eats what I bake, sometimes she doesn't. But when she shows so much interest with the things that I love, watching with me while I play baking videos on my phone... it touches my heart, knowing that maybe one day she'll be a great cook or baker or pastry chef in the future.
Or she'll be running Dessert Darling with me.
Whatever the future holds, I know that I will love her for the rest of my life. | literature |
https://lifeofhy.com/books/ | 2023-06-04T03:59:02 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649439.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604025306-20230604055306-00301.warc.gz | 0.910955 | 184 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__90705789 | en | I am very excited to announce that my debut novel, BON VOYAGE, is now available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle. The book is available for purchase in paperback, hard cover, and e-book formats.
BON VOYAGE is a comedy adventure novel that takes readers on a trip around the world. When an eccentric billionaire debuts an international gameshow with a big-money prize, 18 dreamers sign up for the challenge. For many of them, winning is paramount, and they’ll do whatever it takes to claim the winnings. BON VOYAGE tells the story of one special contestant told from the perspective of another as they travel across the globe in hopes their trying efforts will amount to immeasurable fame and a life-changing fortune.
ORDER A COPY
Kindle e-Book Download | literature |
https://drbulb.com/potential-led-health-risks | 2023-12-10T00:51:50 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100989.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20231209233632-20231210023632-00113.warc.gz | 0.961995 | 801 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__200012699 | en | Potential LED Health Risks
A recent report requested by the European Commission assessed the potential health hazards LEDs have on the general population. This provisional report examined multiple segments of the population to discuss the possibility of LEDs causing harm to vulnerable and susceptible populations such as children, adolescents, and the elderly. The report also examines the effects on skin optic fundamentals, eye health, and the penetration of LED lights on the skin. Examining temporal light modulation (flicker), and its potential effects on each segment was a fundamental concern in this report.
This provisional report—carried out by the scientific committee on health, environmental, and emerging risks (SCHEER)—suggests that eyes and skin are the most susceptible to the effects of LEDs. However, the exposure to optical radiation from LEDs is insignificant compared to other light sources, including natural lighting. In order to provide accurate results, all exposure variables were taken into account and tested. Irradiance, radiance, and exposure duration were significant variables in this study, which allowed researchers to carry out detailed reporting. Intensity of the LEDs, general exposure duration, specified exposure duration to skin and eyes, and direct staring vs. active eye movement were all considered. These variables accounted for a significant part of the results reported by SCHEER.
LED Health Effects on the General Population
In general, very few studies have been carried out regarding LED health hazards, and, because LED technology is continually advancing, it is difficult to provide a definite conclusion on any adverse health effects caused by LEDs. It is commonly known that throughout the progression and success of LEDs, concerns have been raised regarding the potential health effects on the general population. The most common concerns raised were regarding long-term vision effects, optical discomfort, and disruptions to circadian rhythms.
SCHEER reported that a major concern was for children below the age of three, who are often exposed to high-luminance LEDs from electronic toys and screens. They noted that the European standard for toys with LED emissions can induce photochemical retinopathy (damage to the eyes retina). Another concern included the use of LEDs in virtual-reality headsets due to the proximity of the screen to the users’ eyes. However, this report found that the luminance in these cases was too low to cause any adverse health effects. The report also stated that, although LEDs can be distracting in some forms (e.g., car lighting, specific colors), distraction, dazzle, and glare effects do not result in direct harm to your vision.
LEDs Are Safe
In addition to possible effects on the eyes, concerns were raised regarding the effects LEDs have on our skin. This report briefly touches on the possibility of LEDs causing harm by penetrating the skin beyond its intended depth, however, no formal research has been published to confirm this theory.
SCHEER acknowledges that the scientific research currently available does not provide enough evidence to prove that LEDs cause adverse effects to skin and eyes when the “total exposure is below the international agreed exposure limits (ICNIRP).” There was little evidence to suggest that disruption to sleeping patterns after using an LED screen was a direct result of exposure to the light; the disruptions could have been due to the kind of mental activity required to use and engage with the device. In addition, SCHEER reported that, when compared to other light source technologies, there was no evidence to suggest LED lamps cause photosensitivity. However, unlike other light sources, LEDs do not emit much ultraviolet radiation, which may actually reduce the risk of photosensitivity.
This preliminary report states that LEDs cannot be proven to cause direct, adverse health effects to the general, healthy population. It notes that discomfort and glare can be temporary consequences of LEDs but are not of major concern. The effects, thresholds, and damage mechanisms do vary from person to person. SCHEER suggests that more formal research is required to establish how LEDs can positively or negatively affect the general population. | literature |
http://thepossibilityofeverything.blogspot.com/2009/08/ | 2017-05-24T02:08:14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607731.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20170524020456-20170524040456-00521.warc.gz | 0.941207 | 102 | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-22__0__91614177 | en | Born in the 60s, grew up in the 70s, now raising two daughters in 2013. Learning how to do it with an adventurous spirit, a sense of humor, and an open mind. I'm the author of six books, including the memoir The Possibility of Everything and the international bestseller Motherless Daughters. But to my own daughters, I'm just the one who--horrifyingly--sings along with Led Zeppelin on the radio. I still remember all the words. | literature |
https://florencefragrances.com/awaken-your-senses-and-embrace-the-beauty-of-life/ | 2024-03-05T04:15:57 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707948217723.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20240305024700-20240305054700-00600.warc.gz | 0.906699 | 549 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__130440921 | en | Welcome to our blog, where we invite you to unleash your senses and embark on a journey of self-discovery and appreciation for the world around you. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and forget to take a moment to truly experience the beauty that surrounds us. But we believe that by awakening your senses, you can unlock a whole new level of joy and fulfillment.
So, let’s dive into the wonders that await!
Section 1: Sight
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and we couldn’t agree more. From vibrant sunsets painting the sky with hues of orange and pink to the delicate petals of a flower blooming in your garden, there is so much visual beauty to behold.
Take a moment each day to truly see the world around you. Notice the intricate details of nature, the smiles on people’s faces, and the architecture that surrounds us. Let your eyes be open to the wonders of life, and you’ll be amazed at how it can uplift your spirit.
Section 2: Sound
Close your eyes for a moment and listen. What do you hear? The gentle rustling of leaves in the wind, the melodic chirping of birds, or the soothing sound of raindrops hitting the ground.
Sound has a unique way of transporting us to different places and evoking a range of emotions. Whether it’s listening to your favorite music, attending a concert, or simply taking a walk in nature, let the soundscape around you awaken your senses and fill your heart with joy.
Section 3: Taste and Smell
Our sense of taste and smell are closely intertwined and have the power to transport us to different times and places. A whiff of freshly brewed coffee can bring back memories of a cozy morning at a local café, and the taste of a home-cooked meal can instantly make us feel loved and nurtured.
Take the time to savor each bite and appreciate the aromas that surround you. From trying new cuisines to exploring the world of essential oils, let your taste buds and olfactory senses guide you on a sensory adventure.
As you embark on this journey to unleash your senses, remember that life is meant to be savored and enjoyed. By taking the time to truly see, hear, taste, and smell the world around you, you’ll discover a newfound appreciation for the beauty that exists in everyday moments.
So, go ahead and embrace the wonders that await. Awaken your senses, and let the world amaze you! | literature |
http://www.genevieveschmidtdesign.com/arcata-landscape-poem/ | 2017-04-26T00:10:19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121000.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00013-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.960983 | 321 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__82156372 | en | I was absolutely floored and honored the other day to open an email from a client and friend, Dan Duncan who owns Small World Construction, and find a poem he’d written about his garden.
I’ve worked with Dan for about eight years now, creating four new garden areas in his home garden and maintaining them, as well as working with his construction company to do some beautiful collaborative work for others.
Dan gave me permission to post this excerpt from his poem:
My one maple tree was planted to
be the queen of the front yard.
Each year at this time she turns
yellow, then red, then brown.
Her perfect leaves
float downward, like feathers,
falling on the driveway, making
a dizzying unspecified pattern
as satisfying as can be.
In the secret garden lives
a princess, no kidding, that’s its
name, no competition has this bush
for the best place and the best
view in the garden. Beside it
In the cottage lives my daughter.
The princess unloads her deep
blue petals shamelessly,
leaving the ground
at her feet full of her gaudy
prettiness, a blue without
peer in all of California.
I’ve been caring for Dan’s gardens for so long that they feel almost a part of me, and to have them immortalized in poetry is a gift beyond compare. Thank you, Dan!
Want to see more of Dan’s garden? See his front garden here. | literature |
https://tll.mit.edu/optimize-your-mentoring-practice/ | 2023-12-11T13:10:35 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679511159.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20231211112008-20231211142008-00809.warc.gz | 0.871816 | 4,419 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__158374589 | en | Optimize Your Mentoring Practice
- Strong mentorship has been linked to increased productivity, self-efficacy, and career satisfaction in mentees, among other positive outcomes. However, few mentors and mentees have received formal training on how to be a more effective mentor or proactive mentee that communicates their needs to a mentor.
- Recommendations for how to improve mentorship relationships from the 2019 National Academies report, “The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM,” are detailed in the article.
On January 13, 2020, Dr. Christine Pfund, director of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented a talk on the science of effective mentorship as well as the 2019 National Academies Report “The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM,” which Dr. Pfund participated in creating as a committee member. Dr. Pfund’s work primarily focuses on STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine) subjects in an academic setting. However, the tools and strategies discussed during the seminar can also be applied to mentorship in other disciplines.
During the talk, Pfund began by defining mentorship as “a professional, working alliance in which individuals work together over time to support the personal and professional growth, development, and success of the relational partners through the provision of career and psychosocial support.” (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019). The term “mentorship” is used in place of “mentoring” to emphasize that mentorship is a working partnership between the mentor and mentee to support each other across different domains, rather than a relationship where the mentor is dominant.
Research on mentoring shows that strong mentorship has been linked to increased research productivity (Steiner & Lanphear, 2002; 2007; Wingard et al., 2004), enhanced science identity, sense of belonging and self-efficacy (Palepu et al., 1998; Garman et al., 2001; Paglic et al., 2006; Lopatto, 2007; Bland et al., 2009; Feldman et al., 2010; Cho et al., 2011; Chemers et al., 2011; Thiry & Laursen, 2011; Byars-Winston et al., 2015), persistence (Gloria et al., 2011; Solorzano, 1993; McGee & Keller, 2007; Sambunjak et al., 2010; Williams et al., 2015; Bordes-Edgar et al., 2011; Campbell & Campbell, 1997), higher career satisfaction (Schapira et al., 1992; Beech et al., 2013), and enhanced recruitment of underrepresented minorities (Hathaway et al., 2002; Nagda et al., 1998). Trainees in underrepresented groups, particularly, are less likely to receive support from their mentors (Noy & Ray, 2012). Although mentorship is not the only factor in mentee success, it is still a major determinant in the likelihood of success (Brunsma et al., 2017) and is often the most important yet most disappointing aspect of training for students (Katz & Harnett, 1976).
In a 2016 paper, Dr. Pfund and colleagues proposed five core categories of effective mentorship based on existing literature and factors shown to impact academic persistence. Those categories are:
- Research: learning technical skills, building research self-efficacy.
- Interpersonal: listening actively, aligning expectations, building trust in the relationship.
- Psychosocial and career: finding motivation, developing coping efficacy, developing science identity and belonging.
- Cultural responsiveness/diversity: advancing equity and inclusion, reducing the impact of bias and stereotype threat.
- Sponsorship: fostering independence, promoting professional development, establishing professional networks, advocating for one another.
Although the list of factors necessary for an effective mentorship might seem daunting, it is supposed to provide a framework for starting productive conversations between mentors and mentees. In an effective mentorship, mentees identify their needs and can express them to their mentor, while mentors assess which categories they are skilled in providing support and which categories they might need outside expertise to optimize the mentorship relationship. Not every mentee requires guidance in every category at any given time, and a mentor/mentee pair does not need to provide every category to each other. In effective mentorship relationships, a broad range of needs can be satisfied across a mentoring network.
Despite the importance of mentorship, many mentors and mentees have not received formal training (Balster et al., 2010). As a result, mentees may not know how to engage proactively with their mentor to express their needs, and many faculty mentors are not aware of or believe that the socioemotional functions are part of their mentorship role, such as creating a sense of belonging or demonstrating active listening during conversations with mentees (Laursen et al., 2010). Due to the lack of formal mentorship training, in recent years, there has been a lot of increased national focus on mentorship, with calls to action from the National Academies, National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Science Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation among others for optimizing mentorship relationships in academic training.
Optimizing Mentorship Practices
Building on over a decade of work by Dr. Pfund and colleagues, the seminar focused on two sides of optimizing mentorship practices: mentor training and mentee training.
Mentor training focuses on helping mentors learn skills to optimize mentorship relationships by working on competencies such as: aligning expectations, maintaining effective communication, assessing understanding, fostering independence and mentee research self-efficacy, addressing equity and inclusion, cultivating ethical behavior, promoting professional development, and fostering wellbeing. These competencies were adapted from organizational research and used to build a nationally recognized, process-based curriculum called Entering Mentoring that focuses on collective problem solving among mentors across a range of career stages and disciplines. This curriculum utilizes case studies built around common, real experiences that mentors and mentees face to show example strategies and provide resources to better assess how a mentorship is progressing, as every mentorship relationship will be unique. To study the effectiveness of the curriculum, a randomized control trial was conducted with mentors who went through six hours of the process-based curriculum compared to a control group, and this showed significant improvements in mentors’ skills in several competency areas, such as maintaining effective communication, aligning expectations for the mentorship, and assessing mentees’ understanding of research (Weber-Main et al., 2019).
Mentee training helps mentees learn the skills they need to proactively and effectively engage with mentors. These skills include thinking about what they are seeking from mentors, recognizing that effective mentoring is not just mentors guiding mentees but also mentees guiding mentors, understanding what core attributes they need from a mentor (i.e. identifying the specific needs a mentee needs from a mentor and assessing whether that mentor can meet the need), and learning about resources that help them build their skills as mentees. Like the mentor training curriculum, mentee training is designed using tested active learning exercises and case studies exploring these competencies. Examples of mentee training programs are:
- Entering Research curriculum, designed to “level the research playing field for undergraduate and graduate students,” particularly from underrepresented backgrounds, introducing them to the culture of research and the skills needed to navigate mentoring relationships successfully.
- Mentoring Up curriculum, developed for postdoctoral and junior faculty to help them navigate their careers and proactively manage their mentoring relationships.
To learn more about the curricula mentioned in this section, please visit the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) website here. CIMER also provides assessment services for institutions implementing mentoring education programs. This national data repository is used to analyze what mentorship strategies work for different populations in different contexts.
Resources for Mentorship Education
The National Academies report contains an online guide which covers a variety of topics around mentorship such as: functions of mentorship, how identities and disciplinary context affect mentorship in STEMM, the role of the institution, program assessment, and developing a culture of effective mentorship. Some other resources provided in the online guide include:
- Recommendations for how to create a culture of intentional, inclusive, and effective mentorship:
- Provided for all levels of participants, from individual mentors and mentees to institutional leadership (presidents, provosts, deans). Many of the recommendations are applicable to non-STEM disciplines as well
- Mentoring tools and examples for each:
- Individual development plans
- Mentoring plans
- Mentoring compacts
- Guidance for developing and managing mentorship programs:
- Mentorship education
- Program assessment
- Matching mentors and mentees
Additional mentorship resources mentioned during the seminar include:
- Curricula for Entering Mentoring, Entering Research, and Mentoring Up
- Tools for evaluating mentorship education
- Online mentor/mentee training programs, video case studies, self-paced mentor training
- Humanities PhD Project
- Resources for mentoring graduate students
- Council of Graduate Schools
- Resources for mentors, mentees, and institutions
Regardless of the specific role one plays in a mentorship ecosystem, whether as an institutional leader, program leader, department chair, mentor, or mentee, it is important to continue to engage in mentorship education and support the use of evidence-based approaches in mentorship. Program leaders should ensure that there are guidelines and tools for mentors and mentees to set clear expectations, engage in regular assessments, and participate in mentorship education.
Balster, N., Pfund, C., Rediske, R., & Branchaw, J. (2010). Entering research: A course that
creates community and structure for beginning undergraduate researchers in the STEM disciplines. CBE- Life Sciences Education, 9(2), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.09-10-0073
Beech, B. M., Calles-Escandon, J., Hairston, K. G., Langdon, S. E., Latham-Sadler, B. A., & Bell, R. A. (2013). Mentoring programs for underrepresented minority faculty in academic medical centers: a systematic review of the literature. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 88(4), 541–549. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e31828589e3
Bland, C. J., Taylor, A. L., Shollen, S. L., Weber-Main, A. M., & Mulcahy, P. A. (2009). Faculty success through mentoring: A guide for mentors, mentees, and leaders. R&L Education.
Bordes-Edgar, V., Arredondo, P., Kurpius, S. R., & Rund, J. (2011). A Longitudinal Analysis of Latina/o Students’ Academic Persistence. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 10(4), 358–368. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192711423318
Brunsma, D. L., Embrick, D. G., & Shin, J. H. (2017). Graduate Students of Color: Race,
Racism, and Mentoring in the White Waters of Academia. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 3(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649216681565
Byars-Winston, A. M., J. Branchaw, C. Pfund, P. Leverett, and J. Newton (2015). Culturally
diverse undergraduate researchers’ academic outcomes and perceptions of their research mentoring relationships. International Journal of Science Education 37(15), 2533–2554.
Campbell, T. A., & Campbell, D. E. (1997). Faculty/Student Mentor Program: Effects on Academic Performance and Retention. Research in Higher Education, 38(6), 727–742. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40196285
Chemers, M. M., E. L. Zurbriggen, M. Syed, B. K. Goza, and S. Bearman. (2011). The role of
efficacy and identity in science career commitment among underrepresented minority students. Journal of Social Issues, 67(3), 469–491.
Cho, C. S., Ramanan, R. A., & Feldman, M. D. (2011). Defining the ideal qualities of mentorship: a qualitative analysis of the characteristics of outstanding mentors. The American journal of medicine, 124(5), 453–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2010.12.007
Feldman, M. D., Arean, P. A., Marshall, S. J., Lovett, M., & O’Sullivan, P. (2010). Does mentoring matter: results from a survey of faculty mentees at a large health sciences university. Medical education online, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.3402/meo.v15i0.5063
Garman, K. A., Wingard, D. L., & Reznik, V. (2001). Development of junior faculty’s self-efficacy: outcomes of a National Center of Leadership in Academic Medicine. Academic medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 76(10 Suppl), S74–S76. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200110001-00025
Gloria, A. M., & Kurpius, S. E. (2001). Influences of self-beliefs, social support, and comfort in the university environment on the academic nonpersistence decisions of American Indian undergraduates. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 7(1), 88–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.7.1.88
Hathaway, R. S., B. A. Nagda, and S. R. Gregerman. (2002). The relationship of undergraduate
research participation to graduate and professional education pursuit: An empirical study. Journal of College Student Development, 43(5), 614–631.
Katz, J., & Hartnett, R. T. (1976). Recommendations for Training Better Scholars. In Scholars in the Making: The Development of Graduate and Professional Students, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger Publishing Company.
Laursen, S., E. Seymour, A. B. Hunter, H. Thiry, and G. Melton. 2010. Undergraduate research in the sciences: Engaging students in real science. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lopatto D. (2007). Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE-Life Sciences Education, 6(4), 297–306. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.07-06-0039
McGee, R., and J. L. Keller. (2007). Identifying future scientists: Predicting persistence into
research training. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 6(4), 316–331.
Nagda, B. A., S. R. Gregerman, J. Jonides, W. von Hippel, and J. S. Lerner. (1998).
Undergraduate student-faculty research partnerships affect student retention. Review of Higher Education, 22(1), 55–72.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). The Science of Effective
Mentorship in STEMM. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25568
Noy, S., & R. Ray, (2012). Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Their Advisors: Is There Systematic Disadvantage in Mentorship? The Journal of Higher Education, 83(6), 876-914. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2012.11777273
Paglis, L. L., Green, S. G., & Bauert, T. N. (2006). Does Adviser Mentoring Add Value? A Longitudinal Study of Mentoring and Doctoral Student Outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 47(4), 451–476. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40197412
Palepu, A., Friedman, R. H., Barnett, R. C., Carr, P. L., Ash, A. S., Szalacha, L., & Moskowitz, M. A. (1998). Junior faculty members’ mentoring relationships and their professional development in U.S. medical schools. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 73(3), 318–323. http://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199803000-00021
Pfund, C., Byars-Winston, A., Branchaw, J., Hurtado, S., and Eagan, K. (2016). Defining
attributes and metrics of effective research mentoring relationships. AIDS and Behavior, 20, 238-248. PMID: 27062425
Sambunjak, D., Straus, S. E., & Marusić, A. (2006). Mentoring in academic medicine: a systematic review. JAMA, 296(9), 1103–1115. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.296.9.1103
Schapira, M. M., Kalet, A., Schwartz, M. D., & Gerrity, M. S. (1992). Mentorship in general internal medicine: investment in our future. Journal of general internal medicine, 7(2), 248–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02598026
Solorzano, D.G. (1993). The Road to the Doctorate for California’s Chicanas and Chicanos: A Study of Ford Foundation Minority Fellows. CPS Report.
Thiry, H., and S. Laursen. 2011. The role of student-advisor interactions in apprenticing
undergraduate researchers into a scientific community of practice. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(6), 771–784.
Weber-Main A., Shanedling J., Kaizer A., Connett J., Lamere M., El-Fakahany E. (2019). A
randomized controlled pilot study of the University of Minnesota mentoring excellence training academy: A hybrid learning approach to research mentor training. Clinical and Translational Science. 1-13.
Williams, M. M., & George-Jackson, C. (2014). Using and doing science: Gender, self-efficacy, and science identity of undergraduate students in STEM. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 20(2).
Wingard, D. L., K. A. Garman, and V. Reznik. 2004. Facilitating faculty success: Outcomes and
cost benefit of the UCSD National Center of Leadership in Academic Medicine. Academic Medicine 79(suppl. 10), S9–S11.
Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Christine Pfund, Ph.D. is a senior scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW). Dr. Pfund earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, followed by post-doctoral research in Plant Pathology, both at University of Wisconsin-Madison. For almost a decade, Dr. Pfund served as the Associate Director of the Delta Program in Research, Teaching, and Learning and the co-Director of the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching helping to train future faculty to become more effective teachers. Dr. Pfund is now conducting research with several programs across the UW campus including the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Her work focuses on developing, implementing, documenting, and studying interventions to optimize research mentoring relationships across science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM).
Dr. Pfund co-authored the original Entering Mentoring curriculum and co-authored many papers documenting the effectiveness of this approach. Dr. Pfund is the principal investigator of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) Coordination Center. She is also director of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experience in Research at UW-Madison (CIMER). She is a member of the National Academies committee that recently published the consensus report and online guide, The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM. | literature |
https://www.thefamilyfreestylers.com/places-to-stay-old-lighthouse-upper-lundy-island/ | 2018-03-18T21:25:46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257646176.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20180318204522-20180318224522-00318.warc.gz | 0.922959 | 375 | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-13__0__49139573 | en | I’ve hankered to stay in a lighthouse since I was a young girl, my nose buried in countless Famous Five novels. I still can’t think of a more exciting prospect of bedding down for the night, perched on a blustery headland, the rough seas lashing salty spray against the windowpanes.
My childhood wish was finally realised, amid the blowy Atlantic westerly winds on our recent stay in the charming Old Lighthouse Upper on Lundy Island.
And although the salty sea spray didn’t exactly reach our windows, waking every morning to the chatter of bird song, the baahing of contented sheep, and the thundering waves crashing far below, Old Lighthouse – you didn’t disappoint. Rather you’ve hooked me.
If you’re seeking adventure, have a thirst for the outdoors, and love wildlife, I strongly recommend a visit to Lundy. And, if you want it to be a memory that lasts forever, one of those special ingrained warm memories that make you feel fuzzy inside, book one of the Landmark’s exceptional properties, and be one of the few when the boat leaves. You’ll be in paradise.
Old Lighthouse Upper sleeps 5, no dogs allowed, and costs from £267 for a two-night stay. Book well ahead as Lundy is very popular even in Winter. You can book 2-3 years in advance!
You can also camp on Lundy (National Trust members can camp for free!).
Have you been to Lundy? I’d love to hear your stories and which accommodation you stayed in. (I’m longing to try out Tibbets next, the old signal and watch station and the remotest property of the island with no electricity!) | literature |
https://www.elitehealthclub.com.au/post/how-many-sets-and-reps-for-hypertrophy-bodybuilding | 2024-04-13T00:22:29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816465.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20240412225756-20240413015756-00120.warc.gz | 0.948467 | 840 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__191285 | en | Hypertrophy bodybuilding is a popular training method aimed at maximising muscle growth and size. One of the most common questions among trainers and bodybuilders is how many sets and reps are ideal for achieving hypertrophy. In this article, we'll review studies and evidence-based recommendations on the optimal number of sets and reps for hypertrophy bodybuilding.
What is Hypertrophy Bodybuilding?
Hypertrophy bodybuilding is a form of resistance training that focuses on stimulating muscle growth and size. This is typically achieved by performing exercises that target specific muscle groups, such as the chest, back, legs, and arms. To achieve hypertrophy, the body must undergo a process of muscle damage, repair, and growth, which is achieved through progressively challenging resistance training.
How Many Sets and Reps for Hypertrophy?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how many sets and reps are ideal for hypertrophy bodybuilding. The ideal number of sets and reps can vary depending on factors such as fitness level, training program, and individual goals. However, recent studies provide some evidence-based recommendations on the topic.
Sets and Reps for Hypertrophy
A review of studies published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that performing 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise, using a variety of exercises targeting multiple muscle groups, is effective for increasing muscle size and strength in both novice and advanced lifters. They suggest that performing more than 5 sets per exercise may provide marginal additional benefits but may also increase the risk of overtraining and injury.
Another study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that performing multiple exercises targeting the same muscle group in a single workout session (i.e., a "muscle group" training split) was more effective for increasing muscle size and strength than performing a single exercise per muscle group in each workout (i.e., a "total body" training split).
Progressive Overload for Hypertrophy
While the number of sets and reps is important for hypertrophy, progressive overload is also crucial for continued growth and adaptation. Progressive overload refers to gradually increasing the resistance (weight) lifted over time to continue challenging the muscles and stimulating growth. This can be achieved by increasing the weight lifted, the number of sets and reps performed, or the frequency of training sessions.
Recovery and Nutrition for Hypertrophy
Finally, it's important to note that proper recovery and nutrition are also essential for hypertrophy. Adequate rest between training sessions and adequate sleep are necessary for the body to repair and grow muscle tissue. A well-balanced diet with adequate protein intake is also crucial for providing the building blocks necessary for muscle growth.
In conclusion, the ideal number of sets and reps for hypertrophy bodybuilding is typically 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise, using a variety of exercises targeting multiple muscle groups.
This approach provides a balance between training volume and intensity and has been shown to be effective for increasing muscle size and strength in both novice and advanced lifters. However, it's important to individualise training programs based on goals, fitness level, and preferences and to prioritise progressive overload, recovery, and nutrition for continued progress and adaptation.
If you're looking to achieve the best results with your hypertrophy bodybuilding program, working with an ELITE personal trainer can be highly beneficial. Our personal trainers will provide individualised guidance and support, helping you to develop a program that is tailored to your specific goals, fitness level, and preferences. Our coaches can also help you to maintain proper form and technique during exercises, reducing the risk of injury and maximising the effectiveness of your workouts. Additionally, an ELITE coach can help you to stay motivated and accountable, providing the encouragement and support you need to stay on track and achieve your goals.
Whether you're a beginner or an advanced lifter, working with an ELITE personal trainer can help you to optimise your training program and achieve the best possible results. Contact us today to learn more. | literature |
http://karijocook.tumblr.com/page/3 | 2014-08-30T16:11:25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500835505.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021355-00094-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.965893 | 996 | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2014-35__0__181278613 | en | I’m always soft for you, that’s the problem. You could come knocking on my door five years from now and I would open my arms wider and say ‘come here, it’s been too long, it felt like home with you.’
The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them — words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they’re brought out. But it’s more than that, isn’t it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That’s the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a tellar but for want of an understanding ear.
It hurts to let go. Sometimes it seems the harder you try to hold on to something or someone the more it wants to get away. You feel like some kind of criminal for having felt, for having wanted. For having wanted to be wanted. It confuses you, because you think that your feelings were wrong and it makes you feel so small because it’s so hard to keep it inside when you let it out and it doesn’t coma back. You’re left so alone that you can’t explain. Damn, there’s nothing like that, is there? I’ve been there and you have too. You’re nodding your head.
—Henry Rollins, The Portable Henry Rollins (via observando)
There’s all this bullshit going around about wanting to be missed at 3AM. That is crap. I don’t want you to miss me at 3AM. I want you to miss me when you wake up in the morning after dreaming about me, missing the days when I wasn’t
justin your dreams. I want you to miss me when you take a look at your phone and realize you can’t call me or talk to me like you used to. I want you to miss me when you’re drunk and stumbling through the room, wishing I was there for you to look for. I want you to miss me when you’re out and you walk past someone who smells like me or has the same color eyes as me. I want you to miss me when my favorite song comes on. I want you to miss me when you’re with your friends, realizing that you’d rather be with me. I want you to miss me when you gaze at your empty hands, missing my touch.
ThenI want you to miss me when you’re still awake at 3AM and you’re lonely without me there to hold you. I want you to miss me in every waking hour, not just when it’s after midnight and the loneliness forces you to think about all that went wrong. I want you to miss me every waking hour; I want you to miss me the way I miss you.
Home’s the place we head for in our sleep.
—Louise Erdrich, from “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” (via litverve)
I love being horribly straightforward. I love sending reckless text messages (because how reckless can a form of digitized communication be?) and telling people I love them and telling people they are absolutely magical humans and I cannot believe they really exist. I love saying, Kiss me harder, and You’re a good person, and, You brighten my day. I live my life as straight-forward as possible.
Because one day, I might get hit by a bus.
Maybe it’s weird. Maybe it’s scary. Maybe it seems downright impossible to just be—to just let people know you want them, need them, feel like, in this very moment, you will die if you do not see them, hold them, touch them in some way whether its your feet on their thighs on the couch or your tongue in their mouth or your heart in their hands.
But there is nothing more beautiful than being desperate.
And there is nothing more risky than pretending not to care.
We are young and we are human and we are beautiful and we are not as in control as we think we are. We never know who needs us back. We never know the magic that can arise between ourselves and other humans.
We never know when the bus is coming. | literature |
http://letspraytoday.com/speaking/sue-cameron/ | 2017-12-18T03:05:40 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948604248.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218025050-20171218051050-00351.warc.gz | 0.983151 | 162 | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-51__0__66592029 | en | Sue and her husband, Craig, have been married 29 years. They live in El Paso, TX, where Craig works as an Orthopedic Oncologist. Sue is a Bible teacher, speaker and author. Over the last twenty years, her writing has appeared in Christian magazines such as Focus on the Family as well as in secular newspapers and devotional books. She enjoys worshiping through dance and drama, mentoring younger women, and being called “Grammy.”
Sue shares, “One of my favorite things is speaking with women about loving their husbands. Understanding our own husband’s need for our respect and for a satisfying sexual relationship within our marriage are vital components of a strong marriage.”
- You can read Sue’s blog here. | literature |
https://wherethemagichappensbook.com/ | 2019-08-23T07:43:17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027318011.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20190823062005-20190823084005-00117.warc.gz | 0.955821 | 992 | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-35__0__192629302 | en | For all those wanting more from life Caspar’s message is incredibly motivating, providing plain-speaking practical guidance mixed with an exhilarating tale of adventure. The book goes behind the scenes of how exactly the Craven family made their magical plan happen, and gives clear advice on how we can follow in their footsteps, before taking us on a fantastic voyage around the world in their boat Aretha.
– Sir Ranulph Fiennes
It’s a great story and the book is really really good. I was so impressed. It’s brilliant.
– Steve Wright, BBC Radio 2
A captivating book that you won’t want to put down!
Wow! What a captivating book! Right from the start, your vision, making it clear about your plans…not deviating from your goal.
The planning processes, the preparation (so much to consider) I have to admit I wasn’t aware that so much planning, training and prep was required. It was great to read about your vision, how you involved everyone, how you planned and ultimately achieved everything you set out to.
You have allowed us, as readers, an insight into such an epic, momentous journey all all that it involved. Your book was such a joy to read! I was delighted to hear the adventures of each and every one of you along the way.
Congratulations on such an amazing read – I hope to read more books by you in the not too distant future!
If you do not want your life to change for the better then do not read this book.
If you do not want your life to change for the better then do not read this book and do not attend any workshops delivered by Caspar Craven. I did this week and I’ve been inspired to build high performing & happy teams which will create life changing experiences.
Through the medium of adventure along this round the world sailing trip Caspar reminds you why you must act now to realise your dreams and why and how you must ensure that you are bringing you team (be it family, friends, or business colleagues) with you.
– Ben Pullen
A masterpiece… an incredible personal development and business book all told through the lens of a gripping real life transformation and adventure story.
– Dr John Demartini – bestselling author of The Values Factor
Truly inspirational. Lessons for life and business in team work, grit, courage and delivering on the vision.
This book arrived on Saturday am – and it took up all my free time until I finished it on Monday evening. At first glance, you think it’s going to be a heart-warming tale about a family coping with all matter of adventure and adversity sailing round the world. And for those, looking for that, you won’t be disappointed. But it also cuts far deeper.
The lessons shared are relatable to business and family – and will inspire and compel you to make changes. Not necessarily changes as significant as selling up and sailing round the world (but for those looking to do that, it’s packed with knowledge and resources, so that may happen too!) – but certainly changes in thinking and mindset. I’m an avid reader of business books, and yet, this story has compelled me in a very short time to take more action than many I read.
The values piece for family was something I’ve never even thought of – and it’s something both my husband and I are behind. The other key takeaway for me was the belief and conviction that it really is necessary to make a life on your terms and doing what you want. As Caspar reminds us, we are here for a heartbeat in this amazing world. And yet, we are often shackled to routine and conforming to the ‘norms’.
Great story, great impact, incredible courage and determination and team work. Well done Cravens. Truly inspirational. I look forward to watching what happens next.
– Michelle Carvill
If you want to live your best life possible – read this now.
The sun shone all weekend yet I had my head firmly in Caspar’s awe inspiring book, staying up well past my normal Sunday night bedtime just so I could read to the end. I have the pleasure in knowing Caspar and have already benefited from his wisdom and direction both with my small business and personally with my family and daughter. That’s what I love so much about this book, whether you are a budding entrepreneur, sailing aficionado or just want to make sure you and your family are living the best possible life, there is so much to learn here. I would highly recommend it and look forward to putting into action some of the guidance offered to create my own adventure!
– Hillary Williams
© Caspar Craven 2018 | literature |
https://academic.copernicus.ltd/article?article_id=2075787 | 2022-08-12T13:11:05 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571692.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20220812105810-20220812135810-00127.warc.gz | 0.899298 | 547 | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-33__0__89019532 | en | Original ArticleThe Incidence of Subsequent Surgery After Outpatient Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
Review articleOpen access
2016/08/01 Full-length article DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2016.01.039
Journal: Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery
PurposeTo quantify the incidence and risk factors associated with subsequent shoulder procedures in individuals undergoing outpatient arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).MethodsWe examined the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative Systems outpatient database from 2003 through 2014 to identify patients undergoing isolated ARCR with or without concomitant acromioplasty. Patients were longitudinally followed up for a minimum of 2 years to determine the incidence of subsequent ipsilateral shoulder surgery. The impact of age, sex, insurance, concomitant acromioplasty, and tobacco use on reoperation was explored.ResultsBetween 2003 and 2012, 30,430 patients underwent isolated ARCR. The mean age was 56.6 ± 11.5 years, and 55.1% were male patients. A total of 1,826 patients (6.0%) underwent subsequent ipsilateral outpatient shoulder surgery a mean of 24.3 ± 27.1 months after the initial ARCR. Of patients who underwent repeat surgery, 57.3% underwent a revision cuff repair. Patients who underwent additional outpatient shoulder surgery were significantly younger (53.7 ± 10.9 years v 56.8 ± 11.5 years, P < .001). Tobacco use was associated with an increased rate of subsequent surgery (7.3% v 5.9%, P = .044) and accelerated time to reoperation (16.9 months v 24.7 months, P < .001). Independent risk factors for subsequent ipsilateral surgery after initial ARCR were presence of a Workers' Compensation claim (odds ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.89-2.36; P < .001) and initial ARCR without acromioplasty (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.34; P < .001).ConclusionsWe identified a 6.0% incidence of repeat ipsilateral surgery after isolated ARCR. Although reasons for reoperation are likely multifactorial, younger age, Workers' Compensation claim, and absence of acromioplasty at the time of initial ARCR remained independent predictors of subsequent outpatient procedures, whereas a history of tobacco use was associated with accelerated time to subsequent surgery.Level of EvidenceLevel III, retrospective comparative study.
Request full text | literature |
https://www.elibellarts.com/about | 2023-09-22T19:26:34 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233506421.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20230922170343-20230922200343-00523.warc.gz | 0.973122 | 142 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__120024004 | en | A storyteller at heart...
Whether through art, writing, theater, dance, music, or a combination thereof, ultimately I tell stories. Each method of storytelling informs the rest. Even my work as a Shiatsu practitioner influences my art. It has taught me that presence is the root of all healing.
This has inspired me to return to art with a focus on moments of connection, often as a means of processing aspects of my own life. I view creative expression as an opportunity for personal growth, meditation, expression, and healing.
My hope is that my work lets people feel seen, heard, and understood. May it inspire people to see the beauty that exists within and around them. | literature |
http://tedxsantamonica.com/pdf/us/book/1291729643/bluestone-vine-donna-kauffman-pdf-download | 2018-09-21T19:20:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267157503.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20180921190509-20180921210909-00528.warc.gz | 0.984513 | 370 | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-39__0__118703587 | en | She's done it again! Oh man, Donna Kauffman is on a roll, people! Take note. First, this book grabbed my attention because it's about the rough yet flirty Seth. He's the one we had dreams about when he popped up in the previous Blue Hollow Falls book.
Seth has this effortless charm and when Pippa comes along it draws her in just like it did me! She is looking for a quiet place to heal her voice and work on overcoming the fear of performing. Seth might not have known it upon first meeting, but he was looking for someone to do more than flirt with-- and he gets it. Pippa satisfies him, if you know what I mean. Even more, she brings peace to the community.
At first I kind of thought she was being too pushy, but I realized that through building this relationship with such a small community she was pushing herself through the fear. I really liked the vulnerability of both Pippa and Seth in that respect. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, then stop reading my review and go read the book!!! I'm not spoiling a thing! It's too good not to read for yourself.
Bluestone and Vine is the second Blue Hollow Falls book by Donna Kauffman, and I love how the story just keeps giving.
Seth Brogan is tending to his animals and getting his vines ready for spring when his sister tells him that she’s swapped houses with someone from Ireland, except she swapped his house for the singer to stay while she recovers from over use of her voice. The first meeting between Pippa and Brogan sparks fly even in the cold, snowy weather.
You’ll enjoy this book as much or more than the first. I know I did! | literature |
http://birthfaith.org/midwives/hopes-birth-the-right-words | 2017-03-30T00:52:00 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218191444.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212951-00493-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.989122 | 2,283 | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-13__0__143681673 | en | That’s when I dropped my pants.
Funny how few circumstances there are when going bottom-less in front of other human beings is totally appropriate, but childbirth is one of them. I was ready to get in the tub. So I settled into the warm water, my husband held my hand, and Cherise knelt beside us and started pouring water over my belly. A few moments later, Mary came and stood at the foot of the tub. She must have known somehow that I was still feeling guilty about giving birth on Christmas, and she knew I needed a way to let that guilt go. The words she said to me… oh those words… those beautiful, beautiful words. Perhaps I’m not quoting her exactly right, but she looked straight into my eyes and said words very similar to this:
There is no greater gift to God’s service than what we’re doing right here right now.
As soon as her message penetrated my heart, it was as though the guilt instantly released its grip on me, and I began to cry. It was a massive, monumental, beautiful release. I sobbed, “Thank you…” and Mary didn’t skip a beat before responding, “Thank YOU.” Cherise and Mary both encouraged me to cry and let it out. This was the first time I had ever cried in labor, and it felt good. Releasing those trapped negative emotions allowed my body to move forward, and the contractions became even stronger.
As Cherise poured water over my belly, she would periodically say positive words, such as, “Opening. Releasing.” I’m not sure if it was her words that reminded me, but as I lay in the water, I remembered a story I had read a day or two prior in Ina May’s Birth Matters. She told of a woman whose cervix had opened a significant amount (while Ina May was doing a vaginal exam in labor) simply because the woman had declared, “I just want to open up and have this baby!” Ina May explained: “When I told her what I was feeling, her joy at hearing this enabled her to open even more” (p. 29).
In this birth more than any of my previous four births I saw how intimately intertwined our bodies and minds are, especially during childbirth. After remembering Ina May’s story, I started thinking to myself, “I am opening. I am opening.” Almost without fail when I would say those words to myself, I would have a contraction. Whenever the labor seemed to be slowing down, I simply had to say to myself, “I am opening,” and inevitably things would pick back up again. I really felt like I was in control, like the pace of the labor was up to me, and that things could go as gently or quickly as I wished.
As things moved along, it was as though I would come to an emotional roadblock, and as I came to each roadblock, the right words would be spoken to me, usually by Cherise. My birth attendants were so exquisitely attuned to my process and my needs. It was incredible to hear exactly what I needed without even having to tell them what I was feeling. They just knew. I didn’t say a word of what was going on in my heart, but they knew. Each time this happened, their words would bring me to tears, and I would release the emotion that had been holding me back, and the labor would pick up and progress again. And then I would cry even more out of gratitude to them for the gift of those words.
As I soaked in the tub, I remember thinking that it felt like we had been there all day… that hours and hours and hours had passed. Time passes strangely when you’re in laborland. I asked my husband what time it was, and I remember being surprised that it was still morning. Some time after 10:00 a.m. It was around this time that they started pumping me full of herbal labor tea and coconut water. From this point on, someone was always putting a cup with a bendy straw in front of my face, saying, “Drink some more.”
Eventually I started feeling restless, so I announced that I wanted to get out of the tub. They wrapped me in towels and helped me climb out. I remember at that moment, Kelly started to say something like, “Do you want to sit on the toilet?” But Mary quickly stopped her and said, “Just do whatever your body tells you to do.” I did need to pee, and the toilet was close-by, so I sat right down. Getting my body upright and sitting on the toilet led to some pretty intense contractions, so I stayed put for awhile, moaning and gripping tightly to my husband when the intense waves rolled through me.
It was soon after this that my daughter came into the room, like my angel in Gethsemane, to give me strength for the finish. She asked me, “Are you OK, Mom?” And I quickly told her, “Yes.” Feeling her loving touches and her tender empathic energy was so beautiful. I was completely surrounded by love and support. I had never felt so protected, respected, and free in labor before. Once again I was in tears. Gratitude and pain mingled together and dripped down my cheeks as I sobbed and moaned through a few contractions. And Mary wiped my tears with a warm washcloth.
After a bit, I started to feel restless again, like I needed to do something different. I stood up. Mary said, “Yes, just do whatever you feel you want to do.” But I sort of looked around undecidedly, feeling a bit confused, and said, “I don’t know what I want…” Once again, she looked me right in the eyes and said, “Oh, but I think you do.” Instantly, she gave my power back to me. It was exactly the right thing to say. I went from feeling confused and frazzled one moment to feeling strong and courageous the next. I walked determinedly into the bedroom. I wanted darkness and privacy again.
After a few contractions standing and swaying, I lay on the bed, facing my husband. Cherise came in again and rubbed my feet. Things slowed down again for a bit, which was fine with me. At this point, I was so exhausted. Part of me felt like it was never going to end. But I said to my husband, “This won’t last forever, right?” He said, “Nope. It won’t.” I told him, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I can’t remember what he said in response, but I think it was something excellent like, “You’re doing so great. I’m so proud of you.” At some point as we lay there in the dark, I heard Cherise pulling something out of my birth bag, and just moments later I felt her drape something over my body. Oh, my dear Cherise, I thought… You remembered. It was my white scarf, and I had forgotten about it. As I lay there, feeling like I couldn’t do it any more, she knew exactly what I needed. Under His wings you will find refuge. It was a tangible reminder that I was safe and supported and that everything would be fine.
Mary encouraged me to eat. She said that sometimes the body just needs to refuel so it can produce those strong end-of-labor contractions. I told her I was actually feeling pretty nauseous (which told me I was probably moving into transition), but I ate a date and some crackers, and Mary made a smoothie with oatmeal, dates, and powdered greens (sounds gross, but it actually tasted pretty good). After drinking and eating, I needed to use the bathroom again, so back to the toilet we went. Then I tried the birth sling for a bit. Then I stood up. Then I got that sickening feeling no one likes to feel, promptly turned around, and heaved the contents of my stomach into the toilet… over and over and over. Wow. Never done that in labor before. So much for refueling, I guess.
Cherise told me that it was around this point that Mary asked if she had any peppermint oil, so she grabbed some as well as some Ylang Ylang, and rubbed it on my arms. She says I inhaled deeply and seemed to take comfort in the scent. I sat back down on the toilet, and they helped me wipe the vomit off my face, asking if I wanted some water to wash out my mouth. But I was so out-of-it that I just shook my head.
At this point I think I started crying again. But this time it was because I was so incredibly tired and didn’t want to feel the pain anymore. Mary was kneeling on the floor in front of me, and I told her, “I just want to be done.” But even as I said the words, there was still a part of me holding back, still a part of me that was afraid to let my baby out of my body, worried about what the future would hold.
My eyes were closed as I leaned on my husband, but I heard Cherise’s voice next to me:
Remember… you’re under His wings. Right now, two hours from now, two days from now, two months from now, two years from now.
The right words. The perfect words.
And the tears erupted again, and I released the fear.
I was ready.
I stood up, and I got in the sling.
Once I told my body I was ready, I knew she would come. And she did.
I wailed as I felt Hope descend deeper and deeper, opening me wider and wider. It hurt so bad, but I was so ready for it to be over that the pain just made me push harder. Mary said the amniotic sack was hanging down between my legs. Then it burst, and I felt her head stretching me, crowning. I start breathing through pursed lips, little breaths, easing through the ring of fire. And then her head was out, and her slippery body followed. And I felt like I had never been so relieved before in my life.
She didn’t make a sound. Not even a tiny cry. She just started breathing, calm as can be. It was 11:54 a.m.
Our Hope was here. Our first Christmas gift of the year, and our best Christmas gift of all time. | literature |
http://fhmin.org/groups | 2013-05-26T04:58:04 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706628306/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121708-00050-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.931406 | 168 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__31745311 | en | Fair Haven Ministries
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Fueling a Passion for God
Small Groups at Fair Haven are one of the best ways to connect, meet new friends, find belonging, and experience life in community with others. If you are interested in meeting new people, growing in friendships and in your faith, you might consider joining or starting a small group.
Join a Group: If you are interested in joining a small group, please email Pastor Greg and let him know.
Small Group Leaders: click here for resources to use in leading your group.
Study Guides are available from the First Love: Ephesians Message Series . You can use these guides for your small group, for your family, or individually.
Study Guides are available from the Radical Together Message Series based on the book by David Platt. | literature |
https://brittanycharris.com/2020/07/13/giving-up-my-lives/ | 2023-06-08T22:30:41 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224655143.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608204017-20230608234017-00503.warc.gz | 0.96899 | 1,620 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__190480327 | en | I have another blog that I’m working on, but I had to get this out! I’ll finish that one later, but this was burning in my heart. And y’all know I use this blog to process and share.
I’m in this season where God is pruning and pruning and picking and sharpening and molding and challenging, etc. It’s been a tough spot. Not even gonna lie or sugarcoat it. It is what it is. I had an entire temper tantrum. I was mad like, “God. What else do you want?! Haven’t I grown? Haven’t I made progress in that area? Can we not do this?” Y’all. I had a whole moment. Like crying and everything. If I could have, I would have thrown my body on the floor and start kicking and screaming. But I’m in my 30s so that’s not a good look.
Anyway- God is showing me one simple truth. My life doesn’t belong to me. Now, I know that in theory. I sing it in worship all the time. And honestly, I gave up my life to God. Well, some of my life. See, what I’m coming to realize right now is that I have multiple lives. Like a cat, but not. Essentially, there are different aspects and shades of my life. And some of them I’ve turned over to God. Those are the ones that are toxic and not in line with the Word of God or those things that are not becoming of a Christian.
I mean, in the grand scheme of things, those were the ones that were easy to give up. They made sense! Yup! I stopped drinking and sleeping around, etc, etc. That made sense to give up. I even went as far as to go into ministry. Got ordained as a minister. Made sense! Ooo! even further- I moved across the country (8 hours drive) away from my family and my friends and the life I knew to obey and follow God. I gave up my life!
But there are other lives, or aspects of my life, that God has His finger on that I haven’t given up yet. Some of them are hidden in the recesses of my subconscious but others I guess I didn’t see the harm in it. What I do with my free time, what hobbies I like, how I use social media as an outlet, who I connect with… As long as these things don’t oppose what God requires, it’s fine, right?
It’s not fine. Why? Because those “lives” aren’t mine either. I’ve been fighting to hold on to parts of me that I feel like I should be able to govern and control and make decisions about. But, how can I say that Jesus is Lord, but not allow Him to be Lord in EVERYTHING?
Lord – a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler; a person who exercises authority from property rights; an owner.Dictionary.com
We don’t like that word, control, but the reality of the matter is, when Jesus gave His life for us, He purchased our freedom. Our life now belongs to Him. We weren’t freed from sin into our own recognizance. We were freed into the lordship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, because He purchased our freedom, we belong to Him. EVERY PART OF OUR LIVES.
Paul made this point in a couple of different ways:
For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.Colossians 3:3
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.Galatians 2:20
Nothing in my life, and I mean nothing, belongs to me. And to be honest, this realization sucks. It sucks because it shows me where I don’t trust God. I want to hold on to the areas of my life that I want to control, the areas that I don’t want God to strip and the areas that I don’t know if He really will work in. That’s a hard thing to say, but it makes me realize that I have to give up my life, all of my lives, if I truly want Him to be Lord. I have to put my faith in His goodness and His trustworthiness and in His sovereignty.
I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. It’s going to require me to give up my time, my attitudes, my thought processes, my comforts, my desires (or lack thereof in some cases!) all in adoption of the life that He has designed for me. I have to give up my idea of what I thought my life would be like and instead embrace the one He’s painting for me. I have to stop fighting God’s way and let Him have His way in me. Thankful that the Holy Spirit is our helper and enables us to do those things that we couldn’t do in an of ourselves.
Today, I’m making the commitment to make Him Lord. My pastor says it this way, “Either He’s Lord of all or He’s not Lord at all.” I want Him to be Lord of all my lives to the point that there truly is only one life. That there are fragments and aspects of me that are divided. I want the message that I portray at all times is a reflection of my wholehearted trust in and devotion to God.
Father in the name of Jesus, I give you full control of my life. God, point out in me those areas that I haven’t invited you in. I want you to be Lord in my life. Not just in word, but in deed. Holy Spirit, help me to relinquish full control. Help me to trust beyond what I can understand. Help me to acknowledge in all my way. Show me that your ways are right and your ways are best. Give me the discipline to submit to you, even when it hurts. Even when I don’t want to. Even when my desires pull me away from your will. Form your will in me until it becomes my own. I lay down my life, all of them, and take up the cross that you gave me. Your word say that if anyone hold on to their life, they would lose it but if they give up their life for your sake, they would find it. God, as I commit to lay down my all aspects of my life today, help me to find my life in you. Help me to find my satisfaction in you and the things you have for me. Help me to find my identity and my security in you and you alone. In your plans, in your call, in your purpose and in your timing for my life. I submit and I devote to you again. Thank you for doing your work in me. You be glorified in my life.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
I hope that my musing and my processing helps someone to understand what God has for us. This walk isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s worth it! If I can pray with you in any way or be a support or an encouragement, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
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https://cevios.com/foucauldian-discourse-analysis-moving-beyond-a-social-constructionist-analytic/ | 2023-09-28T05:06:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510358.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230928031105-20230928061105-00213.warc.gz | 0.895118 | 11,616 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__225682561 | en | Foucauldian Discourse Analysis: Moving Beyond a Social Constructionist Analytic
Although social constructionism (SC) and Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA) are well established constructionist analytical methods, this article propose that Foucauldian discourse analysis is more useful for qualitative data analysis as it examines social legitimacy. While the SC is able to illuminate how the “meaning” of our social action is constructed through our everyday interaction in socio-cultural and political contexts, questions emerge that are beyond the scope of the SC. These questions are concerned with understanding how the construction of “meaning” is connected to the power imbalance in our society, as well as how a particular version of reality comes to us as truth, having excluded other versions. Moreover, SC does not distinguish between successful and unsuccessful/marginalized claims. This article reflects on how using FDA addresses weaknesses in SC when used in qualitative data analysis, using specific examples from different literature.
Keywords: social constructionism, Foucauldian discourse analysis, qualitative data analysis, poststructuralism, power/knowledge
Qualitative data analysis is shaped by the presence of researchers’ own insights and experiences in terms of his or her class, gender, sex, race, ethnicity, and other identities, regardless of analytical method. Although some researchers view the researcher’s presence as a pressing challenge (Kahlke, 2014; Staller, 2013), this article argue that this contributes to the beauty and strength of qualitative inquiry because qualitative researchers analyze how people interpret their social world or reality, which is a meaning-making process (Nowell et al., 2017). The purpose of qualitative research is to analyze how people understand, experience, interpret, and construct the social world (Bhatasara et al., 2013). Qualitative research is thus interpretative and grounded in the living experiences of people (Erlingsson & Brysiewicz, 2013, 2017; Marshall & Rossman, 2014; Yilmaz, 2013). Instead of analyzing a fixed, pre-established, and pre-determined social reality, qualitative researchers observe the social world, knowledge, meanings, and notions of reality as contingent and dynamic in order to understand the socio-culturally constructed meaning of the individuals’ experiences. As people experience themselves through the mediation of language, culture, symbols, and networks of meaning, this complexity of human lives or experiences must be navigated by the qualitative researcher at different stages of research, including data analysis (Nowell et al., 2017). Brinkmann (2014) used the term, “dilemma” for interpretive enquiry which is driven by astonishment, mystery, and breakdowns in one’s understanding, as well as “black holes” in understanding of phenomena (St. Pierre & Jackson, 2014). As noted by Teman, who embarked on qualitative research methods after a long period of working with quantitative methods, “It was a beautiful moment. I felt freed, liberated, and unshackled” (Teman & Lahman, 2019, p. 57). Lastly, but not least, qualitative research produces knowledge obtained from self-reflection rather than casual analysis, inferences from numerical data, measurement, and techniques (Agger, 1991; Khan, 2018; Khan & Raby, 2020). As a consequence of the researcher’s interpretive role, data analysis in qualitative research is intertwined with varied ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues and contexts (James, 2013; Mykhalovskiy et al., 2018; Nowell et al., 2017). The decision of choosing a qualitative data analytic (e.g., thematic analysis, thematic decomposition analysis (DA), content analysis, grounded theory, discourse/critical discourse analysis, constant comparative method or analysis) is also influenced by how data are socially produced and collected, as well as the purposes and context of the study. Whatever the design, purposes, and analytic of qualitative research, it heralds scholarship that can move beyond “bare bone” descriptions and conventional assumptions of a problem under study (Mykhalovskiy et al., 2018). Social constructionist approaches (hereafter SC), as an analytical method, can uproot dominant or established structures by calling attention to subjective processes. However, they generally do not distinguish between successful claims (e.g., made by powerful/successful people) and unsuccessful/marginalized claims (e.g., the voice of heterosexual versus homosexual people). In contrast, Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (hereafter FDA) takes “power” into consideration in data analysis and can promote inaudible speakers as legitimate claimants (Cheek, 2004). The FDA approach also recognizes alternative forms of knowledge as legitimate and allows for consideration of power as circuitous with multiple sources and relations, rather than as something that is possessed. Thus, this approach promotes qualitative researchers to look for difference, absence, and local contexts rather than for similarity, presence, and universal contexts (Kaufmann, 2011). This article also argues that qualitative research using FDA could be an effective way in order to revisit “social legitimacy” (Denzin & Lincoln, 2008), by promoting questions about the establishment and structure of social conditions. This paper argues that compared with SC analysis, Foucauldian discourse analysis is a relatively useful analytical method for qualitative data analysis because it allows for the examination of social legitimacy and that this approach is particularly useful for policy analysis. The following sections of the paper provide a detailed overview of the historical origins and epistemological developments of SC and FDA. This article then reflects on the use of FDA in qualitative data analysis, drawing on examples in the literature.
Social Constructionism (SC): Theoretical Origins and Development
Social constructionism tells us about how we construct our knowledge or reality through our experiences derived from stories, histories or narratives what we deal with in our everyday lives. It is important to first distinguish between social constructivism and social constructionism, as the two terms are used sometimes interchangeably. Unlike social constructivism, which stresses individuals’ mind reflecting and representing the reality (e.g., radical or psychological constructivism), social constructionism focuses on individuals’ roles (e.g., interactions) (Galbin, 2014; Gubrium & Holstein, 2014). SC emerged from the collective influence of a number of North American, British, and continental writers approximately 30 years ago (Burr, 1995). It is derived from several intellectual or epistemological roots, such as existential phenomenological psychology, social history, hermeneutics, and social psychology (Galbin, 2014). In the early stages, the ideas of Gimbasttista Vico, Karl Marx, and Immanuel Kant reflected both social constructionist and constructivist constructs that included both individualistic (e.g., psychology) and collective (e.g., sociology) assumptions. Similarly, SC was also echoed in early sociologists’ writings, such as those of Emile Durkheim, Karl Mannheim, and W.I. Thomas (Conrad & Barker, 2010; Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005; Vance, 1991). Gradually, SC was then developed at the hand of Herbert Mead’s (1934) symbolic interactionism, Harold Garfinkel’s (1950s to 1960s) ethnomethodology, symbolic interactionists (e.g., Erving Goffman), and Blumer and Schutz’s phenomenology (Galbin, 2014; Gubrium & Holstein, 2014; Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005; Vance, 1991).Later, major contributions to SC were heralded by Berger and Luckmann (1966), “The Social Construction of Reality,” implying that human beings produce and sustain social phenomena together with the help of their social practices. This version of social reality that we can see is constructed through a system of socio-cultural and interpersonal interactions in our everyday life (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). According to Berger and Luckmann (1966), this happens through three levels of processes: externalization, objectivation, and internalization.In terms of externalization, people express words or actions, which in turn create artifacts or practices. For example, Bangladeshi people have the idea that sexuality outside of marriage is not normal, and externalize it by means such as telling stories, or writing books (Khan, 2018). Then, these expressions enter into the social world: other people retell the story, read the books, and reproduce the ideas (Burr, 1995). These expressions of ideas become an object of consciousness (objectivation)for people in that society and turned into a kind of factual existence of truth, as a natural, objective feature of the world (Burr, 1995). Finally, they internalize or make it part of their everyday practices and future generations are born into a world where these ideas already exist (Burr, 1995). Thus, Berger and Luckmann (1966) were concerned with the subjective and objective construction of meaning (Segre, 2016). For example, it is now natural for a Bangladeshi to think that that sex out of marriage is abnormal behavior. Thus, the world is socially constructed by people’s social practices and, at the same time, by peoples’ experiences by them as if the nature of their world is pre-given and fixed (Galbin, 2014). Essentially, knowledge is historically structured and embedded in cultural values and practices. As well, meanings are socially constructed via the interaction of people in their various encounters, so are always fluid and dynamic. In this context, the epistemology of social constructionism can be analyzed two ways: procedurally and reflexively. The procedural version underlines the interpretation and saturated meaning that constructs the world itself; the reflexive version recognizes the fuzziness of social interaction and considers reordering of knowledge of social world (Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005). In Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg’s analysis, they centralized “intentionality,” which denotes a close and active relationship between subject and object. In this framework, “meaning” is product of interaction, not merely created by the subject or object (Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005). Thus, self (e.g., individual identity) is the by-product of this interaction, which is socio-culturally, historically, and politically produced in a given context (e.g., society, social institutions). This is a relational self, therefore “individuals are relational beings that create constantly changing meanings in interaction with others” (Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005, p. 693).Berger and Luckmann’s project was followed by a German American sociologist, Burkart Holzner (1972), who received relatively less attention when he published a similar tone detailing “the social construction of reality.” He agreed with Berger and Luckmann (1966), as both were concerned with processes of reality construction (Conrad & Barker, 2010; Vance, 1991) and inspired by similar theoretical sources. Holzner (1972) shed light on the individuals’ experiences and interpretation of past and present reality, and anticipation of future reality, dealing with the shared symbolic and cognitive universe of meaning. However, Holzner differed from Berger and Luckmann (1966) in terms of his theoretical pursuits. While Berger and Luckmann (1966) ideas are focused on the construction of shared symbolic world, which is endowed with both objective and subjective reality, Holzner (1972) dealt with the social distribution and control of reality construction (Segre, 2016).SC has gained incredible popularity among the qualitative researchers (Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005; Kaufmann, 2011) because of its epistemological strengths, including its capacity of application and explanation of human being’s complex social experiences and actions. However, it has some pragmatic pitfalls, which we argue, create room for FDA approaches. Although SC embraces constructed realities, some have argued that it is still a modernist approach because it, in fact, rearticulates Enlightenment perspectives on knowledge, rationality, and truth to render these as relative (or perspectival), instead of facilitating an outright rejection of Enlightenment ideas (Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2016). Another challenge is that SC does not solicit unsuccessful, marginalized, untold, and unspoken voices/silences. Even though this approach challenges taken-for-granted ideas, it does not resist established power relations or structures, which we argue should be the heart of qualitative data analysis. It is argued that SC approaches merely analyze the surface meanings of action or text, such as simple cataloging and observation of patterns or categories, and miss critical dimensions of the reality (Lupton, 1992). In terms of meaning-making through interaction between an interviewer and participant in qualitative interview, for example, Gubrium and Koro-Ljungberg (2005) argue that during interviews, some “constructions” are produced, which help to maintain some patterns of social actions/practices and exclude other patterns. This inclusion/exclusion is reproduced in social constructionism.In contrast, FDA uses a “power lens” that may resist or disrupt the established constructions and inclusion/exclusion processes (Frost et al., 2010; Khan, 2017, 2018). Additionally, when using SC, the final product of an interview is an understanding of meaning. However, FDA allows room for further analysis because this perspective considers that meaning making processes cannot be suspended with the end of an interview. This process continues through different readings of the presented document in various socio-cultural contexts (Gubrium and Koro-Ljungberg, 2005). In relation to definitions and key roles of SC in qualitative data analysis, Burr (1995, pp. 2, 3) provided comprehensive, but precise explanations of how it can be utilized in qualitative data analysis. According to Burr (1995), social constructionism has still compelling appeal in qualitative data analysis because it is a critical stance toward taken-for-granted knowledge, and it challenges phenomena as taken-for-granted, implying that alleged objective facts are neither objectively knowable nor inevitable. It further explains the way we understand our world in terms of historical and cultural specification, and stresses that knowledge is produced and sustained through social processes, in which knowledge and social action also go together. Thus, SC approaches focus on how we make meaning about our everyday lives or knowledge production, in the context of symbols and institutions.
A Passage to Foucauldian Discourse Analysis: Origin and Development
Regardless of whether Foucauldian discourse analysis is conceptualized as poststructuralist or postmodernist, it is a constructionist approach because it focuses construction of meaning of social actions, practices, and a text using a lens of power relations (Agger, 1991; Burr, 1995; Hodges et al., 2008; Sharp et al., 2017). Scholars have argued that the epistemological roots of the FDA are derived from structuralism (Smith, 2010). In this section, the origins and development of structuralism and post-structuralism are highlighted in order to provide a historical and intellectual background for FDA. Against a backdrop of social movements and historical incidences in the West and beyond, including the May 1968 historical student movement at the Sorbonne in Paris, the second wave of feminism, the Vietnam war, and the American civil rights movement, poststructuralism emerged as an intellectual movement out of France in 1960s (Mann, 1994; Norris, 2002; Khan, 2018). This incidence challenged the historical legacy of a popular school of thought, that is, structuralism or structuralist reductionism, and introduced an understanding of the world through a lens of deconstruction (Khan, 2018; Khan & Raby, 2020). This transition from structuralism to poststructuralism had a profound influence on social thought and brought forward counterarguments against key aspects of humanism and the Enlightenment legacy (Agger, 1991).The idea of structuralism derived from the two leading scholars, linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss (Khan, 2018), who asserted that language and culture follow the same structural relation between subject and object (Han, 2013; Mann, 1994). This is a scientific view of language and culture, which suggests that a “center” or underlying system organizes and sustains a whole structure (Khan, 2018). It sees the overarching systems of structure organized around laws, rules, principles, individuals’ behavior, and practices (Norris, 2002). Thus, every system, such as culture, health, illness, language, and sexuality, has a structure governed by consistent rules and determining elements. In this sense, structures are real things that lie beneath appearances and that regulate and construct meaning. Epistemologically, therefore, structuralism sees the truth “behind” or “within” a text (Khan, 2018). By contrast, poststructuralism emphasizes the interaction between a reader and a text in terms of a context, implying that a text is not passive, but active in the production of meaning (Han, 2013). This notion is echoed in Roland Barthes (1967) expression: “the death of the author,” suggesting that a text is able to produce different meaning in view of different readers’ interpretations (Han, 2013). Thus, poststructuralism stresses critiques of the classical Cartesian conception of the unitary subject with mastery and control over language depending on a reader’s experiences (Mann, 1994) which may vary over time and across individuals because different individuals experience meaning differently in relation to their own knowledge (Agger, 1991).Through deconstruction, one of the pioneer ideas of poststructuralism, Derrida challenged the idea that one can determine the definite meaning of a text, having refused to accept the claim of a generalized and absolute conclusion. According to Derrida (1997), all texts lead to different and multiple interpretations. As well, meanings of texts are diffused rather than fixed or settled, and there is no absolute interpretation or truth. Thus, textuality always provides a surplus of possibilities (Khan, 2018). In this sense, we cannot stand outside of textuality to find objectivity because there is no “outside of the text” (Derrida, 1997, p. 158). Therefore, deconstruction raises the question of whether everything is depthless, loosely attached to concepts but not really proven. It brings out the hidden mechanisms behind systems to create transparency in order to harness awareness and deeper understanding for certain processes. In terms of analyzing texts or cultural practices, poststructuralist approaches assert that the author is destabilized or decentered, and the interpreters or readers are the focal point. Philosophically, this approach does not accept the totalizing (e.g., will of God), essentialist (e.g., there is reality or truth), and foundationalist (e.g., stable system) ideas. Instead, it holds that subjects (people, such as men or women) are culturally and discursively created and structured. So, in this view, reality is fragmented, diverse, multiple, tenuous, and culturally specific.Unlike modern enlightenment thoughts (e.g., Western humanism and reasons), poststructuralists assert that there is not a point of reference, no single truth, and no ultimate reality, but subjective, relative, and is a creation of human minds (Agger, 1991). Similarly, postmodernism provides nuance as well as basic and far-reaching critiques of the myth and illusions around modern thought, including the obsession in research with the scientific method, measurement, and generalizability (Smith, 2010). Historically and epistemologically, both—poststructuralism and postmodernism boarded in the same boat when French philosopher Jean François Lyotard (1979/1984) used the term in his book, entitled “The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge” (Agger, 1991). However, their geographical roots are different because postmodernism originated in America in the 1950s (Mann, 1994).Initially, Foucault was interested in the “analysis of systems,” such as health systems, sexuality, and governance (Mills, 2003). However, socio-political changes in Europe (the 1960s–1970s) directed his thinking from philosophical and psychological analysis (pre 1960s) to historical analysis (post-1960s). As a result, he was concerned with analyses of the production of knowledge and discourses, such now called Foucauldian archaeological analysis. This type of analysis is concerned with examining, based on history, the relations between different statements, the ways these systems are grouped together, and the conditions under which they emerge. Therefore, archaeological analysis does not offer an explanation of what happens in the past. Rather, it looks at the discursive conditions in which it happens. Foucault’s archaeology of knowledge is important in order to understand the later method of analysis: genealogy. After the 1960s, Foucault moved his attention to analysis of the internal structure of knowledge and discourses in terms of the processes of power relations (“power/knowledge”), and their impact on individuals or society as a whole. “The History of Sexuality” (1978) is a vivid example of Foucault’s genealogical analysis where he was concerned with functions of power and describing the “history of the present,” including the processes of how truth is formed and the conditions under which some utterances, statements, propositions, and a particular version of knowledge come to be seen as truth, rather than merely analyzing of truth. Accordingly, this truth-making process is a discursive process, in which power relations are embedded, and an individual engages in constructing his/her subjectivity (Waitt, 2005). In this context, Foucault sheds light on the “ontology of ourselves,” which brings “analytic gaze to the condition under which we, as individuals, exist and what causes us to exist in the way that we do” (Mills, 2003, p. 25). This analytic gaze of self-construction is a historical product in terms of ethical, political, and cultural values. In fact, Foucault combined historical analysis with psychological and philosophical analysis through the transition of archaeology to genealogy. He examines disciplinary knowledge in terms of its historicity, and via this epistemological and ontological trajectory, Foucault moved from a structuralist to poststructuralist approach.A number of discourse analysis methods have been used in empirical qualitative and textual data analysis, such as discourse analysis, critical discourse analysis, post structural discourse analysis, linguistic discourse analysis (Cheek, 2004). Graham (2011) distinguished Foucauldian discourse analysis from critical discourse analysis: the former focuses less on the micro (the structural/grammatical/linguistic/semiotic figures) aspects that make up the text, and more on the macro that is what is made up by the text itself. Of the three roots of discourse analysis (Cheek, 2004), such as linguistic, social theoretical, and post-structural roots, we are interested in post-structural FDA, which constructs objects in the context of power relations (Parker, 1992).In order to understand FDA, it is necessary to be clear about how Foucault defined “discourse (Foucault, 1972, 1981).” He defined discourse in many ways throughout “The Archaeology of Knowledge” (1972) and “The Order of Discourses” (1981). In the chapter related to “statement” (1972), which is a central concept in defining discourse, he used this term to refer to the general domain of all statements encompassing all utterances and statements which have been constructed to provide meaning and which have some effects in society. Then, discourse is defined as an individualizable set of statements, including all statements and utterances which seem to form a grouping (e.g., child sexuality, heterosexuality, disability) (1972). Finally, discourse is sometimes defined as a regulated practice, implying the unwritten rules, regulations, cultural and value structures that produce particular utterances and statements (e.g., socially and culturally prescribed rules for sexual relations) (1972). Thus, instead of thinking of discourse as a set of statements which have some coherence, according to Foucault (1981), discourse is a complex set of practices which try to keep statements and utterances in circulation or try to seclude them from others and “exclude” those statements from circulation (Mills, 2003). There is a power relationship embedded in the inclusion/exclusion process, which is discussed below.Foucauldian discourse can be further distinguished through mutually supplementary ideas, including power/knowledge, resistance, normalization, and truth/common sense truth. Foucault asserts that power is everywhere. Unlike traditional views of power that position it as something people use to oppress or control individuals or force individuals to do something (e.g., through the military), Michel Foucault (1978) positions power as relational. He notes that power is also productive (Foucault, 1978), in that it produces the way we construct ourselves and each other in society. According to Foucault (1978), this is how power, including both disciplinary power (e.g., via school, religion) and bio-power (e.g., via the subjugated physical body), produce “discursive practices” or “discursive knowledge” in which individuals are expected to behave in certain ways bolstered by common sense truths. As a result, an individual is judged by how closely he/she fits into the expected norms. Therefore, power is what makes us what we are through the processes of normalization. Simply put, Foucauldian power is omnipresent, productive (not just destructive), circulating, diffused, enacted, discursive, embedded in discourse, knowledge, and regimes of truth, constituting (the subject), embodied, and consensual rather than coercive. As power is relational, according to Foucault (1978), resistance is an integral component of power relations and overlaps with it. Since power is diffusive, Foucault illustrates that resistance to power must then be diffused across social systems and incorporated into the everyday. Both domination and resistance power are “fragmented and inconsistent, with each always containing elements of each other” (Raby, 2005, p. 161). Thus, resistance is about local struggles that challenge institutions and normalizations rather than revolutionary attacks to the state. Therefore, in modern societies, self-surveillance and self-regulation, rather than force, are a mechanism of social control. Discipline becomes the technique (or an instrument) of power and body becomes the object of and target of disciplinary power (Foucault, 1978).
Implications of FDA in Qualitative Data Analysis: A Reflection
Even though both SC and FDA are social constructionist analytics (Sharp & Richardson, 2001), poststructuralist/Foucauldian discourse analysis is a particularly necessary or useful way for qualitative data analysis (Cheek, 2004). Simply put, SC can be criticized because it “fails to deal adequately with power-laden political context in which presumably open dialogue occurs and genuine understanding is constructed” (Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2016, p. 14). Even though SC is a critical analytic approach, in our view it is a relatively “bare bones” project that examines meanings given to events and the ways in which discourses (e.g., mental health) are constructed (Winges-Yanez, 2014). In contrast, the main tenants of discourse analysis are that our social actions are intertwined with socio-cultural, historical, and political contexts, and our social relations are produced, reproduced, and resisted (Janks, 1997). Understanding meaning only in an interactional context is insufficient for dismantling existing reality or truth, which is why Foucault was not interested in reducing discourse to merely “meaning” (1972). A Foucauldian discourse analyst is concerned with how “games of truth” are played out in socio-political contexts, instead of focusing on how meaning is constructed in interactional settings (Arribas-Ayllon & Walkerdine, 2008). For example, what are the underlying questions (and embedded power relations) we may consider if we want to conduct a discourse analysis of occupational health and safety policy of a given country. Therefore, we may ask: how are the discursive formation of occupational health, safety, regulations are constructed? Which perspectives of workplace safety are legitimized, and which are silenced? Who produces the knowledge and which knowledge? And who can exercise their power in relation to this regulation and with which strategies? In short, when a discourse analysis is consistent with Foucauldian insights, it does not reveal a true meaning in terms of what is said or not said. It looks at statements in terms of what they do, not what they say because “discourses are not objects but rules and procedures that make objects thinkable and governable, and they do not “determine” things but intervene in the relations of what can be known, said, or practiced” (Arribas-Ayllon & Walkerdine, 2008, p. 120). The bottom line is that it is that FDA allows for understanding of political or constitutive effects of social actions (Graham, 2011). Thus, Foucauldian discourse analysis is concerned with power, which investigates how particular discourse systematically constructs a version of the social world (Hodges et al., 2008; Talja, 1999).FDA helps us to understand “how people think, what they know and how they speak about the world around us, and how their knowledge is culturally embedded” (Raby, 2002, p. 30). For instance, Hodges et al. (2008) detail how, in his study of madness, Foucault revealed three different discourses, which constructed three different types of madness in terms of three different historical epoch and places: madness as spiritual possession, madness as social deviancy, and madness as mental illness (Hodges et al., 2008). Likewise, Speed (2006) illustrated how different discourses of “mental health services” construct three different types of people’s identity: patients, consumers, and survivors. Thus, FDA helps us to unveil the multiple ways to define a discourse, or multiple discourses, to construct reality, which is linked to the power and objectives of particular institutions.FDA does not position methodology simply as a set of technical procedures in order to manipulate data (Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2016). Rather, it enables us to consider the hidden motivations behind the choice of a particular method of research to interpret particular texts or social actions. This is a Foucauldian genealogical analytic (gaze), which considers the ontological and epistemological assumptions behind a project, a statement, a text, and participants’ talk (Hallett et al., 2000). It can open up a window of understanding about what individuals, organizations, and even whole societies really think, rather than what they show with their manifested meaning.In qualitative data analysis, coding, as well as thematic analysis is a popular undertaking. However, it does not allow for the representation of socially produced silences because it underlines the presence over absence and spoken voice over silence (Rosiek & Heffernan, 2014). In this context, that which is not expressed or expressed with gestures and postures becomes meaningless (Rosiek & Heffernan, 2014). Silence is often seen as resistance or an impediment in qualitative data analysis (MacLure et al., 2010). However, silence is full of people’s untold and unspoken chronicles and can be a strength for qualitative data analysis (Bengtsson & Fynbo, 2018; Khan, 2017). In addition, silence can create something new, instead of merely reproducing pre-existing structures (Bengtsson & Fynbo, 2018). Thus, silence in an interview may be a resource in qualitative data analysis as it creates diverse possibilities for forming diverse expressions. In a study using FDA, Hamed et al. (2017) were able to consider women’s narratives on obstetric Fistula via non-verbal communication, as well as the use of space, body language, and silent moments in their qualitative data analysis. Thus, FDA may enable us to listen to socio-culturally produced silence in qualitative data analysis.FDA has been a growing analytical method in policy research, across fields of study, including environmental policy and planning (Hajer, 1995; Jensen, 1997; Mazza & Rydin, 1997; Sharp & Richardson, 2001), public health (Lupton, 1992; Teghtsoonian, 2009), occupational health and safety policy (Zoller, 2003), education policy (Rogers et al., 2005; Stevens, 2003; Thomas, 2002). The popularity of this method in policy lies in its ability to solicit critical assumptions regarding how policy formation and reformation are intertwined with broader social changes and stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, consumers or benefited people, and implementing agencies), which are complex and messy interactions that construct the policy processes in which the stakeholders are actively engaged (Liz Sharp & Richardson, 2001). It is applied as a way of understanding the dynamics of political processes, socio-economic and environmental lives, which are immanently embedded in public or social policies (Hewitt, 2009). In fact, these processes of policy formation are “the production of discourses,” which question the practices of government and how public policy is formed, shaped and reshaped, having refuted to institutional histories or taken for granted ideas (Hewitt, 2009). Thus, FDA promotes us to ask, in relation to a policy instrument, how, why, and by whom the reality is attributed in a context of power-relations (or arguments) rather than just asking about the reality, having excluded other arguments (Sharp & Richardson, 2001). This approach deconstructs and therefore denaturalizes and critiques, what forms a particular embedded social reality, compelling us to question it as truth or reality (Winges-Yanez, 2014).In addition to “power/knowledge” as an analytical framework in FDA, policy analysis has also leaned on “Foucauldian Governmentality” lens in order to understand policy critically. By governmentality, Michel Foucault (1977) drew on the metaphor of the “panopticon,” implying that way of self-surveillance and self-regulation, rather than force, are mechanisms of social control. Thus, discipline becomes the technique of power and body becomes the object of and target of disciplinary power. Using this FDA lens, for example, Zoller (2003) analyzed critically how workers consent to occupational health hazards, and how they regulate themselves in relation to the regulatory mechanism (e.g., occupational health and safety policy) through produced and reproduced the common identity norms and values by the employers. She argued that occupational health and safety is a political discourse at both policy and everyday organizational levels and provides insight on the suppression of conflicts at each level of organization. This study also revealed that one of the reasons why employees do not report work-related injury and illness is “disciplinary norms” (discursive and ideological construction of social reality) created by the organization through their policies related to workplace health and safety. Hence, employees themselves subjugated their physical body (e.g., self-surveillance) and normalized their illness and hazards related to work, which reduced reporting and produced consent to existing protection systems that exclude their experiences (Zoller, 2003). Another example is hegemonic masculinity ideals, such as self-reliance, autonomy, and an emphasis on agency (Sloan et al., 2010). A culture of healthism encourages people to monitor themselves to present as healthy, which, in turn, functions to discipline their potentially rebellious minds and bodies. In this context, Sloan et al. (2010) did not merely analyze how healthy masculinities were constructed; using FDA, they also revealed how these construction processes are shaped by the discourses of self-surveillance and Western neo-liberal politics/policies. Thus, FDA helps us to gain a (re)view of the problem from the “outside” and think (differently) about the present by taking up a position outside of our current regimes of truths, in order to recognize the hidden assumptions and practices that form the rules of discourse formation (Arribas-Ayllon & Walkerdine, 2008; Hewitt, 2009).
Is SC Necessary When FDA Is Applied?
In this penultimate section, we move from theory to application by providing a specific example of the use of FDA analysis derived from the lead author’s study (Khan, 2018) of sex education gaps in Bangladesh. Using the lens of SC and FDA, this study addressed the research questions: How do Bangladeshi young men receive sex education during adolescence? How do they interpret their experiences? How do their narratives reproduce and/or disrupt dominant discourses related to sex education, including discourses around sexuality, masculinity, and manhood? This study identified dominant discourses around sex education, which were intertwined with social institutions, including schools; it also illustrated instances that reproduced and disrupted these dominant discourses. Some participants embraced dominant discourses while others disrupted them, and some contradicted themselves. In this case, SC provided insights into the ways that the participants interpreted their experiences. However, this interpretation lacked critical engagement by not informing how the young men’s construction (production or reproduction) of experiences had been shaped by power-relations, where knowledgeable authorities (such as schools, religion) played a pivotal role in forming their experiences. It is the participants who are the product of discourses. As well, the analyst or qualitative researcher is also a product of discourses. As such, the meaning-making or construction process of experiences, which is the final contribution of SC, is the first step of FDA. This step is then further examined using different Foucauldian lenses, such as power/knowledge, resistance, truth games, and genealogy. Given these analytic conditions, the lead author published a paper (Khan & Raby, 2020) using only FDA, showing how Bangladeshi young men constructed, produced and /or reproduced, and contradicted their experiences (discourses) around sex education. This analysis is one example of how SC is unnecessary, if we use FDA. In addition, the two approaches are philosophically distinct. SC favors a conventional humanist qualitative methodology, while FDA favors post qualitative methodology (St. Pierre, 2020); as such, they cannot go hand by hand, as realized by St. Pierre (St. Pierre, 2018):I realized those two structures could not be thought together, that their ontologies and epistemologies were incompatible because of their very different descriptions of human being, language, discourse, power, agency, resistance, freedom, and so on. (p. 603)
This article has explored opportunities provided to qualitative researchers in FDA, which allow for an understanding of the “complexity” of human experiences, ranging from basic human communication to the internal functioning systems of power-relations, and which provide us with a version of the truth or reality about the problems encountered by researchers. This article proposes that it is imperative to develop and promote a sound analytic that can capture the important and implicit components/assumptions of that complexity. Against this backdrop, FDA may be a fairer analytic than SC because it not only analyzes what participants have said as well as the way they said it, by looking not only at how they interpret their experiences, but also how their experiences reproduce and/or disrupt dominant discourses around the problems under study. Though FDA plays pivotal roles in problematizing intellectual traditions, it has some drawbacks in that it is more concerned with theory than method. The absence of an explicit technique for researchers to follow is a striking constraint for new researchers. Finally, as FDA ideas are full of cryptic philosophies, novice researchers might struggle to apply the concepts to qualitative data analysis.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article: SSHRC/CIHR Healthy Productive Workforce Partnership Grant and Mitacs Globalink Research Award.
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Tauhid Hossain Khan, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada, ON N2L 3G1. Email: [email protected]
Khan TH, MacEachen E. Foucauldian Discourse Analysis: Moving Beyond a Social Constructionist Analytic. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. January 2021. doi:10.1177/16094069211018009
- Title: “Foucauldian Discourse Analysis: Moving Beyond a Social Constructionist Analytic”
- Authors: “Tauhid Hossain Khan and Ellen MacEachen”
- Source: “https://journals.sagepub.com/”
- License: “CC BY-NC 4.0” | literature |
http://www.clpress.com/publications/deacons-handbook | 2017-04-24T11:24:48 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917119356.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031159-00458-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.968974 | 273 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__164867789 | en | An invaluable resource for all who are, or will be, involved in the church's ministry of mercy. Includes chapters on the nature and history of the diaconal office, concrete advice regarding budget and finances, suggestions for enlisting congregational participation in diaconal service, and thought-provoking perspectives on giving and stewardship. Profoundly Christ-centered, solidly based on Scripture, lucid in presentation and down-to-earth in application.
Let your loins by girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home for the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truely, I say to you, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants!
Peter said, 'Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?' And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is the servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing' (Luke 12:35-38; 41-43) | literature |
https://conference.bluepenbooks.com/users/admin/ | 2024-04-13T03:05:24 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816535.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20240413021024-20240413051024-00490.warc.gz | 0.915615 | 232 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__167932817 | en | Victoria is the organizer of the Blue Pen Writers’ Conference. She is a fiction author, book editor, and speaker based in East Tennessee. Her short fiction has appeared in more than forty publications, and she is represented by Sandy Lu of Book Wyrm Literary Agency.
She is the founder and owner of Blue Pen, which provides editing and book design services for authors. Her team at Blue Pen has supported the development of more than a hundred books.
Victoria spends her free time backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hanging out with her husky, and practicing leathercraft. She is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Knoxville Writers’ Guild, and the Appalachian Studies Association.
|Offering Critiques without Session | literature |
https://www.liveyourretirement.com/blog/book-recommendations-for-valentines-day-on-elderly-love/ | 2019-12-14T03:39:05 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540579703.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20191214014220-20191214042220-00303.warc.gz | 0.927007 | 755 | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-51__0__11508029 | en | Book Recommendations for Valentine’s Day on Elderly Love
Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether you are in a relationship, single, divorced or widowed, these ten reading recommendations for seniors are full of romance, dating tips and the best relationship advice. Enjoy!
1. Late Life Love: Romance and New Relationships in Later Years
This amazing book by Connie Goldman will make you believe in true love again! Connie interviewed twenty-two older couples and shares their romances and later in life relationships. A must read!
2. Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex
Aging should not interfere with sensuality and sexuality. Joan Price gives some valuable information and advice for senior men and women (straight and gay). It encourages you to explore, continue and reclaim your sexuality!
3. Autumn Romance: Stories and Portraits of Love After 50
If you are interested in reading a sweet and heart touching book, then this one is for you! It contains twenty-nine stories of older couples that proves romance is ageless. It’s a beautiful book that also includes black and white portraits. Truly inspiring!
4. How 50 Couples Found Love After 50
If you are single, divorced or widowed, we suggest you read this book. Tom Blake shares the stories of fifty couples who found love later in life. It’s sincere and encouraging. A true manifest that it’s never too late to find a new love or to love again.
5. All Night Long: How to Make Love to a Man Over 50
It is true that certain things change with age, but sexuality does not have to be one of them! More than a guide, this book is full of positive information. It contains exercises for both men and women to improve their libido and lovemaking in a supportive relationship.
6. Apples Should Be Red
If you prefer reading a romance novel, then this one is for you! Apples Should Be Red is the story of two seniors, a woman in her late fifties and a man in his late sixties, that fall for each other under the most awkward circumstances. It is fun, delightful and a short read! We love it and hope to find more books with seniors as main characters.
7. Free Fall: A Late-in-Life Love Affair
In her memoir, Rae Padilla Francoeur, shares her story of finding a new love at fifty-eight. Her writing is authentic, provocative and erotic. It might make you blush, but you will appreciate her passion and honesty.
8. Getting Naked Again: Dating, Romance, Sex, and Love When You’ve Been Divorced, Widowed, Dumped, or Distracted
Clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Judith Sills, PhD, writes with humour, eloquence and wit. Even though the cover of her book and title might imply that it is only about intimacy, it discusses everything to do with getting back into the dating scene later in life.
9. The Winning Dating Formula For Women Over 50: 7 Steps To Attracting Quality Men
Here is another perfect book for single, divorced and widowed women over fifty who would like to find love again. Lisa Copeland, a dating coach for women over fifty, gives you the tools, skills and confidence you need to start dating again.
10. 99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before Dating After 40, 50, & Yes, 60!
If you are looking for a fun, quick read, full of good dating advice, we recommend this book. It contains detailed explanations, dating suggestions and wonderful stories that will inspire you! | literature |
https://yongestreetphysio.ca/news/quick-response | 2023-12-10T07:51:44 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679101282.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20231210060949-20231210090949-00105.warc.gz | 0.97033 | 539 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__246519642 | en | By Lucy Piper, Senior MedWire Reporter
Patients with low back pain (LBP) undergoing chiropractic treatment who respond to treatment are likely to improve very quickly, study findings show.
This appears to be true for those with acute (3 months) pain.
The researchers found that treatment response on the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale 1 week after treatment was a good indicator of outcome.
Indeed, patients with chronic and acute LBP who were “much better” or “better” on the PGIC scale at 1 week were four to five times more likely to be improved at both 1 and 3 months after treatment than patients who had not improved at 1 week.
The team also points out that “an important and unique finding in this current study is that although 123 (23%) of the patients with acute LBP and 71 (24%) of the patients with chronic LBP were diagnosed by their chiropractors as having radiculopathy, this finding was not a negative predictor of improvement.”
Cynthia Peterson (University of Zurich, Switzerland) and colleagues investigated the outcomes of 523 patients with acute LBP and 293 with chronic LBP receiving chiropractic treatment.
After 1 week of treatment, 65% of patients with acute pain and 32% of patient with chronic pain reported that they were either “much better” or “better.” The respective rates were 81% and 59% at 1 month and 88% and 69% at 3 months.
The most consistent factor predicting outcome was self-reported improvement at 1 week, which was independently associated with improvement at 1 month (odds ratio [OR]=2.4 for acute LBP and 5.0 for chronic LBP) and 3 months (OR=2.9 and 3.3, respectively).
Among the patients with chronic pain, other prognostic factors included trauma onset as the reason for LBP, a history of LBP episodes, and the Oswestry baseline score for every 1-point increase in the baseline Oswestry score, patients with chronic pain were 6% less likely to improve at 1 month.
These findings could help practicing chiropractors “make more confident decisions about patient prognosis based on how quickly individual patients respond to their treatment,” the researchers report in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.
“Chiropractors can also expect most of their patients with acute and chronic pain to continue to improve at least up to 3 months after the start of treatment, even if they are no longer being treated.” | literature |
https://www.rhondagreen.org/product/my-exit-plan-getting-my-house-in-order-audiobook | 2024-04-16T01:42:04 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817036.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20240416000407-20240416030407-00778.warc.gz | 0.974566 | 292 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__203856468 | en | My Exit Plan: Getting My House In Order (Audiobook)
The author, Rhonda Green is a person whose calling in life, from a very young age, has been to compassionately walk with people and their loved ones as they transition out of this life. Her emphasis in this book is to encourage and guide everyone to prepare for their eventual transition by completing what she calls an “Exit Plan” in order to save them much practical and emotional heartache.
This will be an extremely helpful book for all who are interested in “getting their house in order.” It also might well cultivate such an interest in those who haven’t yet thought about how to prepare for their own death.
Green has done a superb job of creating a handbook for the process of dying through her life-giving stories and guidance. She somehow manages to companion the reader into the nitty gritty of the “business” of death and dying while keeping a wonderful energy flowing throughout. Her focus on death is for the purpose of helping people live well and be fully present both in death and life.
This book is well written with strong logical flow and transitions in general. It’s obvious that the writer knows what she’s talking about from a lifetime of experience; her roots go deep. The author is to be highly commended for sharing her lifetime of wisdom through this effective book. | literature |
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